The Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos
- See also: The Forbidden Land, Eureka and The Baldesion Arsenal
The Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos
- Level
- 70 (Sync: 70)
- Item Level
- 0 (Sync: 300)
- Elem. Level
- 50
- Difficulty
- Normal
“Having conquered the burning landscape of Pyros, the expedition pushes onward to a region ruled by water: Hydatos. Here rises the headquarters of the Students of Baldesion, their final destination, but aetheric anomalies and fearsome creatures conspire to ensure that entry will not be easily gained. Yet gain entry to the tower they must if they are to head off the threat of the primal Eureka and lay the isle's mysteries to rest once and for all...
— In-game description
The Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos is a level 70 field operation introduced in patch 4.55 with Stormblood.
It is the final area in The Forbidden Land, Eureka. The zone is primarily water-aspected, containing several geysers and shallow rivers in much more open layout compared to previous Eureka zones. The optional high-end raid 
The Baldesion Arsenal exists inside the instance.
Requirements
- Level Requirement: Disciple of War or Magic level 70
- Item Level Sync: 300
- Elemental Level Cap: 60
- Party Size: One to eight players
- While up to 144 players can simultaneously be in the instance, only party sizes of up to eight players are allowed. Players can freely join or leave parties inside the instance, but Party Finder is disabled.
- Role Restrictions: None
- Time Limit: 180 minutes
- The instance timer is specific to each player and commences upon entering the duty.
- Unrestricted Parties not allowed
- Limited Jobs not allowed
Unlock
Complete the quest And We Shall Call It Hydatos
- Level: Disciple of War or Magic level 70
- Starting NPC: Rodney
- Starting NPC Location: Kugane (X:8.5 Y:14.2)
- Players must first complete the story of The Forbidden Land, Eureka Pyros.
Locations
| Area | Points of Interest |
|---|---|
| Central Point |
|
| The West Val River Bank |
|
| The Val River Source |
|
| The East Val River Bank |
|
Players must attune to each aetheryte shard in order to travel to it, including the starting aetheryte in Central Point.
- The west aetheryte (Unverified Research) is unlocked at elemental level 51.
- The east aetheryte (Dormitory) is unlocked at elemental level 55.
"Sprite Island"
A small island southeast of the Eastern Columns landmark that is home to elemental level 65 sprites. The type of sprites that spawn depends on the current weather. Farming the enemies on this island, called "Sprite Island" by the playerbase, is an easy method to level from 58 to 60, in addition to being a good source of 
Fundamental Logograms and 
Conceptual Logograms. The most popular method relies on the logos action 
Reflect L to reflect the high-level enemies' spells and defeat them.
Quests
- Main article: The Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos/Quest Dialogue
Similar to the previous zones, Eureka Hydatos contains a short storyline that must be completed to progress. These do not show up in the Journal, and most quest objectives will not be marked in the minimap.
| Elemental Level | Solution | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
 50 (On Entry) |
Talk to Krile for a cutscene, then Gerolt for another cutscene. Afterwards, talk to Krile again. | Upgrading Pyros Weapons to Hydatos Weapons |
| 51 |
Talk to Krile. Travel to the Central Columns (X:20.3, Y:24.8) and talk to Krile again. Then travel to the Val River Source (X:25.7, Y:30.7) and interact with the Pooled Aether. Finally, return to the Central Columns and talk to Krile. | |
| 54 |
Talk to Krile. Travel to the Western Columns (X:10.6, Y:29.6) and talk to Krile again. Then travel to the West Val River Bank (X:6.5, Y:15.7) and interact with the Pooled Aether atop the large stone pillar. Finally, return to the Western Columns and talk to Krile. | |
| 57 |
Talk to Krile. Travel to the Eastern Columns (X:31.3, Y:27.2) and talk to Krile again. Then travel to the East Val River Bank (X:30.8, Y:14.4) and interact with the Pooled Aether at the northeast side of the map. Finally, return to the Eastern Columns and talk to Krile. | |
| 60 |
Talk to Krile. Travel to the Aetherbridge Foundation (X:24.0, Y:30.6) and talk to Krile again. Head into the Headquarters Entrance and talk to Krile, then find her in the Board Room and talk to her again. Interact with the Scattered Tomes and talk to her again for a long cutscene. Talk to either Ejika or Krile to determine the questline ending sequence, although this does not impact rewards. After another cutscene, the player will be teleported to Central Point. Talk to either Ejika or Krile depending on which ending is active. |  Making the Most of Hydatos The Baldesion Arsenal (after talking to the Expedition Scholar)
|
| 60 (True Endings) |
After clearing the Baldesion Arsenal, the player will be automatically be teleported to the Headquarters Entrance. Talk to Krile for a cutscene, which will depend on which path the player took for the regular ending. After being teleported to Central Point, talk to Krile again for the final cutscene. |  Really Making the Most of Hydatos
|
Shops & Services
| Merchant Name | Merchant Location |
|---|---|
 |
(X:20.5, Y:13.3) |
|
(X:19.8, Y:13.9) |
|
(X:21, Y:13.7) |
|
(X:21.4, Y:13.6) |
Enemies
In Hydatos and the previous zone, The Forbidden Land, Eureka Pyros, regular enemies receive a passive enhancement based on their element. These enhancements apply regardless of the elemental level difference between the player and enemy.
