The Maze of Tribulations (hereafter known as the MoT) is the postgame optional dungeon that will test the mettle of players. It is unlocked by reaching the save point just before the final boss in the main story, then going back to Faykreed, where you can teleport to it from the Goale’s transporter. So, it is entirely possible to venture into the MoT without actually having beaten the story, although you are going to want to do that to have the ability to level to 255.

The first thing that should be said is that the Maze is split into three main areas, and you do not have an actual map for any of those, so you’ll have to navigate via the instructions in this section of the guide. All three floors of the Maze are consistent, in that, each of the three main areas has a central hub, with paths leading to individual areas. These four individual areas will lead you to a boss that must be defeated before you can tackle the main area’s boss, which can be gotten to by the northern path in the main area. Defeat this main boss and you will be able to use the central platform to go on to the next main area.

View Full-size

Basic map outlining the main area for all three major areas of the Maze of Tribulations

So, the basics of the Maze is to defeat the four lesser bosses in each main area, then defeat the main boss to advance to the next main area. Once you manage to defeat the final boss in the third main area, you can exit the Maze and it will reset. Upon revisiting the Maze again, you will find that it is the same, except there are two differences. Those two differences are that the main bosses in the second and third areas will grow stronger, up until the third time you enter the Maze (so, they have three different bestiary entries).

Preparing for the Maze¶

The Maze of Tribulations is definitely a very challenging dungeon and while you can go there prior to actually defeating the final main story boss, it’s probably not a good idea. This is because beating the game will unlock a Specialty Skill that will allow you to actually level up your characters past 99, which is the limit prior to defeating the final boss. The Specialty Skill, called Limit Break, will also allow your skills to go up to level 9. The initial set of enemies in the optional dungeon are level 80, so that should be the starting point (around there) for your own characters’ levels.

When you first visit the Maze, you will likely be underequipped, unless you have been visiting the last tier of Cathedral portals or synthesized some of the more powerful equipment in the game. Laser Weapons, Elemental Leathers, and Laser Suits will last you a good bit in the first main area of the Maze, but they might start becoming a bit underwhelming in their performance in the other two main areas. Luckily, you’ll start getting some materials that you can use to craft stronger equipment, particularly something called Orichalcum.

A majority of the bosses in the Maze of Tribulations have a chance to drop Orichalcum, which is used in a variety of Item Creation recipes. You can create a Moonstone with synthesis, which needs an Orichalcum as a required ingredient, as well as a Quality score of 44-45 or Impurity score of 45-46 (Orichalcum and five Silvers will work, since you can buy Silver from Ruddle). If you wish to craft all of the recipes at least once, though, then you will need a total of 32 Orichalcum, so you will not want to use them all on making Moonstones, since some of the bosses actually do drop them. It’s possible to get a maximum of 16 Orichalcum from bosses per run of the Maze, but that requires generous luck (there’s also a chest that nets three in one of the areas in the third main area) or saving/reloading until you get the item to drop.

Besides upgrading equipment as you trek through the Maze, it’s a good idea to have your Roles leveled up as well. Dead Man Walking and Berserker are a good combination, especially for your highest damage dealer, as Dead Man Walking makes it so you can’t be damaged by attacks and Berserker’s huge defense loss is offset by that invincibility; you can add Draugr Monarch to this, too. You will also want Sage, Holy Mother, Healer and Savior for Miki, as they will all help with her healing skills; you could replace Holy Mother with something like Skulker to make sure enemies don’t target her.

For the first main area, you will want Warrior Slayer maxed out, since all of the bosses are human. The other areas have a mix of bosses, so they will be talked about as they come up. Depending on your use, Fiore will most likely be a spell-slinger, so stack up INT on her to increase her damage, switching her spells off and on as the situation arises. Daemon is good for someone who will be using regular attacks, as it will give them a chance to debuff the enemy’s DEF and MEN by up to 20% when it’s maxed out. Relia doesn’t do much, so equip her with supportive roles that either help your team or debuff enemies.

Santa the Merchant¶

Near the save point in every main area, you will find a merchant named Santa. This merchant is a bit different than the other ones in the game, as he will not always sell the same items every time you try to buy something from him (you can exit and re-enter his inventory to change it). There’s another catch to Santa that needs to be talked about, which is him upgrading his wares whenever you defeat the last boss of the Maze. This will happen the first two times you clear the Maze, with his final set of items including some nice accessories. Those who truly pay attention will notice that the items he sells is actually tied to what he says before the list opens, so if you get the same mutterings three times in a row, you’ll see the same items those three times.

View Full-size

Santa can be found by the save point in each major area (left). His wares change every time you talk to him (right).

First Set of Items

Second Set of Items

Final Set of Items