How to Complete ‘Blacksmith’s Blues III’ in Final Fantasy XVI

Blackthorne needs a lot of assistance in Final Fantasy XVI, which means multiple recipes. After completing the first and second portions, a third will open up. (And eventually a fourth as well.) “Blacksmith’s Blues III” in Final Fantasy XVI offers more of an insight into Blackthorne’s past while assisting him, netting us another equipment recipe in the process.

How to complete “Blacksmith’s Blues III” in Final Fantasy XVI

As usual, this Final Fantasy XVI “Blacksmith’s Blues III quest begins with a chat with August at the hideaway. (It comes up during the “A Song of Hope” mainline quest.) This time you actually speak to him, rather than read a missive at Clive’s desk. He’ll express concern about Blackthorne yet again. This then prompts another visit to him at his forge in the hideaway. He’s once again overthinking about a piece he’s seen.

That prompts a visit to Dravozd in the Dhalmekian Republic map. You’ll never have visited this town prior to this quest, so head to the Tabor teleport point, then follow the quest marker to the new area. At first, you won’t be able to get in due to it being closed off, but Blackthorne will speak up.

Once inside, head to your right to Vulcan’s Forge. A cutscene will automatically play and Clive will meet Zoltan. Return to Blackthorne near the entrance of the village. After deciding to share the bellows and forging technology Cid came up with, it’s time to go fight a monster. You need to slay a Desert Salamander. It’s in The Fields of Corava nearby. I highlighted its position with the cursor in the screenshot below.

The Desert Salamander is a level 35 foe. I was at level 38 by this point, so you might also be at a similar level and very ready to face it. It is an enemy with its guard up, so you’ll need to shatter that at least once while fighting it and stagger it. Beating it gives you the Salamander Skin key item you’ll need to give to Blackthorne in Dravozd, as well as a Dragon Talon, 200 EXP, 80 AP, and 300 gil. Turning that item into Blackthorne causes another story scene and nets you Pit-coal Cinder from Zoltan for Blackthorne.

After talking to August, head back to the hideaway. Give the Pit-coal Cinder to Blackthorne. This will close out the “Blacksmith’s Blues III” quest in Final Fantasy XVI. You’ll get 900 EXP, 35 renown, 100 Bloody Hides, and an Ouroboros Design Draft. To make that Ouroboros belt at the blacksmith, you’ll need a Comet Feather, a Stone Tongue, and an Orichalcum. The first two items are Notorious Mark materials, as is customary for these sorts of special recipes.

His storyline continues in a fourth sidequest.

Final Fantasy XVI is available for the PlayStation 5. There is a six-month exclusivity period.

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