Ifrit Extreme healing guide

First off, this should apply equally for both SCH, WMH, as the learning process is about positioning, where to stand/run and when to cast heals, etc...


Having a healer reposition in this fight, such as walking across the map or switching sides, will very likely cause a tank to die and therefore I do not recommend drastically switching positions like moving across the map. Instead you can just have a healer who is non debuffed (or 5 seconds or less with debuff it will not do damage anymore) move towards the center to cast aoe heals. So its a better strategy to just have DPS be aware of who Ifrit casts the debuff on, and simply attack nails not near the debuffed healer. You can even assign 1 ranged DPS to "finish" off the nails, and the other people just weaken them so this further gives melee DPS a lot of freedom to choose where to attack safely and not lose dps time.

So, on to healer strategy, which is nearly identical for the 3 phases, although gets progressively difficult due to compounding factors.

Ifrit Extreme healing guide:

1. Pre nail Phase
   This is fairly simple, you can do it many ways here, but basically Ifrit will cast his first Searing Wind on a healer in this phase, and it will hereby alternate back and forth for the rest of the fight. FOCUS TARGET THE OTHER HEALER TO WATCH HIS DEBUFF TIMER. In certain cases I have seen both Ifrit cast the debuff on the second healer before the first one has worn off, but this case is rare, and if it does happen and you are our of position, please immediately move to the sides if you are not already there as a healer. However 95% of the time, you can just assume always, it will be cast after the previous healers debuff has worn off. So, when you see the other healer with 5 seconds or less on the debuff, get into position if you aren't already there. When Ifrit casts the Searing Wind on you, basically the healers should each pick a side opposite of Ifrit and sit there. Technically, the healer without the debuff does not need to move to the side yet, however there will be Eruptions on the DPS in the middle (never cast on healers), so you should at least move to opposite side of the other healer once this happens to avoid those.
   
   This is really simple as a healer to heal, DPS should avoid all the eruptions and shouldn't take any damage or die at all. At worst, ff they do die throw a quick rez or heal, but never lose focus of the tank. This fight is very recoverable if someone dies unlike Titan EX, so make sure to coordinate rez's with group beforehand. There is very busty damage here, and during the whole fight. Heal the tanks, and you should get by this phase.
   
   Tips:
   I use Mouseover Macros, so I can set Ifrit as my target, and heal Ifrit's target. This makes it easy to always see who Ifrit is attacking, this can also be done with <tt> "target target" macros, which I do not use however
   WHM: Keep Regen on tank who Ifrit is focusing 100% of the time. Use mostly Cure, and use Cure II if there is procs, or tank drops significant health. You want the tank to be full hp nearly always if possible.
   SCH: Physick spam tank (I also have petmacro to copy my Physick so my pet is healing tank too), if tank drops a significant health, Adloqium
   For advanced players, the first person to get the Searing Wind should go East on P1, and West on P2/P3 to help the dps with the "clockwise" rotation that many often do.
2. Nail Phase
   Things get a little tricky here, but manageable. Same rotation as previous healing wise, except now, the group will be taking significant random AOE damage due to nails exploding and chains, and various other things. So my recommendation for this phase, as a healer, is for the non-Searing Wind debuffed healer to sidestep his way to the middle of the arena to help aoe heal. While you are moving to the middle, you need to watch the tank constantly, since repositioning is a weakness in healing, and a vulnerability for the tank to die while you move. Once you get to the middle, then do some aoe healing
   SCH: Rouse + Whispering Dawn combo, and Sucor (you are still watching the tank here so physick/Adlo on him as needed). Try to keep dps topped off here and with a Sucor shield if possible.
   WHM: Cast Divine Seal Medica II, Medica, possibly Cure III if you have a good stack (you can coordinate with group)
   
   As always, when you see the other healer has approximately 5 seconds left on the debuff, move back to your position on the side to avoid Searing on the raid. At this point idealy the other healer should move to the mid and take over the "aoe" type healing. The key point here, is that AOE mostly will not work if you are on the side of the map, and you have to be on the side if you have the debuff, and the group will be taking significant damage.
   
3. Post Nail Phase and Charges
   You made it through the nail phase, woo! Congratulations, now just be sure to follow this simple dance and you are on your way to an Ifrit X kill.
   
   After the nail phase, Ifrit will always jump in the air and do a judgement. When he jumps in the air, 1 healer should have Howling Wind debuff on the side, and it should be close to ending. The non-debuff healer should already be in the mid for an aoe heal. The debuff healer can move to mid at approximately 5 seconds remaining of debuff, and help with AOE heals.
   
