Forced to Raid?

[KitKatnip]

I keep seeing posts and discussions about content you must complete before Endwalker. One of these being the raids. I'm not a raider. I didn't even want to do the Syrcus tower series and it annoyed me that I had to do it. I'm not particularly fond of the forced dungeons to get through the MSQ either but dungeons are short and fun so that's ok.

Do we actually have to complete the raids (that have thus far been optional) for Endwalker or is this just one of those recommended so you get the story (which I could get from watching Youtube vidoes) kind of thing?

The anxiety of having to complete all these raids is just mentally exhausting.

[GeminiReed]

So far the only mandatory raids are the Crystal Tower series. I know several people for whom "raid" is a term of profanity so I hope they don't do that again. The Ivalice Raids gate Bozja but that's entirely optional.

[Zaddi]

You don't have to complete anything but the MSQ. I think they've said that the omega raids and alexander raids would be good to do for more lore in EW msq or something like that. Both are easy and can be unsynced now, but they are not mandatory. The only "raid" they've mandatory so far is the crystal tower series because ShB MSQ wouldn't make sense without it.

[Kes13a]

I havent seen much on that but maybe they mean the Ivallice series.

I wouldnt say they are or should be that anxiety causing or exhausting unless you are healing them. you are just there with 23 other people.

[Krotoan]

It was suggested by the lead writer that they be completed "To understand the story"... I don't think they specifically stated it'd be necessary to participate.

[Enkidoh]

Only the Crystal Tower raids have to be completed, due to the tower itself and a certain character connected to them playing an extremely important role in the current expansion (Shadowbringers) main storyline, which SE could no longer handwave away if the player had not done those raids, so they were forced to mandate their completion by the 5.3 patch for the sake of story consistancy.

Luckily it is the only raid required to complete the main scenario, all other raids are optional, although completing the Binding Coil does give some extra lines of dialogue at the end of ARR and Heavensward's story, and the Return to Ivalice raids are required if you wish to unlock the Bozjan Resistance content to gain current end-game relic weapons ('Save the Queen'/Resistance weapons).

Everything else is optional and pretty much just fanservice fluff in some instances (*cough* the NieR crossover raids *cough cough*).

[Roda]

"Raids" in this game, if they don't also include "savage" or "ultimate" in their names, are just either 6 dungeon runs happening at the same time, or a trial with loot.

[Iscah]

The Binding Coil and Omega raids are "recommended reading" for Endwalker but not mandatory.

Binding Coil can be largely brute-forced now with an unsynched party (or even just a few players) and Omega is on the same difficulty level as MSQ trials and easily cleared through the duty finder. Or you can unsynch that as well.

Not everything in the game labelled a "raid" is synonymous with the high-challenge gameplay activity of "raiding". They learned from the Binding Coil that locking story behind difficult content just means that most people miss out on the story, and raid series since then have had their "story mode" first before moving to the savage versions that the raiders are playing.

[Dreamsoap]

Yeach, echoing Roda, I'm not sure if OP gets that just because they have the name "Raid" in them that they aren't remotely hardcore. OP, you can complete all the normal raids and alliance raids via duty finder. They're very easy. Only the savage version of normal raids are end game, but you need to unlock all normal raids first before the system would even let you Q for those.

[Kes13a]

The Binding Coil and Omega raids are "recommended reading" for Endwalker but not mandatory.

Binding Coil can be largely brute-forced now with an unsynched party (or even just a few players) and Omega is on the same difficulty level as MSQ trials and easily cleared through the duty finder. Or you can unsynch that as well.

Not everything in the game labelled a "raid" is synonymous with the high-challenge gameplay activity of "raiding". They learned from the Binding Coil that locking story behind difficult content just means that most people miss out on the story, and raid series since then have had their "story mode" first before moving to the savage versions that the raiders are playing.

yeah, really unless it specifically says savage, they just label them "raids" since there is a larger than 4 people likely going with you. ^^