Have you fought Garuda?

[zzapp]

Our strongest BLM in this party (without buffs and food) was at 389 INT, 577 Magic Attack and 413 Magical Accuracy.

Definitely nice gear setup. I'm only @ 368 int, 529 magic attack, and 421 magic acc, but my gear is only 2X melded. I can easily see how to bridge the int gap with 3x meld on hat and weapon, but, just out of curiosity, how did you get to 577 matk? Even if you triple stack feet with max cat IV materia that's only 25 better than my current 2X feet, which are @ 20?

OK, nvm, I think I can bridge the most of the matk difference +48

- triple stacked feet could be as much as +25
- int delta matk add +8
- mage's ring (I currently don't have one, using HQ int) +15
- I can't tell your weapon, but if Ifrit's +10 (but you lose alot of other stats)

Question: Should I buy mage's ring vs. HQ int?

Respectfully,

2nd Rate BLM Citizen

[Criosist]

For Garuda your best setup would be:

HEAD: Spinel Circlet +1, INT materia as much as possible
Body: Limsa Body/ AF Body
Legs: Sorcerers Tights / Woolen Tights +1 with at least 24 INT
Feet: Mahogany Pattens + 1 : MATK Potency / Lightning Potency
Hands: Mages HalfGloves
Accessories: Mages Ring / Zircon Ring + 1 / Zircon Bracelets +1 / Mages Earring / Spinel Choker +1

Main/Off hand:
Lightning Brand + 1 with at least 10 INT (To Best ifrits at least) Should aim for 30+ easy 2x 16 Meld
Auberist Allegory

This works using either Buttons in Blanket / Button Mushroom Saute and BRD minuet.
This is the Best in Slot (BIS) situation for Garuda other fights may need a ring / shield switched out for MACC shield/Ring
This does not factor in the new Grand company gear, although only thing worth contemplating is the Limsa accessories which would need 4 items meaning loss in other slots and therefore not as good.

Another Weapon option is the sanction cudgel although, dying = loss of sanction and therefore i dont really deem this option useful although if your a gimpish BLM (mostly single melds) this is the best option for you providing you keep refreshing sanction and teleporting back (Hamlet to refresh Anima :D)

[miokomioko]

Get your BLM-burn wins while you can, before they fix Aerial Blast to go off way sooner.

[Elcura]

Can't wait to see this fight in like 2-3 weeks when they nerf WAR and fix BLM-burns.

[Drako]

you dont get resisted with this setup? seems like its lacking m.acc...

[Toth]

Th bard is using Minuet so that must help for the resists.

But here's my question: the issue seems to be AB wasnt going off. Okay, so is this really a huge issue. Garuda was taken down so fast that the pillars were still standing. Wouldn't they and a SS from the WHM minimize her damage?

[Jamison]

You know, I kind of have mixed feelings about this. If the difficulty of the game is supposed to be balanced around single-meld materia items, I don't know that it's really a problem that a party with triple-meld gear can have a much easier time of it.

[Niiro]

Th bard is using Minuet so that must help for the resists.

But here's my question: the issue seems to be AB wasnt going off. Okay, so is this really a huge issue. Garuda was taken down so fast that the pillars were still standing. Wouldn't they and a SS from the WHM minimize her damage?

I'm not sure what you mean. AB not going off isn't an "issue", it's more or less the point. Killing her before she uses it means you don't need to bother with killing the plumes and maintaining the pillars.

Unless I'm missing something.

[miokomioko]

You know, I kind of have mixed feelings about this. If the difficulty of the game is supposed to be balanced around single-meld materia items, I don't know that it's really a problem that a party with triple-meld gear can have a much easier time of it.

Yeah, I think that's what good about it being fixed in the near future. They realize that there shouldn't be a winning strategy that is completely impossible for the average player (without a billion gil worth of top-notch matera-gear).

[Jamison]

Yeah, I think that's what good about it being fixed in the near future. They realize that there shouldn't be a winning strategy that is completely impossible for the average player (without a billion gil worth of top-notch matera-gear).

I rather think the inverse is true. If the time/gil/whatever of having 3, 4 or 5-meld materia gear DOESN'T give you a *significant* advantage, what's the point?

