GamerEscape

The Copied Factory is the first 24-man raid in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. It’s available at level 80 after finishing the quest On the Threshold. It can be completed via the duty finder.

Spoiler warning! Be aware that this guide uses the names of the boss mobs.

After entering the dilapidated dig site you come almost immediately upon the first boss encounter.

Serial-jointed Command Model

• Systematic Siege – Four stubbies (NieR robots) will appear around the edge of the arena and begin firing the patented NeiR bullet hell balls in lines across the stage. The stubbies will move as they fire, so keep your eyes open and dodge!
• Clanging Blow – A tank buster.
• Energy Bombardment – Eight AoEs centered on players that culminate in a cluster of pink NeiR balls dropping on them. The damage can be avoided and the AoEs could be stacked for a clearer arena floor. Balls from Systematic Siege will still be in play.
• Forceful Impact – Arena-wide AoE damage.
• Energy Assault – The boss will turn toward a player and fire a cone of balls in their direction that does constant ticks of damage.
• Systematic Targeting (1) – Six robots will drop to the sides and corners of the room and target 6 players with a laser that will follow them until it eventually fires, damaging anyone in its path. If they’re close to their laser bot, targeted players should move to the outside of the room toward their corresponding robot to minimize the area the lasers cover. Otherwise, space yourself from the other lasers and stay still to help everyone else dodge you.
• Forceful Impact
• Centrifugal Spin – The Command Model spins vertically like a saw blade, damaging any players in a wide, linear AoE directly in front of and behind it, as well as those immediately beside it.
• Systematic Airstrike – Each of the four, corner quadrants of the floor will have a set of 2 squares, an inner and an outer, with arrows moving in a direction around their perimeters. Eight stubby robots will drop down, each starting to follow one of the eight paths from above. These can be tricky to avoid if you don’t notice them cornering you. You’ll note that all of the paths move in a clockwise direction and that one of the cardinal directions, or the very center, will have no robots hovering directly over them when they first appear. To avoid being pincered by the moving airstrike robots, move toward this empty space. The bots may move into this area as they circle their squares, so you’ll likely have to shift away from them, but you should be left with enough open space during the length of this encounter to avoid any insane dodging. (Unfortunately for melee ranged players, if your main tank isn’t using this method, you’ll end up with some down time.)

• Clanging Blow – This is the same as the earlier tank buster, but it will happen right before the robots start dropping balls for Systematic Airstrike.
• Systematic Suppression (1) – Two groups of 4 robots will drop one after the other, each charging up a laser blast that takes up half the arena. Stay out of the first half until the lasers shoot and then move into that half to avoid the second wave of lasers.
• Forceful Impact
• Systematic Siege*
• Energy Bombardment
• Systematic Targeting (2) – Only 4 bots will drop this time during Systematic Siege.
• Clanging Blow
• Centrifugal Spin OR Sidestriking Spin – Similarly to Centrifugal Spin, during Sidestriking Spin the boss will spin in a vertical circle, but this one hits in two parallel lines to either side of it, so tuck into its centerline.
• Forceful Impact
• Systematic Airstrike
• Shockwave – This knock-back happens during Systematic Airstrike. Either aim yourself well to avoid being knocked into the airstrike stubby robots, or use your knock-back nullifiers.
• The Command Model beings charging an uncast, circular AoE centered under it. After it explodes, a ring AoE forms around the first AoE, so step in (or stay further out) to avoid that damage. A second, even larger ring will form after than one, then a third, moving out toward the edge of the room, for a series of 4 AoEs total.
• Energy Assault
• Systematic Suppression (2) – Three groups of bots drop in sequence this time, with the first group showing up alone, and the last two showing up together. First move to the safe half of the arena from the first group to appear, then look at the perpendicular walls to find the safe side there. This should limit you to one temporarily safe quadrant. Once the first laser group goes off, move parallel to the first side into the space the first shot just cleared to avoid the double laser shot.

