Category:Delve

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Introduced in Seekers of Adoulin, the Delve battle system was once some of the most challenging content that Vana'diel had ever seen.
The primary rewards from Delve, are still sometimes useful equipment despite updates to the world of Vana'diel. The items are still valuable to returning players as well.

Delve is a tiered battle system that consists of farming pop and entry items to either:

  • Spawn and defeat notorious monsters in field battles.
  • Defeating normal, notorious monsters, and a mega boss in an instanced area known as a Fracture.
  • Players today for the most part exclusively participate in Fracture instances.

Getting Started

Eligibility Requirements

In order to participate in Delve Fractures, players must satisfy the following:

  • Seekers of Adoulin expansion pack installed and registered
  • 3-18 alliance members at level 95 or above
  • Alliance leader must possess a Yantric planchette key item
    • Yantric planchette key item is obtained by trading the corresponding zone's rock to the Anomaly Expert in Eastern Adoulin. See her page for more details.

Field battles have no requirement other than access to the areas (Seekers of Adoulin installed and registered).

There are two general progression routes for Delve, depending on how experienced your group is. More information on the various items required is located in the Progression section.

  • For a less experienced group, defeating NMs in the field areas until Yggzi Beads are obtained prior to entering a fracture, then utilizing the Yggzi Beads to remove the NMs from the fracture can result in an easier time once inside the fracture since fewer NMs will need to be defeated within the time limit before taking on the boss.
  • For a more experienced and better geared group, it is possible to skip directly to the fracture and defeat all five NMs and the boss in one 45 minute run.

Delve Areas

Field-based delve battles take place in outdoor areas which correspond with the locations of the seven Naakuals. Event-related items involved in each area are distinguished with the color corresponding with the element of that area's Naakual. Delve Fractures take place in Cirdas Caverns (U) and Yorcia Weald (U), and are entered at Veils located in each field area. All players in the alliance and anywhere in the entry field zone will be taken into the Fracture instance upon entry.

Cirdas Caverns (U)

Yorcia Weald (U)

  • Yorcia Weald: Russet - Veil: (J-7) Head North from the Frontier Station.
  • Marjami Ravine: Phlox - Veil: (M-9) Head South from the Frontier Station.
  • Kamihr Drifts: Aster - Veil: (H-11) Head South from Bivouac #2.

Content Level

Notorious monsters in Delve are grouped into three distinct content levels, based on the monster's tier. The content level of notorious monsters is the same both inside and outside of the Fracture areas (bosses only appear within the Fractures).

Progression

Each area is considered a separate path and has progression independent from the others consisting of a series of NM battles in the Field and/or a series of identical NM battles culminating in a boss battle in a section of Cirdas Caverns (U) or Yorcia Weald (U) known as a Fracture.
There are two levels of combat in Delve: Notorious Monster Combat (which is further divided into two tiers) and Boss Combat. In order to progress to Boss Combat, a group must defeat all five unique notorious monsters inside the a Fracture during a single entry, or use beads obtained from defeating the notorious monsters in the field to remove up to three corresponding monster from the fracture, then defeat the remaining notorious monsters.

Each of the 30 notorious monsters and six bosses has at least one unique characteristic which can (and sometimes must) be exploited resulting in a faster and/or easier win (reference individual NM pages for details). The notorious monsters are divided into two difficulty tiers: NMs I, II, and III make up the lower difficulty tier (Content Level 11) while NMs IV and V make up the higher difficulty tier (Content Level 14) in each area.
Each area and tier has a corresponding key item which is automatically obtained after defeating any one of the associated NMs and allows the holder to use Mweya Plasm to purchase any equipment item which the associated NMs can drop.

