In Final Fantasy XIV, Earthbreak Aethersand is just one of the latest in a long line of Aetherial Reduction materials needed for ultra-high-level crafting. It is also a material that players will need for the new 6.4 crafted gear, according to speculation. It can be acquired in a variety of ways as a Fisher, a Botanist, or a Miner. Yet there are quite a lot of restrictions tied to the material just the same.
To get Earthbreak Aethersand, you’ll need to unlock Aetherial Reduction. It’s unlocked by a level 56 quest called No Longer a Collectible, which allows players to break down certain Collectables into Crystals, Clusters, and other materials. The higher the Collectability of the item, the more likely to get rarer items from it. A Collectible with a score of 1000 is guaranteed to give Aethersand, with the potential for a bonus.
To unlock Aetherial Reduction, head to Lydrilona in Mor Dhona (X: 22, Y: 6). Players will need a Disciple of the Land level 56 or higher to access the quest.
How to get Earthbreak Aethersand in Final Fantasy XIV
Earthbreak Aethersand can be obtained via the following five methods:
- Catching a Verdigris Guppy while spearfishing
- Catching a Nosceasaur while spearfishing
- Mining Earthen Quartz as a Miner
- Harvesting Sophora Roots as a Botanist
- Buying it for 300 Purple Gatherers’ Scrip apiece from any Scrip Exchange NPC
You can find a Scrip Exchange NPC in all three of the basic capital cities: Ul’dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Gridania. There’s also one for each expansion located in one of the two social hubs for that add-on. Such as the Scrip Exchange vendor at The Studium in Old Sharlayan.
However, 300 Scrips is quite a massive investment for just one pinch of sand. Thus, it is highly recommended to collect it yourself for free and in much greater quantities. Assuming you have an appropriately leveled Disciple of the Land, of course. There are a few different methods players can use to gather the material. Here is a look at each method.
Earthbreak Aethersand Fishing
Both the Verdigris Guppy and the Nosceasaur can be found across the same spearfishing locations in Upper La Noscea (X: 25.0, Y: 21.5). That’s just northwest of the Camp Bronze Lake Aetheryte.
The guppy is a small, fast-moving fish while the Nosceasaur is a large, fast fish with a fairly small hitbox. You can summon the larger fish by first catching four of the guppies in a single spearfishing node. After which you should receive a message warning you about “unexpected predator” approaching.
Note that you must first activate the “Collector’s Glove” buff by using the “Collect” skill. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use Aetherial Reduction on the fish. Even if you catch them.
This is often the fastest (if not always the most consistent) way to gather Earthbreak Aethersand in FFXIV. That’s because there’s no limit on spearfishing; you can keep trying as much as you want, whenever you want. And while catching a Nosceasaur will likely net you more sand, it’s not even necessary to snag the large, elusive fish to get what you need.
Earthbreak Aethersand Gathering
The next two methods are easier (assuming you have the proper gear) but come with built-in time limits. That’s because they’re tied to “Ephemeral” nodes — like many other top-tier crafting materials in FFXIV.
Miners can find their Earthen Quartz in Mare Lamentorum (a.k.a. the moon) between the “hours” of 0:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m. Eorzea Time. Remember, however, that Ephemeral Nodes will not automatically alert you to their presence the way that Unspoiled and Legendary deposits do. You will need to use the skill “Lay of the Land II” to locate the nearest Level 90 Ephemeral Node in the region.
To simplify things, just know that all three nodes respawn in the same locations south of The Numbing Brand in Southern Mare Lamentorum (X: 21.0, Y: 34.0).
Here’s a map for the more visually inclined among you:
All the same rules apply to Botanist players. The only difference is that you’ll need to hit the far, far southwestern wedge of Labyrinthos (X: 10.0, Y: 35.0) from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eorzea Time. The nodes are just a bit south of the Aporia Aetheryte.
And here’s another simplified map of that location as well:
Some Final Earthbreak Aethersand Tips
Just to wrap things up, let’s take a quick look at a few simple tips. These should apply to basically all aethersand farming in FFXIV, too.
◊ You can use Aetherial Reduction, Desynthesis, and even Extract Materia while moving! Though this doesn’t work with the auto-walk button and/or while mounted. Using these skills on the go allows you to free up inventory space for more fish and Ephemeral Node materials while moving to the next gathering location — saving time and increasing the number of gathering attempts you can make in a short window.
◊ Ephemeral Nodes come in groups of three: always respawning in the same locations and in the same order after collecting from all three. That means you can walk a triangular “route” between the nodes without having to constantly use Lay of the Land II to find where the next node has respawned.
◊ This is what Cordial — especially Hi-Cordial — was made for. Bring a bunch and don’t be stingy about using it to restore your GP between gathering nodes.
◊ Higher Collectability levels of the fish and resources have higher chances to yield Earthbreak Aethersand. At the maximum level (1,000 Collectability) you’re also likely to get a bonus. However, even low-level gathers have a small chance produce one or two pinches of the sand. Not to mention you get elemental crystals and clusters no matter what.
◊ If you ever forget where to find the Miner or Botanist nodes, you can check the Level 86-90 Quarrying and Harvesting sections, respectively, from your Gathering Log. The Earthbreak Aethersand materials are counted as normal resources and not displayed under the Regional Folklore or Collectables sections of the log.
◊ You do not need 3,625 Perception (the minimum requirement to gather FFXIV Patch 6.3 Legendary materials) to uncover Earthbreak Aethersand. Though higher gathering stats will make reaching 1,000 Collectability, not to mention finding bigger fish, easier.
Updated: 5/18/2023 at 11:30am ET by Jessica Scharnagle
