Time to share strategies: Garuda

[Dawiichan]

Our most current set up is WHMx1, MNKx2, DRGx2, WARx1, PLDX1, BRDx1.

First phase is straight to the point.

PLD tanks garuda. WAR, DRGs and BRD take care of the plumes. MNKs stay on garuda full time. After two jumps, garuda should be close to 65% HP. When garuda is at around 68% just keep auto attacking her and make sure not to get her too low before she jumps. After the third jump, everyone goes all out and the DRGs, WAR and BRD still take care of the barrage of plumes. DRGs and Bards should time their aoes so they can hit them as they're running away from garuda.

For AB the BRD uses battle voice and casts MP song. WHM casts SS and curaga.

For the two sisters, the two monks take care of Chirada and the rest of the melees take care of Suprana. One monk should taunt Chirada and then hundred fists right afterwards so the other monk can combo on her with ease. If needed, the DRGs can use Dragonfire Dive on her if she's not going down fast enough.

When she uses south winds make sure to aoe down the plumes. The monks don't have to if your party is taking care of it, so they can just focus on Garuda here. However if your party is lacking in AoE for whatever reason, the monks should aura pulse it [B]without[B] Fists of Fire.

When she uses west winds make sure everyone runs to the center and take down the sisters. After that just nuke her down. Make sure to not be in the edge of the arena.

When she bends the wind everyone go to Garuda and take care of the sisters.

You can ignore the sisters and just burn down Garuda if she's low enough in HP.

This is how we currently do Garuda.

[Darkillumina]

Our most current set up is WHMx1, MNKx2, DRGx2, WARx1, PLDX1, BRDx1.

First phase is straight to the point.

PLD tanks garuda. WAR, DRGs and BRD take care of the plumes. MNKs stay on garuda full time. After two jumps, garuda should be close to 65% HP. When garuda is at around 68% just keep auto attacking her and make sure not to get her too low before she jumps. After the third jump, everyone goes all out and the DRGs, WAR and BRD still take care of the barrage of plumes. DRGs and Bards should time their aoes so they can hit them as they're running away from garuda.

For AB the BRD uses battle voice and casts MP song. WHM casts SS and curaga.

For the two sisters, the two monks take care of Chirada and the rest of the melees take care of Suprana. One monk should taunt Chirada and then hundred fists right afterwards so the other monk can combo on her with ease. If needed, the DRGs can use Dragonfire Dive on her if she's not going down fast enough.

When she uses south winds make sure to aoe down the plumes. The monks don't have to if your party is taking care of it, so they can just focus on Garuda here. However if your party is lacking in AoE for whatever reason, the monks should aura pulse it [B]without[B] Fists of Fire.

When she uses west winds make sure everyone runs to the center and take down the sisters. After that just nuke her down. Make sure to not be in the edge of the arena.

When she bends the wind everyone go to Garuda and take care of the sisters.

You can ignore the sisters and just burn down Garuda if she's low enough in HP.

This is how we currently do Garuda.

A question if you would so indulge us Miijin,

Doesn't letting Garuda jump 3 times make Aerial Blast do obscene amounts of damage? The reason I ask is that there seems to be some confusion among the player-base. Some claim that you should only let her jump a maximum of two times while others like yourself claim it is best to let her jump 3x. My group can skip Phase 2 90+ % of the time (or have her low enough to quickly move her out of it) but we find that Aerial Blast sometimes does way to much damage and ends up wiping half the party if we let her jump 3 times.

Thanks for the excellent set-up and the mini walkthrough.

[carraway]

A question if you would so indulge us Miijin,

Doesn't letting Garuda jump 3 times make Aerial Blast do obscene amounts of damage?

Garuda's Aerial Blast damage is entirely reliant on how much damage the pillars have taken. Each "chunk" taken off a single pillar represents a certain chunk of additional Aerial Blast damage; I haven't paid close enough attention to say exactly how much, but that's the gist of the mechanic. So, yes, potentially if you're slow on killing the plumes, going through 3 plumes might exacerbate Aerial Blast, but it shouldn't be an issue to survive it with Sanguine Rite/Stoneskin/Sentinel/etc. Generally, the payoff of additional DPS time on Garuda by going through 3 plume spawns outweighs the risk.

[Alkimi]

Garuda's Aerial Blast damage is entirely reliant on how much damage the pillars have taken. Each "chunk" taken off a single pillar represents a certain chunk of additional Aerial Blast damage; I haven't paid close enough attention to say exactly how much, but that's the gist of the mechanic.

From what I've seen you start with 12 'sections' (3 in each pillar). You need 8 still standing for Aerial Blast to do 2k damage:

8+ remaining : 2000 damage
5-7 remaining : 3500 damage
1-4 remaining : 8000 damage
0 remaining = 9999 damage.

[Dawiichan]

A question if you would so indulge us Miijin,

Doesn't letting Garuda jump 3 times make Aerial Blast do obscene amounts of damage? The reason I ask is that there seems to be some confusion among the player-base. Some claim that you should only let her jump a maximum of two times while others like yourself claim it is best to let her jump 3x. My group can skip Phase 2 90+ % of the time (or have her low enough to quickly move her out of it) but we find that Aerial Blast sometimes does way to much damage and ends up wiping half the party if we let her jump 3 times.

Thanks for the excellent set-up and the mini walkthrough.

Like stated before, it's based on how well your party takes care of the plumes. Garuda's attacks can attack the pillars so you have to position her correctly. We position her in between two pillars with the PLD being all the way to the edge. This makes it so she deals minimal damage to the pillars. Then you need the two DRGS, the WAR and the BRD to take down as many plumes as possible.

If done right Aerial Blast does about 50% to everyone in the party except for the PLD and the War when HP song is up.