Heya folks. I'm no WHM, and I don't plan on ever leveling it, but being a PLD main, I rely on you guys a lot.
I was helping someone with Wheel of Disaster, which is the fight against the pirates just outside Limsa. From what I understand, the journal log says that you should take the recommended seven other players with you. You do NOT need to do this!
A level 50 PLD and the WHM who needs the fight is sufficient enough to win, though both must pay close attention. With only a WHM to compete for enmity, the PLD should not lose hate on any of the pirates. When the battle starts, do the usual buffs of stoneskin and protect. The PLD should then run in, and flash the group, followed by an Aegis Boon or Divine Veil for a guaranteed block so that the PLD may then use War Drum. This will lock in hate to the PLD and allow the WHM to freely cure.
The WHM should NOT nuke yet! Damage will be coming in from all the pirates, and the PLD will need the WHM to focus on cures. At the same time, PLD should be using their survival abilities to mitigate whatever damage comes.
Save Rowland, the main boss, for LAST. You need to pick off the lesser enemies first. Each one that dies means less damage against you as the fight goes on, meaning the whole battle actually gets easier as you go. The lesser enemies have less defense and are easier to kill. The PLD should continue to use AoE Flash and War Drum when available, taking advantage of the great damage from Spirit's Within to take chunks off the enemies health.
At a certain point, usually after three of the lesser pirates are down, the damage the PLD receives will be much more manageable, to the point where a PLD can sustain themselves with Holy Succor alone. This opens up for the WHM to start nuking in between cures. Also at this point, chances are your WHM's MP pool could be dangerously low. That's fine. As long as your PLD is in a position to keep himself in fair health, you can rest your MP to a better level.
Once all the lesser pirates are down, you can go all out on Rowland. He has a few damaging weaponskills, but nothing that can't be managed by either player. Once he goes down, you're in the clear!
Pros:
-Only needs two members, and you're one of them! You only need to find one PLD!
-This fight is really fun this way and it feels good to beat it with just two people!
-It helps teach you your limits, for both the PLD and the WHM, as far as how much damage you can take, how well you can sustain yourself before needing support, how long to wait to cure the tank, etc. etc. It's an excellent training battle.
Cons:
-This strategy is far more dangerous than taking more people, obviously. If the PLD dies, it's pretty much over.
-Both players must really focus. At the start of the fight, a lot of damage will be flying at the PLD, and he'll need the full attention of the WHM.
-This strategy is EXTREMELY taxing on the WHM MP pool. I've never seen any WHM use an ether when I've done the fight with them, but I would assume having meds would help greatly.
Final Notes:
Overall, I really enjoy doing this fight with just two. It's fun, challenging and pretty satisfying when you succeed. A few things to note:
-I haven't tested this same strategy on Warrior. I would hope it would work equally as well with their AoE abilities, but I can't be sure because of damage mitigation.
-I simply used full PLD AF with a Vintage Kite Shield, Cobalt Winglet and VIT accessories. If you find yourself running low on MP as the PLD, you can Cover the WHM. During this time, any damage you take (and you'll be taking a lot) will be partially converted to MP.
-WHM can use whatever gear is available to them, though I do recommend some MP boosting pieces to help ease the drain your cures are going to take. It's imperative that you don't start nuking until the PLD can reasonably maintain his/her own HP.
Obviously this isn't the final WHM fight, and it's by no means "hard". But if you don't want to bother looking for too many people, or want to challenge yourself, this is an effective and doable means of beating the fight.
Thanks for your time!