Welcome back to the halls of Pandaemonium. In Asphodelos and Abyssos, you faced off against the worst creations of the Ancients, diving into the family drama of Lahabrea. Now it is time to head into the prison’s deepest depths and understand the machinations behind Pandaemonium’s reappearance.

The Ninth Circle is the first fight, pitting the Warrior of Light against the mysterious Kokytos. Clad in white, the monster feeds on aether itself. The fight takes place in a circular arena without a persistent hazard zone, though the boss does occasionally create one that causes Bleed.

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 Kokytos – Phase One

Kokytos is not a fight with linear phases. After this first phase, the boss has three other forms that it’ll rotate between as the fight progresses.

Gluttony’s Augur: This is a standard party-wide AoE that’ll do more than half damage to non-tanks. It’ll also create a thick circular hazard zone, shrinking the arena and causing Bleed if you stray into it. Heal through the first hit healers.
Ravening: This is the fight’s primary mechanic. When the cast completes, Kokytos summons a crystal of aether and consumes it, becoming one of the three forms below.

FFXIV Anabaseios Ninth Fire III — Screengrab by Fanbyte via Square Enix

How To Defeat Kokytos – Mage Mode

This form deals in fire and ice magic, attacking the entire battlefield at once.

Fire III: This marks four party members with large Fire AoEs that will follow them. When the boss says, “Flames take you,” these AoEs will grow massive. Whoever is marked needs to move to the outer edge of half of the arena, taking care to not overlap the AoE on each other, but still providing space for the rest of the party.
Blizzard III: The boss will cast a wide donut AoE on the arena, with the safe space in the center. When it says, “Ice bind you,” the safe space shrinks considerably. Stand under the boss to avoid heavy damage.
Dual Spell: This attack casts both Fire III and Blizzard III. Only three party members will be marked with fire AoEs. Those with fire AoEs need to spread out, while leaving a tiny safe space for the rest of the party. Don’t go into the ice.
Global Spell: Another party-wide AoE which also inflicts Bleed. This marks the end of the Mage Mode phase.

FFXIV Anabaseios Iceflame Summoning — Screengrab by Fanbyte via Square Enix

The second time the Mage Mode appears, it’ll have a few new attacks.

Iceflame Summoning: The boss summons two ice balls and two fire balls on the arena, all with circle AoE underneath them. A brand will then flash on screen. If it’s the Fire brand, the AoEs under the Fire balls will grow, and vice versa. Standard near the AoEs not indicated by the brand.
Dual Spell: This attack works like before, but the flashing brand determines whether the Fire AoEs will grow of the ice donut AoE will shrink.

FFXIV Anabaseios Archaic Rockbreaker — Screengrab by Fanbyte via Square Enix

How To Defeat Kokytos – Martialist Mode

This form focuses on attacks with hard-hitting impact.

Archaic Rockbreaker: The boss marks a small circular AoE underneath itself during the cast. When the cast finishes, the boss slams down, knocking back the party and causing damage with Shockwave. Stand near the boss, but not inside the AoE, to avoid being knocked back into the hazard zone. This also cracks the floor, causing energy to flow along the cracks. When the energy reaches the end of the cracks, it explodes in wide circle AoEs. This happens in two waves. Dodge both sets.
Archaic Demolish: The boss marks two party members with Stack Markers. Split the raid evenly on each marked party member.
Ascendant Fist: A single-target tankbuster on the primary tank. Use cooldowns to mitigate damage.
Front Combination: As this casts, the boss marks the arena with a wide donut AoE. After the casts, the boss attacks in the AoEs area, followed quickly by a cleave in front of it. Stand within the safe area under the boss, and behind it.
Rear Combination: The opposite of Front Combination. As this casts, the boss marks a circular AoE underneath itself. When the cast finishes, the boss attacks this arena, followed by a rear cleave.

FFXIV Anabaseios Charybdis — Screengrab by Fanbyte via Square Enix

How To Defeat Kokytos – Beast Mode

This phase is all about quick, successive attacks.

Charybdis: The boss marks four party members with wide circle AoEs. When the cast ends, these will drop hurricanes where the marked party members are standing. The boss will follow this with…
Beastly Roar: This attack will knock the party away from the boss. Position yourselves to avoid being knocked back into the Charybdis regions. While this is casting, the boss will also use..
Beastly Spit: This marks four party members with circle AoEs. A short time after the knockback from Beastly Roar, the marked players will be hit with acid. Move away from the party to avoid stacking damage.
Pulverizing Pounce: One party member is hit with a Stack Marker. Stack the party together to share the damage.
Gluttonous Rampage: The boss marks both tanks with Tankbuster markers, attacking them in succession with Ravenous Bite. Move away from the boss to minimize damage and use your cooldowns. At the same time, the center of the arena is marked with a Proximity Marker. Everyone else should move to the edge of the hazard zone to minimize damage.

FFXIV Anabaseios Comet — Screengrab by Fanbyte via Square Enix

Comet: The boss marks the arena with three Proximity Markers. There will be a safe spot on one edge of the arena near the hazard zone where the party can stand to minimize damage. Once the cast is done, three meteors will land at the center of the markers. The boss will then start to cast…
Ecliptic Meteor: Stand behind the non-glowing meteor to avoid the damage from this attack. Then move away from the safe meteor, as it will explode in a Burst. The boss will also cast Pulverizing Pounce or Beastly Spit, so the party should move away from the formerly safe meteor together to share damage. This is the end of Beast Mode.

From here on, Kokytos will cycle through each form, using different combinations of various attacks. Persist and you’ll get your loot. Then it’ll be time to move onto the later fights in Anabaseios.

Anabaseios Gauntlets of Maiming Overview

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