Delve Notorious Monsters
Area / Color I II III IV V
Morimar Basalt Fields
Alizarin
Volatile Matamata Perdurable Raptor Shimmering Tarichuk Tutewehiwehi Kurma
A. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (J-8) · Alizarin Yggzi I icon.png A. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (H-11) · Alizarin Yggzi I icon.png A. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (J-11) · Alizarin Yggzi I icon.png A. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (E-7/8) · Alizarin Yggzi I icon.png A. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (F-10) · Alizarin Yggzi I icon.png
Impure alizarin yggzi Semi-pure alizarin yggzi
Morimar Fracture Boss Tojil Tojil
Flame-scarred skull
Foret de Hennetiel
Zaffre
Faded Craklaw Aberrant Uragnite Divagating Jagil Nerrivik Krabakarpo
Z. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (H-6) · Zaffre Yggzi I icon.png Z. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (J-7/8) · Zaffre Yggzi I icon.png Z. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (J-10) · Zaffre Yggzi I icon.png Z. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (H-10) NW · Zaffre Yggzi I icon.png Z. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (F-9) · Zaffre Yggzi I icon.png
Impure zaffre yggzi Semi-pure zaffre yggzi
Hennetiel Fracture Boss Dakuwaqa Dakuwaqa
Craggy fin
Ceizak Battlegrounds
Celadon
Unfettered Twitherym Supernal Chapuli Transcendent Scorpion Mastop Tax'et
C. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (J-7) · Celadon Yggzi I icon.png C. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (J-9) · Celadon Yggzi I icon.png C. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (I-10) · Celadon Yggzi I icon.png C. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (G-8) · Celadon Yggzi I icon.png C. Ygg. Shard I icon.png · (G-10) · Celadon Yggzi I icon.png
Impure celadon yggzi Semi-pure celadon yggzi
Ceizak Fracture Boss Muyingwa Muyingwa
Detached stinger
Yorcia Weald
Russet
Xag'Nar Laevvid Morseiu Ircinraq Hyoscya
6232 icon.png · (J-7) · 6247 icon.png 6232 icon.png · (J-9) · 6247 icon.png 6232 icon.png · (H-7) · 6247 icon.png 6232 icon.png · (I-10) · 6247 icon.png 6232 icon.png · (F-7/8) · 6247 icon.png
Impure russet yggzi Semi-pure russet yggzi
Yorcia Fracture Boss Wopket Wopket
Piece of inviolable bark
Marjami Ravine
Phlox
Broxa Plaguevein Bats Hakawai Ironbeak Inguza Podarge
6227 icon.png · (K-6) · 6244 icon.png 6227 icon.png · (M-11) · 6244 icon.png 6227 icon.png · (G-9) · 6244 icon.png 6227 icon.png · (D-11) · 6244 icon.png 6227 icon.png · (E-6) · 6244 icon.png
Impure phlox yggzi Semi-pure phlox yggzi
Marjami Fracture Boss Cailimh Cailimh
Sparking tail feather
Kamihr Drifts
Aster
Calydontis Azeman Sinaa Cherti Mirka
6237 icon.png · (I-10) · 6255 icon.png 6237 icon.png · (H-9) · 6255 icon.png 6237 icon.png · (H-11) · 6255 icon.png 6237 icon.png · (G-8) · 6255 icon.png 6237 icon.png · (F-8) · 6255 icon.png
Impure aster yggzi Semi-pure aster yggzi
Kamihr Fracture Boss Utkux Utkux
Frosted incisor

Field NM Combat

Field NM Combat is an entirely skippable portion to Delve content which can be utilized by less experienced groups to take on certain NMs in a less hostile environment, and potentially obtain a bead which allows that NM to be skipped inside the Fracture. More experienced groups may skip directly to the Fracture and defeat all five NMs and the boss in one run.

Yggrete Shards can be used to spawn Notorious Monsters in the field area outside the Fracture. Shards are relatively common and can be obtained by defeating normal monsters or completing Colonization and Lair Reives in the corresponding field area. See individual shard pages linked in the table above for more specific information on obtaining. After being spawned, the notorious monster must be defeated within 20 minutes or it will disappear. Please note that you DO receive the key item even if you are dead when the enemy is defeated.

The primary reason for defeating NMs in the field is to obtain their corresponding Yggzi Bead items specific to each NM. The drop rate of beads is 100%.

By combining a Bead with a Yantric Planchette, that particular monster will be removed from the Fracture area, reducing the number of notorious monsters which need to be defeated. This can be done up to three times for one Fracture attempt, leaving only two remaining notorious monsters to be defeated within the fracture before the boss monster can be attempted.

Fractures

Maps

Fracture Maps

Entering the Fracture

Upon defeating any normal monster in the field areas in which Veils are present, players may receive Yggrete Rocks (R) which correspond to that location. After a player has met certain requirements (listed below), they can trade Yggrete Rocks to the Anomaly Expert outside the Celennia Wexworth Memorial Library in Eastern Adoulin at (G-10) to receive a Yantric Planchette key item utilized to pass through the Veil corresponding to the traded rock and into a Fracture.

