Garuda Main Story Battle - SMN

Like many others, here is my strategy on the Garuda fight from a SMN viewpoint. Forgive me if this has already been posted, but checking around I haven't seen this method used yet. Unlike 1.0 Garuda, this method will only work with a SMN, and goes against all other strategies.

SMN gets a wonderful spell called Tri-Disaster at lvl 40. This is an AoE Bind spell that lasts 20 seconds, which just by saying that should get some minds clicking. The entire battle depends on how well your SMN can use this spell, as well as the amount of DPS pumped out by the rest of your party. I won't be going over all aspects of the fight, as most already know positioning and such, only the SMN's job.

Continued in post #2... (/sigh on 1000 character limit)

When the feathers are unleashed by Garuda during the initial stage of the battle, cast Tri-Disaster the instant you get the global message. This will bind all feathers right next to Garuda. The key here is to leave said feathers alone, do not attack them. That means no AoE by the party. It's also best if you do not summon a pet as it has an AoE skill. Continue attacking Garuda while the feathers enjoy the view. All feathers will explode before bind is released, which is nowhere near the pillars.

The key to the next wave is to do as much damage as you can before the feathers explode. If Garuda warps to the center and unleashes the third all directional wave before the second wave of feathers have exploded, she'll only be able to summon about 3 feathers. My guess is she can only have so many feathers out at one time. Kill the third wave with ease and enjoy the 3.5 to 4 pillars still at full health.

Continued in post #3...

After the pillars are down and you're into the last stage, DPS as much as you can. Swiftcast/summon your pet, as AoE does not matter at this point. When the last set of feathers rain down, they will be outside your safe circle. Bind them as they drop. The feathers are outside the range of the party and will not damage anyone when they explode. Granted, it's tough to get all feathers at this point, but Swiftcast/Tri-Disaster helps. When that's said and done, it's just a matter of how much damage the party can deal.

I haven't had the chance to try this out on hard mode yet, so I'm not sure how well it will work, but it makes the story fight much more manageable.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this method helps some people.

You can edit your original post and add a ton more characters to it than initially allowed.