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Bad Sortie Runs are Bad, and so can you!
By Felgarr 2026-05-07 23:54:52
This is just my anecdotal experience as BLM in a magic strat, but I believe that you can only Blue Proc Aita when he's not doing a TP move.
Then, is it a hot take to say that DDs who use panaceas give a necessary, brief pause in TP feed to give the RDM time to execute a Blue Proc on Aita successfully?
Fenrir.Jinxs
Server: Fenrir
Game: FFXI
Posts: 1249
By Fenrir.Jinxs 2026-05-08 00:08:12
Or wear whatever you want and kite the bosses.
As long as you have PLD RDM GEO, never worry about it again.
I'd say MDB is disappointing most of the high MDB gear is also DT and I really think the benefit is coming from that.
Pushing MEVA to the resist rank, on the other hand is a stark contrast.
Dodik really hates SAMs.
Bismarck.Sterk
Server: Bismarck
Game: FFXI
Posts: 579
By Bismarck.Sterk 2026-05-07 19:10:26
Sort of, not really. You do have to wait for the TP ability animation to completely end and he resumes auto attacking before he's able to be procced with the corresponding element of his most recently used TP move. However, you can proc him while he's doing a TP ability if you're just proccing the element of his previous TP move performed if nobody had done so earlier.
For example: Aita uses Flashflood. Nobody procs him for ~10 seconds. Aita uses Flaming Kick. While in his Flaming Kick animation, he can be procced with a Thunder spell since during this time since he's still in "Water mode". After Flaming Kick's animation is completely over, he is now in "Fire mode" and must be attacked with Water damage to be procced.
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Lakshmi.Buukki
Server: Lakshmi
Game: FFXI
By Lakshmi.Buukki 2026-05-07 23:01:00
I'd say MDB is disappointing most of the high MDB gear is also DT and I really think the benefit is coming from that.
This is untrue and easy to test. Go cap -DT and take magic damage. Then bloat your MDB with capped -DT using some of the accessories I mentioned. It clearly reduces your magic damage taken by a lot, and isn't "disappointing" in the least bit. Dodik's Mpaca's example for SAM is an easy example. I have done the same on DNC using Gleti's set over straight Nyame. The difference in damage taken is observably better.
You even have the testimony of Velner:
Before Fend winning was a crapshoot. With Fend it became virtually guaranteed.
If he only changed one thing (Magic Defense), then it's obviously a very significant stat bonus to have affected his winrate in such a way.
Now if you want to argue having more magic evasion is more beneficial than MDB because it pulls double duty (resisting damage plus enfeebles), that's a reasonable perspective to have.
By Dodik 2026-05-08 07:50:21
Clearly you don't know me at all.
Everything I've said is from first hand experience. Mdb does very conclusively and objectively make a big difference in dmg taken with already max dt and shell on top. Let's see some data if you want to argue otherwise.
Does it matter if you're kiting? No, and had already suggested that first.
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By Taint 2026-05-08 10:08:26
MDB can neuter Aminon to the point you take 0s without SS at a decent rate 30-50%. (Aegis PLD with Phalanx)
Bahamut.Navius
Server: Bahamut
Game: FFXI
Posts: 143
By Bahamut.Navius 2026-05-08 12:09:26
MDB is an incredibly valuable stat. The community seems to always gush over MEva but has a tendency to forget that MDB even exists, when both are more or less equally valuable for magic damage mitigation. Also, a little bit goes a long way. Seeing how a lot of endgame content leans heavily towards magic damage, you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice to ignore it.
Asura.Mims
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 275
By Asura.Mims 2026-05-08 20:30:14
Edit #2: The Stat Down effect applied by the elemental fetters have been updated to be correct. I showed below that there is supporting data to say that Aita prefers some sequences over others, compared to the statistical average. Some players advocate for an appropriate defensive action to counteract the fetters (like Geo-Fend or using panaceas and moving out of the fetter). Unfortunately others still seem to double-down and say, 'well a good WHM can just remove debuffs anyway', this doesn't mitigate the need to move out of the fetter or use panaceas, or ensure ensure that magic procs are still land (when Aita isn't doing a TP move), etc. etc. I'm honestly not sure if this bit was directed at me. If it was, it's showing you didn't read my post.
