I love Final Fantasy XIV. And one of the things I love the most about Final Fantasy XIV is its music. So today I wanted to celebrate that somewhat.
One of my favourite parts of playing Final Fantasy XIV is the four-player dungeons. In A Realm Reborn, there were lots of these, but as time has gone on they have become a little less frequent in favour of other types of challenge. On the one hand, this is a shame; on the other, it means that dungeons tend to be reserved for important story moments — and the “other stuff” that has come along is a lot of fun anyway, too.
So today I wanted to celebrate the dungeon boss themes from throughout Final Fantasy XIV, from A Realm Reborn up until Endwalker. This is, of course, my own personal ranking, so you might have your own opinions. But anyway, let’s get into it after the jump!
To the Fore
Occupying the illustrious last place in my ranking of favourite dungeon boss themes is “To the Fore”, heard in quite a few Heavensward and Stormblood dungeons as their midboss theme.
I don’t like this as much as the other entries on this list because it doesn’t feel special. It’s music that has been recycled from elsewhere in the game, so it was a disappointment to not hear brand new music when I was running a dungeon in those expansions for the first time. The track itself is… fine. Not my favourite from the soundtrack by any means, and one of the clearest examples of how far the game’s soundtrack — and Soken’s compositions — have come since 1.0.
Insatiable (Scions & Sinners)
There was a lot I really liked about the Shadowbringers expansion, but the soundtrack using a lot more electric guitar was not one of those things. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good bit of thrashing guitar when it’s appropriate… I just wasn’t a huge fan of hearing so much of it throughout Shadowbringers.
I get they were going for a different vibe to go along with the interesting way the story unfolded, but this theme, from the midbosses of Shadowbringers‘ dungeons, left me a tad cold.
Nemesis
The original dungeon final boss theme from A Realm Reborn. There’s a nice sense of triumphant finality to this one that I’ve always liked, but it pales in comparison to some of the later themes heard in the game, particularly in terms of sound quality.
Final Fantasy XIV’s soundtrack is in an odd position where its growth in popularity and budget as time has gone on means that earlier music uses synthesised instruments, while later tracks use full orchestras, real instruments and vocals. Nemesis unfortunately drops down the list for me primarily due to simply not sounding as good as some of the later tracks.
A Fine Death
And I could say exactly the same about A Fine Death, the theme for midbosses in A Realm Reborn dungeons. I like this one slightly more than Nemesis, though, primarily because of that pounding, driving intro. It really gives you the feel that you’re getting into a dangerous situation.
I’m also a big fan of the way the Final Fantasy “Prelude” theme is incorporated into the composition. One of my favourite things in movie and video game soundtracks is the use of recurring themes and leitmotivs like this, so it’s always nice to hear classic Final Fantasy acknowledged.
On Blade’s Edge
Endwalker‘s midboss theme gives me similar mixed feelings to Insatiable (Scions & Sinners) in that I’m not in love with the heavy use of electric guitar. However, I like this track quite a bit more due to the strong melody, satisfying harmonic progressions and dramatic choral backing.
For me, this sets the tone for Endwalker quite nicely, but it’s not my favourite dungeon boss theme by quite a long shot.
Ominous Prognosticks
And we come to the first of two dungeon final boss themes from Heavensward. I like this one quite a bit due to, once again, its use of recurring themes. The main musical motifs in this theme are used quite frequently throughout all of Heavensward — and even onwards into later expansions — and help contribute to that first expansion having one of the most consistently good soundtracks.
But this isn’t the best Heavensward dungeon boss theme, no no. We’ll get to that.
Insatiable
Now we’re talking. I like this orchestral and vocal version of Insatiable, heard during the final boss battles of Shadowbringers dungeons, a lot more than its electric guitar-heavy counterpart. This has a much stronger sense of “finality” to it — appropriate, what with it being the last thing you hear in most dungeons before the victory fanfare.
The only thing I’m not super-fond of in this is the heavily processed vocals. The fact I can’t hear the lyrics very well bugs me probably more than it should. On the other hand, I love the way this track builds up from a relatively unassuming beginning into a big, bold piece that complements the on-screen action well.
Revenge Twofold
Ah, Revenge Twofold. What a delightful surprise it was, partway through Heavensward’s patch cycle, to hear that the dungeon final boss theme had been completely revamped into something much more dramatic! It was firmly in keeping with how the story continued to build up even after the base Heavensward narrative was completed, and it helped feel each dungeon foray feel significant and meaningful.
This is one of numerous themes throughout Final Fantasy XIV that really makes you feel like what are doing matters. You are the Warrior of Light; you are a hero that countless people rely on. So you better get the job done.
Triumph
The same applies to Triumph, the boss theme for Stormblood’s dungeons. This is a properly good “things have got really serious” theme, and gives a huge sense of drama to the finales of each dungeon foray.
It helps enormously that Stormblood’s narrative keeps pushing you forward and feeling like you are having a major impact on the game world. This theme complements the overarching themes of the story extremely well, and acknowledges the multiple cultural influences at play on the two major locations — Ala Mhigo and Doma — you spend your time in over the course of the main scenario.
Finality
And so we come to my top pick: Finality, which accompanies the final boss confrontations of dungeons throughout Endwalker. I love this track. It’s got everything I want from a boss theme, and its pounding, relentless “seriousness” really highlights how, over the course of Endwalker’s narrative, things have absolutely gone to shit and you are probably the only person who can do something about it.
Perhaps my only criticism of it is that it feels a little over-the-top for some of the things that unfold after the end of base Endwalker’s main scenario — it’s particularly absurd when fighting the floor-washing Silkie boss at the end of the Sil’dih Subterrane Variant Dungeon, for example — but on the whole, I can find little to fault with this wonderful boss theme.
And so those are my picks. Your picks may be different from mine, and that is fine. Remember, though, this is just my opinion, and there is no “being wrong” about which pieces of music you like the most! If you feel differently, I’d love to hear about your own personal responses to the various tracks and why they mean something to you.
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