I lost all my progress, what now?

[Crabemporium]

I also want to confirm that I did finish every Zodiac Weapon, the last step is to complete the 12 mahatma before it can be upgraded to a Zeta.

[SannaR]

I also want to confirm that I did finish every Zodiac Weapon, the last step is to complete the 12 mahatma before it can be upgraded to a Zeta.

That's not the final quest in the chain though. At that point you would have unlocked all of the other replicas but not the Zeta. I know it's weird, but it's ARR again so everything isn't how the rest of the game tends to do it. There's one last quest in the chain called the Vital Title. You wouldn't need to complete a Heavensward relic just use a completed Zeta for the 1st step. As it would end up using the completed Zeta as the turn in item. Otherwise you would have to do a grind via fates for the atma step.

[Crabemporium]

That's not the final quest in the chain though. At that point you would have unlocked all of the other replicas but not the Zeta. I know it's weird, but it's ARR again so everything isn't how the rest of the game tends to do it. There's one last quest in the chain called the Vital Title. You wouldn't need to complete a Heavensward relic just use a completed Zeta for the 1st step. As it would end up using the completed Zeta as the turn in item. Otherwise you would have to do a grind via fates for the atma step.

Okay so thankfully I have completed Vital title, alongside Rise and Shine and Kettle to the Mettle. Once you have a Zodiac Weapon Zeta, there's no other steps to upgrade it further.
As I'm typing this I have lodged a missing item request for my discarded weapons.

Once I obtain a Animus Relic Weapon, will that unlock the ability to purchase Zodiac Weapon Replicas without needing the original? Or do I have to trade in one/all Zodiac Weapon Zetas to unlock the ability to?

[SannaR]

Okay so thankfully I have completed Vital title, alongside Rise and Shine and Kettle to the Mettle. Once you have a Zodiac Weapon Zeta, there's no other steps to upgrade it further.
As I'm typing this I have lodged a missing item request for my discarded weapons.

Once I obtain a Animus Relic Weapon, will that unlock the ability to purchase Zodiac Weapon Replicas without needing the original? Or do I have to trade in one/all Zodiac Weapon Zetas to unlock the ability to?

I'm not sure; I would think that you don't as why would a different expansion's relic unlock the final replica stage of the previous. Especially since that's not how any of the others work. I just know that I don't have my Nirvana Zeta available and it's replica is listed in Drake's shop. I haven't gone and made any of the other ARR and Heavensward relics on this character and it has been literal years since I did multiple of the ARR on a different character. So I can't check. Wish I could help you more. Did you file a bug report? As this feels more like a bug than anything else.

[Crabemporium]

I'm not sure; I would think that you don't as why would a different expansion's relic unlock the final replica stage of the previous. Especially since that's not how any of the others work. I just know that I don't have my Nirvana Zeta available and it's replica is listed in Drake's shop. I haven't gone and made any of the other ARR and Heavensward relics on this character and it has been literal years since I did multiple of the ARR on a different character. So I can't check. Wish I could help you more. Did you file a bug report? As this feels more like a bug than anything else.

Yeah, okay that's weird. To clear things up, Drake says that I need the Zodiac Weapon Zeta in order to access the shop.
The fact that you're able to without needing the Zeta is odd, though.
I'll see how I go with getting my items back, then I'll go through the steps to get a Anima weapon. Hopefully once I have one, I'll be able to buy Zodiac Replicas again.

[Crabemporium]

Yeah, okay that's weird. To clear things up, Drake says that I need the Zodiac Weapon Zeta in order to access the shop.
The fact that you're able to without needing the Zeta is odd, though.
I'll see how I go with getting my items back, then I'll go through the steps to get a Anima weapon. Hopefully once I have one, I'll be able to buy Zodiac Replicas again.

Nnnnnnnnnnnope! As it turns out they need more evidence. I sent them all the information the support desk needed, Is the fact that I have the achievements not enough evidence for them, or did the endless backlog of RMT bots that I had to wade through as I was crafting the weapons clog up the chat log and push the messages far beyond the time limit?

So I guess my only chance now is to make a Anima weapon and hope that SE had the foresight to let me get access to the shop again. If not, completionism is going to irk me to re-make each and every single one of them and it may be healthier for me if I just left ff14.

[AmiableApkallu]

I also want to confirm that I did finish every Zodiac Weapon, the last step is to complete the 12 mahatma before it can be upgraded to a Zeta.

The ARR relics, like much of ARR, are a bit… janky. All of the other expansions use Achievements to track what you've completed and thus what the replica vendors should offer to you.

For ARR, you need to have the completed Zeta in your inventory, or you need to have turned in the completed Zeta for the first step of the HW (Anima) relic.

I'd be surprised if completing an Anima w/o turning in a Zeta somehow unlocks the Zeta replicas.

[SannaR]

The ARR relics, like much of ARR, are a bit… janky. All of the other expansions use Achievements to track what you've completed and thus what the replica vendors should offer to you.

For ARR, you need to have the completed Zeta in your inventory, or you need to have turned in the completed Zeta for the first step of the HW (Anima) relic.

I'd be surprised if completing an Anima w/o turning in a Zeta somehow unlocks the Zeta replicas.

That's the thing though you don't have to use your Zeta for the 1st step of making an Anima. It's an optional choice. I remember that some chose to do the fate grind because they wanted to keep the non replica version. Even if it meant they would be grumbling about having to do so.