Anamnesis Final Fantasy Guide – Bismarck, the Uber Primal

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Murillo Zerbinatto

Murillo is a writer of Final Fantasy informer, a job that his teenage version never imagined he would have. He played - or observed - his first Final Fantasy when his brother rented Final Fantasy III for SNES (which was actually Final Fantasy VI), but since it was the Japanese version, they understood zilch and soon gave up. Sometime later - and some English RPGs in-between - they rented Final Fantasy II (Final Fantasy IV, yeah, it was a mess) and began to delve into the incredible world of Final Fantasy and never to get off it.

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Dungeons are a staple in Final Fantasy XIV.

While many other MMORPGs insert them as a way to motivate players to acquire new loot, gain an experience boost, or just bond with others online, the vast majority of dungeons in FFXIV are mandatory and intertwined with the main narrative, while also providing all the other things I mentioned.

And among all the dungeons in the game, currently exceeding the total of 80, one or another stands out.

To be honest, Anamnesis Anyder looks like it brings nothing noteworthy to the table, apart from the fact that our party is mounted on the gigantic Bismarck of the First while he gives us a ride to the depths of this ancient building. However, its facilities and cutscenes may hide some foreshadowing that only time will uncover.

In essence, this Anamnesis Final Fantasy Guide will show some theory-crafting regarding the dungeon’s lore, strategies for facing the bosses, and some loot you can acquire for defeating all the Ancient’s millennia-old creations.

Final Fantasy XIV Anamnesis Anyder Overview

• Required Quest – Beneath the Surface (Level 80 MSQ)
• Required Job – Any Disciple of War or Magic (Level 80)
• Entrance – Kholusia (X:10.7, Y:36.1)
• Modes – Duty Support, Trust, Explorer
• Trust Experience – 2,293,200
• Unlocks – Echoes of a Fallen Star (Level 80 MSQ)

Anamnesis Anyder Lore

I proudly own the two editions of Encyclopaedia Eorzea, which is packed with Final Fantasy XIV’s lore, and a lovely bonus code at the end to neat you a cute Namingway minion and a Matoya’s hat.

However, the first two editions cover A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood. To my despair, Anamnesis Anyder is a dungeon released in Shadowbringers, so I didn’t have any means to browse some officials’ lore for it.

What I did do, however, was scour every burrow on the internet for glorious loremasters, theory-speculators, and Final Fantasy XIV lovers to what this dungeon entails and sum it up for you. To start, let’s talk about what on earth is an Anamnesis or an Anyder.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Anamnesis is “a recalling to mind, or reminiscence.” The Oxford dictionary corroborates this definition, describing the word as “the remembering of things from a supposed previous existence, often used with reference to Platonic philosophy.”

On the other hand, we have Anyder, which seems to derive from a combination of Latin words and means “waterless.”

A quick skim on the internet will show you that some, if not most, of the Ancient’s civilization were based on Thomas More’s Utopia, two books about fiction and sociopolitical satire written in Latin.

At first, I was confused because I thought Final Fantasy XIV lore was based on an authentic Greek civilization. But since the books are fictional and responsible for creating the capital Amaurot and a traveler called Hythlodaeus, I realized FFXIV took the books as a very effusive inspiration.

There’s also an Anyder river in the books, leading me to ponder whether it’s a really controversial nome or a dry river. But back on topic, Anamnesis Anyder’s dev code name was Ascian’s Official Residence, implying a household for our dearie Ancients.

But is it? I don’t know their culture and won’t judge, but I would refuse every coffee invitation they sent me if the bosses we faced in the dungeon were once their pets.

In-game, some characters claim, like Y’shtola, that the Anamnesis Anyder was a facility used by the Ancients to store concepts of their creational magicks inside crystals, which best suits the bosses we face in the dungeon, resembling the ancestors of the common ones that roam Etheirys today.

In the post-dungeon cutscene, we first learned about Venat. She seemed to use space as headquarters for her followers when they decided to summon Hydaelyn to hold Zodiark’s darkness.

It’s crucial to point out that Venat has 12 collaborators. In the events of the Myths of the Realm raids, we discover that the Twelve deities of Eorzea were collaborators of Hydaelyn, which may imply that they gained their powers as soon as Venat became the Primal of Light’s heart.

Truth be told, all this is mere speculation that may or may not be debunked as soon as the Encyclopaedia Eorzea Volume III hits the shelves. Until then, I firmly believe that the Anamnesis Anyder is as complex as any culture and lore involving the Ancients.

Anamnesis Anyder Rewards

This dungeon rewards item level 455 weapons, armor, and accessories. For melders, materias dropped are of seventh grade, useful for level 420 and above gear. The last boss drops a minion, The Ancient One, resembling a miniature-sized Ancient shade form, and can net you some pretty gils in the auction house.

If you go into the dungeon with your ally Scions using the Trust System, you earn 2,293,200 experience for the ones who participated. It’s a bit dragged down than venturing forth with a bulldozing tank that taunts every mob imaginable, but at least you guarantee loots since Scions don’t like to roll dice.

Anamnesis Anyder Bosses

Boss 1 – Unknown

The Unknown is really that, a weirdly unknown species that looks like an amalgamation of weird creatures in the body of a dinosaur.

Its talons are way too big compared to ordinary dinosaur-like monsters, and the abundance of eyes didn’t seem to fit quite nicely into the monster design. Probably a discarded Ancient creation.

