Garlean weaponry

[Valence]

Okay, I decided to create a repository for all Magitek weaponry related stuff belonging to the garlean military, so, feel free to add your sources and comments here! I'm interested in all you've got, whatever it is. Thoughts, lorebits, whatever works!

 

I'll try to update it as possible.

 

---

 

 

Warmachina

At the turn of the 16th century, an engineer attempted to create a smaller version of the stationary steam engine for his workshop. In so doing, he stumbled upon the idea of using ceruleum as fuel itself, rather than to heat water. His prototype was relatively weak, but compact enough to be portable. As if by fate, it then caught the eye of Legatus Solus Galvus, who insisted the military open its coffers to fund the new technology. With the army's support, a moving platform was built, driven by an improved ceruleum engine and mounted with artillery.

 

This prototype proved more destructive in tests than Galvus had ever dreamed. He christened the new type of weapon "magitek", to signify the triumph of technology over magic. Thereafter, Garlean engineers fashioned more and varied magitek weapons. With each one, the strenght of the Garlean Army grew.

 

Starting around 1550, relics of ancient Allag were unearthed in the new territories of Garlemald. The Empire's keenest minds set about learning their intricacies, though in truth the archaic technology put the best imperial efforts to shame. The engineers never learned the fundamental principles of the Allagan devices. Nonetheless, the secrets they pried from the old machina advanced Garlean magitek by leaps and bounds. The Garleans also succeeded in reanimating a number of Allagan machina with ceruleum engines, and the Empire is rumored to be moving these to the front lines.

 

Airship

Made manifest through magitek, the airship is a miracle of modern technology. Driven by ceruleum propulsion engines, it soars through the skies upon wings treated with aether, staying aloft through stores of buoyant gas. Moreover, airships come in all shapes and sizes, from the mighty armored vessels for military use to the smaller swift ships designed for civilian trade and transport.

 

Note on airships: It seems to imply that garlemald air doctrine for the military leans heavily on slow, sturdy and heavily armored airships rather than fast and agile, with a few exceptions like the assault crafts/corvettes. It is also interesting to note that there is no distinction made between the Army and a kind of 'airforce', as airships seem to be given to each legion of land forces. This seems to imply that the Garlean military has already achieved a state doctrine of combined arms, which is something not that old IRL, and still not quite used in a total synergy (we still have airforces, navy forces, etc, even if they work more together in the modern day).

 

 

This suit of Garlean-developed reaper-class magitek battle armor has had its original control systems purged and replaced with a new, modified core build by Cid of the Garlond Ironworks.

 

The Magitek Reaper is an advanced battle suit somewhat similar to a mecha. It comes into the standard, black version, but also exists in a rarer gilded form used as an anti magical coating for its absorbing capabilities.

 

Now, from what I've seen, Castrum Centri deploys a reaper for most of its patrols.

 

Operational procedures for Reaper deployment on patrols. The amount of them seems to point that they are numerous enough to follow every patrol to keep a rotation, but not to a point where they can add huge numbers of them or just mechanize every soldier by handing them like that.

 

We've now had time to take a closer look at the reaper. Our preliminary diagnosis was correct─she's structurally sound, but her servomechanism is faulty.

 

Such cores are rather fragile devices which must be replaced at regular intervals. Thanks to the negligence of our imperial colleagues, however, the one used in this reaper was long overdue.

 

According to Cid, the magitek core at the heart of the reaper's servomechanism is worn beyond use. Unfortunately, a replacement will not be easy to come by in Eorzea.

 

While the workings of advanced machina are foreign to you, Cid and the others take this awakening to mean that the servomechanism is now fully functional.

 

The servomechanisms seem to be directly controled by a Magitek Core, which is some kind of semi autonomous computing automaton. Replaced by a mammet core like in the MSQ, it even gives a basic personality to the whole armor.

 

A make #49 magitek converter and a make #50 magitek oscillator should do the trick. Oh, and a magitek cannon barrel, make...er...#51. I can't guarantee she'll be good as new, but at the very least she'll be in better shape than she's in now...which still ain't saying much.

