Resistance Weapons FFXIV: Are They Still Worth It in 2026?

Resistance weapons in FFXIV are the level 80 relic weapons of Shadowbringers, first released in Patch 5.25 and built through the Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr storyline. They are no longer a progression weapon: relic weapons from past expansions are intended for cosmetic, achievement and collection purposes, and weapons of similar power for the same level can be bought with Allagan Tomestones of Poetics. The one combat exception is the final Blade's stage, which is considered best-in-slot for level 70 and 80 ultimate raids because it has more substats when synced down, though the damage gain over a level 90 weapon is marginal.

What you need before you start

Before creating your first Resistance weapon you must reach level 80 on a Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic job, complete the Shadowbringers main scenario, and complete the side quest The City of Lost Angels. You then speak to Zlatan in Gangos and finish Hail to the Queen, Path to the Past, The Bozja Incident and Fire in the Forge, which grants one weapon for the job you progressed with. Those prerequisites are one-time only.

For every later weapon you complete the repeatable quest Resistance Is (Not) Futile, turning in 4 Thavnairian Scalepowders to Zlatan. Scalepowders cost 250 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics each, 1,000 total, from Auriana in Revenant's Toll, Hismena in Idyllshire, or Sundry Splendors near the main aetheryte in any major city except Kugane and the Crystarium. Resistance weapon quests require you to proceed on the same class or job you accepted the quest with.

Every Resistance weapon step

The Augmented Resistance step needs the main scenario quest Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty, the side quests Where Eagles Nest and A Sober Proposal, and your step-one weapon, then the repeatable quest For Want of a Memory. The memories drop randomly from Skirmishes, Critical Engagements and enemies in the Bozjan Southern Front, or as guaranteed drops from FATEs in Heavensward areas. You do not need the weapon equipped, or to be on the matching job, to earn them. After reaching rank 10, farming the remaining memories from Heavensward FATEs is often preferable, since the drop rate there is 100% with a Gold rating while it is merely average in Bozja.

Recollection weapons gain an aetheric glow and can be dyed. To reach that step you must raise your Resistance Rank in Bozja to 10 and clear The Battle of Castrum Lacus Litore, then complete A Sign of What's to Come, Fit for a Queen and In the Queen's Image, which includes a solo story duty and the Delubrum Reginae raid. An active Bozjan Southern Front instance clears roughly one Castrum per hour on average, and the cooldown between entries is one hour, reduced by each skirmish and critical engagement you complete.

Law's Order weapons get a new model and stop glowing. Augmenting them requires the one-time quest The Resistance Remembers, turning in 18 Haunting and 18 Vexatious Memories of the Dying, then the repeatable A New Path of Resistance for 15 Timeworn Artifacts, at which point you allocate the weapon's stats. Augmented Law's Order weapons gain a glow. Delubrum Reginae is the only efficient source of Timeworn Artifacts on that step, so keep the quest active on another job if you are making several weapons.

The Blade's stage needs the main scenario quest Futures Rewritten and A New Playing Field to unlock Zadnor, then What Dreams Are Made Of, Spare Parts, Tell Me a Story and A Fond Memory, which together ask for 180 items, followed by A Done Deal and the repeatable Irresistible for 15 Raw Emotion. Skirmishes are recommended for the first item of each quest, since most spawn automatically and clear solo in one to two minutes with Lost Actions.

Are they still worth it?

For stats, no. Past-expansion relics are not intended for combat use, and equivalent-power weapons for your level are far easier to buy with Poetics. The exception is the Blade's weapon in level 70 and 80 ultimate raids, where it is best-in-slot when synced down, though the damage gain over a level 90 weapon is marginal and not worth going out of your way for.

For glamour, yes. Replicas of completed Resistance weapons can be bought from Regana once you finish The Will to Resist, and the Recollection and Augmented Law's Order stages carry glow effects while the base and Augmented Resistance models do not. Replica base weapons are item level 1 and cover every job, from Honorbound Replica for Paladin to Solstice Replica for Astrologian.

Two warnings before you commit. The grind is long, and it is best to spread the steps over a longer period rather than rushing and burning out. And if you want a current relic line instead, the Manderville weapons are the Endwalker line to look at; for the newest one, see our Phantom Weapons guide.