What Relic Weapons Are (And Why They’re Worth Doing)

Relic weapons are multi-stage weapon enhancement questlines released during each expansion’s patch cycle. When they’re current, they often become best-in-slot (or close to it) later in the cycle. When they’re old, they’re mostly about glamour, collection, and personal achievement.

Why relics are worth chasing even when they’re not best-in-slot anymore:

• They look incredible and often have multiple glow styles across stages.
• They’re a long-term goal that gives your playtime direction.
• They teach you the game: roulettes, open-world systems, field operations, raids, dungeons, currencies.
• They’re flexible: most relic lines let you progress at your own pace and often support multiple jobs.

The key is choosing the relic line that matches your lifestyle—because “worth it” changes depending on whether you want a quick glow, a deep side-story, or a marathon trophy.

Which Relic Should You Do First? A Practical Decision Guide

If you want the best first relic experience, don’t start with the “most famous grind.” Start with the one that fits your goal right now.

Pick based on what you want:

• You want a relic fast with minimal stressDo Manderville (Endwalker) if you’ve finished Endwalker and the required Hildibrand quests.
• Do Phantom (Dawntrail) if you’re level 100 and you enjoy field-operation style content (or its alternate paths).
• You want the best “adventure side content” relicDo Eureka (Stormblood) if you like open-world grinding, FATE trains, and zone progression.
• Do Resistance (Shadowbringers/Bozja) if you like large-scale battles, critical encounters, and structured war-story content.
• You want classic “old-school relic identity”Do Zodiac (ARR) if you want a legendary grind with many iconic stages.
• Do Anima (Heavensward) if you want a long project with lots of currency and “crafting-like” progression steps.
• You want the best relic for pure glamour collectingChoose the expansion whose weapon aesthetics you love most.
• Then aim to complete at least one weapon fully so you can access replicas and preserve the look permanently.

A strong beginner move: start with one relic you’ll actually use as glamour and finish it. Completion momentum is real.

The Relic “Reality Check”: Time, Difficulty, and Burnout

Relics aren’t hard in the “raid mechanics” way. They’re hard in the time and patience way. Your biggest enemy is burnout, not difficulty.

A realistic way to view relic difficulty:

• Mechanical difficulty: usually low (except some optional content moments)
• Time investment: ranges from “a few sessions” to “a long marathon,” depending on the relic line and how optimized you are
• Mental load: high if you don’t set micro-goals

If you do relics like a job (“I will grind until it drops”), you’ll hate them. If you do relics like a project (“I’ll make progress each week”), you’ll finish them and feel proud.

Your Universal Relic Prep Checklist

Before starting any relic line, do these setup steps once. They’ll save you hours.

• Pick your job first. Start the relic on a job you genuinely like playing.
• Clean your inventory. Relic steps create clutter fast—empty space prevents frustration.
• Create a “Relic Materials” tab on a retainer or in your chocobo saddlebag.
• Stock basic quality-of-life items: teleport currency if you use it, food for comfort, and a small repair routine.
• Set your daily/weekly progress plan:
• 15-minute days: one small objective
• Longer days: one focused grind block
• Decide your “stop rule” (example: “I stop after 45 minutes even if I’m close”).

Relic success is mostly habits. Setup is the first habit.

How Relic Progress Usually Works (So Every Step Feels Familiar)

Across expansions, relics often use the same “step types” in different skins:

• Currency steps (spend tomestones or exchange items)
• Dungeon steps (run specific duties or a set of duties)
• Open-world steps (FATEs, mobs, zone objectives)
• Field operation steps (Eureka/Bozja/Occult Crescent style content)
• Weekly/limited steps (some steps pace you naturally)
• Light/energy steps (repeat content to charge a progress bar)

Once you recognize the pattern, you stop feeling lost. Every relic is just a remix of these step types.

ARR Zodiac Weapons: How to Start and What to Expect

Zodiac weapons (ARR relics) are the classic relic experience—long, iconic, and sometimes stubborn. They’re 100% worth doing if you enjoy the “history” of FFXIV relics and want a weapon that feels like a true journey.

