Titania EX: Paladin solo tether strat

This is something I discovered while farming Titania ex once I learned about her tether mechanic and started playing with my cooldowns, I'm not sure if the other tanks are able to do this in the way a Paladin can but after some experimentation with the timers I've learned that it's possible for a Paladin to negate both tether mechanics without issue.

For those unaware, Titania has two tether phases where she tethers someone and hits them with lightning that does splash damage, each hit stacks a debuff on the target that makes the next hit very likely to kill them, but it is possible for a Paladin to eat all 6 tethers in both phases due to the timing between. Based on watching timers it appears each blast is fired after 6 seconds. I've also only done this as a Paladin OT, I do this so I can save my cooldowns for the tethers, it's also important the healers top you off after each blast. This should be easy as you will be the only one taking damage during the tether window.

Tether 1- Grab the tether and move to one side of the boss while the rest of the party stacks opposite you, this allows you and the party to continue dpsing while you take the tethers. Tether 1 does it's regular damage and applies the debuff to you. Do NOT pop any cooldowns for the first hit.

Tether 2- Pop Rampart and use Sheltron along with any shields from healers, benefic/galvanize/benison should be enough to let you barely survive.

Tether 3/4- Rampart will still be up for both of these thanks to it's 20 second window, pop sentinel at this point and sheltron again as a precaution during tether 4 if you're worried about Rampart falling off.

Tether 5/6- Hallowed Ground will completely negate the damage from the last two.

I have done this successfully for several runs once I finished experimenting with the timing of the shots and my cooldowns. This strategy will require the MT to solo Fae Light with Hallowed/Bolide/LD/Holmgang for at least the first two hits as you can eat the third hit unmitigated if you need to.

For the second Fae Light, you can soak it with the tank using Sheltron and a bit of extra attention from the healers, you should be able to rebuild your gauge by the time you reach this point.

There is only one other final complication for the second tether phase, if your dps is really good during the add phase (and that add phase will only get shorter as the item level goes) and the add phase is shorter, it's possible that Hallowed won't be up in time for the last two tethers. If that happens, I suggest having the main tank take one hit from the 5th tether and either use their ult or super mitigate the 6th. Hope this useful to other tanks!

Does the debuff not kill you outright if you get hit a second time?

Also, is there a reason this is pld specific? Would you strategy work with other tanks, such as War?

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Originally Posted by IntrovertAnt

Does the debuff not kill you outright if you get hit a second time?

Also, is there a reason this is pld specific? Would you strategy work with other tanks, such as War?

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He only tested it with PLD, but with some modifications it may be possible with other tanks, or close to it, with minimal swapping.

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Originally Posted by IntrovertAnt

Does the debuff not kill you outright if you get hit a second time?

Also, is there a reason this is pld specific? Would you strategy work with other tanks, such as War?

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Looking at the reduction numbers, a Gunbreaker should be able to do it also.

Rampart + Camo both last 20s. So use those + Heart of Stone on the 2nd tether.

3rd/4th Tether add Nebula and Heart of Light.

Superboilde the last 2. The timing would be much tighter due to a slightly shorter duration.

DRK can take all 12 too.

IDK about WAR, too busy cheesing Fae Light with Holmgang

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Originally Posted by IntrovertAnt

Does the debuff not kill you outright if you get hit a second time?

Also, is there a reason this is pld specific? Would you strategy work with other tanks, such as War?

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The debuff only increases the damage by a significant degree, but with the right cooldown management and use it's perfectly survivable as a tank. Any non-tank would be absolutely destroyed however. Also, Mara is correct, I only tested it as a Paladin as it's the only tank I have at 80, I haven't tried with the other tanks yet.

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Originally Posted by whiskeybravo

DRK can take all 12 too.

IDK about WAR, too busy cheesing Fae Light with Holmgang

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Makes sense that drk can do it also, the timing for War and Gnb would probably be much more difficult.

The tether seems to go off every six seconds, so it's a 36 window of CD management.

imo, the easiest way to do it is to have the 2 healers take the 1st 2 tethers. minmal healing needed, and then they can focus on keeping the tank up during the rest.
all CDs will fit within the remaining 3 tethers.
it helps keep DPS busy on the boss.
(the other tank can also throw up a party shield if need be, or something)

While clever i see no reason to go to such lengths when the mechanic is easily dealt with the intended way with absolutely no downtime to anyone if your party is a little smart with its movement/positioning.

