Square Enix Gives Ifrit Strategy at E3

Ok so the first group taking the Ifrit battle challenge in Final Fantasy XIV was shown this morning at E3. The commentators were hinting pretty heavily at what kind of strategic adjustments should be made by the group in order to win the battle.

 The Prep

• You’ll want a Gladiator/Paladin in the party as your main tank. Additionally you can have a Marauder/Warrior as your off-tank. Primarily, the Mar/War will be dumping massive damage while holding back just enough to keep the Gla/Pal on top of the aggro list.
• Secondly, the Conjurer/White Mage(s) (could probably take 2), need to buff the party at the start. Basic party mechanics here. Followed by the Archer/Bard doing the same. Unsure of what buffs the Arc/Bard gets but I’m sure they are useful.

 The Strategy

• Next, the fight mechanics themselves. As you progress in the fight, cracks in the earth will appear under you; you’ll want to get away from those as soon as possible. Jump to a safe new area, and continue working down Ifrit at a steady pace.
• The big thing they let slip at E3 was what happens once Ifrit reaches 50%. A pylon is spawned called a Hellfire Fetter or Feather (I couldn’t understand that part too well). You have to take down this pylon before Ifrit jumps, otherwise he uses Hellfire and it’s game over.

A Few Notes

Now, in the challenge I didn’t see if the pylon spawns multiple times, as the group playing through the event never succeeded in destroying Ifrit’s pesky spawn. It’s safe to assume, however, that you’ll need communication in the fight so have a Ventrillo, Skype, Teamspeak, or Mumble chat going if you can. Also, if for whatever reason you wipe, it looks like you can re-enter the battle and try again. So, if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourselves off and try again.