I specifically talked about DDs moving out of the fetters, even talking about designating someone for the group to move to in order to keep everyone within curaga radius.
Honestly, I'm having trouble finding anyone advocating for just standing in fetters and curing through. Sure, one or two aren't the end of the run, but if you're standing in more than that things can go bad fast. The big reason I espouse Whm erases isn't fetter debuffs, it's removing the crap that comes from Aita's TP moves before MDef down can land and make keeping up with cures a losing battle. And that it keeps damage up in between repositioning.
Speaking of repositioning, I find that to be the best time to pop a panacea, as DD lose hitting time when Aita is catching up.
Fetter pops => run to designated player => pop panacea as Aita is closing the distance
Something that hasn't been mentioned, that I can see, is that all fetters deal their damage pulse at the same time. Normally this isn't too big a deal when people are using good hybrid sets. MEva and MDef are good, as has been mentioned. The thing is, people get used to, and expect fetter damage to be relatively consistent. And usually it is. But something shifted in the meta between when Sortie first released and now; AF and Relic+4 armor mean people are WSing in flimsier sets then when Nyame 4/5, if not 5/5 was the norm. This can lead to DDs getting oneshot seemingly out of nowhere when standing in what they thought was a safe amount of fetters
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By Dodik 2026-05-09 15:30:01
Also a good time to remind everyone that conal/breath dmg cannot be mitigated by -magic dmg taken, and that fetter dmg counts as conal/breath.
Meaning all that capped-with-shell -mdt is doing frak all for fetter dmg. Mdb does, however.
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By Nariont 2026-05-09 15:34:29
-DT is(or was?) Phys/magic/breath dmg taken
Further, and fetters may behave differently or it was just specific to old style breath attacks but they ignored mdb, just did straight elemental dmg based on the users HP with some changes based on where the player was in the cone iirc
By Dodik 2026-05-09 15:53:30
Is it?
Quote: however, it is not reduced by normal "Magic Damage Taken" gear but is by most if not all augmented "Magic Damage Taken" pieces. Examples: Dark Rings, Skirmish Gear, Sinister Reign, Escha gear etc etc with their augments.
By Nariont 2026-05-09 15:55:30
Gear with -% Damage Taken can be treated as a member of all categories when doing calculations with it (additive). It does not go past the -50% cap on the various types of damage taken.
The odd one in the past was augmented -magic dmg taken would often be both magic and breath. -DT afaik was always all 3
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By Genoxd 2026-05-09 15:58:04
Is it?
Quote: however, it is not reduced by normal "Magic Damage Taken" gear but is by most if not all augmented "Magic Damage Taken" pieces. Examples: Dark Rings, Skirmish Gear, Sinister Reign, Escha gear etc etc with their augments.
Yes. And the answer is in your own link.
Corrected Damage = (Breath Base Damage)×(1 -% Breath Damage Taken -% Damage Taken -%Augmented Magic Damage Taken)
Damage Taken counts for all types. Normal Magic Damage Taken - doesn't count for breath damage but when it is an augment it does.
By LightningHelix 2026-05-09 18:02:09
Yeah, if you're using the type of set that's "I'm MDT capped because I have Shell V" you're not FDT (Fetter Damage Taken) capped
but if you're a straight up raw -50% DT you're still -50 FDT as well
Asura.Hya
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 532
By Asura.Hya 2026-05-09 22:37:14
Yeah, if you're using the type of set that's "I'm MDT capped because I have Shell V" you're not FDT (Fetter Damage Taken) capped
but if you're a straight up raw -50% DT you're still -50 FDT as well But the sim said it was best in slot...
By Felgarr 2026-05-10 00:26:42
I'm honestly not sure if this bit was directed at me. If it was, it's showing you didn't read my post.
No sir, my posts/edits are not directed at you or any one person. They merely reflect my findings in the PUGs I've joined throughout 2026. My goal is to make my first post accurate so that in can reflect the course of an H-boss fight, regardless of how much power a DD group thinks they have.
