People ask about or bring up solo tanking almost every time Ramuh Extreme comes up, but there doesnt seem to be any real write-ups on the specifics of the method (probably because it just isnt that worthwhile to farm the old man). So I decided to cobble something based on my own experiences clearing this encounter as WAR/SCH/BRD/MNK.

General

• Goes without saying that this hinges on the tank maintaining Static Condensation throughout the entire encounter. Warrior is the preferred tank for maintaining debuffs and damage soaking.

• Having two Scholars is the minimum. You can go SCH/SCH/WHM for the Stoneskin or triple SCH for even more Lustrate.

• Obviously, having a Bard will make life easier for everyone, for Chaos baiting and Ballad.

• Theres really not much the melee bring to this fight, as theres only one DPS check and its pretty lax as long as everyone knows what theyre doing. Generally, having one melee DPS is the maximum, and that player has to pay more attention to the many ways you can get someone else ****** in this encounter.

Numbering the party

• The usual method is to mark players 1 through 5. This is completely up to you but, for consistencys sake, I usually mark Healers 1-2 (or 1-3) the more mobile ranged 3-4, rest of the DPS/melee 5-6 (unmarked) and the baiting BRD trumping everyone.

• Chaotic Strike: the unmarked BRD will bait Chaotic Strike and healers have priority for shocking the targets, followed by the more mobile DPS. This is because the healers are almost always camped centrally behind Ramuh, unlike the DPS which will have to move a bit during the add phase. The 5th DPS and the melee will basically never have to shock anything barring horrible RNG.

• Rolling Thunder: after Chaotic Strike is dealt with, the linked player with the higher number will pick up the orbs, which means bait BRD > unmarked/melee > ranged DPS > healers. Voice chat makes this much easier to deal with as you can quickly adapt on the fly (eg. if all the orbs pop on the left side, obviously the one closer to the left should get it regardless of numbering)

Specifics: Warrior

• Get Surge Protection ASAP. 4 orbs are dropped by the first Thunderstorm (and every one that follows) and Ramuh will hit you with his 18k before the next one. So grab 3 (all 4 if its not too much trouble) and get back into position. You have limited time to build aggro before you have to go run your little fetch quest, so maintain aggro with Tomahawk.

• Shock Strike hits in a small AoE around you (eyeballing: slightly smaller than large Ballistic Missile in T8 or Ravens Ascent explosion in T9) so stay away from the others when you know its coming. If all the orbs pop in the back and the closest way is to run through the party, dont - circle around the water instead.

• The rest of the fight is just a matter of maintaining Surge Protection/Static Condensation. Grab 1 orb every Thunderstorm or (riskier) every other Thunderstorm, and let the others know that the rest need to be cleared. No one should be picking up orbs until you (or someone watching your debuff, eg. a healer) give the go-ahead.

• During the add phase, you can switch to whacking one of the adds on your side to hurry things up. Just remember to maintain Condensation stacks on yourself and damage reduction on Ramuh. You should refresh for every Thunderstorm during this phase, as a poor transition (ie. Ramuhs Thunderstorm getting cut off by Judgment Bolt) may screw you out of a refresh and lead to 18k fun.

• The last 2 phases are basically the same as the first one besides the change in Shock Strike timing, as Rolling Thunder wont directly affect you. You can go back to refreshing every other Thunderstorm, which also helps if someone accidentally picks up an orb needed for Rolling Thunder.

Specifics: Scholar

• The SCHs must keep track of all the Etherflow stacks between them - focus target, voice chat, macros, whatever. Reflexively hitting Lustrate whenever the tank takes a hit will only end with the SCHs out of stacks and a dead tank. The two/three of you will rotate so that one is the active healer while the others Etherflow is on cooldown.

• Other than Succor for Thunderstorm and Adloquium on Rolling Thunder targets, you can basically Cleric Stance the whole way as the majority of tank healing is through Lustrate. So dot away, thats what Ballad is for.

• After the add phase, one healer (preferably the one with more Etherflow stacks) should get Surge Protection by picking up 3 orbs between Rolling Thunders. This prevents you from being targeted by Rolling Thunder, which reduces the chances of all healers being tied down by mechanics and unable to heal.

Specifics: Bard/bait

• Chaotic Strike/Rolling Thunder comes every other Thunderstorm. Youll have to stay at maximum distance away from Ramuh, at the edge of the arena, to make sure that no one is further than you while eg. picking up orbs. Once you get targeted, run back to designated shock location (usually marked directly behind Ramuh) and wait for the hit.

• The first Thunderstorm of every phase (besides the first) always comes with a Chaotic Strike, so be ready. Especially pay attention during the add phase, as it can be easy to forget about baiting while youre running around and hitting the adds.

Specifics: Monk/Dragoon

• Watch where you stand carefully during and after Thunderstorm and dont accidentally pick up the orbs that spawn close to Ramuh. This happens very easily and can lead to a wipe due to not having enough orbs for Rolling Thunder/Condensation.

• During the add phase, move back onto dry land for Thunderstorm (you can still reach the adds) and stay there until you see the lightning effect wash over. The water damage is slightly delayed and you can still get hit if you immediately move back in.

• In the final phase, you can use LB3 right after Chaotic Strike/Rolling Thunder if youre not one of the targets.