The Steps of Faith (trial)

The Steps of Faith is a trial in Final Fantasy XIV, taking place in the Coerthas Central Highlands during the Defense of Ishgard. Unlike most trials, the Steps of Faith consists of a long bridge which the enemy slowly advances across, breaking down three boundaries along the way. If the boss, Vishap, breaks through the final boundary, the defenses of Ishgard are breached, leading to a non-standard Game Over.
The trial was retired and replaced with a solo quest battle in patch 6.2.
==Progression==
The Steps of Faith is a unique encounter that sees players try to prevent the inexorable advance of the colossal dragon Vishap. Vishap slowly moves across the bridge, largely ignoring the party as it focuses its efforts on Ishgard's defenses, while an army of lesser dragons spawn throughout the encounter to disrupt the party.
Vishap has extremely high HP and several hard-hitting actions. Despite this, Vishap does not pose a significant threat to players themselves, as most of its actions are heavily telegraphed and easily avoided. Landwaster, Sidewise Slice, Body Slam, and Seismic Impact are all capable of one-shotting frailer characters, but the former two have long cast times, while Seismic Impact is only used if players miss the Dragonkiller mechanic, and all of these actions are used only at predictable progression points.
The action that will cause the most disruption is Underfoot, which occurs when players are literally stepped on by the dragon as it walks along the bridge. Underfoot has no ground telegraph, instead being tied to Vishap's walking animation. It deals considerable damage and inflicts heavy knockback, and poorly positioned players can potentially find themselves knocked from one foot into another for a deadly combination. Players should take care to always note Vishap's position so as not to get caught underfoot, sticking to the dragon's sides or rear, or even between its feet beneath its belly.
Along the bridge lay several defense mechanisms players can use to their advantage, though due to power creep most parties can ignore these mechanics in favor of burning down Vishap. Several Ishgardian soldiers will also spawn throughout the duty to aid the party, put are very frail and provide marginal damage output at best.
Unlike nearly any other duty boss, should a player die they can safely return to the duty starting point and rejoin the fight without being locked out.
===Second Ward===
The encounter starts when a player crosses the boundary of the destroyed First Ward towards Vishap, indicated by a glowing line on the ground, and sees Vishap begin its march towards the Second Ward.
In this stretch players can find their first pairs of Bertha cannons. Two pairs of these cannons appear in each stage of the duty. The cannons' Iron Kiss deals heavy fixed damage, providing significant damage output, but players only have a limited window to use them. Some of the lesser dragons that appear will attempt to destroy the cannons, and despite Vishap's sluggish approach it can bear down on the cannons deceptively quickly to an inattentive cannoneer. The cannons also have a minimum range, and thus can't defend themselves at close range. Cannoneers can use their Pitch Bomb to slow incoming dragons to try and prevent them from reaching this minimum range, and Spindly Finger can also briefly the lesser dragons.
When Vishap draws within reach of the Bertha cannons, it will use Sidewise Slice. This is a large cone AoE but has a long-cast time. Any players manning the cannons can dismount them by clicking anywhere, and should do so quickly to avoid Sidewise Slice.
The lesser dragons in each section are led by a stronger mini-boss dragon that spawns in that section's first wave, and is the main threat to players. In the first section this is the Horde Shield Dragon. The Shield Dragon's most dangerous ability is Swinge, an long and hard-hitting frontal cone with no ground telegraph that inflicts and , temporarily disabling players.
Also appearing in this phase are Horde Dragonflies and Wyverns. The Dragonflies are the weakest dragons in the encounter and can be easily AoE'd down, but will immediately aggro on the party healers and should be round up quickly. The Wyverns are more threatening, capable of inflicting and possessing a frontal cone AoE. Wyverns are the only lesser dragon to appear in every stage of the duty, with a pair of them spawning with the second wave in each section.
