Eorzea was destroyed by a force of unimaginable power raining down from the sky. It is the dawn of a new age!
It has come to light that Rhitahtyn sas Arvina, praefectus castrorum of the XIVth Legion, is scheduled to inspect the imperial outpost at Cape Westwind. Although native to a territory subjugated by the Empire, Rhitahtyn's prowess as a field tactician has won him a station of great authority within the Garlean military. Such a formidable enemy general will surely prove an obstacle to the Alliance's efforts to purge the realm of the imperial menace. For the first phase of Operation Archon, you have been entrusted the mission of infiltrating the imperial outpost and striking him down.
Duty finder description
Cape Westwind was a trial in Final Fantasy XIV. It was the first 8-man duty players were likely to encounter aside from the uncommon 
Solemn Trinity, and the first of three duties representing the climax of A Realm Reborn with 
Castrum Meridianum and The Praetorium.
Owing to its lack of an item level sync, Cape Westwind became a laughably easy duty that was often resolved in seconds. This led to it becoming a meme within the Final Fantasy XIV community for experienced players to deceive new players into believing it is extremely difficult. The trial was removed in patch 6.1 and replaced with a solo Quest Battle.
Progression[]
| Encounter overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mechanic | Phase | Description | Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phases | Phase 1: 100-80% HP Phase 2: 80-60% HP Phase 3: 60-40% HP Phase 4: 40-20% HP Phase 5: 20-0% HP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rotation | 1 | Shield Skewer → Shield Skewer → Shield Skewer → Gate of Tartarus ↻ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2-3 | Shield Skewer → Shrapnel Shell → Winds of Tartarus → Firebomb → Shield Skewer → Drill Shot → Winds of Tartarus → Firebomb ↻/→ Gate of Tartarus ↻[note 3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4-5 | Readies Magitek Missiles → Shrapnel Shell → Firebomb → Magitek Missiles → Winds of Tartarus → Drill Shot → Firebomb → Winds of Tartarus ↻ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attack | All | Melee auto-attack. | 
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| Gate of Tartarus | 1-3 | Untelegraphed damage and 3s  Stun in a frontal cone.
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| Shield Skewer | 1-3 | Untelegraphed melee damage to primary target. | 
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| Drill Shot | 2-5 | Heavy untelegraphed damage to a random target. |
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| Firebomb | 2-5 | Untelegraphed ranged damage to a random target and nearby enemies, leaving behind a pool that inflicts  Burns on anyone standing in it.
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| Shrapnel Shell | 2-5 | Heavy untelegraphed damage in a frontal semicircle. |
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| Winds of Tartarus | 2-5 | Untelegraphed damage to nearby enemies. |
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| 7th Cohort Optiones | 3 | Two 7th Cohort Optiones appear at 60% HP.
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| Rotation reset | 3, 5 | Rhitahtyn's rotations restart from the beginning at 60% and 20% HP. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Magitek Missiles | 4-5 | Fires rockets into the air, targeting the boss's current location. Rockets impact 20s later in a massive area of effect, dealing heavy damage. Telegraph does not appear until just before impact. |
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For most parties Rhitahtyn is a simple fight with no dangerous mechanics, as players can very easily outgear the encounter and defeat Rhitahtyn in under a minute.
Parties attempting Rhitahtyn with minimum item level and no 
Echo will find him significantly more challenging, as his abilities are mostly instant cast with no telegraphs. Gate of Tartarus, Shrapnel Shell, and Winds of Tartarus are instant 90°, 180°, and 360° AoEs respectively, and players should ensure they are never in position to get hit by these if avoidable—melee DPS should stand fully behind Rhitahtyn at all times, and ranged disciplines should never be within Shrapnel Shell's 10y range. Drill Shot and Firebomb will target random players for heavy damage, with the latter creating long-lasting DoT pools that can force players out of position into his more dangerous AoEs.
Once Rhitahtyn drops below 60% HP two 7th Cohort Optiones will appear at the entrance to the duty. If they are brought below 40% HP they will use Fight or Flight and Celeris to gain both a damage and attack speed buff respectively, which can allow them to quickly overwhelm the off-tank. If the party opts to defeat the adds, they should focus them down one at a time to ensure both adds don't activate their buffs at the same time. Celeris can also be prevented by Stunning the Optio while it is casting, as it will not attempt to use it again.
Once brought below 40% HP Rhitahtyn will begin using Magitek Missiles, a large AoE that deals massive damage. This is his only telegraphed action. First a system prompt will display with a prominent animation of him firing missiles into the air. After 20 seconds have passed, a ground telegraph will briefly appear in the location he was standing when he fired the missiles. Players who wait for the short ground telegraph will have difficulty dodging the large AoE, but if they watch for the initial telegraphs they should have plenty of time to move away from the location Rhitahtyn initially fired the missiles from. Extra care should be taken around 20% HP, as the rotation reset at this threshold can result in back-to-back Magitek Missiles, which can be difficult to dodge both.
