How to access The Aquapolis in Final Fantasy XIV

There is a lot of content to enjoy in Final Fantasy XIV, including treasure hunts that have you exploring areas and finding hidden chests during your journeys through Eorzea. What if we told you there is a bit more to them than simply finding treasure? If you are lucky enough, you’ll get the chance to take on one of the game’s special instances, The Aquapolis. It’s a challenging gauntlet that can net you some great rewards if you’re able to survive. How do you get access to The Aquapolis? We have the details and answers for you below.

Related: How to unlock the Sil’dihn Subterrane criterion dungeon in Final Fantasy XIV

What is The Aquapolis?

The Aquapolis is a special instance in FFXIV that was added in Patch 3.3 during the Heavensward expansion and is part of the Treasure Hunt system. In these special instances, players make their way through a series of chambers fighting a variety of enemies and earning rewards like materia, cosmetics, crafting materials, minions, Gil, and Tomestones of Poetics as they progress.

There are seven chambers in total, and the difficulty and rewards increase as you progress through each chamber. After clearing a room, the player who initiated the instance will receive a key that opens the chest along with a bit of loot. The key also opens one of two doors. To progress further, players will need to select the correct door. If the party wipes or selects the wrong door, they will be kicked out of the instance.

There are a few extra special enemies that can randomly appear during your time in Aquapolis. There are cyclops called Arges, a tough, mini-boss style enemy that drops materia when defeated. You might also run into the Goblin Treasure Hunter, a small enemy who evades players and drops an additional chest of crafting crystals upon death.

How to get into The Aquapolis

To access the Aquapolis, you’ll need to have a Disciple of the Land class leveled up to 60, and have completed the level 36 quest Treasures and Tribulations to unlock the Dig and Decipher actions. You’ll need to be a bit lucky, as there is a 50/50 of getting to enter the Aquapolis after doing the required steps. You’ll need a Timeworn Dragonskin Map in order to find a treasure chest, and getting the maps can be fairly easy if you have the patience.

To get these maps, you’ll need to visit Heavensward gathering and fishing areas and begin gathering up materials. These areas are Coerthas Western Highlands, Dravanian Forelands, Dravanian Hinterlands, The Churning Mists, The Sea of Clouds, and Floating Continent. There is a chance while doing this you will acquire a Timeworn Dragonskin Map.

Once you have a map, you’ll use the Decipher action and be given a map that opens a small image showing a region in the game with an X marked on it. From here you’ll need to figure out where in the region, which is stated on the image, the X mark is. As a small tip, look for any distinguishing marks on the image, such as a river or mountain, and that will usually help you find the general area of the X mark.

Once you think you have found the area, use the Dig action, and if you are near enough a chest will appear. Interact with the chest, and some enemies will appear that you need to defeat. Once that’s done, you can open the chest and get your rewards, and if you are lucky enough, a portal will appear that will take you to Aquapolis.

This instance has no level requirements, so you can take it on at any level if you or a friend has a map. It does however sync your item level to 180. Up to 8 players can enter together, and we recommend at least three or four people should have a general understanding of the instance.