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FFXIV The Greatest Story Never Told quest: Riddle answers & locations

Lauren Bergin
final fantasy xiv online ffxiv silent king statue for the greatest story never told questSquare Enix

The extremely popular Final Fantasy XVI (FFXIV) has a massive amount of quests players can take on but The Greatest Story Never Told is regarded as one of the most difficult in the game. Here’s exactly how you can complete the quest and solve all its riddles.

Final Fantasy XVI Online is undoubtedly one of the most beloved MMOs of all time now, thanks to its expansive story, lovable cast of characters, and unique single-player accessible approach to the online gaming experience.

There are a lot of quests you can take on in the game now but The Greatest Story Never Told is perhaps the most frustrating. This riddle-filled adventure sees your character traveling across Eozea to complete a series of word and number-based puzzles, and it’s pretty difficult to solve every problem.

So, if you’re struggling with this one, we’ve got you covered right here with our full quest guide for The Greatest Story Never Told in FFXIV.

Contents

final fantasy xiv online ffxiv players riding pegasus mount over giant canyon with lakeSquare Enix
Final Fantasy XIV’s Eorzea is an ever-expanding universe filled to the brim with quests for players to undertake.

FFXIV The Greatest Story Never Told: Start location

This mind-boggling adventure begins in Western Thanalan (coordinates 18,17) at the behest of Valiant Hart. 

While it is a Level 1 quest, you will need to have completed The Ultimate Weapon in order to undertake it, so if you’re looking around and can’t quite find it; that’s why!

FFXIV The Greatest Story Never Told: Riddles & locations

The Greatest Story Never Told is a mission characterized by its secrecy. Tasking players to solve a collection of particularly nasty brain teasers, you’ll be sent back and forth across Eorzea’s vast expanses in search of a multitude of long-lost secrets.

It’s important to remember that there are no location markers for this quest; you will have to work out the locations by completing the riddles and ciphers. Additionally, there are multiple different riddle/cipher combinations, but players only receive one. Don’t worry, we’ve got them all below for you in different steps.

Step 1

Upon chatting to Valiant Hart, he will send you outside to have a look at The Silent King statue, where there are some seemingly random words engraved. These are Winebaud’s Message.

  1. Interact with the text
    • It will be random scrambled letters (in the form a / b / c / d / e / f), followed by FIRE / LIGHTNING / WATER / EARTH / ICE / WIND. You must remember the order of the elements.
  2. Return to Valiant Hart, who will direct you to Yayaroku in Ul’dah
  3. Meet Yayaroku outside of the Thaumaturge’s guild
  4. Yayaroku will state that the elements are from Essences and Permutations but the sequence is wrong; it should be LIGHTNING / FIRE / EARTH / ICE / WATER / WIND
  5. Rearrange the scrambled letters to this to receive the first waypoint (see table below)
  6. Speak to the Novice Explorer at whichever location you have received
  7. Return to Valiant Hart to start phase two
Scrambled Letters Unscrambled  Waypoint
REN / FLO / SPI / TEL / ‘S / RE Florentel’s Spire Coerthas Central Highlands (North Shroud )
HO / OSC / BRA / N’S / EM / CE Oschon’s Embrace North of Moraby Drydocks (Lower La Noscea)
AL / TH / SPI / ‘S / RE / TE Thal’s Respite Northmost part of Eastern Thanalan near the South Shroud exit (Eastern Thanalan)

Step 2

Your next adventure begins back at The Silent King statue once more, where you’ll be given another riddle to solve. Again, there is a selection of three, so you’ll only get one.

  1. Return to The Silent King statue and interact once more
  2. You will be given one of the following clues:
    •  “Memenugu knows the steps” (literacy puzzle)
    • “Jahelle knows her sums” (numeracy puzzle)
    • “Isouda knows the truth” (riddle)

Memenugu (Fesca’s Wash, Central Thanalan)

Memenugu’s puzzle is a literacy one, where you’ll need to use the next letter (so ‘A’ translates to ‘B’) in order to solve the cipher.

Scrambled Letters Unscrambled  Waypoint
GNMKNXDC IDZWDMTOHMKZS AQJCFF Hollowed Heavenspilar Bridge North Shroud entrance
AQPMYF KZLD GPS RQQHOFR Bronze Lake Hot Springs On the upper level of Camp Bronze Lake (Upper La Noscea)
GNND NG SGF BNFTQMBKBV Home Of The Coeurlclaw Takers’ Rot cave (South Shroud)

Jahelle (Fallgourd Float, North Shroud)

Jahelle’s is probably the most difficult code to crack. In order to do so, every two numbers equal one letter (’01’ is ‘A’, or ’12’ is ‘L’).

