SMN WP adds

[Darkstride]

I have never needed any over-the-top tactics to kill the adds as SMN. Send Garuda to go attack one, then focus on another yourself. As they die, just move along to the next. Energy Drain is a quick, nearly one-shot on them so you can drop 3 of them quickly per Aetherflow if needed.

[CruxisSeptentrion]

I just tell the other DPS to kill them, or if you have a good WHM they can pretty much solo the adds.

We as SMN have amazing single target damage. We are at a disadvantage when having to kill small adds quickly especially if they're spread out because of the MP cost and time waiting for ticks. SMN damage is better served by having the SMN on the boss and the other DPS to kill the adds. If they're melee just have them kill the adds when they get closer to the tank.

[Dyvid]

Normally I have Garuda take one and i'll use ruin/ruin2 on another. You can also use Tri-disaster to bind them too.

[Ronove]

On my Bard, I usually just have to Windbite and Heavy shot each one before moving onto the next one and I never have issue. At first when I was a fresh 50 as my Summoner, I had issue but the better my gear, the easier the tonberries went down.

As my summoner, I do Bio and Obey on the first one, grab the second with Bio and Ruin until dead (this is after I Shadowflared the Ton-King). Then I set my main dots and raging strikes and Fester the main boss until the next tons are up and basically take those down the same way (and Fester when it's off CD on the boss so I don't miss my raging strikes buff). When more show up it's basically the same until Ton-King is close to dead and like 5 or something show up at once. With those I tend to Bio them all and bring them to center and LB them (if the first LB bar has filled one bar, if not I continue to do it slowly) but that's only if my tank is geared and I know can handle 5 stacks. If not, just do it slowly as I had been. Depending on your party Tonberry King should be dead soon anyway.

(To be honest I like gathering them and LBing them at once--too bad that can kill an undergeared Tank.)

To make it easy for you to keep track of how many stacks the Tonberry King has, I think on the PC you can do Shift+F and it'll do the Focus Target so you can keep track of him!

[Viridiana]

(To be honest I like gathering them and LBing them at once--too bad that can kill an undergeared Tank.)

I used to think this, too. Then I realized that WAR has more than 5k hp, and PLD has Hallowed Ground. I think the only tanks who should be concerned about a 5-stack are WARs who are both undergeared and stacking STR.

[Pride]

Normally for Tonberry King what I do is simple:

I normally summon Ifrit first. When the first adds spawn, Sic Ifrit on one of the adds while you pop buffs and stack your DoTs on the king. After your DoTs are on the king, target the other two Tonberries, and hit them with a Miamsa and a bio, those two DoTs should be enough to kill them. Switch back to the King re-apply your DoTs then go back to killing adds while Ifrit is killing another add. Don't underestimate the power of Ifrit, he does have his uses.

I have found that SMN is probably the best DPS for killing the adds because you're able to keep up a decent amount of DPS on the king himself, while picking off the adds at a fairly decent rate. Just make sure to not let your DoTs fall off of the king while you take out the adds, it works out beautifully.

[Maelwys]

I used to think this, too. Then I realized that WAR has more than 5k hp, and PLD has Hallowed Ground. I think the only tanks who should be concerned about a 5-stack are WARs who are both undergeared and stacking STR.

Even without using Hallowed Ground, a PLD in raw AF can take 3 Rancor comfortably, or 4 with Stoneskin/Sentinel. Adding Darklight pushes that to 4/5 stacks. A little i90 pushes that to 5/6 stacks.

It's certainly true that you can kite *EVERYTHING* in that fight and AoE it all at once, then HG through the next Grudge. But killing everything as it spawns/as it gets near the middle? A reasonably geared tank should never need to pop HG. The most I've ever seen in that fight was 7 stacks, and I managed to survive that with double-digit HP (with VIT food, Stoneskin, and Sentinel up!!) - I have used Hallowed Ground on that boss before, but that's been less to weather Grudge itself and more to weather a Grudge followed by about 5-6 simultaneous Tonberry "Throat Stabs".

I routinely do a "two mob pull" on the final WP boss corridor even on the most rubbish DF groups, in order that our group can completely avoid the Stalker and immediately focus the three Tonberries to get the door open. I'll usually pop HG in that fight, because I'm comfortable with being able to tank through 6 stacks of rancor on the boss without it (whereas I'm much more concerned about the ability of random Duty Finder teammates to keep me alive whilst killing the double-mob!)

[Viridiana]

Even without using Hallowed Ground, a PLD in raw AF can take 3 Rancor comfortably, or 4 with Stoneskin/Sentinel. Adding Darklight pushes that to 4/5 stacks. A little i90 pushes that to 5/6 stacks.

I was thinking more for low gear + high stacks, since my comment was in response to a comment about undergeared tanks.

[AlternativeOne]

Would just burn the boss down, Unless there are two of us smn Im not going to be killing any adds. If you have to kill adds, Just bio + ruin and get back on the boss asap. let dot ticks kill the adds put all you dps efforts on the boss. Just about any group should be able to kill it before the big toneberrys come out. You shouldnt be the one killing adds I think. Unless other dps has a better weapon than you or something like that I guess.