Ready to test your mettle in Final Fantasy XIV’s toughest encounters? Extreme Trials offer a thrilling challenge beyond the main story, pitting you and seven allies against powerful primal bosses with exclusive rewards like mounts and gear. From the classic trials in A Realm Reborn unlocked through Urianger’s quest chain in the Waking Sands, to the latest Dawntrail extremes accessed by speaking with the Wandering Minstrel after reaching level 100 and item level 690, this guide reveals exactly where and how to unlock every Extreme Trial across all expansions on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Prepare to rally your party and dive into some of FFXIV’s most demanding content.
Below, we explain everything you need to know about extreme trials in FFXIV, as well as where to unlock each extreme trial in each expansion.
Extreme trials in FFXIV, explained
Extreme trials in FFXIV are high-difficulty versions of standard story trials, designed to push players’ skills, coordination, and patience to the limit. Unlike normal or hard trials, extreme trials feature complex multi-phase mechanics, punishing enrage timers, and little room for error-making teamwork and precise execution essential for success. These battles are typically tackled by pre-formed groups using the Party Finder system, as matchmaking via Duty Finder is discouraged due to the demanding nature of the content and the need for coordinated strategies. Completing extreme trials rewards players with exclusive mounts, high-level weapons, and rare crafting materials, making them a sought-after challenge for those looking to test themselves and earn unique loot.
Extreme trials are harder versions of existing trials that reward high-level gear (at the time of its launch) and other rewards like mounts, crafting materials, and orchestrions.
At the time of their respective releases, extreme trials are difficult and require a party that’s willing to communicate positions and patterns to complete (unlike a normal trial, which you can just queue into and defeat). Rather than using the duty finder to find a group to clear extreme fights with, you’ll need to revert to using party finder.
Once a new expansion drops, you can unsync the trials from the previous expansion, so you can fight it without your gear being synced down to the level of the boss. For example, after Shadowbringers launched, you could then unsync Byakko, beating him down quickly with a higher level and better gear. This allows you to farm out a mount or gear without having to pay too much attention to the usually complex mechanics.
Clearing the extreme trial will reward one of the boss’ weapons as well as a chance to drop the other aforementioned loot. Each clear will also reward you with a totem for that boss (except for the extreme trials in A Realm Reborn, which do not utilize totems). Some lengthier fights will even reward two totems, like Hades or Barbariccia. You can trade totems to merchants to get specific weapons you may want at a 10:1 ratio or the mount at a 99:1 ratio, if you’ve been unlucky with your loot rolls.
All extreme trials require you to complete the normal version of the trial first before you can unlock it, so if you haven’t unlocked all the trials yet (especially since some are optional), you should do that first.
Where to unlock A Realm Reborn extreme trials
To unlock the A Realm Reborn Extreme Trials in Final Fantasy XIV, players must first complete the normal version of each trial. Most extreme trials in A Realm Reborn are unlocked by speaking with Urianger in the Waking Sands (Western Thanalan) and starting the quest chain beginning with “Primal Nature.” This chain unlocks each trial sequentially, including Garuda, Titan, Ifrit, and others. Additionally, the extreme version of Ultimate Weapon is unlocked separately by speaking with Alys in Mor Dhona through the quest “The Ultimate Ballad.” These quests are generally short and require completion of the corresponding hard mode trials beforehand. Once unlocked, players can queue for these challenging encounters to earn exclusive rewards such as mounts and advanced gear.
ARR’s extreme trials are the only ones that have a somewhat convoluted method to unlock them. Most of the trials (Garuda, Titan, Ifrit, Good King Moggle Mog XII, Leviathan, Ramuh, and Shiva) are unlocked via talking to Urianger in the Waking Sands (in Western Thanalan):
He’ll give you a quest chain starting with “Primal Nature,” and as you complete each quest, you’ll move along in the story, unlocking the next quest to unlock the next extreme.
