BUFFALOS

Not unlike sheep, buffalo in Eorzea are all creatures of domestic breeding. Massive, heavy-boned, and sturdy of limb, buffalo were meant for beasts of burden in La Noscea and the Black Shroud. (1)

Of course, over time, buffalo have inevitably escaped their pens, and many now roam wild and free over the land, and grow aggressive at times. Hunters seek to take them for food and pelts, and their milk is used in cooking, especially the making of sweet creams and butter. (1) (2)

It is said they are very fond of buffalo beans and mandragora buds. (3) (4)

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 276
(2) Culinarian recipes
(3) Item tooltip: Buffalo Beans
(4) Levequest: Bud Bait

Known species/types of buffalo:

- Aurochs
- Bonnacon
- Butting buffalo and rutting buffalo
- Large buffalo
- Menuis
- Thunderhooves
- Unsightly buffalo
- Wounded aurochs
- Kujata

Aurochs

Once in a while, the cattle of Western La Noscea will find the grass along the De Nevelle Westroad​ irresistible, to the dismay of those cityfolk who travel it. Wild aurochs are generally no threat to anyone...but say only the word "wild" and someone will be affrighted of the beast. (5)

As a result, adventurers are occasionally asked to "urge" the beasts to find elsewhere to feed--permanently, if need be. (5)

(5) FATE: Between Aurochs

Habitat: Western La Noscea, Aleport (FATE only)

Combat Rating: 12

Special notes:​

If one determines to help clear the road, be mindful of the beasts' stamping, which can create dangerous shockwaves.

bonnacon

Bonnacon was, like many buffalos, once a placid and friendly beast; and usually, he still is. But there is one thing that sends him into a spiral of mad hatred, and that is the scent of leeks. Being so great a beast, naturally, his rampages end in much loss of life among unsuspecting botanists and merchants, who had thought only to bring a bit of oniony goodness to the palates of the world. For that cause, a bounty has been put on his unfortunate head. (6)

(6) Dialogue: Hunter-Scholar (Aleport)

Habitat: Western La Noscea, various
(Link goes to FFXIVHunt.com)

Combat Rating: 50, S-rank

Special notes:​

Bonnacon will only make his appearance every three or four days, after a very large harvesting of La Noscean leeks; those seeking to draw him out should bring many botanist friends. (7)

(7) Spawn conditions listed by FFXIVHunt.com

Butting Buffalo and Rutting Buffalo

Buffalos can be remarkably docile and friendly creatures--but not when it is time for little buffalos to be made; at that point, they will forget to be gentlebulls and begin fighting over the cows. In Eastern La Noscea, a pronounced shortage of those cows--perhaps in part because of the blame given for earthquakes in the area--leads to mighty battles near Costa del Sol. (8)

(8) FATE: Just a Matter of Rut

Habitat: Eastern La Noscea, Costa del Sol (FATE only)

Combat Rating: 28

Special notes:​

If you must get in the middle of the fight, try not to be trampled.

LARGE BUFFALO

Large buffalo are precisely what their name implies. Typically, they roam the hills around Costa del Sol with little incident, but every so often, the creatures become hostile.​

While some would attribute earthquakes to the stomping of the rampant buffalo, most know that when they go wild, it is because of the earthquakes caused by the wrath of the summoned primal, Titan.​ (9)

Nonetheless, lancers, rogues, and other passing adventurers are often hired to cull the population. (10)

(9) Quest: Buffaloed All the Way
(10) Hunting Logs: Lancer, Rogue

Habitat: Eastern La Noscea, Bloodshore

Combat Rating: 31

Special notes:​

Large buffalo sirloins provide a good source for high-quality beef, and their milk, especially when gathered at night, is prized by culinarians.

MENUIS

Ordinarily, the aurochs of the Cookpot are docile and even friendly. However, since the arrival of a bull dubbed "Menuis", they have grown not merely restive, but outright hostile.

​A request has been made for the slaying of this bull, when next it returns to the Cookpot. (11)

(11) FATE: Menuis at Work

Habitat: Middle La Noscea, the Cookpot (FATE only)

Combat Rating: 8

Special notes:​

Menuis is only occasionally at the Cookpot. It is known to use two distinct forms of attack: a shockwave in a cone before it (Pulverizing Pound), and another to the space all round it (Seismic Rift).

​Caution must be exercised, as the nearby aurochs tend to join in the fray.

Thunderhooves

On occasion, those carrying out levequests around the Moraby Drydocks may come upon a large and hostile buffalo. Known as Thunderhooves, the beast is a wanted target, and a bounty will be paid to anyone who brings it down in the sight of a levewatch. (12)

(12) Chance of Thunderhooves spawning during Moraby Drydocks battlecraft levequests

Habitat: Lower La Noscea, Empty Heart (levequest only)

Combat Rating: 20-24

UNSIGHTLY BUFFALO

Wineport being a cornerstone of the Lominsan economy, there is always grave concern when wildlife finds its way nearer its delicately balanced vineyards. The Yellowjackets have been tasked with culling the buffalo population and driving them away, but adventurers are always helpful in such endeavors, especially when the buffalo are unusually truculent.

The typical method for luring this particular species into the open is by offering them mandragora buds, which they cannot resist. (4)

(4) Levequest: Bud Bait

Habitat: Eastern La Noscea, Agelyss Wise (levequest only)

Combat Rating: 35-39

WOUNDED AUROCHS

It is not clear why the aurochs that linger in the Cookpot are referred to as "wounded"; they seem to thrive well enough that their offal is a much-sought fertilizer for the fields at Summerford.​ (13)

Once fairly docile and easy to manage, they have grown fierce since a bull named Menuis has taken up residence. (11) As a result, young marauders are often tasked with culling the herd. (14)

(13) Quest: Loam Maintenance
(11) FATE: Menuis at Work
(14) Hunting Log: Marauder

Habitat: Middle La Noscea, the Cookpot

Combat Rating: 8

Special notes:​

Wounded aurochs are hostile and will attack intruders who draw too near. They will occasionally unleash a strike, Pulverizing Pound, that creates a shockwave before them.