Creeping Doom/Strategies

==Tips==
Bitoso has a tendency to cast Cure III on himself. This makes it difficult to kill him, since he recovers so much HP while you're trying to wear him down. Most of the strategies involve interrupting him or preventing him from casting.
Edit Jan 06, 2008: This "Tip" is highly misleading; Bitoso practically spams Cure III (even when over 90% HP). Even during prolonged fights (5+ min) Bitoso did not run out of MP. 
==Working Job Combinations==
This section is not meant to discourage people from trying different combinations, but to illustrate combinations that have been tried and tested. Please feel free to try this BCNM with any combination you think might work, and above all, have fun!
===Black Mage + Black Mage + Black Mage===
*Bitoso is a prime target for Manaburn trios, as he is easy to sleep and doesn't resist nukes often.
*Very high resistance to Silence. Elemental Seal is advised.
Strategy:
*Sleep and nuke.
Strategy Pros:
*Bitoso is easy to sleep and aspir.
Strategy Cons:
*Very high resistance to Silence. Elemental Seal is advised.
*Black mages are easy for him to kill.
Making this Strategy Better:
Move close for a timed 1st nuke, 2 designated blms cast sleep 1st, once Bitoso is slept, surround Bitoso in a triangular formation so paralyga won't hit all the blms. Aspir every chance you have, Bitoso has limited mp hence you'll eventually stop his cure 3
===Any two jobs that can use crossbows + White Mage===
*A popular strategy is to use Sleep Bolts on him to try and keep him from Cure IIIing himself.
*Have a white mage in the group for Poisona and Paralyna, as well as healing.
Strategy:
*Have the two people with crossbows alternate Sleep Bolts with Holy Bolts, which do nice damage on Bitoso. Have one start off with an Acid Bolt to lower Bitoso's defense, and the other immediately follow with a sleep bolt. The first will then switch to holy bolts, while the second immediately follows each with a sleep bolt.
Strategy Pros:
*Bitoso sleeps pretty easily.
Strategy Cons:
*If you don't have a RNG or two, you may end up timing out, because of the reduced damage a THF or WAR or DRK will do compared to a RNG. On the other hand, a time-out is preferable to a full party wipe.
*Requires good coordination between the two shooters.
Making this Strategy Better:
*Load up on the ranged accuracy and attack gear and food.
===Blue Mage + Blue Mage + Blue Mage===
*Taking advantage of the low level Stun abilities of the Blue Mage, coupled with their good damage dealing capabilities, this BC is perfect for three Blue mages.
Strategy:
*The Blue Mages should all sub WHM if possible, for Poisona and Paralyna, or at least RDM to help cure others if needed.
*Each should equip Healing Breeze and Sheep Song for auto-regen.
*Each should equip Head Butt for stun and Bludgeon for damage.
*Each should equip Cocoon and Metallic Body for defense.
*Divide up Sprout Smack, Wild Oats and Sandspin for enfeebling.
*Decide on a stun order, since the recast time is 10 seconds. It's better to have them spread out by a few seconds to ensure spell interruption.
*Buff up and attack, using your damage spells and Head Butt as needed.
Strategy Pros:
*High interruption rate with a lot of damage.
Strategy Cons:
*Possibility of running out of MP if you aren't using juices.
Making this Strategy Better:
*It is also possible to win duo with only 2 Blue Mages. Follow the advice above and use Head Butt to stun-lock as much as possible. Refresh drinks are necessary.
===Dragoon + Dragoon + Any job===
*This combination is all about taking advantage of the Dragoon/Mage Healing Breath
*Cure Breath from using a Weapon Skill cancels Paralyze/Poison. Whichever is first on your status list. You will only be able to cure Paralyze if your DRG's level is over 40 when uncapped.
Strategy:
*Pull out a Calculator and find out everyone's 33% HP Threshold. 
*Have all Dragoons engage on one side of Bitoso, then move around to the other side to prevent Wyverns from getting Poisoned from Poison Breath.
*Whenever a party members drops below the 33% threshold, cast Dia or Paralyna to trigger Healing Breath.
*Out live Bitoso with Healing Breaths. Bitoso can't keep up with Cure III from the shear damage dealt.
Strategy Pros:
*Lots of damage from 4-6 attackers.
*Cheap Healing and Status Recovery.
*Bitoso can get interrupted due to many attackers.
Strategy Cons:
*Paralyze can cause many Job Abilities to be a waste. Save Job Abilities when Paralyze is removed.
