Garuda (Hard Mode) Strategy

[Jaybar]

Appreciate it. I guess I should have known that in retrospect . . . just never heard it used in that context.

[Eurlin]

Been farming Garuda for 2 weeks now for the FC so we usually bring in DPS with like..Ifrit weapons. fights take about 8 minutes, and we run the 1 tank 5 DPS 2 heals set up. Tank grabs REd and Garuda. I run up to the middle on first sister phase so Garuda will Slip stream away from the group, shield lob Red if she's across the map, and Halone for initial hate, spirits, fast blade scorn etc etc. Green should usually drop by the time you get your first rotation in. IF you're a healer, and you're casting anything at all. you'll be target #1. This strat keeps DDs away from slipstream so no need to cast anything, and that should be enough time to pull red toyou to set hate. IF your tank isn't fast enough to stop garuda from Slipstreaming the party try moving in towards her starting rock, when she's half way over, she'll face away form the party, and you'll have to eat the stun. This makes getting red a little harder, but you'll keep your DPS safe.

if you have BLMs in your group, you can just time flare, and all the plumes will be gone instantly. usually garuda is done right after second set of sisters. Second set btw for Tanks, you'll want to back up to middle when she dissappears, and run through her as she comes into the ring. then run out to avoid Slip. run over to Red, and repeat, as long as you do this no melee die, no healers have to spam, and no one worries about anything.

[Petitssk]

Has something changed about Garuda's behaviour or did I miss something the entire time?
Towards the end of the first rotation-phase, she used to always use Slipstream, right before creating the huge tornado with the calm in the middle of the battlefield. Usually, I'd just rush past her into the middle, which always worked perfectly, but now she's not using Slipstream at that point. I've readjusted my positioning accordingly, but I still found it odd nonetheless, always thought she used Slipstreams at fixed times.

[Jaybar]

Our tank has mentioned this happening a couple times. She still slipstreams before the mid but sometimes she's like "Fuck you I'm bored - time to change it up"

[Raineer]

Yeah the slipstreams have been off/weird the last week or so. Luckily I've never seen the one be off after she spawns sisters and you pull her back to the middle of the tornado, you have to run by at exactly the right second to face that away from the group.

[Caladius]

Some small tips for helping to ease the healing burden required on whm/sch.

We all know that Aerial Blast is the first (and sometimes only) part of Garuda that gives healers their wake up call. Now if you have a SCH and they Sacred Soil during Aerial Blast you will already have a 10% dmg reduction. As a Black Mage you can negate more of that by using Manaward. My current MP is 3645, 30% of that (1093) can also help ease the healing necessary and get your group back in the game faster. This works with Ifrit as well as I only take 400 damage from Hellfire and roughly 800 from Aerial Blast.

I know this isnt some awe inspiring tip, but just something small that could help you and your fellow healers out so they can focus on others.

[Carth]

I've done this with Monk by using Fists of Earth, but after much pondering I find that unless you have 3-4 rocks remaining the reduction is negligible since the HP loss is going to get healed completely anyway. I'd only go that far if your life is on the line.

[Seravi Edalborez]

During phase 1, when Garuda does...
Teleport+Mistral > starts moving back to tank > spawns plumes
... WHM should run in with Cleric alongside Garuda and precast Holy, followed by Swiftcast Holy. All plumes should be down to half HP, making them quite easy for DPS to finish off. Holy is mentioned in the OP but just expanding on it.

[Indomitable Will]

with good relic group that is in sync, 1 tank, 6 dps, 1 healer (sch tends to work better because of shields, but whm works as well), during adds, tank grabs add that is far with provoke (I know, no real advantage to this other than distance, which is the point) and then shield lob (regardless of color), if PLD is tank, hit HG when garuda is closing in for slipstream so you're not stunned AND you're not running around like an idiot to dodge that slipstream. 6 relic/+1, geared dps can generally kill the close add by the time the far add gets to the tank, which is why the tank shouldn't really do ANYTHING beyond the initial 2 actions on the far add to keep hate (in this set up) because it helps the fight to move along faster if the far add is moving towards the dps at this point. we were popping 1 bar LB at this point (before the plumes pop), just because we won't even get close to filling the 2nd bar before Garuda dies. move garuda minimally during the swirling tornados phase, so that dps can do max dmg (or move her freely if you have mostly ranged deeps). she should be dead right before the eye, or just after the eye (or if all 8 ppl are BiS geared, and the healer is putting at deeps whenever possible, she will die right as the tornados start)...will never see the 2nd set of adds.

also for the earlier phases where she teleports, only killed 1 set of plumes (about 10 seconds to kill them, or less if everyone is on point with aoe's when the feathers spawn, 1 or 2 smn popping enkindle at the perfect time helps a ton with this), then ignore the rest. As PLD I usually will eat her mistral shreak (will pop a CD to buff the dmg a little, adloq. helps with this also) for the extra tiny amount of dps i can add rather than running behind the rock and losing 3-4 seconds of dps.

even without best in slot gears and relics this is easily done as long as the tank and healer are good and the dps have decent gear and ifrit/garuda wpn's

[Taruina]

I hate to be "that guy" but what is the point of fighting her with the +1 relic strategy? Isn't the main reason to fight her for base relics...or did I just woosh?

[Seravi Edalborez]

5 minute kill for 10 myth. Also to a minor degree farming for weapons (for vanity/completion) and Garuda's Feather.

[Ratatapa]

During phase 1, when Garuda does...
Teleport+Mistral > starts moving back to tank > spawns plumes
... WHM should run in with Cleric alongside Garuda and precast Holy, followed by Swiftcast Holy. All plumes should be down to half HP, making them quite easy for DPS to finish off. Holy is mentioned in the OP but just expanding on it.

WHM cannot DPS!

[Indomitable Will]

I hate to be "that guy" but what is the point of fighting her with the +1 relic strategy? Isn't the main reason to fight her for base relics...or did I just woosh?

Seravi beat me to it, about as fast (or slightly faster) for myth as a good WP group can get, and it's mindless to do garuda, I can watch tv and tank her, whereas in WP everyone has to pay attention if you want to get runs that are sub 15 minutes. weapons for your next job, vanity, etc. with all great gear, you can clear garuda in under 4 minutes, every time, whereas with 4 BiS folks in WP you still have a chance of random crap happening, big tonberry is in bad spot/crits the healer a couple times as they run by, etc.