Titan Ex, why do we stack behind boss?

I've always wondered why we do this. Why don't we spread out and dodge a single WOTL? You can really just eat a single WOTL and live through it, so why would you want to make 1 mega one that will instakill you?

I know the platform is small post heart, but there is still room. I don't really mean everyone spread out I guess. But why do the mages stack with the melee? There is room for them behind us for another line. I just wonder where this strat came from is all or why it is the most commonly used strat. :cool:

edit -

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Duuude007

Stacking is ideal, but there is nothing wrong with stacking in a conga-line behind titan. In fact, it might be the better alternative.

This assures not only that there are guranteed safe zones, but also that a mistake doesn't mean eating every single plume.

---

i guess this is what im saying... why isnt the row the accepted method vs 1 stack.

So everyone knows where in the battlefield it is clear to move. Sometimes you might not know where that other person not stacked is and you'll dodge into their weight. Also for the double weight phase you'll want to be stacked for sure.

Because it makes everything easier. Also in the final phase, there's double plumes on each person, if you didn't, literally the whole field would be covered and there would be nowhere to move.

Also for upheaval, it just makes sense.

the double weight phase is one of the most compelling reasons to stack there for sure, but for all the other phases it just makes the margin of error pretty slim. you dodge the mega WOTL you live, you miss it by a tiny bit because someone was off by a yalm(or whatever) you die. you spread out and you'll live if you dodge your single WOTL or not.

i agree with upheaval, but wouldnt it be just as easy to just stack for that phase and spread out again?

upheaval, multiple WoL, AOE heals for stomp/Sacred Soil

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vivejun

the double weight phase is one of the most compelling reasons to stack there for sure, but for all the other phases it just makes the margin of error pretty slim. you dodge the mega WOTL you live, you miss it by a tiny bit because someone was off by a yalm(or whatever) you die. you spread out and you'll live if you dodge your single WOTL or not.

i agree with upheaval, but wouldnt it be just as easy to just stack for that phase and spread out again?

---

Up to you, I find it easier to dodge 1 big Weight but those with lag may not.

We even stack for Titan hardmode after heart. Like others said, it makes evading plumes easy because everyone knows where the safe zones are. It also makes sense because plumes often come after stomps and with everyone stacked healers can easily get everyone to full. Of course if anyone is having issues evading plumes they can be a bit apart from the rest so that in case they do eat a plume, it's just the one and won't kill them.

I can dodge one big weight too, but to get the whole party to dodge every mega weight the whole fight just seems like a lot to ask.

I don't disagree with the method. I know it works.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vivejun

I can dodge one big weight too, but to get the whole party to dodge every mega weight the whole fight just seems like a lot to ask.

---

Is it too EXTREME?

Once the arena gets to its smallest which is around heart phase probably, the area becomes much smaller.

If everyone is spread out the WoL will cover most space available making you run to find a safe spot and much harder to even survive the WoL.

Stacking will place the WoL all right behind titan, giving you the rest of the space to run to and be safe.

And right after you take down the adds there is a double WoL and if you are spread out on that one, then chances are you will lose a couple of people if everyone isn't stacked.

So people don't have to remember every phase where they'd stand. It just becomes an instant reaction: Weight of the land coming up -> Stack behind Titan -> Move to the left then right if it's double. It just simplifies what people have to remember.

I would say that there are more people who can dodge the stacked plumes by rote than there are people who can react to differing safe spots every WotL.

Pre-heart, some people prefer to form a vertical line behind Titan so that you only eat one plume if you don't get out in time. Everyone strafes to the sides to avoid.

Not much you can do post-heart because there's only a small area to work with.

Its just less chaotic and chaos/panic causes more losses than lag
I think it makes sense to have some of the group sit a lil tiny bit behind the stack and dodge south though, splitting into west/south dodging means less chance someones gonna kill you with predodging or sitting slightly out of the stack

Really, stacking is more for triple/5x Landslide. If everybody stacks it's practically the same as a single line Landslide for up to 7 of the 8 party members. Current MT and any melee might have to adjust still, but it takes a lot of the guesswork out of an attempt-ending attack.

Dont forget that Post heart, you will have to dead with Egi pee(w/e it call lol) as well. which will make the platform even smaller.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vivejun

You can really just eat a single WOTL and live through it, so why would you want to make 1 mega one that will instakill you?

---

Not an attack on you but this is the problem with this often repeated argument. This translates into "I can't reliably navigate a simple move mechanic so I want to not be punished for failing it"

Personally if I went in there as a healer and dps stood in weights. I'd watch them die a slow death.

Stacked WOTL is really only an issue when people are having issues with latency and poor player positioning causing bad plume overlap. It appears you've cleared them and then you blow up because the server doesn't see it that way. Have one or two party members die like this early on and they can't spam the abandon duty button fast enough following an eventual wipe.

Stacking is ideal, but there is nothing wrong with stacking in a conga-line behind titan. In fact, it might be the better alternative.

This assures not only that there are guranteed safe zones, but also that a mistake doesn't mean eating every single plume.

