Ifrit EX and future content

[Galactimus]

And to OP: Stop DPSing ifrit while nails are up...? Problem solved. It's not really an issue in my opinion as the nails need to be killed regardless. Kill them first, and then DPS ifrit. SMNs are actually lowering their damage if they are not applying DoTs to all the nails.

You can't stop DPS'ing Ifrit if you have 15 different DoT's on him when he gets to 20%. Yes, everyone can immediately switch to nails but that doesn't stop the DoTs from ticking away. Plus the Tanks are hitting him while they Tank swap. Two SMN's caused many wipes for our party as well until we found out about his 10% Enrage. Two SMN's are also very bad for nails as the Dot's can cause multiple nails to blow up at the same time which can wipe the party.

[pilot]

The biggest issue things like this bring to light for me is the problem with extremely scripted synchronized swimming encounters. Content is designed so that eventually everyone can memorize, execute and be perceived as "good players". There very little room for deviation and creativity.

"Recognize the mechanic and execute" to the point where you will almost break the encounter with too high of a level of what SE has dubbed "skillful play".

I feel like we are left with two choices. Destroy the semblance of rhythm and in some cases (wipe) make the encounter more difficult than it needs to be OR succumb to the intended parameters as it relates to the strict script and have fun with how boring that can be.

[Lithera]

To be honest I think the mechanic makes sense on Ifrit EX. Imagine you're Ifrit. You just summoned your nails. Let's say that normally you need time to charge up a Hellfire which is why he doesn't just drop nails and then Hellfire. You drop your third set of nails but the adventurers continue to attack you. You're nearly dead so you have no choice but to fire off Hellfire early and perhaps risk destroying yourself.

The Titan issues are just plain annoying though. It could be programmed around pretty easily by having the phase changes only occur after the Upheaval mechanic regardless of the HP check. That would mean some MBs would become unskippable, but stacks are nothing compared to two gaols up and Titan in the air. Only other thing would be to add extra HP checks within a handful of percent of the phase swap that would either cause a skip of the gaols or a swap for a different mechanic.

[Gesser]

Sounds like your guys' fault for not loosing DoT's soon enough to the phase...

[SarcasmMisser]

Party wipes due to "too much dps" is a topic that gets brought up in our static all the time. Having too much DPS can change a lot of fights:

They change fights and give you curve-balls that you can adjust to, only Ifrit just outright wipes you.

For titan, don't put healer on the edge? DPS it first? I've seen gaols up when he jumped many times and we still pulled through, it usually happens when we aim to have Titan jump before it but fail. Reacting to curve-balls like this is the hallmark of good groups, having to hold DPS back because people can only play to the script isn't ideal.

For twin, we never not do maximum DPS, and deal with whatever happens. If fireballs are mistimed deal with it, stack for fireball if a conflag gets nuked, run in, do whatever. Stop DPS around 65%? Nah we just race and only deal with 3 conflags, if someone is in a conflag on the rare occasion when 2nd neuro breaks have ranged dps it while dodging divebombs, and whoever was in run out. Or they die and you can res them, you should avoid this happening but it's recoverable, unlike Ifrit at 10%.

For snakes you just switch DPS to the big snake you don't have to hold DPS. Since it's a phase with a set timer it's impossible to race it anyway.

The strategy only changes when DPS is racing, you are never forced to hold dps except on Ifrit. And on Ifrit it is clearly due to make up for poor encounter design (they give the add DPS check more health than Ifrit at that point in the fight, and couldn't think of a more creative way to stop people racing Ifrit).

[Lithera]

You can't avoid accidentally leaving DoTs up on Ifrit going into the last nail phase sometimes BUT you can control the nail deaths so you don't get multiple explosions even with 2 SMNs as long as they're not doing their own thing instead of following the other 2 DPS. Even with one SMN I've seen them DoTing nails across the room when they should be DoTing the nail everyone else is on and Baning to the surrounding nails. Fester should be dropped on the currently focused nail and the other two single target DPS should easily keep the nails falling in order without the DoTs accidentally detonating an extra nail.

[Lafiele]

This is the dumbest advice I have ever heard. So what you're saying is to CONTROL your DPS so that its mediocore? lol

How is controlling your dps mediocre and dumb advice? If anything it's harder to control your dps than to let it all out. Being a master of your damage is more than just doing big hits. Learning to compensate for your teammates as a dps is one of the few fights that require it. Often, I will control my damage output based on my parties ability. It's just like how some tanks can't hold aggro as well so I control my damage output so I do just enough so I don't pull aggro.

[Skies]

So apparently it's a sin to ask DDs to do the only thing they apparently is never allowed to do.
Have some sodding trigger discipline.

[Lafiele]

You can't avoid accidentally leaving DoTs up on Ifrit going into the last nail phase sometimes BUT you can control the nail deaths so you don't get multiple explosions even with 2 SMNs as long as they're not doing their own thing instead of following the other 2 DPS. Even with one SMN I've seen them DoTing nails across the room when they should be DoTing the nail everyone else is on and Baning to the surrounding nails. Fester should be dropped on the currently focused nail and the other two single target DPS should easily keep the nails falling in order without the DoTs accidentally detonating an extra nail.

SMNs are suppose to Dot the nails that everyone else isn't on. If they dot the nails everyone is attacking atm it's pointless because it doesn't even give them time to tick so they do no dps. SMNs putting 2-3 dots on every nail will not kill it but it will bring it to 1/4 to 1/2 hp. However, if there are 2 smns, they have to learn to adjust with each other and not place dots on the same nail (else it will die). So in this case, usually 1 smn goes clockwise and another gose anticlockwise.

[muwa]

This is the dumbest advice I have ever heard. So what you're saying is to CONTROL your DPS so that its mediocore? lol

Yes, controling your damage output can mean something else than "stack all your buffs for the burn phase"...