*Unlucky double Paralyze on all Dragoons while casting for Healing Breath can cause a death.
*Low HP Threshold causes most people to be really uneasy to join in.
*Possibility of running out of Mana without Juices.
Making this Strategy Better:
*Use 3 Dragoons instead if possible. All of which have soloing experience more-so preferred.
*Pack Cheap Juices and Meat Foods for more damage and a Hi-Potion should the unlucky double paralyze show up.
*Stagger DRG positioning so that while Wyverns remain behind Bitoso, DRGs themselves are either in the front or side (Similar to a Fafnir anti-flail positioning). This way even if Bitoso turns Wyverns will not be targeted and only 1 DRG at a time will be susceptible to AoE -If 2 DRG: Place Wyverns at 6 O'Clock with 1DRG at 12 O'Clock and 1DRG at 3 O'Clock -If 3 DRG: Place Wyverns at 6 O'Clock with DRGs at 12 O'Clock, 3 O'Clock and 9 O'Clock respectively.
*Have the Dragoons for the fight be level 40+. They have access to Healing Breath III even when level capped which heals for an additional 15~ more HP than Healing Breath II.
*Added June 15: We used DRG/WHM, DRG/DNC and NIN/DNC. We all ran outta MP by the end and spent most of our time with our HP in the yellow, but we won. Bring juice for the setup and it's a piece of cake! I did not come up with this, I just used it. Dkhyrosha 21:44, 15 June 2009 (UTC)
*Added July 28: I've been doing this BCNM a few times, a year or so ago, and more then a few times now. There was a patch months back, the exact one escapes me, but it altered the wyvern in level capped situations. Due to this, my wyvern, and my friend's, never used Cure Paralysis or Healing Breath III. Healing Breaths were always IIs and Cure Paralysis never came about. I believe this is because the wyvern is now 'offically' set to the Dragoon's level in a capped scenario. What this means is that it is extremely difficult, at around 50/50 win/lose ratio, to do this without multiple juices per fight, or using a third person (I use to duo it). Be wary, Poison Breath at the beginning of the fight has done upwards of 150+ to me and my friend. --Blurryhunter 22:05, 28 July 2009 (UTC)
===Black Mage + Black Mage + Bard===
Strategy:
*Have the bard sing Ballad and Enchanting Etude(self) when entering the BCNM
*Designate a BLM to be the 1st sleeper.
*Have 1st BLM sleeper run in range and Elemental Seal + Sleep Bitoso
*Bard uses either Fire (for damage) or Light Threnody (for lullaby)
*Mages cast Firaga on Bitoso at the same time.
*Bard starts Lullaby right before Mages finish casting
*repeat 2 times Firaga + Lullaby (alternating Foe and Horde)
*Recast Enchanting Etude and Threnody
*Firaga
*Recast Ballad
*When mages run out of MP they rest while Bard keeps Bitoso asleep
*repeat until it is dead
Strategy Pros:
*Bard can sleep Bitoso indefinitely while mages rest
*Ballad (free mp regen)
Strategy Cons:
*Lullaby Resists (Dark Day is EVIL)
*Sometimes he wakes up before recast is up on both Lullabys
Making this Strategy Better:
*Have the Bard use Tuna sushi and the best CHR+ gear for their level
*Bring juice and Rolanberry Pies for the mages
*At the start of the fight the Bard could also add Learned Etude to the BLM sleeper for added affect
===Paladin + Blue Mage + Blue Mage===
Using this Combination Myself, Conceptz & Unholysin broke the record by 3 minutes on Kujata Server.[]
Strategy:
*Enter the battle field, Eat your food which should be: PLD = Steamed Crab, BLU's = Rolanberry Pie. Each player should have atleast 1 Yagudo Drink for use in the arena.
*If you are not worried about breaking the record buff up with Metallic Body/Cocoon and heal.
* PLD runs in first and provokes Bitso, followed by both BLU's from behind Bitso. After casting your 1st Spells drink your Yagudo Drink/Melon Juice, This will ensure your MP stays higher for longer.
*The BLU's can then alternate Sneak Attack/Head Butt taking it in turns to interrupt Bitso's Casting. Always casting Bludgeon for damage.
Strategy Pros:
*Our PLD was Galka with almost full defense gear for level 30, With his Steamed Crab he was hit for 15-20HP by Bitso.
