Heavensward’s Anima relic weapons have some of the flashiest effects in Final Fantasy XIV, making them a great way for glam collectors to show of their draconic style. They also cost a ton of Allagan Tomestones of Poetics, which is both a blessing and a curse: you can grind for them while doing other things, but you’ll need a whole Crystal Tower’s worth of these items to get your relic.
Released in patch 3.15, the Anima relic weapons aren’t a useful gear upgrade, as they’ll be outdone in item level by Stormblood’s quest and dungeon rewards while levelling. They also aren’t required for the Stormblood, Shadowbringers, or Endwalker relic weapons. If you hunt down these stylish arms, it’ll be for your glamour plates alone.
How to unlock Heavensward relic weapons
To get started, you need to fulfil the following requirements:
- You must have completed the Main Scenario Quest, “Heavensward”.
- You must be level 60 or higher on any combat job.
- You must complete the one-time quest “An Unexpected Proposal” from Rowena in Idyllshire (X:5.6, Y:5.5).
Once you’ve met these requirements, you can start down the long road to your very own Anima Lux relic weapon!
As with other relics, you’ll be able to obtain replica versions of each step from the Restoration Node in Azys Lla (X:7.1, Y:11.1), so there’s no need to hold onto your favourite weapon for appearance reasons.
click to enlarge
+ 81. Animated weapons
Pick up the quest “Soul without Life” from Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5). In order to complete this quest, you’ll need to obtain an Umbral Nodule and an Astral Nodule, which can be assembled in one of two ways:
- Turning in your Zodiac Zeta weapon (from the A Realm Reborn relic questline) if you have one. You’ll lose your weapon, but you’ll be able to obtain a replica from Drake in the North Shroud (X:30.3, Y:20.1).
- Complete FATEs in Heavensward zones to obtain component crystals, detailed in the table below. All fates have a roughly fifty percent chance to grant one component crystal.
Once you have the materials listed below, you can purchase Umbral and Astral Nodules from Syndony in Mor Dhona (X:22.4, Y:5.9).
| Nodule | Crystal One | Crystal Two | Crystal Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astral Nodule | Luminous Wind Crystal, obtained from FATEs in The Sea of Clouds | Luminous Fire Crystal, obtained from FATEs in Azys Lla | Luminous Lightning Crystal, obtained from FATEs in the Churning Mists |
| Umbral Nodule | Luminous Ice Crystal, obtained from FATEs in the Coerthas Western Highlands | Luminous Earth Crystal, obtained FATEs in the Dravanian Forelands | Luminous Water Crystal, obtained from FATEs in the Dravanian Hinterlands |
After you have both items, turn in the quest to Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) to obtain your Animated relic weapon!
click to enlarge + 82. Awoken weapons
Speak to Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) to obtain the quest “Toughening Up”.
For this step, you’ll need to complete ten specific dungeons, in order, with your relic weapon equipped. Occasionally, you’ll need to speak with Ardashir, but your quest log will tell you when this is required.
The dungeons are as follows:
- Snowcloak: Unlocked via the Main Scenario Questline.
- Sastasha (Hard): Unlocked via the side-quest “It’s Definitely Pirates” from Bloezoeng in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:8.6).
- The Sunken Temple of Qarn (Hard): Unlocked via the side-quest “The Wrath of Qarn” from Hugubert in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:8.6).
- The Keeper of the Lake: Unlocked via the Main Scenario Questline.
- The Wanderer’s Palace (Hard): Unlocked via the side-quest “Not Easy Being Green” from Bloezoeng in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:8.6).
- Amdapor Keep (Hard): Unlocked via the side-quest “For Keep's Sake” from Lauriane in Mor Dhona (X:22.1, Y:8.5).
- The Dusk Vigil: Unlocked via the side-quest “For All the Nights to Come” from Wealdtheow in the Coerthas Western Highlands (X:17, Y:22.7).
- Sohm Al: Unlocked via the Main Scenario Questline.
- The Aery: Unlocked via the Main Scenario Questline.
- The Vault: Unlocked via the Main Scenario Questline.
