Welcome to Guardian server’s official Hamidon Raid thread…again. We have lost some previous threads containing information about raiding the Hamidon because of the ongoing transition to the new vBulletin format, and, unfortunately, the information contained in them was likewise lost. I am hoping that this thread will be more long-lasting, and that we will be able to keep the information going for our current use as well as for future changes.
So, with that purpose, I thought it appropriate to begin with the strategy we are currently using. The heart of the strategy has been adapted from the one used on several other servers, and was originally introduced to the Guardian server by OSHA and the wonderful folks from the OSHA Academy on the Infinity server. That strategy goes back to the many folks who worked during the i9 beta testing, and they are too many to mention here. The strategy that we have used successfully on Guardian server most recently has been modified slightly by myself and several others, and has been used to accomplish a raid in as little as 43 minutes.
Hamidon Raid Strategy
I. Farming for EoEs
The Hamidon is spawned by taking down a random number of Devouring Earth in the Hive. At times, this number will be very small, meaning that we will be able to start the raid quickly, but may not have enough Essence of Earth (EoE) inspirations to successfully complete the raid. Other times, it takes a significantly longer amount of time for the Hamidon to spawn, meaning that the raid may not begin for a full 30-45 minutes after the official start time, but you will have more than enough EoEs to complete the raid and have some left over for the next one. Note that it is vital that everyone have open spaces in their inspiration trays for EoE drops. If necessary, burn through any other inspirations, as it’s doubtful that non-Tankers will need anything apart from a few Break Free or Respite inspirations.
One way to ensure having a sufficient number of EoEs is to farm them in advance. The best place for this is on the islands located in the northwest portion of Peregrine Island. The more people you have, the faster the farming goes, as the monsters drop faster and there are more folks with the chance to get a drop. It is not mandatory to do this, of course, but if you are planning to participate in a raid, it can guarantee that you will not fail because of an insufficient number of EoEs. Should raid leaders choose to do this kind of farming, I would suggest posting the date and time in this thread so that you will have as much participation as possible.
II. Set-Up
There are a minimum of 5 teams used in this strategy: a Hami Taunt Team, a Yellow Mito Taunt Team, a Yellow Mito Kill Team, a Blue Mito Kill Team, and a Green Mito Kill Team. The following is a list of who should, ideally, be on each team. Given the nature of public raiding, however, we live with the reality that we will frequently not have the best combination of toons present. So these teams will, by necessity, be modified for each raid to accommodate the people present.
Hamidon Taunt Team: 1 Tank, 2 Empaths, and 1 Kinetic is ideal. It is possible to work with only one Empath and no Kinetic, but at that point I strongly suggest having a back-up Tanker to take over when and if the first Tanker goes down.
Yellow Mito Taunt Team: 6 Tanks, 1 Empath, Thermal, or Sonic. It is better, of course, if you have two support toons on this team, as it allows them to spread the mez protection duties between them. It’s also very handy if at least one of them has recall friend and a rez of some kind.
Yellow Mito Kill Team: 6 Melee Damagers (Scrappers, Blappers, Tankers, or Peacebringers), 1 Empath, Thermal, or Sonic. Again, it is better if you have two support toons on this team, and if at least one of them has recall friend and a rez of some kind. Group Fly is a great help on this team.
Blue Mito Kill Team: 6 Ranged Damagers (Blasters, Defenders, or Kheldians), 1 Empath, Thermal, or Sonic. In this case, one of the defenders may be an Empath or Sonic, but you would want to make sure that they knew their primary job was mez protection and not damage. Again, two support toons are better. Note that, depending on your team make-up at any given raid, this team may not need an individual using single target mez protection. With two Dark defenders using Shadow Fall, and two or more Force Field or Sonics on the team, the AoE mez protection should be sufficient as long as the team stays together. Therefore, Group Fly is a valuable power to have on this team.
Green Mito Kill Team: 6 Controllers, 1 Empath, Thermal, or Sonic, 1 damage dealer. Ideally, this team’s mez protection would come from the secondary powers of the controllers themselves, allowing you to have two damage dealers on this team. This is a necessity, particularly at the start of each wave, as it is difficult for an all-controller team to do sufficient damage to overcome the healing of the other Green Mitos. If you have a full team of controllers here, and enough people to start a sixth team, send that team in with the Green Mito Kill Team to help supply damage. This Team, also, benefits greatly from having Group Fly.
It is rare to have a full 50 people (zone limit) in the Hive and active at any given time. Typically, when the zone reaches its capacity, there are a handful of people who are disconnecting and trying to come back in, along with a handful at the entrance of the zone trying to load in. As such, 6 teams will usually be as many as you need. Once the original Yellow, Blue, and Green Mito Kill Teams are full, extra people should gather on a sixth team to help supply damage against the Green Mitos, as mentioned above. After that, the Hamidon Taunt Team can pick up stragglers, meaning that up to 48 people can be on teams.
