Garlaige Coffer - WHM AF  

For years, that agonizing wailing you've heard from the depths of Garliage Citadel wasn't from the Fallen Mages or the undead; it was from the many fellow players desperately shouting for help in trying to get through the 4 man banishing gates to have a shot at the coffers containing their artifact gear. You might have heard that same wailing for help in the streets of Jeuno or maybe in your own linkshell. But now, with the release of WoTG, there is a way you can gain access to these coffers all by your lonesome.

This post only deals with the subject of accessing these areas by bypassing the 4 man banishing gates. Its not a complete artifact guide, so we are assuming the following:


- You haven't yet done the "Sparkling Light" mini-quest (this quest doesn't appear in your quest log, even if completed).
- You have already activated the cavernous maws introduced in the WoTG expansion.
- You have correctly flagged your quest and already acquired your coffer key

Plenty of threads on this and other sites (including the posts previous to this) provide detailed info on the last requirement described above. Be sure and do your homework. This post deals with solo access to the coffer spawn areas of GC only. Think you're ready? Lets find out.

Here's your checklist. You'll need the following:

- Your GC coffer key.
- One flower. Can be any one of the following: Amaryllis, Asphodel, Carnation, Dahlia, Marguerite, Rain Lily, Snow Lily
- You (geared and going as the job the artifact gear you seek corresponds to if you are seeking BST, MNK, WHM, PLD or RDM AF gear).
- A method to sneak and invis yourself frequently (mage types have it easy, other jobs can go the oils/prisms, ninja tools, route).
- An exit strategy (i.e. warp, tele, warp scroll/cudgel, trick staff II, whatever)
- Reraise (optional, but things do go wrong, especially in GC. If you're not a WHM, a reraise earring can be your best friend).
- Printed maps of Garliage Citadel showing coffer spawn locations. As mentioned in previous posts, maps with coffer spawn point locations can be accessed on numerous websites including www.ffxi-atlas.com

Head on out to Sauromugue Champaign [S] where you'll find the entrance to Garlaige Citadel [S] down in SW corner of the map at H-10. Good idea NOT to have a sword icon near your name (i.e. no campaign battle tags active) since we don't want aggro from any battle happy Yagudo that might storm the place during a campaign battle here.

Once you enter GC[S], run through the first heavy iron gate and make your way eastward. Your destination is that tip at the far NE corner of Map #1. Once there, you'll pass through another heavy iron gate at I-7 leading you into the unmarked area of the map which doesn't show in game (see, you should've printed out those maps like I told 'ya!). Past this gate, you'll head east down a very long corridor where you'll find another heavy iron gate at J-6. Passing through this gate puts you on Map #2 for GC[S].

Continue east down another long corridor (passing by Banishing Gate #3) until you see an npc named Randecque at I-6. Good time to lay a marker on your game map with his name, because we'll be coming back to him later. Talking to him isn't required for our quest - we're just using him as a point of reference for navigation purposes. But for now, we'll be headed south through the heavy iron door right behind him.

Go thru and keep making your way south until you encounter another heavy iron gate at I-7. Your goal is to make your way to the very bottom corner of this map, so head south through this entire series of areas. Eventually, you'll find your way I-9, where you'll meet up with a dire bat, and possibly a mousse, so sneak up accordingly. Head through the heavy iron gate here and then make your way west.

Keep making your way west down this hallway to the very end. You'll see that once you reach the end, it splits into 2 directions (north and south). Take the south fork, where you'll find (you guessed it...) another heavy iron gate at G-9. Pass through this gate and you'll encounter the Lycopodium NPC for the "Sparkling Light" side quest I mentioned.

You need to click on this NPC, which should get you a very brief cutscene and the message "You're memory is engraved with an image of your surroundings and the fragrance of flowers..."

Got it? Good. Don't worry about the flower you brought quite yet - that comes later. For now, you need to backtrack all the way back to our buddy Randecque at the NE corner of the map (you DID lay down that marker, didn't you?). Remember, he's on that unmarked portion of the game map up around I-6.

Once you pass Randecque again, head east down to the very end of the hallway and then hang a left where you'll zone out into Sauromugue Champaign [S]. You'll find yourself on that upper cliff area that is normally inaccessible in present day Sauromugue Champaign (except via the traditional 4 man access thru Banishing Gate #3). Which is all well and fine, except you're in the past and your coffers are in the present. No prob. Head to the north east corner of that cliff area you're currently on (careful not to fall off the main edge of the cliff) and at K-9 you'll find the cavernous maw that will take you back to present day.

