New Arch Angel Fights

This should be a collection of information on the new Arch Angel NMs.

For strategies, check the other thread - Arch Angels II / Divine Might II Discussion. If there is something else you'd like to know about, post here or PM me. I was going to add the rough damage of each ability, but it's too much of a hassle what with varying difficulties, varying -PDT, -MDT, -DT sets, varying ilvl gear, etc.

So if anyone wants to contribute more info or correct existing info, please do.


Arch Angel HM:
- Uses Mijin Gakure once at low % - high aoe damage
- Uses Brazen Rush - gives him 100% double attack rate
- Casts Utsusemi: Ni and San - multiple shadows
- Uses Circle Blade - aoe physical weaponskill
- Uses CDC below 25% - 3-hit, single target
- Uses Cross Reaver - conal damage + stun
- Uses Mighty Strikes at beginning + randomly during fight
- Can use Mikage if shadows are up - bonus to main weapon attacks based on # of shadows


Arch Angel TT:
- Uses Amon Drive - target-centered AoE + Paralyze + Petrifiy, can be absorbed by shadows - additional effects don't always hit
- Uses Mana Font once - will immediately follow with Sleepga, then Meteor
- Blinks around the circle just like old TT
- Uses Guillotine - single target, 4-hit physical + silence
- Uses Spinning Scythe - aoe physical damage
- Uses Blood Weapon once
- Uses Soul Enslavement multiple times
- Stands still unless under the effect of a DRK SP
- Casts Blaze Spikes, Drain, Aspir, Bio II, poisonga/ga II, tier III-V nukes, -ga III nukes, and ancient magic. (prefers Blaze Spikes if it's not up)


Arch Angel MR:
- Summons one of two types of pets. Either Tiger or Black Mandragora. Tiger is sleepable but builds resistance. Pet is killable but she will summon it back. Always random which pet she summons.
- Pets use standard tp moves (tiger: roar = paralyze, claw cyclone = aoe damage - note this aoe range is larger than havoc spiral.... mandragora: sleepga)
- Uses Rampage - multi-hit physical weaponskill
- Uses Cloudsplitter - Lightning-based weaponskill, can be very high damage
- Uses Charm once under 50%. With or without pet. (Fealty will negate charm)
- Uses Perfect Dodge once
- Can use Larceny (usually uses it on 1-hour abilities that are used close to her)
- Uses Havoc Spiral - target-centered aoe + Sleep + Gravity, can be absorbed by shadows, effects don't always hit.


Arch Angel EV:
- Uses Benediction (usually around 50% but can vary)
- Can use Invincible once
- Uses Shield Strike often - conal stun, low damage
- Uses Dominion Slash - target-centered aoe + silence + possible dispel, absorbed by shadows - additional effects don't always hit
- Uses CDC under 25% - 3hit, single target
- Casts Protect, Shell, Haste, and Aquaveil on herself. All can be dispelled
- Casts Diaga
- Uses Intervene - decreases accuracy/attack on target
- Arrogance Incarnate - aoe, damage divided between players hit (like 1k needles). Reduced with -DT, -Breath DT, Migawari, Scherzo, and Earthen Armor


Arch Angel GK:
- Uses Meikyo Shisui more than once at any time - can skillchain during this time if hate isn't changed
- Uses Call Wyvern - wyvern uses different breaths
- Uses Dragonfall - target-centered aoe + bind, absorbed by shadows
- Uses Tachi: Fudo under 25% - single target, physical (can result in light skillchain)
- Uses Tachi: Gekko - single target, physical damage + silence
- Uses Tachi: Kasha - single target, physical damage + paralyze
- Can use Yaegasumi rarely - allows him to evade special attacks and gets weaponskill damage bonus based on the number of special attacks evaded

I was wondering when someone would make a thread like this! We really need a definitive thread about this new content, it's been too long!

THF evasion has always been worthless against endgame content.

Back at 75 or even during Abyssea it wasn't. Unless you mean it was useless because first THF couldn't hold hate, then healers had infinite mp
making damage mitigation useless.