Stacking also helps healers during tumults --> Cure III

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zarzak

Not an attack on you but this is the problem with this often repeated argument. This translates into "I can't reliably navigate a simple move mechanic so I want to not be punished for failing it"

Personally if I went in there as a healer and dps stood in weights. I'd watch them die a slow death.

---

Alternate translation: It costs me $5 extra per month to pay for a VPN so that I can reliably clear this mechanic (before 8PM, after which even the VPN isn't reliably enough); as such, I'd like to use an alternate (but not sub-par) strategy which will at least keep me alive if I happen to fail.

Conga-line stacking is what we do, and it always floored me why the general population prefers to turn weights into a one hit wipe mechanic. I blame mrhappy, people just follow his strats and don't think critically. A lot of his strats are very newbie unfriendly but it passes it off as optimal.

Also there is one point where you should still stack on a point, and that is on super bombs.

I should add though, even though weights don't instant kill it is still not acceptable to get hit by them. It puts unbelievable pressure on the healers and indirectly causes wipes. Line stacking is not a way to try and avoid the fact you can't dodge, it's just to give a margin of error.

It's harder to find a place to run after you killed the Titan Egis, hence the stacking.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Viridiana

Alternate translation: It costs me $5 extra per month to pay for a VPN so that I can reliably clear this mechanic (before 8PM, after which even the VPN isn't reliably enough); as such, I'd like to use an alternate (but not sub-par) strategy which will at least keep me alive if I happen to fail.

---

exactly... im sure everyone is able to dodge, but with the latency issues(which are better, but people still need to pay for other networks for them to be really enjoyable) it just blows my mind why you would pick a 1 shot kill tactic.

For ur question OP, try slow dps on 2 egis and enjoy the all wide spread wotl over that TINY platform

How does the conga line work for double plumes post-heart? I'd imagine it's riskier with the egi aoe too. I wouldn't trust people to be able to form a line for every plume except double plumes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tua

How does the conga line work for double plumes post-heart? I'd imagine it's riskier with the egi aoe too. I wouldn't trust people to be able to form a line for every plume except double plumes.

---

It's not like it has to be a perfect line, and it doesn't really reach all the way back to the far end of the platform or anything. I'm usually one of the furthest back, and I try to stay close to Medica range, if not just inside it on the rear-most healer. Basically, you're spreading out just enough that you don't have all 5 WotL on top of each other and should be getting hit by at most 2 (ideally 0, granted). As a BRD, 2 is just barely survivable (though I may be confusing that with HM); not a perfect scenario, but I'd rather cost the healers a cure than cost them a rez.

After the Heart, definitely stack. The arena is just too small, and the double plume pretty much requires being stacked for that first plume. Also, Gaol phases REQUIRE you to be stacked, and its a really good idea to stack for Landslides, so its just easier for everyone to stack for everything rather than stack for Gaols and Landslides, spread for Plumes...

Pre-heart, lining up is fine; the arena is just large enough to do it comfortably.

However, the reason I like stacking is because of the random lag that occurs and places plumes "out of place" even when people are stacked. Some people also like to run back, others left, others right, others forward; stacking allows people to run whichever way they want

Also, people should start learning how to "pre-dodge" plumes; the go off at the same time every time, and you can learn to pre-dodge and avoid nearly 100% of the time, even with lag. I do it and only get hit by plumes when people are out of position (one, maybe 2) or right after adds when everyone is spread out still. Also (this may throw kindling on the fire) but I play on the PS3...


And as a side-note: I do dislike it when people get hit by any plumes as a healer, even myself. Especially at certain points of the fight where the tanks are going to be taking extra damage and I need to focus on them. For a learning group, I'm more lenient since I know they're still learning, but for a weekly clear group...you need to know how to dodge properly.

Because if we stacked in front we'd get MB'd!

As someone before said
Cure 3, cure 3 , cure 3
Sch can easily be in cleric stance whole fight with a good WHM and a stacked group.
Makes the fight much faster (and more reliable when selling runs in which your almost assured one gimp dpser)

Makes buying a large home easier!

i think there is enough space post heart phase for 2 groups behind titan. also since healers have to run back for goals anyways why do they stack where melee are?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vivejun

i think there is enough space post heart phase for 2 groups behind titan. also since healers have to run back for goals anyways why do they stack where melee are?

---

Same situation if all your dps are melees. What then?

We had a bard in TitanEX yesterday suggest conga line instead of stacking (which me and my groups have done pretty much every time so far), so we were like "sure, go for it" and everyone except that bard kept stacking like usual. I must say, as a bard myself, I hated having that other bard hover just 2-3 meters behind the rest of everyone, because it meant I couldn't just do a carefree backflip over the stacked plumes (whilst looking down upon the mere mortals scampering away like rats from a sinking boat!) without risking landing into that other bard's plume or falling off entirely.

Because of repelling shot jesus backflip and its utility* I want to be in melee all the time, and people dropping plumes in my glorious flight path upsets me greatly :(

* twice I've used it in the wrong direction and flew off the stage underneath Titan's nose - lesson learned