If you’re tired of the straightforwardness of FFXIV’s dungeons, Variant Dungeons might be the way to go. These special high-level duties have multiple endings and yield some unique rewards, and you should probably give them a try.
All Variant Dungeons in FFXIV Listed and Where to Unlock Them
There are currently three different Variant Dungeons in FFXIV, and they all share the same prerequisite of completing Endwalker’s Main Scenario Quests before unlocking them. This unlocks the An Odd Job quest with Osmor in Old Sharlayan (X:12, Y:13.4), which is the final prerequisite for all following Variants.
Each dungeon’s individual quests can all be unlocked with Shallow Moor, who’s right next to Osmor.
The Sil’dihn Subterrane
| Unlock Quest | A Key to the Past |
| Requirements | Lvl 90 |
Mount Rokkon
| Unlock Quest | Mononoke Awake |
| Requirements | Lvl 90 |
Aloalo Island
| Unlock Quest | Stranger from Paradise |
| Requirements | Lvl 90 Completed “A Satrap’s Duty” Main Scenario Quest |
What Are Variant Dungeons in FFXIV?
Variant Dungeons are an alternative type of dungeons introduced in Endwalker. They’re also designed as 4-man content, but not without their own quirks that differentiate them from the usual dungeons we get on Daily Roulettes.
Variants are absent from the Duty Finder and have their own dedicated matching system, the V&C Dungeon Finder. They can also be soloable as enemies have their stats balanced to match how many players entered it.
Players have access to special actions known as Variant Actions which can deal extra damage, heal themselves or allies, revive others and much more, eliminating the need for specific Jobs. You can also freely change Jobs inside the duty, if you really want to.
But the most important difference is that Variants have 12 different possible endings. Each Variant begins with three different paths, and alternative endings are reached depending on which path you took and which choices you made along the dungeon, ranging from NPC interactions to specific actions like using certain emotes.
Enemies will change depending on which path you took, and you only face two bosses instead of three.
Rewards are very attractive too, including exclusive Glamour pieces, rare minions that are usually quite pricey on the Market Board and a special Mount for completing all 12 endings. They also have a harder version with different rewards named Criterion Dungeons, harder iterations that act more like traditional dungeons, but way harder than usual.
Criterion also has a Savage mode for the most ambitious of players, but it usually doesn’t feature many incredible rewards. Most of the exclusive mounts are bound to the Criterion version itself, so you don’t have to suffer through an even harder mode if you don’t feel like it.