Note: As mentioned earlier, it is assumed you have already unlocked the cavernous maws as part of the WoTG Mission 1. If this is the first maw you are unlocking, you MAY be able to access it back to the present, but it may be ill advised. According to Wiki: "Do NOT go back in the present and leave the cliff if this is the Cavernous Maw you exit in the first CS of Mission 1. Go unlock another Cavernous Maw in the past such as Rolanberry Fields (S) first. Otherwise, you'll have to either proceed through all three Banishing Gates and exit Garlaige Citadel in the present, or get tractored up the cliff in the present to go back into the past again." And that's exactly the kind of misery we're trying to avoid with this solo strategy in the first place.

All right, so you've dived into the maw and popped out on the same cliff in the present. Head back to that zone exit you took and back into Garlaige Citadel. Once in, congratulate yourself. You're in the area behind Banishing Gate #3. And if whip out your handy printed maps showing coffer spawns, you'll see there's 3 potential spawn points in this area at I-5, G-6, and I-7. Be sure not to fall off that ledge at I-7 until you've checked on the other two locations first. And keep that sneak up --there are a lot of dead types here who would love to make you a permanent resident. Good time to reraise too.

If you're lucky, you found your coffer and are probably trying on your new AF gear. Good time to warp out? Sure -- guess you won't need that flower after all. Was the run to the Lycopodium NPC to complete the first part of the mini-quest a waste of time? It all depends. Monks, Red Mages, Paladins, White Mages and Beastmasters all have artifact found in coffers here. If you think you'll be solo hunting for AF coffers in GC for any of these jobs in the future, just bring a flower and you'll be pre-prepped to access the second short cut described below if needed.

If you didn't find your coffer in this first area, lets head down to the second coffer spawn area behind Banishing Gate #2. To do that, sneak/invis up, head south and jump off that ledge I warned you about at I-7. This is a one way route, so, again, make sure you checked all 3 possible coffer spawn points in this area before jumping down.

Head south, south, south, hugging the left wall. Be quick, but watch out for the explosures (which aggro sight and magic). Once you've made your way to the very, very bottom of the map at I-9, turn that corner and head west, down the hallway and past Banishing Gate #2. Keep both sneak and invis up, and be wary of the pots and explosures in adjacent rooms which aggro magic too. Make your way to the fork at the very end of this corridor and hang a left (south).

Look familiar? Probably not, with all the debris and mess, but this is the place your Lycopodium buddy use to hang in the past. But he's not here any more, and all that remains is a nebulous sparkling of lights. You need to get up this ledge of debris and make your way south to the area that lies behind Banishing Gate #2, but how? Whip out that flower you brought and trade it to the sparkling lights (it doesn't have a name, but you can target it just the same). If you traded the correct flower (you will lose the flower when you trade it) you should get another brief cutscene with the message "The fragrance of the flower sends your senses reeling back to the world of the past...". Once you get out of this 3 second cs, you'll find yourself at the top of that impassible ledge of debris. Jump for joy - but don't fall back down! You want to head into that second area where your remaining coffer spawns are.

If you look at your coffer spawn map, one of the four remaining potential coffer spawn points is right here at the top of this ledge at E-8 (once you're at the top of the ledge, you're officially on Map #3). Still not lucky? Time to head east and hunt down the remaining 3 spots at G-8, H-8 or I-7. As mentioned, this is a "short" guide to access only. For tips on dealing with the meanies in this area and the methods of popping coffers surrounded by potential aggro, refer to the numerous stories and experiences of your fellow adventurers in the many other posts found in this thread.

According to your map, there are a total of 7 potential spawn points in Garaige Citadel for your coffer to pop (don't get them mixed up with treasure chests, which are a totally different thing). Ran the entire route and still didn't find your coffer? Unlikely, but if you're certain you checked all locations accurately, I suppose its possible a competitor popped your coffer while you were traveling from the first area of coffer spawns to the second area (I told you to be quick!). Stay cool: most believe that coffers respawn no later than 30 minutes* after they are last popped. Log out in a safe place (the far corner of I-7 at the top of the stairs is pretty popular as a safe spot) and go mule or watch TV. Log in periodically and re-check the 4 spawn points in this area. If you're still unlucky (and man, after all that you MUST be!), try again another day (and don't forget to bring another flower). After all, you now know the secret shortcut to soloing the infamous Garaige Citadel coffer hunt!

Kudos to LordDVS of Bismarck for tipping me off on this new access route (which is probably old news by the time you're reading this). Over time, this post and strategy will be common knowledge, but to the many "old schoolers" who endured countless hours waiting behind closed gates and begging for help from friends and strangers to get through breeches, this is a godsend. Thanks SE.

Note: the "Sparkling Light" side quest also provides similar shortcuts in two other areas (Batallia Downs [S] and North Gustaberg [S]). Go to wiki.ffxiclopedia.org and do a search for "Lycopodium (NPC)" to find out more.





*UPDATE: as of a game update on December 2008, coffer respawn times have been reduced dramatically. Coffers now have been noted to respawn approx. 5 minutes after being opened.


Edited, Oct 20th 2009 10:10am by Baddaboomz