Unknown Moveset

Unknown Strategy

Initially, this boss fight is pretty straightforward. Unknown will use several attacks aimed at the tank, which should move the boss away from the party. It will then use Scrutiny, filling the entire arena with fireballs and large AoE circles.

There will be small gaps of safety scattered around, but be aware that at the same time, an arrow will be rotating through Unknown, indicating where the boss will perform yet another AoE attack. The arrow will go slow every few seconds, and identifying its position is extremely easy.

After Unknown uses Inscrutability, the healer should top everyone’s HP, but not necessarily remove Bleeding, only if they are proud of his Job. When the boss’s health hits below 50%, it will summon another Unknown, shaking things up.

The tank should pull the enmity of both, holding its own. The idea is to focus the attack on the first Unknown instead of attacking both.

The same strategies apply, but when one Unknown uses Scrutiny, the other will start casting Ectoplasmic Ray, forcing allies to stack up while paying attention to the blast AoE and the arrow.

Even if only two party members soak up the damage, they will survive. When one Unknown dies, the other boss will receive a Damage Up buff, but it will not be enough to defeat you, O mighty Warrior of Light.

Boss 2 – Kyklops

Well, I don’t think cyclops exist in the real world, but if they did, I imagine their ancestors would resemble the Kyclops.

Compared to the common enemies named Cyclops in Final Fantasy XIV, Kyklops is larger, more purplish, and has two horns that his descendants have ditched. Its clothing resembles that of the Greeks, which matches the whole layout of the Ancients’ civilization.

Kyklops Moveset

Kyklops Strategy

The battle against Kyklops is a tad easier than against Unknown because their moves are easy to learn. It will start the confrontation using The Final Verse party-wide damage and then follow with either 2,000-mine Swing or 2,000-mine Swipe.

Since no attack is telegraphed correctly, paying attention to the cast bar is best. While taking screenshots for this guide, I pretty much took all the Swings head-on.

In the sequence, Kyklops will cast Terrible Blade or Hammer, filling the arena with the corresponding symbol. Although it looks ominous, it’s pretty straightforward.

The first symbols that fall will explode first, then the rest. So if Kyklops cast Blade, stay on top of the Hammers, and move to the empty space as soon as the Blades disappear. However, the boss will throw a 2,000-mine Swing or 2,000-mine Swipe simultaneously, so pay attention.

It will also cast the Eye of the Cyclone sporadically. If he does, hug the big fella to be safe. Raging Glower is easily avoided. Then Kyklops will cast a Terrible Hammer/Blade again, usually in the opposite pattern from before.

At the same time, a stack-up marker will appear in the party or circle AoE on each member, which should spread out. The boss will repeat the mechanics, but you will likely defeat Kyklops sooner than expected.

Boss 3 – Rukshs Dheem

Rukshs Dheem is called the matriarch for a good reason. If it looks like a Sahagin, smells like a Sahagin, and talks like a Sahagin, it probably is one.

Considering that all the creations of the Ancients are the great-great-great-grandparent of the creatures we know in the present day, it is safe to say that Rukshs Dheem is the mother of all Sahagin.

Not to mention that the trash mobs you face before getting to her are several smaller sahagins, probably her direct offsprings or mad worshipers of The Tempest zone.

Rukshs Dheem Moveset

Rukshs Dheem Strategy

The final boss of Anamnesis Anyder is a pretty exciting fight. The matriarch will start the battle with a tankbuster. Soon after, she will jump into a corner of the arena to cast Seabed Ceremony. The healer should tend to the party, and everyone should pay attention to the water zone that will pop up.

Soon after, Rukshs Dheem will use Depth Grip, spawning gigantic hands made of water. Pay attention to the direction of the hands since you must stay behind the palm. At the same time, Falling Water will mark two players with large AoE circles. These two must separate while watching the hands.

After the hands wetly slap the ground, the boss will conjure Rising Tide, and a cross-shaped AoEs will appear underneath her, dodge them if you value life. Four vents around the arena will start rippling. A callback to Sastasha. Each player must stay on top of one, preventing an add spawn.

A Queen’s Harpooner will join the fray if anyone fails the mission, protecting the boss with an indestructible shield. Kill the adds and then continue smacking their mom.

After the first minions, Rukshs Dheem will mix the AoEs of Flying Fount with Command Current until he uses Seabed Ceremony again. It is likely that this second time she will place a water zone on the sides.

Numerous hands will spawn on the sides, and only one corner will be safe. The hands that pop up first will attack first, so dodge them and then run to the other corner of the arena.

Now all the vents will start leaking, and more hands will spawn around the arena. Each party member has to stay on top of the vents that do not have a hand nearby.

You’re safe if one is on the other side of the arena but avoid the adjacent ones. If everyone gets it right, the vents without members will spawn some adds that will instantly die crushed by mom’s hand. The mechanics will repeat until you defeat the boss.

FAQs

The Waterless Reminiscence

Anamnesis Anyder is a dungeon added in Shadowbringers patch 5.2, while the Scions and the Warrior of Light were beginning to delve into the background of the Ascians and to understand what generated the fight between Hydaelyn and Zodiark.

Lorewise, there are still many undisclosed facts, which I believe will be shared in a future encyclopedia of Eorzea. Gameplaywise, the dungeon is quite fun.

Riding the Bismarck of the First to explore the depths of the sea is an exciting concept. Some bosses also feature very different strategies, a refreshing take on the MMORPG.

Moreover, the final cutscene teases players, who still create theories about Venat’s relationship with her Twelve followers. This number coincides with the pantheon of the deity of Eorzea and may be a clue into what to expect.