Once Vishap reaches the Second Ward, it will use Body Slam three times to destroy it, though it and later wards can be prematurely destroyed if they take damage from the AoEs of the lesser dragons. Once Vishap crosses the threshold of a destroyed Ward, any remaining lesser dragons from that phase will despawn, with the exception of mini-bosses such as the Shield Dragon.
===Third Ward===
Immediately upon crossing the threshold towards the Third Ward, the Horde Armored Dragon mini-boss will appear. The Armored Dragon boasts the AoE Hard Stomp, and its massive reach can heavily damage not only the entire party but several of Ishgard's defenses in one blow. Hard Stomp is telegraphed and should be obvious to players. The Armored Dragon will also use Diamondback, granting itself temporary and slowing attempts to bring it down. Both Hard Stomp and Diamondback should be interrupted by stunning the Armored Dragon, either via players' own abilities or the cannons' Spindly Finger.
Accompanying the Armored Dragon are a pair of Horde Biasts. The Biasts spawn with a large amount of enmity towards the Bertha cannons. Cannoneers can use Pitch Bomb to slow their approach. While they initially charge on the cannons, they are not completely fixated, and can be pulled off of them with sufficient enmity. A second pair of Biasts will appear to charge the next set of cannons after the first pair is destroyed.
The approach to the Third Ward will be the party's first opportunity to use a Dragonkiller on Vishap. The Dragonkillers can be found atop the towers on either side of the bridge, and when activated deal massive fixed damage to any enemies caught in their area of effect. Unlike the Bertha cannons, players cannot aim the Dragonkillers and they can only be fired once, and thus must carefully time their shot. When any player approaches the firing mechanism, the target area on the ground below will become visible to the entire party. As with any AoE, for a successful shot the targeted area must be overlapping the target circle beneath Vishap, which is beneath its belly between its four legs. As players in the tower won't be able to see this circle, players on the ground may wish to call the shot when Vishap is in position. The towers also take a long time to climb, so the player manning the firing mechanism needs to be in position before Vishap approaches.
===Fourth Ward===
After crossing the threshold of the Third Ward, the Horde Dragon will appear. The Dragon possesses a stacking poison debuff that it will inflict on its primary target with Salivous Snap, as well as an untelegraphed AoE Toxic Vomit and a long line AoE in Dragon Breath, both of which it will aim at random targets. The Horde Dragon is accompanied by a pair of Horde Aevis, and a second pair of Aevis will spawn after the first Bertha cannons are destroyed. Unlike the enemies unique to other phases, the Aevis do not bear any initial enmity and can be tanked normally.
This is the first phase to feature the Snares, which must be activated to successfully use the Dragonkillers from now on. The Snares have a short range, and as soon as Vishap draws within range it will begin casting Landwaster to destroy the Snares and remaining cannons. Activating both Snares will interrupt Landwaster and prevent Vishap from moving or taking further action for several seconds. A single player can potentially activate both Snares with the aid of or other movement-enhancing actions, but any interruption from the lesser dragons can derail these efforts, so two players activating both Snares is preferred.
If a Dragonkiller is activated in this phase and Vishap is within the target area but isn't tied down by the Snares, it will dodge the missile and use Seismic Impact upon landing, dealing massive damage in a large AoE to all players on the ground below.
===Arc of the Worthy===
Once the Fourth Ward is destroyed, the final barrier to defend is the Arc of the Worthy. Vishap's progress towards the Arc of the Worthy can found on the gauge on the duty finder. Once it reaches 100/100 Vishap will begin its assault on the Arc, destroying it by casting Body Slam three times. The Arc can also take damage from the AoE actions of the lesser dragons, potentially allowing Vishap to destroy with just one or two Body Slams. The most likely culprits to cause this damage are the large AoEs of the Horde Shield Dragon's Swinge, the Horde Armored Tortoise's Hard Stomp, or the Horde Dragon's Dragon Breath. All of these enemies should be defeated before this phase begins to avoid this. The duty will end in failure if the Arc is destroyed.