How to start Zodiac

• Complete the ARR main scenario through “The Ultimate Weapon.”
• Complete your level 50 class/job quests for the job you want the relic on.
• Start with the one-time unlock quest “The Weaponsmith of Legend” in Vesper Bay (Western Thanalan), then the repeatable start point becomes “A Relic Reborn” from Gerolt in Hyrstmill (North Shroud).
• (You only do the unlock once; additional Zodiac weapons begin from the repeatable entry point.)

What Zodiac progression feels like

Zodiac is famous because it includes many different styles of steps:

• getting a base relic weapon and upgrading it
• crafted/melded item requirements in the early stage
• specific dungeon/trial requirements
• open-world FATE farming stages
• “light” farming stages where you repeat certain content efficiently
• later steps that involve collecting and turning in multiple items

Zodiac “worth it” tip

If you want the Zodiac look but fear the grind:

• Finish one Zodiac weapon fully first.
• After that, you’ll understand the workflow and you’ll be faster if you decide to do another.

Zodiac is not the best “first-ever relic” for most players—but it’s one of the most satisfying “I finished a legendary project” relics you can do.

Heavensward Anima Weapons: How to Start and Why They Feel Different

Anima weapons are a long-form Heavensward relic line that often feels more like a “resource management” project than a pure RNG farm. They’re known for steps that involve aetheric density (charging progress), a lot of item turn-ins, and a strong emphasis on currency and materials.

How to start Anima

• Finish the Heavensward main scenario quest “Heavensward.”
• Be level 60 on the job you want the relic for.
• Start the quest “An Unexpected Proposal” from Rowena in Idyllshire.

What Anima progression feels like

Anima relics often include:

• a base weapon step
• a stage where you “charge” progress through repeated activities (density/light style)
• multiple material turn-ins
• steps that reward planning (buying items efficiently, using currencies wisely)

Anima “worth it” tip

Anima becomes dramatically easier when you treat it like a currency plan:

• build a shopping list
• buy/collect items in batches
• avoid running back and forth for one item at a time

If you like structured projects and don’t mind gathering materials/currency, Anima can feel smoother than Zodiac.

Stormblood Eureka Weapons: How to Start and Why People Love Them

Eureka weapons are Stormblood’s relic line and are deeply tied to the Eureka field-operation zones (Anemos, Pagos, Pyros, Hydatos). For many players, Eureka relics are “worth it” because the journey feels like its own game: leveling inside Eureka, chasing elemental progression, joining trains, and upgrading weapons and armor together.

How to start Eureka relics

• Complete the Stormblood main scenario “Stormblood.”
• Complete the quest “And We Shall Call It Eureka” to unlock Eureka.
• You also need the level 70 job quest completed for your job, because Eureka relics start from the job’s “antiquated” weapon reward.

What Eureka progression feels like

Eureka relics are mostly progressed inside Eureka:

• you earn Eureka-specific currencies (like crystals) from FATEs and content inside the zones
• you upgrade your weapon through multiple named stages
• you level an “elemental” progression track in the zone that affects combat effectiveness there

Eureka “worth it” tip

Eureka is best when you lean into the social rhythm:

• follow trains
• join groups
• treat it like a chill open-world MMO day

Eureka can feel slow solo if you fight the system. It feels fast and fun when you ride the community flow.

Shadowbringers Resistance Weapons: How to Start and What Makes Them Great

Resistance weapons are the Shadowbringers relic line, tied to the Bozjan Southern Front / Save the Queen content and the Bozja field-operation experience. This relic line is popular because it combines story, large-scale battles, and flexible progression steps.

How to start Resistance weapons

• Complete the Shadowbringers main scenario “Shadowbringers.”
• Complete the side quest “The City of Lost Angels” (this requires finishing the “Return to Ivalice” alliance raid series from Stormblood).
• Then you begin the Bozja/Resistance weapon quest chain (starting with the early “Hail to the Queen” chain and continuing into “Fire in the Forge,” which awards your first base Resistance weapon).