 

You lonely, or just poor with numbers? I'm assuming the latter, so listen up. We need a magitek converter #49, a magitek oscillator #50, and a magitek cannon barrel #51. You might want to write that down, unless it is you're poor with letters, to boot.

 

You'll need to divert all power to the magitek cannon, as I did so memorably once before.

 

Phew, I think that's it. Both magitek and photon cannons should be functional.

 

Standard Reaper armament is a primary Magitek Cannon and additional Photon Cannons. The former is the main weapon, creating huge blasts, while the latter is a repeating firearm (could need to confirm if it fires projectiles or energy?).

 

Forming the backbone of the imperial army's mounted strength, the reaper is employed in a wide range of tasks, ranging from solo reconnaissance to large-scale shock troop assaults.

 

 

 

Illuminati are learning how to make Garlean magitek into pieces, and remake them into strong vangobs. These are great doings─very terrible, yes, but great.

 

Holepix thanks you for your service to Idyllshire, and tells you how the vangobs came to be. The Illuminati laid hands on old Garlean magitek weapons, disassembled and rebuilt them into something even stronger. Though Holepix is impressed by the ingenuity involved, he also knows they will not hesitate to enslave their fellow goblins, and hopes your efforts will forestall the Illuminati.

 

This seems to hint that Magitek Vanguards are old in the garlean arsenal, but at the same time still used as semi autonomous automatons that mostly fight at brawling range. It is hard to tell if the different variants found in the hands of goblin illuminati (Espertype or Findertype Vangob G-III) were already there in the original garlean version or not (will have to check with hostile NPCs thrown at us in quests and in Garlean Castra?).

 

The main duty of the autonomous vanguard is to use its cermet drills to bore through castle gates and defensive bullwarks. True to its name, the vanguard is also employed as an advance troop unit, as well as fulfilling the role of base sentinel by destroying enemy siege weaponry.

 

 

 

So that's a colossus' date=' is it!? More like a colossal waste of iron![/quote']

 

Derived from the Allagan "iron giant", this suit of magitek armor needs no pilot, thanks to improvements made to the control system of the magitek vanguard. It was designed in the likeness of a man so that technicians might easily change its armaments, thus allowing for its deployment in all manner of situations.

 

Those seem to be a newer version designed from the vanguard staple horse, and also seems to be able to carry more than just a huge cleaver as seen ingame (huge guns? other weapons?).

 

 

 

A unit of Garlean soldiers is sifting through the wreckage of a fallen imperial juggernaut, presumably searching for any salvageable pieces of magitek equipment.

 

This flying magitek machine consists of an upper cylindrical section for aerial propulsion and a lower bipedal section for terrestrial locomotion. The Juggernaut can transport an entire squad of soldiers, and is often used to land troops in enemy terrain.

 

In the battle of Silvertears Falls: those seem to surround the Agrius and her escorts, and act as transformable fighter crafts battling against dravanians around. The midlander point of view is sitting in one of those.

 

 

 

A compact airship of military design, the magitek gunship can decimate ground troops from relative safety several hundred yalms above. It also has an auxiliary mechanical arm that allows it to performs deft work even while in flight. Inside, the warship has enough room to carry a few soldiers, and is deployed alongside everything from corps of engineers to units of quartermasters.

 

Second boss of the Keeper of the Lake, this is a floating gunboat that comes equipped with a large flamethrower at the prow and considerate napalm dropping capabilities.

 

 

 

Able to move with remarkable swiftness, the imperial assault craft is well equipped to fire upon landbound units. It is also used in the transport of troopers betwixt larger Aurora- or Agrius-class airships.

 

 

 

The mainstay airship of the Garlean Army, mid-size Aurora-class vessels are given to the command of all legatii.

