FFXIV Wiki:Rework enemy locations
- Project description
- Reworking {{NPC location info}} to set properties
- Members
- Gurgum (talk), Cryebunnie (talk)
- Status
- Backlog
- Last updated
- 30 September
- Discussion
- Talk page, Discord
Context
The current template {{NPC location info}} is used to set semantic data for each NPC location, as there's often more than one instance of an enemy/NPC with the same name. However, this template is currently missing a way to specify the context of the spawn (whether it's an overworld enemy, from a FATE, from a levequest, a duty, from a quest step, etc.) Reworking the current template would allow us to set the context per each spawn.
As a part of this work, the location and coordinates properties should be removed from {{NPC infobox}} so that users don't accidentally set them there instead (see notes below).
Additionally, the template should be set so that filling it in via data from XIVstats is possible.
Initial mockup: User:Gurgum/sandbox/NPC location info
Properties
Notes/Questions/TBD
Locations should probably be set on the context page (location, quest, fate, duty, etc.) rather than on the npc/enemy page. (We already set a list of enemies on FATE pages, but currently we don't set their locations. We could probably simplify a mob's fate location by querying the FATE location.)
As a rule of thumb, we should be setting basic "has many" relationships on new pages, and then querying them from the related pages. This is the pattern we follow for most other data types (vendors sell many items, quests have many related NPCs, etc.), which allows us to set the data once on the new page and have it appear automatically on the querying page.
As it is now, a new [location/duty/quest/fate] requires us to add a location row to every mob that appears in that context, which is inefficient and basically the reverse of how we should be managing the data.
Also, the context pages don't necessarily have to display a list of mob locations at all. We could set the semantic data invisibly, and only display it as needed, in whatever format makes sense in that context. - Gurgum (talk) 11:07, 30 September 2026 (UTC) (see Discord convo
- ☐ TBD: Should we omit the "Level Range" column for enemies that have a single consistent level such as Senmurv?
- NPCs with a stable location, such as vendors, should have their location set in the infobox. NPCs that move around should NOT have a list of locations on the page. Their infobox should show no location (i.e. Alphinaud), or their initial starting location if it's relevant or necessary.
- We should make some guidelines around this and have it in FFXIV Wiki:Style guide. Right now how we set location is extremely inconsistent. Cryebunnie (talk)
- Consider setting a single primary location in the infobox, and use {{NPC location info}} for additional locations, similar to our beast pages (Coeurl (Beast)). This could help with mobs that have a primary location used for hunt logs (Mudpuppy), hunt mark bills (Bloodsucker), etc. (Could also set this in a separate "Hunt mark" template, but that could be redundant and/or confusing). -- Decision: won't do. Some hunting logs show different locations for the same enemy, so for consistency we should just use the location table for enemies, and only use the location in the infobox for NPCs. - Gurgum (talk) 15:24, 28 September 2026 (UTC)
Examples/Test cases
- Matanga is fate enemy and also overworld mob
- FATE NPCs (Kindly Father) vs. FATE enemies - it could be weird to set the location differently on enemy vs. NPC pages
- NPCs involved in multiple FATEs: Local_Fisher
- We should be able to query the list of FATE enemies on the FATE page itself (Like an Eft out of Water
- Coeurlclaw King - FATE and quest enemy
- https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Ixali_Fencer - leve mob
- quests and FATES: 6th Legion Eques
- treasure map enemies (Territorial Ronkan Thorn) - should these show "various"?
- duty enemies
- bosses
- enemies that are also NPCs - some of these are split into two pages (Hermes/Hermes (boss), some are a single page (Nidhogg, Fordola, Gilgamesh)
- yikes: Zenos/Zenos yae Galvus (Boss)
- guildhest enemies/bosses
- enemies in solo duties: Vishap
- spawn conditions
Tasks
- ☐ description
- ☐ Fix pages using {{quest list row}} for enemy contexts that are not quests: Category:Invalid quest list result
- ☐ Update style guide based on the decisions made
- ☐ Clean up any unused params in the pages and infobox, such as "goal", "dungeon", "spawn-condition", etc. (exact changes TBD)