Ranking FFXIV raids from worst to best: Dawntrail’s Arcadion raids

Final Fantasy XIV’s Dawntrail has introduced us to the raid series of the Arcadion, a glamorous fighting arena in Solution Nine that has much more going on than meets the eye. Here’s our list ranking the fights from best to worst.

Final Fantasy XIV’s raids are some of the best content in the MMORPG. Offering a challenging series of fights that test a player’s skill. Each of them has its own unique theme, music, arena, and mechanics, and it’s always a delight to see what the developers have in store for us next.

The Arcadion was finally released alongside its Savage difficulties in Dawntrail, so we’ve taken the liberty of ranking them all from worst to best.

4. AAC Light-heavyweight M3

Square Enix

The third fight of the Arcadion puts us up against the Brute Bomber. Brute Bomber is the current reigning champion of the Light-heavyweight tier and uses illegal techniques like Doping Draught to boost himself up. Brute Bomber has a variety of attacks, all of which are based around pure strength, and his boisterous nature perfectly echoes this.

From Lariats to spins, to towers and a ticking time bomb in the Savage difficulty, Brute Bomber maintained that brutality all throughout his fight.

Despite this, some of his moves did start to feel a little bit repetitive at times, especially on Normal difficulty. And while the Savage does a bit to mix it up, there are a few mechanics that certainly feel like a repeat, rather than a twist on something we’ve already done before.

Brute Bomber does have an amazing arena design, and fantastic music to bolster it, but so do the rest of the raids, leaving M3 in the dust.

3. AAC Light-heavyweight M1

Square Enix

Our very first fight of the entire Arcadion is against Black Cat. Black Cat serves as a fantastic introductory fight to the raid series, giving us a look at some of the mechanics we should expect from the new fight design philosophy that was added in Dawntrail.

This included new moves like breaking down the ring’s platforms, and knocking up players through the air, forcing them to land on an unbroken tile to survive the mechanic.

Not only was the Normal difficulty well done, but Savage was the perfect level of difficulty to ease new raiders into the increased challenge. The mechanics were well spaced, with a good amount of tells that let you figure out how they work without needing a guide. Savage did have an issue with its DPS check being a bit too low, allowing players to skip key mechanics by week two.

2. AAC Light-heavyweight M4

Square Enix

Wicked Thunder, the queen of the ring takes up the fourth fight of the Arcadion. Wicked Thunder has some pretty interesting mechanics in both the Normal and Savage difficulties, with the former feeling a bit more empty than the latter.

With that being said though, the mechanics that are presented do not disappoint, including clones that spawn around the arena and cleave in different ways. The Ion Cannon that she pulls out as well is absolutely sick, and she uses it for a mechanic that takes up much of Normal mode.

Wicked Thunder turns up the difficulty a bit on Savage, but it still ends up being a pretty easy fight in Final Fantasy XIV overall. The Savage version of M4 also is the first one since Shadowbringers to not have a door boss, instead, she transforms within the game, eventually knocking players to a new platform where the real battle begins.

While she might not be quite as hard as many players had hoped for, the fight is still insanely fun, the music and theming are all top-notch, securing it a good slot on this list.

1. AAC Light-heavyweight M2

Square Enix

It’s no surprise that Queen Bee Honey B. Lovely is at the top slot. Charming essentially the entire fan base with her sweets. M2 also serves as the most chaotic fight of the tier, with it being probably the most challenging in Normal mode. There are tonnes of AOEs, punishing heart mechanics that can quickly see you killed, and much more.

Savage is no different either, with several pretty tough mechanics that will test your memory, and quick dodging skills if you’re to avoid a swift death.

However, thematically, Honey B. Lovely knocks it out of the park with her girl idol aesthetic. With looks so sweet she could kill, it really plays into the fantasy that has the entire player base ready to become her little bees.