FFXIV Race to World First winner crowned after tight Pandaemonium Asphodelos race

Lauren Bergin
ffxiv pandaemonium asphodelos boss

FFXIV squad Thoughts Per Second (TPS) have defeated the Pandaemonium Asphodelos Savage raid and claimed the title of Final Fantasy XIV’s next Race to World First champion. 

For MMORPG fans, the Race to World First is one of the biggest events on their calendar. With World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV Online both hosting their own versions of the classic tournament, a whole host of guilds compete to prove their dominance.

The release of the Pandaemonium Asphodelos Savage Raid in FFXIV Patch 6.05 provided a whole new arena for some of the biggest guilds to duke it out for the title of Race to World First champion.

That title was scooped up by Thoughts Per Second, a North American guild who shattered expectations by defeating FFXIV’s must difficult content to date.

final fantasy xiv ffxiv pandaemonium asphodelos boss
Taking down this guy ain’t easy, but TPS made it look like a walk in the park.

Thoughts Per Second win FFXIV Race to World First

For those unsure of how the FFXIV (and wider MMORPG) esports circuit works, guilds are tasked with taking down new raid content in the lowest possible time. The squad that defeats all of the bosses the fastest is then dubbed ‘World First.’

Thoughts Per Second cleared Asphodelos in 24 hours, with the team crossing the finish line at 4:47 PM PST (7:47PM EST / 12:47AM GMT) on January 4.

Seen as the ‘ones to watch,’ their defeat of the third stage propelled them into the lead despite Entropy matching them throughout the first couple of rounds.

Second and third place went to Aether Group 3 and Entropy respectively, who completed the raid a couple of hours later.

Additionally, the official Race for World First stream raised a colossal $28,108.29 for ExtraLife4Kids according to organizer, Frosty.

As Endwalker continues to expand and further raid content drops, it’ll be exciting to see if TPS can fight off the competition and retain their seat on the FFXIV Race to World First throne. After all, who wouldn’t want another thumbs up from Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida? And the trophy, of course.

About The Author

Lauren was formerly Dexerto's Features Editor and resident Diablo Sorceress. With two Master's degrees under her belt and a lot more Steam achievements, she specializes in all things Blizzard and Riot Games, with some Lost Ark and FFXIV on the side.