The FFXIV “Breaking Brick Mountains” event (otherwise known as the Dragon Quest crossover quest) is back! Again. If you somehow missed it the first few times, or just weren’t playing before October 2021, now is your chance to obtain some quick cosmetics. All of which are naturally based on the… other Square Enix JRPG franchise: Dragon Quest. And if you haven’t done it already, why not? It’s extremely quick and easy, if you know where to go.
“Where to go” is Ul’dah. Specifically, teleport to the Aetheryte Plaza on the Steps of Nald. This already puts you in striking distance of a special NPC just for Breaking Brick Mountains and its related FATEs. You’re looking for Havak Alvak: a Lalafell with a standard quest marker over his head at coordinates x:12.1 y:8.2. He will then send you south to a familiar face (familiar if you’ve ever played a Dragon Quest game before, that is). Speak to the marked NPC. Now it’s finally time for the FATEs!
Said FATEs aren’t marked on your map. They are, however, pretty easy to find and show up in multiple locations across Eorzea. The easiest (and cheapest) one to reach is in Central Thanalan. Just teleport to the Black Brush Station Aetheryte and trek south a bit — all the way to the Sil’dih Excavation Site, right next to the river. The coordinates are just about at x:17.4 y: 23.3.
If you started the event quick enough, odds are that you’ll encounter a few dozen other players about to do the same event. That’s fine! It just makes your life easier. Though it doesn’t necessarily make the waiting more fun. Like any FATE in FFXIV, this one is on a timer, and it’ll only start up periodically. Just be patient, though, and eventually a number of Dragon Quest golems will arrive alongside the FATE “Brick by Stone Brick.”
This mission means killing a certain number of golems (naturally), but it’s not very hard. The FATE is rated at Level 7 even if the enemies show simple “??” symbols over their heads. You can even level up an alternate Job that’s low enough level for the activity, as I did with my Level 8 Archer. Experience is experience!
When that mission is done (and its appropriately themed success message plays) a new FATE will almost instantly begin. This is “Brick by Gold Brick,” which creates a mini-boss for you and any nearby adventurers to slay.
That’s all there is to it! Return to the marked location in Ul’dah and collect your reward. After you watch a very silly, extended “puff-puff” joke, of course. If you’re a Dragon Quest layperson, this is a long-running gag from the classic JRPG series, and very strange in Eorzea. Though that appears to be the point. Your rewards from the mission are equally goofy: a golem minion (not too shabby) and a face mask matching the NPC quest-givers plucked straight from the other series.
The really regal prize this time, however, is the King Slime Crown: a cosmetic hat you can buy off the nearby NPC named “Toughie” for a pittance of gil.
This entire process should take barely more than 15 minutes — if that. As is often the case with crossover quests in FFXIV. Is it worth that little amount of time? That’s up to you! But the King Slime Crown is pretty fun, if you ask me.
Quick turnaround or not, The 2021 version of Breaking Brick Mountains is only available until Nov. 11, 2021 at 6:59 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. It also lines up snugly with another, much bigger FFXIV event quest in the form of the Moogle Treasure Trove. Go for the gold while the going is good!
