DFFOO [JP][Act 4 Ch2 Pt1][Alt run] No Leo or 2T delay party, just one Reno CA to rule them all
16"It has become so numb" just with one Reno CA.
While this fight is not really that exciting overall, the one aspect that is the min HP lock at 3 different threshold is a bit more fascinating. Normally you have to spend one turn at each threshold to delay them by 2T and thus dispelling the boss aura and push its HP limit down further. So it is not very economical.
Now with the very old power of Reno normal CA putting down his debuff, you can delay the boss in off-turn, resulting in no DPS loss. With a little bit of trickery, you can complete the stage with Reno CA pushing all three thresholds without using any on sight 2T delayer or other CAs (not that the CA slots are strained in any manner for this stage).
Disclaimer:
1. I did carry Leo CA but I did not use it to dispel the auras at respective thresholds. I used it before FT even started.
2. I had 1FT DPS loss, but that was due to my underestimation of the might that is Cid Raines + Squall. So Squall got stuck having a meaningless turn at 39%.
Goof:
I forgot Cid Raines' special effect does not have stacks. So there was FR% loss. Probably would have swapped Keiss CA for a Rydia one.
Not that it matters though. As the previous disclaimer stated, there was already excessive violence involved.
Principle:
Using Reno CA, any enemy would delay itself by 2T when it employs any means of physical attacks while the debuff is still on.
The idea is this:
1. Wait for the boss to reach 80%+ FG
2. Use FR
3. Push boss to the next threshold before its next turn
4. Boss acts and delays itself on off-turn
5. Repeat 3-4 until it is dead
The Why and How:
Reno's debuff only lasts for 4T, so it can't be dropped too early. For 3 thresholds, the boss needs to have enough turns, but also enough room for you to DPS and push to the next threshold before its turn. This strat only allows excessive DPS, not a lack of unless the one extra turn of the debuff is not used before the moment.
Under normal circumstances for a normal party with no self-delay, it is highly likely that the boss would be pushed too far when the first delay at 69% occurs. Something like the boss is 4-5T away on the turn queue. That means it would use too many of your FT anyway, making this method not very effective.
However, this boss has a very helpful 80% FG effect: SPD up and AD down. When you wait for this to kick in before going into FT, the boss turns pack themselves together, allowing you to delay it while maintaining a reasonably close gap for your threshold push and not waste your FT.
When it comes to execution, theoretically you are only given 2T in between each push to get to the next threshold. The most difficult part is the 69-39% push due to how wide the gap beefy the boss is. Therefore high DPS is needed for a 1FT clear.
This issue is alleviated by 2 means.
1. Aerith FR jump start
Aerith FR echo gives really high FR% using consecutive free turns. When you have 2 Aeriths, you get around 480%+ at the very beginning without FT loss. This allows you to have really high DPS from the get go.
2. Turn Manipulation
Characters like Cid Raines and Rem allows injection of just a few more player turns when it is needed. It works particularly well before and just after 69% for those big gap pushes. The 2T delay for the 39-29% push fits naturally anyways, so there is no need concern other than conserving FT there.
Small reminder that summon phase placement would interfere with the boss getting its own turn. So plan ahead where you want to use them.
As for the party chosen, they are not really that specific. Squall and Raines are there mainly because I already used Tifa and Rem. I imagine you can use some other high DPS character in place of Aerith as well. Some other FR would work better for CidR and Aerith as well.
In the end, it is kind of a conflicted feeling knowing that there are goofs and further optimisation possible for a cleaner run, but further optimisation also means more excessive DPS that are likely to be wasted anyways. đ It is a fun little challenge exercise for executing a concept and theory though. I wasn't even sure if an off-turn delay would work against the boss aura. The fact that this strat works makes the boss more ... interesting.
Runtime was surprisingly short for required stalling until it hits 80% FG.