Unfortunately, you have to unlock them in order, as they are part of an actual quest chain. Luckily, these fights can be completed quickly with unsynced settings, if you’re at about level 70 and above (with appropriately leveled gear). If not, you can always make a party finder group and say it’s for a first clear – veteran players will come help you, as they get Poetics and Wondrous Tails retries as a reward.
The extreme version of Ultimate Weapon, titled “The Minstrel’s Ballad: Ultima’s Bane,’ is actually unlocked from a different NPC. Talk to Alys in Mor Dhona to start the quest “The Ultimate Ballad” and unlock it:
The mounts dropped as a reward for A Realm Reborn extreme trials are based off of horses, with each trial giving a unique colored glowing horse. Garuda, Titan, and Ifrit also have a chance to drop a special black unicorn mount, called the Nightmare. Good King Moggle Mog XII doesn’t drop a mount whistle. Collecting all six horse mounts (not including Nightmare) allows you to unlock the Kirin mount through the quest “A Legend for a Legend.”
Where to unlock Heavensward extreme trials
To unlock the Heavensward extreme trials in FFXIV, you must first complete the Heavensward main scenario quests and the normal versions of each trial. Once these prerequisites are met, head to The Rising Stones in Mor Dhona to pick up specific blue quests with a “+” icon-these quests unlock each extreme trial. For example, to unlock Thok ast Thok (Extreme), pick up the quest “Thok Around the Clock” after completing “The Gods of Eld,” and for Containment Bay P1T6 (Extreme), start the quest “A Deific Simulacrum” after finishing the required trial quests. Each Heavensward extreme trial is tied to its own questline, so be sure to look for quest-giving NPCs in Mor Dhona and follow the chain to unlock each fight.
Again, most trials are unlocked from the same person: Unukalhai in the Rising Stones (Mor Dhona):
Unlike the ARR quests, you can accept any of the Heavensward quests in any order, allowing you to unlock the extreme trials in whatever order you want. The quests and their respective unlock are as follows:
- “The Diabolical Bismarck” – “The Limitless Blue (Extreme)” (Bismarck)
- “Thok Around the Clock” – “Thok ast Thok (Extreme)” (Ravana)
- “A Fiendish Likeness” – “Containment Bay S1T7 (Extreme)” (Sephirot)
- “A Deific Simulacrum” – “Containment Bay P1T6 (Extreme)” (Sophia)
- “A Demonic Duplicate” – “Containment Bay Z1T9 (Extreme)” (Zurvan)
Two of the Heavensward extremes are locked behind quests given by Alys in Mor Dhona again:
- “Thordan’s Reign” – “The Minstrel’s Ballad: Thordan’s Reign” (King Thordan)
- “Nidhogg’s Rage” – “The Minstrel’s Ballad: Nidhogg’s Rage” (Nidhogg)
You can trade your Heavensward totems to Bertana in Idyllshire or the Rowena’s Representative in Ishgard for loot.
The mounts in Heavensward are colorful glowing birds called lanners. Getting all seven lanners will allow you to unlock the Firebird mount via the quest “Fiery Wings, Fiery Hearts.”
Where to unlock Stormblood extreme trials
To unlock the Stormblood extreme trials in Final Fantasy XIV, players need to complete the main scenario quest “Stormblood” and then speak to the Wandering Minstrel located in Kugane. By completing the quest “Songs in the Key of Kugane,” players unlock the extreme versions of the Stormblood trials. During this quest, players will inform the Wandering Minstrel about their achievements in the normal trials to gain access to the extreme fights. After unlocking, players can trade totems earned from these trials with Eschina in Rhalgr’s Reach or Rowena’s Representative in Kugane for various rewards, including the fox-like kamuy mounts unique to Stormblood. Collecting all seven kamuy mounts allows players to unlock the special Kamuy of the Nine Tails mount through the quest “A Lone Wolf no More”.
