Buddy Rush: Raid Mode, Farjegnon

A section on the changes in Update 1.3 has been added further below.
Update 26 July 2011: Note that this article is less likely to be updated now that I have completed all sets associated with Farjegnon.

Update 20 December 2012:
The mini-wave update 1.7.2 on 30 October reduced Farjegnon's HP to 0.6M and made the raid available to characters of level 50. The old existing Farjegnon's set has been renamed with an 'Antique' prefix.
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Farjegnon's Raid Mode is at an advanced level and should not be attempted as the first raid. It is recommended that players practice with Genzir first. Not that many players have the option - Farjegnon has a minimum level requirement of 70.

There is an additional gameplay element with Farjegnon that requires additional control and management. However, I find Farjegnon easier compared to YA 86.

1.75 Million HP is not a lot.

The raid takes place in an arena with the Bootomb theme. The arena is a little different from the previous raids. First, the gem-dispensing hole at the entrance to the arena is missing.

That is it.

The rest of the arena is the same - the pillars, the other three holes in the ground, even the texture of the ground.

I am the sun in the middle!

Farjegnon's special attacks is a Powerslam (I call it that, don't know the official name) where he slams his sword into the ground for an attack in a small area. His second special is a Shockwave (similar to Worrier's skill, so I'll use that name) that he fires from the helmet in his left hand.

Update 28 May 2011:
My character was inflicted with Bleed after being hit by Shockwave. I think Farjegnon's version of the skill has a chance to inflict Bleed.

His third attack is a Firestorm (my name). Farjegnon will first thrust his head up, then brandish the sword - a very long animation to give warning, and to allow interrupts. Finally, he will thrust the sword into the ground and cover the whole (or at least most of the) arena with fire. Firestorm usually does enough damage to eventually kill just about any character.

I am not sure if tanks will survive since I am usually too busy saving myself to find out.

Surviving the burning weather.

The Firestorm can be interrupted until Farjegnon gives up trying or is distracted by a pillar. However, if interrupted after the area is blanketed with fire, Farjegnon may repeat the skill and do the Firestorm again.

The other counter to Firestorm is the shield, like that in the screenshot above.

Bright, bright lights.

The shield is given by the glowing yellow potion (under Farjegnon's head in the screenshot above). However, the shield only lasts a brief moment, so the potion should be picked up only when the shield is required. The potion does not disappear until the end of the raid, so it is safe to leave it on the ground.

The glowing yellow potion is dropped by spherical balloons that appear once in a while to wander around the arena. Whenever a balloon appears, there will be a launch sound effect. At that audio cue, the balloon always appears at the same spot and follows the same path.

A last defense against Firestorm would be to use consumables. It is likely that two healing items of different types be required to survive the full effect of Firestorm.

Oh, and that plucky little dog Wolfgang appears to be immune to Firestorm. Lucky pooch!

Other than that, Farjegnon stuns with his regular attacks. And he is immune to stun. (Hands up, those who thought he/she could stop the Firestorm with a stun.)

Stun only interrupts Farjegnon - he will repeat from the start the special skill he was trying to use. However, while he is preparing the Firestorm, he is totally immune to stun (no interrupts). (Hands up, those who thought he/she could use stun to interrupt Farjegnon until he gives up.)

Farjegnon is, however, vulnerable to regular interrupts (e.g. Nagne's Leaf Slash, Vivich's Lotus Slap, Wolfgan's bite).

Update 28 May 2011:
I just got hit by three Firestorms in a row. I discovered that Firestorm does not kill. It stops doing damage once a very low minimum HP is reached. I am sure you can use this information to devise a proper response to Farjegnon's ultimate technique.

Unlike the previous two raids, the extras in this raid that bring in the potions and loot are not as inconsequential. Reaper Oblins or Reaplins or whatever-they-are-called can stun. This could be pretty bad if the player is stunned while trying to reach for a glowing yellow potion.

I suggest playing a damage-dealer who can go after balloons and potions. A support character may not be as good if he/she has low Att.

Wizz is a good buddy to have as his skills will likely blow a balloon by accident. He also throws damage all over the place to take care of those pesky stunning Reaplins.

When attacking yellow balloons with a melee character as the main, attack from the back. Otherwise, the character may accidentally pick up the potion when the balloon breaks.

It may or may not be wise to bring lots of buddies with interrupt. While more will increase the chance of interrupting Farjegnon's special attacks, it will also increase the chance of interrupting Farjegnon just after he has fired the Firestorm, making him unleash the skill again. With the long preparation time of the Firestorm, the shield from the glowing yellow potion may not last long enough to protect the buddies from the second wave of fire.

Update 1.3
Update 23 June 2011:
The effects of the pillars and the drops of the extras have been changed, as reported in the article on Genzir's Raid. Not sure if this is different from the previous update: Two of the holes where the gems spawn, the ones on either side of the arena have been moved down, a little in the direction of the entrance. The 'Wake up!! Buddy!' gem is still available, though it rarely appears, usually when the player does not need it.