Even if you did manage to get your evasion anywhere remotely high enough, hell even if you were capped evasion on it with 0 evasion gear, you would have no chance of killing AA EV with the damage of a solo thf... regardless of normal difficulty.

It's not even a matter of survival, it's a matter of timing out. To think that a thf, which already has pitiful damage against targets while solo, can go through the 1.5~1.8x the hp of AAEV (benediction) alongside time wasters like multiple invincibles and stuns from shield strike is just stupid.

It literally doesn't help anyone to say this isn't soloable by a thf.

Actually, no


And no.

You two are talking about the point in the game where gear was getting too overpowered and most of the endgame content were complete jokes. Actually, you were actually not actually evading a great actual deal, actually, when the AAs were first released and I don't even want to hear about abyssea.

To amuse your tangent, dual boxing is soloing in the sense you don't have to worry about heals. You're still attempting to deal damage on your own, and attempt to maintain hate on your own. Both of which you will fail to do horribly as thf, especially against a whm/pld nm of all things that has a tp move that can literally one shot anything less than 2k hp, evasion or not. (spirits within)

To say that it can't be dual boxed is one thing, but to try and do so on probably the worst job imaginable for the part is another.

I reside by my statement that it's useless to say that it can't be killed by a thf, white mage or not. If you don't have any sort of damage mitigation (scherzo) alongside a decent sized health pool, you will not be able to tank the nm, much less deal anywhere near an appropriate amount of damage. To imply otherwise is again, just stupid.

Well, when it comes to THF, I'm pretty serious business about it. I can't let statements like that pass.

I almost had an issue with Wulfshadow's statement about THF not being able to put out enough damage...but even though I still don't like it, he's probably right. <_<

How is it saving anyone time? If anyone put any remote amount of thought into what the nm is capable of and thought it was possible to dual box, they would have to be mentally deficient. Was your thought process "Oh wow, man that bcnm is easy! I wonder if I can do the ark angel fights?! Let's see, which one can I kill dual boxing on my thief...Oh I know, how about the one that restores the entirety of its hp from 1/3rd, has the potential to one shot anyone tanking it with less than a 2k hp pool, and frequently invincibles on top of stunning and silencing in an AoE?! What could possibly go wrong?! Those guys shouting for groups in adoulin are retards! 3 Mil here I come XD rofl lmao!"

And why are you resorting to ad hominem attacks against Ihina? Calling someone petty followed by conceding to their point just makes you look arrogant (alongside ignorant).

I mean it's just a fact. Literally the reason thf does damage is because of SA and TA, both of which becoming unavailable once you dual box unless you want to put your whm mule in the way of aoe stuns and silences (good luck) on top of massive damage (oh jeez). Believe me if it was even remotely practical someone would've found a way to do it, but people get close to timing out sometimes with 6 people; it's just asinine to suggest otherwise.

It's also been stated by SE since the version update that the difficulty level for AA BCs is far different from that of the SKC BCs. Normal AA is rated as level 119, which was the level given for Very Difficult SKC BCs. It's not reasonable to assume that because they are both "normal" mode, they are comparable.

There is a thread with some good info on AA2/DM2 fights here already.

I like soul crushing sarcasm as much as the next guy Wulfshadow, and kudos to the commitment. I can't help but wonder though, why you tried so hard here. This thread is laughable, rest assured no one would come here looking for Ark Angel information when readily available and accurate information regarding the angels exists elsewhere.

Being concerned with Josi spewing ludicrous claims in this instance shouldn't be a concern for you, so I wonder the true nature of your posts. Ah, but it's all amusing nonetheless.

I'm fresh back to the game after a long absence, it's cool to see people still taking an interest. I'm pretty sure I ripped and tweaked my whole BLU .xml from Wulfshadow a very long time ago. So, welcome back and:

Not the best way to come back.

After failing dismally against AA MR last night with a party I opened this thread hoping to find some useful advice or information to help with future fights only to find the op has been side-tracked like so many in this forum & much space wasted on silly & petty arguements.

C'mon guys there really is no need, do you realise just how much effect this has on more timid members who would love to share their own recollections or seek help, if you want to have a go at each other do you have to make it public ?

Ok to the op . . . .

