FFXIV Dawntrail: Valigarmanda Extreme Trial Guide

Phase 1 Mechanics

Valigarmanda kicks off the battle with the “Spikecicle” attack, launching ice projectiles that curve and leave behind ice balls which eventually explode. Watch out for blue lines emanating from the boss to avoid this attack. Move to the opposite side of the arena after the first ice projectile and position yourself near the bottom corner of the boss’s hitbox arrow to dodge the ice explosions.

The boss will signal upcoming attacks with text on the screen, accompanied by animations. There are three key mechanics to be aware of during these signals:

  • “A tempestuous wind surrounds Valigarmanda,” indicating a donut AoE at the arena’s center, requiring DPS and healers to group up in the safe zone.
  • “Valigarmanda gathers in strength,” signaling a vertical spin and an explosion slightly beyond melee range. Players must keep their distance to avoid the blast.
  • “Blinding energies build within Valigarmanda’s wide-open beak,” resulting in a wide cone AoE blast. Teams should move to the northern corners of the arena to evade the attack.
  • “A volcanic eruption is imminent…,” marks one side of the arena for an AoE hit. Watch for erupting volcanoes and position yourself away from the affected side.

Phase 1 Triscourge Mechanics

Following the ice projectile mechanics, Valigarmanda will apply raid-wide debuffs periodically: Calamity’s Bolt, Calamity’s Chill for all players, and Calamity’s Inferno specifically for healers.

  • When Calamity’s Bolt expires, lightning AoE will explode around the player, potentially paralyzing other players. Spread out to avoid overlaps.
  • Calamity’s Chill will freeze stationary players when it expires. Keep moving to counteract this effect.
  • Calamity’s Inferno leaves a fire AoE where healers stand, hitting three times. Healers should move to the northern edge before slowly returning to the center to mitigate the damage for the group.

Mountain Fire

Valigarmanda targets the main tank with a tankbuster marker, creating a solid pillar that will be followed by a cone AoE fire blast. DPS and healers should stand behind the pillar for protection, while tanks must swap after two hits to avoid accumulating Fire Vulnerability stacks. This mechanic concludes after 6 blasts.

Phase 2 Mechanics

Phase 2 initiates with the background and arena resetting to normal, accompanied by the boss’s Ruins Foretold raid-wide attack. When the boss is untargetable, it casts Ruinous Power, a wipe mechanic.

Three spear adds spawn in the arena, requiring players to form two teams to eliminate them and prevent them from charging the boss’s wipe mechanic. Random players receive a stack marker, where the tank absorbs the stack near the boss while others gather around the marked player. Additionally, alternating cones of AoEs must be dodged while players focus on the spear adds.

Following Ruinous Power, Valigarmanda casts Tulidisaster, a raid-wide attack repeating three times, leading into Phase 3 of the Trial.

Phase 3 Mechanics

Valigarmanda will cast either Triscourge (Ice) or Triscourge (Lightning) in this phase, each with distinct debuffs. Let’s first explore Triscourge (Ice).

Triscourge (Ice) Mechanics

  • Calamity’s Bolt mechanic remains consistent with Phase 1 Triscourge.
  • Healers receive the Calamity’s Embers debuff, necessitating a split and stack strategy to spread the damage effectively.
  • Tanks obtain the Calamity’s Bite debuff, triggering a massive frost AoE attack that requires tanks to isolate themselves in the northern corners of the arena.

Subsequently, Valigarmanda unleashes additional attacks, including rectangular AoE, donut AoE, melee AoE, conal blast, and 6 exploding ground markers. Players must position themselves strategically to avoid these mechanics.

Calamity’s Bolt, Spikecicle, telegraphed attacks, and more ground markers follow, culminating in the boss’s Freezing Dust attack. The phase concludes with a final Calamity’s Bolt debuff and a Disaster Zone raid-wide ability.

Triscourge (Lightning) Mechanics

During this phase, the arena layout changes, with specific areas causing players to levitate while others keep players grounded to evade boss mechanics.

Valigarmanda introduces Triscourge debuffs, including Calamity’s Fulgur for all players, Calamity’s Frost necessitating levitation, and Calamity’s Flame for healers.

The boss proceeds with Hail of Feathers, Thunderous Breath, and other mechanics that require precise positioning and coordinated movement from the team.

After Thunderous Breath resolves, players handle additional Calamity mechanics and a telegraphed attack before ending the phase with a Disaster Zone raid-wide ability.

Phase 3 Mechanics

Upon completing both Triscourge (Ice) and Triscourge (Lightning) phases, Phase 3 commences with the introduction of Ruinfall, a knockback attack with AoEs. Tankbusters must be resolved swiftly, and DPS must focus on the boss to prevent a wipe from Tullidisaster.

Valigarmanda progresses with Wrath Unfurled and Mountain Fire mechanics, requiring precise player positioning and quick decision-making to successfully overcome the Trial.