Menace Beneath Lucis

Menace Beneath Lucis is a sidequest in Final Fantasy XV that becomes available by defeating the game and continuing to play into Chapter 15. The player must also complete the following dungeons: Costlemark Tower, Crestholm Channels, Balouve Mines, and Daurell Caverns. Once these conditions have been met, one must travel to Meldacio Hunter HQ southeast of the Vesperpool to meet an elderly woman named Ezma Auburnbrie sat outside the diner. She will hand Noctis the Sealbreakers Key, a mystical key used to seal away a great evil, said to be forged by a Lucian king and an Oracle of yore. The key does not carry over to New Game Plus or when using chapter select.
The Windows and Royal Editions add monoliths to the dungeons which the player can read to fill out their Datalog and get further lore on the dungeons themselves.
The symbols on the seals doors are circular patterns that glow red when the door is opened. Though their red glow somewhat likens them to Solheimian technology, the symbols are also similar to those surrounding the havens. The people of Eos believe that the havens repel daemons due to the powers of the Oracle.
==Story==
The sealed doors conceal a tremendous danger. When they were created is unknown, and whether they were all created by the same person(s), but the key to them was said to have been forged by a king and an Oracle long ago. What is known is that they were created by a king of Lucis and an Oracle in a time daemons had emerged in Lucis. The Wall is mentioned on a monolith, and if this refers to the "new Wall" rather than the Old Wall, it would give the time frame of 150 years ago at most, at least for that particular menace dungeon.
A king and an Oracle sealed beasts dubbed "menaces"—beasts too strong for them to fell—underground for the True King to eventually deal with, believing their Chosen heir to be strong enough to take on the challenge. The menace dungeons became a closely guarded secret of the royal family, as the rulers greatly regret their inability to protect their realm from these monsters, only managing to contain the threat into the future. The king(s) left behind messages engraved on monoliths to the king who would one day brave the dungeons' depths.
According to Ezma, the doors were only a temporary solution and would eventually break. Knowing this, she waited for someone she thought capable of destroying the monsters to entrust the key. Regis Lucis Caelum met Ezma during his journey 30 years ago. Ezma believed Regis could destroy the monsters, but due to the circumstances of his journey, he was unable to. He promised he would take the task when the war with Niflheim was over. When Niflheim decimated Insomnia, this promise was thought to be lost, but Prince Noctis, Regis's son, would end up fulfilling it unknowingly. As Noctis and his retinue scour the dungeons they learn of the past rulers' plight from the monoliths, convincing Noctis he must finish what his ancestors had started and destroy the daemons within.
==Locations==
The party receives eight quests to travel throughout Lucis and defeat the mini-bosses at the end of each dungeon. The Sealbreaker opens the sealed doors in eight different dungeons:
*Keycatrich Trench
*Greyshire Glacial Grotto
*Fociaugh Hollow
*Daurell Caverns
*Balouve Mines
*Steyliff Grove
*Crestholm Channels
*Costlemark Tower
Completing all eight quests rewards the player with the Hunter's Medal Treasure.
==Quests==
===Menace Beneath Lucis===
This quest requires all menaces to be defeated. Once completed, the player can return to Ezma to get the Hunter Medal and complete Ezma's dossier. While inside the dungeons, the summon prompt never happens.
===A Menace Sleeps in Keycatrich===
Keycatrich's sealed door is located in the deepest part of the dungeon, a little way behind a crawlspace after the Tomb of the Conqueror. The player must descend through a series of floors with the goal to defeat the boss at the bottom. This menace dungeon has 20 floors each consisting of one item and a set of monsters the player must defeat to proceed to the next floor. There is a haven along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook. 
This menace dungeon houses various flan-type daemons that resist weapons (apart from the royal arms) and some elements except Light. Elemancy can easily take care of specific flan, but the tight spaces can damage the player's allies as well. Equipping Light-elemental weapons (e.g. Dominator, Orichalcum, etc.) can help deal additional damage. The player can also use the Ring of the Lucii and the Magitek Exosuit for an easy journey. The boss on the final floor is a Lakhmu Flan, an over-sized black flan whose attacks are powerful but can be easily dodged and parried.
On the 6th floor the path branches out, the player must take the path on the left. After the camp, the path branches out twice; the first time on the 12th floor, and again on the 16th, be sure to take the path in the middle, both times.
The special treasures obtainable in this menace dungeon are: Hyper Magnum firearm (boss floor), Dominator greatsword (10th floor haven), and Wizard Shield (16th floor branching room - left dead end).
===A Menace Sleeps in Fociaugh===
Fociaugh's sealed door is at the end of the dungeon, through a crawlspace on the upper-right corner of the area before Ramuh's runestone. The player must descend through a series of floors with the goal to defeat the boss at the bottom. This menace dungeon has 20 floors each consisting of one item and a set of monsters the player must defeat to proceed to the next floor. There is a haven along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook. 
The enemies in this menace dungeon are mostly samurai-type enemies that can inflict Instant Death. Wearing Ribbon, Safety Bit, the Assassin's Creed attires/Magitek Exosuit or eating food with Death-Defying is recommended. Since all enemies are daemons, using Light-elemental weapons (e.g. Dominator, Orichalcum etc.) and spamming Holy will help. The menace in this dungeon is a chandravarma, a more powerful version of a red giant.
