Follow our guide to complete the Blacksmith's Blues side quest in Final Fantasy XVI. Learn how to find the Griffin, defeat Dozmare, and help Blackthorne.
Alright, so you're looking to tackle the Blacksmith's Blues side quest in Final Fantasy XVI? Awesome! This one's a bit of a journey, but totally worth it. You'll need to have made some decent progress in the main story, specifically up to the 'Here Be Monsters' quest. Once you're back at the Hideaway, you'll notice a couple of new side quests popping up, and this is one of them. Head over to The Mess, which is west of the Hideaway, and look for August. He'll have a quest for you marked with a '+' icon. This is actually the second of these '+' quests, so if you did the first one (White-Winged Wonder), you know these usually unlock something pretty cool. Let's get this done!
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Speak with Blackthorne: August wants you to chat with Blackthorne to figure out what's bothering him. You know the drill – he's usually by the forge, right in the center of the Hideaway, not far from Charon's shop. Go have a word with him. Turns out, he's stumbled upon some seriously impressive craftsmanship that's got him questioning his own skills.
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Talk to Charon: Next up, you need to ask Charon about the leather. She might know something about the craftsman she sold it to. Turns out, this craftsman might be out hunting a Griffin. This is your cue to find out more about this Griffin!
- 3
Find the Griffin (Dozmare): Your next stop is the Hunt Board in The Mess. Chat with Nektar to check out the latest bounties. You'll find a new one: Dozmare, a B Rank hunt. The bill doesn't give you much to go on, so you'll need to head into Sanbreque to find this Griffin. Luckily, I've got you covered. Dozmare hangs out south of the western exit of Caer Norvent. Now, there's a good chance you haven't registered the Obelisk just outside Caer Norvent yet. If that's the case, you'll need to head back to the Lostwing Obelisk. From there, make your way southeast out of the village through Cutter's Gate. Follow that winding path around to Caer Norvent, and then head towards the gate to register the Obelisk if you haven't already. Before you head into the open area to the south, make sure you're stocked up on Potions!
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Defeat Dozmare: This is the hunt for Dozmare, the Griffin. Honestly, for a Notorious Mark, it's not too bad, as long as you're comfortable with your Precision Dodge. Most of its attacks have pretty clear tells, making them easy to avoid. If you want a deeper dive into fighting Dozmare, there's a separate strategy guide for it.
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Return to Blackthorne: After you've dealt with Dozmare (and saved Kamil, who you'll meet there), you'll get some treated leather from him. Take that back to Blackthorne at the Hideaway. You'll complete the quest and snag 250 XP, 10 Renown, and, most importantly, the Drakeslayer’s Belt Design Draft. This lets you craft a new Belt and Vambrace, but you'll need some rare materials from Hunts to actually make them, so hold onto that!
- 250 XP
- 10 Renown
- Drakeslayer’s Belt Design Draft
- Make sure you have plenty of Potions before heading out to hunt Dozmare.
- Familiarize yourself with Dozmare's attack patterns to make dodging easier.
- The Drakeslayer's Belt Design Draft unlocks crafting recipes for a Belt and Vambrace, but requires rare materials from Hunts.
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