Keybound Brawler is Final Fantasy XIV’s latest limited-time game mode, bringing mechanics similar to Typing of the Dead to the hit MMORPG. Players will be able to jump into a brand-new game mode in the Gold Saucer, unlock Tifa and Barret outfits, an incredible new mount, and so much more. Whether you want a new minion, clothes, or Orchestrion Rolls, there’s something for you here.
Keybound Brawler is now available in Final Fantasy XIV, and will be playable until the release of Patch 8.0 in January 2027. Here’s what you need to know about getting started, and taking part in this great new mode.
How to unlock Keybound Brawler in Final Fantasy XIV
In order to take part in Final Fantasy XIV’s Keybound Brawler game mode, you need to at least be job level 15 and complete one of the following main story quests:
- The Gridanian Envoy
- The Lominsan Envoy
- The Ul’dahn Envoy
If you’ve at least completed one of those, you can head to Ul’dah – Steps of Nald and pick up It Could Happen To You, a quest from the Well-heeled Youth (9.6, 9.0). You will also need to complete a follow-up quest, Keyward Bound. This will be given by the Catlike Mammet in the Gold Saucer (5.4, 7.0). Here’s a brief rundown of what you’re doing in both of these quests.
It Could Happen to You is not actually a new quest in Final Fantasy XIV, but the quest that unlocks the Gold Saucer. Keyward Bound, however, is new. It’s very short, thankfully. Just pick up the quest in the Gold Saucer, and use the Wonder Square West fast travel and drop down from the upper level, so you can speak with W’zazanh, the Keybound Gatekeeper.
Just watch one more cutscene, and you’ll have officially unlocked Keybound Brawler in FFXIV! The game will give all players a warning they will need to keep in mind: This game mode requires you to have a keyboard. Digital keyboards and other gamepads are not usable during this mode. With that, you can now enter the Keybound Brawler game mode!
How to play Keybound Brawler in Final Fantasy XIV
You can queue for the Keybound Brawler mode with up to three other party members in Final Fantasy XIV, by heading to the Keybound Square and speaking to the Keybound Registrar. Just make sure your keyboard is ready to go!
Players will need to survive three waves of enemies, defeating a certain number of foes each wave. This will culminate in the powerful Airbuster boss from Final Fantasy 7. When enemies spawn, you and your party will need to type the words as quickly as possible, and as accurately as possible, to build your score multiplier, and to prevent enemies from reaching your base. In Wave 1, you need to defeat 25 enemies, Wave 2 is defeat all the enemies, and Wave 3 is defeat the Airbuster.
If they reach your base, your base’s HP will go down. If it reaches 0, you lose! For the most part, the words are pretty simple, but as the game mode goes on, the words you type get more complicated.
Enemies do have some mechanics you need to watch out for, too. If you see the red warning circle with a keyboard inside of it, that means you need to stop typing by the time the meter for that enemy fills up. If you don’t, you’ll get Letterlocked for a short period of time. This means you can’t type, putting your team at a disadvantage.
If you see a word with a red box, this is an attack you can interrupt. There will be a number under the progress bar, which tells you how many correct words you need to stop the attack from going through.
Finally, there’s also Cryptic Communications, which conceals what word you need to type. Watch carefully for hints of the word, or for it to temporarily appear. Take that moment to type it quickly so you don’t take damage!
There’s also something very important you should know, regarding punctuation in Final Fantasy XIV’s Keybound Brawler mode. If you see a period (.), comma (,) or a space, those are all required. Question marks (?), exclamation marks (!), and apostrophes (‘) are all optional. The example the game gives is “Hi-potion” can also be written “Hipotion”, but not “Hi potion”, because there’s no space.
It comes down to quick, accurate typing, and a little bit of teamwork if you want to win Keybound Brawler. At the end, you’ll be scored, receive your MGC (as well as MGP), and a Keybound coffer, which has a random reward inside.
All known rewards for Keybound Brawler game mode in Final Fantasy XIV
Simply completing Keybound Brawler once will give you the achievement of Masterstroke I. All you need to do is take part! If you take part in Keybound Brawler 100 times in Final Fantasy XIV, you’ll receive the Magitype Magister title! If you visit the MGC Trader, you can also purchase the following items, using MGC.
It’s worth noting that the Tifa outfit (Avalanche Brawler) and the Barret outfit (Avalanche Leader) are gender-locked. Sadly, this includes Barret’s sunglasses, but hopefully, this is something that changes later.
- Avalanche Brawler’s Top: 430
- Avalanche Brawler’s Halfgloves: 260
- Avalanche Brawler’s Bottoms: 430
- Avalanche Brawler’s Boots: 260
- Avalanche Leader’s Sunglasses: 190
- Avalanche Leader’s Vest: 430
- Avalanche Leader’s Halfgloves: 260
- Avalanche Leader’s Cargo Trousers: 430
- Avalanche Leader’s Boots: 260
- Avalanche Brawler’s Earring: 190
- Avalanche Leader’s Earring: 190
- Avalanche Gatling Gun: 430
- Magitek Scorpion Identification Key: 430
- Wind-up Barret: 260
- Ballroom Etiquette – Intrepid Inputs: 260
- Welcome to the Gold Saucer Orchestrion Roll: 190
- Let the Battles Begin! Orchestrion Roll: 190
- Fight On! Orchestrion Roll: 190
- Keybound Brawler Framer’s Kit: 190
- Keybound Coffer: 910
Thankfully, these items aren’t incredibly high-priced, so it should be easy to get everything you want out of this mode. I received 300 MGC for a victory, which put me close to purchasing a single item of my choice, with some exceptions. This game mode will be available until Evercold launches in January 2027, so there’s plenty of time!
Check out our other Final Fantasy XIV guides and features
Edited by Jason Parker