 

 

 

As Urianger stated' date=' what we now call the Keeper of the Lake is the wreckage of the Agrius, former flagship of the imperial fleet, and the corpse of the wyrm responsible for its destruction.[/quote']

 

Fifteen years since the imperial fleet set course for Mor Dhona' date=' led by the Agrius, mightiest of all vessels.[/quote']

 

Unfortunately, Lord Lolorito has worrying news to share. It would seem the Empire has built a warship to rival the might of the legendary Agrius.

 

Fifteen Years Ago, In The Skies Above Silvertear Falls, The Invading Forces Of The XIVth Legion Were Set Upon By A Host Of Dragons. Leading The Charge Was Midgardsormr, Legendary King Of Kings, Who Engaged The Garlean Flagship, The Agrius, In Battle. In The End, Both Midgardsormr And His Foe Fell To The Earth, And Their Tangled Remnants Stand As A Memorial To That Day─a Ruined Airship, And The Charred Corpse Of The Wyrm Lord Who Brought It Low, Forever Devoid Of Life...

 

The largest airship ever built, the Agrius was a flying fortress. It was designed to provide aid for an entire foreign campaign, and was granted to the XIVth Imperial Legion for its first voyage. However, as it crossed Silvertear Lake, the dragon Midgardsormr suddenly arose and attacked. In the end, the Agrius came plunging downwards, wrapped in the wyrm's coils.

 

The Gration, a second ship of comparable size, was completed in the 56th year of the first Garlean Emperor's reign. After being given to the VIth Legion, it set out to find the mythical floating isle of Azys Lla.

 

The Agrius was the flagship of the imperial fleet of Garlemald. She was destroyed in battle against Midgardsomr and his brood, above Silvertears Falls, the lake where all Aether flows through the bridge between planes of existence. Midgardsomr was killed in the resulting explosion that engulfed the whole of Mor Dhona around and broke the allagan seal that released all the primals that the allagans imprisoned millenias ago.

 

 

 

Seen in the

for FFXIV, in the battle of Silvertears Falls: those seem to surround the Agrius and look like huge floating towers on balloons, and do not seem to do much, which makes me think to huge floating logistic ships.

 

(note: would love to get their actual name)

 

 

 

Nero tol Scaeva himself conceived and created these unmanned drones to provide supportfor the Ultima Weapon. His designs, while based upon ancient Allagan weaponry, made use of the technologies perfected on military airships. Despite Nero's ingenuity, the Magitek bits have their flaws, not the least of which being that they can function for only short intervals of time.

Seen in the fight against Ultima as well as used by Regula van Hydrus in the Aetherochemical Research Facility, who even tweaked them to detonate. They seem to fire magitek (photonic?) beams.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I do not have direct control over that subsystem and cannot issue an override command to deactivate it. Due to the severity of the situation, I am authorizing you to deactivate the affected units. At least four adamantite claws must be deactivated.

 

The Allagan logistics node informs you that several freight-handling units never received deactivation commands and have been operating continuously for over five thousand years. Lacking the ability to remotely deactivate these units itself, the logistics node authorizes you to do so in its stead.

 

The fallen feathers that allegedly came from a mythical beast which attacked the nestlings of Ok' Zundu are not feathers at all, but metal claws from an encroaching Garlean legion.

 

Reversed engineered from a weapon of Allag, now called "iron claws", the magitek death claw remains aloft by means of twin propellers housed in its body. Though it can do the grisly work of talons, it can also do the more tender work of hands - both carrying cargo and ordnance, as well as imprisoning enemy soldiers in its inescapable grip.

 

 

 

The Black Sarcophagus ain't no dimber bauble...it's the Mark LI magitek mine─a bleedin' prototype explosive what was bitten from an imperial transport vessel!

 

According to Perimu's investigation, the ominously named object is, in fact, an experimental explosive developed by the Garlean Empire.

 

According to what we see in the ROG classquest, the mine had enough power to detonate the whole Aftcastle of Limsa Lominsa, and is powered/triggered by 3 remote detonators of the size of a coffin themselves.

