One of the Japanese players in FFXIV pulled off a rather astounding feat of completing one of the most difficult solo challenges in the critically acclaimed MMORPG - with an even tougher twist at the top. If you have played Final Fantasy XIV, you may have come across her Deep Dungeon system. They're easy to miss, but these giant roguelike dungeons rank among the most exciting and demanding challenge modes a multiplayer game has to offer.
The Deep Dungeon in question, called Heaven on High, consists of 100 floors filled with extremely powerful enemies and bosses. Entering players start at character level 61 (separate from their main game progress) and must work their way up as they progress through floors, but death marks the end of your run, forcing you to drop off the first floor.
This challenge is designed for four players, but some of the most dedicated players have managed to complete it alone - a challenge that often takes six to eight hours per attempt. Successfully soloing any of the Deep Dungeons dungeons - Heaven on High or its predecessor Palace of the Dead - earns you a rare title that is considered one of the most prestigious titles in the MMO community for the dedication and skill it takes to complete the task. .
However, user Fania Eckert takes it one step further. Not content with simply fighting Heaven in Heaven with no allies, they decided to take on the challenge using each of the game's nine base classes. Simply put, when you start as a level 1 player in FFXIV, you begin your journey as a "class" such as a Gladiator or a Thaumaturge. At level 30, each class evolves into its respective "position" - Paladin and Black Mage, as in the examples given earlier. To a large extent, it is a relic of the old system that has been abandoned; modern FFXIV quests such as Endwalker's Sage and Reaper do not have a base class.
However, choosing the base classes over their working forms means that Fania is missing out on several important skills that are specific to the secondary form. In this case, that means they're essentially limiting themselves even more, on top of the already ridiculous task of overcoming a Deep Dungeons solo. However, they succeeded clear call on all nine original FFXIV classes.
Users on FFXIV Reddit reacted to the achievement with great reverence. One explains: “Especially in the melee classes, this requires some masterful rotation of the enemies so that they cannot attack automatically or use abilities. Doing this for 10+ minutes is extremely difficult.” Others note that they have difficulty getting close even with the crew, with one comment noting, "I can't even get the crew to go through the 71st floor."
While no new Deep Dungeon is expected in the upcoming 6.25 patch for FFXIV, it will introduce the new Criterion Dungeon system previously detailed in FFXIV Live Letter 72.
