This is a guide to the fight P12S Phase 1 (Athena) in the game Final Fantasy XIV. All strats in this video are early strats and are likely to be improved over time. I’ve tried my best to align my guide with what I have seen most commonly in PF, but apologies if this guide shows mechanics being resolved differently than your preference.
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00:00 Introduction and Positions
00:59 Trinity of Souls Explained
02:27 Light/Dark Debuffs Explained
03:39 Paradeigma 1
04:42 Paradeigma 1 (Tank invuln/Lazy Lazers)
05:25 Paradeigma 2
07:08 Glaukopis (Tankbuster)
07:38 Superchain Theory I
11:23 Apodialogos/Peridialogos
11:58 Paradeigma 3
16:54 Limit Cut
20:23 Superchain Theory IIA
23:05 Superchain Theory IIB
24:44 Enrage
25:10 Special Thanks! (and cat)
source
Sorry that this has ended up a long one! I felt a few of the more complicated mechanics really benefited from a more in-depth breakdown.
If you're coming to this guide from PF already knowing the fight, here's a rough breakdown of what I show
Paradeigma 1: I show both standard and tank invuln strat
Paradeigma 2: Player relative, DPS NW->CCW, TH N->CW
Paradeigma 3: + north, X south, H1>MT>OT>H2 priority for towers, crossed tether soaks middle tower
LC: I show both 2&4 moving back to where the boss was and (briefly) 2&4 starting middle of the adjacent wall.
Superchain IIA: I show both near and far spots for the pair nearest to middle
As always, talk to your party in PF to clarify strats before pulling.
Good luck going for the kill!
um. thats not a standard limit cut. limit cut is the move done by cruise chaser, this is more a dash mechanic than a limit cut. just because you got dots on your head doesn't mean its limit cut. you could have done better correcting pf's stupid naming, but i guess NA is stuck with this now. do better next time, you've got it in you
One way to memorize positions for SC Theory 1 is to look at the graphic of your debuff.
If your laser appears to be aimed left (as if it was coming from the boss) then you stand left, if it appears to be aimed right then stand right.
Likewise for the other 6 players, if the person in your debuff is standing right then you stand right. Same with the tower in the debuff.
There's 6 relative patterns for the Adds in limit cut as the system picks two from these variables; bbcc, bcbc, bccb, cbbc, cbcb, ccbb. Meaning it's most likely that you will come across at least TWO beam sets going off consecutively, with the least likely pattern being the full consecutive pattern as that requires ccbbbbcc. So just watch the adds and note which beam sets are going off fast.
Awesome guide as always Hector. There's just one thing I'd like to add during the first Unnatural Enchaiment:
For the X and + debuffs, the aoes they drop are NOT based on the direction your character is facing. They are instead fixed to the cardinal edges of the arena. Meaning that, once you go to the spot corresponding to your debuff, you can always keep facing the boss without worrying about the aoes coming out in the wrong orientation.
This may seem like unless information since the spots for X and + are semi-static, but I just wanted to bring it up anyway.
I dont get why everyone insists on using Para 1 strats that either grief your tanks or your casters when you can do Argon's cringeless with minimal movement and brainpower.
There are instants of Trinity of Souls where there is a double dodge, my static have had this a few times
I can't believe pf does 2-4 rotate back into Athena for LC. It's objectively worse than them just staying still. Cheers for you mentioning it, maybe pf will eventually come around
Thank for guide again, u rly explain how mechanics works, i appreciate it
One important note for Superchain Theory IIA that a lot of people get wrong: the circle AoE in the middle after the donut actually goes off at the same time as the third Trinity cleave, rather than with the final baits. Because of that, it's extremely important that you get out of middle as quickly as possible after the donut (which is why most people will sprint there), but it also means that M1 and M2 can adjust back towards middle right before the baits go out.
As well, it helps to remember that the Trinity during SCIIA is always bottom to top.
I am kinda disappointed that you're not talking about SC2A Caster uptime there, as per not only it gives uptime to casters, but it is also less movements and overall less thinking than the "normal" way of doing it.
thank u
this looks so hard and how am i even going to remember the 1st mech trinity of souls tho
I've watched like 4 or 5 other guides these past days but I swear yours are the only guides that are well explained. thank you
what is the difference between player and add rel for para2? could you link a toolbox or something?
You rock!!
phase2 when??
Waiting for phase 2
Add relative for para 2 is objectively better in terms of how early you can solve the mech. Player relative depends on people getting to their spots relatively quickly, which can screw over casters if they weren't properly prepositioned middle.
My groups aren't near this fight yet but it will be a life-saver when we got to it. Thank you for your hard work sir!
I wished there was a short video about LC… there's to many annoying versions and sometimes is very confusing when they go slow or fast.
waiting for ph2
paradeigma is prob the most dogshit mech theyve put in this expansion. tanks just get hard fucked with the + sign
Thanks for explaining how the mechanic work so I can work on any strats I see. Superchain Theory 2 explaination was too fast for me though. I couldn't identify where to look for most chains.
Hector! I really appreciate your guides. I would love to see guides for TOP/UWU/TEA some day! Thank you for all of your hard work!
Hector Wiggleson
Question, does Paradeigma 3 always occur in fixed pattern? As in TH always gets the turret and laser debuff and DPS are always tethered?
Thanks Hector, always love your video guides.. Waiting for part two
Something I think should have been mentioned about para 3: the assignment of the tower debuff element is random and will not always be dark, so dps (and the tower players) need to check their debuffs as well as which tethers are on their platform, ive seen people new to the mechanic assume its always dark towers
during para3, it's important the supports know that you can get ANY of the debuffs; towers, cross, or x can go on either healers or tanks, it's not set to healers getting the cross or x and tanks getting the tower drops.
Damn this game so awesome
Just got my P11S clear today. I've heard P12S in PF is hell. I guess I'll find out soon if it is.
I've noticed that the in-game community is using pastebin as their preferred strategy at the expense of Hector strats. I can't understand why this is as I strongly prefer Hector.
I was gonna give it a try untill I heard thats phase 1 welcome to phase 2
These clock spots stray from what you see in Aether PF and the widely shared pastebin
question: about Superchain Theory 1, during the second donut/colored lazers, is it strictly necessary for the players to be in a line? or can they just stack together as impromptu light parties?
I don't believe it's true that there will be one light tether and one dark tether in the supports and the DPS for Para 2. You can definitely have two dps get light tethers and two supports get dark tethers.
Worst fight in FF history. What a shitshow. But thanks for the guide.