What are Variant and Criterion Dungeons in FFXIV?

Final Fantasy XIV is set to bring new content to the game for players with the addition of both Variant and Creation Dungeons.

While these are no replacement for Deep Dungeons, these new additions will provide content for players to enjoy once they have reached the max level of the game. Each of them is targeted at a different type of player meaning patch 6.25 has something for everybody.

Variant and Criterion dungeons do have some similarities but there are also notable differences that determine who can take on these challenges.

What are Variant Dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV?

The first Variant Dungeon in Final Fantasy XIV is The Sil’dih Subterrane. It can be found beneath Ul’Dah. Variant Dungeons are for level 90 players and provide a casual challenge to venture through either alone or with up to three friends. You can find a group of allies to attempt these dungeons with the help of the Duty Finder.

Anyone can enter these FFXIV dungeons as there are no role restrictions and, furthermore, you can change things up once inside as job changing is enabled.

How challenging each Variant Dungeon is ultimately determined by the size of your party. If you’re heading in alone then you’ll have an appropriate challenge to attempt, but as you’d expect alongside allies the challenge gets incrementally harder.

It’s necessary to complete each Variant Dungeon multiple times if you’re looking to see it all as there are multiple ways to progress inside.

What are Criterion Dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV?

For those looking for a bigger challenge, Criterion Dungeons are the one to attempt. These may appear similar to Variant Dungeons, however, due to restrictions and other factors, they’re substantially harder.

You’ll need four players to complete a Criterion Dungeon and fixed dungeon roles are enabled once again. There are two different difficulty levels to attempt these dungeons at but both will be more difficult than any Variant Dungeon.

At the normal difficulty, revivals are limited, so you’ll only have a few chances to continue after dying. If you’re playing at the higher “Savage” difficulty then once you die you’re out and you’ll need to restart the dungeon entirely. If you’re planning on playing at “Savage” difficulty you’ll need to have a pre-made group.

If you aren’t able to complete the dungeon within a certain amount of time things only get more difficult as the enemies receive a buff to up to challenge further.

These two new types of dungeons are set to spice up the game and add a ton of new content for Final Fantasy players to enjoy.