Stone Vigil Hard Mode is an end-game dungeon added during patch 2.3. It requires an item level of 70 or above to enter and rewards players with ilevel 80 equipment. The dungeon is found within the Coerthas Central Highlands and is accessible upon completion of Stone Vigil normal mode and the quest “The Ultimate Weapon”. You can then take on the quest “Blood for Stone”, which is given by Faillicie in Mor Dhona (X:21, Y:8).
Boss Guide
Stone Vigil Hard Mode contains three bosses, called Gorynichi, Cuca Fera and Giruveganaus. There is also Gowrow, which is not a boss but it is worth talking about. Below is a guide for each of them.
Gorynichi
Gorynichi is a dragon-type monster that has a few mechanics to deal with, however he is not too difficult.
Vigil Heir adds will spawn during the fight and tether on to the boss. You should kill them as soon as possible. They will inflict you with Heavy and a DoT so healers need to be on watch for these effects.
Be aware of his Swinge attack, which is similar to the attack found in the last boss of the original Stone Vigil. When this appears you should stand behind him. Also be aware of Rake, which is a highly damaging attack if caught by it.
Gowrow
On route to the second boss you will encounter a room that has three cannons just like the ones used to defeat the second boss in the original Stone Vigil. Monsters will spawn in the room and a Gowrow monster will randomly appear outside the room. The idea is that you kill this creature by firing the cannons at it when it appears. You will not be able to leave the room until you defeat it and the mobs there will keep respawning.
Cuca Fera
Cuca Fera is a tortoise type boss and it is different to most bosses in the game in that the main way to attack it is not through conventional ways. There are four canons located around the edge of the arena that you must interact with and use to fight the battle. The tank should position himself on one of the cannons nearest the entrance because waves of adds will spawn in this location. The DPS should be at the back of the arena.
The cannon has two attacks. The first is the standard cannon AoE attack that you should be used to if you have used cannons in the story dungeons and it is this you will use to damage the boss. The other attack is a direct attack towards the boss and it is on a 30 second cooldown so you cannot spam it.
The boss has three main attacks. The first is called Diamondskin, which reflect back attacks that are fired at it. The second is a move where he retreats into his shell and dashes around the arena. Take care to not be in his path. The boss will also use a Stomp move which causes heavy damage. You know it is coming when an AoE circle covers the whole room. You should interrupt it by using the cannon’s second attack mentioned earlier.
During the fight you will see adds come in through the entrance. These should be taken care of via the cannons rather than normal DPS. The tank may need to gather them together if one or two get to difficult positions to target them but in general they should not pose a problem.
Giruveganaus
The final boss in Stone Vigil Hard Mode is called Giruveganaus and it is easier than the second boss. The fight is mostly about dodging AoEs and targeted attacks while keeping out of its way as the boss can’t be tanked.
At around 60% health the boss will split into two identical parts kinda like the Caduceus boss in Turn 1 of the Binding Coil. It does not matter when you kill each part and they are both the same so just kill one and then focus on the next one.
Giruveganaus can also inflict the status Infirmity, which reduces the amount you are healed by. This cannot be removed by a healer so it is best to not get hit with it.