Palace of the Dead is, essentially, an underground skyscraper in Final Fantasy XIV where every floor is filled with randomly generated sets of enemies, traps, and room layouts. Deep Dungeons in FFXIV are fun, laid-back (at least until higher levels) dungeon-crawling rides that offer glamour, mounts, titles, and (hopefully) happy memories if you go with friends.
Of course, you could always try your hand at it alone. If you’ve ever seen a player running around Eorzea with the ‘Necromancer’ title, you get it by running Floor 1-200, without dying, solo. No pressure. Regardless of your goals, here’s our guide on how to unlock the first Deep Dungeon from Heavensward, Palace of the Dead.
How to unlock Palace of the Dead, the FFXIV Deep Dungeon
To unlock Palace of the Dead, you must first meet the following requirements:
- Reach level 17 with any Disciple of War or Magic class
- Complete the level 17 MSQ quest, “Into a Copper Hell”
Once these have been met, head to Gridania and visit the Carline Canopy. Speak to Nojiro Marujiro (X12.0 Y13.1) and pick up the quest called “The House That Death Built”.
It’s an easy quest to complete; simply make your way over to Quarrymill in the South Shroud and find the Wood Wailer Expeditionary (X17.4 Y22.0) at Issom-Har. Once you’ve spoken to them, you’ll be sent to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain (X25.2 Y20.6) to complete the quest. This unlocks the first set of floors in Palace of the Dead.
What Lies Beneath, FFXIV questline for Floor 51 and beyond
Completing “The House That Death Built” isn’t your only step. If you’re looking to continue Palace of the Dead, FFXIV asks you to run a couple more errands. After the first unlock quest, you’ll need to do the following:
Palace of the Dead, unlock Floors 51 and higher
- Clear the Floor 50 Palace of the Dead boss
- Speak to Paiyo Reiyo in South Shroud (X17.9, Y:20.3) to begin “The Nightmare’s End” quest
- Retrieve and show him Avere’s Ring
- Accept “What Lies Beneath” from Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain in South Shroud (X25.2 Y20.6)
- This unlocks Floors 51 – 100 in Palace of the Dead
From there, you’ll need to clear Floor 100, but with a full group, the Deep Dungeon isn’t all that bad. It’s after Floor 100 where things turn ugly fast.
Palace of the Dead, unlock Floors 100 and higher
- Clear Floor 100 Palace of the Dead boss
- Speak to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary in South Shroud (X17.4 Y22.0) for “Dead but Not Gone”
- This quest wraps up the questline and gives you an achievement, but isn’t required for farming the Deep Dungeon’s earlier floors
Entering Palace of the Dead
Unlike most content in FFXIV, you cannot use Duty Finder to enter Palace of the Dead. Instead, you have to go to Quarrymill and talk to the Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain there.
You’ll have a choice between entering with a Fixed Party (either solo or with others in a party) or opting to join a randomly matched party with others who don’t wish to enter alone. If you’re by yourself and just starting out, finding a matched party is the way to go. Deep Dungeons like Palace of the Dead have a lot of unique rules to learn, but you’ll learn them fast with a bit of practice. Good luck!