• Forceful Impact
• Centrifugal Spin OR Sidestriking Spin
• Clanging Blow
• *Repeats from Systematic Siege.

Mini Encounter 1

9 Small Stubbies

At the end of a short run, 3 groups of 3 stubby robots wait for you. Gather all 9 together and go to town with damage. They have no attacks of significance, and once they’re dead, another group will spawn.

1 Multi-leg Medium Model, 2 Small Bipeds, & 4 Small Fliers

• Low Energy Offensive – Each of the Small Fliers continuously will charge and shoot a slow moving pink orb, much like the Systematic Siege mechanic in the first fight. Take these out quickly to avoid having to deal with extra dodging.
• Frontal Somersault – A circular AoE centered on the player with hate on the Small Bipeds.
• High Frequency Laser – A linear AoE laser shot at a random player by the Multi-leg Medium Model.

After this pack is defeated, move on to the second boss.

Hobbes

Each party of the alliance will always automatically go to a specific platform and each platform’s mechanics are slightly different. You’ll be dealing with whatever your platform throws at you in combination with the mechanics the boss is doing, so the breakdown for this fight might look a little complicated. Keep in mind that you’ll only been dealing with a third of the platform mechanics here at any given time.

Additionally, it’s important to note that rather than facing the boss at the center of the arena as in most fights, you’ll probably want to face the wall at the back of your platform. That’s where most of the visual cues for your platform mechanics will come from. Platform and wall specific mechanics often don’t have cast bars and will instead give you a prompt near center screen that tells you what your specific platform is about to do.

Phase 1

This phase is meant to teach you the individual mechanics that the boss will be throwing at you in combination later and the platforms will spin when it’s time to experience the next mechanic type. The platforms don’t always spin in the same direction, so you may not always get the same order as you might have had the time before. They will spin fully around in one direction once the fight starts so that you experience all 3 major wall mechanics, as well as your specific platform mechanic, before phase 2. Pay attention to the text prompts on your screen as well as when the boss shoots his activation beams to determine what you’ll be dealing with (or just wing it)!

• Laser-resistance Test – Three blasts of an arena wide AoE. Each time Hobbes uses this attack, he’ll add another blast until he reaches his max of 6.
• Hobbes will shoot an activation beam toward each of the 3 platforms. Each platform will experience all three of the activation beam (wall) mechanics in turn.
  • A – “The wall-mounted right arm begins to move…” A small circle in the center of the platform directly under the aforementioned right arm will become no-mean’s land, as well as the epicenter for a set of three AoEs: 2 conals, and 1 large donut with a very small unsafe circle in the middle of the donut. These 3 rotate around the platform based on the direction of the spinning orange (clockwise) or blue (counter-clockwise) arrow indicator centered on that first circle of no-man’s land. They will disappear and reappear in one of the 3 positions they first appeared in, but because they’re rotating and not uniform shapes, this could catch you off guard. There are a number of perfectly acceptable ways to dodge these, but if you’re having trouble, try starting in one of the smaller safe spots on either side of the donut. These require the least amount of movement as the AoEs rotate.

• B – “The wall-mounted flamethrowers activate.” A combination of 4 of the 8 flamethrowers on the wall will begin glowing to indicate where they will fire. Dodge!
  
• C – “The wall-mounted left arm begins to move…” The left arm picks up and drops a box at the center of the platform, doing proximity damage. The sides of the box then fall open, doing damage to anyone under them. Make sure you position yourself at a corner of the box to avoid this. Also note that the box might turn slightly as it drops from the left arm. Four small exploders will emerge from the box and tether to 4 party members. The tank should pick up these tethers by running through them (the tethers, not the players), and take the damage alone with a cool-down.