What Resistance progression feels like

Resistance relics often mix:

• Bozja field content (skirmishes, critical engagements, large-scale duties)
• specific item collections that you can often obtain through multiple methods
• steps that reward consistent play rather than pure luck
• a strong narrative arc tied to Save the Queen

Resistance “worth it” tip

If you enjoy “group open-world combat” and want relic progress to feel like content rather than chores, Resistance is one of the best relic lines in the game.

Endwalker Manderville Weapons: The Smoothest “Low-Drama” Relic Line

Manderville weapons (Endwalker relics) are famous for being straightforward and friendly—especially compared to some older relic grinds. They’re deeply tied to the Endwalker Hildibrand questline and are largely progressed through currency exchanges and quest steps rather than massive RNG farming.

How to start Manderville weapons

• Complete the Endwalker main scenario “Endwalker.”
• Complete the Hildibrand quest chain up through “The Imperfect Gentleman.”
• Reach level 90 on the job you want the weapon for.
• Start with “Make It a Manderville” in Radz-at-Han (one-time unlock), and additional weapons begin from “Make Another Manderville.”

What Manderville progression feels like

Manderville is great for players who:

• want a glowing weapon without field-operation grinding
• want a repeatable and predictable path
• want to gear multiple jobs with less friction

Manderville “worth it” tip

If you’re doing your first ever relic and you have Endwalker finished, Manderville is one of the best “confidence builder” relics because it teaches the relic loop without punishing you.

Dawntrail Phantom Weapons: The Current Relic Line and How to Start

Phantom weapons are Dawntrail’s relic line (level 100 relic weapons), introduced with the Dawntrail patch cycle and tied to a field-operation series called Occult Crescent. Like Eureka and Resistance, Phantom weapons are designed to progress through field content, with options to progress some steps through alternative content outside the field instances.

How to start Phantom weapons

• Complete the Dawntrail main scenario “Dawntrail.”
• Be level 100 on a Disciple of War or Magic job.
• Start the Phantom weapon questline by speaking to Lydirceil in Phantom Village and accepting the quest “Timeworn Techniques.”

What Phantom progression feels like

Phantom weapons are built as a patch-cycle project:

• your weapon gains new stages over time as new patches add enhancement quests
• progression is tied to Occult Crescent field content and/or alternate methods (depending on the step)

Phantom “worth it” tip

If you enjoy modern field content, Phantom weapons are one of the best “stay motivated all expansion” goals, because each new stage gives you a fresh reason to come back.

Choosing Your First Relic Job: The Best Strategy

A relic is easiest when you do it on a job you can play comfortably for long sessions.

Pick your relic job by these rules:

• Choose your “comfort main,” not your “theoretical best.”
• If you enjoy tanking/healing, those roles can speed up queues for duty-heavy steps.
• If you love a DPS job but queues are long, build a parallel plan: farm open-world steps while queuing, or do relic steps that don’t rely on queues.

If you want multiple relics eventually:

• Do the first one on your main.
• Do the second one on a job that shares gameplay loops you already enjoy (same content style, not a totally different grind).

Relic Efficiency: The 80/20 Rule That Saves Your Sanity

Most relic time is wasted in two places:

• traveling back and forth for single turn-ins
• farming without batching tasks

Use the batch rule:

• Do all shopping in one trip.
• Do all dungeon steps in one block.
• Do all FATE steps in one zone session.
• Do all exchanges after you’ve collected everything.

Relics feel 2× faster when you stop doing them one item at a time.

The “One Session” Plan: How to Progress Even on Busy Days

If you only have a short session, do one of these relic-friendly tasks:

• complete one quest step
• farm one “set” of materials (whatever the step demands)
• do one dungeon/roulette block tied to your goal
• do one field-operation session (Eureka/Bozja/Occult Crescent) and stop

The goal is not “finish today.” The goal is “always move forward.”

The “Weekly Relic Routine” That Prevents Burnout

A low-burnout relic routine looks like this:

• 2–3 short sessions per week (30–60 minutes each): your core progress
• 1 longer session (optional): your “big push” day
• 1 fun reward day: glam photos, mount farm, maps, or anything that reminds you why you play

Relic burnout happens when relic progress replaces fun. Make fun part of the plan.

