The Mothercrystals

Walkthrough

 * Head to any of the Shattered Telepoints to enter Promyvion

The Basics

 * The level cap is 30.
 * Experience will be earned here as if you are level 30. All deaths received carry a Level 30 penalty (350-400 after returning to your Home Point).
 * Promyvion zones are keyed upon entry; if you've gone into Dem you can skip the entry cutscenes by talking to the Cermet Door in Dem. Conversely you can't warp directly to Mea and enter the crystal there.  You'll receive no message explaining your inability to enter. If you want to leave the Promyvion you're working on and go elsewhere, use the Large Apparatus on your way out.  The Apparatus will erase your memory, allowing you to enter any Promyvion zone.

Mobs behavior
Enemies in Promyvion are called `the Empty`. Each Promyvion has 4 diferent kinds of mobs. Wandereres, Weepers, Seethers and a final mob that is exclusive to each Promyvion. The seethers and exclusive mobs have a level range depending on floors like:


 * 1st: Easy Prey to Decent Challenge
 * 2nd: Even Match to Tough
 * 3rd: Very Tough to Incredibly Tough
 * 4th: IT++

Weepers and Wanderes will be always a little lower being Tough or Very Tough on the last floor.

Do not bother with Sneak or Invisible, all of the mobs are active on True Sight. It is possible, therefore, to walk behind them on the lower levels. Take not that everything is active on True Sight, however. The mobs on the higher levels are also active on True Sound. The best bet is to give them their right of way. None of the mobs will link when they are pulled.

Before you head out
Begin Empty Memories quest in Ru'Lude Gardens from Harith. This is a repeatable quest, and he will ask you for Rare/Ex Recollections. These are dropped from any mob in Promvyions. Upon completing this quest you will receive Rare/Ex Animas that is to be used on the Promvyion bosses. It is advisable that at least four people in your party, if not all six have at least one Hysteroanima and one Psychoanima. (This may entail farming Recollections prior to heading out.) Animas alone will not win the fight, sadly. Although not imperative, everyone should to obtain some form of Reraise spell such as Scroll of Instant Reraise, Reraise Earrings or the like. This will put a lot less strain on the WHM. The WHM, on the other hand, must have some form of Reraise. Melee should purchase several Hi-Potions, regen drinks, and attack food. Mages should purchase refresh drinks, Ethers, Echo Drops, and a couple Remedy. For Holla, everyone will need Holy Water and Poison Potion.

Walkthrough for all Promvyions
Upon entering the Promvyion, all buffs except food will cancel. I highly recommend you use the maps from The Vana'diel Atlas (on the right). It shows the locations of all the Memory Receptables and tele-points. To go up a floor, you must find and defeat a Memory Receptacle. Have someone with Wide Scan track the Memory Receptacle. MRs always appear on platforms and the platform locations are fixed. Although there are several possible locations on the second and third floors, the MR may not be at all the locations. The MR will pop several strays, which will die in a single ranged attack. If the MR is real, a Memory Stream will pop, and you have three minutes to enter this stream and go into the next level. If the MR is fake, nothing will pop up. Be sure to kill all the strays before entering the portal because you cannot jump while being attacked. If you need to go down a level, search for a platform that has a live portal, but no MR sitting on it. That will be the portal down. Try not to get separated from your group! If you have not done so already, be sure to use your reraise item upon reaching the third floor. Although the previous floors may have been easier, things can get extremely difficult from here on out. On the fourth floor, there is no MR. You will have to look for the zoneline. It may be very difficult to avoid aggro on the fourth floor, but if you get caught and the castle-like structure is nearby, you should be able to zone easily. You will zone into the Spire, and your level restriction will be lifted. However, just rest up because the level restriction will go back in effect upon entering the BCNM, and set up an anima order.

The NM boss fight
Boss fights are single-party only. If you went up with a partial alliance someone is going to sit out during the fight. The fight you want is "Ancient Flames Beckon." Do not rush up to the boss, as all buffs except your food will cancel upon entering the battlefield. Instead use a Reraise device, food, drinks, and cast your buffs first. I do not recommend doing these fights on Darksday, as blood pacts and Eagle Eye Shot may heavily be resisted. Anima have the same effect on all three bosses: The effects of anima stack, so you can use Psychoanima and Hysteroanima in pairs to stop all attacks. This also helps you to time the Hysteroanima.
 * Psychoanima causes the boss to be 100% intimidated by players for ~30 seconds, stopping all normal attacks (prevents 7-8 attacks).
 * Hysteroanima causes the boss's special attacks to fail for ~20 seconds. They are still readied, but do not execute.  This is especially useful in the last 20% of the boss' HP, when they start to spam their TP attacks.
 * Terroanima causes the boss to run away from the player with hate for ~30 seconds.

Promyvion - Holla

 * For Holla, the boss is the Wreaker (Thinker type). His TP attacks are:
 * Trinary Tap: Drains 1-3 status effects (including Food, Reraise and Utsusemi) or 200 HP from the target.
 * Trinary Absorption: Drains HP from the target.
 * Shadow Spread: AoE Curse and Sleep. Use Poison Potions to prevent sleep and Holy Water to remove Curse.
 * Stygian Vapor: AOE Plague + hate reset?
 * Negative Whirl: AoE Ice? damage.
 * Winds of Promyvion: Erases one negative effect on the NM.
 * Empty Cutter: Single target physical damage.

