Summary
WARNING: The following Feature contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Final Fantasy 14.Throughout the main story ofFinal Fantasy 14, players can uncover the mysteries behind some of the lost civilizations and factions that once called Eorzea and the various lands of the Source their home. While some of these fallen civilizations have fallen into obscurity over the years, a few in particular have become synonymous with the culture ofFinal Fantasy 14itself.
With plenty of ruins to delve into and notoriousachievements for dedicatedFinal Fantasy 14players to collect, Eorzea is home to a handful of prominent empires and city-states that fell from grace. Even though the Source world has been split into thirteen parallel worlds called Shards, only civilizations that had their origins traced back to the Source will be discussed for brevity and clarity. Furthermore, references to each lost civilization are present in the game as of Patch 6.51. Ergo, any future discoveries made in theDawntrailexpansion and beyond remain a complete mystery.
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The Lost Civilizations of Eorzea
The Allagan Empire
Arguably one of the most prominent lost civilizations in Eorzea and the Source at large, the fallen empire of Allag was the largest empire in known Eorzean history that existed during the game’s Third Astral Era. The Allagan Empire was founded by Emperor Xande around 5,000 years before the game’s main story and reigned over Eorzea’s three major continents,Aldenard, Ilsabard, and Othard, for many years.
The Allagans were also responsible for making various war machines, such as the Ultima Weapon, and were known to use bioengineering to create various chimeras and other monstrosities in a place called the Aetherochemical Research Facility. This facility, and the nearby Singularity Reactor, was where the climactic battle of Heavensward’s main story took place, The Warrior of Light faced King Thordan and the Heavens' Ward in one ofthe most epic battles inFinal Fantasy 14to date. Aside from warfare, the Allagans kept troves of research and knowledge, and the ubiquitous Allagan Tomestone currency used to purchase various weapons and armor was a byproduct of this long-lost civilization.
The Ancients
Known to mostFinal Fantasy 14players as the Ascians, the Ancients existed before The Sundering, approximately 12,000 years before the events ofA Realm Reborn. As the “progenitor race” of all the known races of the Source and its shards, the Ancients had human and elvish traits and were considered giants compared to the modern races.
The Ancients were exceptionally gifted with aether manipulation and other talents that allowed them to create various creatures and concepts. However, the world of the Ancients was sundered and broken following the creation of Zodiark in response to the phenomenon known as The Final Days. But, some Ancients that were enthralled by the dark primal Zodiark managed to escape. One of these Unsundered Ascians, Emet-Selch, was responsible for the creation of both the empires of Allag and Garlemald, which led to their rise to power in their respective eras.
During the main story ofEndwalker, the Warrior of Light time-traveled to a place that existed before The Sundering, the floating research facility called Elpis, to investigate the root cause of The Final Days. As one ofthe most breathtaking sights ofFinal Fantasy 14’s past, Elpis and the various Ancient facilities were adorned with spires shaped like a double-helix, which made them easy to spot by keen-eyed adventurers.
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The Ancient City of Amdapor
As one of the three magical nations that took part in the fabled War of the Magi, the city of Amdapor was located in the Black Shroud, near the border of Gridania and Gyr Abania, during the Fifth Astral Era. As practitioners of white magic, Amdapor’s main enemy was the sorcerers of Mhach, who used various voidsent and black magic during the great conflict.
Like the other nations that took part in the War of the Magi, Amdapor’s fall heralded the Sixth Umbral Era. In modern Eorzea, the ruins of Amdapor Keep and the nearby Lost City of Amdapor are two dungeons thatFF14players can explore. Following Amdapor’s demise, the survivors of the Sixth Umbral Calamity fled underground and founded the Sunken City of Gelmorrah. Today, the Gelmorran ruins can be explored byFinal Fantasy 14players under its current name, the Palace of the Dead. Players who brave the depths of Gelmorrah and Amdapor can findways to make some serious Gil.
The Magic City of Mhach
Originally from the Yafaem Saltmoor, located northwest of Mor Dhona, the dark mages of Mhach were known for their sinister abilities to conjure both destructive magic and summon voidsent creatures from the Thirteenth shard to do their bidding. As a result of their dark dealings with voidsent, the Mhachi created devices such as the Nullstone to keep the demons in check in case they went rogue. Mhach’s dark past would be uncovered duringHeavensward, as the 24-player Alliance raid series dubbed the Shadows of Mhach would take players through an adventure that is considered one ofthe best side quests inFinal Fantasy 14today.
Just as the survivors of Amdapor went on to found the underground metropolis of Gelmorrah, those still loyal to Mhach moved south, to the desert region of Thanalan. There, they founded the city-state of Belah’dia, which would later be split into the twin nations of Sil’dih and Ul’dah. The citizens of Sil’dih were inexplicably wiped out by a plague of undeath that saw them transformed into zombies. But the mysteries surrounding Sil’dih and its subterranean depths continued inEndwalker.
The Floating City of Nym
As a third party in the War of the Magi, Nym’s citizens practiced neither black magic nor white magic like their rivals in Mhach and Amdapor. Instead, the Nymeians deployed the “Royal Marines” to defend Vylbrand and La Noscea from their mainland foes. This defensive militia consisted of bothmarauders and arcanists called Scholarswho were able to assess the battlefield and create strategies on the fly.
As a defense mechanism, Nym was able to use crystals to make parts of its city airborne, hence its modern name, The Floating City of Nym. During the War of the Magi, some voidsent from Mhach unleashed a plague called the Green Death, which warped many of the lalafell mages of Nym into Tonberries, which rendered them unable to battle and led to the demise of Nym.
The Tonberries were then quarantined in the Wanderer’s Palace, but the art of the Nymein Scholars would remain lost for centuries. However, adventurers that reached level 30 as an arcanist were able to learn about and take up the mantle of Scholar, and uncover the tragedies that befell Nym.
