Stunlocking adds in Levi EX

[LeoLeoLeo]

I have done a few tries on Levi EX as ot and have some trouble getting around the stunlocking of the mage add.
From my point of view it seems a win or wipe is dependant on whether I can stop the mage's castings or not.
On the first mageadd I build up with the first two moves of the RoH combo on Levi's tale, and then on mage - RoH - RoS - FB - SW - SB - stun - FB - stun - SB - stun

On the second I start with provoke - shield lob - RoS - FB - sw - SB - stun - FB - stun

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt.... Sometimes he is dead just before the cast finishes. Is that a sign that I didnt stunlock him and the dps is very good, or did I do everything right and the dps was just barely enough?
Is there anything I do wrong, or is there something else?
Too low skillspeed? (mine is 391)
Too low accuracy? (mine is 478)

I appriciate every kind of advise about this.

[Ruri]

I heard the add casts the dread thing at a certain % of hp. Could be wrong though since I don't play tank. So just need to watch the hp.

[LeoLeoLeo]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that. With the rotation in my first post I usually hit the first shield bash around 75-80% hp.

[abzoluut]

If the dps of the group is slow, this tends to be a tricky part.

1st mage add: shield lob - flash - CoS - flash and then start your stunning. Note that you can only stun three times. Just start after it casts its two first spells (I think it's ruin or something). You can time your 3rd stun: as soon as it casts "dreadwash" you stun it. If you can't, someone else stunned too which you can't do anything about at that point other than asking the group to not stun adds. If you happen to know exactly when the add spawns, you can pre charge RoH and open with that and then start stunning. Group DPS differs, so it might spawn earlier than you'd expect.

2nd mage add same story basically.

There is however a way easier method to handle this. Let the MT pull it, he can just spam his enmity rotation. You can focus on stunning it 3 times.. I don't know why people always do stuff the way they've seen it being done the 1st video everyone saw. MT will not get the head's AoE (dread tide) for another 10ish seconds, so it's save. If it takes too long, he can just run away after your last stun since the mob can't move anyways. Again, if you can't stun it, not your fault..

Note that if the dps is high, you can pull it with shield lob or flash and actually stun lock it since it goes down fast. Should be the case now that groups start hitting i95 average.

[LeoLeoLeo]

Thank you!

This makes sense. Obviously I have been a bit too much hung up in the rotation mentioned, and didnt know that I had to time the 3rd stun.

Hopefully I wont send more groups for a swim they dont want. :-p

[Nabian]

We tell our tanks to use the first stun for darkness (if he does it, sometimes with fast dps he won't do it) or at approximately 70-75% remaining HP.

Then stun lock him with the remaining two stuns beginning at 25%. If no one has stunned and dps is not brain dead then you should be able to get him down no problems.

[i]As a disclaimer I would like to also mention that since I'm a Warrior I do not do this personally, so it may be slightly different then what our Paladin actually does. This is what he has said that he does and we never died to dreadwash even with slow dps. Our group has pretty pathetic dps (usually around 180-220) but we never have any trouble getting him down.

[Roffel]

I always rem that it's the 3rd ruin the ull get 6 sec then right as about that is gonna fall of stun again then once more once it's gone. If dps isn't quick enough there's not a lot u can do. I normally have a roh rdy and voke and hit it with that followed by sprits then cos. there burning it so quick it ain't worth trying to keep hate. Keeping it locked should be ur main focus.

[Kitru]

I'm going to assume you meant to put CoS (for Circle of Scorn) instead of RoS since there isn't a PLD/WAR ability with that acronym.

On the first mageadd I build up with the first two moves of the RoH combo on Levi's tale, and then on mage - RoH - RoS - FB - SW - SB - stun - FB - stun - SB - stun

On the second I start with provoke - shield lob - RoS - FB - sw - SB - stun - FB - stun

I wouldn't go with a rotation mainly because the trigger for his dreadstorm cast (which is the dangerous one that can't be stunterrupted) is based upon his hp as well as time (much like Levi's phases). It'll start casting dreadstorm either after darkness (~10 seconds after spawn) or as soon as it hits 80% (it will finish the action it's currently performing but will cast as soon as that's over).

Which trigger you have to react to depends entirely upon your group's DPS (in this case, initial burst DPS) so you should try and figure out how much damage it's likely to take within the next GCD. You can pretty much always get off Lob>FB>SB; with good DPS, you won't be able to get in the RoH. If you're not sure if you should attack, don't. Tank DPS isn't substantial, and stunning the add is way more important than getting in an extra 300-400 damage.

The second interrupt is best used right as your first stun is running out since the add is generally still in its "use dreadstorm asap" phase. The third should be held in reserve to interrupt dreadwash since it only lasts 1 second so it's only good for the interrupt. If the add isn't dead by the time you get that third stun it, you've basically got bad DPS (often, this means that you had one or more DPS ignoring the add).

The only way that a PLD can fail at stunlocking is if the add gets off dreadstorm or dreadwash before your third stun. If the add gets off a cast otherwise, it was your DPS that failed.

[SirTaint]

You should be on the head side waiting for the caster add.

Fast blade the tail then run to the head side. Swift blade, spirits within, halone, CoS, fast, swift, bash, fast, bash, bash.

You want him locked down with no movement. With SEs delayed aggro system you want to be standing where he pops instead of range pulling him.

For the 2nd caster add I use tempered will before the deck slam so I can be running towards the add and have him locked in place while everyone else is still sliding.

[CsMs2o]

well after 120 runs here my rotation:

when i play with my tank-buddy WAR - i either take the add to the middle or if it spawns at head let the WAR take it - WAR position at edge so that head won't hurt other ppl

(depents on dps FoF) -> Provoke -> (SL)/RoH (position to MT additional dps) -> CoS -> Fracture/FB if time -> 6sec stun -> SW -> 3sec stun -> 1sec stun (by then it should be down OR start dps as much you can)

ADD: does always 1. Ruin 2. Ruin 3. Darkness
be sure to stun first time after darkness or 75/80%!

priority to stun then dps
i failed few times cuz dps was low and i tough >1 skill between stuns will work come on< might result cuz of lag or GCD miss calculation that 'DEADSTORM' is casted which is UNSTUNABLE~ better play save

if by any chance dps is that low that you run out of stuns and he does cast something position yorself further in the middel
1 cast can still be fine just make sure to dodge when your run from divebomb etc.