FFXIV Imdugud Strategy Guide

FFXIV Imdugud Strategy Guide by Renori

General

The rings on the room blink red then eventually electrify, dealing ~1100 periodically to those standing in it. This is the soft enrage mechanic for the fight.

Throughout the fight Imdugud gains Electric Charges, a stacking buff which empowers Electric Burst, an unavoidable room wide AOE at the end of each add phase. Imdugud gains stacks when mechanics are not performed correctly (not shielding Prey, standing in void zones).

Phase 1 – 100%-85%

Abilities
Crackle Hiss – Frontal cone AOE approximately 120 degrees, no cast time.

Spike Flail – Rear cone AOE with a cast time. (May be triggered like Caduceus’ rear conal).

Critical Rip – Big hit with a windup, similar to Ravensbeak (~5k with rampart up).

Prey – Targets party member with a timed debuff. The member must be shielded before the 7s duration is up (Adlo or Stoneskin, Succor is insufficient) or they will gain the Erratic Blaster debuff.

Erratic Blaster – Debuff gained when the Prey debuff is not shielded. Timed debuff that explodes for high damage (will likely one-shot a DPS if not shielded) and paralyzes after a set duration. It is like T9 thunder, except it also damages the targeted player.

Wild Charge – Boss targets a random party member to charge at. The targeted party member is stunned in place and will be hit for massive damage (one shot) unless party members line up to split the damage. Between the members who split the charge damage, the player in front will take the most damage.

The targeted party member has approximately 5 seconds before they are stunned in place and Imdugud begins the Wild Charge cast (3 seconds). Three party members must be in the path between the boss and the targeted player to block the damage. The boss will leave a pool of electricity which deals periodic damage after it leaps.

Note: Imdugud will immediately perform its frontal cone attack after the charge. The main tank must orient themselves to ensure the remainder of the party is not hit by it.

Phase 1 Ability Rotation
Crackle Hiss
Spike Flail
Critical Rip
Crackle Hiss
Wild Charge
Crackle Hiss
Prey
Spike Flail
Crackle Hiss
Critical Rip
Electrocharge at 85%

Phase 2 – “The Add Phase”

Abilities
Electric Burst – Unavoidable roomwide AOE which is empowered by Electric Charge stacks.

Notes
At 85% Imdugud begins channeling Electrocharge (3 seconds) and go immune. Four adds (2 sons, 2 daughters) will spawn on the East and West edges of the innermost circle. These adds must be tanked separately (2 sons or 2 daughters cannot be tanked by the same person) or they will gain a large determination buff.

The Sons share the Crackle Hiss and Spike Flail abilities with Imdugud. The daughters share the boss’s prey ability (2 targets will be selected). In order to create a safe zone for the raid, the adds should be tanked such that their bodies are tangent to the inner circle. When the Son is killed, an electric void zone is dropped on the ground.

After the adds die, Imdugud is no longer invulnerable and stays in place for 20 seconds before casting Electric Burst. Electric Burst hits for approximately 3500 damage at 12 stacks. Use this opportunity to burn the boss heavily and prepare for damage of Electric Burst.

Phase 3 – “Kinda like phase 1”

Abilities
Heat Lightning – Three party members are randomly targeted to receive damage and a vulnerability up debuff. There is no indicator. The damage is a small-radius AOE, so the raid must be spread to avoid damaging others. Similar to Meteor Stream from T9. The off tank CAN be targeted by this ability.

Notes
During this phase, Heat Lightning will go out on 3 random party members without any indication. Heat Lightning will go out twice per charge, with the second Heat Lightning debuff coinciding with the Wild Charge. The key point here is that those who have the vulnerability debuff cannot stack with the group to block the charge.

Phase 3 Ability Rotation
Heat Lightning
Spike Flail
Prey
Crackle Hiss
Heat Lightning / Wild Charge
Crackle Hiss
Spike Flail
Critical Rip
Crackle Hiss
Heat Lightning
Prey
Spike Flail
Crackle Hiss
Heat Lightning / Wild Charge

Phase 4 – “More Adds”

Notes
Phase 4 begins at 55%. Phase 4 is nearly identical to phase 2, except an additional pair of adds spawns approximately 20 seconds after the transition. The caster should use LB3 here to quickly kill the adds before the additional set spawns (LB3 will bring the adds to 50%). Prey continues (2 targets may be selected) to be cast throughout the duration of phase 4.

The group can either kill both the son and the daughter that are tanked by Tank 1 or one son from Tank 1 and one daughter from Tank 2.

Phase 5 – “The final countdown”

Abilities
Electric Surge – Roomwide AOE that comes periodically and reduces lightning resistance.
Heat Lightning – Same as before
Cyclonic Chaos – A random party member is tethered to the boss, two players must stack with him within a few seconds to spread the damage. Players receive a vulnerability debuff after the explosion.
Prey – Same as P1 and P3.
Critical Rip – Same as P1 and P3.

Notes
The key to this phase is managing vulnerability debuffs and positioning. During the final phase of the fight, the room shrinks down to only the inner circle. There are several ability combinations/sequences to look out for. The rotation does not appear to be fixed.

[1] Heat Lightning -> Cyclonic Chaos. Raid must be spread and those who aren’t debuffed by Heat Lightning need to stack in for Cyclonic Chaos.

[2] Heat Lightning -> Wild Charge. Same as in Phase 3.

[3] Tether -> Wild Charge.

These combinations will alternate between [1] > [2 or 3] > [1] > [2 or 3] – There will not be two charge rotations in a row.