Updated: 2025-11-25
I wrote this guide as a long-time Final Fantasy XIV player and dungeon leader. I’m a woman who’s cleared The Dead Ends many times; I’ll tell you what works, why it works, and where groups typically fail. Expect direct advice, practical timings, and a few opinions that might annoy people (sorry, but honesty helps!).
Overview — what The Dead Ends is
The Dead Ends is a level 90 Endwalker dungeon that walks you through three ruined worlds and three bosses. It’s story-critical and mechanically sharp: expect forced movement, shrinking safe ground, and pattern puzzles. You’ll need an average item level near 540 to queue comfortably. Typical clear time is 25–35 minutes for normal groups; experienced teams can drop below 20 minutes.
Unlocks and requirements
You must finish the MSQ quest “In the Dark of the Tower” to enter. Level 90 jobs only. Equip your current job stone.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| MSQ | Complete “In the Dark of the Tower” |
| Level | 90 |
| Item level | ~540 average |
| Party | 4 players (1T/1H/2DPS) |
Boss-by-boss, simple strategies
Caustic Grebuloff
Poison pools force constant movement. Tanks should face the boss to an edge so the raid has room. The worst hit is Noxious Belch — a frontal cleave that stacks poison if you’re in front. Melee: use gap closers smartly during Miasmata phases; don’t sprint into a pool. Ranged: refresh DoTs when safe.
Ra-la
This fight demands timing. Lifescream forces you behind cover that spawns randomly; Warm Glow leaves persistent fire zones. Healers get slammed by Prance. We found that calling cover early reduces messy movement.
Timeline (approx)
0:00 - Pull
0:15 - Warm Glow
0:30 - Lifescream (find cover)
0:45 - Prance (raid damage)
repeat...Peacekeeper (final)
Peacefire makes a changing chessboard of safe tiles. If you misread it you die—simple as that. Decimation forces spreads and interacts badly with Order’s knockback. Tanks should save knockback immunity; everyone else must know escape routes. One misstep and the run ends fast.
Loot and rewards
The dungeon drops item level 560 gear across the three bosses. Final boss gives weapons and accessories; first boss can drop an orchestrion roll (Finality). Drop rates vary—expect multiple runs for collectibles. The dungeon also gives standard tomestones for roulettes and first-clear bonuses (useful for gearing alts).
| Boss | Typical Drops |
|---|---|
| Caustic Grebuloff | Head / Hands / Feet + Orchestrion |
| Ra-la | Body / Legs / Belt (+ rare minion) |
| Peacekeeper | Weapons / Accessories |
Role-specific tips
Tank
Positioning is the job. Face enemies so the party has space; use gap closers for emergencies (not for DPS uptime). Save knockback immunity for Order’s Emanation in Peacekeeper. Honestly, tanks who hoard cooldowns for “optimal” windows will get the group killed—use them when needed.
Healer
Predict damage instead of healing after it lands. Move with the party and use instant casts during heavy movement. Mana matters less than timing; spend a powerful heal before Prance rather than trying to react mid-spell.
DPS
Melee: mechanics first, DPS second while learning. Ranged: you have leeway but don’t slack. Use mobility tools for positioning emergencies (sprint/gap closers) — save them for moments that matter. This doesn’t always work for every job; depends on your niche.
Advanced tactics
Experienced groups reduce downtime by assigning quadrants and pre-planning movement. Here’s the funny part: setting fixed spots for Lifescream and Decimation often speeds the run more than squeezing out marginal DPS gains. Watch this—coordination beats raw damage in this dungeon.
- Assign quadrants for poison and Peacefire
- Rotate knockback immunity
- Pre-plan sprint use for emergency saves
- Call out rare patterns ahead of time
“If everyone knows one backup route, messy spawns stop being run-enders.” — my practical rule of thumb.
Analogy: the Dead Ends is like performing brain surgery on a moving train — precise, focused, and a little terrifying (to be fair, that’s dramatic, but you get it).
Common mistakes & controversial notes
Controversial: I think many PUGs rely too much on the tank; that’s on the group, not the tank. Another hot take: farming this dungeon for tomestones is inefficient compared to targeted roulettes if you’re after tokens fast. People will argue—bring receipts! (I have them.)
Common fail: bad positioning rather than lack of healing or DPS. Fix that and clears improve immediately.
Quick callouts and a tiny script
// Simple voice-call script for Peacekeeper
"Peacefire - left then up!" // short, clear
"Decimation - spread!"Want to speed up? Ask for a practice pull on each boss and mark one player as a pattern caller. Curious? Try it next run.
One counterintuitive insight: sometimes pausing a pull to reposition trash saves more time than plowing through and wiping twice. You’ll see—practice beats theory.
Final note: I’ve noticed groups that communicate briefly and clearly clear faster. So talk, call out, and be ready to adapt. It… well, it works.
Good luck, and shout if you want a simple callout list tailored to your job — I’ll share mine.