 

 

 

 

Its mission: to disable the magitek field generator which protects the Praetorium' date=' a fortress within a fortress wherein the Ultima Weapon is believed to be housed. , we would have you take command once more.[/quote']

 

The Immortal Flames shall strike at Castrum Meridianum by way of a diversionary maneuver. While the Garleans are thus locked in battle' date=' you are to infiltrate the stronghold and bring down the magitek field that surrounds the Praetorium.[/quote']

 

Our objective is to wreak such havoc outside the walls of Meridianum as to afford and her comrades the time they need to disable the magitek field generator within.

 

So Begins The Third Phase Of Operation Archon, Which Entails A Frontal Assault Upon Castrum Meridianum, Gaius Van Baelsar's Seat Of Power. Forming The Main Thrust, The Immortal Flames Will Strike At The Stronghold With All Their Strength, Though This Is But A Feint. While The Garrison's Eyes Are Drawn Outwards, You And Your Comrades Must Steal Past Its Defenses And Attempt To Deactivate The magitek Field Which Protects The Praetorium, The Fortress Within A Fortress Wherein The Ultima Weapon Is Believed To Be Housed.

 

The magitek Field guarding the Praetorium in Castrum Meridianum. This one is a level IV strenght field.

 

Our Ishgardian friends have furnished us with dragonkillers and ammunition' date=' and I've taken the liberty of procuring a magitek field generator as well.[/quote']

 

Magitek Fields seem to be also used by Eorzeans, as seen in the fight against Leviathan or Bismark for example. Those 'portable' versions (still as big as a man or two...) are probably of a very low level compared to the one around the Praetorium.

 

 

 

Near Ul'dah, we have Castrum Meridianum to the north, and the coastal outpost at Cape Westwind which connects Castrum Marinum to the mainland by means of a magitek transporter.

 

Those seem to be the garlean answer to aetherytes.

 

 

 

Seen in Castrum Novum, FFXIV 1.0.

 

 

 

If they do need a bit of extra encouragement, use this smoke signal here, filched fresh from an imperial scout. They'll come runnin' when they see that.

 

 

 

In order to hinder communication among imperial forces, Cid declares his intent to put together a makeshift jamming device. To this end, he lends you his electromagnetic reader, which he bids you use at the hill-sized cluster of corrupted crystals to the west of Revenant's Toll.

 

Radio devices that are used by garleans to communicate, technological counterpart to linkpearls. Can be jammed by Eorzean/Garlond made electromagnetic jammers, and detected by electromagnetic readers (item description says they are complex devices).

 

 

 

Garlean uniforms are made from revolutionary materials, such as carbon fiber and cermet alloys. The armor of Garlean officers is particularly ingenious, as it is coated with a substance that decreases aetherial conductivity, and therefore protects the wearer from magic attacks. The selfsame contrivance prevents the use of offensive spells, yet this hampers the pureblood Garleans little. The inability to wield magic also informs Garlemald's age-old penchant for using firearms. This has given birth to a peculiar form of weapon, part musket, part sword. Perhaps the best example of this is the gunblade, the arm of choice for most officers.

 

Note: added gunspear since the picture shows a gun mounted on a blade, and also a gun mounted on a spear.

 

 

 

 

Link to Encyclopedia Eorzea's sources

[LystAP]

Magitek Colossuses are also spotted within Allagan ruins. 

 

To an extent, especially regarding Magitek Claws and Colossus, seemed to be the work of one Nero to Scaeva - you see this in his Magitek Research Floor in the Praetorium, as well as the claws he summons during his fight. These did not exist in 1.0.

[Valence]

Added the Agrius and her escort ships.

[LystAP]

Added the Agrius and her escort ships.

 

The new Agrius-class is called the Gration. 

http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Sightseeing_Log:_The_Gration

 

The smaller corvette-airships are actually called Magitek Juggernauts. 

http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Imperial_Juggernaut

http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Juggernaut_Down

 

They're more of transformable fighter craft for the Garlean Empire.