Enemies[]
| Enemy | Pic | HP | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|
 7th Cohort Optio
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22,509 | Attack, Celeris, Fast Blade, Fight or Flight, Rampart, Shield Bash |
 Rhitahtyn sas Arvina
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131,252 | Attack, Drill Shot, Gate of Tartarus, Firebomb, Magitek Missiles, Shield Skewer, Shrapnel Shell, Winds of Tartarus |
Quests[]
Cape Westwind is unlocked during the main scenario quest 
Operation Archon, and completion of the duty is required to continue the main scenario.
Script[]
| Cape Westwind script | |
|---|---|
| Intro cutscene | |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | It would appear we have unexpected guests. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Now where have I seen you before? Ah, but of course—the [man/woman] who felled the mighty Titan. |
| Imperial Centurion | This is the eikon-slayer!? |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | I see. The commotion without is naught but a diversion. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Allow me to hazard a guess: by eliminating me, you hope to undermine the garrison at Occidens. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | A bold strategy, to be sure, but have you the strength to see it to fruition? |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Leave us. None of you are a match for [him/her]. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Send word to Castrum Occidens. Tell them the Lominsans are coming. |
| Imperial Centurion | At once, my lord! |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Fifteen years have come and gone since Lord van Baelsar first set foot in Eorzea, yet his ambition for the realm burns as strong as it ever did. Know you what fuels it, adventurer? The desire to deliver the people from their suffering. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | The lands he has conquered were all beset with problems—poverty, starvation, lawlessness, and strife. My homeland was no exception. Had my lord not reached out and claimed it for the Empire, it would have eventually destroyed itself. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | But under his sage leadership, my people enjoyed such peace and stability as we had never known. And he only desires the selfsame for the people of this realm. Under his rule, Eorzea would be free from the shackles which bind it─the shackles of false faith. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | There would be no feeble leaders to misguide the masses, no eikons to bleed the realm dry. True peace would reign, and the people would be free to live their lives without fear of persecution or oppression. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Should you doubt the truth of my words, I bid you look upon me. I am no son of Garlemald, yet Lord van Baelsar saw fit to raise me to a station of great honor. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | He measures a man not by his birth, but by his worth. Such is his sense of justice. By the grace of His Excellency, I am where I was born to be—upon the field of battle. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | He has given me a noble cause to fight for, and worthy adversaries to smite. |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | I am not wont to bare my steel needlessly. But if you are deaf to reason... |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | In the name of Lord van Baelsar, I, Rhitahtyn sas Arvina, do swear to strike you down! |
| End cutscene | |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina (on engaging) |
I will suffer none to oppose Lord van Baelsar! |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina (HP <80%) |
My shields are impregnable! Join the countless challengers who have dashed themselves against them! |
| 7th Cohort Optio (on appearing) |
For the Empire! |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina (HP <40%) |
Your defeat will bring Lord van Baelsar's noble conquest one step closer to fruition! |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina (Magitek Missiles, voice only) |
Prepare yourself! |
| System (Magitek Missiles) |
Rhitahtyn sas Arvina is readying magitek missiles! |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina (HP <20%) |
Ungh... Though it cost me my life... I will strike you down! |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina (HP <10%, voice only) |
Life is nothing without death! |
| Outro cutscene | |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | <gasp> <pant> |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Forgive me... I have failed you... |
| Rhitahtyn sas Arvina | Lord van Baelsar!!! |
| Duty complete | |
Musical themes[]
"Steel Reason" (鋼の理念, Hagane no Rinen?) plays during the battle against Rhitahtyn. This theme is shared with several other Garlean officers. "The Emperor's Wont" and "Forever Lost" play during the intro and outro cutscenes, respectively.
Behind the scenes[]
Cape Westwind was regarded as one of the simplest encounters in the game, as players were able to deal enough damage to Rhitahtyn to defeat him before he was able to use any mechanics. This came about as the instance was tuned to fresh level 49 characters with an item level near 40, while it synced players to level 50 with no item level sync, meaning that the maximum item level allowed was 135, much more power than necessary to defeat him. As a result of this, the development team made the decision to retire this encounter in patch 6.1, adapting the battle with Rhitahtyn as a solo instanced Quest Battle.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
Rhitahtyn sas Arvina in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.
The Cape Westwind (Classic) can be unlocked upon completing Crystal World, Part 2 (Classic). It sees players battle against a record of Rhitahtyn sas Arvina. Completing the dungeon unlocks its Elite version.
Notes[]
- ↑ Cape Westwind's weather changes to match Western Thanalan.
- ↑ Chance to drop for each individual party member that has completed the quest
Triple Triad Trial.
- ↑ Rhitahtyn skips Gate of Tartarus on the first pass during his phase 2 and 3 rotations.
