You're wandering around the Dhalmekian Republic, the sun is beating down on Clive’s leather armor, and you’re probably wondering why on earth you’re looking for a swarm of overgrown bees. That’s the Final Fantasy 16 experience in a nutshell. If you’ve picked up the "Out of the Shadow" main quest, you’ve likely noticed a new posting on the Hunt Board back at the Hideaway. It’s for the Soul Stingers.
Finding the Soul Stingers location in FF16 isn't actually that hard once you know which corner of the map to tuck into, but the game loves to give you vague hints that lead to a lot of aimless sprinting through the sand. These aren't your typical Rank C marks. Well, they are Rank C, but they come in a pack, which makes them a bit of a nuisance if you aren't ready for a chaotic dogfight—or bugfight, I guess.
Where Exactly Are These Things Hiding?
To track them down, you need to head to the Dhalmekian Republic. Fast travel to the Velkroy Desert Obelisk. If you haven't unlocked that yet, you’ve got some walking to do from the Dalimil Inn. Once you're at the Velkroy Obelisk, look at your map. You want to head to the far eastern corner of the Fields of Corava.
There’s a little cul-de-sac of a canyon tucked away in the Empty Hovel area. It’s a dead end. Usually, dead ends in FF16 mean one of two things: a treasure chest with 10 gil and some sharped ash, or a Hunt mark that wants to ruin your afternoon. In this case, it’s the latter. As you approach the back of this rocky inlet, the swarm will descend.
Map Specifics for the Soul Stingers Location in FF16
- Region: Dhalmekian Republic
- Closest Fast Travel: Velkroy Desert
- Sub-Area: The Empty Hovel (East of the Fields of Corava)
- Visual Cue: Look for a cluster of abandoned, crumbling buildings near the canyon wall.
Don't expect a massive, singular boss to spawn. The screen won't shake. Instead, five or six of these glowing, translucent wasps will just sort of appear. It’s honestly a bit underwhelming until they start diving at you simultaneously.
Why This Hunt Trips People Up
Most players expect a big, hulking monster for a Hunt. That’s the formula, right? You see a giant bird or a massive minotaur. The Soul Stingers subvert that. They’re small. They’re fast. And because they are located in such a generic-looking part of the desert, it’s easy to run right past the entrance to their little hideout.
The "Empty Hovel" name is literal. There’s almost nothing else there. If you’re trying to find the Soul Stingers location in FF16 during the daytime, the glare from the sand makes their glowing wings a bit harder to spot from a distance.
How to Squash the Swarm
Look, they’re Rank C. You aren't going to need to burn a bunch of Elixirs here. But if you go in swinging blindly, you’ll get poked to death by a thousand needles. The trick with the Soul Stingers is crowd control. Since there are multiple targets, single-target heavy hitters like Gigaflare are kind of a waste unless you’ve grouped them up perfectly.
I personally love using Ramuh’s Pile Driver or Levinbolt here. Anything with an Area of Effect (AoE) is your best friend. If you’ve invested in Phoenix’s Flames of Rebirth, this is the time to use it. One cast usually wipes out half the swarm or at least leaves them staggered enough for you to finish them with a few Shift Strikes.
They have a move called "Apipuncture." It sounds fancy, but it’s basically just a coordinated dive bomb. If you see them all glowing brighter and pulling back, get ready to dodge. If one hits you, the others usually follow up in a chain, which can actually chunk your health bar faster than some A-Rank hunts.
The Rewards: Is it Worth the Trek?
You’re doing this for the Renown and the spoils. Let’s be real. After you turn them into bug paste, you’ll get:
- 400 XP (Not great, but we'll take it)
- 40 Ability Points
- 5,500 Gil
- 10 Renown
You also get some Sharp Fang and Magicked Ash. The materials are pretty standard fare for this point in the game. The real value is the Renown, which helps you unlock those permanent buffs and gear pieces back at the Whisperer in the Hideaway. If you're a completionist, you need this checkmark on your board.
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Common Mistakes When Hunting Soul Stingers
A lot of people think they’re in the Southern Velkroy or near the Jaw. They aren't. If you find yourself fighting bandits or giant scorpions, you’ve gone too far south. The Soul Stingers location in FF16 is strictly an eastern affair.
Another mistake? Ignoring the smaller ones. It’s a swarm. If you focus on just one, the other four will flank you. Keep your camera panned out. This is one of the few fights in the game where the lock-on camera can actually be your enemy because it prevents you from seeing the stingers off-screen.
Taking it Further
Once you've cleared the Soul Stingers, don't just fast travel out immediately. Take a second to look around the Empty Hovel. There are often some high-quality crafting nodes nearby that spawn rare desert materials. Since you're already in the neighborhood, it's worth the extra thirty seconds of sprinting.
Check your Hunt Board again after the next story beat. Clearing the Soul Stingers often paves the way for the more difficult "Pack" hunts that show up later in the game. It’s good practice for managing multiple aggressive targets before the game starts throwing things like the "Carrot" or more intense Rank A threats at you.
Actionable Next Steps
To wrap this up and get you back into the action, follow this specific sequence:
- Fast travel to the Velkroy Desert Obelisk.
- Mount your Chocobo and ride East-Southeast toward the edge of the map.
- Locate the Empty Hovel—it looks like a small "U" shape on your mini-map.
- Swap your Eikon abilities to AoE-focused skills (Phoenix or Ramuh work best).
- Engage the swarm and prioritize dodging their Apipuncture charge.
- Return to Nektar the Moogle at the Hideaway to claim your Renown and check the board for the next mark.