Expansion Overview
Stormblood marks a decisive escalation in dungeon execution requirements.
Telegraphs resolve faster. Burst windows are sharper. Add management becomes less forgiving. Recovery margins narrow compared to Heavensward’s baseline.
While early Stormblood leveling dungeons open at a moderate risk level, mechanical density increases steadily through Patch 4.0 and continues tightening across the patch cycle.
Stormblood contains 15 four-player dungeons released between Patch 4.0 and 4.5.
All dungeons are evaluated under consistent level-synced Duty Finder conditions using the Guild Risk Model.
For full expansion comparisons, see the complete FFXIV Dungeon Rankings.
Guild Risk Model
All difficulty ratings are calculated using four weighted criteria:
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Tank Risk
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Healer Strain
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DPS Responsibility
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Wipe Punishment
Each dungeon is evaluated under:
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Level sync active
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Average Duty Finder coordination
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No voice communication
This ensures cross-expansion consistency.
Total Stormblood Dungeons Evaluated
15 Dungeons (Patch 4.0 – 4.5)
Stormblood Dungeon Listings by Patch
Patch 4.0 (Launch)
- The Sirensong Sea
- Shisui of the Violet Tides
- Bardam’s Mettle
- Doma Castle
- Castrum Abania
- Ala Mhigo
- Kugane Castle
- The Temple of the Fist
Patch 4.1
Patch 4.2
Patch 4.3
Patch 4.4
Patch 4.5
Stormblood Difficulty Profile
Stormblood demonstrates an increase in mechanical layering across all patches.
Early leveling content introduces faster telegraph resolution and more disciplined add coordination requirements. Mid-tier dungeons tighten burst mitigation windows and reduce recovery margins. Late patch-cycle dungeons emphasize sustained execution and punish repeated instability decisively.
Compared to Heavensward:
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DPS responsibility increases
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Healer recovery windows shrink under layered mechanics
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Tank positioning becomes increasingly critical in confined arenas
Stormblood punishes hesitation more quickly than previous expansions.
Stormblood Dungeon Difficulty Ranking (Highest to Lowest)
(To be populated as evaluations are completed.)
| Rank | Dungeon | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ghimlyt Dark | 4.8 |
| 2 | The Burn | 4.7 |
| 3 | The Fractal Continuum (Hard) | 4.7 |
| 4 | Kugane Castle | 4.6 |
| 5 | Hells’ Lid | 4.6 |
| 6 | Saint Mocianne’s Arboretum (Hard) | 4.6 |
| 7 | Ala Mhigo | 4.6 |
| 8 | The Temple of the Fist | 4.5 |
| 9 | The Drowned City of Skalla | 4.5 |
| 10 | The Swallow’s Compass | 4.5 |
| 11 | Castrum Abania | 4.5 |
| 12 | Doma Castle | 4.4 |
| 13 | Bardam’s Mettle | 4.4 |
| 14 | Shisui of the Violet Tides | 4.2 |
| 15 | The Sirensong Sea | 4.2 |
Stormblood Dungeon Progression Order
(Chronological order by patch; overall scores added as evaluations are finalized.)
| Order | Dungeon | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sirensong Sea | 4.2 |
| 2 | Shisui of the Violet Tides | 4.2 |
| 3 | Bardam’s Mettle | 4.4 |
| 4 | Doma Castle | 4.4 |
| 5 | Castrum Abania | 4.5 |
| 6 | Ala Mhigo | 4.6 |
| 7 | Kugane Castle | 4.6 |
| 8 | The Temple of the Fist | 4.5 |
| 9 | The Drowned City of Skalla | 4.5 |
| 10 | Hells’ Lid | 4.6 |
| 11 | The Fractal Continuum (Hard) | 4.7 |
| 12 | The Swallow’s Compass | 4.5 |
| 13 | The Burn | 4.7 |
| 14 | Saint Mocianne’s Arboretum (Hard) | 4.6 |
| 15 | The Ghimlyt Dark | 4.8 |
Tier Summary
Stormblood marks the transition from structured execution checks to consistently sharp mechanical enforcement.
Mistakes are recoverable early — but recovery windows close rapidly as instability compounds.
Groups that execute clear efficiently. Groups that stack avoidable damage collapse quickly.
Stormblood increases the baseline expectation of mechanical literacy across all roles.
Expansion Comparison
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