Epic of Alexander (Ultimate)

Overview

The clockwork fortress that manifested itself in the far reaches of snow-swept Dravania did bear an uncanny resemblance to the great steel giant sung of in the legends of the Hotgo, an Auri tribe hailing from far across the sea. Inspired by this tragic tale of a mechanical god who placed his trust in a single mortal soul, the wandering minstrel spreads the proverbial wings of imagination and takes flight, weaving an impassioned ballad of hope and despair profound.

Strategy Notes

• To start, pull the boss to the middle and face to the north. The boss will use Fluid Swing and follow with Cascade, spawning the three Liquid Rages Note where these spawn and mitigate the attacks with cooldowns. It is recommended that players top up HP here. The boss will then split its HP and summon the Liquid Hand here. Keeping the boss close to the Hand is a good idea so they can both be AoE'd and damage can be managed easier on both. Keeping them close together will bait Hand of Parting later.
• Have the off tank pick up the Hand and separate them once the Hand of attack comes out. Players will need to then position for the Protean Waves. The ranged and healers should bait these so they fire out of the arena. Following this, the Jagd Dolls will spawn. They will spawn in relation to where the Liquid Rages are, so the DPS players who are picking up the Dolls should be sure which one they are picking up. The boss will use Hand of Pain here, so be sure to have the boss and the Hand at roughly the same HP, with no more than a 4% variance. At this time, the Rages will spawn Embolus, which will start to move towards where the Hand and the boss were at the time of spawning. The tanks need to move the boss and the Hand away to make sure they don't touch the orbs. Just before that, the boss and the Hand will use Fluid Strike/Swing, which need to be mitigated. After this the tanks can move the boss and the Hand.
• Players can then feed their Jagd Dolls to either the boss or the Hand once their HP is at 25% or lower. Generally, players should figure out an order to feed their Dolls so they don't feed too many at one time and wipe the raid with the resulting Reducible Complexity. It is recommended that the melee players feed their Dolls first so the healers can come in and top players off before the next group of Dolls are fed to the bosses.
• Players should face the boss north. This sets players up for the next set of Protean Waves, as well as the following Drainage. The first set of Waves will be visible and telegraphed, but the following sets will not be telegraphed. To begin, everyone can bait the first four Waves together, then the ranged players move out to the edge of the inner circle to bait Sluice while the melee players move in close to bait the next set of Waves. The ranged players will then move in to the boss's hitbox to be the closest players to the boss to bait the second set of Waves, while melee players will move to max range to maximize uptime on the boss.
• While taking these waves, do not stand in front of the boss as it fires a Protean Wave in front of it that can't be baited. The boss will then use Splash and Drainage, so tanks should be ready to grab tethers while the rest of the party moves away from them to avoid the AoE from the attack. Tanks should be sure to mitigate this attack and healers should be ready to top everyone's HP off. The boss will follow up with another Cascade, dealing more heavy damage to the raid, so mitigate this as well.
• Keeping the boss faced to the north, The Liquid Rages will use Throttle, so healers need to be ready to Esuna these away before the debuff finishes its duration. Then, another set of Protean Waves to bait. This time coming from all Rages, the Hand, and the boss itself.

