Alexander is one of the many optional yet captivating side-story arcs of Blue Mages in Final Fantasy XIV can also learn several useful spells from enemies found in Alexander Raids.

Another reason for unlocking the Alexander Raids in Final Fantasy XIV is the highly rare Arrhidaeus Mount. Mount collectors can obtain Arrhidaeus once they've completed all the Alexander Raids and successfully farmed the final Raid boss on Savage difficulty. Additionally, players working towards an Amina Relic Weapon in Final Fantasy XIV will find one of the Alexander Raids to be a great source of farming, Anima Light.

How & Where To Unlock Alexander Raids In Final Fantasy XIV

Complete All Heavensward MSQ Up To Patch 3.0 Missions

To unlock Alexander Raids in Final Fantasy XIV, you must finish all of Heavensward MSQ until Patch 3.0. In particular, completing the story quest "Heavensward" will grant access to the Alexander story arc. Afterward, it would be best to travel to Idyllshire, the small settlement of treasure hunters in the Dravanian Hinterlands. It is also where you can unlock the Wondrous Tails activity in Final Fantasy XIV. Next, head to X: 7.5, Y: 6.6 in Idyllshire, and speak to Slowfix, the figurehead for the town's goblins. He will give you the quest "Disarmed," which will begin the Alexander questline.

After talking with Slowfix, you must travel to the Bigwest Shortstop at X: 14.0, Y: 29.8 in the Dravanian Hinterlands and meet with Backtrix. Once the dialogue has finished, go to X: 24.1, Y: 26.8, and speak to Biggs. You will need to return to the Bigwest Shortstop after the cutscene has finished.

It should be noted that you will need to travel multiple times between these two points in the area. As a result, it is highly recommended that FFXIV players unlock flying for their Mount in the Dravanian Hinterlands before continuing the Alexander questline.

After another roundtrip to the goblin's camp and back to the Alexander fortress, you can finally access the first Alexander Raid, "The Fist of the Father." You will sequentially unlock Raids as the story progresses. The required Item Level for the first Raid is 170; however, those aiming to complete every Raid, even into Savage difficulty, should be equipped with gear iLevel of 255 or higher. The additional Anima Light farmed from completing the Alexander Raids, which will also help you get Amina Relic Weapons in FFXIV faster.

All Alexander Raids In FFXIV

There Are Twelve Different Stages

Twelve different stages compose the Alexander Raids in FFXIV, with three sections of four raids each. The first raid, previously mentioned, is called "The Fist of the Father," also commonly referred to as A1. This short 8-player raid will see players entering Alexander's body and clearing threats. After completing this first encounter in the raid series and progressing with the raid's questline around Dravania, players will eventually unlock the second Alexander raid, called "The Cuff of the Father" or A2.

Most of these raids are significantly short and simple and can be completed within just a few minutes.

After completing A2 and continuing the quest, you will then unlock "The Arm of the Father" or A3, the third part of the Alexander raids. This raid occurs deep inside Alexander's body and will have you and your team face a challenging opponent with well-telegraphed attacks. Once this fight is concluded and the story quests are caught up, you will unlock "The Burden of the Father" or A4, the fourth encounter in the Alexander raid series in FFXIV – and the final one in the Gordias section.

With Gordias concluded you can progress into the Midas section, which also contains four distinct raids. The first of them is known as "The Fist of the Son" or A5, followed by "The Cuff of the Son" or A6, and then "The Arm of the Son" or A7. The final encounter in the Midas section is called "The Burden of the Son" or A8, and completing that will allow you to unlock the final section of Alexander raids, which is also composed of four additional encounters.

The four Alexander: Midas raids require Item Level 200 instead of the 170 required for Gordias.

The third and final section of the Alexander raids is called The Creator, where you may feel a spike in difficulty compared to the eight previous encounters. The minimum Item Level for Alexander: The Creator raids is increased to 230. The first activity in this section is called "The Eyes of the Creator" or A9. This is followed by "The Breath of the Creator" or A10, whose completion then unlocks "The Heart of the Creator" or A11. The final raid in the Alexander series in FFXIV is called "The Soul of the Creator" or A12.

Even on normal difficulty, A12 can be a fairly challenging encounter, with the boss, Alexander Prime, capable of wiping the party. Team coordination and patience are key, especially for those who are challenging the Alexander raids for the first time or those returning to it after a long time.

Once you complete the normal difficulties of each section of the Alexander raids, you may unlock their Savage difficulties. Once you complete all Gordias raids in FFXIV, you can unlock the Savage difficulty of those first four raids. Savage raids provide better rewards and rarer items, such as the aforementioned Arrhidaeus Master Key, for an exclusive mount. Unlocking Alexander Savage raids requires visiting the Wandering Minstrel at X: 21.7, Y: 8.7 in Mor Dhona.