Zenos Final Fantasy Guide - If Anything, He's Consistent

About
Latest Posts

Emily is our resident MMORPG specialist here at Final Fantasy Insider. While she has a soft spot for the FF main titles, it is FFXIV that has truly sank its hooks into her psyche, and as a result, her free time is usually spent grinding away online. Outside of FFXIV, she loves mainstream RPGS and survival games, with Ark Survival Evolved being her main squeeze.

Zenos Overview

Full Name: Zenos Galvus
Race: Garlean
Job: Reaper and Samurai
Age: 26
Father: Varis Galvus
Titles: Crown Prince of the Garlean Empire, Legatus of the XIIth Legion, Co-Leader of the Telophoroi, Viceroy of Ala Mhigo and Doma
Goals: Finding a worthy opponent, particularly the Warrior of Light

Zenos in MSQ

Zenos is an antagonist in many of the FFXIV expansions. Though he takes part in the first two, he isn’t a primary force in the frontlines until Stomrblood, when his story really takes off.

I didn’t even notice him until halfway through Stormblood when I realized this was no filler villain. This was a force to be reckoned with that would haunt the Warrior of Light for years to come.

A Realm Reborn – The Secret Alliance with Yotsuyu

Though he wasn’t a character in A Realm Reborn, he was behind the scenes. While the Warrior of Light was distracted with Gaius van Baelsar, Zenos served under the viceroy, taking control of Doma.

He soon became the regent of Doma, and through sinister means, developed a taste for collecting the weapons of his enemies. During this time, he also met Yotsuyu and the two became as close as they could.

Heavensward – Zenos’ Silence

In Heavensward, Zenos doesn’t play a huge role. In fact, at this point, I still paid little attention to him, assuming he was a filler character. He becomes the viceroy of Ala Mhigo and assigns Yotsuyu as a spy in Doma. This is when he learns of the Echo and takes an interest in the Warrior of Light.

My favorite Zenos moment in Heavensward is when it is revealed that Zenos isn’t a fraction as merciful as Gaius, the man we were taught to hate. I now see this as an obvious sign that Zenos would be a long-term villain.

Stormblood Part 1 – From Ruler to Shinryu

Zenos makes a huge splash in Stormblood. He begins with an obvious tribute to the Garlean empire, as well as showing just how needlessly violent he can be by slaughtering anyone who rubs him the wrong way.

However, things change when he faces the Warrior of Light, excited by a good fight but disappointed when he wins so easily. He fights the WoL multiple times but spares them as he hopes future fights will be more fun.

The entire expansion follows the Ala Mhigan Resistance, which the Scions aid as they attempt to overthrow the sinister Zenos. Whenever Doma is freed, I remember Zenos reaction.

While other viceroys would have been angry, he was so focused on the Warrior of Light, that he hardly reacted. This proved that he was far worse than his predecessors, who cared more about empirical power than pure violence.

He eventually fought the Warrior of Light again and was matched. This pleased him but also caused him to turn to Shinyru to fight for him. Things get insane when he is happily defeated and gladly kills himself.

Stormblood Part 2 – Zenos, Is That You?

The next time we see “Zenos,” it’s the Ascian Elidibus who possesses his body, telling everyone that it’s still Zenos. He breaks the peace with Doma and leads an army to take over.

The Warrior of Light tries to stop him but is overpowered only due to interference from the First. He has every intention of killing the Warrior of Light this time, which was a clear sign that Zenos is no more.

Because Elidibus is a boring character to me compared to Zenos, what happened next was satisfying. The real Zenos possesses a random soldier just so he can be with the Warrior of Light again.

He spends the end of Stormblood working his way to his body so that he can face the Warrior of Light once again in his true form.

Shadowbringers – Zenos > Fandaniel

Zenos effortlessly makes his way to his body, defeating Elidibus so casually. His next move is to kill Varis, his father, which Gaius and Estinien see. But Zenos ensures them he doesn’t want the throne, he’s just punishing Varis for stopping him from fighting the Warrior of Light.

