Tales from Duty Finder: Some make you laugh, some make you cry. Let's vent.

[MoroMurasaki]

I started an alt on Primal because theres a whole other group of people to complain about and I'm caught between leveling PLD and SCH/SMN... so I'm doing them all. Did leveling roulette on ACN and got Tam Tara.

It was clear from the start the tank and healer were a pair and they were new. The tank was reasonably geared and caught on but the healer... I'm not sure what she was doing.

First off - no dps really at all. You're still learning at that point, I know, but zero dps healers get me scared because they have (in my experience) had trash reaction times and decision making ability.

I can't say I know how she went oom on the second "boss" demon that spawned but she did. I only realized as I watched the tank die and looked to see her sitting at 8mp. I had used Diversion earlier so the MNK was tanking. I took my chance and raised the dead tank, MNK managed to stay alive. I then Physiced the MNK and revived tank back up. No wipes, yay!

I still have no idea how she went oom. I watched her like a hawk for the rest of the run and she just casted Cure whenever the tank took damage. It wasn't great gameplay but it shouldn't have left her literally devoid of mp.

One of life's great mysteries I suppose. I told her at the end of the dungeon not to worry and that she would get the hang of it and also to try to mix in some dps skills. Got all 3 comms so maybe she wasn't offended?

Wherever you are bby healer friend I hope you throw many rocks over the course of your game. And don't be embarrassed you let your boyfriend take a dirt nap, it happens to everyone from time to time.

[YojimboM]

Probably the most ridiculous and immature abuse of votekick I've experienced yet: 3 people from Brynhildr decided that not greeting them at the beginning of the dungeon is an indication of... something bad? I don't know?

The SMN in their group was standing still at the entrance when we got to the second set of trash, so I said, "smn afk?" in chat. Then the tank decided to chime in with, "oh you talk!" "you didn't greet when we started, I was worried" "you didn't greet, the first thing you said was an insult, and now you're tanking too", after they walked into the next set of enemies and I got heal aggro from them not picking them up.

After I asked if they were afk, the SMN claimed to have "gotten turned around" at the start, despite the dungeon being Hells' Lid with literally only one pathway, they had been standing completely still the whole time, and as they were talking in chat they were still not moving or making any attempt to catch up. They said they "went backwards" after never moving in the first place.

I'm pretty sure the SMN actually was afk but for some reason they couldn't bring themselves to admit it, and the tank was probably the most massive crybaby I've run into if they think "smn afk?" is an insult, while the SMN is ACTUALLY standing still at the entrance. I'm honestly not sure if it was an elaborate troll or if they were just actually that stupid.

[luicei375]

When I'm tanking and my healer does nothing but spam heal instead of actually trying to DPS, and no one's in danger or anything...

Come on, at least try to throw a few DPS spells especially after I'm fine when pulling a big wave.

I know it's just good ol' leveling in dungeons so no one gives a shit, but it doesn't hurt trying to hurl a few damage spells to speed up the process. It's not hard.

[Maeka]

Did a Chrysalis run with linkshell (just me, drk and sam).

Two healers that were apparently Swedish but also knew some English, a SCH and AST.

First run, we got to the part where you go to the timewarp and one DPS would try to LB the tear and he'd die before getting it out, then a 2nd tried to and then we all died like 3 seconds later.

And then one of the DPS goes "OH were we supposed to stop this meteors? I forgot about that" and another DPS goes "yeah I tried and died". I told them that the Tanks are supposed to do that, and pop their cooldowns before going in the rift.

Second try, we wipe and I notice that the raid is half dead and I'm counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds and then I get a Benefic. A Benefic. 2 seconds later everybody else is dead except the pld.

Then I go "You know, it'd help if you guys would throw your AoE heals when we're in the white area."

3rd try, we win, no trouble whatsoever because both healers are spamming AoEs.

At the end I go "See, easy as pie when healers actually cast AoE heals!"

And the one healer goes "Easy as pie when you're not a douche." and he then says "We were new to healing this instance." and the other healer was like "You coulda used vercure... oh wait you can't" and I'm rolling my eyes.

Whatever.

I mean, yanno, raid half dead, you think you should maybe throw AoE heals? Don't take knowing the instance to know that. Even the LS DRK said "I never played a healer and even I know that."

[Skivvy]

Did a Chrysalis run with linkshell (just me, drk and sam).

Two healers that were apparently Swedish but also knew some English, a SCH and AST.