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Originally Posted by Thela

While clever i see no reason to go to such lengths when the mechanic is easily dealt with the intended way with absolutely no downtime to anyone if your party is a little smart with its movement/positioning.

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It's more uptime for dps even if the party can do the mechanic normally. Besides if MT is solo'ing fae light then, outside of add phase, the OT is literally just a gimp DPS in that fight. Might as well use their CDs for something.

Off Tank Strat with Ranged/Healers:

Off tank sits on the Left Flank of Boss. Uses take invulnerability after first hit. Survives the next 2 hits. Healer/Ranged/Caster picks up tether, off tank moves to rear. 1st person takes it. Healer/Ranged/Caster weaves or stutter casts to move farther to the left side of the platform. Next person takes it. Repeats and moves back. Melee takes it if there isn't a Caster/Ranged for the last hit. Use true north. With a 45 second cool down it will be up before shiva circles. Have Melee be the first to take tether and use true north and it will be up before brambles.

Much less risky and no healer GCDS needed. Bene for DRK invuln, but just AOE heal after its over with OGCDs or a GCD all at once.

I think that they developed this mechanic to be done with 2 healer and 4 dps. Both MT and OT need to then share Fae light afterwards. I think this is the best one, since 2 healer and 4 dps can take the hit while DPSing, then TOP everybody with AoE heal, without needing to waste a GCD to heal every hit.

But all the strats are valid if they complete the fight.

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Originally Posted by whiskeybravo

It's more uptime for dps even if the party can do the mechanic normally. Besides if MT is solo'ing fae light then, outside of add phase, the OT is literally just a gimp DPS in that fight. Might as well use their CDs for something.

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It's really not though, if you plan it correctly there is 0 uptime loss for dps doing the mechanic as intended.

wow and ff14 develope mechanics hoping ppl do them... but we all know ppl will come up with strats to avoid doing them... like burns/zergs/having 1 guy do it all so they dont have to... etc.

Honestly, if they didn't want tanks to eat at least half of the tether hits, they could have made that mechanic happen more often or increase the timer between blasts.

Even with the OT eating just 3 hits, they have more than enough time to soak the Fey Light if needed.

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Originally Posted by whiskeybravo

DRK can take all 12 too.

IDK about WAR, too busy cheesing Fae Light with Holmgang

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whats the rotation to soak all 12

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Originally Posted by whiskeybravo

DRK can take all 12 too.

IDK about WAR, too busy cheesing Fae Light with Holmgang

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You don’t even need holmgamg if you’re topped off and shielded, there’s no debuff associated with it.

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Originally Posted by Samuraijake

wow and ff14 develope mechanics hoping ppl do them... but we all know ppl will come up with strats to avoid doing them... like burns/zergs/having 1 guy do it all so they dont have to... etc.

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Mechanics having multiple solutions is a good thing. I posted how a paladin can do it alone, but this thread has several people posting alternative strategies that work for them, none of which are the same. I'd argue that creating a mechanic with multiple solutions is good game design and I genuinely wish all mechanics in the game were like that. I prefer that to mechanics that are "do it this one specific way or you and/or your whole team dies."

What is your Item Level at & what materia do you have for you gear?

A group I ran with had the OT Gunbreaker take the first 3, then split the rest among the dps.

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Originally Posted by Ninjmac

What is your Item Level at & what materia do you have for you gear?

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When I figured it out? A combination of tomestone and level 80 dungeon gear. No melds.

I did this yesterday with an freshly 80 i429 GNB, not even i430. Of course, no melds.
1st is null
2nd + 3rd with Nebula
4th with Reprisal, Rampart, Heart of Stone and Camouflage (for good measure)
5th and 6th with Superbolide

I didn't get a chance to fine-tune the 4th strike, but was able to get past the mechanic by myself more often than not.

Btw it felt badass

Here is the problem with this strategy. You can only do this one time unless you change when you use certain moves if the DPS in your group is too good. One group I was with was the best DPS I had seen on Titania and we did the tank takes 3 tethers set up. As a PLD I would take the first 3 and pass it off. However, my HG was not back up by the time the next tether phase came up as I needed just a few more seconds to get it back. So you could MAYBE get this all 6 tether thing to work if you popped HG instantly at the first attack. You will have HG back by the 2nd tether, but at this time you will have to use HG at the end of the tether rotation like in your original post. SE really need to lower HG down to 5-6 min. I understand they don't want us to cheese things, but 7 min is ridiculously long compared to the other tanks panic buttons.

If the dps in your group is "too good" a second tether phase will never happen.