FFXIV Shadowbringers EX Trials Dancing Plague, Crown of the Immaculate, Cloud Deck All Extreme, and Hades Emerald Weapon

This guide will cover the four FFXIV Shadowbringers EX Trials - The Dancing Plague, the Crown of the Immaculate, the Cloud Deck All Extreme, and Hades Emerald Weapon. I'll discuss what to expect in each fight, how to prepare for them, and strategies for clearing them. I'll also give a brief overview of the rewards you can expect from each fight and the types of crafting materials and FFXIV Gil they can drop. 

The Dancing Plague is the first EX Trial of the expansion and can be done with a single tank and seven DPS. There are two mechanics to watch out for in the fight - Phantom Rune and Mist Rune. When Phantom Rune is cast, players need to run out of the boss' hitbox. When Mist Rune is cast, eight puddles will spawn and one player needs to stand in each one. The fight is mostly DPS focused, so pause your DPS when you near 60% HP. When you see a voice line from the boss, resume your DPS and you should be able to kill her before entering the ADS phase. The Dancing Plague has a chance to drop the Fake River Trumpet, Dancing Wing random weapon, and a Weapon Coffer. The Dancing Wing is a crafting material that can be crafted into an augmented weapon.

The Crown of the Immaculate is a joke fight and can easily be farmed in under two and a half minutes. You only need to worry about the Red Marker mechanic and make sure not to run it through the party. The Crown of the Immaculate doesn't drop any crafting materials so only run it if you need the mount.

The Cloud Deck All Extreme is a fight against the Ruby Weapon and can be done with eight DPS and one tank/healer. There are three mechanics to watch out for in the fight - Flexi Claw, Raven's Claw, and Meteor Project. Flexi Claw and Raven's Claw can be skipped with high enough DPS. Meteor Project will summon two ADs, and the targets will be given a red or blue debuff. The targets need to attack the AD of the opposite color. Once the ADs are dead, resume your DPS and you should be able to kill the boss before any more mechanics happen. The Ruby Weapon has a chance to drop the Ruby Quiver Trumpet, Ruby Plating, and a Weapon Coffer. The Ruby Plating is a crafting material that can be crafted into an augmented weapon.

The final fight is the Diamond Weapon. This fight can be done with one tank/healer and seven DPS, but two tanks are recommended. There are two mechanics to watch out for in the fight - Diamond Rain and Adamant Purge. Diamond Rain is a hard-hitting raid-wide AoE and Adamant Purge will either be a stack or spread mechanic. If it is a stack, stack in the middle of the platform, and if it is a spread, spread a reasonable distance from each other. The Diamond Weapon has a chance to drop the Diamond Quiver Trumpet, Diamond Plating, and a Weapon Coffer. The Diamond Plating is a crafting material that can be crafted into an augmented weapon.

Farming Gills efficiently is all about understanding the mechanics of the fights and executing them flawlessly. You should practice each fight multiple times to get a feel for the mechanics, and use DPS checks to make sure your group is doing enough damage to skip mechanics. You should also pay attention to your positioning, be aware of the enmity list, and use the teleporters efficiently.