Ambuscade is a instanced dungeon battlefield in which players team up against the monster-of-the-month.

Getting Started

First, activate the Records of Eminence quest Stepping into an Ambuscade, then talk to Gorpa-Masorpa at Mhaura (G-9). To enter any Ambuscade battlefield all players in the party will need a Key Item. Ambuscade Primer Volume One grants entry to Intense Ambuscade, a more challenging encounter. Ambuscade Primer Volume Two grants entry to Normal Ambuscade, a step down in technical difficulty. "Intense" and "Normal" not only describe the relative challenge of the two battlefields, but alter the final rewards on completion.

Obtaining Key Items

You obtain the Key Items with Records of Eminence quests. There are two different quests per Key Item to activate: a non-repeatable daily quest, and a repeatable quest. The Daily objectives for both Volume 1 and Volume 2 require one experience-yielding monster be killed of the specified type. The repeatable objective for Volume 1 requires five kills, while Volume 2 requires 10.

• Monsters in Dynamis and Abyssea zones are not counted for any Ambuscade objectives.

The Ambuscade Tome

Once everyone in the party has the Primer key items, the party leader then registers the party at the Ambuscade Tome right next to Gorpa-Masorpa. At registration you choose the difficulty level of the selected Ambuscade type and inscribe your name into the tome, assigning you a number. Inscribing your name in the Ambuscade Tome gives you a page number. Page numbers are called in a zone-wide system message "Page ### of the tome flares up!" and the party leader can interact again with the Tome to enter the battlefield. The Tome also has an option to auto-transport your party to the battlefields as soon as your number is announced.

• Your Key Item is lost upon completion of a successful battle.

Rewards

Successful completion of an Ambuscade battlefield rewards two forms of currency: Hallmarks and Gallantry. Hallmarks earned vary with the Key Item used to enter the battlefield and the selected difficulty level. Gallantry earned is based on the Key Item, Difficulty and the total number of party members, excluding Trusts. Solo players do not earn Gallantry. Using an Abdhaljs Seal will triple the currency rewards for a single win.

• Hallmarks, Total Hallmarks, and Gallantry are reset to zero every monthly content update.

Ambuscade Primer Volume One

Intense Ambuscade

Ambuscade Primer Volume Two

Regular Ambuscade

Redeeming Hallmarks and Gallantry

Spend your accumulated Hallmarks and Gallantry with Gorpa-Masorpa, who offers a limited stock of rewards that is reset at every monthly content update, usually around the first or second Thursday of each month.

Ambuscade rewards are organized into materials used to reforge REMA weaponry, Skirmish Stones, JSE Capes and materials used to augment them, and Vouchers and Tokens redeemable for Ambuscade Armor and the materials required to upgrade it.

REMA Reforging Materials

The full list of REMA Materials purchasable with Hallmarks is always available.

REMA Materials purchased with Gallantry are available on a rotating schedule.

• Empyrean weapon materials are available January, April, July, and October.
• Relic weapon materials are available February, May, August, and November.
• Mythic/Ergon weapon materials are available March, June, September, and December.

Skirmish Stones

+2 Skirmish Stones are available every month, purchasable only with Hallmarks. Each stone costs 200 Hallmarks, up to a limit of 10 of each type.

JSE Capes

You can buy up to one cape per job for 500 Hallmarks each.

The materials for augmenting these capse can be bought with either Hallmarks or Gallantry, with different prices and stock limits.

Ambuscade Armor

Hallmarks can be used to purchase coupons good for 1 NQ piece of equipment, rotating between Tokens and Vouchers every month. Gallantry can be used to purchase coupons good for 1 HQ piece of equipment, rotating between Tokens and Vouchers every month. The special materials Abdhaljs Metal and Abdhaljs Fiber are used to upgrade NQ armor to HQ, and HQ armor to HQ+2 armor. These materials are available either for Hallmarks or Gallantry.

Total Hallmarks

This special tally of total accumulated Hallmarks is used to obtain items and equipment from a special menu. Once an item is redeemed, it disappears. Total Hallmarks are not consumed, but represent an ever filling pool that grants access to more expensive rewards from this list:

• Total Hallmarks are the only currency accepted for Ambuscade Ring coupons. The coupons also alternate between Vouchers and Tokens every content update.
• 100: Abdhaljs Seal
• 130: Monthly NQ Feet Voucher/Token
• 170: Super Reraiser
• 220: Monthly NQ Hands Voucher/Token
• 280: Remedy x 12
• 370: Monthly NQ Head Voucher/Token
• 480: Caliber Ring
• 620: Monthly NQ Legs Voucher/Token
• 800: Facility Ring
• 1,050: Monthly NQ Body Voucher/Token
• 1,350: Monthly Ring Voucher/Token
• 1,800: Monthly HQ Feet Voucher/Token
• 2,300: Abdhaljs Metal
• 2,300: Abdhaljs Fiber
• 3,000: Monthly HQ Hands Voucher/Token
• 3,900: Abdhaljs Metal
• 3,900: Abdhaljs Fiber
• 5,000: Monthly HQ Head Voucher/Token
• 6,500: Abdhaljs Metal
• 6,500: Abdhaljs Fiber
• 8,500: Monthly HQ Legs Voucher/Token
• 11,000: Abdhaljs Metal
• 11,000: Abdhaljs Fiber
• 14,500: Monthly HQ Body Voucher/Token
• 20,000: Abdhaljs Metal
• 20,000: Abdhaljs Fiber
• 25,000: SP Gobbie Key

March 2019

Volume 1: Tonberries

Face off against the Bozzetto Monarch and its allies. At first, only the Bozzetto Rascal is present. Once the Rascal has been engaged and fought for a while, the remaining foes will appear all at once and the real fight begins.