Cirdas Caverns (U)
Yorcia Weald (U)

After receiving the Planchette, players can then trade Yggzi Beads from the corresponding area to enhance the Planchette and remove the Notorious Monsters from which the beads were obtained from the Fracture NM Combat phase (up to three beads may be used per planchette to remove three notorious monsters from the five normally present).

Only the leader of an alliance needs to posses the planchette key item, all other members can enter as long as they fulfill the level requirement (95+). After obtaining the planchette (and adding beads, if desired), Fractures can be entered at the three veil locations. There are no restrictions on re-entry other than obtaining a new planchette.

Note that occasionally upon entering the fracture, a message will be received that states "You hear a subtle mumbling sound." When this occurs, one or more of the notorious monsters in the Fracture will trigger the message "You feel a tense pressure gripping the air..." upon aggression. When this notorious monster is defeated it will yield an extra Airlixir +1 (or an extra Airlixir +2, if it is the zone boss).

Fracture Battles

After entering a fracture, the group will have 45 minutes to accomplish their goals. The Fracture is composed of three sections which are progressively deeper inside Cirdas Caverns (U) or Yorcia Weald (U). Progression occurs as time elapses or as NMs are removed from the fracture (by defeat or by beads utilized on the Planchette).

  • First Section: NMs I, II, III
  • Second Section: NMs IV, V (Accessible after NMs I, II, and III are gone from the fracture or after 15 minutes have elapsed)
  • Boss Section: Boss monster (Accessible only after all NMs I, II, III, IV, and V are gone from the fracture)

Field NMs and Fracture NMs themselves are identical; however, the drops available are different. Field NMs have a chance to drop Yggzi Beads while Fracture NMs do not; however, obtaining one of the available unique equipment drops is guaranteed from Fracture NMs and a rare occurrence in the field. Airlixirs and associated key items are guaranteed in either case. The NMs inside the fracture are scattered among a large number of normal monsters which respawn on a regular timer:

Within each Fracture, every three minutes a zone message will warn players of a unique buffing effect that all monsters in the zone (including NMs) will receive for 30 seconds. These buffing effects will no longer occur once the boss section is opened.

  • Morimar Fracture: Significant attack bonus
  • Foret Fracture: Ice Spikes effect
  • Ceizak Fracture: Significant evasion bonus
  • Yorcia Fracture:
  • Marjami Fracture:
  • Kamihr Fracture:

All monsters defeated in the Fracture yield Mweya Plasm. NMs and boss monsters have a cumulative multiplier (defeating more than one NM in a Fracture multiplies its normal plasm yield by the number defeated):

  • Normal Monsters: 50 plasm each
  • NMs I, II, III: 500 plasm each (× multiplier)
  • NMs IV, V: 750 plasm each (× multiplier)
  • Boss: 10,000 plasm (× multiplier)

Boss Battles

Once all notorious monsters within a fracture have been removed either by utilizing Yggzi Beads or defeating them, the boss chamber will become accessible. The boss monsters are extremely difficult versions of the Naakuals found in Wildskeeper Reives and their rewards are some of the most powerful armor, weapons, and accessories in the game, along with materials used in crafting and obtaining others. If one is successfully defeated, the Fracture will be completed and the time remaining will be set to five minutes to allow for loot distribution.

Rewards

See also: Delve Rewards

The reward structure in Delve is unique in that all equipment can be obtained in two ways: either a direct drop from notorious monsters/bosses or purchased with Mweya Plasm which can be collected in various ways as long as a notorious monster which can drop the item has been defeated at least once. Additionally, the primary (non-boss) sets of Delve armor can be diversified and upgraded in stages through a set augmentation system by utilizing Airlixirs, also obtained through Delve.

Equipment

Each individual notorious monster in Delve has two or more assigned equipment drops which will be divided depending on the monster tier. Within a fracture, one equipment drop is guaranteed. Outside the fracture, drops are not guaranteed.

  • Tier I~III NMs Available Drops: 1-2 upgradable armor pieces, 1 accessory
  • Tier IV/V NMs Available Drops: 2-3 upgradable weapons, 1-2 accessories
  • Boss Monsters Available Drops: 2-3 weapons, 2 armor pieces, 2 accessories, 2 synthesis materials

NM armor and weapons are upgraded through mezzotinting and applying Airlixirs. Boss armor and weapons cannot be upgraded as they are far more powerful and difficult to acquire than the upgradable pieces and are obtained with their full potential unlocked.

See Delve Rewards for complete information on obtaining equipment.