Honestly, I'm having trouble finding anyone advocating for just standing in fetters and curing through.
I've been creating Sortie melee PUGs 1-3x per day for the past 2-3 months. My anecdotal experience is that almost every PUG has 1 person who expects to just sit in the fetter for the whole fight. Some DDs even pull early and as a result: (1) they don't wait for buffs, (2) they don't wait for the RDM to Stymie + Saboteur + Distract3(for DDx2) or (Gravity II, if is PLD-kiting). At this point, standing in fetters or not using panaceas, just compounds a bad situation.
Sure, one or two aren't the end of the run, but if you're standing in more than that things can go bad fast. In my opinion, one or two is fine, if and only if, the TP moves that caused each fetter were proc'ed. If you have 2 fetters out and 0 procs thus far, then Aita's unmitigatable DT effect gets worse as the fight goes on.
The big reason I espouse Whm erases isn't fetter debuffs, it's removing the crap that comes from Aita's TP moves before MDef down can land and make keeping up with cures a losing battle. And that it keeps damage up in between repositioning.
Speaking of repositioning, I find that to be the best time to pop a panacea, as DD lose hitting time when Aita is catching up.
Fetter pops => run to designated player => pop panacea as Aita is closing the distance Yeah, I agree with this.
Something that hasn't been mentioned, that I can see, is that all fetters deal their damage pulse at the same time. Normally this isn't too big a deal when people are using good hybrid sets. MEva and MDef are good, as has been mentioned. The thing is, people get used to, and expect fetter damage to be relatively consistent. And usually it is. But something shifted in the meta between when Sortie first released and now; AF and Relic+4 armor mean people are WSing in flimsier sets then when Nyame 4/5, if not 5/5 was the norm. This can lead to DDs getting oneshot seemingly out of nowhere when standing in what they thought was a safe amount of fetters
Yeah, this is especially true as power creep increases. As power creep increases, DDs care less about safety, durability, mechanics, etc. They just treat every fight like it's being popped in Abyssea. :/
It's always the WHM players who have a sound level-head on their shoulders, and yet, some DDs like to just tells the mages how to play their jobs. It's just silly.
Yeah, if you're using the type of set that's "I'm MDT capped because I have Shell V" you're not FDT (Fetter Damage Taken) capped
but if you're a straight up raw -50% DT you're still -50 FDT as well
Very well said.
Edit: I had this reply saved in my browser for 2 days because I wasn't able to post due to site issues. But friendly reminder: this post/thread isn't directed at any one person or party. If anything said here or by anyone resonates with you, then it's OK to simply pause and reflect, and talk about how this relates to your experiences in Sortie. (Man, Limbus wishes it had the depth/breadth of mechanics of Sortie, minus the walking simulator).
Asura.Mims
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 275
By Asura.Mims 2026-05-10 11:17:02
Thanks for clearing that up, Felgarr, I appreciate it.
Its hard enough to tell what is directed at who on a public forum, even more so when there are unclear references to things that happened elsewhere. And with Ayahuasca going on about whatever that was it is clear that there is outside context I don't have.
Generally my experience with groups melee zerging Aita is either:
A) Smack it so expertly that only 1 or 2 fetters spawn the entire fight (Not just raw damage)
B) Keep on top of the mechanics, keep debuffs off, move out of fetters when needed, keep procs going, and comfortably kill even if the arena gets covered in fetters
C) Fail to keep on top of mechanics, debuffs stack up, damage drops due to debuffs, damage stacks up due to DT, and eventually collapses
Occasionally something weird happens like a DD getting oneshot by fetters in WS gear while everyone else only takes 200-400
The actual spawning of fetters is still a bit mysterious, I've certainly heard different people put up different theories. Some of these relate to enmity, such as Aita changing target causing a fetter to spawn, or folks relating Aita's TP moves to fetter spawns
I certainly notice fewer fetters when I zerg Aita with Soul Enslavement up, which tends to both solidify my own hate and cut his TP gain significantly, but I'm not going to claim that is proof of anything. Could be either, both, or neither.
