Before moving on to Heavensward and continuing the main storyline of Final Fantasy XIV, you need to unlock the first set of Hard mode Trials. Unlocking these Trials can be confusing, so this guide will show you how to unlock all three Hard Trials to progress the MSQ in FFXIV.
While you’re free to unlock Hard modes of The Navel, The Bowl of Embers, and The Howling Eye as soon as you complete “The Ultimate Weapon” quest and roll credits on the main storyline of A Realm Reborn, you aren’t required to do so until Patch 2.5’s “Good Intentions” quest. Before you can start this Patch’s storyline, the game will force you to complete these three Hard mode Trials before you can proceed.
Don’t let the naming scheme fool you: “Hard” Trials in Final Fantasy XIV are anything but. Anything marked as “Hard” just means it’s a higher-level version of an earlier fight. For example, The Navel (Hard) just means you’re fighting Titan again, but at level 50. In Heavensward, there aren’t any Normal difficulty Trials, just Hard. From Stormblood onward, the game drops the “Hard” moniker altogether.
How to Unlock Hard Mode Trials in Final Fantasy XIV
To unlock the Hard difficulty versions of The Navel, The Howling Eye, and The Bowl of Embers, visit Minfilia in The Solar at The Waking Sands and accept the quest “A Recurring Problem.” This will send you to Urianger, who will walk you through unlocking all three of these Trials.
The Bowl of Embers (Hard)
Speaking to Urianger will conclude the “A Recurring Problem” quest. From there, speak to Thancred (X: 6.1, Y: 5.1) nearby to begin the quest “Ifrit Bleeds, We Can Kill It.” This will send you on a brief stint to Ul’dah before finally granting you access to The Bowl of Embers (Hard), a level 50 version of the Ifrit Trial.
The Howling Eye (Hard)
After dealing with Ifrit and completing that quest, head back to The Waking Sands and talk to Papalymo (X: 6.1, Y: 5.0) to start the quest “In for Garuda Awakening.” This quest is just as easy as the previous one, sending you to Gridania and then Coerthas to prepare for a rematch with Garuda in The Howling Eye (Hard).
The Navel (Hard)
Titan is the last Primal on the list before you can return to the MSQ. To unlock this Trial, head back to the Waking Sands yet again and speak to Y’shtola (X: 6.1, Y: 5.1) to start “In a Titan Spot.” You know the drill by this point. Speak to the required NPCs and then attune to the Aetheryte to unlock The Navel (Hard).
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At this point, you’re free to continue the main storyline and wrap up A Realm Reborn’s patch content! If you want to push yourself further, however, then Urianger has even more optional quests for you to accept after defeating Titan. “Primal Nature” will unlock the Extreme versions of these Trials (which are actually hard), and “Primal Awakening” will unlock The Binding Coil of Bahamut raid.
