Sortie Release - Info

My misfit DNCtank/THF/COR/RDM/SCH/SMN group has made some headway into sortie after returning over the summer, we've progressed from "what is obdella" to at least regularly taking down Dhartok (albeit slowly) and getting the better part of 20k galli in a run. Feels like progressing further is a real leap for us though. Unfortunately we are not very comp-flexible [yet? hopefully yet and not just full-stop lol.] and our lack of good Light SC options doesn't help either.

I think we could definitely kill Skomora (likely requiring Perfect Defense) but that we aren't even close to the DPS needed to manage Triboulex. Leshonn/Gartell sound not impossible and suit our strengths of Darkness SC > MB but I think I'd have to swap from DNC to PLD which would be a substantial reduction in our damage. We do not have Basement H access and I have a hunch we have no business trying Degei/Aita anyway.

Any thoughts on what we could try to do to handle another basement boss? Or maybe just pull more galli out of what we're able to do already? Unfortunately we also aren't great at the mini-naakuals so basement coffers are dicey as well. I'm wondering if maybe Skomora/Triboulex can be gravity'd to outrange STS? Or perhaps I could try DNC on Leshonn while single wielding to limit Counter? Thanks for any ideas.

And if the real answer is 'change the comp' or 'get good and do more damage' then I totally understand lol.

Triboulex is the next easiest boss to tackle, IMO. Increase your dps and zerg is easy-ish.

Kiting is possible but it won't stop STS. Need to kill within 1-2min (too many debuffs will tank dps).

Someone needs to make a brd, even bonanza horn will do.

I'd change the SCH to WHM pretty fast.

GEO would be better than RDM with SMN.

So... not sure if anybody else experienced this before but today I used a Case+1 inside Sortie. The case got used but I got nothing out of it.
Must have been a lost chat packet, I thought.
Another friend, altough he usually doesn't have the best of attention, claims in his chat log he saw me getting a "??? geo +1" earring.
But there's no trace of that earring.
Even after zoning, logging out, logging back in, still no earring wherever in my inventory or in any other repository.

I even doublechecked the Recycle Bin before exiting Sortie, but nothing was there either.

Treasury?

Would still be in recycle bin

Super easy way to handle Trib: Have whoever has the most hate stand about 5 yalms away from trib and just tank the fetters. Everyone else stands about 5 yalms opposite the tank and wails on it. They'll be out of aoe range for a lot of spells and effects and can just blast trib. Don't do a darkness skillchain, it heals.

I would ask how geared/skilled is the group, as in, what are people wearing? What buffs are you using? That team comp isn't ideal but it is still workable, but you would need to describe what everyone is doing.

Is the THF landing stacked WS, and applying Feint on bosses for large -eva? THF is really hurting your comp here, it adds almost nothing to the party as a whole in Sortie. A stronger DD would help out a lot more.
Is the DNC maxing out Box Step?
Are you using Dia 3 + Light Shot, Distract, Frazzle, Impact (where appropriate)?
Is the SMN using pertinent buffs to aid your group's DPS? Crystal Blessing, Warcry.


For example, your team isn't haste capped with only Hastega II from SMN (unless you're using Embrava, but that won't last all run), so that's a massive chunk of your DPS lost just off team comp alone. I'm assuming your SCH is the healer, but then I am curious what SMN is offering you for bosses. Without GEO frailty and rolls, SMN is relatively weak DDing, so it's not looking like SMN adds anything close to another support. Might you be able to convert the SMN into the healer and grab more support (GEO or BRD) instead of SCH, or drop SMN completely and get the support? You don't necessarily need a tank for upstairs bosses, but if you're less geared, that might be important too.

Thanks for the input, most of what I've read indicates Triboulex should probably be the next target. It certainly sounds a lot more straightforward. We're mostly around Empyrean+2.5 in terms of equipment level and between 10-20 ML. No REMA weapons aside from my own Twashtar and Terpsichore.

As far as roles go RDM is of course enfeebling and then healing/MBing, Scholar is primarily buffs and nukes/MB, SMN is healing mostly. I think we are getting all the important buffs/debuffs out there although maybe not Warcry and we do not have anyone able to Impact currently. SCH has a passing interest in GEO and I've got BRD almost up and running but I don't think anyone else will play either of them (or WHM) anytime soon.

Taking into account some recent frustrating attempts at other content I think we're just uncoordinated and do crap damage. Two dagger users and no GEO/BRD isn't doing us any favors admittedly but when you have the same problems doing most content then the content itself probably isn't the problem lol.

Triboulex and Dhartok are probably the two easiest without BRD/GEO because you can land a guaranteed Distract on them.

