The first post-launch addition to Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is already here. We’re done with the maintenance period earlier than expected — servers were scheduled to be up and running by 2:00 a.m. PST on December 21. With the servers returning, Patch 6.01 is now live with the new raid and a host of balance changes. And you can catch up on all the updates with brand-new patch notes or our summary here!

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Patch 6.01 going live. The original story follows.

Pandaemonium Raid Details

We already knew that this patch was going to add the first wing of the eight-person Pandaemonium raid, Asphodelos. The brief snippet we’ve seen carries a twisted, haunted theme park vibe, but who knows what we’ll find inside?

To unlock the raid series, players must initiate the questline starting with “The Crystal from Beyond” which players can pick up from an NPC named Nemjiji in Old Sharlayan (X:9.6 Y:11.9). Then after the quest “Where Familiars Dare,” you will then be able to jump into Pandaemonium. Of course, you have to be level 90 and finish the main scenario quest for Endwalker to even access the raid quests.

Once you’ve unlocked Asphodelos, you’ll need to have an average item level of 565 or above to enter. If you haven’t been running Expert dungeons, Daily Roulettes, or the Extreme Trials, this might be a barrier for you. If you need help getting raid-ready, be sure to use our Tomestones and endgame gear guide.

There are a total of four duties for this raid wing, each called Circles. They’ll appear in the Duty Finder as:

Asphodelos: The First Circle
Asphodelos: The Second Circle
Asphodelos: The Third Circle
Asphodelos: The Fourth Circle

Pandaemonium Raid Rewards

While the Warrior of Light is likely heading into this raid to save the world once again, you’re probably heading into it for that sweet loot. The patch notes offer a glimpse at the new raid sets and tell you exactly how you can obtain them.

The bosses of each circle of Pandaemonium will offer treasure coffers rather than gear. Additionally, players will be able to earn one token per Circle each week; get a token from a specific Circle and you cannot get remaining tokens for that Circle until the reset. This means you should probably plan out your rolls for specific gear that you’re aiming for, rather than simply rolling on every token that drops. The lock-out gets reset every Tuesday at 12:00 a.m. PST.

You’ll need multiple tokens to trade for the raid gear and the numbers match previous raids. Players can take the tokens to Mylenie in Labyrinthos (X:8.3 Y:27.6) or Djole in Radz-at-Han (X:10.3 Y:9.6). The required number of tokens for each piece of gear is as follows:

Head – Unsung Helm of Asphodelos x2
Body – Unsung Armor of Asphodelos x4
Hands – Unsung Gauntlets of Asphodelos x2
Legs – Unsung Chausses of Asphodelos x4
Feet – Unsung Greaves of Asphodelos x2
Accessories – Unsung Ring of Asphodelos x1

FFXIV Pandaemonium Asphodelos Raid Gear — A look at the new raid gear.

For weapons, you’ll receive an Unsung Blade of Asphodelos once per week when completing Asphodelos: The Fourth Circle. You can trade this to Mylenie or Djole for Discal Tomestones. The exchange of Discal Tomestones for weapons will be available after the introduction of the new Tomestones through Duty rewards, Allagan Tomestones of Astronomy. Those will be coming two weeks from now with the release of Patch 6.05 and the Savage version of Asphodelos.

The Male Viera Voice 4 and Broil VI Sound Different Now

In the “System” section of the patch notes, you’ll find two random audio changes. The first is a change to the fourth male Viera voice, which some players have noted is entirely too enthusiastic and loud. The second change is to the Scholar’s Broil IV skill, which one player on the official forums has called “a broken male Lalafell’s battle shout”. And so, the Lalafell shall scream no more.

Experience Gain for Dungeons Increased

If you’ve already made your way through the main scenario of Endwalker, this might help you level your alternate jobs. Square Enix has increased the experience gained from completing level 81-89 dungeons and the Guildship Hunts. That should help you finish those last ten levels on your next jobs.

The Low-Poly Grapes Are Gone

One of the memes from the launch period of Endwalker were the very low-poly grapes found in the vineyards of Labyrinthos. Of course, these grapes looked like they were from the PlayStation 2 era because you weren’t supposed to get up close and focus on them. But the community’s japes have made Square Enix sad.

“An issue wherein the polygon count of grapes in Labyrinthos were reduced in excess to alleviate system memory usage in the area,” states the patch notes.

RIP to the best fruit in FFXIV.

“In From The Cold” Has Been Adjusted

“In From The Cold” is a somewhat infamous quest from the Garlemald side of the main scenario. The duty places the player in an instanced version of the city, with few actions and little indication about where you should go. It’s such an obtuse quest that we wrote a guide about it.

Square Enix has increased the effects of a buff that players have during the quest, making it much easier to find the quest objectives. Of course, these adjustments only apply when you choose the Easy or Very Easy difficulties after failing the duty. Just check our guide to make sure that doesn’t happen.

If you need help getting prepared for the Pandaemonium raids, be sure to check out our Tomestone of Aphorism and endgame gear guide. And if you want to get different Jobs to level 90 and raid-ready, you can use our fast leveling guide for alternate Jobs. Pandaemonium isn’t the only endgame content available in Endwalker, make sure you’ve unlocked and played through the optional level 90 dungeons Smileton and The Stigma Dreamscape.

We also have guides for the raid all ready to go!

Allagan Tomestone of Aphorism Overview

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