Boss Encounters

Phase 1: Living Liquid

• Fluid Strike/Swing: Hard-hitting tankbuster cleave that comes from the Living Liquid or Liquid Hand and debuffs with Water Resistance Down, meaning tanks cannot take Protean Wave without an invulnerability cooldown.
• Cascade: Hard-hitting raid-wide damage that will spawn three Liquid Rages around the arena at random cardinals/intercardinal with one empty cardinal/intercardinal. (They will all spawn on cardinals or all on intercardinals.) The Liquid Rage tornados will each spawn on a large puddle that will inflict Dropsy to any player who steps in it, which will kill them. This damage-over-time effect can be neutralized with tank invulnerabilities and will dissipate when the player leaves the puddle.
• Liquid Hand: The boss will split its current HP and summon this add. While it does not need to be defeated, players must pay attention to its HP in order to handle a mechanic later.
• Hand of Prayer/Parting: Based on where the hand and the boss are, the hand will glow and either form a fist or be an open palm. If the boss is far from the hand, it will be an open palm. If the hand forms a fist, the boss and the hand need to be separated. If the hand is an open palm, the boss and the hand must be brought together. Failing this mechanic will wipe the raid.
• Hand of Pain: This acts as a check that happens periodically. If the boss and the hand's HP are more than 4% different by the end of the cast, the party wipes instantly. Players must keep both the boss and the Hand in check during the entire phase.
• Protean Wave: Conal AoEs that fire from the boss and the Liquid Rages. The Liquid Rages will each use a telegraphed AoE aimed at the nearest player that must be avoided, followed by an untelegraphed AoE that will hit the nearest player. The boss will use telegraphed AoEs aimed at all players that must be avoided, followed by two sets of untelegraphed AoEs that will each hit the four nearest players. When the boss fires waves, it will also fire one directly out in front of where it's facing that isn't telegraphed, so players need to avoid standing directly in front of the boss. Telegraphed Protean Waves will knock any player back and kill them if they are hit. Untelegraphed Protean Waves aimed to the nearest players will inflict Water Resistance Down, which will make another Protean Wave hit lethal until the debuff expires.
• Jagd Dolls: Four Jagd Doll adds will spawn in the middle of the arena slightly off the cardinals. These will tether to the first person who damages them and will pulse a medium-sized circular AoE (Exhaust) occasionally, debuffing with a stacking Luminous Aetheroplasm. Once their HP have been reduced to 25% or less, they must be brought within either the boss's or the Hand's hitbox, causing whoever the add is fed to to cast Reducible Complexity, dealing moderate raid-wide damage. If the adds are killed or fed with too much health, Reducible Complexity will wipe the raid. If players get 2 or more stacks of Luminous Aetheroplasm, they will die.
• Pressurize/Embolus: Orbs will spawn at two of the Rages and move towards both the boss and Hand were at the time they spawned. If they touch a boss or a player they will explode (Outburst) and wipe the raid.
• Sluice: The boss will spawn these telegraphed circular AoEs under the four players that are the furthest away from it.
• Splash: A non-telegraphed attack that blasts the raid with moderate unavoidable damage six times in a row. Mitigate and heal through.
• Drainage: Two random Rages will send out tethers. Tanks need to pick these up and use cooldowns to mitigate the damage that comes out from them.
• Throttle: 6 random players will be debuffed with Throttle, which needs to be dispelled with Esuna or The Warden's Paean, otherwise the players will die at the resolution of the debuff.

Intermission: Limit Cut

• Detailed mechanics not available from the source page.

Phase 2: Brute Justice & Cruise Chaser

• J Kick: Massive raid-wide damage immediately following Limit Cut.
• Whirlwind: Moderate raid-wide damage cast by Cruise Chaser.
• Judgment Nisi: Cast by Brute Justice. This inflicts four Final Decree Nisi debuffs, ( α, β, γ, and δ) on either the tanks and healers or the four DPS. These debuffs will inflict minor damage-over-time and will fall off when the timer expires. Contacting another player will cause them to acquire the same color debuff. Players need to pass these debuffs back and forth and satisfy the Verdict condition once the boss finishes its cast of Gavel. If two players with different Nisi colors touch, both players will instantly die (Final Sentence).
• Link-Up: A healer is debuffed with Compressed Water, and a DPS is debuffed with Compressed Lightning. These debuffs last 30 seconds and explode at their resolution.
• The mechanics of these debuffs are similar to how they worked in the original Alexander fight. Compressed Water should be split among at least three players when it resolves and explodes in a large AoE (Crashing Wave) that deals split damage. This debuff will then pass to a random player. The originally debuffed player will receive a Water Resistance Down II debuff, meaning they cannot be in the next stack, or they will die. Additionally, when the debuff passes, it will drop a Liquid Rage tornado that will knock back any player too close to it and hit them with Drainage, dealing massive damage. The tornado can be frozen to hide behind to avoid Propeller Wind and destroyed by Flarethrower. If a tornado is up for too long, it will explode (Severe Contamination) and wipe the raid.
• Compressed Lightning is a stack mechanic between two players. If more than two players are stacked, the debuff will inflict full damage to everyone in the stack, likely resulting in deaths. The damage is split in an AoE (Crashing Thunder) when the debuff resolves. Like before, the debuff will pass to the other player and the originally debuffed player will not be able to take the debuff again as they will have Lightning Resistance Down II.
• If a player with one of the debuffs dies or holds both Compressed debuffs at the same time, they will explode and wipe the raid (Punishing Thunder/Punishing Wave).
• Steam Chakrams will also spawn randomly around the arena on opposite sides. The Chakrams will target a random player and fire across the arena at them in an untelegraphed line AoE (Eye of the Chakram), knocking back and killing anyone hit.
• Optical Sight: Cast by Cruise Chaser: An invisible circular AoE (Hawk Blaster) will spawn at each player's location, then resolve shortly after, killing anyone hit. Players need to bait these and wait until just after the cast resolves to move.
• Photon: Reduces the HP of all players to 1. Any cast of this afterwards will only affect tanks.
• Spin Crusher: Frontal conal cleave cast by Cruise Chaser that will knock back and kill anyone hit. Has no AoE indicator.
• Missile Command: Cast by Brute Justice. Earth Missile (telegraphed AoE) is dropped on the two furthest players, dropping a puddle under the targets. The boss will then cast Hidden Minefield on the furthest two players as well, which are telegraphed dark green circular AoEs that must be avoided and will leave behind two invisible Hidden Mines. These will need to be disarmed (run over) by a tank with cooldowns, or they will explode (Hidden Mine Shrapnel) and wipe the party. Mines that are being disarmed will explode in a large AoE, so other players should not get too close. The boss will fire an ice Earth Missile on one of the tanks, and cast Enumeration on two random DPS.
• Enumeration will always require three players to stand in the circle to resolve. If three players aren't in the circle when it resolves, it kills the players that are inside it. Players cannot be inside both circles, or they will die.
• The second Earth Missile that fires will drop an expanding ice puddle. This needs to be used to freeze the tornado to survive Propeller Wind. Anyone who steps in the puddle will be inflicted with Frostbite and die.
• Verdict: Cast by Brute Justice. Will inflict all players with Final Judgment: Penalty III and one of Final Judgment: Decree Nisi α / β / γ / δ. Each type of Final Judgment: Decree Nisi will be assigned to one random DPS and one random support. This debuff will indicate which Final Decree Nisi debuff they have to be inflicted with by the time Gavel finishes casting or the party will wipe.
• Limit Cut: Cruise Chaser becomes invincible and summons a Plasma Shield. The shield can only be damaged from the front. Players need to destroy this before it disappears or the boss will receive a Damage Up buff and wipe the raid with its next attack.
• Flarethrower: Brute Justice casts an untelegraphed wide conal AoE towards the player closest to it. This can destroy the water tornados.
• Propeller Wind: Cruise Chaser damages and inflicts Confused on players unless they break the Line-of-Sight with a frozen water tornado.
• Gavel: Cast by Brute Justice. Checks if all players have the correct Nisi debuffs. All Nisi and Compressed Water/Lightning debuffs will be removed if the check succeeds. Otherwise, the party will instantly wipe.
• Double Rocket Punch: Brute Justice uses a heavy-hitting tankbuster that needs to be split between both tanks.