*BLU's Stun effects and all around power of Bludgeon was the killing point here. Myself and Unholysin both subbed THF for Sneak Attack/Head Butt combo. This worked to great effect, at one point we had him stunned for about 20 seconds which gave the PLD enough time to cure up to full.
Strategy Cons:
*Excessive missing of Head Butt when Bitso is casting Cure III means certain death, because your MP WILL run out.
*Head Butt Failing to Take effect is another bad one, if you cant stun him, you can't interrupt him.
Making this Strategy Better:
*Yagudo Drink
*Steamed Crab and Rolanberry Pie/Melon Pie
*Good defense gear for PLD, and MP gear for BLU's
*Be sure to equip Wild Carrot incase the PLD gets interrupted while casting Cure.
*Subbing Thief for Sneak Attack
=== Dragoon + Thief + Puppetmaster ===
*This strategy was developed and successfully tested by Theodus (DRG), Dryopae (THF) and Khujo (PUP) of the Quetzalcoatl server.
*This strategy's basic premise is to outlive Bitoso's MP. The Puppetmaster achieves this with his automaton equipped with the Soulsoother Head and select attachments, allowing it to keep him alive (among other things: see below). The Dragoon/Mage (in this case /WHM) is responsible for curing himself and the Thief with Healing Breath.
*Food Used: The DRG used a Rolanberry Pie and a Yagudo Drink to ensure enough MP for Dia (Healing Breath) througout the fight. The PUP and THF both used attack food (Meat Mithkabob).
*Equipment: the PUP's automaton was key to winning this BC. The automaton was equipped with the Soulsoother Head, Stormwaker Frame, and the following attachments (this is not the full list): Mana Conserver, Mana Booster, Mana Tank II, Mana Converter, and Damage Gauge. This setup provided main healing for the Puppetmaster, -na spells for the group and Silence on Bitoso, which landed frequently.
*It is not possible to have Mana Conserver (1 ), Mana Tank II (3 ), and Mana Converter (2 ) all equipped on a Soul/Storm combination. It has a capacity of 4 and those three attachments combined needs 6. Please clarify. --Draymor 16:51, October 31, 2009 (UTC)
**You're absolutely right. I asked the PUP what he used and that's what he told me. Now I'm not sure what he used, but could only have been either Mana Tank + Mana Conserver or Mana Tank II + Mana Converter. I don't remember the automaton converting, but I cannot say for certain. --Theodus 23:42, January 9, 2010 (UTC)
Strategy:
*Each player used whatever food they brought in and rested up.
*The Dragoon attacked first, giving the PUP enough time to set up his automaton far enough away to avoid Poison Breath.
*The Puppetmaster was subbing Warrior for Provoke and to help with SATA. The Thief would SATA the other players to keep Bitoso from concentrating on anyone too long.
*The Thief used two swords (Centurion's Sword and a Small Sword) instead of daggers for more damage.
*The automaton would Silence Bitoso, preventing Paralyga in some cases. In others it would cast Paralyna when necessary. It also did a fantastic job of keeping its master alive.
Strategy Pros:
*The automaton kept up with Silence and Paralyna, making Bitoso's Cure III and Paralyga minimal concerns.
*The Dragoon was able to keep both himself and the Thief alive and provide the brunt of the raw damage.
Strategy Cons:
*The automaton can run out of MP or die, in either case spelling doom for the players.
*Silence may still fail to stick.
*This is not a record-breaking strategy: the first fight to use this method took over six minutes.
Making this Strategy Better:
*While not of utmost importance, getting the THF as much DEX+ gear as the level cap will allow will maximize the damage dealt to Bitoso with Sneak Attack.
*Have the DRG bring an extra Yagudo Drink in case the first wears off. Keeping him refreshed is vital for both his and the THF's life.
=== NIN/WAR, WAR/THF, BLM/WHM ===
Strategy:
*A simplified party set up. 
*Nin/war can tank easily with shadows and using slow/paralyze ninjutsu (sticks 99% of the time depending on magic skill).
*War/thf using great axe deals an awesome amount of damage (Sneak Attack + Sturmwind ~250dmg). 
*Blm/whm keep the magic to debuffs (choke, poison, etc) and paralyna/poisona use.
*After the first fight, there was relatively little need for cures with NIN tank. The first fight took a second to get into the grove, but after that, subsequent fights went smoothly.
*Takes about 8min a fight with this method.
*This set up doesn't focus on stunning or sleeping the mob.
