So, you’re standing in the Southern Front, staring at a map covered in red icons and wondering why everyone in shout chat is screaming about a duel. It’s usually because of Early to Rise FFXIV. Honestly, if you’ve spent more than five minutes in the Save the Queen storyline, you know that Bozja is a weird, grindy, and occasionally infuriating place. This specific quest is the gatekeeper. It’s the wall that stands between you and the actual "good stuff" like Delubrum Reginae or those shiny Resistance Weapons everyone is flexing in Limsa Lominsa.
Let’s be real. Nobody actually enjoys the process of grinding Rank 10. It’s tedious. You’re running around a muddy battlefield, dodging mechanical AOEs from Magitek reapers, all while trying to figure out why your Mettle bar keeps going down instead of up. But you have to do it. You can't skip it. If you want to see the end of the Bozjan resistance story, you’re going to have to deal with the Early to Rise FFXIV requirements.
What Is Early to Rise FFXIV Anyway?
Basically, it's the 15th quest in the Save the Queen: Past to Present questline. It’s not just a "go here, talk to this guy" type of deal. Well, it is, but the prerequisite is the real killer. To even pick up the quest from Marsak in the Southern Front (X:14.1, Y:29.6), you have to hit Resistance Rank 10. For a casual player, that sounds easy. For someone who just wants their glowing sword and to get out, it feels like an eternity.
You’re essentially tasked with investigating the ruins of Delubrum Reginae. This is where the lore gets heavy. We’re talking about the ancient Queen Gunnhildr and the blades that supposedly protected the Hrothgar ancestors. It’s cool flavor text, but the mechanical reality is that this quest unlocks the 24-man raid that defines the mid-expansion grind.
The Mettle Problem
Mettle is the currency of your soul in Bozja. To get to rank 10 for Early to Rise FFXIV, you need a lot of it. Here is the thing: if you die and nobody rez's you, you lose Mettle. It sucks. I’ve seen players lose hours of progress because they stayed in a Critical Engagement they weren't prepared for.
Don't be that person.
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If you’re trying to speedrun this, stick to Skirmishes. They are the blue icons on your map. They’re fast. They’re chaotic. They’re basically FATEs on steroids. If you see a Critical Engagement (the red ones) pop up, join the queue, but be ready to actually use your brain. These aren't your typical dungeon bosses. They have "Duel" mechanics that can wipe a raid if people don't know the positioning.
Unlocking Delubrum Reginae
Once you actually finish Early to Rise FFXIV, the game opens up. You get access to Delubrum Reginae. Now, this isn't a "queue through Duty Finder" situation. You have to talk to the Sjeros NPC at the Gangos docks.
Most people get confused here. They look at the Duty Finder and see nothing. You’ve gotta be in Gangos. It’s a 24-player delve, and it doesn't care about the holy trinity of Tank/Healer/DPS as much as it cares about Lost Actions.
- Lost Actions are mandatory. Honestly, if you go into the content unlocked by this quest without Essence of the Watcher or some kind of damage buff, you’re griefing your team.
- The traps. Oh man, the traps. In the ruins you unlock after the quest, there are invisible floor traps that will one-shot you.
- The lore payoff. If you care about the IVth Imperial Legion or Noah van Gabranth, this is where the story actually gets teeth.
Wait. Why is it called "Early to Rise"? It’s a bit of a pun on the "Rise of the Resistance" and the fact that you’re literally unearthing an ancient queen. Or maybe it’s just a nod to how much sleep you’ll lose trying to finish your relic weapon. Who knows? Square Enix has a weird sense of humor.
The Resistance Weapon Connection
You cannot progress your relic weapon without completing Early to Rise FFXIV. Period.
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If you are on the "Change of Arms" or "Resistance Is Futile" steps, you’ll find yourself redirected back to this quest. It acts as the bridge between the Tier 1 weapon (the basic glowing one) and the Tier 2/3 versions. A lot of players try to bypass Bozja by doing Palace of the Dead or Heavensward FATEs for their memories. That works for a while. Eventually, the game says "No, go back to the mud."
You need the Castrum Lacus Litore completion too. This is usually where the bottleneck happens. Castrum is a large-scale assault that triggers every hour or so. You need people. If the instance is dead, you aren't finishing your quest.
Pro tip: Check the "Party Finder" under the adventuring forays tab. People often coordinate "Castrum runs" to help newbies get their Early to Rise FFXIV completion.
Common Misconceptions About the Quest
A lot of people think you need to finish the entire Bozjan Southern Front map to get this quest. You don't. You just need Rank 10. You could theoretically ignore the entire bottom half of the map and just grind the same three Skirmishes in the middle zone if you really wanted to. It would be boring, but it works.
Another thing: you don't need to be a specific class. I’ve seen people ask if they need to be a level 80 job. Yes, you need to be level 80 to enter Bozja, but the quest itself scales your gear. Your item level doesn't matter as much as your Rank. That is a hard pill to swallow for players who spent millions of gil on Pentamelded gear. In here, your Rank is your power.
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Why Gangos is Your New Home
After Early to Rise FFXIV, you'll be spending a lot of time in Gangos. It’s that tiny little island off the coast of the Doman Enclave. It’s cramped, it’s full of NPCs with complicated names like Bajsaljen, and it’s the hub for everything related to the Resistance.
I personally find the layout of Gangos annoying. You’re constantly running back and forth between the boat and the quest givers. But it’s the price we pay for those sweet, sweet weapon models.
Moving Past the Quest
So, what happens after the screen fades to black and the "Quest Complete" music plays?
You’ve officially entered the mid-game of the Save the Queen saga. The difficulty spikes. The expectations for your playstyle increase. You'll need to start farming Fragments to get better Lost Actions. You'll need to learn the mechanics for the Trinity Seeker and the Queen's Guard.
It's a lot. But honestly? It's some of the best content Final Fantasy XIV has ever put out. It feels like a miniature version of Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XII. It’s risky, it’s experimental, and it all starts with hitting that Rank 10 milestone.
Actionable Steps to Finish Early to Rise Fast
If you're stuck or just starting, here is exactly what you need to do. No fluff.
- Enter the Southern Front. If you haven't unlocked it, go to the Doman Enclave and follow the "Hail to the Queen" questline.
- Grind Skirmishes until Rank 10. Focus on Zone 2 (the middle area) as it offers the best Mettle-to-effort ratio.
- Complete Castrum Lacus Litore at least once. You need the "Eagle-nest" victory to trigger the follow-up dialogue.
- Talk to Marsak. He’s the guy near the entrance. He won't have a golden quest icon if you aren't Rank 10, so don't bother looking for him until the number in your menu changes.
- Queue for Delubrum Reginae immediately. Don't wait. The queues can be long depending on the time of day, so get in there as soon as Sjeros lets you.
- Stock up on Essences. Buy them from the Market Board if you have to. Using an "Essence of the Skirmisher" or "Essence of the Aetherweaver" will make the subsequent fights 50% faster.
Getting through Early to Rise FFXIV is a rite of passage for any serious FFXIV player. It’s the moment you stop being a tourist in Bozja and start becoming a part of the resistance. It’s grindy, sure. But the rewards—the raids, the gear, and the story—are more than worth the headache of those first ten ranks. Just keep your eyes on the Skirmish timers and don't forget to return to Gangos to turn the damn thing in.