AAMR on Normal - 2 Oats Mnk/Nin, 1 Oats Mnk/War [they forgot to change & 'suddenly' discovered once inside wrong sub], Cor/Whm, Brd/Whm, Whm/Sch
On reflection we had lost before we entered but ain't hindsight marvellous ?!
Cor used Light Shot to sleep tiger pet & Brd Lullaby but I suspect either they didn't have the right gear/acc etc or else the tiger will start resisting after being slept a few times, I hear pet can be slept full-time, if so any info on methods would be useful please. This nm had excellent acc & shadows had to be kept up, I got ko'd at the start with a Rampage after letting my shadows drop to 1, after that I made sure to never let them get below 2 ! DD's had poor acc against her as despite acc sets/food we were too busy trying to keep alive & so had pdt gear & shadows up most of the time.
It was inevitable of course that the Mnk/War who had good acc took hate, a ws & ko'd followed by the other Mnk/Nin taking hate & getting ko'd, during this time the pet was causing chaos with the support & it was after the Whm went down that mass wipe followed.
No way could I keep shadows up fast enough & without good support my turn came to get ko'd followed by the Brd & Cor !
How we all laughed . . . .

Our party was an example of how not to do it I realise now but just thought I'd write in with the hope that others won't try this setup unless they are firing on all cylinders !
Good luck !
Jon

Should never get one shot by the WSs if you're in either full PDT or a hybrid set, if she's facing you, put on PDT. If you're having issues with the pet, kill it as it's very weak.

That said you can get dropped to low health quite quick and your whm needs to be on the ball.

What songs did the bard use? Definitely should be doing madrigals.

Just switch out one of your mnks for a PLD/WAR man, that should put you in safe mode till you generate some momentum and then you can try other strats. "a good pld not some thrown together pld" that if and when your mnks die your pld should be able to hold NM's np.

I did forget to mention if your thinking a zerk may be the way you'll be dead before you can blink... seeming as everything as of late has been exactly that.

My experience in those fights is very limited, just a couple of very easy and 1 failed difficult elvaan. If you consider also the skcnm, all those new fights arent anything more than old content with tons of stats and some new abilities.

Considering how SE matched the mode (ve,e,n,d,vd), that was a way to avoid creating a extreme hard mode like delve in release, avoiding also the need of nerfs during the time, and avoiding also the best players to finish it quickly and leave the game. So the first strategy should be matching the content level with your party actual level.

Very easy and easy were labeled as under ilv119. So prob wildeskeeper/eminent players can do them. Normal is labeled as ilv119, so no matter what, all your dds must have weapons ilv119 at least. It should be like fighting a tojil with half buffs, half debuff and no stuns. Dificult and very dificult are over ilv119, and as none dd has weapons ilv119+, buffing is the only way to climb this wall. And with lack of brds, soon those modes start requiring top notch gear.
It should be impossible to beat d or vd without 3 or 4 songs. Also, none gear has defense ilv119+, so its natural every move is one shot. The only defensive gear ilv119+ is ochain/aegis, so thats the only way to go. And its fair, if someoene want to win d or vd, must have rem revamped AND r/e brd and ochain. Also, as there is no defense to survive ilv119+ moves, the only solution is ranged. Magics, avatar seems like a possible way if they can somehow deal great dmg, but from what i see, just rngs have been winning. Not because its dmg potential. Just because they can bypass the gimp defense actual player has.

Seems like the mnks era, at least atm, is reaching its end. Slowly we are arriving the rngs era, so stop thinking pilling mnks can trash over anything. Thats no longer true, and considering hurkan, yumcax and kumhau devastating aoe moves, dont expect mnks to do well in next delve. As everyone leveled mnk once oatixur became available, maybe its time to start ungimping your rng, as they are the new prefered dd.

Back to ark angels, at least we have a plus that normal and dificults mode have the same drops, even easy mode. The only diference is the drop rate. Good thing you dont need to have a perfect setup to achieve the new gear. Just time, determination and luck, why not. Thats also fair. Excelent parties get fast the best gear, not optimal party can have then, but will need to grind a lot.
Back to hadest mode once you get couples of brd 3,4 songs and pld ochain/aegis ready.