*Paralyze from ninjutsu stopped roughly 25% of the Cure IIIs the Crawler tried to used and was really pretty useless, however, helped with keeping shadows up.
*Overwhelming with pure damage over time was easy. Blade: Retsu with berserk netted about ~100-120 dmg with WAR/THF doing the bulk of the damage.
*Total of +19 eva gear (no food) on mithra nin/war tank, crawler hits ~25% of the time for about 40~100dmg.
*Blm/whm went in with 2 pineapple juices and had enough mp for entire fight. DD and Tank had 1~2 Hi-Pots, didn't really need, but extra insurance.
Strategy Pros:
*Easy to adapt from constant exp parties. Substitute other DDs or tanks for nin tank.
*Any healer will pretty much do, however a smn/whm might make fight go faster.
Strategy Cons:
*Long fight (~8 minutes)
*Easy to wipe if ninja can't tank
*Easy to waste mp if not used smartly
Making this Strategy Better:
*Possibly a heavier hitting DD. A Drk/thf or /war might net better dmg versus a war/thf.
*Having at least one stun to stop what Cure IIIs paralyze can not.
*Having Samurai to spam Tachi: Hobaku might help.
=== NIN/WAR, BLU/NIN, BLM/WHM ===
Stategy:
*NIN/WAR used Defense food Tavnazian Taco to reduce damage taken. Entered BCNM first, casts Jubaku: Ichi
*BLU/NIN uses Yagudo Drink and Hi-Ether as needed. Enters after NIN engages.
*BLM/WHM Casts Aspir, Poison, and Burn to start then nukes after fight is established.
*Did 3 runs and times were 7:29, 5:30, and 9:30. NMs use of Cure III on final fight was often and quick.
*Jubaku: Ichi stopped some of the casting (NIN skill capped) but had little affect on last fight.
*The BLUs Head Butt worked very well to stop casting but is dependent on mob timing.
*Aspir did not prove to be of any real value in this BCNM.
Strategy Pros:
*Good set up with flexibilty to adapt to conditions.
Strategy Cons:
*BLU will get hate fairly quick even with constant provokes from NIN/WAR. If not ready for it, will hurt.
*WAR/NIN or SAM/NIN may be more suitable then the NIN/WAR for better damage against this NM.
=== DNC/NIN, BLU/NIN, BLM/WHM ===
Strategy:
*Followed the same general strategy as the above NIN/WAR, BLU/NIN, BLM/WHM set up
*Bring Hi-Potions for the melee classes, Hi-Ethers for the casting classes, Yagudo Drinks for MP users. Mages used pies and the dancer used a Tavnazian Taco.
*Use of Cure III cannot be understated here: he will cast the spell constantly, often Head Butt was still on cooldown (<10 sec between casts)
*BLM/WHM stacked 3 Elemental Debuff spells, cured paralyze/poison, and did paced nuking while spot healing when necessary.
*Did 3 runs, died on last run due to human error and lazy preparation. First fight barely finished in time, second fight was around 9:30 because of consistently good stuns, solid prep work, good teamwork and maybe a little luck on Cure III being spaced further apart. 
*DNC/NIN kept Aspir Samba up for BLU's mp, stacked Box Step for more damage, and was chiefly in charge of tanking and keeping everyone healed. Dancing Waltz I and II were good for keeping hate, but BLU's damage would often pull aggro so it may have been better if the BLU used a Tavnazian Taco. 
*Good strategy was bleeding Bitoso down to around 25% HP, casting sleep, resting for a few MP ticks, then having the BLM and BLU unleash as fast as possible with strongest spells/abilities to burn him down to nothing. Water II was hitting for around 130-150, Stone II for between 100-120. 
*Although not needed, Trance is great for spamming cures in a pinch and building up TP and Manafont towards the end allowed for unfettered nuking to burn Bitoso down quickly.
*Flat Blade was extremely handy in interrupting Cure III when Head Butt was on cooldown.
Strategy Pros:
*Burning when he's at ~25% HP seemed to be very effective, especially if you can catch him doing Sticky Thread or Poison and can burn him down to zero without letting him get off another Cure III. 
*Flexible and opens up the door for different techniques involving DNC.
*The third attempt where two of us died and we ran out of time was largely due to bad luck. He got off a lot of Cure III's, our food buffs ran out mid-fight, a few debilitating paralyzes that we couldn't get rid of quick enough. Even with all these issues we managed to knock him down to 1% and the BLM accidentally hit his Aspir macro instead of a nuke. Literally any other spell would've finished him off, but it gave him enough time to Cure III back up and we were too beaten down and short on time to recover.
