I'd like to discus raid tactics, even though it's a little early imo. I've thought up a strategy having only done easy twice with randoms and attempted normal and failed once. I don't think I've actually touched HM yet.
So, here it is.
[SPOILER="Raid tactic(?)"]Needs a full party of 16. Ragdolls/pets/mercenaries may be used to boost the effectiveness. Also bone dragon and nimbus summons.
Group 1: Raw WM
1. Just spams WM.
2. Just spams WM.
3. Just spams WM.
4. Just spams WM.
Group 2: Swords
1. Uses Sword when ready, the WM spam.
2. Uses Sword when ready, the WM spam.
3. Uses Sword when ready, the WM spam.
4. Uses Sword when ready, the WM spam.
Group 3: Spikes and more
1. Uses Spikes when can, then WM spams. Might use fighter uppercut if high rank/rank 1 and the debuff is out.
2. Uses Spikes when can, then WM spams. Might use fighter uppercut if high rank/rank 1 and the debuff is out.
3. Uses Spikes when can, then WM spams. Might use fighter uppercut if high rank/rank 1 and the debuff is out.
4. Uses Spikes when can, then WM spams. Might use fighter uppercut if high rank/rank 1 and the debuff is out.
Group 4: Support (All must have shield high rank)
1. Rank 1 party heal with party heal title. Uses spike or sword. Maybe have party feathers from adventurer seals.
2. Rank 1 party heal with party heal title. Uses spike or sword. Maybe have party feathers from adventurer seals.
3. Rank 1 sing and playing instrument and chorus, along with enduring melody and battlefield. Keeps chorus up as much as possible and alternates between the two. Might use discord from time to time, or spikes and sword.
4. Brings a catering dish for high str/dex, also uses party heal and other said stuff.
The idea:
From the start of the mission, just group up somewhere against something you can’t be hit away from. Something like a wall. Keep your group against that wall. Wait for a mineral drop, then shield it. You should have at least 2 shields for this just in case the group gets a bit spread out. From there, 2-3 spike it, then everyone drops a sword on it. Now EVERYONE goes to their rolls. Meaning everyone WMs and the support group starts healing.
You only want to go for another full stun if you’re not close enough to the HP % that brings about confinement. (Whatever that crystal attack is called.) Once you’re past this point, do nothing but WM. The support people can sword or spike if they want, but everyone turns into raw WM at this point.
Due to being up against a wall, being knocked away will cause no one to need to run back and they can resume WMing again asap to help get the boss back into a lock.
I’m assuming the start up session and any others you do with the raid skills to stun and dmg him will SLIGHTLY help out in the grand scheme of things, but I’m not sure.
Onto the bard part. Whenever a buff is up, the bard should sword or wm or discord to help things along, if not join party healing if things are going a little south. The bard COULD maybe support shot just before the sword is dropped? I’m not sure what dmg sword is, if it’s physical or magical.
Raid skills should be rank 5+ for this set up with, of course, 1 being the best. Your sub skills for shield should focus on range, and hp. Anything else is extra and nice. Your spike should focus on more dmg and anything else that could help out. The swords should focus on dealing more dmg from crits and breaking more defense, along with stun time. (If stun time stuns the boss even longer or at all outside of being spiked.)
If enough people are using Nimbus pets, then enduring won’t be needed as much, but it should still be used from time to time to help keep everyone topped off and the extra healing from it and chorus can really help.
Now, I have no idea if this is a good idea or not. BUT, you could take 1-2 people out of the WM and have them just do way of the gun from time to time to see if that helps with the dps at all, if not then 2h smash maybe? Maybe a hydra or something else to help out? AI golems could really help too I think, mainly if the boss is locked down really well, as that would be an extra bit of dmg.
[/SPOILER]
The reason I want to discus is because... I often see people get upset that people use a raid skill from time to time in a WM/ragdoll spam, when it never seemed to make any kind of negative impact. (Typically sword) The boss never broke free when this happened, though it did break free from our WM lock a few times throughout, but never after a raid skill was used on it.
I'd also like to find better ways to actually do this... I like it, but where it stands atm, even with a full party actively trying to do the raid stuff and now WM lock the shit out of it, I doubt you'd get done within all but the last 5 minutes on easy.
So anyway, thoughts and ideas?