The lesser dragons in this phase are led by the Horde Transcendent. The Transcendent ignores enmity, attacking players at random with a variety of AoE actions. None of actions feature any kind of ground telegraph or visual cast time, and all inflict . To avoid them, players much watch the Transcendents animations for visual cues as to which action it is using—drawing a claw back for a frontal cone, raising its tail for a rear cone, or drawing in its breath for a ranged AoE. The only action it uses without an animation telegraph is its Heat Breath frontal cone, so players should just avoid standing in front of it a any given time.
Immediately upon beginning this phase several stacks of Powder Kegs will spawn a short distance in front of the Bertha cannons. These Kegs are very frail and will explode upon being destroyed, dealing heavy fixed damage to nearby enemies and triggering the other Kegs. A pair of Horde Drakes that spawn alongside the Transcendent will charge these Kegs to try and detonate them early. The party should endeavor to protect them until Vishap draws close enough to detonate them itself with Underfoot, dealing massive damage to the dragon. Contrary to NPC warnings, the Kegs detonating will not damage players caught in the area of effect. The second pair of Drakes to spawn in this phase will instead charge the Bertha cannons as the Biasts previously did.
==Map==
==Enemies==
Enemy 	Pic	HP 	Abilities
 	 	7,016 	Attack, Electric Velitation, Lunge, Strident Scream
Horde Armored Dragon	 	26,148 	Attack, Diamondback, Hard Stomp, Tortoise Stomp
 	 	7,016 	Attack, Electrify, Levinshower
Horde Dragon 	 	26,148 	Attack, Dragon Breath, Salivous Snap, Toxic Vomit
 	 	3,624 	Attack
 	 	7,016 	Attack, Burning Cyclone
Horde Shield Dragon 	 	26,148 	Attack, Engulfing Flames, Rake, Swinge
Horde Transcendent 	 	26,148 	Bloodboil, Bone Shaker, Fireball, Heat Breath, Ripper Claw, Tail Smash
 	 	7,016 	Attack, Collapse, Spiked Tail
Vishap 	 	696,156	Body Slam, Blazing Shriek, Landwaster, Seismic Impact, Sidewise Slice, Underfoot
==Allies==
Enemy	Pic	HP 	Abilities
 	 	47,068	Untargetable
 	 	6,032 	Burst, Iron Kiss, Pitch Bomb, Spindly Finger
 	 	7,844 	UntargetableDragonkiller
 	 	24,673	Untargetable
 	 	2,407 	Attack, Hawk's Eye, Heavy Shot, Raging Strikes, Venomous Bite
 	 	2,407 	Attack, Feint, Heartstopper, True Thrust
 	 	2,407 	Aero, Attack, Cure, Stoneskin
 	 	2,407 	Attack, Barbaric Surge, Overpower
 	 	2,407 	Attack, Featherfoot, Footwork, Second Wind, Triple Threat
 	 	1,734 	Burst
 	 	24,673	Untargetable
 	 	6,032 	Burst
 	 	24,673	Untargetable
==Quests==
The Steps of Faith are unlocked during the main scenario quest of the same name. Completion of the duty is required to continue the main scenario and awards the Broken Bridges achievement.
s can learn from the Horde Armored Dragon.
==Script==
The Steps of Faith script 	The Steps of Faith script
Duty commenced 	Duty commenced
Ishgardian soldiers 	Banish your fear!
Ishgardian soldiers 	Stand your ground!
Ishgardian soldiers 	Ishgard must not fall!
Ishgardian soldiers 	Blasted dragons!
Lucia the Radiant(on pull) 	We claim victory this day, or Ishgard falls! Accept the Fury into your heart, and defend this bridge with your life's blood!
Lucia the Radiant(first Dragonfly wave) 	They seek to swarm the healers!Focus your attacks on the dragonflies!
Lucia the Radiant(approaching first Bertha cannons) 	Slings and arrows shall avail us little against this foe.Ready the cannons!