When Elidibus possessed Zenos’ body, Varis was the one who greenlit the plan to use chemical weapons on Doma and the Scions. Though Zenos didn’t try to hide the murder, war broke out when misunderstandings on who did murder Varis.

I hate misunderstandings in TV, movies, and games. It complicates things that can take seasons to sort out. But in this case, it worked out. This is when we see the dreaded Fandaniel leading Zenos down another heinous path.

Thankfully, just like everyone else, Zenos didn’t like Fandaniel. He ends Shadowbringers, intent on fighting the Warrior of Light. This time, he wanted theatrics, so he becomes a Reaper and forges a bond with an avatar, Zero.

Endwalker – So Long, Partner

Zenos goes further than ever before to get the Warrior of Light to fight him. This time, he takes control of the Warrior of Light’s body, attempting to kill the other Scions to motivate them.

Of course, it worked, but Fandaniel ruined Zenos’ plans by pulling him out of the Warrior of Light’s body. Fandaniel interrupts a battle between the two multiple times during Endwalker. The next time is when Fandaniel, “am becomes Zodiark.”

After defeating Zodiark in this form, Zenos sees that the Final Days is distracting you, the Warrior of Light. So, he graciously postpones the battle with him. Later on, the most amazing thing happens.

Zenos’ demeanor seems to change when Alisaie says that if he didn’t lose the tunnel vision, he would never fight the Warrior of Light and thus die alone. I think it’s funny that, at this point, Zenos still calls you his friend.

He goes so far as to make a deal with Krile. He would help the Scions, and the Warrior of Light would fight him. Zenos then helps the fight, riding on Shinyru’s back, which was an epic moment.

Zenos waited patiently after the battle against Endsinger, eyes rolling, while the WoL gave the hero speech. Then, he was ready for his showdown. The last we see Zenos, he’s taking his last breath, happy to finally have a decent fight with his only friend.

Fighting Zenos…Again (with Walkthroughs)

You fight Zenos more than anyone else in the game. Given that’s all he wants in life, this makes sense. But it does make me roll my eyes every time he hops in front for another tight while I’m trying to save the world.

In Crimson It Began (MSQ)

In this MSQ, you fight Zenos for the first time. This is 20-30 minute quest if you watch cutscenes, more if you fail the fight the first time. The catch here is that you don’t have to defeat Zenos. In fact, you can’t.

You just have to survive while he attaches you and deal a small percentage of his health. Prioritize staying alive while getting any type of damage on him possible when the opportunity strikes.

The Time Between the Seconds (MSQ)

Here’s another solar instance you have to fight Zenos. This time, that’s the main objective without a long entrance clouded by an army of enemies. The start things off, avoid his AoEs.

If you get through the first wave of AoEs, then attack right after he does, dodging his attacks in between. If he does cast Lightless Flames, make sure to get away from him, as he will detonate.

Halfway through the fight, you lose the support of other NPCs and must finish him off on your own. This is not an easy fight, but there aren’t really tricks to it either. It’s just a 1v1 where you avoid and attack.

Ala Mhigo (Dungeon)

At the end of the Ala Mhigo dungeon, you must fight Zenos. Thankfully, you get to have your Duty Support or other players with you this time. The easiest way to explain mechanics is to list his abilities.

Art of the Storm – does damage in a circle; don’t stand by Zenos.
Art of the Swell – knocks players back; stand near Zenos.
Unmoving Troika– tankbuster; heal and shield tank.
Art of the Sword – line AoEs on players; spread out.
Veinsplitter- AoE then adds that cast AoEs; move to the outer edge.
Lightless Spark – tethers to someone then that player gets a cone attack. Stay away from that player.
Concentrativity – raidwide; heal through it.
Summon Swords – sword adds that do damage randomly. Destroy all swords before the gauge charges. If it charges fully, the party will wipe

The Royal Menagerie (Trial)

This is Zenos “main” battle, in my opinion. It’s also the battle that I enjoy the most. This is Stormblood’s Shinryu battle, and I love all Stormblood raids. However, the mechanics are no joke.