Where he spawns fetters is interesting too, can be a hassle when he throws one at the Whm or Rdm. It really makes you need to think about positioning on the fly to be able to reliably heal, not drop fetters in the path, and deal with any incidental damage you may soak up while getting things sorted out
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Sylph.Drlove
Server: Sylph
Game: FFXI
Posts: 29
By Sylph.Drlove 2026-05-10 15:45:23
People who don't bring their own meds and rely on the WHM to erase/-na their debuffs are the same as people who pour the milk before the cereal. Say it louder for the people in back. Same as you run from sneak you get no sneak from me
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Bismarck.Sterk
Server: Bismarck
Game: FFXI
Posts: 579
By Bismarck.Sterk 2026-05-10 15:57:34
People who don't bring their own meds and rely on the WHM to erase/-na their debuffs are the same as people who pour the milk before the cereal. Say it louder for the people in back. Same as you run from sneak you get no sneak from me Now that you reminded me, when did oils/powders secretly go up by 200g?
By Nariont 2026-05-10 16:15:01
Inflation hitting every part of the world y'know
Asura.Hya
Server: Asura
Game: FFXI
Posts: 532
By Asura.Hya 2026-05-10 17:23:03
People who don't bring their own meds and rely on the WHM to erase/-na their debuffs are the same as people who pour the milk before the cereal. Say it louder for the people in back. Same as you run from sneak you get no sneak from me Now that you reminded me, when did oils/powders secretly go up by 200g?
This happened in January when some of the items which were removed from the Curio Vendor got reinstated. Nobody went back through the individual item pages to change the price, but it is accurate on the Curio Vendor Moogle page. Thanks for pointing this out!
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Carbuncle.Maletaru
Server: Carbuncle
Game: FFXI
Posts: 4407
By Carbuncle.Maletaru 2026-05-10 19:51:25
The actual spawning of fetters is still a bit mysterious, I've certainly heard different people put up different theories. Some of these relate to enmity, such as Aita changing target causing a fetter to spawn, or folks relating Aita's TP moves to fetter spawns
I certainly notice fewer fetters when I zerg Aita with Soul Enslavement up, which tends to both solidify my own hate and cut his TP gain significantly, but I'm not going to claim that is proof of anything. Could be either, both, or neither.
It's not really mysterious at all and is (accurately) explained on Aita's page. He spawns fetters when he uses a TP move, every move, after his first one. The number of fetters (per TP move) goes up as his HP goes down. It starts off at 1 and then eventually goes up to 2 (not sure if I've seen 3, but maybe). He picks a target (or 2, etc.) randomly to drop them on.
There's nothing else to it. Anyone's random fringe ideas about hate swapping or whatever other belief are just nonsense rumors.
By Taint 2026-05-10 20:47:08
I think hate swap is a thing. When we do MNK only on Aita he won't TP until around 30% health remaining. If another player does an action at the start he'll TP immediately.
Our current strat is MNK only until the MNK WSs then other players can debuff, Aita won't TP that way.
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By paladinepsot 2026-05-10 21:23:54
Our group has a consistent melee zerg strat for Aita.
Rdm: Stymie\Saboteur Distract3, Dia3, Black Halo
Cor: Light shot the Dia, Savage Blade
Sam: Ageha, then WS spam, usually fudo or stage3 mumei
Dnc: Box step then grand pas -> climactic rudras or ruthless
Brd: goes /sch for a few reasons, one of them is dedicated handling of proccing duties on D/H
Whm: Cure bombs
DDs panacea on Flashflood (magic defense down) and Flaming Kick (attack down), RDM and dnc additionally on Fulminous smash (accuracy down) due to offhand tpbonus items.
Rdm pulls with distract as the others run in, everyone stacks up facing him. When he throws a fetter, just... back up. You won't lose a second of TP time while doing it because of his hitbox. He kinda wiggles side to side when following some times, just correct as he settles in.
You just have to accept that sometimes you're going to accidentally heal him which happens, it's not as frequent as you would think when you have 4 people tp burning him. Most of the time new weaponskills go off over eachother and the window doesn't open.