You can use any weapon while clearing the dungeon, as long as you have your Animated Weapon equipped before you click the “exit” portal to leave. If you’re of a high enough level, we recommend using the “Unrestricted Party” option in the Duty Finder to solo the required dungeons.
Once you’ve completed all 10 dungeons, speak to Adrashir in Azys Lla once more with the animated weapon in your inventory to unlock your Awoken weapon.
click to enlarge + 83. Anima weapons
To begin this step, speak with Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) to obtain the quest “Coming into Its Own”.
For this step of the grind, you’ll need to collect a few items which can be obtained in a variety of ways, although the most straightforward method is via Allagan Tomestones of Poetics and Grand Company Seals.
How to get Unidentifiable Bones, Shells, Ores, and Seeds
The first batch of items are Unidentifiable Bones, Shells, Ores, and Seeds. You need ten of each, and they can be purchased via the following methods:
| Item | Cost Per Item | Purchased From |
|---|---|---|
| Allagan Tomestones of Poetics | 150 | Rowena’s Representatives, Auriana (Mor Dhona, X:22, Y:6), Hismena (Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5). |
| Heavensward Tribal Quests Tokens | 6 Vanu Vanu/Vath tokens, or 18 Moogle Tokens | Vanu Vanu, Vath, and Moogle tribal vendors. |
| A Realm Reborn Tribal Quest Tokens | 3 | Amal’jaa vendor (Bones), Sahagin vendor (Shells), Kobold vendor (Ores), Slyph tokens (Seeds). |
| Precision Alexander Gordias (Various) | 3 | Sabina in Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5): Bolts trade for Ores, Lenses trade for Shells, Springs trade for Ores, Shafts trade for Seeds. |
| Allied Seals | 300 | Hunt Billmasters in Ul’dah, Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania. |
In addition, both Ores and Shells can drop from Timeworn Dragonskin and Wyvernskin maps. As previously mentioned, we recommend going the Allagan Tomestones route, though if you have spare beast tribe currencies, it can be worth spending them.
How to get Adamantite Francescas, Titanium Alloy Mirrors, Dispelling Arrows and Kingcakes
The second batch of items obtain are Adamantite Francescas, Titanium Alloy Mirrors, Dispelling Arrows, and Kingcakes.
You need four of each, and can purchase them from your Grand Company Quartermaster for 5,000 seals an item, buy them from other players at the Market Board, or craft them via the following recipes:
| Item | Crafting Job | Reagents |
|---|---|---|
| Adamantite Francesca | Blacksmith | 1x Adamantite Nugget, 1x Birch Lumber, 1x Pterodactyle Strap |
| Titanium Alloy Mirror | Alchemist | 1x Titanium Alloy Square, 1x Holy Water, 1x Vitriol, 1x Hardsilver Sand |
| Dispelling Arrow | Carpenter | 1x Hallowed Chestnut Lumber, 1x Hardsilver Nugget, 1x Blessed Fletchings |
| Kingcake | Culinarian | 1x Highland Flour, 1x Yak Milk, 1x Okeanis Egg, 1x Birch Syrup, 1x Tiny Crown, 1x Moogle Miniature |
We recommend forking out the Grand Company seals or Gil for these at the market board. You can obtain both types of items without being on the quest, so if you have the currencies to spare we recommend obtaining these passively while doing the other steps or levelling alt jobs.
Once you’ve obtained both batches of items, head to Cristiana in Mor Dhona (X:21.4, Y:5.3) and trade them in for one of each: Enchanted Rubber, Fast-drying Carboncoat, Divine Water, Fast-acting Allagan Catalyst. You’ll have everything you need to complete the quest and obtain your very own Anima weapon!
click to enlarge + 84. Hyperconductive Anima weapons
To begin this step, speak with Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) to obtain the quest “Finding Your Voice”. This step is, thankfully, far more straightforward than the previous one.
How to get Aether Oils
Purchase five Aether Oils from any Rowena’s Representative in Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania or Ul’dah, or from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:6) or Hismena in Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5).
Each Aether Oil costs 350 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics each, for a grand total of 1,750 tomestones. As with the previous step, you can purchase Aether Oil even if you aren’t on the current quest for the relic weapon, so they’re worth buying ahead of time if you have extra poetics.
