The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Soot Black Chocobo in FFXIV

Riding a standard “Desert Yellow” chocobo is a rite of passage for every Sprout, but eventually, you want a mount that matches your glamour. For Dark Knights, Black Mages, and Reapers, nothing beats the sleek, matte finish of the Soot Black Chocobo.

However, the in-game dyeing system is notoriously frustrating. It relies on hidden RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values and a layer of RNG (Random Number Generation). One wrong fruit can turn your majestic black steed into a muddy “Kobold Brown.”

This comprehensive guide will teach you exactly how to achieve Soot Black, how to fix it if you get stuck, and how to save Gil in the process.

Quick Summary: The “Soot Black” Recipe

For players starting from the default Desert Yellow color.

Fruit Name	Effect	Est. Quantity Needed
Xelphatol Apple	Deepens Red	~20-22
Mamook Pear	Deepens Green	~23-25
O’Ghomoro Berry	Deepens Blue	~30-35
Target Time	6 Hours	Stabling time required

⚠️ Warning: The exact number varies due to RNG. Do not blind feed. It is highly recommended to use our FFXIV Chocobo Color Calculator to get the precise numbers for your specific bird.

Part 1: The Prerequisites

Before you buy a single berry, ensure you meet the hard requirements. You cannot dye a chocobo in the wild.

1. Housing Access: You must have access to a Chocobo Stable. This can be at a Free Company estate, a personal house, or an Apartment building. If you don’t own a house, buy an Apartment (500,000 Gil) to get access to the shared stable.

2. The Quest: You must have completed the Level 30 quest “My Little Chocobo” to unlock the companion system.

3. Chocobo Status: Your chocobo must be stabled. You cannot summon it into battle while it is undergoing the 6-hour dyeing process.

Part 2: Understanding the RGB Math (The Science)

Why is Soot Black so hard to get?

Every color in FFXIV is defined by three values: Red, Green, and Blue.

• Desert Yellow (Default): R: 219, G: 180, B: 87.

• Soot Black (Target): R: 47, G: 47, B: 39.

To get from Yellow to Black, you have to drastically lower all three values. This is why we use “Deepening” fruits (Apples, Pears, Berries).

The RNG Factor: When you feed a fruit, it doesn’t subtract a fixed number (e.g., -5). It subtracts a range (e.g., -3 to -6). This is why two players can feed the exact same fruits and get different results. One might hit “Soot Black” while the other hits “Ink Blue.”

Part 3: Step-by-Step Feeding Guide

Step 1: Sourcing the Fruit

You have two options to get the Xelphatol Apples, Mamook Pears, and O’Ghomoro Berries:

• The Lazy Way (Market Board): Buy them. Prices fluctuate, but expect to pay 500-2,000 Gil per fruit.

• The Cheap Way (Gardening): You can grow these seeds in a garden patch or flower pot. They take 2 days to grow using Old World Figs (Level 50 Botany).

Step 2: The Feeding Process

1. Click on the Stable and select “Tend to My Chocobo”.

2. Select “Feed”.

3. Start feeding your fruits in the order generated by the calculator.

4. Watch for the Message: After the first few fruits, you will see a chat log message: “Your chocobo’s plumage will change color in 6 hours.”

   • CRITICAL: If you do not see this message, the fruit did not count toward the color change. You must keep feeding until you see it.

Step 3: The Wait

Once you have fed all the fruits, do not remove your chocobo. Leave it in the stable for 6 Earth hours. You can log out, play other games, or run dungeons. The timer ticks in real-time.

Part 4: Troubleshooting Common “Stuck” Colors

Soot Black is a “rare” color because it is surrounded by very similar dark shades. It is very common to wake up and find your bird is almost black, but not quite.

Here is how to fix the most common “Traps”:

Scenario A: You got “Ink Blue”

This is the most common neighbor. It means your Blue value is slightly too high or your Green is slightly too low.

• The Fix: Usually requires 1x Cieldalaes Pineapple (to lighten blue/red) or a precise adjustment of green.

• Don’t Guess: Since Ink Blue is so volatile, use the Color Calculator to see exactly which fruit will nudge it into Black without overshooting.

Scenario B: You got “Deepwood Green”

Your Green value is stuck.

• The Fix: You usually need to lower Red (Apple) or Blue (Berry) slightly to balance the RGB.

Scenario C: You got “Kobold Brown”

You are painfully close. This is a very dark brown that often gets confused for black in bad lighting.

• The Fix: Usually requires deepening Blue (O’Ghomoro Berry).

Part 5: How to Reset (The Emergency Button)

If you tried to do the math in your head and ended up with “Bone White” or “Raptor Blue,” it is often cheaper to restart than to fix it.

1. Go to your Grand Company Quartermaster.

2. Buy a Han Lemon (Cost: 15 Allied Seals).

3. Feed it to your chocobo.

4. This instantly restores the color to Desert Yellow.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I ride my chocobo during the 6-hour wait? A: No. If you remove your chocobo from the stable before the 6 hours are up, the color change is cancelled, and you lose the fruit you fed it.

Q: Does the cleanliness of the stable matter? A: For coloring? No. Stable cleanliness (Good/Fair/Poor) only affects the XP gain when training your chocobo. It does not affect the RGB calculation or the success of the dye.

Q: Can I just feed all fruits at once? A: Yes! You do not need to wait between fruits. You can “spam click” to feed all 60+ fruits in one sitting. The game calculates the total sum at the end of the 6 hours.

Q: Is Soot Black the rarest color? A: It is one of the hardest to hit intentionally, along with Snow White and Dalamud Red, because they require pushing the RGB values to their extremes.

Q: I fed the exact recipe but got a different color. Why? A: This is due to the RNG variance in fruit values. A single fruit can subtract anywhere from 3 to 6 value points. This “drift” can cause you to miss the target. This is why using a dynamic FFXIV Chocobo Tool is safer than following a static list.

Conclusion

Getting a Soot Black Chocobo is the ultimate flex for FFXIV fashion, but it requires patience and a bit of math. Don’t let the RNG discourage you. Even if you land on Ink Blue or Deepwood Green, you are just one or two fruits away from perfection.

Here is the bonous tips for you? Eorzea is a big place. Whether you are crafting High Quality (HQ) raid gear, managing your Island Sanctuary, or trying to dye your Chocobo the perfect shade of Dalamud Red, we have the tools you need.: 👉 Launch the FFXIV Calculator and Generator Hub