Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.55 adds a new challenge to the Hildibrand quests with a showdown against its newest boss, Asura, in The Gilded Araya. For those familiar with Dawntrail Fan Fests, she may be familiar. If not, no worries — I’ll recount the trial as your personal Wandering Minstrel.
Defeat Asura in the Gilded Araya
Asura is no Extreme Trial, but you may want to prepare ahead for some of her tricks. This encounter will have you focus on damaging her main self, the boss in the arena, while dodging some attacks from a second, giant Asura along the outer arena.
Asura’s mechanics — Will you dodge or will you bleed?
Lower Realm hits with raidwide damage.
Asuri Chakra telegraphs circular AoEs around the arena originating from the middle, with safe outlines between each one. Stand between their lines to avoid damage.
Cutting Jewel is Asura’s single hit Tank buster.
Ephemerality hits with raid-wide damage and signals a new phase. Seconds later, phantom Asura clones spawn around the arena. Look at the line underneath each one; this area isn’t safe. Run to a corner without a clone and dodge the circular AoEs as they spawn underneath the clones.
Asura projects a larger vision of herself on the outer edge of the arena when she announces, “Tremble before the might of the Manusya!” Watch her closely, as she plays a role in upcoming attacks. The tether makes the bigger Asura cast the same attack shortly after the main boss, though it hits the arena differently, given her position outside.
Iconography: Pedestal Purge tethers Asura to her larger self outside and hits the arena around her in a circular AoE. Iconic Execution follows up from the outer Asura, hitting the arena in a half-circle AoE.
Iconography: Wheel of Deincarnation leaves a singular, small circle in Asura’s hitbox safe, hitting the arena with a donut AoE. Iconic Execution follows up from the outer Asura, but this time, the donut is so large it hits most of the arena, and the only safe spot is directly in front of the large clone
Iconography: Bladewise telegraphs a straight line AoE from Asura to dodge. Iconic Execution follows up from the outer Asura again with the same cast, leaving clear spots on both sides of the arena while the middle is unsafe.
Six-bladed Khadga seems to trip folks up the most. Asura will cleave half the arena’s circle six times in the order she outlines. I stand close to her so I don’t have to run far, and just chase the hits as they go off — it helps me to look at in fourths, moving into a side I know was just cleaved but dodging the fourth I know is unsafe next.
Many Faces has Asura rotating in the middle, cleaving in a straight line from her as she rotates. Just stay close and run around the middle to make dodging easier.
The Face of Delight divides the arena into a blue half and red half. She’ll blow up the same color as the mask that pops up after, so dodge into the opposite color.
Myriad Aspects telegraphs six cones AoEs from her at the initial cast and follows up with another six. The first set is unsafe for a moment but dodge into them after they resolve. She’ll hit the second set after.
And that’s it; it’s rinse and repeat from here on out! She’ll twist the mechanics you already know up here and there, but they’re all arrangements of something you’ve seen before.
That’s all, folks — Asura’s Rewards
There’s no Gilded Araya Extreme to see here. Like previous Manderville family excursions, you’ll keep things sweet and simple with one trial difficulty. That means no new cat mount from Asura, sorry y’all.
You do, however, get the new UFO mount in the quests after, along with the A Gentleman to Walk with Me orchestrion. Completing The Gilded Araya is also a requirement for getting your Patch 6.55 Mandervillous Relic Weapon, so I guess there’s that. Hope you’ve got 1,500 Tomestones ready.
Then, for a lucky few, she’ll drop the Asura Triple Triad card, which I still don’t have after running this several times for the guided tour. Legend still has it she’s still out there, somewhere, grinding for more card game collectibles. I wish us both luck.