[Elcura]

I rather think the inverse is true. If the time/gil/whatever of having 3, 4 or 5-meld materia gear DOESN'T give you a *significant* advantage, what's the point?

Then XIV becomes the kind of game where you need double/triple meld average to be accepted. I don't mind to an extent if gear can override skill, but it shouldn't be that way for the most part. I think in general it's a bad trend to set.

[solracht]

You know, I kind of have mixed feelings about this. If the difficulty of the game is supposed to be balanced around single-meld materia items, I don't know that it's really a problem that a party with triple-meld gear can have a much easier time of it.

One would argue that there's a difference between "having an easier time with it" and "skipping the entire fight". Given the state of the game and the kind of things you can do, I don't really see this as an issue though. Still, if SE doesn't like this, I imagine they'll implement mechanisms to avoid phase-skipping in 2.0. I'm sure it would be very easy to make the NMs regen to the "expected" HP values at the start of each phase, for example.

In the end, I think balancing fights is going to be impossible with forbidden materia's current implementation and I'm very curious to see what SE will do come 2.0.

[Fievel]

Gear is required for this but knowing how to play BLM properly is needed as well. This is definitely easier than doing it the regular way, but it's still in no way a faceroll where if you have good gear she just drops dead.

Who cares anyways, it's being patched.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...l=1#post671797

[miokomioko]

Then XIV becomes the kind of game where you need double/triple meld average to be accepted. I don't mind to an extent if gear can override skill, but it shouldn't be that way for the most part. I think in general it's a bad trend to set.

Literally an hour after that video was posted, I was seeing shouts for "3:30 strat" with "materia BLM/BRD only"

[TacoTaru]

Literally an hour after that video was posted, I was seeing shouts for "3:30 strat" with "materia BLM/BRD only"

There are times I feel like I've gotten lucky when recruiting people that like to min/max, but are also laid back and let people in LS come on passion jobs to events instead of getting uptight that we aren't speed running every single event.

[Jamison]

Then XIV becomes the kind of game where you need double/triple meld average to be accepted. I don't mind to an extent if gear can override skill, but it shouldn't be that way for the most part. I think in general it's a bad trend to set.

And that's what's really tough about the 5-meld system they've set up. They've said the difficulty will be based around single-meld gear (which I think is the correct way to approach it). I think the Garuda fight is a bit too hard for that standard. (No doubt strategies will emerge that will make it easier in the future). I also think that Yoshia has set himself up in a difficult position.

Perhaps the point I was most trying to make is that for the seriously low percent chance you have of making a triple meld (let alone a 4- or 5-), that warrants a distinct advantage. I'm not saying that's *good for the game*, but that's the position we're in right now. You can decrease the importance of materia, but then the system of doing multiple melds won't see much use. You can increase the chances of success on multi-meld gear, but then the difficulty will probably scale to fit, as well as the expectations from other players. If you do both, then you approach a system where multi-melds continue to help you, but aren't impossible to make and not gamebreaking when you do. Really, it's just a question of scale.

[Toth]

I really would like to know how people can get so much gil to keep trying triple melds with high end material. I am 1/4 on double melding myself.



Anyway, I still say the fight is unbalanced. How in the world can casual players ever hope to get Garuda items?

[miokomioko]

How in the world can casual players ever hope to get Garuda items?

I can honestly say, even with the general populous understanding the core mechanics of the fight (taking cover behind pillars, protecting them from Razor Plumes, buckling down for Aerial Blast, avoiding Mistral Song, and fighting the two sisters), I don't think the average pickup group will ever win this at all.

[Elcura]

Anyway, I still say the fight is unbalanced. How in the world can casual players ever hope to get Garuda items?

You don't need amazing gear to win normally, you do need better gear to BLM burn it. But that isn't the only way to win.

But as Mioko said, the fight requires coordination and everyone knowing their shit, way more so than for Ifrit or Moogle.

[Buttons]

I'm ok with them fixing it so a BLM burn can't be done, but we won't be able to skip phase 2 anymore... that will drive me nuts.
I HATE that phase, its like Ifrit on crack. I have to keep people alive, try to dodge that stupid one-shot move and server latency makes at least 2-3 people get hit. =.="