Dancing in the wind, a guide to properly positioning during the Garuda Hard Mode figh
Tanking Garuda Hard Mode - Tips
So much emphasis is placed on Titan that Garuda gets glossed over, but she's very particular about moving at the right time, proper placement, etc.
First, some guides name Siprana to die first. This is not always true. Shortly after the adds spawn, a green tether will be drawn between garuda and one add ("the green add") and a red one to the other. DPS will kill that one, and don't need the tank's help. The offtank must always pick up the red add and get her positioned properly.
I'm aware that you can solo tank this fight when you overgear it, but since I'm largely talking to the tanks who queue in duty finder, there will be two tanks.
There are the four rock pillars in the room and a pile of rock rubble that is basically SE being nice to us and giving us a visual indicator of cardinal north. I refer that the north pile as rock altar for clarity's sake.
At varying times throughout the fight, she'll cast Slipstream, a mean conal. It stuns and it hurts, it's easy to step through her for a moment to avoid it.
Starting, Garuda has a small agro range, so try to run in pretty close before you lob/tomahawk her, this is because you want to tank her against that rock, as close as you can get, she can damage the rock pillars in a couple of ways, and one of those is an aoe. The rocks will die much faster if Garuda's aoe is hitting them.
Soon after the fight starts, she'll probably get off one slipstream, and she'll teleport shortly after. When she teleports. She'll reappear in almost the exact same spot, so tank, when you lose target on her/she blinks out, move, move fast. Line-of-sight (LOS) that spot with one of the rock pillars. Target her immediately and as soon as she's done casting (asap!) get out from behind the rock and back to her. This helps keep her exactly where she is, making sure her aoe doesn't hit either of the two closest pillars.
Plumes (little air elementals will spawn), hit them with a circle of scorn or maybe an overpower (I've only tanked this on Paladin).
If you're the offtank, help dps chase down and kill adds. You might hit weaker than them, for all the damage you do, that's less they have to do, more time the hard hitters can spend on boss.
After this, she may teleport to the east side. LoS her again, and then go back to the rock altar on the edge you've been tanking her at and wait for her.
Plumes will spawn again, handle them the same.
She'll teleport to the center of the room. I like to get into LOS position here til she starts moving and then go back to the altar I tank her at (where she begins the fight). The reason I do this is that she follows me and she gets right up against the rock altar.
Plumes will spawn here, scattered around the room, kill them or some groups ignore them at this stage. It really depends on how good your dps have done on past waves of plumes.
Here she will teleport to the center of the room. everyone needs to gather behind the NW stone (this move doesn't need to be LoS'd, and it will destroy all rocks, but it's a visual gathering point.
Main tank, go straight back to the wall from there, and wait for Garuda to come to you. As soon as she's at you, tornados will spawn. Don't step into those, but wedge yourself in where the ege of the room meets the tornado. This is good because it gives the rest of the group maximum room to work.
Garuda will teleport away and she and two mini garudas (the adds I first mention above) will appear. Shortly after that, a tether will appear. As Garuda comes into the fight, she'll do a Slipstream, so it's important for everyone to be away from that, and the MT will probably get hit. I like to cast stoneskin when this happens. You can usually avoid it by getting alllllll the way to the edge.
Offtank, time to step up. One of the adds has a red tether to it, you pick up this add. At this time you want to face it towards the center of the ARENA, not the clear area where everyone is fighting the "green add". Pop a cooldown, because your healers are healing everyone, and hold that add. You can mark it with a (/) symbol, or a 2, so new people know to hit it after the first add is dead. Watch out for slipstream as it hurts from the little guys too. As soon as you dodge it, make sure to get back in position so you're not facing her towards the group.
Kill her, then time to DPS Garuda again. The tornaos will jump to a new spot in the room, MT needs to take garuda there fast, and keep kiting. Plumes will spawn, and one is named Satin Plume and must die first. The rest typically don't need to die. OT, help kill this.
The MT will be kiting Garuda this whole time. At the end of this kite phase, she'll start to cast a slipstream, head towards the center of the room. This is a visual indicator that phase 3 is coming soon. A blue donut will go around the edge of the room, you want to be in on the normal ground.
Face her towards an edge. I like the west or east side. The reason I like this is for the next part. She'll teleport out again, mini-garudas will spawn again, and the same rules apply. Very quickly after coming in, she'll cast slipstream. Since I was already at the west side of the room, everyone knows to avoid that, and she casts slipstream soon after coming in, it can be hard to tank her at the south side and turn her before casting slipstream. A lag hiccup, or a mistake, and you get everyone stream'd = bad. Tanking her at the north is equally bad because you'll need her to run through the group.
After the adds are dead, and some dps time back on Garuda, the blue donut will disappear and you take her to the south of the room. If you're unfamiliar with the fight, the southernmost part will do. Wait for tornadoes to spawn, and get into position to the west. These tornadoes will start moving right away, so be ready to kite, and dodge slipstreams. As you arrive towards the rock altar, the tornadoes will disappear. Stand where you are and wait for them to respawn and from here it's rinse and repeat. Mini-Garudas will spawn again, kill green and then red, dps garuda, kite again, get to the center, position properly, wait for adds, kill those, dps garuda, get to the south, kite.
A short positioning guide.
1. Tank her at the rock altar.
2. Line of sight when she warps (north).
3. Tank her at the rock altar.
4. Line of sight when she warps (center).
5. Tank her at the rock altar.
6. Line if sight *if* she warps to the east.
7. Tank her at the rock altar.
8. Let her warp to spawn more adds.
9. Tank her at the rock altar.
10. Line of sight when she warps to obliterate all the rocks, merely for a gathering point.
11. Pull her to directly (los path) behind that.
12. Turn her to the crevice between edge and tornado
13. When she warps, get her positioned in same spot again, preparing to possibly eat a Slipstream (mmm delicious)
(Off tank) position the red add with your back to the center of the room, and your back against the tornadoes.
14. Be prepared to kite when tornadoes move
15. When you reach the south side of the room, she should slipstream again, this is your indicator to get to the center as soon as it's clear.
16. Face her towards the east or west, along the edge.
17. When she jumps, be preprared to get her positioned quickly facing the outside, so you don't blow a slipstream on your group.
(Off tank) position the red add so that it isn't facing the group, along the edge somewhere.
18. Kill green, red, then dps boss.
19. When the blue donut disappears, take her to the south edge.
20. As soon as tornadoes spawn, be prepared to kite
22. When you arrive at the north, the fight cycles between steps 11 - 20, with exactly the same positioning available.