Observations and Strategies for Durinn Fights (for next Tuesday)

Thought I'd post my experience hosting this same sequence of NM runs, and reading far too many BG testimonials.

We'll have to fight two lower tier NMs - Div-e Sepid, an Imp, and Dvalinn, a Dvergr, before we fight the head honcho: Durinn. The atma it drops is the Atma of the Minikin Monstrosity: INT+50, Refresh+10 mp/tick, and Enmity-20; in other words, mage heaven.

So here's some info, ya.


Div-e Sepid
- Imp
- Free-roaming free-spawning Imp at the Clammy Imps at D-11. It will spawn on the right side of the imp cluster; unfortunately, the closest conflux (7) is on the left side. It's far less painful and grating to everyone if you just avoid any chance of aggro, take conflux 6, and run northwest, where there isn't any True aggro.
- Party sits up at the ledge near the martello to the east, and waits for pull. Puller will pull and run to the base of the ledge, tank will voke, and puller will CAREFULLY make his/her way to the upper ledge, not getting any more Imp adds.
- He has near constant Double Attack, and occasionally absorbs buffs on hit.
- He uses Stifling Tantara and Grating Tantara, which give amnesia and silence (respectively) like their lesser counterparts, but these strip shadows and deal 300~600 damage as well.
- In addition, he'll use Bugle Call (or something to that effect), which gives him a very potent Bio aura for 2-3 minutes. This has the capacity to kill anyone who stays in melee range for its duration, even with HP cruor buffs.. If your HP gets low and nobody is available to cure you, just back off for a bit.
- On the bright side, this guy hardly has any HP. For strategy, I'd suggest a PLD tank with multiple mages ready to rebuff/silena/cure, multiple forms of Dispel (or one attentive Red Mage), and as much ranged/magic damage as possible. Saboteur Slow II, Saboteur Para II, and he'll drop fast.


Dvalinn
- Dvergr
- Popped spawn with Dented Skull (~3k on the AH, drops often from the Shewriwhiles at his spawn area) just north of conflux 7. Very easy access.
- Puller can trade the item and just run south off of the ledge. The tank will voke, and fight at the martello. Mages stay south of the martello. Very easy pull, not at all risky.
- Dvalinn will almost constantly be casting, or charging a TP ability. He doesn't physically attack often.
- He takes more physical damage than normal (my shittily clad BLU was landing 600+ Benthic Typhoons on him with no food/TP/buffs/etc), and he takes abnormally high damage from avatars (Garuda's Predator Claws were absolutely destroying him), however he takes 1/4 magic damage.
- DD's need to be VERY observant of his actions. When Dvalinn is readying a TP move, using a TP move, and for about 2 seconds after a TP move, he will absorb physical damage. When Dvalinn is casting a spell, and about 2 seconds after, he will absorb magical damage. When he absorbs magic damage, he will not absorb the 1/4 damage the spell would have done - he absorbs the full damage of the spell. For this reason, mages should stick to T3 and lower spells. Keep in mind that /healing will immediately stop your casting.
- Practically all his spells are -aga, and they aren't that bad in themselves, but he also likes to spam Cackle, which gives AoE Magic Defense down (among other effects), effectively doubling the damage you take from his nukes, which if timed poorly will let him wipe all the melees in range with a single -aga. Erase this, or just run from whoever has hate when you see it start casting. Because practically everything Dvalinn does is AoE, /NIN is practically useless here.
- Stun is semi-effective against him: sometimes it landed, sometimes it didn't. He resisted Head Butt's Stun every time. And he casts so often that you would need a 5-6 man rotation of Stuns.
- For a strategy, a PLD tank with -MDT% gear that can be macro'd for oshit spellcasting is basically required. Damage should be as ranged as possible. Addle works wonders against this guy, and would allow a White Mage in the frontlines to whip up a bar-spell accordant to the element of the -aga being cast. Saboteur Addle, Saboteur Slow II, Saboteur Paralyze II, and Elegy and this guy drops mighty fast - as long as people are paying attention and not healing him for thousands of HP with top-tier spells and WS's!


Kadraeth the Hatespawn is a Soulflayer, but is completely optional because his key item (Pulsating Soulflayer Beard) can be obtained from gold chests in the area, and I believe Kosc has it already (?). But if not, well, I don't know anything about this guy. Regardless, we shouldn't have to fight him.

That brings us to the head honcho...


Durinn
- Dvergr
- Popped just outside of Conflux 7. No other monsters to worry about.
- The bad news: He can cast AoE AM, along with tier IV -aga spells, as well as Silencega and Paralyzga. He often uses Hellsnap (AoE stun) as a precursor to AoE AM, and at 25% HP and below gains access to Thundris Shriek, ~800 AoE Thunder damage and Terrorize. At 20% HP and under, he gains a very potent Intimidation effect. The good news: He doesn't absorb damage like his underling Dvalinn, and has notably less HP than him. The general consensus is that Durinn is actually easier than Dvalinn. But I haven't actually fought Durinn to confirm this.
- Melees should build TP beforehand to start off with elemental WS's - THESE ARE OUR MAIN PRIORITY. We do not kill Durinn until we stagger him with a red !!. His drops are nice, that's for sure, but they are worth nothing compared to getting his Atma - the main reason we fight him anyway. Also, make sure that the person who popped Durinn is alive when he dies. If the popper is dead when Durinn dies, the alliance may not receive Atma. Which would be terribly troubling.
- Dvalinn's strategy should work, except 1.) DD's don't have to watch what Durinn's charging all the time, and 2.) Durinn primarily uses Thunder element spells and Thundris Shriek. Barthundra and Shell V and you're shet. Ranged and pet damage is particularly good against Durinn towards the end of the fight, because of his Intimidation effect.



In short:
1.) We're dealing with mages and things that do magic damage.
2.) These NMs absolutely love AoE in all forms, both magic and TP abilities. As a result, /NIN for melees is nigh useless.
3.) All of these guys have the capacity to change the entire outcome of a fight with a single spell or ability.
Those being said, the best thing that you can do to help things go smoothly is to have a -MDT% equipment set macro'd that you can fire whenever you see an -aga charging, or what have you. The white mages will love you, you'll stay alive, and thus the monster will die faster.
4.) Saboteur Slow II, Saboteur Paralyze II, and Elegy all at once make these fights at least three times easier. 120% Slow, and when it does get around to attacking, it can barely move a muscle more than half the time. It's ridiculous in action, seriously.





So yeah. That's my two cents (more like seven dollars). Can't wait to see this guy pummeled - and get the atma to prove it!