[Valence]

Ah neat, thanks. I think I actually already read it somewhere for those juggernauts (probably with that Mor Dhona FATE) and totally forgot about it.

[Morningstar1337]

I should note that the Reapers come if 4 varieties. The basic black one. The White and Red ones used in the MogStation...and the Gilded one.

 

While the Red and White ones seem to be there as something akin to say...Char Azable's Gundam, something to show that the characters are high on the chain of command. the Golden ones have more relevant use. Serving as protection against the magics of Eorzean mages.

 

You also left out the actual weapons themselves. Weapons that wouldn't look out of place in RWBY. Heirsbane, Bradamante and such would be just as worthy of inclusion as the mechs and smoke signals IMO

 

Also for some reason, Toto-Rak and the Darkhold have Magitek fields. The latter might explain their use in Bismarck, but I have a feeling those two dungeons are in the same continuity limbo as Hildibrand

[Yssen]

I should note that the Reapers come if 4 varieties. The basic black one. The White and Red ones used in the MogStation...and the Gilded one.

 

While the Red and White ones seem to be there as something akin to say...Char Azable's Gundam, something to show that the characters are high on the chain of command. the Golden ones have more relevant use. Serving as protection against the magics of Eorzean mages.

 

You also left out the actual weapons themselves. Weapons that wouldn't look out of place in RWBY. Heirsbane, Bradamante and such would be just as worthy of inclusion as the mechs and smoke signals IMO

 

Also for some reason, Toto-Rak and the Darkhold have Magitek fields. The latter might explain their use in Bismarck, but I have a feeling those two dungeons are in the same continuity limbo as Hildibrand

The magitek fields are artifacts from 1.0. Both dungeons had Garleans crawling around in them back then poking around for something, and using the fields as cordons against monsters and other meddler-y things.

[Valence]

Added magitek generator, from 1.0. 

 

Curious as to what exactly was Castrum Novum in Mor Dhona, and how it fits into the current lore of the game though?

[LystAP]

Added magitek generator, from 1.0. 

 

Curious as to what exactly was Castrum Novum in Mor Dhona, and how it fits into the current lore of the game though?

 

It's Castrum Centri now, if I recall the MSQ. It's one of their main production centers in Eorzea.

[Sounsyy]

Added magitek generator, from 1.0. 

 

Curious as to what exactly was Castrum Novum in Mor Dhona, and how it fits into the current lore of the game though?

 

Castrum Novum, five years ago, was the Imperial stronghold in Mor Dhona where Castrum Centri sits today. Around the same period of time as the formation of the Grand Companies in response to the Garlean threat, the Empire began sending cohorts to harry Alliance forces across Eorzea in a bid to distract the Eorzeans from their construction of Castrum Novum in the heart of Eorzea.

 

What was the purpose of this Castrum? Led by the crazed Legatus Nael van Darnus, the VIIth Legion infiltrated deep into Eorzea in a desperate search for Allagan Tomestones and ceruleum used to power the Magitek Generator at the heart of the castrum. This Magitek Generator powered a Tomestone Signal that called to the Lesser Moon Dalamud and guided its descent to Hydaelyn.

 

In the quest United We Stand, the Grand Companies (who had up to this point operated separately) joined forces in an assault against the Castrum to defeat Nael van Darnus and destroy the magitek beacon and halt the descent of the red moon. They succeeded, thanks to the efforts of the Twelvesblades, but the destruction of the castrum did not stall Dalamud's descent. Nael van Darnus defeated the warriors and escaped to Coerthas.

 

Castrum Novum was destroyed by the Alliance in that assault, and it was from the scrap and ruins of Castrum Novum that the XIVth Legion, led by Legatus Gaius van Baelsar built Castrum Centri.

 

[video=youtube]

[Valence]

Ahh so that's from where they initiated Dalamud descent...

 

Now the question is, since they had to divert the eorzeans attention to other places in order to build that thing here, how the hell did they manage to pull that again with Castrum Centri? They took advantage of the 7th Calamity or something?