• Platforms rotate.
• Activation beam.
  • “The wall-mounted left arm begins to move…”
  • or “The wall-mounted right arm begins to move…”
  • or “The wall-mounted flamethrowers activate.”
• Ring Laser – Appropriately, a ring forms around the outside of the platform and moves inward in a sequence of three rings, shrinking in size. You can stand at the center for the entirety of this since the ring never reaches the middle, but later combos of platform mechanics may require you to wait for a ring to explode and then step outward toward the edge of the ring instead.
• Platforms rotate.
• Activation beam.
  • “The wall-mounted flamethrowers activate.”
  • or “The wall-mounted left arm begins to move…”
  • or “The wall-mounted right arm begins to move…”
• Laser Sight – A linear AoE focused on a healer that will move with them. Everyone should stack to soak the damage.
• Platforms rotate and return everyone to their initial positions. These last 3 mechanics listed are specific to each round platform, so you will only experience 1 of them per entrance into the raid based on which party you’re a member of.
  • A – “You hear frenzied movements from machines beneath…” Every other row of stubby faces below the grating on the platform will light up, eventually firing off a line of lightning. After they go off, the opposite rows will light up. Getting hit by this will apply a lightning DoT.
  • B – “The conveyer belts whir to life.” (spelled wrong in game :o!?) A ring of electricity forms around the edge of the platform and 6 rows of arrows appear in 1 of a possible 4 patterns (2 versions of alternating rows, all left, and all right). Once the conveyor belts activate, you’ll be pushed in the indicated direction, so position yourself appropriately to avoid touching the wall and getting the resulting vulnerability stack from it. Knock-back nullification abilities will work here.
  • C – “Flammable oil is leaking from the floor…” Each of the 4 vats set into the floor will start to bubble and soon vent through the grate. Once they’ve let off steam, they’ll close and the rest of the platform now holds the oil. Getting hit by the oil alone isn’t fatal, but it applies a slow debuff, as well as a fire resist down that is murderous when combined with other hits. In phase two, this mechanic happens twice per time it appears, so keep an eye on which part of the floor is safe.

Phase 2

Once again, the direction the platforms rotate is random, but the fight still proceeds in the same mechanical order. You’ll only be changing the wall mechanics you’re reacting to.

• Platforms rotate.
• Laser-resistance Test – Four blasts.
• Short-range Missile – Four players will have large circular AoEs centered on them that travel with them. These need to be handled in conjunction with platform mechanics:
  • A – “You hear frenzied movements from machines beneath…” Avoid the lightning rows while spreading the 4 missile AoEs out.
  • B – “The conveyer belts whir to life.” Check the arrows for your new knock-back combo and space out the AoEs while positioning to be pushed across the floor and avoiding the lightning ring. As before, knock-back nullification abilities will work here, but could cause some trouble if another player with an AoE circle doesn’t use their ability and slides into an overlap with someone who does. If you plan on using yours, try and make it to an outside edge.
  • C – “Flammable oil is leaking from the floor…” Your safe spots are currently on top of the previously opened vats, but the Short-range Missiles will go off right before the oil explosion, so make sure you stand on the safe circles. Even if you’re in a missile AoE, be on safe floor! With a little shuffling, everyone should be able to squeeze on with no issue. Two missiles can fit on a platform if both players are right on the edge. After the missiles land and the platform of oil vents, the vats will become dangerous to stand on again. Avoid them as they explode once more.
• Laser Sight
• Activation beam.
  • “The wall-mounted flamethrowers activate.”
  • or “The wall-mounted left arm begins to move…”
  • or “The wall-mounted right arm begins to move…”
• Platforms rotate.
• Laser-resistance Test – Five blasts.
• Ring Laser – This happens in conjunction with platform mechanics:
  • A – “You hear frenzied movements from machines beneath…” Avoid the shifting lightning lines as the rings AoEs shrink inward.
  • B – “The conveyer belts whir to life.” The knock-back will go off before Ring Laser‘s first ring explodes, so just position yourself to be knocked to the center. Alternatively, stand in the center and use your knock-back nullifier.
  • C – “Flammable oil is leaking from the floor…” The oil floor changes in the middle of the rings shrink inward, so while the middle of the floor is initially safe, it changes before the last ring lands You have a very small amount of time to make it from the middle to the 4 safe vat circles, so it’s best to step out of the second to last circle to a safe spot before-hand.