Wind: Higher evasion, causing your attacks to miss more often. Arguably the most annoying since it breaks combos. Can be countered with 
Feint L.
Fire: Higher damage.
Ice: Higher HP.
Lightning: 
Paralysis immune.
Water: 
Stun immune.
Earth: 
Heavy immune.
Eureka Hydatos FATEs
Unlike Eureka Pagos and Eureka Pyros, Hydatos only contains one elemental conflict (i.e., Happy Bunny) FATE: 
Drink Me.
Among notorious monster battles, Bullheaded Berserker, Duty-free, and Stone-cold Killer are of particular interest, because they have a very low chance of dropping three items: 
Molech's Horn, 
Goldemar's Horn, and 
Ceto's Claw, respectively, that together can be exchanged at the Expedition Engineer to unlock a seventh magicite in the Magia Board. These items can be sold for a premium on the Market Board. Because of their high value, some players may not wait for others to arrive before pulling them once they spawn. To maximize's one's chances of earning rewards, be near the FATE spawn area before its cooldown resets. It is recommended to use a tracker if available for the instance.
To upgrade Base Eureka Weapons, players will need to participate in the Crystalline Provenance (Provenance Watcher) encounter, as the items it drops (
Crystalline Scale) cannot be purchased at an Expedition Birdwatcher, unlike previous notorious monster materials in the other zones.
There are two "special" notorious monsters in Hydatos. These have different spawn conditions that do not require defeating certain enemies in the overworld.
- I Don't Want to Believe (Ovni) randomly spawns on its own. This is signified by both the weather changing to
Umbral Turbulence and a notification popping up. This event occurs approximately every 30 minutes. Defeating Ovni will cause portals (Aetherial Nodes) to appear, allowing players who earned a gold ranking in the FATE to enter The Baldesion Arsenal. - The Baldesion Arsenal: Expedition Support (Tristitia) only spawns upon sufficiently progressing the instance's Baldesion Arsenal. Completing this FATE allows up to 8 more players to enter the ongoing raid, in addition to weakening the third boss, Absolute Virtue, to allow the raid to progress.
Happy Bunnies
Hydatos is also home to many a happy bunny. As a reward for saving them from imminent peril, happy bunnies will help you find hidden treasure on the island.
Unlike Pagos and Pyros, there is only one elemental conflict FATE in Hydatos: Drink Me.
| Treasure Coffer | Gil | Materia | Notable Drops |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bronze
|
 10,000 gil
|
One of the following guaranteed:
| |
 Silver
|
25,000 gil
|
| |
 Gold
|
100,000 gil
|
|
Logos Actions
- Main article: Logos Actions
- Main article: Logograms
Similar to Pyros, Logos Actions are available in Hydatos. This zone allows players to obtain a new logogram type: 
Obscure Logograms, unlocking six new logos actions.
By trading 
Aethertight Flasks (obtained from silver Happy Bunny coffers in Hydatos) with the Expedition Alchemist, players can expand their maximum number of logos action plates from three to six.
Eurekan Weapons
After fully augmenting a Eureka weapon in the Forbidden Land, Eureka Pyros and proceeding to a certain point in the Hydatos story, you will be able to augment your Eureka weapon further by speaking to Gerolt in the Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos (X:21.4 Y:13.6).
Named Eureka Weapons
An upgrade to Pyros weapons. Weapons will have a new model and swirling particle effects. This step grants the weapon's final appearance and maxes out its stats, excluding elemental stats that are effective in Eureka zones only. If you only care about the earning the glamour and don't care about the elemental stats, you can stop after completing this step.
| Item Quick Reference | Total for every weapon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| Eureka Weapons (IL 405) |
|---|
| Weapon Tier | IL | Items needed |
|---|---|---|
| Hydatos | 390 |  x50
|
| Hydatos +1 | 395 | x100
|
| Base Eureka | 400 | x100
|
| Eureka | 405 | x100,  x5
|
How to acquire items to upgrade
Hydatos Crystal: These are acquired by killing Notorious Monsters in Eureka Hydatos. The higher level the Notorious Monster, the more crystals it will drop. While fewer crystals are needed compared to prior steps, Notorious Monsters in Hydatos also drop fewer crystals. A good source of crystals is the FATE The Baldesion Arsenal: Expedition Support, although this only spawns when there is an ongoing run of The Baldesion Arsenal.
Crystalline Scale: 3 scales will drop each time you complete the FATE Crystalline Provenance with gold medal credit in Eureka Hydatos, which requires you to kill the notorious monster Provenance Watcher. This is the only way to obtain the item as they are not sold by the Expedition Birdwatcher.
