Ongo V20 Alternative Setups

Has anyone killed ongo v20+ with an unconventional setup?

It seems like the meta is BRD BLM RUN SCH COR GEO, but there has to be a few occasions where people have done it slightly differently.

Can anyone share their experience? I just cant help but think BLM should be up front with manawall on + contributing to the SC continuation with shattersoul.

Theres a video on YouTube with a THF creating darkness and blm just bursting.

RUN just makes the most sense as the frontline SC person because of the massive benefits of gambit and rayke. Any DD that can extend darkness and keep themself alive (BLU is coming to mind here) would be fine.

BRD could probably be swapped out for something like RDM to frazzle/buffs/handle add. I can’t see getting around needing the SCH BLM GEO slots and COR is just necessary for JA resets.

RDM BLU COR SCH BLM GEO? Something like that maybe if the BLU and COR can reliably extend scholar’s gravitation and make darkness.

We didn't have SCH making almost any SCs in our V20 setups, just used COR and RUN to make all the SCs. It was very fast and reliable. That said, I'm sure the BRD could be replaced, but keep in mind the haste on both the tank and the backline is quite useful, never mind the threnody, etudes, and ballads, or the tank songs. You could probably replace it with someone making SCs or helping with the add, but it's most likely going to contribute less than a BRD is.

Is your group lacking a specific one of those jobs? If so, which one? Might make it easier to figure out a workaround.

I think Rdm and/or Smn might be able to sub in for Brd and/or Geo? Rdm can tank add and keep support/Heals on Run/Party. Smn can Buff party and skillchain. Cor Blm and Run are needed for sure? I am not sure how you replace Sch without taking great losses. I have seen some Vids of folks using Thf, Drk and other random DDs to spam Darkness.

Im usually the blm on the attempts, but its always a missed sc window along with rayke and gambit that causes the time out.

I have a DD blm gear set with claustrum for survivability. I was thinking sticking manawall up and spamming back to back Gate of Tartarus and Shattersoul for the Darkness sc. Capped 50% damage taken along with manawall, all I would need is refresh/haste buffs.

Dancer could be an option too + the odd waltz + box step + haste samba.

Even Apoc dark up front could survive without heals. Spamming Catastrophe would create the necessary sc window while self healing.

Never thought about smn, could be useful for the add. If the add appears via 2nd on the hate list, enmity douse and the avatar taking it could be an option. RDM might be the winner though on that front.

Would be curious if anyone was interested in trying any of these listed strategies. It seems like people are so far down the meta rabbit hole, that only the closed groups win this fight and never return....

If only you didn't have to waste precious segments to try, I bet more people would be willing to try different stuff or simply to help.

Yeah, everyone should just be able to try the fights infinite times, that would make the content so much more engaging after everyone beats every fight in a month and quits the game. You should design an MMO!


This is indeed a problem but it sounds like it's a problem with the execution of your members and not a problem with your setup. This fight requires coordination and communication more than any other. While Rayke/Gambit/Subtle are up, people need to be focused on doing SCs and not get distracted by buffing, debuffing, doing RD, or whatever other nonsense. After those CDs go down, you can prepare for the next time.

Adding DRK, DNC, or whatever other job to make SCs seems nice, but who are you replacing? As others have said, COR RUN SCH BLM GEO are pretty much essential to "do magic damage to the boss" so your only real option is BRD. Do you think you'd rather have "more reliable SCs" over having ballad, march, etude, threnody, plus carol, march, madrigal, etc. on the tank? Imagine your RUN tanking with no haste support except embrava, -500 lightning resistance, and -250 accuracy; it seems to me that you're losing a SC partner to gain a SC partner.

I think it's worth considering putting BLM in melee range and you could try helping with SCs, but consider that you won't be able to close (or you'll miss out on MB time) so you'll only be able to contribute to the first part of a SC which is likely to be a Darkness, which is significantly worse than the 4-step you could otherwise be doing because of the MB bonus for longer SCs.

