Pulling the Strings/Dragoon

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Hello! Welcome to Techno's guide to the Pulling the Strings ENM for dragoons. I'll be sharing the strategy I developed for this ENM with you. I won't tell you it's perfect, but after 5 runs, I've never lost. It's not the fastest strategy. I created the strategy to be safe and relatively cheap. I don't want to buy a 20k-30k gil Icarus Wing on top of other consumables and the fees to get to the ENM, just to get 2k experience points. That's not a very good exchange, in my opinion. If you want to set incredibly fast records for the ENM, this is not the guide for you. For everyone else who wants the exp or maybe the Wyvern Feed, please read on.

The Basics

If you're here I'm going to assume you know some of the basics about this ENM, but I'll go over a few points anyway. You enter this BCNM at Mine Shaft #2716. It is capped at level 60. You'll be fighting one humanoid opponent, the Fantoccini, and occasionally its wyvern. You can fight the moblin in the arena if you want, but that's a bad idea.

Equipment

Here is my equipment setup:

Weapon: Grand Knight's Lance
Ammo: Olibanum Sachet - This is the Elvaan male RSE throwing item. Another good suggestion is the Tiphia Sting, but if you can hit him well enough and you don't want the -evasion, leave it empty.
Head: Valkyrie's Mask
Neck: Chivalrous Chain
Earring 1: Assault Earring
Earring 2: Empty - I normally used a Merman's Earring in this slot, but since I don't want to spend gil on an earring just for this fight and I don't want so much -evasion I always leave it empty. I don't even have any suggestions for alternatives.
Body: Scorpion Harness
Hands: Spiked Finger Gauntlets - Drachen Finger Gauntlets wouldn't be bad, especially if you have a high parrying skill already.
Ring 1: Victory Ring
Ring 2: Victory Ring - You shouldn't have any trouble hitting him. Accuracy rings shouldn't be necessary.
Back: Empty - Again because I don't want to spend money on another armor piece just for this fight. A cheap leather mantle for the extra DEF would work.
Waist: Potent Belt - A Life Belt could work too.
Legs: Drachen Brais - Just because that's what I have laying around.
Feet: Drachen Greaves - Just because they're laying around and for the Jump bonuses.

Consumables

For food I suggest Tavnazian Tacos. A big part of this fight is simply outlasting your opponent. The extra DEF and HP you get with the tacos will help with that. You don't need sushi. Even as an Elvaan I can hit the Fantoccini just fine. As long as you have some +accuracy gear, you'll be ok. You do have +accuracy gear, don't you? I take Pamama au Lait to drink for regen.

I usually bring 5 Hi Potion +3s. I've gotten to where I don't even need them anymore, but I'll always take them just in case something goes wrong. For your first time doing this ENM, you might want to take more until you get the feel of it. You can always sell back the ones you don't use.

The Strategy

This strategy is fairly straight-forward. It rarely requires any deviation from the plan, though I'll go over some possibilities in the Notes section. You'll need to have your 2hr ready for this. You see, the biggest problem other jobs have with this ENM is that it requires you to outlast the Fantoccini. You may hit harder than him, but he has a lot more HP. In this respect, Dragoons actually have it kind of easy. By using our 2hr ability, we can instantly refill our entire HP bar, giving us the edge and the time we need. It's kind of like having a Benediction that gives us so much more than HP. Of course, you need to know how to time it in order to use it to its full effect. Here is what to do:

1. Use your food outside the battlefield.

• If you use it inside then you start off missing the HP you gained from the food. Using it outside before you're capped means that won't happen.
  

2. Enter the battlefield and run down the incredibly long path to the actual arena. Use your Pamama au Lait.
3. Engage the Fantoccini. The Fantoccini will engage as soon as you set foot in the arena.

• At this point he will not have a wyvern. He may never have one. To get one he has to have one of the random dice rolls tell him do use it.

4. Use Jump immediately.
5. Use High Jump immediately.
6. Wait a minute and a half for the Jump timer to reset. Use Penta Thrust when you have 100% TP. Drink your Hi Potion +3s if you get really low. If you're coming up on the 1:30 mark, just wait. You'll have HP soon enough.
7. When Jump is ready, use it again.
8. Use Spirit Surge. Your Jump timers are reset. Your HP should be full. You should also have close to 300% TP.
9. Use Jump to lower the Fantoccini's defense.
10. Use High Jump for even more damage and TP.
11. Use Penta Thrust. Chances are good it's dead.
12. If it's not dead hit it another time or two. Since you have almost full HP at this point and it is really hurting, you don't need to worry about too much.

Notes

How to deal with the wyvern
I've only had the wyvern called on me once and it was close enough to the end that I could safely ignore it. The damage it causes is not to be underestimated though. I've considered some options for dealing with it when it is called. What you do will depend on at what point in the battle it appears.

• First, use Ancient Circle. I'm not sure if it stacks with our Dragon Killer trait, but it's worth a shot.
• If the wyvern is called toward the end of the battle, consider ignoring it if you have HP to spare. Once the Fantoccini dies, it goes away.
• If the wyvern is called before you use Penta Thrust for the first time, try to take it out with the weapon skill. You will still need two Penta Thrusts to kill the Fantoccini though. Instead of using Spirit Surge after Jumping the second time, wait until you have 100% TP (you should be fairly close) and Penta Thrust. Then continue with the plan as normal.
• If the wyvern is called soon after you use Penta Thrust the first time, you'll probably just have to ride it out. I don't have any suggestion for how to handle it. If anyone can think of a way, post it on the talk page, please.

So you want to be faster?
The only way I can think of to be much, much faster at this ENM is to use an Icarus Wing. If you don't want to pay for one, consider completing the Bait and Switch quest in Bastok before you go. One of the possible rewards is an Icarus Wing. You can complete the quest once per conquest tally.

A slight adjustment to the strategy
The one I listed above has always worked for me, but there is another way. Before using Spirit Surge you should be at 80%-90% TP. You could wait the extra attack or two, Penta Thrust, then Spirit Surge, do your Jumps, and Penta Thrust using your wyvern's TP. This would almost guarantee victory with the third Penta Thrust. I don't recommend this if you're low on HP.

Conclusion

I hope this guide helps someone! I can't think of anything more to add at the moment. If you have any suggestions or comments, please post them on the talk page!