Phase 3: Alexander Prime

• Chastening Heat: Heavy-hitting tankbuster that debuffs with Magic Vulnerability Up.
• Divine Spear: Three magic-damage cleaves on the main tank. This always comes immediately after Chastening Heat, so a tankswap or an invulnerability skill is required.
• Mega Holy: Massive magic-based raid-wide damage that needs to be heavily mitigated and shielded to survive.
• Players will receive debuffs based on their role:
• One DPS and one tank or healer are tethered and debuffed with House Arrest. These players must be in close proximity to each other when the debuff resolves or they will both die. When the debuff resolves, it will inflict 1 damage or lethal damage if the tether is too long (Plaint of Surety).
• One DPS and one tank or healer are tethered and debuffed with Restraining Order. These players must be far apart from each other when the debuff resolves or they will die. When the debuff resolves, it will inflict 1 damage or lethal damage if the tether is not long enough (Plaint of Surety).
• One DPS and one tank or healer are debuffed with Aggravated Assault. These players cannot take any additional damage or they will both die. When the debuff resolves, it will inflict moderate damage (Plaint of Severity), Magic Vulnerability Up and Physical Vulnerability Up, making additional damage lethal until the debuffs expire.
• One DPS and one tank or healer will not have a debuff.
• Alpha Sword: Cruise Chaser will fire a conal AoE at the three closest players to it. These players are debuffed with Magic Vulnerability Up and Physical Vulnerability Up.
• Flarethrower: A large conal AoE directed at the two closest players to Brute Justice. Players hit are debuffed with a Fire Resistance Down.
• Aetheroplasm: Four players will be tethered to Plasmaspheres, large orbs. These orbs will slowly move towards their player, until they reach the tethered player and explode in an AoE, dealing damage (Burst) and dropping a puddle that inflicts Heavy if a player stands in it. If the orbs collide with a different player, they will deal less damage. If two puddles are dropped and overlap, they will explode (Electromagnetic Burst) and wipe the raid. These orbs must be stretched across the arena, as they slowly shrink in size which will make them deal less damage when someone touches them, making it survivable for the player it is tethered to.
• Judgment Crystal: The four players not tethered to the Plasmaspheres will be marked and will drop Judgment Crystals where they are standing. These crystals will explode if they overlap with each other, are touching Alexander Prime's hitbox or are touched by the True Heart summoned by Shanoa. When they explode, they deal proximity damage (Tetrashatter) to all players.
• True Heart: Shanoa, the cat add, will spawn across from Alexander Prime and summon True Heart, an add that will move towards Alexander Prime. If it touches all four Judgment Crystals, the Heart will turn a golden color and move to Alexander Prime's hitbox after Alexander Prime disappears, buffing players with Enigma Codex, a buff required for the final phase.
• Inception: Alexander Prime will teleport to a random edge of the arena and use Sacrament, wide AoEs that fire from it's cardinals. The True Heart will move towards where Alexander Prime will spawn, allowing players to know where the boss will spawn and move out of the way of its attacks. Players will also receive various debuffs:
• A DPS will be debuffed with Shared Sentence, which will need to be shared with the two tanks. The debuff will resolve as a small AoE (Plaint of Solidarity) that will inflict split damage, Magic Vulnerability Up and Physical Vulnerability Up.
• One DPS and one tank will be debuffed by Restraining Order.
• Two DPS will be debuffed with Aggravated Assault.
• Mechanics will appear from Cruise Chaser and Brute Justice that will also need to be resolved: Flarethrower, Alpha Sword, and Super Jump.
• Link-Up: Two Chakrams will spawn at the cardinals adjacent to Brute Justice when he spawns.
• Missile Command: Two random DPS will be marked for Enumeration.