I would suggest getting your rhythm down with your existing group. Outside of RD/WC and dealing with the add, it should be incredibly easy for RUN and COR to do Upheaval -> Leaden -> Steel Cyclone -> Wildfire for 3 skillchains in a row. Between Samurai Roll, Earth Shot, Triple Shot, and capped haste on the RUN, TP flows very easily.

edit: oh and in case it wasn't obvious, we cut out SCH skillchains entirely in my groups' winning setups. Relying on a SCH slows things down in my experience as they have other things going on and will be distracted by buffing, curing, etc. whereas COR and RUN can just spam nonstop.

There was a strategy maybe a year or so ago where someone put in a THF, in place of the GEO or COR maybe? It's on YouTube somewhere.

They stole the 2hr to buy more time and the THF made Darkness, they cleared it that way but it was still pretty tight on time. I tried with DNC a few times w/ a group that cleared using the meta strat and it just didn't work well, it possibly could've been optimized some but I'm not sure it's worth it if you have the necessary jobs for the typical strat.

Also make sure your SCs are as dragged out as possible. The tendency in there and Sortie is for melees to hit the WS window as soon as it is up and lose a second or two of time to MB, you should drag it out as long as possible to provide a longer burst window.


I'm assuming his point is that you could have a way to go in without spending segments, but also without the rewards (so no RP and no kill credit if you win) to either help others or try different strats. Not necessarily to have unlimited attempts to clear it and get credit for the kill. If anything, I think this might improve participation and engagement since there wouldn't be a cost to trying off the wall strategies.

I think this would be an absolute disaster for the game, especially if it was a decision which could be made on a per-character basis, like 5 people with the clear and 1 person without the clear, only the guy without the clear spends segments. I had a whole essay written up about why, but I think people are probably sick of seeing me writing dissertations about every topic on the forum so I'll refrain from elaborating.

Just make it if one person is attempting without RP/Win then no one gets it either. That way when 5 people that go in for nothing to clear 1 person through it, it doesn't reward that 1 person. Dissertation complete.

Eh. In this case, Odyssey bosses are supposed to be THE endgame and last a long time since the game isn't making new content at a decent rate anymore. If they let you spam them for free with no limits, then people would finish them very quickly. Gear isn't the issue with the new tiers, it's just strategy and luck. So a practice mode would kind of "ruin" the content in a way. At least for hardcore players.

Casual players may never see the end of Odyssey, so a practice mode would likely help them achieve it at a decent pace like hardcore players currently enjoy. So it's a bit of positive and negative if they did that. I don't think either the current way or a free practice mode would necessarily ruin the game, but I can see an argument for both.

I would certainly, personally, be done much faster with a practice mode and then play the game less as a result since I would have more time to go play other games, but I would still be playing and paying the monthly sub, it's not a loss for SE really either.

All fair and I don't necessarily disagree. I also recognize that this would cause a lot of congestion problems and further facilitate mercing, something they aren't going to willingly enable. It's also not exactly difficult to come by segments these days, on average doing PUGs is pulling in 10-11k each run.

My issue is that I find a lot of players unwilling to experiment or try something other than strats posted on the wiki or here. My initial thought was that maybe they'd be less hesitant if there was a way to try with no segment cost, but OTOH, maybe that just isn't the issue and it is laziness instead. Given how easy it is to come by segments and that they already at least reward you for trying via RP, maybe it wouldn't change anything

So when we originally did v20 we did it 2 ki and it helped us quite a bit.

KI1: NIN/SMN/RDM/PLD/WHM/DRK
Here the goal was 25% so we could start tabula buffs after pull to save tab time due to sforzo. Nin was doing Hi > Hi for Smn to burst nether blast, and rdm and nin threw in nukes as well. With only nin meleeing we were still clearing 25% 4/5 times, obviously if you have rdm enspell damage this would be even better. Drk was throwing in nukes toward the end to clear auras as well but they weren't much to write home about.

Followed by the standard setup for KI2.

The 25% off the start might help with time outs for your main comp except if you end up with mab down or macc down on second ki. So as always YMMV.