Scrambled Letters Unscrambled  Waypoint
260516082518 0418090620 Zephyr Drift Middle La Noscea (23,26)
08051212190218151504 0815120519 Hellsbrood Holes Near Cutter’s Cry dungeon (Central Thanalan)
180504 130114200919 0601121219 Red Mantis Falls Eastern Las Noscea (16,27)

Isouda (Candlekeep Quay, Lower La Noscea)

In order to solve this riddle, you’ll be given more scrambled letters and have to switch them around to make sense. Don’t worry, though; we’ve done it for you. Head to these locations are interact with the ‘???’ to obtain the next clue.

Scrambled Letters Unscrambled  Waypoint
ETAG FLOW ETHW White Wolf Gate New Gridania
SCITEHTSEA S’EMIATHSE Eshtaime’s Aesthetics Steps of Thal (Ul’dah)
SEMALF FO LLAH EHT The Hall of Flames Steps of Thal (Ul’dah)
ffxiv final fantasy xiv hall of flames grand company house in ul'dah for the greatest story never told questSquare Enix
From Ul’dah to Gridania; this journey will take you everywhere.

Step 3

Don’t worry! You’re almost there, we promise. As per usual, head back to The Silent King to receive the third piece of this perplexing puzzle.

  1. Your next clue reads “the members of the Marauders’ Guild understand the importance of etiquette,” with some letters capitalized.
  2. Head to the Marauders’ Guild in Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks
  3. Interact with the ‘???‘ to obtain another phrase with capitalized letters
  4. From the phrase, you can then determine the emote to use, and where to use it (see below)
  5. Once you’ve done this, runes will appear in the air signaling you have completed this segment of the quest
  6. As per usual, return to Valiant Hart
Scrambled Letters Unscrambled  Waypoint
HylLfyr’s cUtthroAts and briGands Laugh The tip of the bow of The Astalicia (Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks)
All foR fen-YLL Rally Below the Leatherworker’s Guild (Old Gridania)
rope ANd wooD aCross thE gully Dance The second bridge to the south of Wineport (Eastern La Noscea)
Under tRanqUilIty’s FoOtpathS Furious Beneath the bridge leading south from Camp Tranquil (The Black Shroud)
cOncealed belah’dian maJestY Joy The Invisible City (Eastern Thanalan)
PulPy, NuTritiOus, And decIDedly DElicious cItruS Disappointed Near Summerford Farms (Middle La Noscea)
sappHires and peaRls, fortUnes Great and Small Shrug Stairs between Pearl Lane and Sapphire Exchange (Ul’dah)
CherIsh the sPinniNg wAter lullaby Panic Watermilll in Hyrstmill (North Shroud)
red ligHt amidst the blUe Haze Huh On a torch near the top of the castle wall ( Northern Thanalan)

Step 4

Did we say you were nearly done? Really, we mean it, we’re getting there. This is the last step on your seemingly endless journey and, of course, it begins with The Silent King.

  1. Return to The Silent King for your next clue
  2. The clue reads “If SWORD + SWORD=DAGGER, then return to me with ? of ?. The master of the markets has my list.”
    • The ‘?’ and ‘?’ will be two different letters; note these down
  3. Go to your home nation’s respective market and speak to the merchant in question
    • Gridania – Parsemontret (Old Gridania)
    • Limsa Lominsa – Swozblaet (Lower Decks)
    • Ul’dah – Seseroga (Steps of Thal)
  4. They will give you Winebaud’s list, which you can then use to solve the riddle
    • A full breakdown of the mathematical side is here, but the answer is SWORD + SWORD = DAGGER; 78321 + 78321 = 156642
  5. From here, using the letters you noted down and the equation, you know what item to equip (see below)
  6. Return to the statue with the item equipped
  7. Speak to Valiant Hart
  8. He will read you the 6 lines of poetry from the riddles, with the first letters of each line spelling ‘Copper,’ and the last ‘Gorget.’
  9. Equip a Copper Gorget and check the ‘???’ on the statue next to Hard to finally complete the quest
Code Item
G of R Fluorite Earrings
G of O Malachite Earrings
G of A Sunstone Earrings
S of R Fluorite Ring
S of O Malachite Ring
S of A Sunstone Ring
W of R Fluorite Bracelet
W of O Malachite Bracelet
W of A Sunstone Bracelet

So that’s how to complete FFXIV’s most convoluted quest: The Greatest Story Never Told. Looking to etch your name into Eorzea’s history (after that you’ve earned it)? Check out our other FFXIV guides.

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