Updated Title Publisher
Updated Title Publisher
Updated Title
Published Title Score Editor's Choice Publisher
Published Title Publisher

Final Fantasy XVI

The Flames of War - FF16 Main Quest Walkthrough

By
Nathan Garvin

During the main quest Things Fall Apart you’ll be given three objectives, which branch out into three subquests. The Flames of War is one of these three subquests, which will begin when you pursue the objective Aid Martha’s Rest in its dilemma. This page will provide a walkthrough for the main subquest The Flames of War in Final Fantasy XVI, including details on how to beat back the Akashic horde and defeat the Akashic Plague.

This quest starts when you talk to !Martha at !Martha’s Rest.

How to Start The Flames of War - FF16 Flames of War Main Quest Walkthrough

To start this quest properly, you’ll need to travel to Martha’s Rest (Central Rosaria) and visit the eponymous Martha’s inn. When you enter you’ll get a scene where "Martha" iconMartha explains the goings-on, which will officially kick off this subquest. The main thrust of this subquest involves fending off waves of attacking Akashic, which essentially boils down to three battles (with reinforcements) at the various entrances to Martha’s Rest.

Enemies Encountered During The Flames of War Quest

Enemies
Akashic Chocobos
Akashic Claw
Akashic Dragonet
Akashic Plague
Akashic Recluse
Akashic Thistle
Akashic Vulture
Horde Adamantoise
Horde Crab
Horde Goblin
Horde Wolf

First head to !The Fallen Gate to fend off waves of !Akashic fodder - a fine time to make use of some of those new !Bahamut abilities.

How to Defeat the Akashic at the Three Reeds - FF16 Flames of War Main Quest Walkthrough

The first mob of attacking Akashic can be found to the southeast, near the entrance to the "Three Reeds" iconThree Reeds area on the map. Just head southeast past The Fallen Gate, across the bridges, past some barricades and down to the swamps. You’ll find some beleaguered sellswords here, and when you approach you’ll trigger the Akashics to spawn. Nothing too crazy here: you’ll find Horde Wolves and Akashic Thistles in the first wave and Akashic Recluses and Akashic Vultures in the second wave. These are just stronger reskinned versions of enemies you’ve faced before, and have little in the way of new tricks to surprise you with. Defeat the Akashic horde to trigger some scenes which will eventually put you back at Martha’s Rest before tasking you with fending off a second wave of Akashic.

At Sorrowise you’ll encounter a host of !Akashic led by a Horde Adamantoise.

How to Defeat the Akashic at Sorrowise - FF16 Flames of War Main Quest Walkthrough

Another entrance to Martha’s Rest, another Akashic horde to disperse. This time head west down the elevator to trigger a scene with the remnants of "Sir Wade" iconSir Wade’s scouting party, after which the Akashic you seek will arrive. Seafood’s on the menu, this time! You’ll be attacked by Horde Crabs and their ringleader - a Horde Adamantoise. Nothing new here, just palette-swaps with more health: "Heatwave" iconHeatwave can counter the turtles spit attacks, "Titanic Block" iconTitanic Block and Titanic Counter can punish most of its melee attacks, and you should dodge the spinning charge. Once the Horde Adamantoise is weakened (likely after its first stagger) some Akashic Claws will arrive as reinforcements. Defeat these enemies to trigger another scene, after which you’ll be sent to repel the approaching third wave of Akashic.

Approaching from !Eastpool is a third horde of !Akashic, including an !Akashic Plague, which is a toned-down !Ahriman. !Heatwave is an excellent way to burn through its !Will Gauge.

How to Defeat the Akashic Plague Horde Approaching from Eastpool - FF16 Flames of War Main Quest Walkthrough

Only one more entrance to cover, this time the north. Cross the bridge north of Martha’s Rest to reach Greensheaves to intercept the final Akashic horde. The first group of enemies you’ll encounter here consists largely of Horde Goblins, assisted by a pair of Akashic Dragonets. The Horde Goblins aren’t terribly interesting, just being melee fodder (a single "Ignition" iconIgnition should wipe out most of them) while the Akashic Dragonets are content to buff the goblins with Bravery and spit the odd fireball. After these enemies are exterminated you’ll be assailed by several Akashic Chocobos, and the third and final wave of reinforcements consists of some Akashic Thistles serving as distractions for an Akashic Plague.

The Akashic Plague is basically an Ahriman, sans the Doom attack… which means it’s a toned-down variant without the archetype’s most dangerous spell. It can shoot Homing Thunder Orbs (easily countered with Heatwave), Eye-Laser and Quake, and given how much it depletes the Will Gauge you should definitely fish for Homing Thunder Orbs to counter with Heatwave. From here, you know the drill - reduce the Will Gauge 50%, use "Deadly Embrace" iconDeadly Embrace and "Gouge" iconGouge to remove the second half of the Will Gauge, then punish.

Defeat the Akashic Plague to trigger some scenes, which will complete this quest. You’ll obtain a Guardian Scarf, a whopping 100x Magicked Ash and 1x Meteorite. Continue progressing through the main quest Things Fall Apart, by checking out the pages for the subquests Why We Fight and Down the Rabbit Hole.

No Comments
No Upvotes
User profile pic

Comment submission error:

The comment must be at least 1 character in length.

Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    PS5
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    21 June 2023
  • Last Updated
    2 August 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

Share this free guide:

This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. This guide for Final Fantasy XVI contains the following:

Get a Gamer Guides Premium account:

Quick sign up

Already have an account?

Quick log in

Don’t have an account?