First run, we got to the part where you go to the timewarp and one DPS would try to LB the tear and he'd die before getting it out, then a 2nd tried to and then we all died like 3 seconds later.

And then one of the DPS goes "OH were we supposed to stop this meteors? I forgot about that" and another DPS goes "yeah I tried and died". I told them that the Tanks are supposed to do that, and pop their cooldowns before going in the rift.

Second try, we wipe and I notice that the raid is half dead and I'm counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds and then I get a Benefic. A Benefic. 2 seconds later everybody else is dead except the pld.

Then I go "You know, it'd help if you guys would throw your AoE heals when we're in the white area."

3rd try, we win, no trouble whatsoever because both healers are spamming AoEs.

At the end I go "See, easy as pie when healers actually cast AoE heals!"

And the one healer goes "Easy as pie when you're not a douche." and he then says "We were new to healing this instance." and the other healer was like "You coulda used vercure... oh wait you can't" and I'm rolling my eyes.

Whatever.

I mean, yanno, raid half dead, you think you should maybe throw AoE heals? Don't take knowing the instance to know that. Even the LS DRK said "I never played a healer and even I know that."

That part of the fight is a bit weird, especially on a first run. You're sucked into the new battlefield, meteors are dropping everywhere, and it can be a bit much to take in at first.

The tanks/DPS caused their own wipe - why didn't you toss some sarcastic line their way as well as you were leaving?

[Maeka]

That part of the fight is a bit weird, especially on a first run. You're sucked into the new battlefield, meteors are dropping everywhere, and it can be a bit much to take in at first.

The tanks/DPS caused their own wipe - why didn't you toss some sarcastic line their way as well as you were leaving?

I can understand tanks and DPS not knowing what they're supposed to do, and besides, the DPS did do what they were supposed to do, but because the healers weren't keeping them alive, they were dying before they had a chance. Well, except for the DPS that were trying to block meteors lol. But yet I could get them not knowing what to do.

But a healer....

From playing WHM (which is what I normally use to do an unfamiliar or first time dungeon with), a healer's role is (usually!) real simple: don't stand in circles, and keep everybody's HP up. Works at least 80% of the time unless a boss has some kind of special thing (like last boss of Swallow's Compass where you have to run up to him when his staff glows).

They were utterly failing in the 2nd part. I see HP meters half empty, I start throwing heals. It's really not hard, it's so core to the job. "Oh no that guy's dying, heal him!"

Should be second nature by that point.

In that phase with the meteors falling, I could even understand tanks forgetting what they're supposed to do -- there's no mobs for them to tank which is what they usually do.

But healers? C'mon, they got a half-dead raid and they start sending out single-target low-tier heals?

That, and it seems kinda funny, I tell them to spam AoE heals and suddenly, the fight goes butter smooth and absolutely nobody dies. Funny, that. It almost seems like that 90% of the fault was with the healers afterall.

[Aerori]

I want to give a shout out to the amazing sprout tank (I'm guessing an alt) my fc mates and I got in levelling roulette today. Yeah, Copperbell isn't exactly difficult, but that was, one of, if not the cleanest, smoothest, most beautiful dungeon runs I've ever had the pleasure of healing. And all this with a low-geared, jobless tank, and the three of us on jobs we weren't comfortable with, and me suffering lag. I don't know if we managed to give you all three of our comms in time, but you deserved it my dude. I actually teared up a little at the end.

...And then there was Lakshmi.

So from what I've been reading here, Lakshmi normal has developed something of a reputation.

Today was the day I really felt it. I'm guilty of making a complete mess of my first run of Lakshmi too, but I like to think I know how most of the fight works by now. At the very least, I knew more than seemingly most of the party I got tossed into today. My friend needed to clear it for MSQ and went in as PLD, I went in as RDM as my gut was telling me those Verraises were going to be needed.

How I wish I was wrong.

Queue pops instantly, my friend's the only one in cutscene at the start, so I figured everyone else here's a veteran. This being his first time, he asks the other tank to MT, and they oblige. Dreamers go down quickly and without issue, other than my very, very bad lag. And then comes the first Vril mechanic: it takes out half the party, including tanks and healers. Wipe.