Farjegnon is now vulnerable to Stun, though for a reduced duration. He is still immune to Stun while attempting to unleash a Firestorm. 

Farjegnon's Firestorm now can KO a buddy. There goes the cheap trick everyone uses to escape his ultimate attack. Bring healing consumables of different types in case a glowing yellow potion is not available.
(What do you mean 'What cheap trick?'?)

Update 4 July 2011:
Farjegnon now gives up more easily if his Firestorm is interrupted. That means that a player is much less likely, if not never, to suffer three Firestorms back to back. Two Firestorms may still happen, though. If the glowing yellow potion is picked up just before the first Firestorm hits, the shield should last long enough to cover the second Firestorm. 

I have not experimented much with this but it may be possible to survive one Firestorm sheltered in Vivich's Sanctuary. However, the glowing yellow potion is a much more reliable defense.

Update 20 July 2011: Vivich or Healury?
Both will restore the party's HP and reduce potion use. Vivich has two skills that heal. Though Healury has only one healing skill, she can cast a defensive shield on the party that works as additional HP. Also, Healury's aura increases Max HP.

Vivich's Lotus Slap interrupts and may cause Farjegnon to repeat his Firestorm, or delay it. Depending on the player, this may mess up the timing to grab the glowing yellow potion. On the other hand, one of Healury's skills has the same sound effect as the appearance of the balloon so that may cause some confusion.

Update 26 July 2011
I noticed that Farjegnon uses Firestorm more frequently with certain team setups than with others. Sometimes, he even attempts a Firestorm even when the balloon has not appeared yet. There were a few times when I had to delay the Firestorm with an interrupt to buy enough time for the balloon to appear, to beat up the balloon and to pick up the glowing yellow potion.

So I had the theory that Farjegnon uses the Firestorm based on the amount of damage he sustained from the last Firestorm attempt. I started counting the damage done to Farjegnon. I got numbers between 50k and 80k, more frequently at 60k damage - it is possible that the number is random.

However, before I could come to any conclusion for my observations, the game decides to bribe me with the complete Farjegnon's set.

I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Anytime I come close to proving some interesting theory, the game gives me items in an attempt to stop me. :p
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And of course, the reason why anyone would brave Firestorms: the loot.

Argh!! Why!? WHY!?

Some of the loot I have received (the number after is the number of tries):

Sword of Guardian (purple!) - 8, 7 (I've completed 2 Guardian Sets!)
Armor of Black Knight (blue) - 6
Sword of Master (red) - 6
Eagle Eye's Badge (red) - 6
Sleep Shade (red) - 8
Scent Bag of Nirvana (red) - 7
Eagle-Eye's Badge (red) - 7, 6
Luxury Wig (red) - 6
Laserscope (red) - 6 (I can't believe I'm actually happy to see this.)
Prove of Endurance (purple!) - 6
Farjegnon's Helm (purple!) - 5
Monkey (blue) - 5
Farjegnon's Cloak (purple!) - 6
(Updated 17 June 2011)

The following is the loot I received after Update 1.3:
Laserscope (red) - 9, 7, 6
Prove of Endurance (purple!) - 8, 6
King Scorpion's Poisoned Needle (red) - 8
Laserscope (blue) - 6
Kung-Fu Scroll of Liu (red) - 6
Sleep Shade (blue) - 6
Rob of Wizz the Great (blue) - 7
Scent Bag of Nirvana (red) - 6
Eagle-Eye's Badge (red) - 6, 6
Kung-Fu Scroll of Liu (blue) - 6, 6
Farjegnon's Sword (purple!) - 6, 7
Ancestor's heritage (blue) - 6
Monkey (blue) - 6
Luxury Wig (blue) - 7
Sleep Shade (red) - 6
Farjegnon's Armor (purple!) - 6 (Completed the Farjegnon's set on 26 July 2011 a few hours before Update 1.3.3, after 37 tries!)
(Updated 26 July 2011)

The following is the loot I have received after the Daily Quest mini-wave of the Eighth Wave:
Leopard Boots (blue) - 1
Leopard Boots (blue) - 1
Ancient Coin (blue) - 1
Farjegnon's Helm (purple!) - 1
Mysterious Stone (blue) - 1
Ancient Coin (blue) - 1
Ancient Coin (blue) - 1 (Farjegnon must have been pretty rich in the old days!)
Mysterious Stone (blue) - 1
Leopard Shirt (blue) - 1
(Updated 21 January 2013)

The following is the loot I have received after the Ninth Wave:
Farjegnon's Helm (purple!) - 1
(Updated 16 February 2013)

The following is the loot I have received after the Challenge Mode mini-wave of the Ninth Wave:
Leopard Shirt (red) - 1
Ancient Coin (red) - 1
Leopard Shirt (blue) - 1
Farjegnon's Sword (purple!) - 1
(Updated 21 April 2013)

Buddy Rush: Contents

My opening is more awesome than the previous raid bosses'!!