Forge Excalibur in Final Fantasy XVI

AntMag.NET

Alright, so you're looking to get your hands on the Excalibur in Final Fantasy XVI? It's a pretty sweet sword, and thankfully, it's not some super-secret, endgame-only item. You'll actually get the recipe for it by diving into a couple of side quests. Think of it as a reward for helping out the folks in the world.

First things first, you need to have progressed through the Main Quest a bit. Keep going until you reach the 'Out of the Shadows' quest. Once you've wrapped that up and done a few tasks for Mid, you'll notice some new missives waiting for Clive back at his desk. Check those out!

One of those will kick off the 'Blacksmith's Blues II' side quest. Now, here's a crucial bit: you can't even start 'Blacksmith's Blues II' unless you've already completed the first 'Blacksmith's Blues' quest. So, if you haven't done that one yet, go back and tackle it. After you've finished the follow-up quest, 'Blacksmith's Blues II', head back to Blackthorne. He'll finally give you the design draft for the Excalibur!

So, to recap, the main steps are: progress the main story to 'Out of the Shadows', complete 'Blacksmith's Blues' and then 'Blacksmith's Blues II', and then chat with Blackthorne. Easy peasy!

Materials Needed for Excalibur

Now that you've got the recipe, you'll need some specific materials to actually forge this awesome sword. Some of these you might already have lying around, but others will require a bit of a hunt.

Grimalkin Hide

To get this, you'll need to take down a Notorious Mark called the Grimalkin. This hunt should be available by the time you're looking for Excalibur materials. You'll find it in Dhalmekia. The fight usually involves taking out a bunch of regular enemies first, and then facing off against the Grimalkin itself. Don't worry too much, abilities like Ignition can help clear out the smaller foes quickly.

Bomb Ember

This one's a little more involved. You'll need to defeat the Bomb King, but first, you have to trigger its associated side quest, 'Weird Science'. This quest unlocks around the same time as the other hunts. You'll be looking for something called '!Bomb Ash', and eventually, the Hunt board will point you towards The Crock in Sanbreque. Prepare for a fight against the Bomb King – it's not super tough, but it can surprise you if you're not paying attention. Defeating it will net you the Bomb Ember.

Scarletite

Scarletite is another material you might recognize if you've crafted gear before. Luckily, there are several ways to get your hands on it:

Hunt: Dozmare — You can find this Notorious Mark in Norvent Valley, near Lostwing Village (Caer Norvent River Gate Obelisk). You'll get 1 Scarletite.
Hunt: Fastitocalon — This one's located in the Northeast Velkroy Desert. You can get 2 Scarletite from this hunt.
Hunt: The Ten of Clubs — Head to Vamare (south central Field of Corava) for this hunt. It drops 1 Scarletite.
Hunt: Holy Trumpitour — You'll find this hunt in the Cellar Passage (south of Lostwing). This one gives you 1 Scarletite.
Side Quest: Hot Water — This quest is found at the Dalimil Bathhouse, in Drake’s Breath. Completing it rewards you with 1 Scarletite.

Excalibur Stats

Once you've gathered all these materials and completed the quests, take everything back to Blackthorne. He'll forge the Excalibur for you. While it might not be the absolute best weapon in the entire game, it's a really solid choice for where you'll likely be in the story and will serve you well for a good chunk of time. It boasts 268 Attack and 268 Stagger.