   After this, Ifrit will land in the middle, move from mid to the tank who should be on the right area on the map. Careful here to avoid Ifrit frontal Cleave as he repositions. Once he repositions, you can cast 1 heal (about 3 seconds) from his behind, then the plume will hit. (both healers are together here). When plumes hit you need to move to the safe spot immediately (the spot without plumes), then move immediately out to avoid cleave after the damage hits. For record, the safe spots are 1,2,3 oclock (for 1,2,3 phases).
   If you are the next healer in line to have Searing (the one who did not have it previously), immediately sprint! to the opposite side of the room and await charged. Searing should hit you soon and you will be away from the group. When the 4 Ifrit appear, position yourself on top of the 4th Ifrit clockwise as a starting point, then run clockwise as he charges.
   If you are the healer who previously had Searing, you will stay with the group. Position yourself behind the tank to avoid cleave, and keep the tank up since you will be solo healing here (unless second healer can position himself away and get a few heals off before charges). Just follow the group and you will avoid charges here. NOTE: on 3rd Nail Phase, the Searing Wind sometimes may last longer than usual, and you will not be able to rejoin the group in time for the normal safe plume spot. In this case you have to take the opposite safe plume spot which is at 9oclock on the map.

That is basically it for the whole fight. It is actually pretty easy once you know a few things, much easier than Titan EX I would say. A few notes

On the 3rd nail phase, there will be the most damage. Instruct tanks to save cooldowns for this phase, and yourself as well. There is a big nail that will do a lot of damage when it is killed, make sure people are topped before this. HOwever this is DPS responsibility to not kill it too soon, so you don't have to worry about this really if you are doing normal healing.

This fight is very recoverable if someone dies, even another healer or tank. Have your Swiftcast ready for a rez if needed.


Good luck on your Ifrit EX kill! please post any questions here.

background: I started healing Ifrit EX, and there were different strategies, and a lot of the groups on my server are elitist, so 1 or 2 mistakes and you are out. So I didnt' have the confidence to join an PF/FC group since I was new and a lot of people wanted "1 shots." I tried DF a lot, and got experience and learned what I think is the best/easiest strategy I wrote above. If a healer repositions the tank will likely die, so it should really be the responsibility of the DPS to monitor Searing and avoid it. Even with 4 melee DPS you should be able to kill all the nails just by them attacking the ones not near the debuff healer.

More fun to chase garuda pets around when you have the debuff, to add excitement to a ridiculously easy fight.

Another note or details. In order to smoothen transitions to nail phases as healers, the healer who runs ahead of the group on clones (e.g. gets the buff first) should cross back to the southeast side after clones. In a standard 2 eruption -> nail phase this will allow the DPS to clear clockwise and create a space for you while the northwest healer has the buff. You will still have to rotate in the final nail phase due to the length of it.

I like lazy mode and just having DPS move intelligently. When I don't have the howl, divine seal+medica II the group, then run back to my side. Cure III from range makes it even more ezmode.

I know nobody wants to hear this (especially MNKs and DRGs) but:

1. Position 1 healer at 3 o'clock, the other at 9.
2. Don't bring any melee, have ranged DPS all the nails from the centre.

Congratulations, your healers barely have to move except for plumes and dashes.

Why are healers so afraid of moving? Ifrit gives you plenty time to get into position for Searing Wind, since it always does its final pulse with 5 seconds remaining on the debuff. Both healers do not have to move at the same time, either.

Then you avoid having DPS screw up because they didn't notice which healer is pulsing, don't have to do silly things like forbid melee DPS from coming along, and Rush becomes trivial since the debuffed healer is at the appropriate starting position for Rushes every time. Once you learn to glance at the debuff every now and then (which is really not difficult...) it makes the fight much easier for everyone, including the healers.

We've done it with melee of course, we usually do. We just have a different method to most there that works for us.

Once we see which healer gets hit with debuff first the dps then know to kill the nails either clockwise or anti-clockwise. The final nail phase we have the healers switch a couple of times but up until that we don't move generally move except for plumes and dashes.

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Originally Posted by Noahlimits

I like lazy mode and just having DPS move intelligently. When I don't have the howl, divine seal+medica II the group, then run back to my side. Cure III from range makes it even more ezmode.

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Yeah I totally agree. It's much easier to have them work around you. Running around makes it too easy to drop a tank or something. A swap to an open area on final phase does help but even then it's not that huge of a thing.

Ranged cure III when you've got lots of ranged dps is fantastic.

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Originally Posted by Ninix

Why are healers so afraid of moving? Ifrit gives you plenty time to get into position for Searing Wind, since it always does its final pulse with 5 seconds remaining on the debuff. Both healers do not have to move at the same time, either.

