Patch 5.25 introduced the beginning of the Shadowbringers Relic Weapons storyline. Along with that is a new trial version, of course there is also an Extreme version. The normal version of Memoria Misera is unique in that it is done not through the Duty Finder but with NPC allies. However, for extreme combat, you’ll obviously need to team up with other players as you normally would.
It didn’t take long to get rid of the previous extreme challenges and they were really high-end quests. However, Party Finder players turned their attention away from Cinder Drift Extreme to try to learn this new way of fighting. There are several video tutorials, written guides, infographics, and macros with different strategies.
I’m still running PUG in Party Finder, so I’ll focus on the tutorials and strategies that best suit what you’re likely to see when starting to learn how to fight. I’ll keep an eye out for more resources in the future to better explain the mechanics to newbies.
The rewards from this Extreme Trial are limited to the Triple Triad card, as well as the vault and tokens for the “idealized” i480 work suit. These models are the same as the i430 work set you get for free at level 80, except the idealizer can be dyed. If you are curious to know what they look like and how they are colored, Bad Wolfy’s video might be helpful for you.
This is the first time that the dyeable “Artifact” set is locked behind Ultimate level content, so if you’re getting sucked into the Team Finder for the first time, check out this guide on how to prepare for late game raid.
most common mistake
There are a few mechanics I’ve seen in this Limited Test that always catch people off guard, especially when they’re still continuing the fight. Here are the most common ways to trick new players:
Gunshield – This is a delayed actor. A lot of people take their eyes off the charging bar and end up unprepared for the upcoming Gun Shield attack, be it a return hit (charged), an AoE spread (loaded) or a Direct Grid Blocker (gained) strengthening). When the charging bar turns red (80-100), get ready to hit back, run to your scatter or notice where he puts his shield.
Fortius – Don’t be fooled by the spinning arrows on the boss. You don’t spin immediately after taking your first shot and dropping your puddle. Attacks are turn-based, so since you’ve just been hit your position is safe. Step out of the puddle, ready to move when the puddle returns.
Fast visual resources
The awesome U/Quelfabulous created these images for their raid group to share with others who want to learn how to fight. This is their original tumblr post. If you’re looking at the image of Ignis and Ventus, keep in mind that there is also an X-direction AoE line in front of the boss.
Tutorial Memoria Misera (Extreme) @quelfabulous
video tutorials
Combat is still new, and high-quality video tutorials can take a lot of effort from the creators to roll out. As more content is released, I will adjust or trim this list from time to time to highlight the best.
MTQCapture – Tutorial with mechanical text overlay. (12:30) (Series 2) (Series 3)
Mizzteq’s familiar style includes quick combat maneuvers, along with helpful text overlays with all the attack names and hints for key points. These are great for pausing videos for the most important information. She uses tank and healer PoV segments, but all the characters have almost the same combat experience.
Strategies Used – The Fortius section of Phase 3 demonstrates the use of arbitrage statistics for clock positions. This is common in Party Finder.
I’m glad she wasn’t in a rush to release the video in a day because her video clearly addresses all the dangers I’ve seen people face in Party Finder and has excellent clips showing off clearly each mechanic.
Mrhappy1227 – Settings, strategies and explanations with some text overlays. (14:47) (Stage 2) (Stage 3)
Mrhappy posted a one day tutorial with great clips and brief explanations. It was a pleasant surprise compared to some of his longer tutorial and discussion videos the other day. He even shows off all the mechanics you might not see yourself, as the DPS checksum for combat isn’t bad.
Strategies Used — For Phase Three’s Fortius attack, he actually mentioned two strategies. His team first used the cone as bait on one side of the map, then used the other side as an easy safe, regardless of the cone’s rotation. I heard it’s called “fan strategy” and it’s not very common in Party Finder. As he predicted, a second “spreading strategy” for clock positions is common.
My only annoyance with this video is that he specifically suggested specifying key locations for ranged DPS and healers, which is the complete opposite of what everyone does by default and he don’t say why. Of the dozen or so parties I’ve been to, I’ve only seen Cardinal use tanks and melee DPS.
Ilya Dalamiq – In-depth explanations and visual cues from single battle footage. (21:04) (Stage 2) (Stage 3)
Although this is a long video, it contains a lot of in-depth information and tips for each mechanic, especially around location, timing, and visual cues. There’s minimal editing and no text overlays, but Ilya points out that parts of the screen and HUD are available to help time upcoming attacks.
I mean, his third stage wasn’t very helpful. He didn’t show a full understanding of Fortius’s mechanics, and his team omitted the last one or two so they wouldn’t appear in the video.
This guide is useful if you are still struggling with the first two stages and need a thorough explanation to get you through the sections.
text instructions
Text Instructions for u/OrderlyAnarchist
This is the best written guide out there. It has great instructions for each mechanic, and is easy to read and find the part or attack you’re looking for. It mentions some previous battles, such as Ruby Weapon Extreme and Susano Extreme, but even without prior experience, you should be able to understand the tactics mentioned.
Pay special attention to the diagrams provided in Phase III. The written explanation of the Fortius attack is correct, but the pictures add a lot of value and should help clear up any confusion.
There aren’t many written tutorials yet (I’ve only found two), but I’ll keep an eye out for others that bring in fresh content.
macro
I’ve looked at some of the macros posted on reddit, but I find them very confusing. I’ve created a simple, clean macro that you can use to mirror the most common locations I’ve seen in Party Finder. At least on the EU Light Data Center. You can find macros here. Here’s what it looks like in chat:
If you like macros with various Est or Gunshield attack warnings, many also include those warnings, and u/DibellaSolidor and u/SynthaneFTW both make pretty obvious macros that you might like.
It is worth noting that many groups have adopted the free attack of Magitech Spark. Adjusting on the go is fairly easy as there is plenty of time and space to adjust to a good position.
So how many times do you think you’ll throw yourself into this battle? I know a lot of people who love to collect Relic sets, which means running around a lot. Which team do you choose first and how do you find the difficulty of the battle? Let me know what helped you get relief.