Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn – How do I Beat Extreme Mode Garuda?

Once you have cleared the Hard Mode versions of Ifrit, Garuda, and Titan, you can move on to the Extreme Mode battles. The Extreme Mode fights offer level 90 accessories and special mounts. While Garuda was the second Primal you fought during the Hard Mode series, she is the first in the Extreme Mode Primal fights. She retains all of her attacks from the Hard Mode battle, but this time they inflict considerably more damage, which puts a much greater strain on the healers. If it’s been awhile since you fought Hard Mode Garuda, take a look at our strategy as the basic elements of the Extreme Mode fight are very similar.

You’re going to need two tanks and two healers for this battle. A Bard is always nice for Mage’s Ballad, but beyond that specific jobs aren’t required. It’s nice to have at least one White Mage for Medica II and Regen, but dual Scholars can use alternating Whispering Dawn to help compensate.

Phase One

The first phase begins very similar to the first phase of the Hard Mode Garuda fight. The main difference here is that Garuda should be tanked at the far north side where she awaits the party. The tank should always face Garuda away from the rest of the party. When she uses Eye of the Storm, all party members need to hide behind the pillars in the center of the area. Make sure there’s a pillar between you and Garuda to avoid taking damage from the attack that follows.

When she reappears, make sure all party members move away from the pillars so that Garuda’s various attacks do not damage them. Similar to the Hard Mode battle, Garuda now summons Plumes to aid her in combat. Focus on the Satin Plume first, then take down the Razor Plumes as quickly as possible.

Depending on how well-geared your damage dealing (DPS) jobs are, you may have to repeat this phase a second time. However, with most parties you should have enough DPS to get to the second phase after the Plumes are taken care of.

Phase Two

The second phase begins when Garuda summons Suparna and Chirada to help her. The main tank needs to grab Suparna and take her and Garuda as far north as possible. Meanwhile, the off tank grabs Chirada and pulls her as far south as possible. You need to keep the two adds as far apart as possible at all times to avoid the buffs that occur when they’re close together. Both tanks need to face the bosses away from the rest of the party.

During this phase, DPS jobs should focus on Chirada first, then take care of Suparna before attacking Garuda again. Healers and ranged DPS should move to the east or west to avoid taking unnecessary damage. It’s very important for healers to pay close attention to both tanks during this phase as their health can drop rapidly. Having Medica II and Regen active on both tanks throughout this phase is extremely helpful. In addition, if any party members get a debuff that looks like a whirlwind icon, quickly remove it with Esuna or Leeches. When the bosses jump into the air, use Stoneskin on the tanks to lessen the damage that follows. Tanks should also use defensive cool downs at this point.

You must kill Suparna and Chirada before Garuda teleports to the middle of the area and casts Aerial Blast. If either add is still alive when Garuda uses Aerial Blast, the entire party will wipe. However, as long as both adds are down, you can survive at full health. It’s helpful if Scholars use Sacred Soil at this point. After Aerial Blast, phase three begins.

Phase Three

This phase begins with Eye of the Storm again. Stick to the middle of the area and be ready for the Plumes that spawn. This time around the Plumes need to be handled a little different. A Spiny Plume appears alongside a group of Razor Plumes. Take out all of the Razor Plumes first, but watch the Spiny Plume. Whoever has hate on the Spiny Plume will start to receive a stacking debuff. If a party member reaches three stacks, the Spiny Plume explodes and wipes the entire party.

A good strategy against this is to have the off tank monitor the Spiny Plume and whoever it is targeting. When that party member reaches two stacks, the off tank should use Provoke, followed by an attack that generates enmity, in order to pull the Spiny Plume off of the other party member. Do not kill the Spiny Plume yet. It has very low health, so do not attack it until you’re ready to kill it.

Take care of the Razor Plumes, then wait for Garuda to teleport to the center of the area. At this point, kill the Spiny Plume as quickly as possible (it won’t take much). As soon as the Spiny Plume dies, it generates an area of effect (AoE) attack. Avoid this attack, then stack on the remains of the Spiny Plume as it generates a Sacred Soil-like shield. You need to be inside of this shield to avoid death from Garuda’s huge attack that follows. This also marks the end of phase three.

Phase Four

Shortly after the fourth phase begins, Garuda summons Suparna and Chirada appear once again. Shortly after the adds appear whirlwinds spawn that cover everything but the four corners of the arena. The main tank should grab Suparna move to one corner, while the off tank picks up Chirada and moves to the opposite corner. The healers and ranged DPS should pick opposite corners, away from the tanks, to avoid taking heavy AoE damage.

A Spiny Plume also appears during this phase. This time both tanks need to pay attention to the Spiny Plume and the party member it’s attacking. This phase lasts long enough that both tanks will likely have to use Provoke to move the Spiny Plume away from its current target when the target reaches two stacks of the debuff. The off tank should Provoke first, then the main tank should Provoke away from the off tank when the off tank reaches two stacks.

This part can be tricky because the tanks need to manage the adds, as well as the Spiny Plume and its debuffs. Once again, kill Chirada first, then the off tank should Provoke Suparna as the party shifts focus to her. With both adds down, focus on Garuda until she jumps into the air again. At this point, take down the Spiny Plume as quickly as possible, avoid the AoE attack that follows, then get under the shield that appears to avoid taking significant damage from Aerial Blast.

Garuda should be almost dead at this point. However, if she is not, the battle repeats starting at phase three. Follow the strategy for phase three and then phase four as they repeat endlessly until Garuda is down.