Players will mostly know The Isle of Val by another name: Eureka, The Forbidden Land. Eureka’s primary purpose within the game was to provide players with a means to collect the expansion’s Relic Weapons, but as far as lore goes, it can get a little more complex. To really look into what happened to the Isle of Val, we have to go all the way back to the Third Astral Era. During those ancient times, a primal named Eureka was created. Eureka is a little bit different to the other Primals we’ve encountered. It had the power to create legendary weapons, some with almost cursed effects that transformed wielders into Primal-like creatures. Much later on in the Sixth Astral Era, Eureka was found, and promptly imprisoned on the Isle of Val by Galuf Baldesion, an Archon. Galuf then founded a group of scholars dedicated to understanding Eureka’s power, in the hopes of one day destroying it to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. But eventually those wrong hands came around – and it was, of course, an Ascian who had sights set on Eureka. So desperately did Galuf want to keep Eureka out of evil’s reach that he invoked an incredibly powerful spell. The spell threw the entire Isle of Val into the Lifestream (the ephemeral source of energy that flows throughout XIV’s universe). Anybody on the island at the time was lost, but Eureka was still trapped by the island, and now rested outside of existence as we know it.
So How Did Eureka/The Isle Of Val Come Back?
During the Stormblood expansion, Eureka used tons of aetherial power to brute force the Isle of Val back into material existence. It’s undergone a few changes since Krile and the Students of Baldesion lived there, completely ravaged by elemental forces. Eureka is optional, so it’s entirely possible to miss out on it unless you’re looking for it. But the storyline that takes place there gives you plenty of insight into how the island came to be there. It also offers several glimpses at Eureka’s potential for destructive power, which offers plenty of motivation to destroy the thing once and for all. Eureka/The Isle of Val is one of the only places in the game where elemental affinity affects damage and damage resistance. However, this isn’t tied to your character’s job abilities as you might imagine. It’s simply changed like a toggle with the elemental wheel.
How Do I Get To Eureka/The Isle Of Val?
There’s a few obstacles in your way if you want to explore this dangerous uncharted territory. You’ll first need to have a combat job at level 70. And you’ll need to have finished the Main Scenario Quest “Stormblood”. Which (funnily enough) is found right at the end of the Stormblood expansion. You then need to pick up a quest called “And We Shall Call it Eureka” from an NPC named Galiena in Rhalgr’s Reach (X:9.8, Y:12.5). Simply follow the usual breadcrumb trail of cutscenes and conversations until you’re able to speak to a NPC down at Kugane’s Pier #1. From this point onwards, you’ll be able to travel there whenever you like! Eureka supports up to 144 players at once, and you’ll need to work together to progress through the island’s mysteries. It is possible to go there in a party with up to eight players – but bear in mind all eight of these players must be in Kugane at once if you want to set off.