Airlixirs

There are three varieties of Airlixirs, which have increasingly potent effects on upgrading armor via Mezzotinting towards a higher rank in the armor augmentation process: Airlixir, Airlixir +1, and Airlixir +2.

Upgradable armor and weapons can be "mezzotinted" with Airlixirs by Benjamien at the Inventors' Coalition.

Airlixirs can be obtained as direct drops from both field and fracture NMs (6-7 NQ or +1 per NM defeated), bosses (3-4 +1 or +2 per boss defeated) and occasionally from normal monsters within fracture (0-1 NQ per monster defeated).

Airlixirs can also be purchased for Mweya Plasm (see below) after any one yggzi key item has been obtained:

Mweya Plasm

Plasm plays a key role in obtaining Delve Rewards or forging an Ergon Weapon.

Acquisition

Corpuscles of Mweya Plasm can be obtained in three ways:

  • Using Yggrete Shard or Yggzi Bead items as an expendable item will instantly reward Mweya Plasm to the player who used it:
  • Defeating normal monsters inside the Fracture:
    • Each defeated monster yields 50 plasm to each player in the alliance.
  • Defeating Field and Fracture NMs:
    • Notorious monsters yield 500 (I/II/III) or 750 (IV/V) corpuscles of plasm to each player in the alliance at the time of defeat.
    • Note that inside the fracture there is a cumulative bonus to defeating more than one NM.
      • Plasm obtained from each NM defeated past the first will be multiplied by the number of defeated NMs (x2, x3, x4, or x5).
  • Defeating Bosses:
    • Bosses yield 10,000 corpuscles of plasm to each player in the alliance, times the NM multiplier bonus (30,000 plasm minimum, 60,000 maximum).

Exchange

Mweya Plasm can be exchanged at the NPC Forri-Porri near the Inventors' Coalition in Western Adoulin (only present if the Emblem edification is installed on the Inventors' Coalition). The items available for exchange will depend on which NMs have been defeated - acquiring key items from defeating the NMs (either in the field or in the Fracture) and bosses unlocks the ability to purchase the equipment they are associated with. Note that ammunition and certain accessories are available only from plasm exchange, not as NM drops.