To unlock most of the Stormblood extreme fights (Susano, Lakshmi, Shinryu, Byakko, Tsukuyomi, Suzaku, and Seiryu), talk to the Wandering Minstrel in Kugane to complete the quest “Songs in the Key of Kugane:”
You’ll have to actually pick options from a list to tell him about your different feats (beating the normal trials) to unlock the extreme version.
You can trade in your totems to Eschina in Rhalgr’s Reach or to the Rowena’s Representative in Kugane for loot.
The mounts in Stormblood are foxes called kamuy. Getting all seven kamuy mounts allows you to get the Kamuy of the Nine Tails mount via the quest “A Lone Wolf no More.”
The extreme version of Rathalos, called “The Great Hunt (Extreme)” is unlocked from the same guy who unlocks the normal version: the Hearty Hunter NPC in Kugane.
The extreme version of Rathalos does drop a Rathalos mount and rather than totems, it rewards “Rathalos Scale .” You can trade in the Rathalos Scale for armor, a Poogie minion, a Monster Hunter orchestrion roll, or the Rathalos mount to the Smithy in Kugane (next to the Hearty Hunter). You’ll need 50 Rathalos Scale to get the mount.
Where to unlock Shadowbringers extreme trials
To unlock most Shadowbringers extreme trials, head to the Crystarium and seek out the Minstrelling Wanderer, who offers quests for these challenging fights after you complete the main story quests and the respective normal trials. The Sorrows of Werlyt extreme trials-Ruby Weapon, Emerald Weapon, and Diamond Weapon-are exceptions: these are unlocked by speaking with the Warmachina Fanatic in The Lochs after starting the associated questline. Completing these trials earns you special mounts and totems, which can be traded for exclusive rewards.
Most of the Shadowbringers extreme trials (Titania, Innocence, Hades, and the Warrior of Light) are unlocked from the Minstrelling Wanderer in the Crystarium:
Just like his SB counterpart, you will need to talk to him about your feats to unlock that specific fight.
The Sorrows of Werlyt extreme fights (Ruby Weapon, Emerald Weapon, and Diamond Weapon) unlock from a different NPC, the Warmachina Fanatic in The Lochs:
You can trade in Shadowbringers totems to Fathard in Eulmore or Mowen’s Merchant in the Crystarium for loot.
The mounts in Shadowbringers are dragons referred to as gwibers. Collecting all seven gwibers allows you to unlock the Landerwaffe mount, which is effectively a huge robot dragon, by completing the quest “The Dragon Made.”
There’s actually another extreme fight to do but there’s no normal version of this trial: “Memoria Misera (Extreme),” which pits you against Varis yae Galvus. This is just a ramped-up eight-person version of the instanced duty where you have to fight Varis as part of the Bozja questline (the same quests you do to make your Shadowbringers relic weapon). After clearing the quest “The Bozja Incident,” you can unlock the extreme fight by talking to the Wandering Dramaturge in Gangos:
You can trade the totems to C’intana in Mor Dhona in exchange for coffers that give you special armor: dyeable versions of the level 80 artifact armor. At this point, this is only worth farming for glamour. You can’t get a mount from Varis, but he does drop a Triple Triad card that is required for the Triple Triad mount.
Where to unlock Endwalker extreme trials
To unlock the Endwalker Extreme Trials in Final Fantasy XIV, players need to speak with the Wandering Minstrel located near the docks in Old Sharlayan (coordinates approximately X: 12.6, Y: 14.2). Unlocking these trials requires reaching level 90 and completing the Endwalker Main Scenario Quests. Once these conditions are met, players can talk to the Minstrel, who will offer quests to unlock each Extreme trial. The unlocked trials then appear in the High-end Duty tab, but players must meet specific item level requirements to enter, ranging from ilvl 560 to 600 depending on the trial. It is recommended to use Party Finder to join organized groups for these challenges rather than random matchmaking.
