Among the different kinds of monsters in the Bomb family in Eorzea, the “Balloons” found in the North Shroud may be the first you encounter on your journey – as they’re only level 25. Listed below are the other Bomb monsters you can farm, along with their levels and locations:
Balloon, Level 25-28 – North Shroud (X:15.5, Y:27.5) Bright Balloon, Level 29 – North Shroud (X:17.0, Y:28.1) Smoke Bomb, Level 32-35 – Southern Thanalan (X:18.2, Y:36.9) Breeding Bomb, Level 41 – Outer La Noscea (X:20.7, Y:17.3) Glowing Bomb, Level 48 – Outer La Noscea (X:26.9, Y:5.1)
Aside from battling Bomb mobs, you can also find bomb ash through mining, from the Kobold Vendor, or from a few other ways – and we’ll cover all of these in detail below.
What’s Mined is Yours
Bomb ashes can also be gathered by miners from level 30 Rocky Outcrops in Southern Thanalan. To find the area that spawns these nodes, simply take the Forgotten Springs aetheryte and head east to (X:22.6, Y:29.4). The ashes are considered level 26 items. And while there don’t seem to be any aggressive monsters in this immediate area, there are some level 47 Amal’jaa that you might bump into while heading there from the aetheryte. So remember to have your “Sneak” ability up and be mindful of your surroundings.
Collaborating With Kobolds
Another way to obtain bomb ashes is to purchase them from the Kobold Vendor in Outer La Noscea (X:21.6, Y:17.8). However, before this NPC starts selling his wares to you, you must first have started the Beast Tribe quest line for Kobolds. Getting started on these quests requires you to have done the level 41 Main Scenario Quest, “In Pursuit of the Past”. Once you’re done with that, you can head to the Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks and look for Trachraet at (X:12.7, Y:12.8). Trachraet will give you the quest, “Highway Robbery”. Completing this will give you the quest “How Low Can You Go”, and turning that in will get you started on the Kobold Beast Tribe quests. Once unlocked, you start off with a neutral reputation with the Kobolds – which is the standard when starting any beast tribe quest line. However, bomb ashes will be available from the Kobold Vendor right away. Completing dailies for the Kobolds will reward you with Titan Cobaltpieces. One Titan Cobaltpiece can be exchanged for 3 bomb ashes, or you can purchase them for 82 gil apiece.
Other Ways to Get Bomb Ashes
Alternate ways to obtain these items are from retainer ventures and desynthesis. At level 26, your retainers can be sent out on ventures to procure bomb ashes. This can be done whether they’re set to a battle class or a miner. But sending them out as a miner yields significantly more of these ashes per venture. As a Disciple of War or Magic, retainers can obtain about 5 to 15 ashes in around 40-60 minutes. As a miner, retainers are able to gather 15 to 50 ashes in the same amount of time. It’s quite a difference! Or if you want to get bomb ashes from desynthesis, you’ll need to break down any of the following:
Bomb cauldrons Bomb frypans Bomb stoves
These are made from blacksmith and armorer recipes, but even with desynth it isn’t guaranteed that bomb ashes will be produced from the result.
Bomb Ash Uses
Bomb ashes in XIV are used in the following recipes:
Bomb Cauldron – Level 80 Armorer Bomb Frypan – Level 27 Armorer Bomb Stove – Level 70 Blacksmith (Master Recipe) Campfire – Level 28 Alchemist Steel Ingot – Level 26 Armorer/Blacksmith Wine Glass – Level 60 Alchemist (Master Recipe)
Perhaps the most notable of these items is the steel ingot. It’s used in a large number of other recipes for every Disciple of the Hand class (except for culinarians). These ingots can be used to craft all sorts of things – from simple nails, to fancy doors, to deadly axes such as the Mythril Bhuj. Bomb ashes can also be turned into your Grand Company Personnel Officer for your daily provisioning missions. The Personnel Officer can request 10 ashes at level 26, and turning them in will grant you a large amount of experience points and company seals.