The tank should not eat Defense food that will cause trouble for you when the boss absorbs it. Similarly, the tank should not have Protect. But do give the tank a dummy buff like Barstonra for the boss to absorb instead of the tank's HP. If you have a Bard in your party, they can give the tank songs that won't cause too much trouble when absorbed, like Ballad.

Promyvion - Dem

 * For Dem, the boss is the Progenerator (Gorger type). His TP attacks are:
 * Fission: Spawns an Offspring. Only used below 50% HP.
 * Vanity Drive: Directional AoE damage.
 * Spirit Absorption: Drains 200 HP from the target, ignores Utsusemi.
 * Promyvion Barrier: Defense boost (for Offspring?).
 * Stygian Flatus: AoE Paralyze.
 * Quadratic Continuum: Single target damage.


 * At 50% he will start popping kids. The Offspring are smaller than normal Gorgers and are weak.  The Progenerator is immune to Sleep and Bind; the offspring are not.  The maximum number of offspring in play is 6.  Offspring will continue to be generated if some are killed off.

Promyvion - Mea

 * For Mea, the boss is the Delver (Craver type). His TP attacks are:
 * Carousel: AoE physical damage and knockback. Absorbed by Utsusemi.
 * Promyvion Brume: AoE damage + Poison (+ hate reset?)
 * Murk: AoE Slow + Gravity.
 * Impalement: Drops the target to 5% HP and resets hate on them, like Throat Stab. Can avoid by running away.
 * Empty Thrash: Single target damage.


 * Carousel is a bothersome attack as healing your damage dealers often requires Curaga, which can shift hate in unpleasant ways. Promyvion Brume will reset hate and is an AOE poison effect.  Utsusemi can't block the AOE poison effect from Promyvion Brume.  This is an incredibly nasty skill to face.
 * Make sure you bring Antidote potions to self-cure poison; your healer will not have time to give Poisona to people. The hate-reset also makes doing so a dangerous proposition. This boss is incredibly hard to fight if let him spam his skills.

Strategy
Disclaimer: This is only one man's opinion.

Getting There

 * 1) Regardless of what anyone tells you, you do not need a party full of Rangers and Summoners to defeat these bosses.  Albeit, they make the fight much easier, they are not essential.
 * 2) Either a Ranger, or someone with Ranger subbed is extremely useful for finding the Memory Receptacles on each floor.  Otherwise you need to hunt and peck around using the The Vana'diel Atlas maps.
 * 3) If you get aggro on the first, second or third floor, pull the mob to a safe spot and fight it.  Be wary of other aggro.
 * 4) At the beginning of the third floor, use Reraise items.
 * 5) The fourth floor is unique because the mobs are so hard and there is a zone you can run to.
 * 6) * If you get aggro run. If one of your party members gets aggro, flee first, fight later.
 * 7) * Before you head out, all mages should blink and stoneskin up. If you are a summoner or have summoner subbed (highly recommended for WHMs), summon Carbuncle.  If you have a summoner, cast Garuda and have her use Aerial Armor.  Also double check Reraise.
 * 8) * Attempt for as long as possible to avoid aggro, but once you do, sprint for the zone.
 * 9) *# Mea is easy. It's a short run.  When in doubt, head Southeast.
 * 10) *# Dem is not very difficult if you don't get lost. When in doubt, follow the right wall.  You should be able to avoid aggro at least until K-5, if not until J-6.  Once there, you should be able to survive a sprint to the zone.  If someone dies, be sure it isn't the WHM.  Tractor and Raise as necessary.  Remember flight before fight.
 * 11) *# Holla is the most difficult. I find the easiest way is to head west first.  You can split mobs and avoid aggro pretty much until I-11.  From there, it's a sprint to the zone.  This is the zone where people are most likely to die.  I like to stick to the right wall from I-11 to J-9, avoiding the area at J-10, it's a Northeasterly run.  Then I like to sprint straight to north wall and follow the north wall to the zone.  Again Tractor and Raise as necessary, and flight before fight.

Boss Fight

 * 1) Set up an Anima Order, the order in which the party members will use their Anima.
 * 2) Create Macros that say:
 * 3) * /p USING ANIMA NOW!!  XXX go in 30 seconds.
 * 4) * /item "Psychoanima" 
 * 5) * /wait 10
 * 6) * /item "Hysteroanima" 
 * 7) Have mages and Rangers take up spots on different sets of stairs around the mob.  Have the tank try to keep the boss in the center as best as possible.
 * 8) Hold off using your Anima until the boss is at 70% health.  Then go.  These should make the boss just stand there and look stupid.  (Watch you anima use carefully.  If it fails to trigger due to movement on your part or something, be sure to use it again).
 * 9) At 30-60% health, start using any applicable 2-Hour abilities.
 * 10) If you have a Ranger, save Eagle Eye Shot until the mob is under 10%.  You want that to be the finishing blow.
 * 11) If the ... hits the fan and the mob is still up after all Animas and 2-Hours have been used, go to Plan B:  /item "Terroanima"  followed by Elemental Seal + Bind.  Then pray.

Guides

 * Promyvion Guide

Game Description

 * Mission Orders: The first mothercrystal has been tainted with Emptiness. Hurry to the remaining crags to find out if any other stones have met the same fate.