ffxiv Endwalker Relic Weapons Unveiled

[ara 11]

In yesterday's Live Letter, new Endwalker relic weapons were revealed to be tied to the Hildibrand questline.

Relic weapons have been a popular staple of the series since ARR, as it is not only stylish but is also considered BiS (best-in-slot) for its expansion. Therefore, relics are quite mandatory for players concerned with keeping their gear up to date for endgame content.

Relic unlock requirements for every expansion up until now has been fairly run-of-the-mill. Finish the relevant MSQ, talk to a certain NPC, unlock a new zone (Stormblood and Shadowbringers), and farm Fates or dungeon roulettes for materials to upgrade your relic weapon. Often, this in itself is a tedious and time-consuming process, one that is meant to showcase how hard-earned relic weapons are. 

Public opinion was polarizing at best when it was revealed that Endwalker relics are tied to Hildibrand. Some reacted with hilarity and took it in stride, some were supportive, and many reacted with profound irritation. Some broke meta ground. And some were simply genuinely puzzled. Such divisive reactions were to be expected, as the Hildibrand questline is notorious not only for having a very specific brand of humor, but also for being incredibly long. 

Hildibrand follows the story of detective and gentleman extraordinaire Hildibrand Manderville with his trusty sidekick Nashu as they go through various misadventures alongside the Warrior of Light through the land of Eorzea. Each cutscene thrives on wacky mishaps animated with a fidelity that not even ARR MSQ cutscenes possessed. I admit, I was in awe at the quality of the cutscenes in the context of both animation and comedic value — I caught myself gasping out loud at the sheer absurdity of the things they came up with, as well as occasionally descending into side-splitting laughter. 

Hilarity aside, the storyline spans 40 quests and 3 trials, with quests in ARR and Heavensward being the lengthiest. In total, this would mean players would have to go through an upwards of 10 hours of content to unlock the relic quest, not to mention the actual grind itself. This does not include the additional quests they are adding for Hildibrand in the upcoming patch. 

This is by far going to be the longest relic journey yet. What do you think of the relic weapons being tied to Hildibrand? Are you excited to see what the Manderville weapons would look like? How far are you in the quest to complete Hildibrand, or are you a Gentleman Extraordinaire completionist?
 

[Elfomal 55]

I hope its the contest weapons we've seen some months ago <3

[ara 11]

10 hours ago, Elfomal said:

I hope its the contest weapons we've seen some months ago ❤️

Yess!! I'm so glad they host those contests, we've had some really stellar designs so far.