29 Attempts of Garuda Ex - Raise ilvl Req or Fix

[SummonerSenah]

I did a pug where everyone but the healers was at least i90. The healers just couldn't keep up. I'd like to agree with a higher ilvl requirement, but it's easy enough to cheat that either by wearing at least one really high ilvl item to balance against a low level item; or by wearing another job's accessory. Unless they change the way ilvl is calculated, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. Party Finder or running with your FC or a static is the way to go. With a full FC group we've cleared it each time we've ran it, and that was even with new people in some of them.

[DoctorFatBird]

Triangle method. Problem solved.

[Ooshima]

Form a PF group, better still, you should have asked your FC to help in the first place.

Hoping to clear on a DF, you should know better. DF is where most inexperienced people jump in to practice anyways.

[bloodSp3c]

The past week I tried very hard to clear Garuda EX as an ilvl93 Monk that practically memorized the fight using the Duty Finder, eventually I was forced to use my own FC to clear this joke of an encounter.
Of the 30 times the following had to not happen in order to stand a chance of winning:
1.) Healers had to have at least 4.3k HP
2.) Tanks and Healers cannot be new
3.) DPS had to be smart and on their game.
4.) Echo 20%+ had to be active

In what colorful world does a group ever meet the above requirements? ALMOST NEVER. This damn encounter has given me such a cynical outlook on human intelligence and the average incompetence you can expect to find from Duty Finder.
Definitely needs a nerf, a disclaimer, a higher ilvl req, or needs to be removed from the DF.

I'm sure you can imagine the hell that was "Free Weekend" for this encounter.

u think that's a struggle? wait till u get to Titan EX.

[Ashkendor]

Triangle method. Problem solved.

I seriously want to try this, I've heard good things about it.

Getting the party to agree, however... >.>

[LionKing]

Wait till you get to Ifrit Ex....Volla, you need skilled and experienced healers to do it, not one but two, or you will have a hella fun of explosion going all over the place.

And most of the things you list, no. Garuda Ex has been cleared by so many people way before Myth iwas farmable,echo was introduced, where CT armor still strictly one per week. All you struggle can only be fix, only and only with one solution, group up with people that does have brain....

[repoe]

I concur. DF if you need hands on experience, PF for a higher chance if success. Plus PF gives you the chance to interact with other members on your server and if your FC is like mine and doesn't care much for endgame content You want to connect with people interested in doing the same stuff as you on your server for the possibility of future team ups. Be it by jumping to a new FC or joining a raiding LS

[sheepysheepy]

havn't done garuda for weeks or even months, but the old preferred setup was 2 tanks 5 dps 1 healer, as an i87 whm at the time i loved it, finally something exciting, unless the dps were melee, then it was just praying that they were excellent players

make it easier on yourself, get your blm/brd for garuda&ifrit and save your mnk for titan (and if you moan that you shouldn't have to switch classes thats up to you, its all your choice so there's no need to moan)

[Adler]

I can't understand why people join ex through duty finder if they haven't even read a guide. Don't really ask to watch a 20 min video guide, just google in for a written guide to understand what awaits you and you're ready to win.
I killed Garuda ex with second try using DF. In 1st run another dragoon killed spiny plume instantly and both tanks ragequit so the try was kind of very short. 2nd try I think I truly luckied out because tanks were either close friends or fc members or both and they took and positioned Garuda and sisters super fast so healers and ranged only had to worry about running in spiny safe area.
It is just my opinion but tanks are the decisive lose/win factor in Garuda ex because the "dps run" is not really hard if only thing party need to worry about is healing tanks and melee dps. That said I have killed Garuda ex with half FC group where we had 2 really geared and good healers, experienced tank and totally new tank - dps came from duty finder and all got kill achievement. The new tank couldn't get add and spiny in position fast and we wiped because dps or heal either got hate or couldn't reach adds so we tried out a different solution. I tanked Chirada as DRG and 1 healer just switched to healing me while new tank brought spiny to position - killed Garuda instantly because the adds got positioned fast. With echo and good healer any melee can tank chirada to make this fight a lot easier.

[PetiteMalFleur]

I find it interesting how these kinds of threads used to consist of "This fight is so hard and here's what I'm struggling with. How do I handle (insert mechanic)?" Now they are, "omg, SE needs to nerf this fight so my groups can ignore mechanics!"

This is the kind of mentality that prevents newer players from downing this in pf/df groups. GEX was cleared easily by avg i76-i84 groups when it first came out. I even ran a clear group with people who had never been in the fight and managed to clear it before the instance timer ran out. It's because they wanted to understand the mechanics and took the time between pulls to ask questions and modify our strat to find something that worked for us.

Nerfing content or upping ilevel will not help you get clears. Going in and trying to learn/teach will.