Thank god for some simplicity. All of the Endwalker extreme trials unlock from one guy: the Wandering Minstrel in Old Sharlayan:
Again, you’ll just have to talk to him about your exploits to unlock the respective extreme fight.
You can trade your Endwalker totems in for gear to Nesvaaz in Radz-at-Han or the Agora Merchant in Old Sharlayan.
The mounts for Endwalker are big kitties also referred to as lynxes. Getting all seven lynx mounts will allow you to unlock the Apocryphal Bahamut mount via the “Wings of Hope” quest.
Where to unlock Dawntrail extreme trials
To unlock the Dawntrail extreme trials in FFXIV, you must first complete the main scenario questline for the Dawntrail expansion, finishing with the level 100 quest “Dawntrail.” Once this is done, head to Tuliyollal and locate the Wandering Minstrel at coordinates (X:11.1, Y:14.6). Speak with him to unlock both Worqor Lar Dor (Extreme) and Everkeep (Extreme). These trials will then appear in your Duty Finder under the High-end Duty tab. Note that you’ll need a minimum average item level of 690 to queue for these trials, though you can bypass this requirement with a full premade party.
The Wandering Minstrel is back and he’s hanging out in Tuliyolall at the location below:
Talk to him about your victories and he’ll unlock the respective extreme fights for you.
You can trade any of the Dawntrail totems you get for beating these fights to Uah’shepya in Solution Nine.
The mounts in Dawntrail are wings that attach to your character’s back. Getting a mount from each Dawntrail extreme trial will likely net you a special mount later, though this won’t be revealed until the end of the 7.0 patch cycle.
If you’re just starting out in the massive world of Final Fantasy 14, we have tons of guides to help you. We have a beginner’s guide to get you started, along with guides detailing when you’ll get your mount and which Grand Company you should join.
Want to discover the secret spots to unlock all extreme trials in FFXIV
Want to uncover the secret locations to unlock every Extreme Trial in FFXIV? Each expansion hides its toughest challenges behind specific NPCs and quest chains:
-
A Realm Reborn: Speak with Urianger in the Waking Sands (Western Thanalan) to begin the “Primal Nature” quest chain, which unlocks Garuda, Titan, Ifrit, Good King Moggle Mog XII, Leviathan, Ramuh, and Shiva Extreme Trials. For the extreme version of Ultima Weapon, talk to Alys in Mor Dhona to start “The Ultimate Ballad”.
-
Heavensward: Find Unukalhai at The Rising Stones in Mor Dhona for most extreme trials, and Alys in Mor Dhona for certain others like Thordan’s Reign.
-
Stormblood: Extreme trials are unlocked via quest chains started in Kugane or by speaking to the Wandering Minstrel, who is often found near major city hubs.
-
Shadowbringers & Endwalker: Look for the Wandering Minstrel in the Crystarium (Shadowbringers) or Old Sharlayan (Endwalker) after completing the relevant main story quests.
-
Dawntrail (latest expansion): Head to Tuliyollal and speak to the Wandering Minstrel at (X:11.1, Y:14.6) near The For’ard Cabins aetheryte. He will offer blue quests to unlock the newest extreme trials as soon as you finish the main story and meet the item level requirement.
Keep an eye out for blue quest icons with a “+”-these often unlock new trials and features. Completing the hard version of each trial is usually required before the extreme version becomes available. Happy hunting, Warrior of Light!
What are the exact locations to find the Wandering Minstrel for trial unlocks in Dawntrail
To unlock Extreme Trials in Dawntrail, you need to find the Wandering Minstrel in Tuliyollal at the exact coordinates (X:11.1, Y:14.6). The closest aetheryte shard is The For’ard Cabins, making it easy to reach him after completing the main scenario questline.
Once you finish the Dawntrail main story and reach level 100, speak to the Wandering Minstrel at this location to unlock the Extreme versions of the new trials. Look for a blue quest icon above his head to begin the unlock process.