Phase 4: Perfect Alexander

• Three players will receive Final Word: Contact Prohibition, which is denoted by a yellow icon with an arrow. Upon the timer expiring, this debuff will become Contact Prohibition Ordained. Players with this debuff will move towards players with Contact Regulation Ordained. If these players end up colliding, they will die (Divine Retribution).
• One player will receive Final Word: Contact Regulation, denoted with an orange starburst icon. Upon the timer expiring, this debuff will become Contact Regulation Ordained.
• Three players will receive Final Word: Escape Prohibition and is denoted with a blue and white icon with an arrow. Upon the timer expiring, this debuff will become Escape Prohibition Ordained. These players will move away from the player with Escape Detection Ordained. If they touch that player or move too far away from them, they will die (Divine Retribution).
• One player will receive Final Word: Escape Detection, denoted by a purple icon. Upon the timer expiring, this debuff will become Escape Detection Ordained.
• Note that if anyone with Contact Regulation or Escape Detection dies, all of their "followers" (i.e. players with Contact Prohibition or Escape Prohibition, respectively) will also die (Divine Retribution).
• Ordained Motion: Players must be constantly moving at the time of the cast, or they will die. This is denoted by a white sword marker.
• Ordained Stillness: Players must be perfectly still at the time of the cast, including not auto-attacking. This is denoted by a black sword.
• Optical Sight: Players will either all be marked with Individual Reprobation and need to spread out to avoid AoEs, or Collective Reprobation and two random players will be marked with stack markers and should separate slightly to avoid overlapping. Note that taking the stack solo will cause the marked player to explode (Faithlessness) and wipe the raid.
• Ordained Capital Punishment: A heavy-hitting triple hit magic-based tankbuster that needs to be split with the off tank.
• Ordained Punishment: A heavy magic-based tankbuster that debuffs with Physical Vulnerability Up. Since the boss's auto-attacks are physical, a tankswap is required. This attack always follows Capital Punishment.
• Almighty Judgment: The boss shows the locations of AoEs briefly, which players need to remember and dodge. These AoEs will fire at the start of Irresistible Grace's cast bar.
• Irresistible Grace: A random player is marked for stacking. This should be mitigated, as it deals heavy magic-based damage.
• Fate Projection: Creates clones of all party members and shows what mechanics they will do when Fate Calibration finishes casting. Players will be able to identify their clone by the arrow that points to them. Players will only be able to see their clone if they have the Enigma Codex buff from Phase 3 and are alive at the start of this mechanic.
• Fate Calibration α: A series of mechanics will be shown while the cast bar fills. Ordained Motion/Stillness will be first, based on the sword that appears over the clone, followed by a mechanic based on role type:
• A gear will appear around three clones, denoting Aggravated Assault.
• One clone will have stacking gears appear on it, denoting Shared Sentence.
• One clone will have a circle pulsing from it, denoting Defamation. This player will need to move to the opposite side of the arena from the rest of the party.
• Three clones will receive no debuffs.
• Ordained Motion/Stillness will appear for the third mechanic, denoted again by the color of the sword over the clone’s head.
• The fourth mechanic will spawn three Alexander clones and each will fire a Sacrament with one not firing. This clone indicates a safe zone directly in front of it.

Duty Information

• Duty Finder: Raid Finder (Ultimate Raids)
• Time Limit: 120 minutes
• Tomestones: 100 poetics

Achievements

• When I Ruled the World

Music

• Phase 1: Living Liquid: Locus (The Primals)
• Phase 2: Brute Justice and Cruise Chaser: Metal - Brute Justice Mode (The Primals)
• Temporal Stasis: Stasis Loop
• Phase 3: Alexander Prime: Rise (The Primals)
• Phase 4: Perfect Alexander: Moebius (Orchestral Version)