Physeos Weapons
An upgrade to Eureka weapons. Stats and appearances are identical to Eureka weapons, except that they have extra Elemental Bonus stats that increase the weapons' power in Eureka zones only (including The Baldesion Arsenal).
| Item Quick Reference | Total for every weapon | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| Physeos Weapons (IL 405) |
|---|
| Weapon Tier | IL | Items needed |
|---|---|---|
| Physeos | 405 |  x100
|
How to acquire items to upgrade
Eureka Fragment: These are exclusively acquired inside The Baldesion Arsenal. A complete clear yields 28 fragments total, with each boss defeated dropping a portion of that total amount. It requires a total of four runs, assuming all of them are successful, to obtain enough fragments for one weapon.
Elemental Armor Sets
Eureka armor augmentation will be unlocked once 56 unique logos actions are registered in your log.
Elemental Armor +1
Can be bought from Expedition Artisan in The Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos. Chest and leg armor cost 50 
Hydatos Crystals each, while head, hands and boots are for 30 Hydatos Crystals each. Players must have all 56 Logos Actions unlocked to be able to purchase these items.
This armor uses same model as basic Elemental Armor, but it is recolored with an added glowing light effect. This step may take longer, because Hydatos Crystals drop in lower quantities compared to Pyros Crystals.
| Item Quick Reference | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Elemental Armor +1 (IL 390) |
|---|
Elemental Armor +2
The final upgrade to the Eureka Armor. Can be bought from Expedition Artisan in The Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos. Chest and leg armor cost 35 
Eureka Fragments each, while head, hands and boots are for 21 Eureka Fragments each.
In the game, it is known as Elemental Armor +2, but due to its similar acquisition methods as Physeos Weapons, it is also known as the Physeos Set. Upgrading requires Eureka Fragments, which are acquired only from The Baldesion Arsenal. The armor is visually identical to Elemental Armor +1. The only difference is added Elemental Bonus stat, which makes them stronger in Eureka duties only.
- Kirin's Osode Armor remains stronger than the Elemental Armor +2 chest gear in Eureka due to the extra Haste bonus and matching the item level sync of Eureka, allowing materia melds to be active. While Elemental Armor +2 has a higher item level, it will still be synced down to IL 300, the same as Kirin's Osode Armor, while losing materia melds.
| Item Quick Reference | |
|---|---|
|
| Elemental Armor +2 (IL 390) |
|---|
Other Rewards
The Baldesion Arsenal
- Main article: The Baldesion Arsenal
The Baldesion Arsenal is an optional, high-difficulty raid that can be challenged by up to 56 players at once. For more information, see the above link. The raid is not a separate instance: it exists within Eureka Hydatos.
To unlock the raid, players will need to be elemental level 60 and have completed the level 60 story quest in Hydatos. Afterwards, talk to the Expedition Scholar at camp and accept the prompt. In North American and European data centers, most Baldesion Arsenal runs are organized through various Discord servers.
To enter the raid, players must complete the notorious monster FATE I Don't Want to Believe (Ovni) with a gold ranking to receive the 
Aetherially Primed buff. This allows them to enter Aetherial Nodes, which are 48 portals that will appear throughout the map a few minutes after Ovni is defeated. Portals will initially be unstable (blue), but will transform to stable (red) after a few minutes. Players with Aetherically Primed may enter either portal, but blue portals also require an 
Aetheric Stabilizer.
Upon sufficient progression of the instance's Baldesion Arsenal, the notorious monster FATE The Baldesion Arsenal: Expedition Support will spawn. Completing it is required for progression within the raid, along with spawning 8 more Aetheric Nodes, allowing 8 more players to enter the ongoing raid.
Rewards include:
- Eureka Fragments: required for Physeos Weapons and Elemental Armor +2
Cryptic Seals and 
Damascene Cloth: required for Kirin's Osode Armor
Conditional Virtue minion
Demi-Ozma mount (via the achievement 
We're on Your Side I)
Turmoil Orchestrion Roll
Obscure Logograms (these also drop from regular enemies and certain notorious monsters in Hydatos)- A "true ending" for the Eureka storyline depending on the initial ending the player chose, along with the achievement
Really Making the Most of Hydatos
Achievements
This duty is associated with the following achievements:
| Name | Points | Task | Reward | Patch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mapping the Realm: Eureka Hydatos
|
10 | Discover every location within the Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos. | - | 4.55 |
| Making the Most of Hydatos
|
10 | Complete all the story objectives within the Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos. |  Eurekan Explorer
|
4.55 |
| Really Making the Most of Hydatos
|
0 | Truly complete all the story objectives within the Forbidden Land, Eureka Hydatos. | - | 4.55 |
Images
Map
Detailed Map
Trivia
- Hydatos means not merely water, but the living water, such as from rainfall or rivers.