[Armando]

Hmm, I'll be doing this mission next weekend as well. I have some questions. Are the Mammets resistant or immune to Drain? Can they be Aspired in their mage forms? Are their special moves TP-based, do they do them in set time intervals, or are they completely random? What're the odds of them using Magic Shield or Transmogrification in the first 20 seconds of the fight?

The reason I ask is because I may have a SAM coming along. I have a strategy to take down the first Mammet quickly so we only have to deal with two. WAR Mighty Strikes Armor Break, eats Icarus Wing -> SAM Tachi: Kagero -> Enpi -> Kagero -> Enpi -> Kagero (also making use of Icarus Wings, and obviously 2Hr and Meditate) -> WAR Mighty Strikes Raging Axe. The end-result is Liquefaction (50% damage) -> Scission (60%) -> Liquefaction (70%) -> Scission (80%) -> Liquefaction (90%) -> Fusion (175%), and every WS gets the benefit lowered Defense from Armor Break, and we'll hopefully kill it (I really can't imagine it surviving all that.) However, if it uses physical or magic damage absorption, that'll screw over that plan very quickly.

After that, I was hoping to have someone kite one of the Mammets left over, while we take care of the second one (I was thinking of having a RDM to Chainspell Drain on it for good, quick, nearly hate-free damage to try to take it down fast.) Speaking of this, how does Drain work when it's absorbing magic damage?

Point out any flaws in my plan, or give me tips, I really want to do this right on the first try. Also, I've never really got a clear answer - when they Mammets come at you, it's merely sight aggro, right? As in, if I don't do something to them, someone could heal me indefinetely without getting hate?

EDIT: Oh, and how long do they take to change jobs when you first engage them? They start out unarmed (can use Transmogrification,) right?

[Mhurron]

Originally Posted by Armando

Hmm, I'll be doing this mission next weekend as well. I have some questions. Are the Mammets resistant or immune to Drain? Can they be Aspired in their mage forms?

Both Drain and Aspir will work.

Originally Posted by Armando

Are their special moves TP-based, do they do them in set time intervals, or are they completely random?

I believe its random.

Originally Posted by Armando

What're the odds of them using Magic Shield or Transmogrification in the first 20 seconds of the fight?

As its random, the odds are probably as good as them not using it. Focus on killing them like any other mob, don't worry too much about their special abilities.

Originally Posted by Armando

The reason I ask is because I may have a SAM coming along. I have a strategy to take down the first Mammet quickly so we only have to deal with two. WAR Mighty Strikes Armor Break, eats Icarus Wing -> SAM Tachi: Kagero -> Enpi -> Kagero -> Enpi -> Kagero (also making use of Icarus Wings, and obviously 2Hr and Meditate) -> WAR Mighty Strikes Raging Axe. The end-result is Liquefaction (50% damage) -> Scission (60%) -> Liquefaction (70%) -> Scission (80%) -> Liquefaction (90%) -> Fusion (175%), and every WS gets the benefit lowered Defense from Armor Break, and we'll hopefully kill it (I really can't imagine it surviving all that.) However, if it uses physical or magic damage absorption, that'll screw over that plan very quickly.

Don't over think it, you may or may not be able to pull off a good skillchain. It's probably best to just go flat out and kill as fast as you can.

Originally Posted by Armando

After that, I was hoping to have someone kite one of the Mammets left over, while we take care of the second one (I was thinking of having a RDM to Chainspell Drain on it for good, quick, nearly hate-free damage to try to take it down fast.) Speaking of this, how does Drain work when it's absorbing magic damage?

Nothing about this is almost hate free. If you get poor drain numbers, (to be expected with a RDM), then you won't draw much more then chain spell did on its own, but if the RDM got unlucky then Drain is still damage lots of it will pull hate. I wouldn't do this, its not hate free and Drain from a RDM rarely does good damage. If your dead set on Chainspell, save it for the last one and have them use Thunder or Water II. Also explain to the RDM they will die.

Originally Posted by Armando

Point out any flaws in my plan, or give me tips

You're thinking its going to be harder then it really is and coming up with an overly convoluted strategy that will be hard to stick to when you really sit down to do it. Handle it the way you would in an EXP party with a twist. You have 3 mobs that linked, deal with it. The twist is that as long as the first person who got aggro does nothing to the mobs, they will ignore everyone else. Over thinking it seems to be the best way to loose CoP battles.

[Armando]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it much. I know the SAM, though, he helped me work out quite a few times when I was working on my Skillchain chart, so I'm confident he can pull it off. It may be complex, but I'd prefer that to just spamming Tachi: Enpi 4 times and getting two first-level distortions.

Regarding Chainspell Drain, I thought Drain hardly got any hate at all if you're not recovering HP from it? I had read of people doing tests on Allakhazam and finding that the hate attached to it is dependant on the HP recovered and not the actual damage done.

You're thinking its going to be harder then it really is and coming up with an overly convoluted strategy that will be hard to stick to when you really sit down to do it. Handle it the way you would in an EXP party with a twist. You have 3 mobs that linked, deal with it. The twist is that as long as the first person who got aggro does nothing to the mobs, they will ignore everyone else. Over thinking it seems to be the best way to loose CoP battles.