Even if you were slow then Alexander's invincible will block setting the stage

You've mentioned MBing, so you may be able to go full out on a nuking strategy, as it can be easier to tackle bosses. Triboulex you might time out on and eat Setting the Stage. Still, with your setup, if you all practice, you could do a 4-step SC (Immananence: Liquefaction > Fusion > ClimacticFlourish + Shark Bite) and have the SCH+RDM nuke fire, and the SMN can do Flaming Crush MB. I still think THF is the sitting duck in this particular setup, but if you all are stuck with that particular job comp, I would try to create nonstop Fusion/Light Skillchains and have the mages contribute damage with Fire MB. The THF can even use Naegling/Kaja Sword instead of a dagger to force a stronger stacked WS in (Sneak Attack/TrickAttack +) Savage Blade. In fact, Savage Blade replaces Shark Bite in the above SC, so the THF can alternate a stacked WS with the DNC every other SC to close a big Light for more consistent damage.

As far as Impact is concerned, you can kill the Abyssea version of Shinryu and proc him for the Twilight Cloak, as it is an invaluable (and often underutilized) spell for higher level content. If that is out of reach, Fenrir has a much weaker version of Impact that varies with your summoning skill.

Just be honest, their setup is bad and if they're lucky they'll get G down and not much else. The whole point of ffxi is you can change job. Good players play jobs that are needed that they don't love when required. Without these good people ffxi wouldn't work.

Me looking at a group doing stuff without a bard:

unorthodox setups are always neat but yeah, no brd is usually a hefty loss, could probably swap the THF for brd and improve the DPS of everyone more than the loss of a "dedicated" DD job, or just swapping the THF to a more offensive burst DD (SAM or WAR, though DRG or DRK can also work)

Just from an attack speed perspective, that setup can only do:
25% gear haste
10% JA haste (dnc main haste samba)
30% haste2 most of the run
SCH can put up Embrava for about 25-33% of the run of the run to cap it out. (~7 min per cast if recasting before TR wears, so 14 min, 21 if wildcard hits)


Did I overlook anything?

There's blitzer's roll, which is mostly a net loss in virtually every scenario I can think of. And it's not magical haste anyways.

I mean I said it in as many words that the comp was not good, but was trying to give suggestions based on what they were using. Not advocating for it, just offering advice based on what they have. Even still, my suggestions are probably going to be ignored. It's not like the SMN is Papesse or Pergatory, and I doubt the SCH+RDM have the requisite gear to even run a magical bursting setup without GEO and RUN.

There's no viable melee setup without brd. It is what it is.

Have you tested it yourself?

Where's your data bro.

Song bonuses are massive and there's no replacement for Aria, but from a buff perspective, it's attack speed, attack and accuracy. I'm sure there's probably a way to do melee setup with a GEO entrusting Haste instead, but it's not optimal. You'd probably struggle to cap attack without a Minuet somewhere (unless you bolster), but you wouldn't have Aria to take more advantage of it. Doesn't mean it can't be done either. I have brought two sub optimal DD jobs to sortie PUGs (NIN and BST) and we still cleared 8, but it was more effort required than using better DD.

Bard and Corsair are pretty much "irreplaceable" in ideal melee setups. You can work around it if you're good enough as a player or group, but if you're that good enough to be well geared and skilled at other jobs, chances are someone will have Bard or Corsair built anyways, so it's a meaningless adventure just for the sake of proving it can be done.

8 boss could work.

BLU DNC COR GEO RDM PLD

Dia4 Box step frail chaos tenebral

Kite strats besides G.

My group managed an 9 boss hm run without splitting up using melee dnc method. Got some help over the months from in here optimizating our runs. Wanted to share the good news.

Does anybody know if Slow works at all on Aminon?
I don't see any difference at all between Saboteur Slow II and no Slow at all.

Conversely the difference with or without Paralyze II is quite obvious instead, very noticeable.

I thought maybe Aminon, like some mobs in Abyssea, is not affected by Slow because his "autoattacks" are actually TP moves? Kinda like ironclads and some other mobs etc?

Some posts in here somewhere but slow does nothing for aminon his swings are a fixed delay

Slow doesn't do anything. Paralyze works really well. (but you don't want para him down if you are trying to kill him fast)

Para is very helpful for MNK at least.

Stated a number of times

https://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/49688/jack-of-all-trades-a-guide-to-red-mage/146/#3736627

https://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/49688/jack-of-all-trades-a-guide-to-red-mage/146/#3755896

https://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/54555/the-odyssey-strategy-and-discussion/258#3765845

If you missed that, the Aminon page has it listed
https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Aminon