I’m not going to go over them because they deserve more than a quick run-through. My friend Candela has an amazing guide on how to defeat Shinyru, both normal and extreme versions.

A Requiem for Heroes (MSQ)

This is my least favorite encounter with Zenos because you have to be Hien rather than the Warrior of Light. It’s not hard, but at this point, I still hadn’t played many jobs, so I was lost.

There’s not much to this fight after you’re back to yourself. Just focus the swords when the spawn. The only catch is that if you fail, you have to start over completely and be Hien again.

The Cloud Deck (Trial)

I find the Cloud Deck to be one of the easier Shadowbringers trials. While the mechanics are unique, they are easy to follow once you learn them, especially the normal version.

Because The Cloud Deck is the original version, I’ll only go over the mechanics for the original. The fight is on two ships with two teleports on each ship. You use these to dodge abilities.

Again, I feel the easiest way to talk about this fight is via a list of abilities.

Faded Memories (MSQ)

You don’t fight the real Zenos in this post-Shadowbringers quest. It’s really an image created by Elidibus, along with other enemies. It’s a solo-instance and isn’t difficult because you don’t fight the real Zenos.

Phase 1

Diamond Rain – raidwide.
Adamant Purge – glowing hand signals the need to teleport to the other ship.
Photon Burst – tankbuster.
Diamond Flash – glowing chest signifies this single-target attack that you should line up to share damage.

Phase 2

Code Chi-Xi-Sigma – This move will shed the Diamond Weapon’s armor and transition to the next phase of the battle.
Auri Cyclone – blue circle AOE that knocks back. Prepare by getting close but not inside the circle.
Airship’s Bane – signifies one ship will be destroyed, so jump to the other.
Outrage – raidwide.
Auri Doomstead – tankbuster
Auri Arts – avoid the AoE by moving to safe zone. This one is tough to learn.
Vertical Cleave – knockback.

Phase 3

Diamond Shrapnel – targets to players that get chased by attacks. Move to another platform.
Articulated Bits – adds that shoot lasers, avoid them by utilizing teleporters.
Adamant Sphere – four circles that someone must stand in.
Homing Laser – AoE targets that you must spread out.

Endwalker (MSQ)

This is a decent MSQ fight, but it doesn’t compare to a trial. You get a special ability to utilize called Spark of Hope, which brings you to full HP. Most of the fight consists of utilizing this and avoiding AoEs.

The reason that this fight isn’t bad is that there aren’t many new abilities. You will probably recognize most of the mechanics from other fights, considering this is the end of Endwalker.

Make sure you save one Spark of Hope for phase 2, as you will have to use it as he transitions. I didn’t struggle with this fight, but it did take me three tries or so. Because there isn’t anything you must do before the fight, I was fine with this.

FAQs

Question: Is Zenos Really Dead?

Answer: FFXIV writer Natsuko Ishikawa confirmed that Zenos’ story is over. But that doesn’t mean he will never play a part in the story of others. He’s been such a dominant presence for so long, but whether he’s truly dead forever has not been confirmed.

Question: How Did Zenos Come Back?

Answer: Zenos came back after he killed himself because his spirit survived due to an artificial Echo. This insinuates that Zenos is immortal during this time.

Question: Who is the Ascian That Possessed Zenos?

Answer: Elidibus possessed Zenos. Elidibus is an Ascian who is sure he’s the one true god. He was the first Warrior of Light, coming back to possess Zenos as he felt that body was equal to the Warrior of Light.

Zenos, The Classic Return Villain

Zenos is always present, whether as the main antagonist or the secret main antagonist. Although I strongly dislike him, I admire his determination and ability to keep promises. He never apologizes for how he is.

That’s something I believe in, and it’s why he’s such a good villain. He will never be as complex as Emet-Selch or heartbreaking as Yotsuyu, but if anything, he is consistent. So much so that I doubt we’ve seen the last of him.

Zenos Final Fantasy Guide – If Anything, He’s Consistent