Asphodelos is the first raid tier of the Endwalker expansion and consists of four difficult boss encounters, with the final floor being split into two encounters with a checkpoint in between. The four bosses are:

1. Warder of the Condemned: Erichthonios
2. Mythic Creation: The Hippokampos
3. Mythic Creation: The Phoinix
4. Hemitheos: Hesperos

If you're looking for general fight mechanic guides, you should take a look at our Savage guides written by Lyra Rose, linked below each section.

Disclaimer: This document contains suggestions for rotations and mitigation usage. If your group decides on strategies that require you to do something else than what is listed on this page, discuss the pros and cons with your group, and be willing to make concessions. The suggestions on this page are only one way of doing things.

See the Paladin Endgame and Optimization guide for more information on different openers and considerations for optimizing rotations.

P1s: Ericthonios (Savage)

This first fight of the raid tier is a full uptime "dummy" fight. As such, the choice of opener is kill-time dependent, with the goal being to end naturally on Blade of Valor. As noted in the Endgame Guide, the 18-second prepull opener is the best option for an unknown kill-time.

At common kill-times, it is only possble to get two tincture usages over the course of the fight. Generally, pot during the opener and at 6 minutes. If using the 18-second prepull opener, consider potting during the 1-minute window instead of the opener, for a small gain.

With face-pulling (skipping the hardcast Holy Spirit and simply running to the boss) and a 18-second prepull opener at a 2.44 GCD, all of the tankbuster knockbacks will either be in Requiescat or cleanly between melee GCDs, assuming no clipping or GCD delays.

Mitigation Usage

• Alternate Reprisal with your co-tank on raid-wide damage (e.g. Warden's Wrath, Shining Cells, Slam Shut, Pitiless Flail of Grace).
• Use Passage of Arms on heavy raid-wide damage (Shining Cells, Slam Shut).
• Use Divine Veil whenever you can pop it yourself (i.e. double-weaved before Fight or Flight at the earliest).
• Tankbusters (Pitiless Flail, Heavy Hand):
  • Use Holy Sheltron on every tankbuster you take.
  • Use Intervention on your co-tank whenever they are taking a tankbuster without their invuln (Heavy Hand, first hit of any Pitiless Flail, second hit of Pitiless Flail of Purgation).
  • You can use Sentinel on the first Pitiless Flail, and then alternate between Rampart and Sentinel for the remaining tankbusters.
  • If invulning the second Pitiless Flail, you can use both Rampart and Sentinel on the first and third.
  • Discuss with your co-tank if you want to use Hallowed Ground on any tankbusters, and where you can expect them to use their invuln.
  • For Pitiless Flail of Purgation, you can take the second hit (flare) at max melee, opposite the party, with your co-tank at max melee as far as possible from you; there is no need to disengage from the boss.

P2s: The Hippokampos (Savage)

This second floor features significant downtime at around the 4-minute mark, as well as mechanics which stun the player for a short time. We thus have to make adjustments to the rotation to avoid huge losses. A 2.44 or 2.45 GCD is preferred for this encounter. The full encounter rotation can be found here, and will be summarized below. Tinctures should be used as shown in the rotation: in the opener and shortly after Kampeos Harma.

• Opener: use the 18-second prepull opener. Ensure that Requiescat is used on the first GCD and that all oGCDs are used tightly on cooldown to gain a use before the first Channeling Flow.
• Continue with the standard rotation loop until the fourth Fight or Flight window.
• On the fourth Fight or Flight window, weave Fight or Flight immediately after Fast Blade. Finish the Goring Blade combo, then use the third Atonement, followed by a Royal Authority combo and two more Atonement. Assuming oGCDs have been used tightly on cooldown, you will also be able to use Requiescat and Circle of Scorn before disengaging from the boss for Channeling Flow. After the stun, use the third Atonement and then begin the Requiescat window as normal.
• After the previous Requiescat window, do a Royal Authority combo followed by two Atonement as normal. For the fifth Fight or Flight window, spend the third Atonement after the first Goring Blade. After Royal Authority, hold the third Atonement and spend it after the second Goring Blade combo. You will then get two Holy Spirit before the boss becomes untargetable for Kampeos Harma.
• Immediately following Kampeos Harma, use two more Holy Spirit and tincture before using Confiteor and the Blade of Valor combo.
• The next Fight or Flight window is non-standard. Do a Royal Authority combo (late weave Fight or Flight after Riot Blade), followed by 3 Atonement, Goring Blade combo, another Royal Authority combo (use Requiescat after the Fast Blade), then two Atonements (the second will be unbuffed) before beginning the next Requiescat window.
• The next Fight or Flight window is also non-standard. Following Blade of Valor, do a Royal Authority combo, then one Atonement before late weaving Fight or Flight. Then use 2 Atonements, Goring Blade combo, Royal Authority combo, and 3 Atonements before the next Requiescat window.
• After this, the rest of the fight can be standard. If killing around 9:30 and seeing the third tincture window, use the previous non-standard Fight or Flight window after the third Channeling Flow, using tincture before Goring Blade.