Lucia the Radiant(Second Ward destroyed) 	Blast! They've broken through the second layer, but there are yet two more wards behind that! Fight on!
Lucia the Radiant(first Biast wave) 	Biasts!Don't let them rush the cannons!
Lucia the Radiant(approaching first Dragonkiller) 	Climb the tower, and man the dragonkiller!Steady now! Time your shot!
Lucia the Radiant(first Dragonkiller miss) 	Bah, a wasted bolt.We'd best make the other dragonkillers count!
Lucia the Radiant(first Dragonkiller hit) 	A hit!The monster felt that one, by the Fury!
Lucia the Radiant(Third Ward destroyed) 	Another ward down! Bleed them! Bleed them for every step! Our defenses grow thin...
Lucia the Radiant(first Aevis wave) 	Horde reinforcements have arrived!Put down those aevis!
Lucia the Radiant(first Landwaster) 	They mean to overwhelm us...Prepare the snares! Slow their advance!
Lucia the Radiant(first Landwaster cast) 	Damn these Dravanian devils!Keep faith, now! This battle is far from lost!
Lucia the Radiant(first Landwaster interrupted) 	Well done!
Lucia the Radiant(second Dragonkiller dodged) 	It dodged the bloody missile!A creature of that size...
Lucia the Radiant(Fourth Ward destroyed) 	The wards are destroyed! Pull back!We make our final stand before the Arc of the Worthy!
Lucia the Radiant(first Drake wave) 	More Dravanians have landed!Slay those drakes before they reach the powder kegs!
Lucia the Radiant(approaching Powder Kegs) 	Move away from the kegs!You'll be caught in the blast!
Lucia the Radiant(Vishap within Powder Keg range) 	Now! Ignite the powder kegs!
Lucia the Radiant(Powder Keg miss) 	Bah! The timing was off...
Lucia the Radiant(Powder Keg hit) 	Hah! That inflicted some hurt!Back into the fray!
Lucia the Radiant(second Landwaster) 	If it breathes, we are lost!Use both the snares! Choke its throat closed!
Lucia the Radiant(second Landwaster cast) 	By all that is holy...
Lucia the Radiant(second Landwaster interrupted) 	Now! To the dragonkiller!Skewer the foul beast while it thrashes!
Lucia the Radiant(third Dragonkiller hit) 	A fine shot!Now we finish this scaled demon once and for all!
Lucia the Radiant(Vishap arrives at the Arc of the Worthy)	The Arc of the Worthy is at our backs!May Halone grant us the strength to die well in its shadow!
Lucia the Radiant(duty failure) 	Daniffen's Collar is naught but dust on the Sea of Clouds. What hope now for Ishgard...?
Lucia the Radiant(duty success) 	Shout your triumph to the heavens, my friends!This day belongs to Ishgard—and her blessed defenders!
Duty complete 	Duty complete
==Musical themes==
"Faith in Her Fury" serves as the main background music for most of the duty. "Unworthy" plays during the final phase after the Fourth Ward is destroyed.
== Behind the scenes ==
Upon it's release, the trial was notorious among fans for an exceedingly heavy amount of mechanics unusual for A Realm Reborn, resulting in many groups failing to clear the encounter. As a result the trial was nerfed in patch 2.57, with the HP and damage of various enemies including Vishap being reduced. The trial remained unpopular despite this, as the nerfs combined with player power creep over the years led to it becoming known as a long and tedious encounter, as players ignored the unusual mechanics and instead just burned through Vishap's still formidable HP. 
The development team ultimately decided to completely remove the trial and revamp it into a solo quest battle in patch 6.2. Vishap poses a much more significant challenge in this battle, with several of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and other NPCs aiding the player in battling Vishap and his horde. At the end of the duty, the player must defeat Vishap in a DPS race before his flames destroy Lucia the Radiant's shield blocking his path to the final barrier.
Steps of Faith
Steps of Faith