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By Felgarr 2026-05-11 00:22:13
DDs panacea on Flashflood (magic defense down) and Flaming Kick (attack down), RDM and dnc additionally on Fulminous smash (accuracy down) due to offhand tpbonus items.
My assertion was to just use Panaceas on Flashflood > Flaming Kick combos, but you recommendation is much more accurate/precise. It's much more resilient to panacea after Flashflood/Flaming Kick/Fulminous Smash. This is a really good panacea explanation for H-boss.
Rdm pulls with distract as the others run in, everyone stacks up facing him. When he throws a fetter, just... back up. You won't lose a second of TP time while doing it because of his hitbox. He kinda wiggles side to side when following some times, just correct as he settles in.
Yeah, I tried to convey to people to move West and North from his starting position, but backing up is probably just easier for people to understand in a tense situation.
Fenrir.Velner
Server: Fenrir
Game: FFXI
Posts: 516
By Fenrir.Velner 2026-05-11 00:32:36
Wait. . . I thought his Fetters just went up by one with each TP move. . . 0 to 1 to 2 to 3, etc. But maybe it looks that way because (a) I can't really tell after the 2nd move how many come out and (b) he is TPing at roughly the same cadence every time I kill him so it just creates that impression. I love XI!
By paladinepsot 2026-05-11 01:19:46
Wait. . . I thought his Fetters just went up by one with each TP move. . . 0 to 1 to 2 to 3, etc. But maybe it looks that way because (a) I can't really tell after the 2nd move how many come out and (b) he is TPing at roughly the same cadence every time I kill him so it just creates that impression. I love XI!
There isn't correlation. He can throw multiple fetters at once.
By paladinepsot 2026-05-11 01:23:12
This is a really good panacea explanation for H-boss. Code ["Aita"]={
["Eroding Flesh"]={
["complete_reaction"]="",
["ready_reaction"]="input /p spam aero"
},
["Flashflood"]={
["complete_reaction"]="",
["ready_reaction"]="input /p spam thunder, Panacea Now! Magic defense is down"
},
["Icy Grasp"]={
["complete_reaction"]="",
["ready_reaction"]="input /p spam fire"
},
["Flaming Kick"]={
["complete_reaction"]="",
["ready_reaction"]="input /p spam water, Panacea Now! Physical damage is down."
},
["Fulminous Smash"]={
["complete_reaction"]="",
["ready_reaction"]="input /p spam stone, Panacea if you have a TP bonus weapon"
}
},
with split windows it does *wonders*
Yeah, I tried to convey to people to move West and North from his starting position, but backing up is probably just easier for people to understand in a tense situation.
We tried doing that at first to pull him to the back wall then around the room but honestly if he aint dead by the time you hit the wall you're probably going to lose, so at least be by the door.
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By Dodik 2026-05-11 04:12:26
Also FYI, Corsair's quick draws are an easy way to proc Aita, and also serve as free TP for the Cor that doesn't feed any TP to Aita.
If you're already using react can just get react to /ja the appropriate quick draw shot (on cor).
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I just wanted to share some feedback about elemental fetters from D/H boss that I've noticed many DDs simply shrug off, probably due to a fundamental misunderstanding. (Bear with me, I have a tendency to miscommunicate or invert explanations of a "this-or-that" nature, so please correct me if I'm wrong or have something flipped by accident).
Things I'm sure of:
The ability of the D/H Boss, indicates his offensive-mode or sometimes called "Absorbs Dark" or "Absorbs Light" mode in a defensive context. So, Fulminous Smash is offensively Thunder/Light-aligned, and will enable Degei/Aita will Absorb Light-based Elemental skillchains and magic. The correct response is to Nuke with the ascending element, Earth, which is Dark-aligned to proc/prevent an increasing Damage Taken-Minus effect on the D/H boss. (Keep in mind, in a magic strat, you would still do an Earth/Darkness-aligned skillchain like Gravitation > Darkness to deal damage effectively, on either D/H boss).
Here's the part where DDs get confused, and folks just expect to steam-roll over H boss and sometimes fail miserably: If you do a Weaponskill or Skillchain of an element that is a matching the element to his offensive mode, like Light/Thunder in the Fulminous Smash example, Degei/Aita will not only absorb the damage, but also spawn a fetter.