It is EXTREMELY helpful if those who want to participate in a raid unhide completely and post their toon’s name, AT, and powersets in broadcast upon entering the Hive. This allows the different Team Leaders to see who is available using the search function, and get everyone on a team as quickly as possible. If you announce your toon’s name and do not get picked up immediately, please be patient. There are a whole lot of moving parts in leading a raid, and it’s easy to miss someone. Wait a minute or two, and then post your information again in broadcast. Please leave the Request channel for use by the Raid and Team Leaders only.
After you have posted your information in the broadcast channel, proceed to the “Public Rock”, which is located almost due south of the crater where the Hamidon spawns. There will be Devouring Earth in the area, so please approach with caution, and do not drag any aggro to the gathering place.
It is possible—and likely—that we will be short on one toon type or another. This is a built-in hazard of public raiding. If the Raid Leader determines that something vital is missing, he or she will likely ask in the Request channel if there is anyone who has an alt at raid level that will fill the need. If you are willing to do so, send a /tell to the Raid Leader, indicating that you are willing to switch. Do NOT automatically log out, though, as there may be more than one person willing. The Raid Leader will respond and let you know whether you should switch toons or not.
III. Spawning the Hamidon
Once there are sufficient people present in the Hive, we will start taking down the DE. The Raid Leader will announce that we are beginning, and designate a Tanker for everyone to follow. Please stay with this Tanker and do not go off on your own. In a perfect world, we would have enough folks to divide in half and take down two DE at the same time. But this is not a perfect world, and it will ultimately be faster if everyone stays together, using all buffs/debuffs/heals/damage on the same target.
Some servers will not begin taking down DE until there are 30 or more people in the Hive. This causes a lot of unnecessary waiting on the part of those who are on time, and is, quite frankly, overkill for purposes of taking down DE. So as soon as we have 20 people in the zone, we will begin. If we spawn the Hamidon and do not have sufficient numbers for raiding, the Raid Leader will wait a designated amount of time (usually 15-20 minutes) for additional folks to show up. During this waiting period, it will be announced in the Guardian channel, and everyone is encouraged to contact their own friends or SG mates and invite them to come join the effort. If at the end of that time we do not have the minimum number to raid effectively (i.e. less than 90 minutes in the Raid Leader’s estimation), the raid will be called, and everyone will be encouraged to store their EoEs and bring them back for the following raid.
Assuming we have the necessary number of people to successfully raid, everyone should gather just to the left and back (southwest) of the Public Rock. While we are gathering, a few things should be happening:
1) If you have not raided previously, or have not raided since the changes to Hamidon in i9, please ask your Team Leader about your responsibilities. Do NOT assume you know what you’re supposed to do. All of us were new at this at one point or another—although for some of us it’s so long ago that we no longer remember it—so please don’t hesitate to ask. It will be better for you and for everyone involved if we take a few extra minutes in the set-up portion of the raid, rather than wipe and have to reset because some folks didn’t know their jobs.
2) If you have EoEs that have dropped during the spawning, give them to any Tanker you see nearby. If they are full, find another Tanker. If all seven Tankers responsible for maintaining aggro are full, hold onto the EoEs so we can distribute them later in the raid, as needed.
3) Team Leaders will spend this time organizing their teams. This will include such things as designating the person who is leading the way to the first target for that team, assigning a specific Yellow Mito to each Tanker, assigning who will be responsible on each team for recall and rez duties, and, if necessary, who should focus on support on a given team.
4) Everyone who is on a support toon and has a single target buff should use it and maintain it on their teammates. This includes Clear Mind, Clarity, Thaw, Speed Boost, Increase Density, and O2 Boost. If you are a Force Field defender or controller, place both bubbles on your teammates, as one contains Toxic resistance and the other provides resistance to End Drain. If you are a Sonic, place Sonic Barrier (toxic resistance) on your teammates. No other single target shields are necessary, as defense and resistance to anything else are useless.
5) We live with lag, particularly during something like a Hamidon Raid. But there are two main ways to cut it down, ultimately making us more effective. So if possible, wear costumes that do NOT contain the following: capes, auras, wings, or trench coats. Also, turn off unnecessary powers. Things like Superspeed are nice for the Tankers to use to get into position, but once there, turn it off. It’s an end drain you don’t need. No one outside of the Tankers need to have SS activated, as it’s important for everyone to stay together and, hopefully, each Mito Team will have Group Fly running. Using any shield that does not protect against mez attacks or end drain, or increase your regeneration rate, is a waste of endurance, and can cause unnecessary lag. This is true for the Tankers as well, as the EoE will give you 90% resistance (resistance cap for Tankers) to all of the Hamidon’s un-typed damage. So, for example, an Invulnerability Tanker would need to run Unyielding only, as Temp Invulnerability (smashing/lethal resistance) is completely ineffective against the Hamidon and the Mitos.