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It's not that healers are afraid of moving, it allows them to concentrate on keeping the tank up when ifrit will do a random double inferno/regular attack. If you don't preemptively heal those, your tank will die. Way less chance of death if the DPS just pay attention to where the howl is.

When healer has Fire spit during the part where Ifrit is charging multiple ways. That healer can go inbetween the last two Ifrits in the back.

After the 1st Ifrit charges side step, and then side step again after the 2nd. You don't have to move afterwards - wont get hit (don't need to eat and save mp) - don't need to sprint - easy peazy.

i use mouse over macro as well as healer, but also got a <tt> macro for cure2 and ss, i find it very helpful during tank swaps, mouse over also allows me to always have target on ifrit.

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Originally Posted by Squa

Having a healer reposition in this fight, such as walking across the map or switching sides, will very likely cause a tank to die and therefore I do not recommend drastically switching positions like moving across the map.

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I use the rotation method a lot and honestly i don't see what the big problem is. As long as you and the other healer are on the same sheet of music it's not an issue. I beat this on df all the time with random parties and we rotate. All you have to do ( assuming dps will go clockwise every time), is switch right before the nail phase, and that's only if you need to. Count the howl rotation, it makes things much easier. You must know exactly who is going to have it and when. By keeping track of it you will know from the start of each phase (from the first howl) if you're going to have to switch or not, and if you will be with the group for dashes or separated.

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Originally Posted by ChiiSoSeriouz

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yes sure if the healer is moving more then it makes everything much easier... come on. the less a healer has to move the saver it is. of course all kinds of methodes are possible just i as a healer for sure will not rotate. the fight is retardly easy for a dps so if they cant even concentrate a bit on the debuff then they dont deserve to even kill ifrit. and anyway for beginners the rotating methode for sure is not the best one

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Originally Posted by Lorilin

yes sure if the healer is moving more then it makes everything much easier... come on. the less a healer has to move the saver it is. of course all kinds of methodes are possible just i as a healer for sure will not rotate. the fight is retardly easy for a dps so if they cant even concentrate a bit on the debuff then they dont deserve to even kill ifrit. and anyway for beginners the rotating methode for sure is not the best one

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You can use the same argument against yourself. If a healer can't concentrate on the debuff timer and keeping a tank alive, they don't deserve to kill Ifrit.

Healer swapping isn't difficult. You have approximately 8 seconds after the final Searing Wind explosion until he begins casting the new one. That's 8 seconds you and the other healer have to move, stop, cast a cure or two, and continue moving. Healers and tanks should always be considering how they can make life easier for the DPS, because the more they can focus on damage, the faster you can win.

Edit: The exception to the Searing Wind rotation rule is when Ifrit moves into a nail phase, in which case he uses Searing Wind immediately after the first Incinerate (5-6 seconds after the phase begins). If your DPS is too fast or too slow, you just need to pay attention and know that Searing Wind will be coming early.

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Originally Posted by Zaft

You can use the same argument against yourself. If a healer can't concentrate on the debuff timer and keeping a tank alive, they don't deserve to kill Ifrit.

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The issue is the fight is most strenuous on the healers already. Setting up a strategy where your healers accommodate your DPS will most likely work just fine with an experienced static/FC with good level gear, however to simplify for everyone it helps if the DPS pay attention a bit and contribute. Please note however the original guide was updated after it was written, to include that optimal positioning almost makes this autopilot and non-issue
Phase 1: First winded healer East (which will always be random)
Phase 2 & 3: First winded healer West (which will always be the healer who is with the main group on the "charges")

This way it automatically works out that the DPS can do the 'clockwise rotation' that they saw in the Mr. Happy video and the healers do not have to do any work to facilitate this. There may only be issues in Phase 3 nail at the very end that there needs to be a swap, and if healer can make it this far its safe to say they can coordinate a swap if needed relatively easily and should know how to do so.

Thank you for the write up! Mr Happy's guide shows nothing of where healers stand. Thank you.

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Originally Posted by Alkimi

I know nobody wants to hear this (especially MNKs and DRGs) but:

1. Position 1 healer at 3 o'clock, the other at 9.
2. Don't bring any melee, have ranged DPS all the nails from the centre.

Congratulations, your healers barely have to move except for plumes and dashes.

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Then you won't have single target LB for the big nail. And really it makes no difference, because a derping healer will still shear and wipe no matter what during the transition phase.

You still have to healer swap for the plumes and rush no matter what. Sure you can eat it, but then your tanks will rage at you for not getting their heals in time.

Simple put healers are the problem in ifrit ex. You can bring 4 melees and it wouldn't matter much over all to one healer that love taps and wipes the group.