Sigmascape Written Guide

Patch 4.2 introduced the newest chapter for the Omega storyline: Sigmascape. Consisting of four 8-man raids and their subsequent Savage difficulties, players could earn one Sigmascape piece per week for the normal difficulties, as well as some additional weekly rewards if done in Savage mode.

In its efforts to help its already vast community, the G' alliance holds a weekly clear of Sigmascape Normal (that is, Sigmascape 1.0 - 4.0), primarily lead by Apollo Cloudbreaker, with succeeding parties being run by other officers or leaders of the alliance. The party leaders even use the alliance's voice channels in Discord for proper vocal direction and guidance.

Sigmascape 1.0 is the first level. The tier is not too difficult overall as the majority of them have telegraphs that players encounter in regular dungeons and other raids. The new mechanic that the fight brings, however, involves ghosts that can teleport any player that collides with them to a separate car, separating them from the party. Inside the car, the player must then defeat the ghost inside or it will unleash an unblockable attack that can knock out a player, leaving them to be at the mercy of their healer when their corpse reappears.

Sigmascape 2.0 might look like your usual boss fight, but players must now get creative with a painting mechanic. The boss will occasionally channel one of four paintings inside the room. Players must then respond by "painting" a picture that is on the floor in front of the channeled painting. Simplified as it may sound, the challenge is figuring out the timing and combinations, especially during the latter half of the fight when 2 paintings are channeled instead of just one.

Sigmascape 3.0 has now become infamous as the hardest floor of this tier and may end up overwhelming a lot of first-timers without proper guidance. At various points in the fight, the boss will channel a boss from a previous raid, dungeon, or trial, and each boss channeled has a different mechanic, ranging from knockbacks to stacking. While visual cues are available, this is one fight that does require some knowledge and memory.

Lastly, Sigmascape 4.0 is the floor that features a cameo from Kefka, the antagonist of Final Fantasy VI. A lot of the mechanics are visual-based, so players need to keep an EYE out for them, lest they QUESTION their own judgments. Puns aside, the new mechanic for the fight is that Kefka will trick players who are too used to visual cues from older fights. If Kefka is channeling and question marks are on the visual cues, players should go AGAINST their usual instincts and stand INSIDE the AOEs, or in the case of the attack "Grave Image", face the eye that is on the statue, as opposed to the usual "look away mechanic" when an eye is involved. Otherwise, mechanics need to be followed as normal. One mechanic that IS often misunderstood, however, is Kefka's teleport. After teleporting, Kefka will either instantly blast a wide cone in front of him that will apply a stack of vulnerability on those hit; or channel a knockback. The easiest way to counter this is to stand behind Kefka's destination. This way, they can avoid the instant cone-blast, and allow players to adjust to Kefka's knockback if they see him channeling "Aero Assault".

While the restrictions for the pieces have been lifted as of 4.3, the gear that can be exchanged is still very much helpful, especially for players who have chosen to opt out of doing Eureka Anemos (an instance released in patch 4.25). While PUGs can get the job done, it's always easier (and funnier) doing it with people you know.

-Sapphire Umbrus