Full Active Time Event

Full Active Time Events, more commonly known as FATEs, are a special kind of event that may occur at random while exploring the world in Final Fantasy XIV.

Overview[]

FATEs are indicated on the map by a purple circle and an icon indicating what type of FATE it is. Some FATEs will not appear on the full map, only being visible on the minimap, though in either case players that get close enough to the FATE area get a message stating "FATE discovered nearby!". Entering the FATE zone automatically joins the event as long as players are the appropriate level and places it on the Duty list. Players above the maximum level for a FATE will need to enable level sync to join, and cannot interact with FATE targets in anyway until they do so, although they can interact with other players participating in the FATE, such as by healing them.

Players become eligible for a reward simply by participating in the battle in any way: Killing enemies, healing, collecting the objective items, using buffs and debuffs, etc. Rewards are divided into three tiers depending on the player's participation. However, if one's level is too low, their contribution will not be weighted as heavily, and players with a level too high must use the Level Sync feature to participate in the battle. The rewards for completing FATEs are generally gil, experience and grand company seals, but some of the FATEs give unique item rewards or achievements, such as those related to Behemoth and Odin.

While most FATEs begin automatically, some may need to be initiated by interacting with the environment or talking with specific NPCs. Multiple FATEs may happen at the same time within a zone, though there is a limit to how many FATEs may spawn concurrently, and FATEs with overlapping battlefields will not spawn at the same time. When trying to find a specific FATE, clearing other FATEs in the zone may allow it to spawn faster.

Some FATEs chain into different FATEs based on the outcome of the battle. For example, if players successfully fend off a beastman attack against an encampment, a new FATE with stronger beastmen may start right after the previous battle as a continuation of the previous attack. But if the first FATE fails, the second battle may change into a rescue mission for the camp non-playable characters, or even break the chain completely and stop new FATEs in the area for a while.

FATEs scale in difficulty based on the amount of players that had participated in them during their previous spawn. As more players participate, the requirements for completion will increase, bosses will gain more HP, more enemies will spawn, and so on.

Experience Points Bonus[]

FATEs that appear in areas from the Stormblood expansion and onward will, on occasion, offer a bonus to EXP awarded upon completion. FATEs offering bonus EXP can be confirmed via the map or the Recommendations list.

Twist of Fate[]

Also introduced in Stormblood is the Forlorn Maiden, a rare enemy that may occasionally spawn during a FATE in Stormblood areas onward. By defeating this enemy, all players who participated in the FATE and receive a rating will be granted the Twist of Fate status. Players under the effect of the Twist of Fate status will receive increased EXP rewards upon completing any FATE. Players will be granted the Twist of Fate status even if the FATE ends in failure, and likewise will the effects of this status apply during a failure.

In some very rare cases, instead of Forlorn Maiden, an enemy called The Forlorn, may appear. It is the same as Forlorn Maiden, but bigger and more powerful.

Types of FATEs[]

FATEs fall under specific categories denoted by their icon which can at a glance give an idea of what the objective of the FATE is, though there may be some overlap. Some battle FATEs against weaker enemies may have a boss that needs to be defeated and vice versa, or some FATEs that don't fall under the defense or escort group may yet have NPCs that need to be protected.

Battle[]

The most common variety of FATEs simply requires players to kill a certain amount of the specified monsters within the time limit.

Boss[]

Boss FATEs typically feature one strong enemy that needs to be defeated to succeed in the FATE. The boss can vary in strength—some can be soloed by players of the appropriate level, some require parties of varying size. It is not guaranteed that the boss will be alone, however. Often times there are weaker enemies surrounding that may or may not also count towards the completion of the FATE, or there might be multiple bosses to defeat.

Of note are certain large-scale boss FATEs. These can be identified by longer timers, the use of "Torn from the Heavens" or other songs as their theme instead of "Hard to Miss", and the fact that they will almost always grant an achievement for completing them with the highest score. They are significantly more difficult than most FATEs and often require an alliance of players to take down. Besides achievements they can have various rewards for defeating them, such as titles, minions, or even tokens for gear such as from Odin.

Defense[]

Defense FATEs require players to defend objects or NPCs in the FATE area from invading enemies. If the FATE targets are destroyed, the FATE ends in failure. Progression is measured by defeating a certain amount of enemies in the same manner as battle FATEs. Some defense FATEs involve defending against a boss instead.

Item[]

Item FATEs require players to collect items throughout the FATE area and return them to a nearby NPC. Monsters that spawn as part of the FATE will drop the required items, and the items can also spawn naturally on the ground to be collected. Item FATEs do not end immediately once the required items are gathered, instead granting a 1 minute grace period for players to turn in any remaining items they may be holding, for which they will still get credit.

Escort[]

Escort FATEs are similar to defense FATEs in that they require the survival of an NPC. However, in this case the NPC will move through the zone, and the FATE area will move with it, which can potentially lead to accidental de-syncing. Escort FATEs never start automatically—players must activate them by talking to the issuing NPC.

Chase[]

A newer and thus far rare type of FATE introduced in Stormblood, these FATEs require players to chase and defeat a target before it reaches its destination. While the target may occasionally stop to use abilities, it will not deviate from its course, ignoring enmity and mobility restricting abilities. Like escorts the FATE area is anchored to the target, which can lead to accidental de-syncing.

Holiday[]

These FATEs will only appear during limited time events, namely holidays. Holiday FATEs have unique objectives that do not fit with other FATE types. Not all FATEs that appear during holidays or other events are part of this category, often falling under regular FATE categories. While some holiday events will appear again the next year, many are one time only, and can be permanently missed.

Quest[]

These rare FATEs can only be initiated by players on specific quests. They do not appear on the map or minimap, and their objectives may vary. Players not on the required quest may participate without being required to level sync, but these FATEs give no rewards beyond quest objectives.

Area specific FATEs[]

GATEs[]

GATEs (Gold Saucer Active Time Events) are FATEs that only appear within the Manderville Gold Saucer, and are comprised of a variety of minigames that award MGP. Some GATEs occur within instanced areas much like a duty.

Notorious monsters[]

These boss FATEs appear exclusively within the various regions of eureka, and accordingly use elemental levels rather than regular levels.

Concerted works[]

These FATEs appear exclusively during the reconstruction of the Firmament, and are non-combat FATEs intended for disciples of the hand and land. They see players instead perform various tasks contributing to the reconstruction, and upon completion the Firmament will advance a stage for the entire server, changing visually and opening up new areas. Concerted works are one time only, and can be permanently missed.

Skirmishes[]

These FATEs appear exclusively within save the queen areas. Skirmishes can be battle, boss, defense, or item based FATEs.

Critical engagements[]

Critical engagements are unique FATEs that also only appear within Save the Queen areas. Unlike other FATEs, critical engagements have a limit on how many players can participate, locking out players once the limit is reached. Most critical engagements are single boss battles, including one on one duels, with the exceptions of The Battle of Castrum Lacus Litore and The Dalriada, which are large-scale alliance raids.

Musical themes[]

"Hard to Miss" plays during the majority of normal boss FATEs, while "Torn from the Heavens" plays during most large-scale FATEs. "Thunderer" plays during most endgame FATEs.

Gallery[]