It is advisable to have as much materia melded gear as possible, including some fire resistance materia for extra defense. Having defensive skills like Sentinel also helps even if not tanking, although some of the Jobs introduced in 1.21 lack such abilities.
During the beginning of the fight, Ifrit only uses physical attacks; use this period to apply any DoTs on him, such as the bleed effect from Aero. A Conjurer's Aero can at least partially counteract his regen for a short time, but is best used if unable to raise fallen DDs and not healing the tank. Since his regen can also be reduced by incapacitating his horns, this stage can be used to use the proper weaponskills safely from the front.
Once his HP hits 75%, he will start using up skills every 15 seconds. It is advisable to refresh all party buffs and debuffs on Ifrit before he reaches this point.
Incinerate is a fire breath attack used on whoever is incurring the higher enmity; this should always hit only the tank. Vulcan buster hits everyone around him and knocks the targets back. The tank should avoid this effect by always being near the corner. Ranged DDs can stand outside the burst, while healers can keep Stoneskin on themselves to eliminate the knockback. Radiant Plume creates lava zones all over the zone, and can be avoided by running towards Ifrit while he's casting, since it will not appear closer to him. These lava zones are arranged in relation to his body, so as long as he holds still, a player can position his or herself so that they never get hit by them. Eruption works similarly, but creates a lava circle directly below one of the party members, and can be avoided by running outside it before the explosion. This is by far his most dangerous attack, and should be watched for at all times. Zooming the camera out makes this easier.
When casting both Eruption and Radiant Plume, Ifrit makes a different pose that hints towards which move is gonna be used.
His last attack during this phase is the Crimson Cyclone, where he jumps out of the screen and lands on one of the corners of the area, rushing towards the other and hitting everyone caught by his flames. The whole party should gather near one of the "safe spots". These safe spots are roughly the space between each cardinal position (IE, positioning between the NW and N most areas of the battlefield is safe). It is advisable to refresh buffs and heal the party while Ifrit is jumping, as it's safe from damage and generates no enmity.
When Ifrit reaches 50% HP, he will start casting up Eruption three times in a row, and jump / rush three times with each Crimson Cyclone. He will cast Sear, which is a damage pulse that hits everyone around him every 10 seconds. Lancers can keep attacking him without being hit if they are on the maximum spear range.
His behavior changes once again at 30% HP, where he will summon four Infernal Nails. It is imperative to destroy at the very least one Nail (they have roughly 2.000 HP), as they empower his signature move, Hellfire, always used 60 seconds after the nails are summoned. Hellfire will instantly kill the party (dealing 9.999 damage) if the four nails are on the battlefield when it is used. It is possible to destroy all four nails before Hellfire with a team of Black Mages or Thaumaturges, but recommended to destroy at least two and save the remaining time for pre-Hellfire preparations.
After casting Hellfire, the last phase of the battle begins; Ifrit will now start using abilities every 5 seconds. A few of his moves change once again
- Sear now pulses every 5 seconds
- Eruption is used on two party members at the same time
- Ifrit divides into three when using Crimson Cyclone
- Radiant Plume hits the entire battlefield except the area already affected by Sear.
During this stage, survival is the main focus. Always prioritize healing over damaging, and slowly whittle away his life. At this time, if one Conjurer or White Mage has a spare moment, Stone and Aero can help immensely; Stone for the Magic Evasion Down effect, and Aero for the bleed effect. The safest way is to use a single attack before every enemy move, making it easier to react to his abilities.
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Katsume Kotomi replied
702 weeks ago