Garuda (Final Fantasy XIV)

Garuda is a god worshipped by the Ixal tribes in Final Fantasy XIV, also known as the Lady of the Vortex or sometimes as Empress of Birds. The primal Garuda is encountered as a boss a number of times in both the game's original release and its subsequent relaunch.
==History==
===Origin and myths===
Garuda's existence owed itself to the history of the Allagan Empire. During the Third Astral Era, at the height of the Empire's reign, Allagan engineers created the Iksalion, a chimeric race of creatures designed for maintenance tasks in the floating research facility of Azys Lla, serving as part of the Garuda Airborne Division. It was there that the general of this division deployed the Iksalion from, using them to crush string of uprisings across the Empire. Over the course of time, after the fall of Allag and the mutation of the Iksalion into the Ixal, this general became the basis for the myth of the goddess Garuda. Per Ixali legend, the Ixal once lived in the floating continent known as Ayatlan, and served as the goddess Garuda's divine soldiers. However, as evil began to saturate the lands below and infect the skies, Garuda ordered her Ixal to spread far and wide and cleanse the land below of this evil, and bade them remain on the earth as guardians. Thus the Ixal believe and dream of a day when their divine duty may end and they can return to their paradise of Ayatlan.
According to Ixali teachings, in the Age of Myth, Garuda slew the Lord of Snakes, a malevolent force that threatened to bind all the world's creatures to the earth, not allowing them to fly. Garuda was grievously wounded and to recover her strength she feasted on the corpse of the reptilian creature, growing a taste for the flesh of landlocked mortals. Due to this myth, the Ixal also fear Garuda, as they themselves are no longer able to fly.
===Before Final Fantasy XIV===
Ten years prior to the fall of Dalamud due to the machinations of the Garlean Empire's Nael van Darnus, the Ixal summoned their goddess Garuda as a primal, though her capricious nature did little to help the Ixal.
===Final Fantasy XIV (version 1.0)===
Once summoned by the Ixal, Garuda attacked Quarrymill in the south Shroud, unleashing strong winds over the hamlet and attacking all who dwelt there. Garuda could not be reached by conventional means, as her winds were too strong, requiring an adventurer to fashion a Vortex Catcher with the help of Archon Louisoix. After being defeated, Garuda's excess aether was absorbed by the falling Dalamud.
===Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn===
Following the Garlean raid on the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, the adventurer stayed at the Church of Saint Adama Landama with Father Iliud and "Marques". Alphinaud Leveilleur arrived explaining his intent to revive the Scions, due to Garuda being summoned. Recognizing Marques as an amnesiac Cid nan Garlond, he besought them to go find Cid's airship, Enterprise, to confront the primal.
Following the a lengthy investigation in Coerthas to uncover where the Enterprise went missing—getting involved in Ishgard's politics in the process—the trio returned to the ship to Gridania for repairs. Realizing that the vortex Garuda summoned was probably too dangerous, Cid suggested looking for corrupted crystals to counter the primal's defenses, and suggested asking Professor Lamberteint. Once the appropriate crystals were found, Cid piloted the airship into the Howling Eye where the primal awaited.
The Ixal had taken several Amalj'aa and kobolds, while the Lady of the Vortex engaged the adventurer. Just as victory seemed at hand, the deranged goddess was revived by the fervent faith of the Ixal. Though she normally preferred outright destruction, she resorted to attempting to enthrall the adventurer, failing as the Echo caused a wind crystal to be forcefully removed instead.
The Legatus of the XIVth Imperial Legion, Gaius van Baelsar, appeared, taunting the primal. Enraged by the "insolent mortal", she used the power of wind to torture and kill the hostages held by the Ixal, with their desperate pleas summoning the primals Ifrit and Titan in retribution. Garuda intended to overwhelm and absorb the two to increase her power, but the imperial Legatus revealed his trump card: the Ultima Weapon. The warmachina took down the three primals and absorbed them, ending by biting off Garuda's head.
After the Ultima Weapon was destroyed during Operation Archon, the Ixal wasted no time in summoning the Lady of the Vortex again. Using an Aetheryte set up in Natalan, adventurer, now known as the "Warrior of Light", returned to the Howling Eye and banished the primal.
The Ixal were not deterred, and resummoned Garuda, seeking an even more powerful version of their avatar to protect them, using a ritual focus provided by the Ascians. Though her power was augmented, the Warrior of Light defeated her once again, finding the focus in the process and rousing suspicions of the Ascians' involvement.
===Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward===
The Ixal attempted to summon Garuda once more in their homeland of Xelphatol, which the Warriors of Darkness intended to exploit for their plans. Due to the intervention of Alphinaud Leveilleur and the Warrior of Light, however, the ritual was halted before its completion.
===Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers===
In the First, a parallel world to Hydaelyn nearly consumed by a Flood of Light, the Warrior of Light, there dubbed "the Warrior of Darkness", aided the Oracle of Light. Ryne. in her quest to bring back life to the Empty. Following the advice of Archon Urianger to summon primals of differing elements to restore the aetherial balance to the Light-blasted wasteland, the Warrior of Darkness drew on their memories of fighting against the primals Garuda and Ifrit, allowing Ryne to summon both primals at once to restore the cycle of water by restoring the elements of fire and wind. This Garuda worked in tandem with Ifrit to combat the Warrior of Darkness, merging into the primal Raktapaksa. Upon Raktapasksa's defeat, his aether spread through the land, with rain pouring down once more.
=== Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker===
When the Scions of the Seventh Dawn used the spaceship Ragnarok to reach Ultima Thule, the various tribes of the Source summoned benevolent iterations of their primals using the aether stored in the Mothercrystal and the creation magicks employed by the Loporrits, with Garuda being one of the summoned. While she was initially displeased at the thought of helping landwalkers, at Susano's insistence she reconsidered and granted her power to the Ragnarok ,allowing it to achieve the propulsion needed for the Scions to reach their destination.
==Gameplay==
===Enemy===
Garuda is fought as a boss multiple times. Initially appearing as part of the main scenario quest , this trial is a 4 player instanced duty which can be fought with other players or with the aid of Duty Support. She can be fought again during the quest in , an 8 player instanced duty, and later as part of the quest in .
Garuda is later fought as one of the bosses in the ultimate raid which sees the player revisit harder the main trial fights of the A Realm Reborn main scenario quests in sequence. A version of Garuda is also fought alongside Ifrit in and it's savage difficulty version .
Garuda also appears during battles battles against the Ultima Weapon in , and the Weapon's Refrain (Ultimate), as well as the battle against Tozol Huatotl in . In these appearances she briefly appears as an untargetable entity, using one of her abilities before disappearing.
===Summon===
The job can summon Garuda-Egi, which casts upon being summoned with , and empowers certain and to be wind-aspected. Summon Garuda and the Garuda-Egi are unlocked in level 45 job quest , replacing and the Emerald Carbuncle. Upon gaining the trait at level 50, Aerial Slash is replaced with . Upon gaining the trait at level 90, Emerald Garuda replaces Garuda-Egi and casts a stronger version of Aerial Blast.
===Triple Triad===
Garuda appears as a rare (three star) Triple Triad card. It is a primal type card with obtainable from defeating Marcette at Triple Triad, as a random drop from the Howling Eye hard and extreme variations, or from a .
===Minion===
The wind-up Garuda minion is available by using the item which is available master recipe to s, learnable from copy of . It is an obedient behaved minion that can be beckoned, causing it to perch on the player character. 
In Lord of Verminion, it is a monster type unit with an AoE auto attack. Its special attack is Airy Blast which causes an area of effect enfeeblement which reduces the action points of all enemy units by 50% of their maximum action points.
==Musical themes==
Garuda's boss theme is "Fallen Angel". The faint lyrics in the background of the track potentially allude to Garuda's perception of herself or the Ixal's long lost flight.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy XV===
Garuda appears as a boss in the Final Fantasy XV x Final Fantasy XIV collaboration mission "Adventurer from Another World".
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
Garuda appears in two wind-elemental cards, one from the initial Chapter run and one as part of the Opus series.
===Final Fantasy Portal App===
Garuda appears as a Triple Triad card.
==Gallery==
FFXIV Garuda artwork.jpg|Promotional artwork.
Garuda.jpg|Garuda.
FFXIV Garuda Artwork.jpg|Artwork.
FFXIV Garuda Battle.jpg|Garuda in version 1.0.
Garuda-Egi.jpg|Garuda-Egi.
PrimalGaruda TCG.png|Original Final Fantasy Trading Card Game card
==Etymology==
==Citations==
Category:Primals in Final Fantasy XIV
de:Garuda (FFXIV)