How to Muddy Murder the Flan Prince
If you fancy yourself a completionist, hunts in Final Fantasy XVI have probably been your jam. These optional battles can net you some nice rewards and potentially get you early equipment upgrades, which lets you really streamline main story quests. If you like to complete side content as you find it, the Muddy Murder hunt may pose something of a roadblock. Fortunately, it is far from impossible.
This mark’s true name is Flan Prince, and it’s one of the first A-rank hunts you’ll find in Final Fantasy XVI. This monster is level 38, which should be anywhere from 7-10 levels above you when it unlocks on a normal playthrough. Personally, I was able to defeat this thing at Level 31. And honestly, if you bring a stack of Potions with you, taking the Flan Prince down early shouldn’t be too hard. Here’s what you need to know.
Flan Prince, Muddy Murder location & directions in Final Fantasy XVI (FF16)
Once you unlock the Muddy Murder mark on the hunt board, head to Hawk’s Cry Cliff. If you’re fuzzy on where waypoints are located, this one’s close to your hideaway on the middle of the map. This will take you into the Imperial Province of Rosaria, where the Flan Prince will be just due north.
Travel to the location marked on the screenshot above, and you’ll engage the Flan Prince in battle. This one may be hard to see as you’re traveling around, but the game will give you ample heads up when you begin the encounter.
Final Fantasy XVI (FF16) Flan Prince, Muddy Murder tips & tricks
For Final Fantasy XIV players, the Flan Prince plays a lot like a dungeon boss from that game. In the first phase, the Flan Prince will use various classic Final Fantasy spells. You should know how these work in the game by now, but either way, learning their effects now will help later on.
For spells like Stonega and Blizzaga, watch the ground beneath you. Spikes will jut up and inflict damage if you’re standing right over them. You may trigger some Precision Dodges off of these if you have the timing down, but if you don’t want to risk it, running from anything marked on the floor will do just fine.
Meanwhile, Firaga will involve a predictable fireball that you can dodge as you see fit. Thundaga will have the Flan Prince waving thunder bolts in front of itself, which should act as more easy Precision Dodge fodder for you to utilize. Just make sure not to get caught in either attack, as the damage can get nasty.
Otherwise, the Flan Prince’s unmarked attacks mostly involve long wind-up animations that culminate in wide-reaching attacks. If you’re unsure of the timing on these, try to keep a healthy distance until you know what to watch for. Its attacks aren’t necessarily hard to dodge, but you can miss the tells if you’re focused on just doing sicknasty combos.
Flan Prince phase 2
After you stagger it once, the Flan Prince will add two new moves to its roster. The first of these is Dualcast, which will let the boss use two of the above magic spells simultaneously. Honestly, this is scarier than it sounds unless you’re trying to specifically get some counters in. Just avoid any of the obvious tells.
The second, and most dangerous, is Hands Down. It will grow two large hands and smash the ground three times quickly in front of itself. Afterwards, it will wind up both hands in a fist for a devastating finishing strike. Whether you get caught up in the first attacks or take the final hit, this can inflict some serious damage.
If you’re feeling intimidated, get a healthy distance away from it and make sure that final strike doesn’t catch you. Otherwise, just keep in mind that the rhythm is “hit-hit-hit-pause-hit,” and you should make some good counters happen.
Get the Gelatinous Mass by defeating the Flan Prince!
Keep throwing everything you got at this foe until you drain its HP bar. For your efforts, you’ll receive a healthy amount of EXP and the exclusive Gelatinous Mass crafting material.
You’ll use this for crafting the Drakeslayer’s Bracelets, which will offer a sizable Defense and HP boost if you can beat the Muddy Murder hunt as soon as you find it. Congratulations!
