Quote Originally Posted by Alkimi View Post
The way SE designed the fight was for the DPS to tank Chirada (sharing downburst damage), OT to tank Surpana and MT to keep Garuda. It's hardly their fault nobody (except JPs) is doing the fight the way they originally intended which is a safer method (no double wicked wheels) and a lot more melee friendly.
I've never liked this method of doing Garuda EX.

I don't like it because it is a big compromise to DPS output. If melee has aggro on Chirada, he no longer has full access to flanking or rear attacks. Meanwhile, casters have to dodge Slipstreams and interrupt their spell casts.

The supposed benefits of handling Chirada this way are: no double wicked wheels and more melee-friendly. However, I've never perceived double wicked wheels as something that couldn't be handled with better cooldown usage from tanks and healers.

As for melee, even in low DPS groups, I've found that having DPS kill Chirada and then having the OT Provoke Suparna from the MT works perfectly. There is no risk of melee getting hit by Wicked Wheel. The OT needs to Provoke the Spiny Plume to start every Sisters + Great Whirlwind phase. By the time the MT needs to Provoke the Spiny from him, Provoke will have cooled down and Chirada should be dead.

In high DPS groups, we simply zerg down Chirada and melee waits for Garuda to Wicked Wheel before diving in. Suparna should be dead before Garuda Wicked Wheels again.

This might not be what S-E intended, but I think it is the more efficient strategy.