• Short-range Missile – These will conclude before the following wall mechanics:
• Activation beam
  • “The wall-mounted left arm begins to move…”
  • or “The wall-mounted right arm begins to move…”
  • or “The wall-mounted flamethrowers activate.”
• Platforms rotate.
• Laser-resistance Test – Six blasts.
• Laser Sight – This happens in conjunction with platform mechanics:
  • A – “You hear frenzied movements from machines beneath…” Shift across the lightning rows, staying in line with Laser Sight.
  • B – “The conveyer belts whir to life.” The row are once again alternating, so try and stack with your group on the same line so that you’re all moved together.
  • C – “Flammable oil is leaking from the floor…” Stay together for the linear AoE while moving from safe spot to safe spot as the floor changes.
• Activation beam + Ring Laser
  • “The wall-mounted right arm begins to move…” You may find it easier to dodge out of the shrinking rings to avoid the rotating AoEs.
  • or “The wall-mounted flamethrowers activate.” Remember that you may be required to step outside of the shrinking rings to avoid the flamethrowers. (see if it’s always center)
  • or “The wall-mounted left arm begins to move…” You’ll definitely need to step outside the first ring to avoid the proximity damage from the box dropping. It will also make avoiding the falling walls easier.
• Platforms rotate.
• Laser-resistance Test – Six blasts.
• Phase 2 repeats in its entirety until defeat. All Laser-resistance Tests do 6 blasts after the first cycle.

Mini Encounter 2

Goliath Tank

• Energy Ring – A sequence of 4 rings of AoE start at and move out from the Goliath Tank. This happens twice.
• Three players are tethered to 3 robots that chase them down and explode. Avoid the rest of the alliance.
• At the same time, 3 players will be markers with large circular AoEs that travel with them. Avoid the rest of the alliance.
• Laser Turret – The Goliath Tank will turn toward a random player for a linear AoE.
• This sequence repeats from the beginning until defeat, but all mechanics are doubled. A third repeat theoretically might multiply the mechanics times 3, and so on.

Flight Unit

• Area Bombing* – Three players will be marked and tethered to the boss. A series of 7 circle AoEs will move out from the Flight Unit following the linear path between it and the last point the tethered players were standing on when the AoEs started radiating out. Since the tether itself does no damage, stacking them is the best way to keep the arena clear.
• 360-degree Bombing Maneuver – Arena-wide AoE damage.
• Lightfast Blade – And AoE will cover the entire arena 180 degrees in front of the Flight Unit.
• Area Bombing – Six tethers.
• Lightfast Blade
• Lightfast Blade – The Flight Unit will dash toward one side of the room, turn and start charging his attack toward everyone who was just DPSing at the center of the room.
• 360-degree Bombing Maneuver
• 360-degree Bombing Maneuver
• Lightfast Blade
• *Repeats from Area Bombing with 6 players tethered again, but should be dead or very close to dead at this point.

The next boss awaits you.

Engels

A, B, and C markers should be placed to the southwest, center north, and southeast. Be very careful when approaching the edge of this arena, as you can fall off.