On the 6th floor the path branches out, the player must take the path in the middle. After the camp on the 14th floor, the path branches out, the player must take the path on the right. 
Some notable treasures that can be acquired in this menace dungeon are the following: the weapons Enhancer (boss floor) and Organyx (10th floor), The Grand Chamberlain (6th floor—left dead end), which is an exclusive accessory for Ignis, and the accessories Centurion Bangle (12th floor) and Lavender Oil (14th floor—left dead end).
===A Menace Sleeps in the Grotto===
This menace is located beneath the Greyshire Glacial Grotto. The sealed door is at the end of the dungeon past the royal tomb. The player must descend through a series of floors with the goal to defeat the boss at the bottom. This menace dungeon has 30 floors each consisting of one item and a set of monsters the player must defeat to proceed to the next floor. There are two havens along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook. 
The enemies fought here are yojimbo, cryonade, skeleton, elder coeurl, royalisk and kingatrice. The end boss is the kengo. 
After the first camp, the path branches out twice; the first time on the 12th floor, the player must take the path on the right, the second time on the 16th floor, they must take the path in the middle. After the second camp on the 28th floor, the path branches out, the player must take the path on the left.
Defeating the final boss will earn the firearm Executioner. Other good treasures at the grotto are the Vigilantes daggers (first haven), and the Black Belt (+50% damage to larger enemies for Gladiolus) and Safety Bit (immunity to Instant Death) accessories. 
The recommended level for this dungeon is 65.
===A Menace Sleeps in Daurell Caverns===
Daurell's sealed door is near the beginning of the dungeon, on the left path from the entrance. Once the player has dropped down to an open area with hecteyes and an iron giant, the door is hidden behind a crawlspace on a ledge that can only be accessed by point-warping to it during the battle, or by blinking from the opposite ledge. A ladder can be dropped afterward to make returning there easier.
Once through the door, the player must descend through a series of floors with the goal to defeat the boss at the bottom. This menace dungeon has 30 floors each consisting of one item and a set of monsters the player must defeat to proceed to the next floor. There are two havens along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook. 
This menace dungeon contains difficult enemies such as Sir Tonberry, Malbodoom and an Iseultalon. Most enemies inflict various status ailments from Poison to Instant Death, so the player should equip Ribbons or eat food with Resilient. The enemies from 1F–9F are weak to polearms. Once past the first haven, the player is required to have Elemancy or the Ring of the Lucii to continue due to custard and dolce being immune to all physical weapons, including the royal arms. The final boss is a mahanaga, a more powerful version of a naga that can inflict Stone and Toad.
On the 4th floor the path branches out, the player must take the path on the left. After the first camp, the path branches out twice: the first time on the 12th floor, the player must take the path in the middle, the second time on the 18th floor, they must take the path on the right. (Before taking the path on the right, taking the middle path allows the player to grab the Noctis-exclusive accessory.)
Some noteworthy items that can be obtained in this menace dungeon are: the weapons Duel Code greatsword & Precision Lance, the accessories Emperor's Anklet (Vitality +120), Moogle Charm (EXP +20%), Oracle Earring (Magic +200), and the Noctis-exclusive accessory, Field Medicine (18th floor—middle dead end).
===A Menace Sleeps in Balouve===
The sealed door for the menace is found in the same area as the Tomb of the Clever behind a crack in the northeast wall of the boss room. This menace dungeon has 20 floors each consisting of one item and a set of monsters the player must defeat to proceed to the next floor. There is a haven along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook. 
The enemies in this menace dungeon are relatively simple. The player should equip a Ribbon or eat Resilient food beforehand on 1F-9F for enemies that inflict Poison and Confusion. After the haven at the 10F, one is better off playing defensively against the mindflayers and the boss psychomancer since their attacks are easily blocked.
After the camp, the path branches out twice; the first time on the 12th floor, and again on the 16th, be sure to take the path on the left, both times.
There are a few noteworthy items that can be obtained in this menace dungeon. The weapons are the Apocalypse greatsword & the Death Penalty gun. The accessories are Emperor's Anklet, Oracle Earring, & Platinum Bangle, which all have a 50% chance of being obtained.
===A Menace Sleeps in Steyliff===
This menace is located beneath the Steyliff Grove, and is the longest menace dungeon with 100 floors and 9 havens. The final boss is the mictlantecihuatl. Defeating the final boss will earn the polearm Flayer. The recommended level for this dungeon is 86.
The sealed door is located in the deepest part of the dungeon, beyond where the boss was fought in the open room with the "water ceiling." Unlike most menace dungeons, Steyliff's maze consists of rooms in the style of the Solheimian ruins above, rather than caverns. Most enemies here are weak to daggers, though the psychomancers are weak to greatswords instead; the Zwill Crossblade from Randolph's quests, and the Plumes of the Vortex from the Adventurer from Another World, thus make for good weapons to equip here. The player should also have some magic, as the flan fought in the later floors are invulnerable to physical attacks. There are also tonberries in the later floors, which can take a long time to kill for their massive HP.