Mitiation Usage

• Alternate Reprisal with your co-tank on raid-wide damage (e.g. Murky Depths, Sewage Deluge, Coherence).
• Use Passage of Arms on heavy raid-wide damage (e.g. Sewage Deluge).
• Use Divine Veil whenever you can pop it yourself (i.e. double-weaved before Fight or Flight at the earliest).
• Tankbusters (Doubled Impact, Coherence):
  • Use Holy Sheltron on every tankbuster you take.
  • Use Intervention on your co-tank whenever they are taking a tankbuster without their invuln (Doubled Impact, either hit of Coherence).
  • Using Sentinel on the first Doubled Impact allows you to alternate between Rampart and Sentinel for future tankbusters.
  • Consider coordinating with your co-tank to see if you want to use invulns on Doubled Impacts, and move mitigation around accordingly.
  • Consider saving Hallowed Ground for Dissociation + Predatory Avarice. If you get marked with the debuff, you can stand on the "wrong" side of the boss and use Hallowed Ground to negate the damage down debuff from Spoken/Winged Cataract while keeping melee uptime.
  • Remember to stand in front of the party for Coherence if not taking the tether.

P3s: The Phoinix (Savage)

The third floor features a long adds phase that is entirely removed from FFLogs when calculating DPS. Thus, it can be ideal to carry as many resources as possible from the adds phase into the following boss phase. When progging the fight, do not attempt to pool resources for the reopener if you are seeing the adds enrages.

A 2.44 or 2.45 GCD is preferred for this encounter. The full encounter rotations can be found here (2.44), and here (2.45), and will be summarized below. The rotations for 2.44 and 2.45 differ only in the first phase. Tinctures should be used as shown in the rotation: during the opener and in the reopener after adds.

• Opener: Use the 4-second prepull opener, but skip the precast Holy Spirit and instead pull with Intervene at -0.6 seconds.
• Expiacion must be used no later than the fourth GCD in the opener and kept tightly on cooldown (without clipping) in order to not lose a use when the boss jumps before the adds phase.
• Phase 1 (2.44):
  • The second Fight or Flight window is non-standard. Spend the third Atonement after the first Goring Blade, and save the third Atonement from during the window for after the second Goring Blade (it will be unbuffed) before going into the Requiescat window.
  • After the previous Blade of Valor, there will be another non-standard Fight or Flight window. Use an unbuffed Royal Authority combo and two Atonement. Late weave Fight or Flight then spend the third Atonement. Use Royal Authority combo, Goring Blade combo, then three Atonements, then enter the Requiescat window. If everything was done correctly, the boss should jump immediately after Expiacion and Blade of Valor.
• Phase 1 (2.45):
  • Spend the third unbuffed Atonement before the second Fight or Flight window. For the third Fight or Flight window, use Fight or Flight after Riot Blade, then spend the third Atonement after Goring Blade. Use Royal Authority combo, one Atonement, Goring Blade combo, two Atonement, then begin the Requiescat window. If done correctly, the boss will jump immediately after Expiacion and Confiteor.
• Adds Phase:
  • Grab aggro on the two birds assigned to you and drag them to the correct place. Fight or Flight is free to use during this first half of the adds phase.
  • If the group is struggling with DPS in the adds phase, do not try to carry resources into the reopener. Use Requiescat and save the stacks for during the big bird dashes to keep easy uptime. Maximize AoE with oGCDs and the Blade of Valor combo.
  • To hold resources for the reopener, use Requiescat 5-12 seconds before the last add dies, and ensure your last GCD is Riot Blade, while making sure to have other oGCDs off cooldown for the reopener.
• Reopener:
  • Begin with Royal Authority, and use Circle of Scorn and Expiacion immediately.
  • Proceed with the normal Requiescat window. Use Intervene after the first Holy Spirit and tincture before Blade of Valor.
  • Late weave Fight or Flight after Blade of Valor. Use 3 Atonement, Royal Authority combo, Goring Blade combo, then two more Atonements, using Requiescat when available. Finish the reopener with another Requiescat window.
  • For the remainder of the fight, continue with the standard loop.

