How Dungeon Difficulty Is Calculated
Evaluation Standard
All dungeon difficulty ratings within the Guild Archive are evaluated under consistent, controlled assumptions to ensure fairness and comparability.
Ratings assume:
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Average Duty Finder party composition
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Level sync active
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No voice communication
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No pre-made coordination
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Standard gear for the synced level
This is not a “speedrun” evaluation, nor a high-end static group benchmark.
All ratings reflect real-world Duty Finder conditions.
Weighted Scoring Model
Dungeon difficulty is calculated using a weighted role-based system.
Each dungeon is evaluated across four core categories:
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Tank Risk – 30%
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Healer Strain – 30%
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DPS Responsibility – 20%
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Wipe Punishment – 20%
The final difficulty score is calculated using the following formula:
Overall Score = (Tank Risk × 0.30) + (Healer Strain × 0.30) + (DPS Responsibility × 0.20) + (Wipe Punishment × 0.20)
Scores are rounded to the nearest tenth and displayed as a 5-point scale.
This ensures difficulty is measured systematically rather than subjectively.
Category Definitions
Tank Risk (30%)
Measures how punishing the dungeon is for the tank role.
Factors include:
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Pull size tolerance
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Burst damage windows
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Cooldown dependency
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Positioning requirements
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Gear sensitivity
Higher ratings indicate tank mistakes are heavily punished or mitigation is consistently required for survival.
Healer Strain (30%)
Evaluates the sustained and burst pressure placed on the healer.
Factors include:
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Constant incoming damage
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Party-wide burst mechanics
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Cleanse requirements
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Recovery margin after mistakes
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Mana management stress
Higher ratings indicate limited recovery time and higher wipe probability if healing throughput drops.
DPS Responsibility (20%)
Measures how much execution pressure falls on DPS players.
Factors include:
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Mechanic literacy requirements
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Personal failure wipe potential
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Target prioritization pressure
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Avoidable damage density
Higher ratings indicate that individual mistakes are likely to cause party instability or full wipes.
Wipe Punishment (20%)
Assesses how severely mistakes are punished.
Factors include:
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One-shot mechanics
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Snowball potential
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Recovery difficulty after deaths
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Checkpoint distance and run-back time
Higher ratings indicate low forgiveness and limited recovery margin.
Overgear & Level Sync Considerations
Level sync normalizes player strength and preserves intended mechanical pacing.
However:
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Overgearing can reduce incoming damage stress
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High familiarity can lower perceived difficulty
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Certain early dungeons remain mechanically punishing despite sync
All evaluations prioritize intended mechanical design rather than raw damage output.
Ongoing Calibration
Dungeon ratings are periodically reviewed and adjusted to reflect:
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Balance changes
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Expansion updates
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Systemic mechanical shifts
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Observed Duty Finder trends
The Guild Archive prioritizes accuracy and consistency over static opinion.
See how this scoring model compares all dungeons across expansions, FFXIV Dungeon Rankings.
Purpose of the Guild Archive
This system exists to provide:
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Clear risk assessment before entering a dungeon
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Role-specific threat awareness
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Practical preparation for Duty Finder groups
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Structured comparison across expansions
The goal is simple:
Complete the encounter with minimal casualties.
Have fun!