Missions: Ancient Flames Beckon (Snoll Tzar, CoP 5-3U3)

Two weeks ago, we made our first attempt on the Snoll Tzar, and for a variety of reasons, we ended up losing. Let's just say I can't get the phrase "Leeeeroooy Jennnnkinnssss!" out of my head. However, it was a promising failure, and I knew we'd do better next time.



So we farmed up the cluster cores we needed to replace the salts we'd used, and Friday night we headed back to Bearclaw Pinnacle ready to show the big snowball we meant business. We made the quick side trip to get our Shu'Meyo Salts, and made it safely past the scary monsters on the way to the BC.

For this level 60 cap fight, we had this line-up:

Wendell WHM/SMN
Elboron BRD/WHM
Grymalkyn THF/RNG
Itera MNK/SAM
Splinte WAR/SAM
Tsakiki PLD/WAR

All six of us had an Icarus Wing, and Wendell was wielding an Arcana Breaker, which has an additional effect of Defense Down on Arcana (and the snoll is arcana). We had Carbonara for its +HP and +Attack and Store. We entered the battlefield, and the two /SAMs started meditating to build TP. We planned to let them get a full 300% TP, and then we'd have Itera start boosting, and then we'd get our final buffs (souled voiced double minuet from Elboron, Haste for Itera and Splinte from Wendell). Just as they reached the end of their meditating and we all ate our food and used our Icarus Wings, Itera disconnected.

Fortunately, he got back quickly (antivirus issues), but he had lost all of his TP we'd waited for him to build up. We only had about 12 minutes left, so we decided he could meditate to 100% tp, and then we'd go for it. He got his TP, we moved closer to the arena, with Itera boosting. On his 6th boost, Elboron and Wendell did their things, and we all ran in together, and unleashed our fury onto the Snoll Tzar.

It was over so fast my head was spinning. From my point of view, I got behind the Snoll as Itera got hate at first (the plan had been for him to use a fully boosted Chi Blast, but that didn't work for some reason), Grym used SATA+Dancing Edge on me, I used my TP on a Vorpal Blade and watched for the messages from Wendell's Salt. I think I cast a Cure on Elboron and started using my salt (a few seconds late, I actually saw the "shakes the salt off" message from Wendell's), and before my salt got used, the fight was over.

I think both Splinte and Itera were able to get in 3 weaponskills betweeen their initial meditate, an Icarus Wing, and another meditate with their natural TP gain, and they did massive amounts of damage. They also used their two hours: Mighty Strikes and Hundred Fists. Wendell opened with Dia II, did a weaponskill (getting the defense down effect from the club), and used his salt. Elboron ran in with soul voice still active and enfeebled the snoll, then used his wing and got in a decent fast blade to help with the damage. Grym also landed an Acid Bolt for more defense down, but the fight was too short for her to get in a second SATA, even having had preloaded it before the fight.

It was so nice to see it dead so fast, and with a melee-only party. The Snoll Tzar nearly got a few of us after we left the battlefield though. We'd been hit with Cold Wave, an AOE Frost with a nasty -31HP/tick. Fortunately we still had plenty of MP and kept everyone alive. Wendell got rid of the effect with a Divine Seal-Erase, and we headed off to Bastok to talk to Cid. Some of us still need to sneak into the Level 60 capped Pso'Xja Tower for a cutscene, and we'll finally be done with this seemingly never-ending Mission 5-3.

Now I can start stressing out over the Omega/Ultima fight.

New titles: True Companion of Louverance, Ulmia's Soulmate