Phase 1

• Marx Smash – This can be one of 4 different moves, and you’ll have to observe Engels’s visual tells to figure out which one you’re dealing with. For this first one, Engels will always do 1 of the 2 easier ones to figure out, drawing back a flaming arm and punching across one half of the platform. It can be either arm, so observe his movements. Getting hit applies a vulnerability stack.
• Marx Smash – This one will be on the opposite of the first side.
• Precision Guided Missile – A tank buster style mechanic that focuses on all 3 tanks. They should move away from the rest of their groups, as the resulting explosion does splash damage.
• Incendiary Bombing – Three players will be marked with red markers to drop fairly large fire/lava puddles. Move them away from the alliance for the majority’s convenience. These don’t explode immediately upon the AoE indicators showing up, so these can be stacked.
• Guided Missile – The players will be marked with pulsing circles that trail moving arrows behind them. This mechanic will chase you for 4 hits, so avoid both the other members of the alliance and the other two marked players while continuously running.
• Diffuse Laser – Arena-wide AoE damage.
• Marx Smash – Like the previous 2 versions of this, Engels will indicate which Smash he’s going to do based on his posture. In the first of this set of them, he always leans forward, arms aflame and raised up straight. After the charge, he’ll smash his arms down on the entirety of the back half of the platform, then after another brief charge will pull his arm sup the sides of the platform from the back to the front. In short: if he’s leaning forward with his arms up straight = stand center on the front half of the platform.
• Marx Smash – This final smash is the opposite of the one immediately prior. If you see him leaning back with his flaming arms out to either side, he’ll smash the front half of the platform and then shove his arms straight down the middle, so stand on the back half of the platform on the sides.

• Energy Barrage – First the boss will fire a laser down the center of the platform, then a cluster of 12 puddles that need someone standing in them when they explode will form at the front of the platform. Fill in the 6 puddles on the sides (3 on either side) while the laser is firing, then quickly stand in the remaining 6 that were previously under the beam. A vuln’ stack will be applied for every puddle without a person in it when the mechanic concludes.
• Surface Missile – Ten circular AoEs will form on the ground. Some seem to form under players, while others pop up randomly, making stacking then difficult, if not impossible.
• Precision Guided Missile
• Diffuse Laser

Phase 2

Engels backs off to start charging a hefty laser attack and leaves three set of adds for each party’s tank to pick up. Don’t be overly concerned with the small stubbies, as 2P will take care of them very shortly. The larger Reverse-jointed Goliath mobs must be faced outward or you risk catching the other parties in huge conals (Arm Laser). They must also be kept apart or they will tether to one another and give each other defense up buffs.

Kill all three before Engels’s charge gauge reaches 100 or the raid will wipe. If your alliance is successful, Engels fires off a laser that you’ll be capable of surviving.

Seeing his blast has failed, Engels ducks under the platform you’re currently standing on and headbutts it into oblivion. His attack does proximity damage from the center, and throws the alliance to a secondary platform.

Phase 3

• Marx Activation – Saw arms will appear on either side of the platform and pincer across it three times. They can start in either the front or the back.
• Area Bombardment – Combines Incendiary Bombing, Surface Missile, and Guided Missile one after the other.
• Diffuse Laser
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile – You’ll get either one of these at random between Smashes.
• Marx Smash – All instances of this mechanic in this phase will be semi-random between the 4 possible. It seems like it might not repeat a specific type until all 4 have been executed.
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile
• Marx Smash
• Incendiary Saturation Bombing – The back of the platform is covered in an AoE.
• Marx Crush – Engels’s arms will come in from either side, doing damage to anyone standing in the projected AoEs on either side.
• Crushing Wheel – Both arms, Marx L and Marx R will cast Crushing Wheel, spinning and moving inward a little each time a cast finishes until either the alliance must destroy both arms, or is pincered in the AoEs.
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile
• Marx Smash
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile
• Marx Smash
• Energy Barrage
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile
• Diffuse Laser
• Precision Guided Missile
• Diffuse Laser
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile
• Marx Smash
• Incendiary Bombing/Surface Missile
• Marx Smash
• Phase 3 repeats in its entirety, with the saw arms from Marx Activation starting from the other side.

9S-operated Walking Fortress

A, B, and C markers should be placed, with A in the center west, B in the center south, and C in the center east.

