Stellar Fulcrum Strategy

Ah if its single target then yah probably hybrid. Breaths ignore shadows. Should be easy to test, could try with invincible or run sp2 and see if it still deals damage. Does liement/all for one absorb/reduce it?

I still think the best strategy is 5 sam 1 smn with perfect defense, giving the sams sv buffs and cor rolls before entering. He usually dies in VD with that setup in under 30 seconds but may be impractical for most people. After PD, SMN switches to carbuncle and activates astral conduit restoring their MP and spamming healing ruby incase sams need cures(sams use Yaegsumi at start too).

Liement works on it

OfA does help mitigate it, it's basically a Phalanx for magic. Liement can absorb as well, though I'm not sure if it absorbs all of it, hence my feeling that it's hybrid.

I have seen a PLD with Invincible up take damage from Light Blade (it wasn't much, they had Aegis). I never tried using Sforzo, guess I could? Then again...

...I agree with you regarding the easiest way to do it- our group generally takes in 4x DD GEO SMN with outside BRDs and a COR or two, depending on who's bored in the LS.

GEO is ridiculously good for this, plus if something goes seriously wrong at least you have someone who can nuke fetters.

Edit: I think SAM should save Yaegasumi for when PD wears, if it isn't dead yet. Assuming your CORs did their job pre-entry, all DDs should be entering with 3k TP anyway so using Meikyo isn't strictly necessary.

You may be right about it being both, though I can't tell. Sometimes the attack would "miss" completely (happened 4 times that fight), other times it would hit me for over 3000 dmg (this happened twice, always when my buffs either wore or were in-process of being reapplied). And there was an occasion where the move hit me for less than 600 dmg.

Maybe its possible that Valiace/Vallation reduced the magic damage part, but the physical damage side landed, or instances where the entire physical damage missed (maybe because of Battuta) and the magical part was resisted. The time I was one-shotted was probably where both of them landed a full shot.

An unbuffed rune is a dead one most of the time, unfortunately.

Your theory makes a lot of sense; with Battuta up, we can mitigate quite a bit of things. Without it, ouch.

If possible, handling your own Stoneskins by telling your WHM to leave Solace off is helpful... if it's not a detriment to your melee allies. Especially if you have a decent SS set.

I just wish you could have Battuta or Swordplay up full time, but due to the durations, you have about a minute and a half where you're without either. :(

The 3k could also be crit. Moves dont typically do extreme damage unless there's a fair way to mitigate it, whether it be shadows, distance, a debuff, or avoiding a certain kind of damage type. Those are the patterns we've seen so far for avoiding insane damage. Some we haven't found the trick for other than migawari/scherzo, like arrogance incarnate or ravenous wail, but i'm sure there's a legit method to not be one shotted from those either(other than dt/scherzo). In the meantime, probably should have scherzo up to avoid those 3k's.

Swordplay mitigates severe damage but ends the Swordplay effect.

I was not aware of the distance thing with Light Blade, but I will keep this in mind. Thanks.

Idk, maybe a GEO entrusting Wilt or using a Wilt Luopan could make Light Blade damage near nothing. I'll have to go GEO sometime and see.