IV. The Raid
1) The Raid Leader will wait until all the Team Leaders have indicated that their teams are ready to begin. At that point, the Raid Leader will call for AoE buffs. At this time, anyone who has Regeneration Aura, Recovery Aura, or Accelerate Metabolism should fire them. It is important for everyone to be gathered as close as possible so that everyone gets the maximum number of buffs.
2) As soon as the buffs have all been fired, the Raid Leader will call for Taunt Teams to go in. All Tankers on the Taunt Teams will pop an EoE and move into position. Each Yellow Mito Tank will proceed to his or her designated target and taunt it. This should be done from maximum range, and OUTSIDE the cytoplasm, taking the damage as far away as possible from all other raiders. The Hami Taunt Tank should proceed due north, taunting the Hamidon as he or she goes by, and then positioning on the north (far) side of the Hamidon at maximum range. This allows your Empaths to remain outside the cytoplasm for buffs, and have as short a distance as possible to go should they need to get close to apply an RA later.
3) When the Raid Leader sees that the Taunt Teams are in place, he or she will call for the Mito Teams to attack. Each Team should then proceed to its first target, following whomever the Team Leader has indicated, and taking down that target as quickly as possible. When the first target drops, the Team will follow its designated person to the next target and repeat the process until all six targets have been eliminated. Those with AoE buffs should fire them for their teammates whenever they recharge. Also, as the Yellow Mitos are taken down, the Tanker assigned to them should move in and taunt the nearest Blue Mito until it, too, is defeated.
4) It is typical that the Green Mitos are the last to go down, since they have to be held before they can be defeated. So when the Yellow or Blue Mito Teams complete their own Mitos, they should proceed to the Green Mitos and assist on the SAME Green Mito as the Green Mito Team is targeting. It does not help for those without holds to attack a different Green Mito, so please pay attention to your targets.
5) When all Mitos are down, the Raid Leader will call for everyone to attack the Hamidon. All debuffs should be used, along with all damage. Heals are NOT needed at this point, and cause unnecessary lag, so please don’t use them. All pets can be spawned for additional damage. When Hamidon nears the “Pop” point (35,340 for the first pop, 23,560 for the second, and 11,780 for the third), the Raid Leader will call for those responsible for recall and rez on each team to leave the cytoplasm. ONLY those toons designated for recall/rez duty should leave the cytoplasm at this time. Please leave immediately and move quickly, as Hami’s health bar can be dropping fairly quickly at this point, and the last thing we want is to have an entire team wipe and have to change toons out to get reset.
6) When the “Pop” happens, everyone should get clear of the cytoplasm and break line of sight as quickly as possible. Do NOT go straight back to the gathering spot, as you may bring aggro back with you and cause a wipe. Instead, wait behind a rock for a few seconds to ensure that you are no longer a target, and then proceed as quickly as possible to the gathering spot. If you should be defeated trying to get out, do NOT go to your base or the hospital. This causes unnecessary delays, and may prevent you from returning the zone (in the event that it is full). Simply wait for your recall/rez teammate to do his or her job. Teammates should be brought back and rezzed, getting those who have a rez ability of their own back on their feet first. The quicker this happens, the quicker we’ll be ready to go back in.
7) Once everyone has been gathered again, Team Leaders will check to make sure their team members are ready to go. This includes checking to ensure buffs are being applied, Tankers have sufficient EoEs, etc. When the Team Leaders indicate that they are ready to go, the Raid Leader will call for buffs and repeat steps 1-6.
8) On the last wave, of course, the Hamidon will be taken all the way down. It is important for those who are playing support toons to make sure they get a hit in on Hami, along with those who may have disconnected. We don’t want anyone to contribute to the raid and go away empty-handed.
With cooperation, this can be a very fun and successful event. Of course, short tempers, griefing, impatience, and things of that nature can make the process much more difficult and less enjoyable. But we have enough good people on this server that there’s no reason we shouldn’t routinely succeed in a timely manner.
We have previously scheduled our Hamidon Raids on Wednesday nights at 9 EST, with the farming to begin as soon after that time as we had the numbers. Unfortunately, with Guardian being a West Coast server, this means a start time that is difficult, at best, for many members of the server to make. As such, we’re moving the farming start time back 30 minutes to 9:30 EST. This isn’t a huge change, but will mean that we’d likely be actually attacking the Hamidon around 10 EST/7 PST, which is about when we’ve been getting the numbers we need anyway. If there are no huge problems, and the Hamidon spawns within the first half hour of farming, the raid should be completed by 11 EST. If there are some snags or team wipes, it may go slightly longer, but should not go later than 11:30 EST.
If you have questions about the strategy or suggestions for this guide, feel free to send me a message on these forums. Also, I have some macros for anyone wishing to lead the raid, so feel free to contact me in-game and I'll be glad to share them with you. Hope to see you there!
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