Overview
The switch taunts you. You cannot resist. A satisfying "click" and your moment of weakness has activated a new phase of the Savage Initiative. This time, however, something is different. The broadcast is interrupted by an unexpected transmission─a message from beyond oblivion. A familiar voice guides you in an unfamiliar tone, and arms you with knowledge of impossible simulations. Your evolution is at hand.
Strategy Notes
- Just like normal mode, players will find themselves in a square-shaped arena. It is possible to fall over the edge during battles, though victims can be raised after a moderate delay if they perish in this manner. There are two Elemental Phases that will change depending on which ability Chaos uses after the opening tankbuster, giving the fight a small element of RNG, but nothing overly complex.
- If Chaos opens the fight with Damning Edict, the first elemental phase will involve Inferno followed by Cyclone. If Chaos uses Longitudinal & Latitudinal Implosion, then the first elemental phase will involve Tsunami and Earthquake. All players should keep an eye on whether Chaos uses Damning Edict or Longitudinal & Latitudinal Implosion at the beginning of the fight as that will allow the group to predict the flow of battle.
- The fight is split into four notable segments: |
- Another notable difference between normal and savage difficulty is the inclusion of four new debuffs for Cyclone and Earthquake.
- When Chaos is casting Latitudinal Implosion, players must first avoid 90-degree cones that fire from both sides of the boss, then a follow-up blast from the front and rear.
- When Chaos is casting Longitudinal Implosion, the reverse applies. Players must first avoid 90-degree cones that fire from the front and rear of the boss, then a follow-up blast from its sides.
Boss Encounters
Chaos
- First Phase: Two elemental attacks - determined by which opening ability he used first (see above).
- Second Phase: Chaos Orb.
- Third Phase: Two elemental attacks - whichever didn't happen the first time (see above).
- Final Phase: Enrage.
- Latitudinal Implosion and Longitudinal Implosion - Chaos prepares to unleash an AoE attack across the platform in two directions (either from the sides or from the front and rear), shortly followed by additional blasts in the two remaining directions. Unlike normal mode, both versions will have no telegraph and will also apply Magic Vulnerability Up to anyone hit, making repeated failures fatal. Remember: If Chaos opens with Latitudinal Implosion or Longitudinal Implosion, the first elemental phase will involve Tsunami and Earthquake
- Damning Edict - causes Chaos to prepare a massive 180-degree frontal attack. Unlike normal mode, Damning Edict has no telegraph whatsoever. Whenever you notice Damning Edict being cast, all players should move behind Chaos as soon as possible. Remember: If Chaos opens with this move, the first elemental phase will involve Inferno and Cyclone.
- Chaotic Dispersion - a vicious tankbuster, depicted by Chaos pulling back his arm and unleashing a vicious swipe against his main target. Be sure to utilize mitigation CDs if necessary. In savage mode, Chaotic Dispersion will inflict Physical Vulnerability Up, which requires a tank-swap.
- Umbra Smash - creates a proximity marker within the arena - the furthest point from where Chaos is currently positioned. After a brief delay, Chaos will the leap to the marked area and deal damage to the entire raid based on how close players were to the point of impact. Umbra Smash can be seen during Tsunami and Cyclone phases and is generally followed by Damning Edict, forcing the entire raid to run behind Chaos as soon as possible.
- Fiendish Orbs - creates two orbs within the arena during Cyclone and Tsunami phases that will tether to a player each. After a delay, both orbs will inflict damage to the tethered players. During Fiendish Orbs, the tether can be passed to (or picked up by) a different player by intercepting the tether line. As a result, the tank and off-tank should grab these tethers whenever possible and mitigate the damage.
- Dancing Orbs - creates four orbs at intercardinal positions of the safe area during the Inferno and Earthquake phases which will shoot straight-line AoEs towards random players.
- Knock Down (Generic) - marks four players (specifically tanks and healers) with a stack marker. By stacking with at least one player, Knock Down will deal moderate damage and apply Magic Vulnerability Up. If the stack is taken alone, it will instead deal very heavy damage and stun the player. Bear in mind that the location(s) where Knock Down has concluded will be the target location for Big Bang follow-ups (see below).
- Knock Down (Tsunami and Cyclone) - targets two players (healers specifically) with a proximity marker. The attack deals more damage the closer you are to the player with the marker. Just like the other version, the location(s) where Knock Down has concluded will be the target location for Big Bang follow-ups (see below).
- Big Bang - a broad circle AoE that explodes wherever Knock Down attacks have concluded (with no telegraphs). As such, all players should be mindful of where any Knock Down mechanics were handled and avoid those areas until Big Bang has detonated. If any player is hit by a Big Bang blast, they will suffer major damage and be knocked up into the air. Also, the Tsunami and Cyclone versions of Big Bang are much larger than the Inferno and Earthquake variants.
- Inferno - inflicts unavoidable raidwide damage and blasts the arena with fire damage, spawning a single safe spot in the center of the arena in the shape of a circle. All players must remain within the safe area for the duration of Inferno to avoid Burns and sustained damage. All players will be afflicted by Entropy any time Inferno has been cast.
- Entropy - applies a debuff to all players that will explode on expiration, dealing moderate damage and knocking back anyone near the exploding player. Entropy on the tanks and healers will have a 10-second duration, whereas all DPS will have a 24-second duration. As a result, all tanks and healers should stand to the north, south, east, and west of the boss (at the very edges of the safe zone) seeing as their debuffs will expire first, allowing the DPS to huddle within the bosses hitbox. This allows Entropy to detonate on the tanks and healers without colliding with other players. Later on, all DPS will need to do the same once their debuffs are near expiration, giving the already exploded tanks and healers the ability to huddle within the boss.
- Chaotic Dispersion - a vicious tankbuster (see General Mechanics above for an explanation). At this point, it won't be long before Entropy on the damage dealers explodes, so make sure everyone has moved to their assigned positions to avoid overlap.
- Inferno - another blast of unavoidable raidwide damage that will re-cast a new wave of Entropy debuffs to all party members (with the same duration as before). Once again, all tanks and healers should position to the North, South, East and West edges whilst the damage dealers huddle in the center.
- Dancing Orbs - creates four orbs at intercardinal positions of the safe area during the Inferno and Earthquake phases which will shoot straight-line AoEs towards random players.
- Inferno - raidwide damage that applies Entropy.
- Tanks & healers (Entropy) explodes.
Trivia
- "Inferno" used to be named "Blaze" until Patch 5.4.
Duty Information
- Duty Finder: Savage Raids (Stormblood)
- Time Limit: 90 minutes
- Tomestones: 30 poetics
Music
- Main: Battle