FFXIV Palace of the Dead full 100 floor walkthrough: Best classes strategies, and how to unlock

The Palace of the Dead in FFXIV is a dangerous place where you can lose a lot of progress due to a single mistake. If you feel brave enough to tackle this Deep Dungeon, here’s our FFXIV Palace of the Dead full 100-floor walkthrough which features the best classes, strategies, and how to unlock it.

How to unlock the Palace of the Dead

Before we dive into strategies and how the Deep Dungeon works, let me show you how to unlock and access it. The Palace of the Dead has a couple of easy prerequisites to meet. First, you must be at least level 17 and have completed the “Into a Copper Hell” MSQ quest. As this activity is so early in the game, it can also be enjoyed for free with no subscription or expansions required.

If you meet those requirements, head to Gridania and the Carline Canopy. You’ll find an NPC called Nojiro, who will give you the “House that Death Built” quest. This is a simple errand-style quest, so visit the Quarrymill in the South Shroud and speak to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary. Once the dialogue concludes, talk to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain to finish the quest. 

How to enter the Palace of the Dead Deep Dungeon

To enter the Palace of the Dead, speak to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain in the South Shroud. This method is different from the usual Duty Finder. You can choose between a fixed or matched party when you enter the Palace. The fixed option allows you to join solo or as a private party, while the matched party will fill your squad with random players.

While you can technically take on the Palace of the Dead solo (there are even challenges for it), I recommend taking it on with at least one other person if you’re a new player. You can lose a ton of health to a simple mistake in the Deep Dungeon, and having a teammate around really softens the blow.

The new player experience can be pretty overwhelming in FFXIV, so I recommend tagging along with other players whenever possible. There are a few things you’ll want to do solo, like buying a house, but combat is easier with a group.

Best classes to use for the Palace of the Dead in FFXIV

While some classes are better than others for the Deep Dungeon, I must stress that you can use anything as long as you’re careful. I tackled the Palace of the Dead as a duo of Machinist and Gunbreaker. I found the Machinist less risky than a melee DPS, and the Gunbreaker was great for soaking up damage. I’ve also had success with Monk in a duo, so feel free to mix and match.

Here are a few classes that are known for proficiency in the Palace of the Dead:

Machinist

The Machinist is a solid DPS pick for the Palace of the Dead. As it’s a ranged class, you can deal with enemies from afar and have several crowd-control abilities at your disposal. You also have Peloton, which dramatically speeds up exploring rooms. If things go south, the Machinist can kite enemies around rooms while dealing damage, so you have a surprising amount of sustain.

Machinist is also known for soloing the Deep Dungeon, so it’s a solid pick for those who shoot first and ask questions later.

Red Mage

The Red Mage shines in the Palace of the Dead thanks to the class’s superb Self Healing ability. This class can dish out a ton of damage from a safe distance and is arguably the best caster for the activity.

Red Mage is another popular candidate for solo Palace runs, so its lethality cannot be understated.

Warrior

Tanks take a while to clear enemies in the Palace of the Dead, but their large health pool makes them a desirable choice. The Warrior is a straightforward Tank, and Raw Intuition is a superb skill for self-healing. The class offers decent damage for a Tank and a respectable set of crowd-control skills.

How to beat the Palace of the Dead in FFXIV

Your goal in the Palace of the Dead is to progress up the floors as far as possible. At the time of writing, the highest floor is 200, and the difficulty increases as you ascend. There’s also an Ultimog reward for clearing floor 100. The area is unique, as no matter what level you are in the main game, you’ll start at level one in the Deep Dungeon. You level up by defeating monsters, which incentivizes combat. 

How to ascend the floors in FFXIV

Every floor is random, and you will reveal the map as you explore. Ultimately, you’re looking for a Cairn of Passage on each floor, which will transport you to the next level. This Cairn will activate when you’ve defeated enough monsters. Once active, all party members must stand by the Cairn of Passage to progress. There’s a boss encounter every 10 floors, gradually getting more challenging. 

Keep in mind that there’s a time limit in the Palace of the Dead. The restriction is pretty lenient as you have 60 minutes for each block of 10 floors, but you can quickly run out if you explore for too long.

What happens if I die in the Palace of the Dead?

If you die, your teammates can revive you at a Cairn of Return. This is similar to the Cairn of Passage, where you must defeat enemies to activate it. If your entire party falls, you return to the last checkpoint, which is every 10 floors. For example, if you died on floor 27, you’d return to level 20.

Best strategies for the Palace of the Dead in FFXIV

Now you know some great classes to use and how the Palace works, let’s go over a few strategies. Most of these can be used on any floor of the tower.

Keep away from your teammates

It’s unwise to stray too far from your friends, but you want to keep your distance in the Palace of the Dead. The ground is littered with invisible Traps, and most have a blast area if you activate them.

The scariest Traps are the Land Mines, which instantly take away 80% of your health if you step on them. If you’re in a group, you can all get hit by the explosion if you’re grouped up. 

With hazards like this in mind, I found it good practice to let the Tank take the lead around the Palace. Traps are a constant threat, which nicely leads to my next tip.

Know your Pomanders

You can earn Pomanders from Gold Chests scattered around the area. Pomanders bestow buffs, which last for a single floor and can make exploring much more manageable. Remember, you can only hold three of any Pomander at a time.

While Pomanders are precious, you should still use them as you’ll ultimately find more on your journey. I recommend spending Pomanders when you’re nearing a 10-level checkpoint or when there’s a Floor Enchantment active. It’s also good practice to spend Pomanders on boss battles.

Beware of Floor Enchantments

Floors will infrequently become enchanted when you arrive, which can bestow some nasty debuffs on your team. The Pomander of Safety instantly removes these status ailments.

I recommend using a Pomander if you have it; otherwise, try to escape the floor as quickly as possible.

Know your chest rewards

There are three colored chests in the Palace of the Dead to look out for:

• Bronze Chests: Contain valuable items like Mega Potions
• Silver Chests: Strengthen your Gear
• Gold Chests: Contain Pomanders

Beware, as the silver and gold chests can be booby-trapped and explode when interacting with them. If you have a Tank in your party, I advise letting them open the coffers, just in case. Chests can sometimes be Mimics, which you must defeat to obtain the rewards.

Prioritize chests only when it’s safe

While chests are tempting, you don’t need to go for all of them. If you’ve got plenty of Pomanders and you’re stocked up on items, it’s often safer to head for the Cairn to the next floor.

You don’t have to defeat every enemy

Defeating enemies is essential in earlier floors but is far less critical as you continue climbing. As your opponents become more dangerous on later floors, avoiding encounters is often safer. By the time you reach floor 80, I advise approaching combat cautiously, as a couple of mistakes can cost you the run.

Fight on your terms

Let me leave you with the most important tip of all. You don’t have to fight in open rooms. My duo finds it easier to bring enemies into the corridors and battle them one at a time.

Fighting like this may take longer, but it’s far safer, and you can escape if you’re struggling.

By now, you have a solid understanding of how the Palace of the Dead works, and you can use this knowledge to reach floor 100 safely. Feel free to continue to the top, but enemies and bosses only get stronger.

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