Strategy Cons:
*Long fights. Doubtful that you'd be able to get it under 8 minutes without a healthy sum of luck.
*BLU would take hate often and for long periods of time. Recommended BLU uses food that includes a defense bonus and perhaps Metallic Body
*While DNC seems viable, he just wasn't able to contribute enough on offense due to lack of damaging abilities/spells to speed things up. 
*Bitoso seems to like casting Cure III even faster and with more consistency when he starts hitting the red, causes the fight to come to a stand-still and really needs the BLM to come out swinging.
Making this Strategy Better:
*DRG/WHM would probably be a more solid choice than DNC: Bitoso doesn't really have any huge spike damage abilities so letting people get below 33% health wouldn't be overly risky and the damage output from a lance, wyvern, and being able to use weapon skills would more than make up for the loss of sambas, waltzes, and steps. These runs were made with a lack of options in the DNC slot and we took a bit of a gamble to see if it worked and it paid off (mostly).
*With a little refining and better preparation, this would be a fairly low-risk option to the other strategies. The key here is going to be finding a way to balance stunning, healing, and damage in varying degrees to ensure a consistent drain on Bitoso's HP.
*On Aspir and Stunning: Aspir + Aspir Samba while allowing him to spam his Cure III would probably cause him to run out of MP fairly quickly. I think the discrepancies in draining his MP that people are running into is that when you are constantly stunning his casts the Aspir abilities won't be enough to drop his MP down to zero. My proposal is that you pick one or the other, but don't try both. If you're going to drain his MP, just focus on that and keeping yourselves healed while slowly chipping away at him and then when he's out of MP burn him down with impunity. If you are going to try to stun his casting, focus on that and forget about Aspir entirely. Unless you're going in with multiple Black Mages and Sleep + Aspiring him like crazy he probably won't run out of MP before you run out of time. Aspir + Aspir Samba + him casting Cure III will probably work, but more testing would have to be employed before being able to recommend that as a winning strategy.
=== DNC/NIN, DRK/DNC, DRG/BLU ===
Strategy:
Easy as pie battle but won't be breaking any records. Go into BCNM as usual and engage. DNC casts aspir samba and DRK spams aspir as well. DRG/BLU Headbutts Paralye as well as DRK stunning when necessary. DNC keeps healing when needed. DRK can drain and heal HP when needed. Hate will bounce between the 3 players but HP will never be in critical stages as long as DNC keeps healing. Fight will take approx 7-10 minutes depending on how lucky you get with Cure III spamming. 
=== DNC/NIN Solo ===
Strategy: This fight can be soloed by DNC/NIN with some struggle. Bring rabbit pie for atk/def(or sushi if you're confident in your DEF/ATK and just want more accuracy), suit up with accuracy+ gear, evasion gear isn't necessary. Drain Samba, Quickstep, Box Step, and Curing Waltzes are your friend here. you may want to bring an Icarus wing or a few potions if you aren't confident in your armor and TP alone to last you the final stretch, he starts to hit hard when he runs out of MP. Start the BCNM as normal, eating food, casting Utsusemi: Ichi and engaging. Drain samba immediately upon gaining enough TP. He will be too busy spamming spells to hurt you too bad when he has the MP to cast. It is advised to also cast Utsusemi: Ichi while he's busy spamming spells, as it can give a decent window just after he has struck you. Paralyze won't hinder you much. Quickstep in between hits and, once maxed, Box Step him while maintaining both Steps' levels. Mind your TP, don't use Weapon Skills, you're gonna need all the TP you can get towards the end of the battle. Keeping both Steps at level 5, just keep Drain Samba up every couple minutes and use Curing Waltz II when necessary. when you get his HP low enough, he'll cast Cure III on himself, serving another spot to possibly cast Utsusemi: Ichi, though this isn't necessary and you can get some extra hits in if you don't. Within the next few minutes is when you're gonna want that TP, as he will run out of MP and resort to melee. Being about 8 levels higher than you he can be nasty. Use Curing Waltz II when you dip below about half health and keep attacking. Utsusemi is useless at this point, you won't be able to apply it in time unless he misses you, it is advised that you just melee him for TP and heal yourself in between hits. In case you have too much trouble at this point, an Icarus wing is recommended. After a few minutes of this final stand, he should be no more and you can claim your loot.Category:Strategies