Okay, no problem, we come back with the Echo. The night is young, and people know to pop bubbles now right? MT dies to same mechanic again, and DCs. I don't know if it was a fake DC, but losing him made the fight that much more painful because he took the LB3 bar with him and we couldn't kick him mid-fight of course. I spend an uncomfortable amount of time and mp on verraise and vercure instead of actually DPSing, as the healers seem to be dying to everything. I end up dying when neither I nor the healers managed to top me up before Lakshmi slaps me upside the head. My PLD friend is forced to both MT and Clemency heal to help keep people alive. From my lovely vantage point on the floor, I could see at least one Hand of Beauty being dropped smack dab in the middle of the floor, and many Hands of Grace blessing the tank and SAM. I actually started rocking back and forth on my chair, as I watched the disaster unfold. I get raised by the SMN, as one of the healers is down again, and the other desperately trying to keep from dying. I come back, try to claw my way out of the Russian Roulette of raises, but die to a stack that no one stacked for (admittedly understandable considering the Hands were at work). The healers, on their slivers of mp, prioritized raising the SAM, not the 3 caster DPS that could help with their mana, heals, or rezzes. I was left on the floor for what felt like a good 5-10 minutes there. This is probably the point where most parties would rather wipe than try to salvage the run, but...if there was one positive thing I could say about them, it was their incredible tenacity. Despite there being at least one person on the floor at all times, everyone just kept plodding through it.

And by some miracle, after half an hour, we managed to clear it.

[Frizze]

...And then there was Lakshmi.

So from what I've been reading here, Lakshmi normal has developed something of a reputation.

Ive seen this to some extent(never as bad as your experience here though), and i do not get it. Normal mode of that fight is SO easy. Every time bubbles show up on the arena you use the duty action, and pop a bubble to refresh(moving closer to her in the center of the arena, as her attack has a short knockback). Her big obvious aoes you drop away from the group(preferably toward the back and staggered so no one has to eat more then one), and those who arent targeted share the stack marker. In what world is that hard? She also comes at a better place in the leveling curve then susano for some classes, which should make the fight easier still. The fight never gets quite as frantic as the later stages of a poor susano run either. Doesnt add up to me.

That part of the fight is a bit weird, especially on a first run. You're sucked into the new battlefield, meteors are dropping everywhere, and it can be a bit much to take in at first.

The tanks/DPS caused their own wipe - why didn't you toss some sarcastic line their way as well as you were leaving?

First pull i can understand being thrown off a little by the arena shift. But im gonna agree with Maeka, by 50 a healer should have developed some sort of instinct of "People are dying? Time to heal harder". So if they were caught off guard and underhealed the first go, that second pull they should have been more on point then that. I dont know if anyone explained the "pop all cooldowns before being sucked in" part to make it easier, but this isnt some sort of tricky new healer mechanic. Its just a lot of arena wide attacks coming in short succession. Their previous 49 levels(plus all the other trials going through the 2.x patch series) should have been enough to prepare for that.

[Driskus]

...And then there was Lakshmi.

So from what I've been reading here, Lakshmi normal has developed something of a reputation.

Today was the day I really felt it. I'm guilty of making a complete mess of my first run of Lakshmi too, but I like to think I know how most of the fight works by now. At the very least, I knew more than seemingly most of the party I got tossed into today. My friend needed to clear it for MSQ and went in as PLD, I went in as RDM as my gut was telling me those Verraises were going to be needed.

I know that feeling. Just about every time I get Lakshmi it ends with at least 2-3 people not knowing what a duty action is, can't find the button, or don't know how to push the button. I've honestly even left cohealers & tanks on the floor before because they straight up couldn't find the button after many raises and being told where to find it/how to activate it multiple times. I'd rather solo heal or just heal through the inevitable cleaves that be running on zero MP the entire run. Even the stack markers cause major problems. People still run away from them regardless of instance. IMO Lakshmi causes more wipes than any of the SB trials, even Shinryu & Tsuku go way smoother most of the time.

I've even seen a few run away with a stack marker in Tsuku normal. At that point I'd almost wonder how many of them are trolling with the stack markers considering they're so common in SB.

[Aerori]

-snip-

The thing is, most of the party did get the vril mechanic with consistency after our initial wipe. It was either the healers not being able to heal through the damage, or that we were taking too much to begin with that was wrecking the party. From what I saw while floor tanking, those bleeding puddles and stack markers were deadly. My friend was also getting pretty stressed by the AOE lines constantly overlapping where he was, and people with markers running around. The healers also really liked to go down together; when they didn't die at the same time, one would die raising the other. It was a painful cycle. Can't fault anyone for the amount of effort they put in to keep the fight going.