Section 3 - What occurs during a Garrison raid?
Explaining each Garrison would prove difficult, so I will use the West Ronfaure Garrison as an example. When you trade a Red Cryptex to the outpost guard in West Ronfaure, he will explain that the color of the rock and the number of nails in it is actually a coded message explaining that an attack is impending on the outpost. He will then ask that you help defend the outpost against the onslaught. At this point, all members of your group will be automatically capped at a specific level and a group of friendly NPCs will spawn. The number of NPCs that spawn is exactly equal to the number of people in your group (ie. a full alliance of 18 would have 18 NPCs to protect). This is followed shortly by a wave of Orcs. This continues for three more waves of orcs until all, including an Orc MNK boss, are defeated.
You will see similar relationships between enemy mob types and the given area. The North Gustaberg outpost will involve Quadav type enemies. The West Sarutabaruta outpost will involve Yagudo type enemies. Other outposts (depending upon their location) can involve other enemy types such as Goblins for the level 30 Garrisons and Demons for the level 50 cap Garrisons.
The specific level of the enemy is directly proportional to the level cap of the event. The West Ronfaure Garrison is a level 20 cap and the Orc mobs include level appropriate Orcs, such as Orcish Fighters, Orcish Cursemakers, and Orcish Chasseurs.
These mobs spawn in four distinct waves with approximately 20 seconds between one wave being defeated and the next wave spawning. Each wave includes a number of mobs of each job class (melee, caster, archer). The number of enemies that spawn in each wave is directly related to the number of parties in your group.
Number of Enemies Per Wave Based on Number of Parties
[CODE] Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4
1 Party 2 4 6 7
2 Parties 4 6 8 9
3 Parties 6 8 10 11[/CODE]
During the fourth and final wave, a boss mob will also spawn. This boss will use a 2 hour ability, so make sure you study what job class you can expect and have an appropriate tank ready. A Monk boss will use Hundred Fists, so you'll want a Paladin ready with Invincible or a Thief ready with Perfect Dodge. (Please refer to Section 2 to determine the job class of the Boss NM for the Garrison you are organizing)
You job is to keep as many friendly NPCs alive as possible. The event ends when one group dies: your party, your NPCs, or the enemies.
This is a fast paced, incredibly hectic event. Be ready for a flurry of activity.
If all mobs are defeated and at least one NPC remains standing, a number of items will drop into the collective treasure pool. These items are usually some mix of Exp Scrolls (Page from the Dragon Chronicles) and Garrison equipment. A good group can get 5 items per successful Garrison, but this directly relates to the number of NPCs that survive. A great group that saves 16 of 18 NPCs (one spawns for each player involved) can get six items per successful round (two scrolls and four pieces of equipment). The armor obtained from the level 20 cap Garrison events is among the best for level 20 players as each has defense similar to other armor of that level, but also includes specific stat boosts.