In Final Fantasy XIV, players spend the majority of their time fighting ancient foes and defeating celestial beings through various instances such as Dungeons and Raid Bosses. Due to the combat-heavy content in the game, adventurers need to amplify their power by getting the best weapons that they can get their hands on. While there are a ton of weapons to choose from, many players would also be considering how awesome their items would look. This reason is why Relic Weapons are highly valued in the Final Fantasy community.
What are Relic Weapons?
Relic Weapons are fabled types of class-exclusive items, which have been a reoccurring theme in previous Final Fantasy games. Almost all of these weapons are considered the strongest weapons in previous iterations of the FF series. These items have a unique and distinct glow that allows many to differentiate them from normal weapons.
Acquiring Relic Weapons is straightforward, albeit time-consuming. However, upgrading these things into stronger and higher quality items will require tons of time and effort on the players’ part. However, the hours spent making these armaments stronger are worth it due to their excellent and extremely unique appearance.
Due to the amount of investment to be put in gearing these items, gamers might find that they will burn out if they don’t take it slow. However, knowing which Relic Weapons are the best ones in the game can help adventurers prioritize which offensive items they should focus on first.
Relic Weapons are given new modifications whenever an expansion comes out. However, some of these transmogs are considered better even if they are older than the latest versions. These types of items are graded depending on how easy they are to get, how their appearances look like, and how strong they are in the current expansion.
Best Looking Relic Weapons
In recent years, many players have considered Relic Weapons mainly as a source for glamour, instead of actual power up things. Due to their extremely grindy requirements, a lot of adventurers prefer to only farm or complete missions related to these items if they want to acquire or equip the transmog duplicates. Fortunately, these glamour options are extremely rare, elegant, and a nice addition to any person who is collecting cosmetics.
While the game does release new iterations of Relic Weapons every expansion, some of the older versions are much more appealing and attractive in terms of glamour. Some players would note that the newer Relics are much harder to get and also subpar in terms of glamour. Here are the best looking FFXIV Relic Weapons:
Anima Weapons (Heavensward Relic)
Arguably the best-looking set of Relics, the Anima Weapons have been the fans’ favorite for glamour options. The design for the Heavensward expansion is exceptional as the appearances of the Relics in this version are elegant and unique. The Lux step in this line provides bright and vibrant auras that complements the already marvelous appearance of the Animas.
How To Unlock Anima Weapons:
Among all the Relic Weapons, the Anima series is the relatively easiest one to unlock due to how fast players can complete them. The main requirements for starting this process are to complete the Heavenswards’ “Heavensward” main scenario quest and reach level 60 with the Job that gamers want to obtain an Anima Weapon with.
Once these conditions have been met, players can now start the “Unexpected Proposal” from Rowena in Idyllshire. This mission will eventually end in Ardashir, which will be the main station where gamers will turn in any subsequent Relic-related tasks. Adventurers should note that the Dancer, Gunbreaker, Sage, or Reaper cannot participate in this process since they do not have any corresponding Anima Relic.
Zodiac Weapons (A Realm Reborn Relic)
The Zodiac series was the original Relic weapons introduced during the first version of FFXIV. A lot of players prefer the simplistic but elegant design of these items. In particular, fans seem to prefer either the Animus or Zeta steps of the Zodiac line. The Animus provides even more distinct and vibrant glows for the weapons, while Zeta made the weapons appear more regal and more refined.
How To Unlock Zodiac Weapons:
Zodiac Relics are the first set that players can unlock. However, like all the Relics, acquiring them will require a lot of effort and time. To start this very long journey of obtaining Zodiacs, gamers must first complete the “The Ultimate Weapon” main scenario quest. In addition, adventurers should have also completed all the related Class/Job quests for class-exclusive weapon that they are trying to get.
Once these conditions have been met, players must ensure that certain dungeons available for entry, which are the: lvl 50 Amdapor Keep, The Bowl of Embers (Hard), The Howling Eye (Hard), and The Navel (Hard). Unlocking these instances require players to finish the level 50 versions of the Ifrit, Garuda, and Titan trials.
The quest for unlocking Zodiacs will eventually end with Gerolt at Hysrtmill in North shroud. Completing these requirements will enable players to finally engage with the Relic weapons-related missions. There is a total of eight phases for the Zodiac Relics, and each will require specific items, materials, and quests.
Resistance Weapons (Shadowbringers Relic)
The Resistance Weapons are considered top-tier glamour options by many weapons. In contrast to previous versions, these Relics display more intimidating designs and exude crimson auras. The Blade’s step in the line further enhances the awesomeness of these weapons and makes them even cooler than its earlier steps.
How to Unlock Resistance Weapons:
For players to unlock this Relic series, adventurers need to own the Shadowbringers expansion, since they will need to complete a quest related to this pack. The main requirements to start the process of acquiring Resistance weapons are to finish the “Shadowbringers” MSQ completed, “The City of Lost Angels” side task, “Hail to the Queen,” “Path to the Past,” The Bozja Incident,” and the “Fire in the Forge” trials. Players should note that “Hail to the Queen” requires the completion of “Return to Ivalice,” so gamers should make sure that they have completed this Stormblood mission.
How to Use Relic Weapons For Glamour:
Unlike many items, Relics cannot be placed on the Glamour Dresser. Instead, players will need acquire replicas of their weapons from certain NPCs. Gamers should note that they can only get copies of the Relics based on the current phase they have achieved so far. For example, if an adventurer has acquired a Sharpened Anima Weapon, they can only acquire a replica of that phase and not copies of Complete or Lux steps.
Strongest Relic Weapons
Relic Weapons are rarely considered the best-in-slot weapons for almost every class. Many players only consider these items only for glamour, even for practical reasons. However, these offensive armaments are still powerful in their own right, and gamers should still consider using them while they farm for the strongest items in Eorzea.
In general, the strongest Relic Weapons are the most recent ones. Due to Shadowbringers being the latest version before Endwalker, the Resistance line is currently considered the strongest Relic series. However, with the entry of the latest expansion, gamers should expect a shift in the power rating.
- Resistance Weapons (Shadowbringers Relic)
- Resistance Weapons are currently the Relic line with the highest Item Level and the best stats. Aside from being one of the most powerful weapons, they are considered as one of the easiest Relics to obtain, making Resistance a viable option to many players.
- Manderville (Endwalker Relic)
- The upcoming Relic line for the Endwalker expansion will be released as level 90 items. These weapons will be connected to Hildibrand questline. Although there are no further details provided for this series, players can get more information about it when it gets released on Patch 6.25.
Ideally, players who are looking to use Relic Weapons for griding need to update their items whenever the new set comes out for the latest expansion. In this case, Resistance series will be the most powerful Relics until Mandervilles come out. When the newest set gets released, gamers will need to shift to them to maintain their power scaling in the game.
Note: Upgrading and entering the more advanced steps for each Relic series highly depends on RNG. These weapons will need tons of various Allagan Tomestones, so players should be ready for a long and heavy grind.
While the practically of using Relic Weapons for their power is debatable, their usage as glamours is highly accepted by many players. Most completionist and glam collectors are ready to farm trials to get the materials they need for these transmogs. Before players go on the long arduous process of acquiring and upgrading their Anima or Resistance Weapons, they should understand what exactly they are looking for in these series so that they won’t spend too much time on things they do not need.
