WithThe Arcadion (Savage)raid tier making its debut inFinal Fantasy XIV, there’s been plenty of chatter around encounter design and what makes some of these fights really shine. Amid the discussions, you may see the term ‘door boss’ come up fairly often, but what does that mean?

For anyone who isn’t deep intoFFXIVterminology, the term can be a little confusing. In short, a door boss is the first boss in a two-phase duty. Defeating this first boss creates a kind of checkpoint in the middle of the fight. When your enemy’s HP hits zero, there’s typically a cutscene and a new boss form.

What is a door boss in Final Fantasy XIV?

Is this annoying? Sure, but it’s got its benefits. If the party wipes from this point on, you’ll start the fight over from the middle as long as you don’t leave the duty or run out of time. Should you exit either way, the party must start the fight over from the beginning and defeat the door boss again.

Duties with a door boss in Final Fantasy XIV

Door bosses crop up throughout all kinds of duties inFFXIV. Two notable door bosses are included in relatively low level duties – the level 50 trial Porta Decumana and the final boss of the level 60 dungeon The Aetherochemical Research Facility. They’re more common, however, in 8-player Raids and 24-player Alliance Raids.

The following Trials include a door boss:

As I said, door bosses are more common in Raids and Alliance Raids. Here’s the full list of door boss encounters in these types of duties:

Kefka, a door boss in Final Fantasy XIV

Image of Gyokeres TOTS in EA FC 25

The Flying Disc in PEAK

Uber Klaus in BO6 Zombies in Season 5

Ancient Idol in PEAK

PEAK Mesa biome

A character dressed as a pirate standing in front of a flying ship in disney dreamlight valley

A bunch of characters battling bugs in Fortnite

The Mesa biome in PEAK