Diabolos is one of the five terrestrial avatars in Final Fantasy XI, alongside Carbuncle, Fenrir, Phoenix, and Bahamut. He is the ruler and creator of the dreamworld known as Dynamis, and appears as a character and boss in the Chains of Promathia storyline. Players who have defeated Diabolos can optionally face a far more powerful version of him in the quest "Waking Dreams" to forge a pact with him, gaining the ability to summon him. As a summon associated with dreams and sleep, many of Diabolos's moves are magic-based and some gain bonuses from being used when it is nighttime or when the enemy is asleep.
Diabolos is also the name of a server.
History[]
During the events of Chains of Promathia, Diabolos learned about Bahamut's plan to destroy the enlightened races of Vana'diel to prevent the return of Promathia. Being convinced that the coming apocalypse was unavoidable, Diabolos created Dreamworld Dynamis with the intention of giving people a place to live safe from the dangers of Bahamut or Promathia.
Diabolos confronting Tenzen.
Prishe fell into a coma. Dr. Monberaux tried to treat her, but nothing would wake her. After the adventurer and Tenzen traveled to Pso'xja, they saw that Prishe's consciousness was stolen by Diabolos and held in Dynamis. Selh'teus saved Prishe and Diabolos confronted Tenzen and the adventurer, telling them that their plans to save Vana'diel were hopeless. Tenzen showed Diabolos that his blade contained the power of the long lost terrestrial avatar, Phoenix, and that this avatar guided his actions. Diabolos insisted that Phoenix was feeding them false hope and informed them of the true peril that Vana'diel was in.
When the adventurer, Tenzen, and Ulmia made their way to the mothercrystal Vahzl, Diabolos abducted Prishe again during her run in with Selh'teus. In the Promyvion surrounding the mothercrystal, he confronted the heroes, revealing that he had learned Selh'teus's plan through Prishe's dreams. He revealed that Selh'teus was trying to protect Al'taieu and that Al'taieu was never destroyed, instead laying beyond the fifth mothercrystal. He warned against opening the Gates of Paradise stating that it was Promathia's will that guided them towards those ends, and this was why Bahamut sought to destroy them. Tenzen asked how they can break free from following Promathia's will. Diabolos stated that the Promathian chains were neither a blessing nor a curse, but that they were necessary for the enlightened races. He revealed that the Kuluu had asked to be made free of their Promathian chains resulting in catastrophe. Being free from Promathia's will would be another type of destruction. He pointed out that the other terrestrial avatars were faced with the choice of protecting Vana'diel or the enlightened races, but one of the two were bound to be destroyed. Prishe insisted that he was wrong, claiming that Selh'teus was working towards saving both, Vana'diel and all of its life.
Diabolos after abducting Prishe.
Upon the adventurer's first arrival into Dreamworld Dynamis, Diabolos appeared and informed them that fragments of himself had rebelled. He asked the adventurer to fight those fragments for the sake of Dynamis. After gaining access to Dynamis - Tavnazia, the adventurer found and fought these Diabolos fragments.
During the events of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, the adventurer repelled the Cloud of Darkness from Vana'diel, and Iroha discovered that a fragment of its presence still resided in Selh'teus' mothercrystal. To combat this fragment, the power of the Phoenix was needed to consolidate the fragment into physical form within the mothercrystal. The Phoenix was a terrestrial avatar that had long since been dead, with only fragments of its power remaining. In preparation for the final battle with the Cloud of Darkness, Diabolos joined the other avatars in granting Phoenix a portion of their energy to revive the terrestrial avatar.
Gameplay[]
Diablos is both a boss and a summonable avatar.
Notorious Monster[]
Diablos can be fought on four different occasion. Once in the Chains of Promathia storyline, once in his acquisition quest, and finally in a High Tier Battlefield.
| Name | Content | Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darkness Named | Mission Battlefield | Completed previous "Chains of Promathia" Missions |
|
| Dynamis - Tavnazia | Dreamworld Dynamis | Complete "Darkness Named" Mission |
|
| Waking Dreams | Battlefield | Completed "Chains of Promathia" Missions | One of the following:
|
| Waking Dreams High Tier Battlefield | High Tier Battlefield | Clear "Waking Dreams" Battlefield |
|
Summon[]
Unlike many of the avatars added after the Rise of the Zilart Expansion, Diablos has a full set of abilities rather than just casting a one time effect. He is obtained by clearing the quest "Waking Dreams". Diabolos is highly resistant to all Dark-based damage and enfeebling effects such as Sleep and Blind but is weak against Light-based damage and enfeebling effects. Diabolos also has a defense modifier of thirty percent.
Blood Pact: Rage[]
| Name | Level | Pact Type | MP | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruinous Omen | 1 | Rage | All | Deals damage equal to a random percentage of HP to enemies within area of effect. Only available during Astral Flow. |
| Camisado | 1 | Rage | 20 | Deals minor physical blunt damage and knocks back the target. |
| Nether Blast | 65 | Rage | 109 | Delivers a ranged magical attack dealing moderate dark damage. Damage is fairly consistent, ignoring many defensive stats. |
| Night Terror | 80 | Rage | 177 | Deals powerful dark magic damage to a target. Damage receives a significant bonus when used on a sleeping target. |
| Pavor Nocturnus | 98 | Ward | 246 | Inflicts Instant Death on the target. Target will be Dispelled if Death fails. Chance to inflict Death increases if target was already slept with Nightmare. |
Blood Pact: Ward[]
| Name | Level | Pact Type | MP | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somnolence | 20 | Ward | 30 | Deals minor dark magic damage and weighs the target down. |
| Nightmare | 29 | Ward | 42 | Gradually deals dark damage, weakens attacks, and inflicts sleep on enemies within area of effect. This special sleep status prevents gradual damage from waking the afflicted targets. |
| Ultimate Terror | 37 | Ward | 27 | Decreases attributes of enemies within Area of Effect. |
| Noctoshield | 49 | Ward | 92 | Gives all Party members in area of effect the effect of Phalanx. |
| Diabolos's Favor | 55 | Avatar's Favor | 0 | Causes MP to Refresh for all party members near Diabolos, but weakens Diabolos's offensive power. |
| Dream Shroud | 56 | Ward | 121 | Enhances magic attack and magic defense for party members within area of effect. |
| Pavor Nocturnus | 98 | Ward | 246 | Inflicts Instant Death on the target. Target will be Dispelled if Death fails. Chance to inflict Death increases if target was already slept with Nightmare. |
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Diabolos is the Greek word for "devil". It has entered many languages to mean devil, such as Diabolus (Latin), Diavolo (Italian), Diablo (Spanish), Diable (French), and Diabo (Portuguese). Diabolos actually means "accuser" or "slanderer" and could also be connected to the Greek word diabolous, which means "divider" (which befits Diabolos's affinity with the gravity element in the Final Fantasy series), but eventually the general word Diabolos became the specific name of the entity. In the original Greek rendering, it was used to refer to the Christian Devil (The New Testament was written in Greek). Devil is the English translation of Diabolos and in Christian belief, this being is the embodiment of evil.
The concept of the Devil is believed to originate in Zoroastrianism with Angra Mainyu (also known as Ahriman) as well as from the Judaic Satan in the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Their Satan was merely the "devil's advocate", an angel who acted as a skeptic and whom God allowed to afflict Job with suffering. Satan is Hebrew for "prosecutor/accuser" or "adversary".
The concept of the summon Diabolos in Final Fantasy may be connected to the Jinn in Islamic mythology, similar to Ifrit. The djinn were the origins of genie myths and were spirits or ghosts made of fire or smoke. They were said to grant wishes.