Sorrowful Memory of the Dying is a pretty depressing name, but you need to collect quite a few of these in FFXIV. Yes, this is actually an item! And it’s well worth getting — once you actually unlock the quest necessary for them to show up. The whole thing is tied to the Bozjan Southern Front activity for level 80 players. Though you barely need to interact with the titular zone to find your 20 Sorrowful Memories of the Dying. Let’s look at why!
This quest line continues the long FFXIV line of Relic Weapons with freshly minted Resistance Weapons. The name has changed in Shadowbringers (as it has across multiple expansions and patches), but the core conceit is the same. Resistance Weapons are highly modular super-items specific to each Job. You upgrade them, unlock Materia slots for melding, and get snazzy new visuals to go with it.
Resistance Weapons might just be the coolest iteration yet, too. First off they look great. You can never go wrong with a nice, future Glamour! You can also mostly upgrade them with the aforementioned items called Memories. These new materials drop from various events across the world of FFXIV. The Sorrowful Memory of the Dying, for instance, is available in the Bozjan Southern Front. This endgame area is deeply tied to Resistance Weapons — both in lore and progression. Its storyline even ties into events from the original Final Fantasy XIV Online and the Return to Ivalice raid from Stormblood.
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Fun facts aside, you need exactly 20 Sorrowful Memories of the Dying to complete your first Resistance Weapon upgrade. It’s quite the grind compared to unlocking your first Resistance Weapon. Especially since you also need 40 more other types of memories. There are a few ways to speed up the process, though. Not to mention you can accomplish quite a lot while hunting your Sorrowful Memory of the Dying.
The first, most surefire, but probably least efficient Sorrowful Memory of the Dying farming method is FATEs. Across the entire Resistance Weapon quest line, Square Enix encourages high-level players to revisit and repopulate older FFXIV content. During this quest step, “For Want of a Memory,” that means Heavensward. Specifically Heavensward FATEs.
You can collect all three memory types from two different Heavensward zones apiece. One Sorrowful Memory of the Dying will drop from any FATE in the Dravanian Forelands (not to be confused with the Dravanian Hinterlands) or the Churning Mists. That’s one guaranteed memory, mind you. As long as you successfully finish the FATE you’re good. As long as you participate and win (and sync your level when applicable) you’re golden.
This is a great opportunity to level up an alt — particularly a Blue Mage. The “limited job” isn’t as useful as a real one, but has the added benefit of crowd clearing ability. Blue Mages have many completely overpowered area-of-effect spells that make them great in older, open-world content like past FATEs. I also recommend the Dravanian Forelands instead of the Churning Mists. More players tend to gravitate to that region, leading to faster FATE completions.
Twenty total FATEs will net you all the Sorrowful Memories of the Dying you need. Even with a big group that… could take a while. It’ll take even longer in the Bozjan Southern Front. Though this method might still be worth your while.
Bozjan is a unique, instanced area similar to Eureka from Stormblood. It’s almost like its own miniature MMO inside of FFXIV. Inside you gain unique levels, or ranks, totally separate from your chosen Job while exploring the region. There are also unique spells and items you can only use inside the zone. These also allow you to completely “break” the game — turning healers into impromptu tanks, Warriors into battlemages, and so on. It all depends on what you equip.
The Bozjan Southern Front is fun, unique, has its own special raids, and will grant experience to any Job between levels 71-80 that you use within its walls. That makes it a great way to multitask. The downside is that no Sorrowful Memory of the Dying is guaranteed inside. Instead, you must play through the resistance quest line to reach the second of three regions in the Bozjan Southern Front. Enemies in this middle area have a miniscule chance to drop the item. Skirmishes (special FATEs within this area) and Critical Engagements (randomly occurring miniature Trials/Raids) also seem to increase your chances.
The tough part is getting to the zone. The upshot? You collect Tortured Memories of the Dying while working your way up to it. Those drop in the first zone. Then you can gather Harrowing Memories of the Dying in the third and final area above — to the north. Not to mention you will rank up, level up, and acquire new abilities to use in future Bozjan Southern Front raids at the same time. It’s slower but arguably more efficient (and fun) than redoing the same half-dozen FATEs you’ve been playing for years. It depends on what you’re after.
Either way, these are the only ways to find a Sorrowful Memory of the Dying at all, much less the 20 you need for the quest. Once you’re done you still need 40 more memories of differing types. The sooner you get started on the quest, the sooner you get your reward. Best of luck!