This is the cherry on top: The fetter will also have an associated debuff, that is aligned with it's own element as well. This is explained/quantified below.
Things I'm not sure of or may have explained incorrectly here:
Things I'm now certain of, having collected feedback from this thread:
[confirmed]: The spawned fetter is the same element of the ability the boss does, so Fulminous Smash is thunder-aligned, so you'll get a purple/Thunder fetter.
The debuff associated with the fetter matches that of element/status effect attributes shown below, and is the same debuff in bold every time that color/element fetter spawns. For posterity, I list out all of the elemented-aligned debuffs on one line. For the purposes of Sortie fetters, the debuff that is applied by the fetter is in bold. For example, a red/fire fetter always gives you the Burn/MAB Down/INT Down effect. (Do subsequent red fetters give you a different Fire-based debuff? I have no idea.)
Fire: Addle, Amnesia, Virus, Burn, MAB down, INT Down, Nocturne
Ice: Paralyze, Bind, Frost, Eva Down, AGI Down
Wind: Silence, Gravity, Choke, Def Down, VIT Down
Earth: Slow, Petrify, Rasp, Acc Down, DEX Down
Thunder:Stun, Shock, MND Down
Water: Poison, Drown, STR Down, Atk Down, M. Def Down
Light: Dia, Repose, Finale, Charm, Lullaby, Sheep Song, MACC Down
Dark: Blind, Bio, Sleep, Dispel, Geist Wall, Drain, Curse, Doom, Zombie, M. Eva Down, HP Down, MP Down, CHR Down, Absorbs
(Note: This element list is also in the order of the elemental wheel, Fire->Ice->Wind->Earth->Thunder->Water. Meanwhile, Light/Dark are opposites/opposing elements)
Subsequent fetters apply a cumulative Stat Down effect. A few folks in this thread say say this effect is approximately -161 Stat Down is applied per fetter.
Elemental Wheel for visual learners:
My reason for posting is to convey that:
Standing in place, while fighting against fetters and then dying, is not a "low DPS" or even "healing" problem.
It appears to be a low DPS problem when the proper mitigating responses aren't taken by the party: i.e. proc element + move away from the fetter. (Be sure to move as a group, as spread-out fetters is very problematic for applying debuffs over a larger area and affects more members of the party).
Another optimization for folks: If you're trying to calibrate your party's DPS and determine which bosses to do next, consider switching from DHABC(GEF) to (GFE) instead. You can save time by skipping Botulus from F>E, which is much riskier to skip Botolus if you do E>F, instead.
Don't assume your party lacks DPS because a boss wasn't proc'ed properly. Be cognizant of the fetter's debuffs and your positional arrangement on the field.
This may be known to folks with 1 or more Stage 5 primes, and they may regularly plow through most fetters for D/H boss. However, it's not impossible to introduce enough TP feed, or produce a combination of fetters that renders even the strongest DDs into useless floor-mannequins. Anyway, thanks for coming to my Sortie TED Talk. :)
TLDR: Fetters have debuffs associated with them, not just damage. Move away as a group. Sometimes win, Sometimes lose. Pretty colors = Dead DD.
Edit: Thanks Velner for some confirmations. I applied your updates. However, I will leave the question open as to whether subsequent fetters produce additional debuffs from that same element. I currently don't know if say, 3 red/fire fetters produce 3 debuffs from the Fire category above. Of course, I'll keep monitoring, as well. Feel free to share your experiences.
Edit #2: The Stat Down effect applied by the elemental fetters have been updated to be correct. I showed below that there is supporting data to say that Aita prefers some sequences over others, compared to the statistical average. Some players advocate for an appropriate defensive action to counteract the fetters (like Geo-Fend or using panaceas and moving out of the fetter). Unfortunately others still seem to double-down and say, 'well a good WHM can just remove debuffs anyway', this doesn't mitigate the need to move out of the fetter or use panaceas, or ensure ensure that magic procs are still land (when Aita isn't doing a TP move), etc. etc.
Edit #3: This post has been updated to reflect all of the findings in this thread, as of 2026/05/07.
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