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PUBLISHED 4/21/2022, 4:21 PM

UPDATED 7/13/2023, 8:40 PM

FFXIV Endwalker Dungeon Guide: The Stigma Dreamscape

The Stigma Dreamscape is one of two post-game dungeons for Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. Here's how to take down Stigma-4 and its underlings.

It’s time to become ones and zeroes as we dive into the digital world. Welcome to one of two dungeons you can run after finishing Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. The Stigma Dreamscape picks up on the story of Omega and the Omicrons established in the Omega raid series and the Ultima Thule questline. It’s one of the dungeons required to unlock the Expert Duty Roulette. Only by diving into The Stigma Dreamscape can you prevent this warlike machine race from taking to the stars once again. You can enjoy a version of the song “eScape” by The Primals throughout this dungeon, too!

If you’re wondering how to access the two post-game, check out our Smileton and Stigma Dreamscape unlock guide. We also outline why it’s important to run these dungeons for endgame content.

Be warned that dungeon guides contain spoilers. If you prefer to preserve the surprise of dungeons for yourself, give them a try first before referring to a guide. Then, come back here for some help if you have trouble!

Editor’s note: Staff writer Mike Williams contributed to this guide; put some respect on his name.

First Mob Pull

Time to entire the matrix. No, not that one. Most of these mob encounters are straightforward. The Omicron Invaders will rarely use Electric Stream, a line AoE called at a random party member — they also have Shocking Discharge, a point-black circle AoE. There is one Level Ticker that will use a point-blank AoE called Reset. Likewise, the dog-like Eta Invaders have a circle AoE called Master Cannon, which targets one party member.

First Boss: Proto-Omega

FFXIV Endwalker Stigma Dreamscape guide Proto-Omega

Well, this boss might seem familiar if you’ve made your way through the Omega raid series. You’ll fight this prototype of the Omega boss in a square arena. For most of the fight, the outer edge of it will damage and debuff.

Side Cannons: At the start of this cast, the boss will mark its left or right side with big glowing arrows on the ground and exhausts firing from the corresponding side of the character model. At the very end of the cast, Proto-Omega will light up that side of itself in a huge 180-degree AoE. You need to anticipate this since the AoE marker goes by fast. Stand on the opposite side of the boss to avoid damage. This will also create a hazard zone around the outer edge of the arena.
Rear/Front Interceptors: This works like rear and front versions of Side Cannons, and the markers to telegraph the attack will go by just as fast at the last second. Get on the opposite side of the boss before the cast goes off.
Chemical Missile: Three of the four party members will be tagged with purple AoE markers; spread apart to avoid overlapping damage. You will want to spread far apart, however — each missile will leave behind a burning AoE on the ground that players will have to avoid. This is extra important because of the next attack.
Electric Slide: One player will be tagged with a stacking marker; all players need to gather to share the damage. Additionally, you’ll notice a purple push-back marker with this attack. When Proto-Omega stops on you, everyone will be pushed back in the corresponding direction. Make sure you align yourself so as to not get pushed into a burning AoE or the danger zone along the edge of the arena.
Guided Missile: Two players will be tethered to a slow-moving missile that starts from outside the arena. Marked players will have to move away from others to avoid overlapping damage. These missiles will also leave behind burning AoEs on the ground that players will have to avoid as well.
Mustard Bomb: A simple tankbuster to cooldown and heal through.

All these mechanics will repeat until the boss is down. About halfway through the fight, Proto-Omega will combine certain attacks, so account for handling multiple mechanics.

Second Mob Pull

In addition to more Omicron Invaders, you’ll face Lambda Invaders who have a rare tankbuster-like attack called Wheel. You’ll also handle Delta Invaders who sometimes use Rail Cannon, a line AoE targets toward a random player. Wall-to-wall pulls can get hectic with all these AoEs going off, so be ready to dodge and heal through it all.

Second Boss: Arch-Lambda

FFXIV Endwalker Stigma Dreamscape guide Arch-Lambda

The fight against Arch-Lambda takes place in a circular platform. But fear not, there are no danger zones bordering the arena.