Mweya Plasm Exchange
Key Item Required Associated Rewards Plasm Cost Key Item Required Associated Rewards Plasm Cost Boss Clear Required Associated Rewards Plasm Cost
Impure alizarin yggzi Mikinaak Gauntlets 15,000 Semi-pure alizarin yggzi Halachuinic Sword 30,000 Tojil Oatixur 200,000
Manibozho Brais 17,500 Kiji 30,000 Buramenk'ah 200,000
Zoran's Belt 8,000 Surefire Arquebus 30,000 Yaoyotl Helm 170,000
Manibozho Beret 17,500 Honed Tathlum 10,000 Yaoyotl Gloves 165,000
Bokwus Boots 15,000 Bloodbath Axe 30,000 Hurch'lan Sash 100,000
Bladeborn Earring 8,000 Soothsayer Staff 30,000 K'ayres Ring 100,000
Bokwus Robe 20,000 Refraction Cape 10,000 Gabbrath Horn 300,000
Lifestorm Earring 8,000 Adlivun Bolt 50 Gabbrath Meat 300,000
Adlivun Bullet 50
Impure zaffre yggzi Manibozho Gloves 15,000 Semi-pure zaffre yggzi Aphotic Kukri 30,000 Dakuwaqa Tsurumaru 200,000
Bokwus Circlet 17,500 Ophidian Trident 30,000 Illapa 200,000
Psystorm Earring 8,000 Speleogen Bow 30,000 Izhiikoh 200,000
Mikinaak Greaves 15,000 Asperity Necklace 10,000 Whirlpool Mask 170,000
Bokwus Slops 17,500 Mondaha Cudgel 30,000 Whirlpool Greaves 165,000
Mephitis Grip 8,000 Brethren Axe 30,000 Eddy Necklace 100,000
Mikinaak Breastplate 20,000 Alternator 30,000 Sangoma Ring 100,000
Dudgeon Earring 8,000 Translucent Broth 2,000 Achiyalabopa Bullet 300
Adlivun Arrow 50 Achiyalabopa Bolt 300
Achiyalabopa Arrow 300
Rockfin Fin 300,000
Rockfin Tooth 300,000
Impure celadon yggzi Mikinaak Helm 17,500 Semi-pure celadon yggzi Rigor Baghnakhs 30,000 Muyingwa Kerehcatl 200,000
Manibozho Boots 15,000 Dimmet Scythe 30,000 Upukirex 200,000
Inquisitor Bead Necklace 8,000 Yaskomo's Pole 30,000 Nahtirah Hat 170,000
Mikinaak Cuisses 17,500 Contriver's Cape 10,000 Nahtirah Trousers 170,000
Bokwus Gloves 15,000 Bereaver 30,000 Vespid Mantle 100,000
Heartseeker Earring 8,000 Uguisumaru 30,000 Beeline Ring 100,000
Manibozho Jerkin 20,000 Steadfast Shield 30,000 Bztavian Stinger 300,000
Steelflash Earring 8,000 Locus Ring 10,000 Bztavian Wing 300,000
Dashavatara Sachet 30,000 Jushimatsu 200,000
Impure russet yggzi Artsieq Cuffs 75,000 Semi-pure russet yggzi Usonmunku 150,000 Wopket Bolelabunga 300,000
Qaaxo Leggings 75,000 Isuka 150,000 Qalgwer 300,000
Inlamvuyeso 40,000 Iqabi Necklace 50,000 Kumbira Cape 250,000
Xaddi Cuisses 87,500 Lekboza 150,000 Sihirik 250,000
Qaaxo Mask 87,500 Twebuliij 150,000 Umuthi Hat 280,000
Zanhi Ring 40,000 Pulfanxa 150,000 Umuthi Gloves 275,000
Artsieq Jubbah 100,000 Magneto 150,000 Yggdreant Bole 300,000
Samanisi Cape 40,000 Yggdreant Root 300,000
Impure phlox yggzi Xaddi Gauntlets 75,000 Semi-pure phlox yggzi Sabebus 150,000 Cailimh Ukudyoni 300,000
Artsieq Boots 75,000 Vunetshelo 150,000 Umbani Cap 280,000
Kuwunga Earring 40,000 Gwati Earring 50,000 Umbani Boots 275,000
Qaaxo Tights 87,500 Emxgha 150,000 Tajabit 300,000
Artsieq Hat 87,500 Shokudaikiri-Mitsutada 150,000 Izizoeksi 300,000
Paeapua 40,000 Rinda Shield 150,000 Chaac Belt 250,000
Xaddi Mail 100,000 Mubvumbamiri Mantle 50,000 Andoaa Earring 250,000
Fucho-no-Obi 40,000 Waktza Rostrum 300,000
Waktza Crest 300,000
Impure aster yggzi Qaaxo Mitaines 75,000 Semi-pure aster yggzi Kbiroj 150,000 Utkux Falubeza 300,000
Xaddi Boots 75,000 Gabaxorea 150,000 Ngqoqwanb 300,000
Nguruve Ring 40,000 Cibitshavore 150,000 Ighwa Trousers 280,000
Artsieq Hose 87,500 Kupayopl 50,000 Ighwa Cap 280,000
Xaddi Headgear 87,500 Tinhaspa 150,000 Isa Belt 250,000
Gevaudan Belt 40,000 Kumalo 150,000 Kuchekula Ring 250,000
Qaaxo Harness 100,000 Tumafyrig 150,000 Cehuetzi Claw 300,000
Imbodla Necklace 40,000 Idaraaja 150,000 Cehuetzi Pelt 300,000
Cehuetzi Ice Shard 300,000

Monthly Adventurer Campaigns

There are two types of campaigns that may run any given month.

Delve Campaign

  • When this Monthly Adventurer Campaign is active, Delve will receive the following adjustments for the duration of the campaign:
    • Players will earn double the usual amount of Mweya Plasm from defeating Delve monsters.
    • Twice the usual amount of Mweya Plasm will drop when clearing Delve.
  • Note: This campaign was only run twice, and has been replaced with the Delve Campaign - PLUS! below. It is unlikely that this campaign will run again, as the only difference are Airlixir drops.

Delve Campaign - PLUS!

  • When this Monthly Adventurer Campaign is active, Delve will receive the following adjustments for the duration of the campaign:
    • Players will earn double the usual amount of Mweya Plasm from defeating Delve monsters.
    • Twice the usual amount of Mweya Plasm will drop when clearing Delve.
    • Monsters may drop Airlixir +1s and Airlixir +2s when vanquished.
      • Overall, it is possible to obtain 180,000+ Plasm for one run upon clearing an entire Delve zone during this campaign.