There are 3 times the path branched during this lengthy dungeon. After the first camp on the 12th floor, simply loot the left and right rooms, and continue through the middle path. After the second camp on the 26th floor, simply loot the left and right rooms, and continue through the middle path. After the sixth camp on the 62nd floor, simply loot the right and middle rooms, and continue through the path on the left.
Some noteworthy gear found here are: the Balmung (one-handed sword, 29th floor), Flayer (spear; from the end boss), the Purified Salt (Spirit +120,), Celestriad (resist fire/ice/lightning), Legatus Bangle (Max HP +1200, 14th floor), Anklet of the Gods (Vitality +150, 48th floor), and the Robe of the Lord (MP Recovery Rate +5%, 62nd floor right).
===A Menace Sleeps in Crestholm===
The door to the Menace is found at the very end after the Jormungand boss room, down a ladder. Once through the door, the player must descend through a series of floors with the goal to defeat the boss at the bottom. This menace dungeon has 30 floors each consisting of one item and a set of monsters the player must defeat to proceed to the next floor. There are two havens along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook.
The party should be around Level 90 before to tackle this menace because it contains a lot of high-level monsters. The majority of them are weak to one-handed swords. The party will encounter enemies that inflict Confusion and Poison, so one should prepare beforehand with a Ribbon or eat Resilient food. For the slow-attacking enemies (e.g. coraldevil, seadevil, and phalaris), the players should focus on blindside-links to easily take them down. For the hvitrormr, malbodoom, and the manxom boss, the player is better off using Armiger.
Before the first camp, the path branches out twice; the first time on the 2nd floor, the player must take the path on the right, the second time on the 8th floor, they must take the path on the left. After the first camp, the path branches out twice; the first time on the 12th floor, and again on the 16th, be sure to take the path in the middle, both times.
Some noteworthy accessories that are found here are: Anklet of the Gods (Vitality +150), Mystic Circlet (Magic +250, first haven), Tarot Card (Spirit +150), Mighty Guard (+30% Elemental Resistance, second haven), Blue Diamond Bracelet (Strength +80), Legatus Bangle (Max HP +1200), & Gigas Bangle (Max HP +1500).
===A Menace Sleeps in Costlemark===
Upon entering the sealed door, the party's map and the item menu will both become inactive for as long as they're inside. Similar to the other sealed dungeons, the party will follow a linear path battling room after room of progressively stronger foes with a reward present in the center of each chamber. Battles within the sealed door cannot be fled. Havens are scattered about the journey where the player can replenish HP and cook.
The final room has a treasure. As Noctis approaches the item, the Bilröst will attack. Defeating the boss completes the quest and Noctis will be able to collect the Dark Matter Bracelet.
Costlemark's Menace Dungeon is the second longest dungeon with 60 floors and 5 havens. This dungeon is easily the hardest. Because no items can be used, if the player's health falls to 0 and the party can't help him out of Danger, the player will have to start again from the last haven.
The party should be level 90+ before attempting, and could benefit from a more defensive build. The accessories Magitek Suit V2, Black Hood, and Anklet of the Gods are good choices. The Grand Chamberlain for Ignis can be useful, but is not reliable. Most enemies in the dungeon are weak to daggers and greatswords, but the "boss" enemies are weak to swords, so the Zwill Crossblades are great, and the Ultima Blade or Balmung can help when parrying. The Vortex weapons from "Adventurer from Another World" are also good for their innate critical hits and high stats.
Some other precautions can be taken before entering:
*It is best to stock up on magic with healcast, and enter the dungeon with full elements and healcast items for elemancy.
*Bringing Ingredients for recipes with the best buffs—Legendary Herb-Grilled Whopper is useful early on, but when magic becomes vital—King's Stew and Kenny's Secret Recipe are among the best.
*Recovery skills learned in Ascension keep the party alive longer. A lot of the harder battles can result in only the player character being left alive.
*Armiger is powerful and recharges fast amid all the battles so the player can unleash it often.
The player can use the Ring of the Lucii and the Magitek Exosuit to clear the dungeon.
There are 4 times the path branches during this lengthy dungeon. After the first camp on the 12th floor, the player can simply loot the left and right rooms, and continue through the middle path. After the second camp on the 26th floor, the player can loot the middle and left rooms, and continue through the path on the right. After the third camp on the 36th floor, the loot are in the middle and right rooms, and the left progresses further. After the 4th camp on the 42nd floor, the plater can loot the left and right rooms, and continue through the middle path.
==Gallery==
Menace Sleeps in the Grotto from FFXV.png|Sealed door opening in Greyshire Glacial Grotto.
Daurell Caverns sealed door in FFXV.png|Daurell Caverns sealed door.
Balouve Mines Sealed Door in FFXV.png|Balouve Mines sealed door.
Crestholm Channels Menace Dungeon door in FFXV.png|Crestholm Channels sealed door.
FFXV Costlemark Tower Sealed Door.png|The sealed door in the base of Costlemark Tower
Category:Quests in Final Fantasy XV
Category:Sidequests in Final Fantasy XV