Mitigation Usage

• Alternate Reprisal with your co-tank on raid-wide damage (e.g. Scorched Exaltation, Brightened Fire, Experimental Gloryplume).
• Use Passage of Arms on heavy raid-wide damage (e.g. Dead Rebirth, Firestorms of Asphodelos, Life's Agonies).
• Use Divine Veil whenever you can pop it yourself (i.e. double-weaved before Fight or Flight at the earliest).
• Every Heat of Condemnation should be taken with either Sentinel or Rampart, plus both Holy Sheltron on yourself and Intervention on your co-tank. Take the first one with Sentinel and alternate from there.
• Use Rampart during the adds phase to mitigate auto-attacks after the big bird dashes. Use Holy Sheltron on auto-attacks during both big and small birds. If using Reprisal on Dead Rebirth, you can also use it on the small birds.
• If holding aggro after the first Experimental Gloryplume, use Rampart and Holy Sheltron to mitigate auto-attacks.
• If you aren't quite topped off during Death's Toll, use any available cooldowns to mitigate Life's Agonies.
• Some strategies call for an invuln during Storms of Asphodelos. Plan accordingly.

P4s-1: Hesperos (Savage)

Use the 18-second prepull opener to be in Requiescat during Pinax for Lightning second and/or sword Shift. At 2.44 and 2.45 GCD, with an Intervene pull, it should be possible to move the boss from the middle of the arena to one of the edges cleanly between melee GCDs after Setting the Scene, which is required for some Pinax strategies. Use tincture in the opener and during the 6-minute window.

Mitigation Usage

• Alternate Reprisal with your co-tank on raid-wide damage (e.g. Bloodrake, Decollation, Pinax).
• Use Passage of Arms on heavy raid-wide damage (e.g. Bloodrake, Decollation, Periaktoi).
• Use Divine Veil whenever you can pop it yourself (i.e. double-weaved before Fight or Flight at the earliest).
• With a Warrior co-tank, you can them Holmgang the first and last Elegant Evisceration, while you Hallowed Ground the second Elegant Evisceration, right after the first Pinax. Otherwise, communicate with your co-tank to determine which Elegant Evisceration you plan on swapping for, and take it with a large cooldown ( Sentinel or Rampart) plus Holy Sheltron and Intervention on your co-tank.
• If you have aggro during Pinax, use Rampart or Sentinel, as well as Holy Sheltron to mitigate boss auto-attacks and Pinax damage.

P4s-2: Hesperos (Savage)

This fight has several mechanics that are often solved with a strategy that involves heavy downtime. While the optimal rotation for most kill-times may be the standard loop following an 18-second prepull opener, this requires an uptime strategy for Act II as well as clean play.

There is an alternative rotation that lines up Requiescat windows with forced disengages in Act II and Act IV. Tincture should be used in the opener and during the 5-minute window.

Mitigation Usage

• Alternate Reprisal with your co-tank on raid-wide damage (e.g. Searing Stream, Ultimate Impulse).
• Use Passage of Arms on any raid-wide damage where your party is stacked up.
• Use Divine Veil whenever you can pop it yourself (i.e. double-weaved before Fight or Flight at the earliest).
• Tankbusters:
  • Kitchen sink (i.e. Rampart + Sentinel + Sheltron + Intervention) every Nearsight/Farsight.
  • If co-tank is a WAR, let them Holmgang both Demigod Doubles.
  • If co-tank is not a WAR, save Rampart during the first Nearsight/Farsight and use it with Holy Sheltron on the first Demigod Double..
  • Use Hallowed Ground on both hits of Heart Stake, by having aggro before the first hit, and swapping aggro to your co-tank before the second hit. Use Holy Sheltron after the invuln wears off to heal the bleed. If your co-tank is not a WAR, they can invuln Heart Stake instead and you can use Hallowed Ground on the second Demigod Double.
  • Use Intervention liberally during Curtain Call to help squishier party members like the physical ranged, RDM, or healers (BLM and SMN have their own personal mitigation they can use).