Phase 1

• Neutralization – A tank buster.
• Laser Saturation – Arena-wide AoE damage.
• Laser Turret – The boss will turn toward a random player, charge and fire a laser beam. Avoid his face. Getting hit by this will apply a vuln’ stack.
• Six stationary ground AoEs and 6 traveling AoEs centered on players will appear. Spread out and avoid as needed.
• Fore-hind Cannons OR Dual-flank Cannons –
  • Fore-hind Cannons – The boss will fire a conal AoE from its front and back. Getting hit by these will apply a vuln’ stack.
  • Dual-flank Cannons – The boss will fire a conal AoE from both of its sides. Getting hit by these will apply a vuln’ stack.
• Engage Marx Support – Two saw arms will hang over two corner of the arena diagonal to each other. Getting hit by these will cause a vuln’ stack. Stand in either of the safe two corners and be prepared to dodge the ground AoE circles that will appear under the other players huddling in the safe corner with you.
• Laser Turret
• Laser Saturation
• Undock – 9S leaves the Walking Fortress behind and does a series of dive bombs. The dives will divide the floor into 3 separate lanes that you must dodge between. It’s important to note that the dive AoEs are not instant, and instead move sequentially across the arena. The direction 9S comes from seems to be almost entirely random.

• 9S returns to the Walking Fortress.
• Neutralization
• Anti-personnel Missile – The 16 squares on the arena floor will light up in 1 of a few different patterns, followed by a second pattern. Wait until you see an animation of an explosion on the first lit squares, then move into the freshly safe square. The order and placement of patterns is random.

• Laser Turret

Phase 2

• Engage Goliath Tank Support – Two Goliath Tanks will drop to the arena, one in the northeast, one in the southwest. Both will tether to 9S and seal him in a bubble. Both tanks must be tanked by tanks (heh) facing outward, as they will do laser turret style attacks focused on the player with the most hate. Take them out to clear the bubble while avoiding circular ground AoEs dropped on random players and healing through 9S’s Laser Saturation. The Goliath Tanks’ laser turret attacks, ground AoEs and Laser Saturation will cycle until both tanks are disabled.
• Hack Goliath Tank + Convenient Self-destruction (?) – One of the 2 disabled tanks will tether to 9S and begin a self-destruct cast. Hide behind the other Goliath Tank to survive.
• The remaining Goliath Tank also gets ready to explode in a much smaller (but still large) circular AoE. Move to safety while watching out for 3 players marked with circular AoEs that travel with them. Be aware of the next mechanic, as well, as you may have difficulty avoiding it if you moved too far whilst attempting to avoid the second tanks explosion.
• Fore-hind Cannons OR Dual-flank Cannons
• Laser Saturation
• Neutralization

Phase 3

Three Serial-jointed Service Model mobs will come to back up 9S. Each Alliance’s tank should grab and separate their mobs to their appropriate markers. Make sure you’re with your team or you may inadvertently kill another party with a stack mechanic. These mobs use the same abilities as the first fight.

• Clanging Blow
• A stack mechanic.
• Centrifugal Spin OR Sidestriking Spin

Meanwhile, 9S is readying:

• Total Annihilation – Killing the 3 Serial-jointed Service Models before the Hacking gauge fills will spawn a bubble shield that will save you.

Phase 4

• Neutralization
• Ground AoEs.
• Laser Turret
• Anti-personnel Missile – There is a sequence of three patterns this time.
• Fore-hind Cannons OR Dual-flank Cannons
• Laser Saturation
• Undock – 9S will do 3 sets of dive bombs, with the first and second set including a single pattern of Anti-personnel Missile. Since there’s only 1 pattern, you don’t have to dodge into the square that’s just exploded this time, but you may find you need to to avoid the dive bombs.
• 9S returns.
• Laser Saturation
• Engage Marx Support* – Three arms will appear this time, leaving only 1 safe corner.
• Traveling AoEs.
• Fore-hind Cannons OR Dual-flank Cannons
• Neutralization
• Ground AoEs.
• Laser Turret
• Anti-personnel Missile – Three patterns.
• Fore-hind Cannons OR Dual-flank Cannons
• Laser Saturation
• Ground AoEs.
• Laser Turret
• Fore-hind Cannons OR Dual-flank Cannons
• Neutralization
• Laser Saturation
• *Likely repeats from Engage Marx Support.

Congratulations, you’ve completed The Copied Factory!