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An Ardbert FFXIV guide will answer your questions about the Warrior of Darkness. Ardbert is the main antagonist in part of Heavensward and a major part of Shadowbringers.
Unlike many, I never disliked Ardbert. He may have anger issues, but he had no problem expressing himself. As a child, he was adventurous and caring, so I don’t blame him for how he turned out.
Ardbert Overview
- Age – 31
- Race – Hume
- Homeland – The First
- Title – Warrior of Darkness
- Class – Warrior
Ardbert’s Story
Ardbert’s story doesn’t get enough love, in my opinion. The Warrior of Light gets so much love whenever Ardbert’s story is the same story in a different world. I find it helpful to break his story up into his three major arcs.
Pre-ARR, Just An Adventurer Who Loves His Friends
Ardbert’s background is one of my favorites. He grew up learning to take care of animals and with a taste for adventure. He fulfilled this as an adult by joining new friends and defeating any nuisance they could find.
Ardbert’s story mirrors the Warrior of Light’s in many ways. He was close to his friends; the group faced many challenges together. It was Ardbert who took down the Ascians and accidentally turned Mitron into the first sin eater, Eden.
Ardbert wished the light would prevail, which caused Eden to unleash the Flood of Light, which would cause a calamity that the Warrior of Light from the future would have to deal with.
Heavensward, When Caring is Your Downfall
Ardbert soon realized what had happened and felt horrible. This guilt allowed Elidibus to easily manipulate him, convincing him he could balance things out by causing an Umbral Calamity in another world.
Ardbert traveled to where the Warrior of Light (you) was with the task to destroy you. Between the Warrior of Light and Minfilia, Ardbert chose a different path, telling you that you should do the same.
Shadowbringers, Wandering Souls Will Find a Home
Minfilia took Ardbert and the other Warriors of Darkness to the First. But for some reason, Minfilia stopped Ardbert from being released back to his body in his world. So he was left to wander the First without a body for over a century.
No one could hear him until the Warrior of Light showed up. Ironically, here, the WoL is called the Warrior of Darkness. The connection between the two “Warriors of Darkness (the MC and Ardbert)” is insane.
The two discover that they are part of the same soul, each from a different world, making it easy for Ardbert to merge himself with the Warrior to protect the latter. However, the act left Ardbert weak without a connection to his body.
This gave Elidibus the opportunity to possess it. The Scions had no choice but to take the body down. What isn’t clear in the game is where Ardbert is now. But I strongly believe he lives inside the Warrior of Light, their two halves of the same soul forever merged.
Fighting Ardbert
Ardbert is fought for a moment as a memory (Stormblood) at one point and again (Shadowbringers) when Elidibus uses his body. But you only fight the real Ardbert once in the Post-Heavensward quest One Life for One World.
At the beginning of this fight, you have to take down the Warriors of Darkness, but not Ardbert yet. Instead, you have to take down his friends. Each of these friends (Branden, Renda-Rae, Lamitt, and Nyelbert) has a special story and reason why they protect Ardbert.
After you take them out, you can defeat the Warrior of Darkness, Ardbert. He has a couple of moves that are easy to handle. Skydrive is an AoE, so don’t stand in it. Then Unlit Cyclone is another that you should stand behind him for.
Whenever Ardbert chains everyone, you have to interact with the Blade of Light near Alisaie. I messed up here and kept clicking on Alisaie. After you do this, you must protect her, so only attack the enemies attacking you or her. That’s about all there is to this fight.
FAQs
Question: Is Ardbert Also the Character in the Trailers?
Answer: No. The character that we know as “meteor survivor,” or the Warrior of Light in the trailers, is not Ardbert. However, because Ardbert is a Warrior of Light on the First, he was modeled after this character.
Question: Who Was the First Warrior of Light?
Answer: Ardbert was one of the first Warriors of Light. But it was Elidibus who gave them the title, and because he also calls himself a Warrior of Light, it could be said that he was the first.
Question: Is Ardbert Bad?
Answer: Ardbert is not bad. He did everything he did for a reason and always resented his title. Though he is considered an antagonist, Ardbert never has bad motives but instead wants nothing more than to protect his friends.
Ardbert Never Wanted This
Ardbert is a counterpart to the Warrior of Light. He suffered more than most characters, wandering the shadows without connecting to others for a century. That has to take a toll on you.
The Warrior of Darkness is a title he was given, not one he wanted. All Ardbert wanted was to adventure with his friends, but that went wrong and led to decades of torture.
So yeah, maybe he can be cranky, but I say that’s fine. I will always think of him as a Warrior of Light, not a Warrior of Darkness. He sees his insistence as a push that his loved ones need. A push that lets them know he’s right behind them.