Staying Motivated: The Mental Tricks That Actually Work

Relics are as much psychology as gameplay. These motivation tools keep you finishing.

Use micro-goals

Instead of “finish the relic,” aim for:

• “finish this step”
• “get to the next glow”
• “collect this batch of materials”
• “complete this zone milestone”

Track visible progress

Make a simple checklist in notes:

• Step name
• Items needed
• Items collected
• Watching numbers go up keeps you moving.

Reward yourself at milestones

• New glow stage = new glamour plate
• New zone milestone = new mount roulette session
• Finished weapon = screenshot day

Rotate content styles

If you’ve been doing open-world content, do a dungeon step next. If you’ve been doing duties, do a field session next. Variety is the antidote to burnout.

Stop before you hate it

Your stop rule is sacred. Quitting while you still feel okay makes it easy to come back tomorrow.

Relics for Multiple Jobs: How to Expand Without Losing Your Mind

The best multi-relic strategy is:

• Finish one weapon fully first.
• Then do additional weapons only when you can repeat early steps efficiently.

Practical rules:

• Use shared progress where possible (some relic lines have “one-time unlock” steps that don’t repeat).
• Keep materials organized by job.
• Don’t start three relics at once unless you genuinely enjoy juggling projects.

The fastest way to never finish a relic is starting too many.

Replicas and Glamour: How to Keep the Look Forever

One of the best parts of relics is that once you complete (or reach certain milestones), you can often obtain replica versions of earlier stages for glamour. This means you can:

• keep your favorite look even if you don’t want the final stage
• use earlier glow styles on different outfits
• preserve looks without hoarding every stage’s weapon in your inventory

A smart collector approach:

• Decide which stage you love most.
• Aim to unlock replicas.
• Use replicas for glam while you continue the project (or stop there if that’s your real goal).

BoostRoom: Finish Your Relic Without the Grind Feeling Miserable

If you love the idea of a relic weapon but hate the idea of wasting weeks on inefficient steps, BoostRoom can help you turn relic progression into a clear plan.

BoostRoom can help you:

• Choose the best relic line for your goals and schedule (Manderville vs Eureka vs Resistance vs Phantom)
• Build an efficient step-by-step route so you don’t waste time traveling and turning in items one-by-one
• Create a low-burnout weekly routine that keeps progress steady
• Optimize queue-heavy steps by role choice and activity stacking
• Plan multi-job relics without inventory chaos or motivation collapse

The goal is simple: you get the glow you want, you enjoy the journey, and you finish.

FAQ

Which relic weapon is the easiest for beginners?

Manderville (Endwalker) is widely considered one of the smoothest, most beginner-friendly relic lines if you meet the story and Hildibrand prerequisites. Phantom (Dawntrail) can also be beginner-friendly if you enjoy its field-operation style content.

Do relic weapons matter for combat power today?

Current-expansion relics can become very strong later in an expansion cycle. Older expansion relics are mainly for glamour, achievements, and collection.

Can I do relic weapons solo?

Many steps can be done solo, especially for older relics and unsynced content. Field-operation relics (Eureka/Bozja/Occult Crescent) often feel better with groups, but you can still make progress solo depending on the step.

What’s the biggest relic mistake that wastes time?

Not batching tasks. Doing one turn-in at a time forces extra travel, extra menu time, and extra frustration. Collect everything first, then turn in all at once.

Should I start multiple relic weapons at the same time?

Usually no. Finish one first to build momentum and learn the workflow. Then expand to additional jobs when you understand the pace.

How do I stay motivated when a step feels slow?

Use micro-goals, timebox sessions, and rotate content styles. Most relic burnout comes from “infinite grinding sessions” without a stop rule.

How do I start the Dawntrail relic (Phantom weapon)?

Complete Dawntrail, reach level 100 on the job you want, then start “Timeworn Techniques” with Lydirceil in Phantom Village.

How do I start the Endwalker relic (Manderville weapon)?

Complete Endwalker, progress the Endwalker Hildibrand quests through “The Imperfect Gentleman,” then begin “Make It a Manderville” in Radz-at-Han.