In the Tenth Circle of Pandaemonium: Anabaseios, Final Fantasy XIV pitted the Warrior of Light against an unliving abomination with no will of its own. In the Eleventh Circle, the conflict comes closer to home as you fight a friend, or at least his shade. Now you face Themis, the Ancient who will one day become Elidibus.
The fight takes place in a circular arena and there is a hazard zone on its edge. Be warned that raid guides contain light spoilers for the fight. If you prefer to preserve the surprise of raids for yourself, give them a try first before referring to a guide. Then, come back here for some help if you have trouble.
How To Defeat Themis
This fight is all about paying attention to Light and Dark. Many of the boss’ attacks change depending on whether he is charged with Light (yellow) or Dark (purple). Later on, Themis will combine the attack Dark and Light with either Divisive Ruling or Dismissal Ruling.
- Eunomia: A hard-hitting party-wide AoE to kick things off. Heal through it.
- Divisive Ruling: This attack comes in two flavors. When the cast starts, Themis will move to the center of the arena, making a long line AoE through it. When he’s done casting, he’ll charge through the center of the arena. What changes is his follow-up attack, depending on the color of the rings around him while casting. If the rings are purple, the follow-up attack will hit the areas not touched by the original line AoE. Dodge the first AoE, and then move into the safe spot. If the rings are yellow, then the follow-up will be a wide line AoE along the same path as the original attack.
- Dark and Light: The boss summons two marked circular regions on the battlefield, one Light and the other Dark. Following this, he will cast Sigils of Discord, which will mark every player with a Light’s Discord or Dark’s Discord. You’ll get a visual indication around your character which debuff you have. You want to stand in the region that’s the opposite of your debuff: those with a Light debuff should stand in the Dark region to gain Light’s Accord, and vice versa. Failure to do so will see you periodically damaged with Katakrisis, which also gives you a stack of Vulnerability Up. The boss will then cast…
- Dineis: This attack marks every party member with a circle AoE underneath them. Simply move to avoid the damage, but remain inside your safe region from Dark and Light. The happens twice in succession.
- Emissary’s Will: This is a party-wide AoE that players will automatically dodge if they’re standing in the correct region. It ends the Dark and Light section of the fight.
- Dismissal Ruling: Once again, this attack comes in two types. The boss stands in the center with a knockback marker. Once the cast finishes, everyone will be knocked back. Stand near the boss to avoid getting pushed back into the hazard zone. Be prepared for a follow-up attack. If the rings around Themis are purple, then the follow-up will be a donut AoE whose safe zone is directly underneath the boss. The rings are yellow, then the follow-up will be a wider circle AoE under the boss.
- Dike: A standard dual tankbuster. Both tanks should use their cooldowns.
- Upheld Ruling: If Themis’ staff is charged with purple light, this attack will be a single-target tankbuster with a wide area of circular splash damage. The marked tank needs to take this to the edge of the hazard zone away from the raid. The follow-up attack will be a donut AoE underneath the boss, so the rest of the party needs to run to avoid the damage. If Themis’ staff is charged with yellow light, this attack will be a Stark Marker on one party member. Stack to share the damage, but be prepared for the follow-up, a large circle AoE underneath the boss.
- Styx: A mega Stack Marker on one random party member. Stack up to share the damage, but stay together, as this hits five times in succession.
- Shadowed Messengers: Themis creates two shades of himself on the edge of the arena, crossing through the center in perpendicular lines. One will charge with Light and the other with Dark, each using a version of Divisive Ruling based on rings around them. This means you have to dodge the initial charge and follow-ups for both attacks.
- Blinding Light: Every party member is marked with a circle AoE. Spread out to avoid sharing the damage.
Keep your eye on the details and you’ll be able to triumph over Themis once again. If you need help with the other fights in Anabaseios, here are the guides to the other Circles.