That may be so, but I hate the easy way out. 3 NINs and 3 WHMs, lots of SMNs for Astral Flows, that stuff's not for me. I enjoy coming up with different strategies and watching them work, so I'm going to give this a shot at least once. If it doesn't work out, I'll try something simpler. Thanks for the tip, though.

[Stormcrow]

When we did this we used:
PLD/WAR
WHM/BLM
WHM/BLM
SAM/WAR
BLM/WHM
MNK/WAR

Basically, PLD would aggro all 3 and 1 WHM keeps him alive while SAM, BLM, and MNK pull and kill one. PLD continues to tank the other 2 using only magic, invincible, and meds with one WHM dedicated to keeping him alive. When first Mammet died, other group would pull off another mammet, etc.

We did this really easy and would definitly do it this way again. Best of luck to you!

[Kitalrez]

Just thought I'd chime in here, because this is also useful on kiting the mammets for 6-4's Ultima/Omega weapon battles. As long as the tank or kiter runs in and does absolutely nothing to the mammets, your healers can pretty much drop whatever they want on that player and the mammets won't peel off on them. This applies to absolutely everything, so if your tank doesn't understand the concept of running towards things WITHOUT provoking, flashing, casting, using a ranged attack, using a melee attack, casting an AE, etc. you may be in for a long, long series of runs at this strategy. All you have to do is be the first player they see in aggro range to successfully kite them around. First one will aggro you, others will link, and you can peel one at a time off for the rest of the party to kill as you go. However, the second you do something to put yourself on a target's aggro list beyond just being nearby, you will activate the normal aggro code, and that mob starts responding the way every other mob you've ever faced does. So, click off the blaze spikes, don't cast or provoke, and plan on running around hitting the odd potion as you go.

Now then, if you do as I did and go with multiple kiters, like NIN or SMNs, be very careful how you park the actual mammet you're fighting. This mammet is going to be in range of at least one kiter for a brief time, (such as if the SMN is point kiting between the exit and the spawn point platform). As such, AEs suck healer MP fast. If the SMN is used to kite, you've gotta watch WHMs healing the SMN after an AE, because he is getting aggro with the avatar, and anything you can cast is way more likely to pull off carbuncle. Plan how to stop it in a mode other than BLM if you can, or get someone who can silence or stun the little bugger when it starts nuking up. From what I've seen of the NIN tanking, their job is a lot easier in this regard.

{Edit} Almost forgot. In the event that your kiter ignores my first point and does do something to aggro the mammet beyond standing in range/using meds, remember that the other mammets are linking to THAT ONE and not each other. Basically, if you heal the kiter from that point on, the aggro'd mammet will peel off on you, and then his links will peel off on you too. However, as soon as the original one loses interest in you so do the links. The best way to handle moron-kiter aggro like this is to figure out which one he actually screwed up with and kill that first. This'll put everything back to some sense of normality, where you just have to figure out how to off-tank or kite one extra mammet instead of two bouncing links.

Oh yeah, plan for mistakes. All through CoP, never do a mission without at least one contingency plan if someone screws something up. If you can get into that habit here, you'll last a lot longer in the CoP mission line. That and over-medicate when you start buying stuff in the Auction House to start out. Most of the time it's way more expensive to redo a mission you failed than it is to recover from one where you blew your strategy and have to fly by the seat of your pants.

[Davitron3000]

Originally Posted by Kitalrez

Oh yeah, plan for mistakes. All through CoP, never do a mission without at least one contingency plan if someone screws something up. If you can get into that habit here, you'll last a lot longer in the CoP mission line. That and over-medicate when you start buying stuff in the Auction House to start out. Most of the time it's way more expensive to redo a mission you failed than it is to recover from one where you blew your strategy and have to fly by the seat of your pants.

^ This is really good advice for all CoP missions. My static would also do a 'dry' run
to get a feel for what was going to happen. (dry run = no meds, no 2 hrs)

[Kirsteena]

Dry runs are good - our dry run for O/U turned into the actual winning run...

However, 7 dry runs on the snoll wasn't so good...

[Myaku]

Here is the strategy me old CoP Static used. I have heard it called the Super Tank Method. It has already been mentioned in parts in this thread. Your party should be: 1 PLD, 1 WHM, 1 Tank, 2 DD, 1 Healer. Once everyone zones into the BC and is done with the CS, eat food, buff, etc. Then, the PLD, aka Super Tank, runs out and sight-aggros all 3 Mammets. It is important that the PLD do nothing but get sight aggro - no Provoke, no engage, no Flash, NOTHING. Stand there and take your beating, curing yourself as you can, HAVE POTIONS, and feel free to use your 2HR if needed. The WHM should follow close behind you and, since you have done nothing but sight-aggro the Mammets, the WHM can cure bomb you at will. The WHM needs to have Ethers and Yag Drinks! Once the Super Tank has the attention of the Mammets, the other 4 party members can run past to the open area, and pull one Mammet at a time. We had a NIN/WAR Tank and a RDM/WHM Healer, and it worked out wonderfully. Once the Super Tank PLD is down to his last Mammet, he can engage and start fighting as the other group takes on the 2nd Mammet. This strategy worked very well for my group on 2 occasions, and I think it is easier to execute than the Kiting method.