Wheel: A simple tankbuster to cooldown and heal through.
Auto-mobile Assault Cannon: As this attack is casting, Arch-Lambda will pre-telegraph four large line AoEs it’s going to hit in sequential order. These lines go from one end of the arena to another. Anticipate where to move so you’re not caught in the attack when it rushes through its line AoEs. Once this attack is done, move towards the boss’ endpoint because it will immediately follow up with…
Wave Cannon: Once the boss is done with Auto-mobile Assault Cannon, it’ll cast Wave Cannon. This is a nearly room-wide AoE attack with the only safe zone being right up next to the boss. Wave Cannon’s cast is fast, so you’ll want to position yourself ahead of time to avoid damage.
Atomic Flame: A party-wide attack that deals decent damage. Healers, be ready.
Auto-mobile Sniper Cannon: The boss will position itself on one end of the arena and cast a line AoE straight to the other end. When this is being cast, each player will be marked with one, two, three, or four dots. The number of dots will indicate a separate line AoE that will target each player from a starting point that’s marked with the same number of dots within the initial line AoE. Players must position themselves so the line that hits them doesn’t overlap with another.

These mechanics will repeat until the boss is down. As long as you’re able to telegraph all these attacks and get into the right positions beforehand, you’ll be just fine.

Third Mob Pull

A few Omicron Invaders and Eta Invaders will show up here, but a few new enemies you’ll have to handle are the Beta Invader and Hybrid Dragon. Hybrid Dragons might cast a big line AoE toward its target called Engulfing Flames. Just before the last boss, you’ll fight Omega Frame, which is easy to handle — it’ll cast Thermite Bomb, which is a circle AoE targeted at one player that you can avoid.

Final Boss: Stigma-4

FFXIV Endwalker Stigma Dreamscape guide Stigma-4

Stigma-4 is a big glowing eyeball that will call upon some adds to do its bidding. Although there are no pushback mechanics, beware of running into a danger zone that outlines this squared arena. You’ll also want to pay attention to the ways it transforms at certain points in the fight, as you’ll see in the mechanics below.

AI Takeover: After this is done casting, an add will spawn on one side of the arena. There are three things that can happen after an AI Takeover, which we’ll explain below.
- When an Omega Frame spawns, it’ll cast Proto-wave Cannon. Just like Side Cannons from the first boss, it’ll mark one of its sides with arrows on the ground before hitting that area with an AoE blast. Focus on taking down Omega Frame before going back to Stigma-4.
- It’ll cast Self-Destruct and do major damage if it’s not taken down in time.
- When a Hybrid Dragon spawns, it’ll stomp the area it spawns on with a circle AoE. Afterward, it’ll cast Fire Breath, which is a super-wide cone AoE — the ground will not be marked until the last second, so position yourself well before the cast goes off. Focus on taking down Hybrid Dragon before going back to Stigma 4.
- It’ll cast Self-Destruct and do major damage if it’s not taken down in time.
- The last thing AI Takeover will do is spawn multiple Proto-rocket Punches on one side of the arena. These will cast Rush and shoot forward in a straight line AoE, so look for a gap in their alignment and stand there to avoid getting hit.
Atomic Ray: A strong party-wide attack that healers should heal through.
Unnamed point-blank AoE: At certain points in the fight, Stigma-4 will transform itself, and the shape it forms will tell you what kind of attack is incoming. If it forms into a DNA-like spiral staircase, it’ll do a point-blank AoE blast, so get far away from the boss.
Unnamed donut AoE: If Stigma-4 transforms into two circles like a donut, it’ll cast a huge donut-style AoE attack. Get within melee range of the boss to avoid getting hit.
Mindhack: Things get tricky with Mindhack, which will mark each player with a specific direction and a 10-second timer (look at your debuffs bar). When the timer goes off, you will be forced to run in that direction without your control. This will be combined with any of the aforementioned AoE attacks. You’ll have to account for the direction you’re given and position yourself so you end up in the corresponding safe zone.
Multi-AI Takeover: This is the same as AI Takeover, except it will spawn either Omega Frame or Hybrid Dragon along with a lineup of Proto-rocket Punches simultaneously. The mechanics are the same — they’re just layered this time around, so avoid all AoE attacks as necessary.

FFXIV Endwalker Stigma Dreamscape guide Stigma-4 2

That’s it! You’ve convinced Stigma-4 and its underlings that humanity is not to be trifled with. You have effectively reprogrammed these robots to realize they stand no chance in a war against your kind, averting any future conflicts.

The Stigma Dreamscape is one of two post-game dungeons you can run, the other being Smileton (which we have a guide for as well). We have you covered from all angles for Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, so if you need help, be sure to use any of our guides below.

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Michael Higham