5. Reconditioned Anima weapons
To begin this step, talk to with Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) once more toobtain the quest “A Dream Fulfilled”. For this quest, you’ll need to use Ulan in Idyllshire (X:6.4, Y:4.6) to increase the stats on your weapon.
How to get Umbrite and Crystal Sand
Generally speaking, you’ll need to gather 60 pieces of Umbrite and Crystal sand, though this amount can vary.
Umbrite can be purchased for 75 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics Each from any Rowena’s Representative in Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania or Ul’dah, or from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:6) or Hismena in Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5).
Obtaining Crystal Sand, however, is a little more complicated. You can trade various items to Ulan in Idyllshire to receive two Crystal Sands per trade.
click to enlarge + 8The most efficient route is to trade her five Blue Crafters’ or Gatherers’ Scrip tokens, which can be purchased for White Scrips from any Scrip Exchange.
If you don’t have access to a crafting or gathering job, however, here’s a full list of the other items you can trade with Ulan.
- One each: Inferno Horn, Crag Heart, Diamond Tear
- Amber-Incased Vilekin.
- One each: Vortex Feather, Barb of the Whorl, Large Levin Orb.
- One each: Fire Materia IV, Wind Materia IV, Lightning Materia IV.
- Five each: Superior Enchanted Ink, Thavnairian Mist
- One each: Ice Materia IV, Earth Materia IV, Water Materia IV
- Two Mhachi Farthings, 5 Allagan Catalysts
- Three Battlecraft Demimateria I, 2 Battlecraft Demimateria II, 3 Fieldcraft Demimateria
- One each: Unidentifiable Bone, Shell, and Ore
- Five Moonstones
- One each: Garlond Steel, Celestine, High Allagan Chimera Leather
The most straightforward and cheapest trade is Superior Enchanted Ink and Thavnairian Mist, which costs 225 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics per trade. You can also purchase Inferno Horns, Crag Hearts, Diamond Tears, Vortex Feathers, Barbs of the Whorl, and Large Levin Orbs from the Market Board.
Continue purchasing these items and empowering your weapon until the step is complete.
click to enlarge + 86. Sharpened Anima weapons
Speak with Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) once again to begin the quest “A Dream Fulfilled”.
How to get Singing Clusters
For this step, you’ll have to obtain 50 singing clusters from the following activities and vendors:
- Purchase: 40 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics each from any Rowena’s Representative in Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania or Ul’dah, or from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:6) or Hismena in Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5).
- “Cut from a Different Cloth”: A daily quest given by Angelet in Idylllshire (X:8, Y:5.7), completed by running the Duty Roulette: Level 50/60/70/80 Dungeons.
- “Seeking Inspiration”: A weekly quest given by Amphelice in Idyllshire (X:8, Y:5.8), completed by finishing three runs of the Duty Roulette: Leveling.
If you have 2,000 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics to spare, it’s fine to just purchase these items right away. If you don’t, however, both the daily and weekly quests are worth doing while you grind for more.
Once you’ve gathered 50 singing clusters, finish the quest to obtain your Sharpened Anima weapon.
7. Complete Anima weapons
The second-to-last leg of this long journey to glamour perfection begins by picking up the quest “Born Again Anima” from Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5).
Firstly, you must complete the following dungeons on a job that matches the weapon you are empowering:
- Sohm Al (Hard): Unlocked via the quest “The Fires of Sohm Al” from the Gossamer Moogle in Idyllshire (X:4.7, Y:8.4).
- The Great Gubal Library (Hard): Unlocked via the quest “Let Me Gubal That for You” from Midnight Dew in Idyllshire (X:5.5, Y:6.6).
- Dungeon The Lost City of Amdapor (Hard): Unlocked via the quest “One More Night in Amdapor” from E-Sumi-Yan in Old Gridania (X:6, Y:10.5).
You can complete these dungeons via the Unrestricted Party option in the Duty Finder, as long as you’re doing so as the correct job for the weapon.
click to enlarge + 8How to get Pneumite for the Newborn Soulstone
Afterwards, pick up the side quest “Some Assembly Required”, from the Processing Node in Azys Lla (X:7, Y:11.3). You’ll need the Newborn Soulstone it gives you to complete the step. To obtain this item, you’ll have to gather 15 Pneumite from the following sources:
- 100 Allagan Tomestone Poetics Each: Purchased from any Rowena’s Representative in Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania or Ul’dah, or from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:6) or Hismena in Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5). 1,500 total.