[Sounsyy]

Now the question is, since they had to divert the eorzeans attention to other places in order to build that thing here, how the hell did they manage to pull that again with Castrum Centri? They took advantage of the 7th Calamity or something?

 

Exactly this. Immediately following the chaos of the Calamity, Gaius van Baelsar took advantage of the Alliance's disarray (and loss of linkshell communication) and pushed deep against the Eorzean lines which the VIIth Legion had already weakened prior to the Calamity. Unable to coordinate and deploy adequate defenses thanks to the Alliance's losses on Carteneau, Garlemald was able to erect several castrum across Eorzea upon the shattered outposts and dugouts of the VIIth Legion cohorts.

 

Flame Sergeant Dalvag was among the thousands of defenders who met the Garlean invasion force in northern Thanalan soon after the Calamity. His company was ill placed to hold their position, yet given strict orders not to retreat. Many fell, and suffered much in the falling. Multiple witnesses attest that Dalvag was the last of the company and fought as a man possessed till the end, the names of the dead tumbling in hoarse barks through cracked lips. Scholars theorize that his mortal remains are animated by a thirst for vengeance alone.

[LystAP]

Now the question is, since they had to divert the eorzeans attention to other places in order to build that thing here, how the hell did they manage to pull that again with Castrum Centri? They took advantage of the 7th Calamity or something?

 

Exactly this. Immediately following the chaos of the Calamity, Gaius van Baelsar took advantage of the Alliance's disarray (and loss of linkshell communication) and pushed deep against the Eorzean lines which the VIIth Legion had already weakened prior to the Calamity. Unable to coordinate and deploy adequate defenses thanks to the Alliance's losses on Carteneau, Garlemald was able to erect several castrum across Eorzea upon the shattered outposts and dugouts of the VIIth Legion cohorts.

 

Flame Sergeant Dalvag was among the thousands of defenders who met the Garlean invasion force in northern Thanalan soon after the Calamity. His company was ill placed to hold their position, yet given strict orders not to retreat. Many fell, and suffered much in the falling. Multiple witnesses attest that Dalvag was the last of the company and fought as a man possessed till the end, the names of the dead tumbling in hoarse barks through cracked lips. Scholars theorize that his mortal remains are animated by a thirst for vengeance alone.

 

 

Gaius was watching the whole thing play out from his airship, as you seen in the FFXIV 2.0 cinematic. Technically, his holdings in Ala Mhigo are part of Eorzea and the moon would have obliterated his forces as well, although I'm sure he withdrew as much as he could. 

 

As a note, Garleans apparently don't use link pearls, they use actual radios. [see: MSQ quest, Drowning Out The Voices] This lets the Eorzeans to erect jammers throughout Eorzea to inhibit imperial communication, while allowing their link pearls to work [these jammers show up later in the MSQ, where Doman ninjas help you stop the Garleans from disabling them].

[Valence]

I'm a derp, that's actually one of the first things I read on lore when I started...

 

Also, I'm adding radios right away to the list. I forgot those. I'm sure there is a lot of other things I've forgotten as well...

 

Wonder if there is any way to jamm linkpearls mentionned in lore somewhere... probably not.

[LystAP]

I'm a derp, that's actually one of the first things I read on lore when I started...

 

Also, I'm adding radios right away to the list. I forgot those. I'm sure there is a lot of other things I've forgotten as well...

 

Wonder if there is any way to jamm linkpearls mentionned in lore somewhere... probably not.

 

If someone thought about it, it maybe possible. But Eorzean linkpearls work differently, the only known case of linkshell interruption/jamming was when Bahamut was rampaging throughout Eorzea. They also accounted for it during Operation Archon, although I think it didn't happen. 

 

Linkpearl communications seems to rely on a wide range of aether, compared to Garlean radio, which focuses on air and lightning aether. If there's enough aetheric disturbance in the air, such as with a primal, it might be possible.

[Valence]

Heavily reworked and updated that post. It now includes all there is to find on the subject written in the lorebook (and added images on link at the end of the OP).