Encountered Foes

• Bozzetto Rascal - Summoner.
  • Bozzetto Elemental - Up to two are summoned by the Rascal at the start of the fight, depending on current difficulty settings. If two are summoned, it will be one ice, one elemental.
  • Bozzetto Prime - Up to two are summoned by the Rascal during Astral Flow, depending on current difficulty settings. Leviathan and Shiva are the available avatars.
• Bozzetto Monarch - A hybrid with access to multiple SP Abilities.
  • Bozzetto Shade - Untargetable clone of the Monarch. Summoned during Lateral Reap or Vertical Reap and attempts to close a Skillchain.
• Bozzetto Chaser - Thief
• Bozzetto Defiler - Black Mage
• Bozzetto Slicer - Ninja

The fight ends when all foes are defeated.

Difficulty Settings

The Difficulty Setting determines the total number of enemies summoned after the fight begins.

Very Difficult: Rascal (2 pets) + Monarch, 2 Chasers, 1 Defiler, 1 Slicer

Difficult: Rascal (2 pets) + Monarch, 2 Chasers, 1 Defiler

Normal: Rascal (2 pets) + Monarch, 2 Chasers

Easy: Rascal (1 pet) + Monarch, Defiler

Very Easy: Rascal (1 pet) + Monarch

Battle Mechanics

Passive Traits
All Tonberries:

• Highly resistant to all light-based magic, including Finale and Flash.

Abilities Used
All Tonberries:

• Vertical Slash: Physical damage + Accuracy Down.
• Lateral Slash: Physical damage + Defense Down.
• Throat Stab. Takes a set percentage of your max HP. Resets hate.
• Words of Bane: Curse
• Light of Penance: TP set to 0
• Everyone's Rancor: Deals damage proportional to Tonberry hate. Formula appears to be Tonberries Killed x 50.

Rascal Only:

• Astral Flow: can use multiple times.

Monarch Only:

• Throat Slice: Takes a set percentage of your max HP. Resets hate.
• Everyone's Virulence: Deals damage proportional to current tonberry hate. Reported formula is Tonberries Killed x 100.^[1] Appears to Magic Burst off Darkness skillchains on its target for 99k damage.^[2][3]
• Everyone's Revenge: AOE version of Everybody's Wrath. Range is 25'
• Sigh: Evasion Boost. Can be dispelled.
• Chains: AOE Damage, Paralysis, Gravity and Bind.
• Light of Condemnation: Front AOE Bind + Gravity, TP set to zero. Always follows this up with either Vertical Reap or Lateral Reap to close Distortion
• Vertical Reap: Physical damage + potent Accuracy Down. Summons a Shade. Closes Distortion if used after Light of Condemnation
• Lateral Reap: Physical Damage + powerful Defense Down effect. Summons a Shade. Closes Distortion if used after Light of Condemnation
• SP Ability: Will select one at random from Blood Weapon, Perfect Dodge, Hundred Fists or Mighty Strikes.

Shade Only:

• Appears behind its target, performs a single attack for critical damage, then vanishes. If it hits, closes Darkness (Skillchain) on the Monarch's target if Distortion was just closed. This can easily kill any player afflicted with Defense Down. There are reports that facing the Shade before it attacks can mitigate the critical damage done by the melee hit, but not the resulting skillchain.^[4][5]

Spells Cast
Elementals:

• Ice elemental: Paralyze, Freeze, Frost
• Water elemental: Poisonga, Flood, Drown

Slicer:

• Utsusemi: Ni
• Kurayami: Ni, Ni-tier elemental Ninjutsu.

Defiler:

• Blaze Spikes, Elemental debuffs, Blind, Poison, Sleep/ga, Bio II, Bind, Stun, Tier III -ga and Tier IV single target elemental magic.

Where to get your Primer:

• Den of Rancor: Right outside the Sacrificial Chamber is a Home Point. Tonberries everywhere. Using Unity Concord warp puts you somewhat south of the same area, on a ledge overhead.

Other Notes:

• Common wisdom dictates that you should reset your Tonberry hate every 12-15 total Tonberry kills or else Virulence/Revenge will one-shot you. The Tonberries defeated during this encounter contribute to this total. Calling for help on mobs besides the Monarch is a good way to limit accumulated hate, at the cost of earning no Capacity Points.^[6]
• If the Monarch switches targets between using Light of Condemnation and either Vertical Reap or Lateral Reap, the shade will hit a different target and no skillchain will be formed.

Volume 2: Birds

Face off against the Hippogryph Hercinia.

Encountered Foes

• Hercinia

Difficulty Settings

The Difficulty Setting appears to determine only the stats of the mob in the battlefield.

Battle Mechanics

Passive Traits

Abilities Used

• Airy Shield: Arrow Shield. Uses at start. Dispelled by Magic Bursting into a dark-aligned Skillchain. (Compression, Gravitation, or Darkness). ^[7]
• Nihility Song: AOE Dispel. Takes 1 buff.
• Fantod: Enhances attack and magic attack.
• Back Heel: Damage + Knockback.
• Choke Breath: Front AOE Damage + Paralysis + Silence.
• Jettatura: Gaze AOE Terror.

Spells Cast
None.

Where to get your Primer:

• Birds everywhere in Marjami Ravine.

References

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