Cid’s Final Fantasy XV A Better Auto Crossbow side-quest can be started the moment you find the Auto Crossbow inside Keycatrich Trench, the first dungeon you explore in Leide area.
If you follow the game’s story, you will arrive at Keycatrich Trench during Chapter 2, and eventually you will have to fully explore the dungeon while playing The Power of Kings main-quest.
Inside the dungeon Noctis can find the Auto Crossbow, an item that Cid can upgrade if you bring him a Cactuar Needle.
Once you exit Keycatrich Trench, go back to Hammerhead and show Cid the Auto Crossbow, to start the quest and receive your first objective.
Objective: Find a Cactuar Needle for Cid
While A Better Auto Crossbow is a quest that can be started early in the game, you will only be able to complete it later because in FFXV the Cactuar Needle is a rare treasure.
There are two ways to find a Cactuar Needle in Final Fantasy XV. The first one requires you to know the location where the Cactuar spawns; however, since this monster is rare and you have to kill it in order to retrieve the treasure, in our walkthrough for A Better Auto Crossbow we will approach the second method, revealing the exact location of the material required by Cid.
Keep in mind though that this item can be found in Cleigne, which might be a restricted area for you, early in the game.
To unlock it, play additional story quests and the moment you see the Imperial blockades removed, open your map.
Very close to Vesperpool, you should see a parking spot. If you look south west from it, there are two treasure spots, one of them being very close to the highway and a serpentine curve.
Go around the highway’s fence and look for the treasure on top of a large rock as you can see in the picture above. Open it and pick up Cactuar Needle x 1.
Objective: Give the Cactuar Needle to Cid
The moment you have the item, return to Cid in Hammerhead. Give him the Cactuar Needle and the crossbow, and if he’s not working on other upgrades for you, he will immediately start working on this upgrade.
To pass the time and complete A Better Auto Crossbow side quest faster, focus on finishing two hunts or two side-quests, then rest.
In the morning, you will receive a phone call from Cid informing you that the Auto Crossbow Plus is ready for pick up.
A Better Auto Crossbow Quest Info
Description: “A master mechanic, Cid can modify mechanized weapons to unleash their full potential. If Noctis can obtain a cactuar needle, Cid will upgrade the Auto Crossbow – but he might take a while.”
Client: Cid
EXP: 2,000
Reward: Auto Crossbow Plus x 1
Post Quest Suggestion
Complete The Summit main-quest.