- 4,000 Grand Company Seals Each: Purchased from any Grand Company Quartermaster (60,000 total).
- Treasure Maps: Drops from Archaeoskin, Dragonskin, and Wyvernskin maps.
Technically speaking, Grand Company Seals are the most efficient option here, since you should have gathered plenty of miscellaneous gear items to trade in to your Grand Company while doing content for the other steps. However, the mentioned treasure maps can be a nice way to get some gil on the side.
Unlike other items you can purchase for Poetics, Pneumite can’t be bought until you are on this quest.
Where to get Aetheric Density
You will also need to gather aetheric density into your weapon. This is done by completing certain activities with the weapon equipped, synced or un-synced.
Each activity has a “ranking”. For example, a “Vague” activity gives four points. Occasionally, you might get a bonus that nudges that ranking up by one. You need a total of 2,000 points to empower the weapon.
The activities and their rankings are as follows:
| Activity Rank | Point Gain | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| “Vague” | +4 | Heavensward FATEs |
| “Meager” | +8 | The Limitless Blue or Thok ast Thok (Hard or Extreme) |
| “Vigorous” | +16 | Any Alexander Raid, Containment Bay S1T7 (Extreme), The Minstrel’s Ballad: Nidhogg’s Rage |
| “Robust” | +32 | Heavensward Dungeons, Level 50 A Realm Reborn Dungeons (apart from The Praetorium and Castrum Meridianum), any Alexander (Savage) Gordias raid, and Containment Bay Z1T9 (Extreme) |
| “Sturdy” | +64 | Any Heavensward Alliance Raid |
| “Hardened” | +96 | Any Alexander (Savage) Midas raid |
| “Stalwart” | +128 | Only obtainable via an upgrade from “Hardened” activities |
If you can assemble some friends (or use the Party Finder) and grind through Alexander – The Eyes of the Creator (Savage) in an unrestricted party, this process can be completed in under an hour.
Alternatively, you can tackle Containment Bay Z1T9 solo using the unrestricted party option in the duty finder. This is particularly useful if you’re still grinding for Pneumite, as you can turn in the weapons you get for Grand Company Seals.
Once you have both the Soulstone and 2,000 aetheric density, you’ll finally be able to obtain your Anima Weapon.
click to enlarge + 88. Lux Anima weapons
A mercifully shorter step than the previous grinds. You’ll need to finish the quests “Body and Soul” and “Words of Wisdom”, before proceeding to “Best Friends Forever”. Speak with Ardashir in Azys Lla (X:7.4, Y:11.5) to begin the last leg of your Anima Weapon Journey.
This step can be completed solo in an unrestricted party. You’ll need to complete several trials, in order, with your relic weapon “equipped”. As with previous steps, you can simply re-equip it before exiting the duty.
In order, you will need to complete:
- The Bowl of Embers (Hard) > The Howling Eye (Hard) > The Navel (Hard)
- Thornmarch (Hard) > The Whorleater (Hard) > The Striking Tree (Hard) > The Akh Afah Amphitheatre (Hard)
- Thok ast Thok (Hard) > The Limitless Blue (Hard)
- Containment Bay S1T7 > Containment Bay P1T6 > Containment Bay Z1T9
How to get Archaic Enchanted Ink
Finally, as a last hurrah, you will need to buy one Archaic Enchanted Ink for 500 poetics from any Rowena’s Representative in Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, New Gridania or Ul’dah, or from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22, Y:6) or Hismena in Idyllshire (X:5, Y:5).
Turn in the quest and obtain the final stage of your Anima Weapon!
If you’d rather keep up to date with Endwalker’s relic weapons instead, we’ve got a handy guide. Likewise, we have heaps of other guides like Eureka Orthos, how to get the Platinum Seahorse, and the famous Lalafell Lifter for you to cause some chaos with.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Final Fantasy XIV page.