Stage 1: Tutorial[edit]

• Scripted; obey instructions.

Stage 2: Hatching a Plan[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001

Basic zergfest.

No strategy needed.

Just spam Mammet #001s and keep sending them at the enemy's Arcana stones.

Note: in all the following Stages which mention 'zerging'; a slight alternative to straight Mammet zerging is to spawn a few Cherry Bombs in to take out the enemy shield. It will make the Mammet's task of taking out the Arcana stone easier. But not by much.

Stage 3: The First Move[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001

Refer to strategy for Stage 2.

Stage 4: Little Big Beast[edit]

First boss fight.

Boss; Goobue Sproutling Type: Monster

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Wind-Up Nero tol Scaeva.

Basic zergfest.

Spam Nero and keep sending to attack the Goobue.

Stage 5: Turning Tribes[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001

Refer to strategy for Stage 2.

Stage 6: Off the Deepcroft[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Wind-Up Nero tol Scaeva.

Second boss fight.

Boss: Mindflayer Type: Monster

Enemy: Imp Type: Monster

Enemy: Smallshell Type: Monster

Basic zergfest.

Spam Nero and keep sending to attack the Mindflayer.

When the Imps spawn cut away a portion of your Nero army to kill the Imp quick, and stop them from buffing the Mindflayer.

Not really worth bothering with the Smallshells. They'll attack your Arcanas, but you'll kill the Mindflayer and Imps without having to bother with the health of your Arcanas. If you REALLLY wanted to do something more strategic and not just 'zerg it', you could group 2-4 Neros and send them after the Smallshells.

Stage 7: Rivals[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001 ;
• Zu Hatchling.

Refer to strategy for Stage 2.

Alternatively you could half your army between Mammets and Zus. Send the Mammets off to make quick work of the enemy's Arcanas, while your Zus play chase with the kitties and puppies. Will give you some practice on having to chase after mobs around the battlefield and also on using the Zu's 'Nasty Peck' special action.

Stage 8: Always Darkest[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001 ;
• Wayward Hatchling.

Enemies: various assortment of FFXIV main scenario NPC characters. Poppets, poppets everywhere.

Refer to strategy for Stage 2.

Alternatively for a more strategic, non-zergish play, you could half your army between Mammets and Hatchlings. Open with sending a pre-battle queued group of 6 Mammets off to make quick work of the enemy's Arcanas, while your Hatchlings initially defend your shield, (as the enemy poppets seem to really go for the shield). Will give you some practice on having to chase after mobs around the battlefield and also on using the Wayward Hatchling's 'Choco Shuffle' special action.

Stage 9: Mine Your Minions[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Wind-Up Nero tol Scaeva ;
• Zu Hatchling.

Third Boss fight

Boss: Slime Puddle

Type: Monster

Enemy: Coblyn

Type: Monster

Enemy: Dust Bunny

Type: Critter

Similar to the main scenario dungeon Copperbell's slime fight, the slime is invulnerable to your minions. A detonator is handily placed on the field for you to make use of in order to blow the slime into smaller and smaller pieces.

The strategy is in two parts:

• (1) Using Neros to grab and set the bombs (you could alternatively try Mammets) ;
• (2) Using an army of Zu Hatchlings to either keep the slime in place while you're waiting on the detonation sequence, or otherwise to fight the Dust Bunnies and Coblyns.

Create a few Nero to stand near the detonator. When you see a red bomb circling one of the Neros' heads, select that Nero, move him to one of the Arcana stones, where the slime is.

Place the bomb using the special action button. He does not need to be in a group of 4 to use this special action.

Wait 10 seconds (a 10-second timer will start counting down on the trap button if you've set the bomb correctly).

Press the trap button (blue button on screen) to detonate the bomb.

While you're doing all the above with the Neros' and the bombs, also start spawning those Zus to build up your army.

Zu's picked for the army in this case because as monsters they should not be weak to the Dust Bunny critters, plus for their special action 'Nasty Peck'.

Stage 10: Children of Mandragora[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001.

Additional options :

• Zu Hatchling ;
• Wind-up Nero tol Scaeva ;
• Cherry Bomb.

Enemies: various Mandragora minions.

Type: critters, critters, everywhere!

Strategy 1.

As per Stage 2 - zerg rush the enemy's Arcanas with Mammets.

Strategy 2.

If you'd like to try something less zergish:

• Create a party of Mammets to target the enemy's Arcanas ;
• Create a second party as an attack force against the Mandys.

Strategy 2(a) - Mammet + Zu Hatchling.

The mob strength-to-weakness diagram should suggest the best minions against the Mandys would be a monster along the lines of a Zu Hatchling, however the Mandy's seem to beat them down before the special action 'Nasty Peck' gets a chance to proc. So if trying this option, gather your army of Zus at the start, before the Mammets, so the Zus can start from a position of numbers and therefore strength, and get their ability points asap for the special attack. Really, not the best strategy regardless, as the Zus just don't seem to handle their own in a direct fight with the Mandys.

Strategy 2(b) = Mammet + Nero tol Scaeva.

Sure, Nero, being a poppet, is supposed to be weak to the Mandys. They do alright though.

Strategy 2(c) = Mammet + Cherry Bomb

My personal favorite, as it's pretty much the only time I actually use my Cherry Bomb in a fight.

Queue up a group of 4 bombs in one gate. Switch to a different gate to start queuing up a group of Mammets to attack the Arcanas.

You want to have a group of bombs at the start as you'll need to give them time to proc their special attack.

Keep them grouped together, moved off the gate (so you can spawn further groups of 4 bombs once you're done spawning your Mammets). Alternate between gates each set of 4 bombs, so you've got a group capable of using their special action ready to go once their ability points are full.

When their special attack 'Self Destruct' is ready for use, move them as a group to the largest concentration of Mandys.

Set off 'Self Destruct'.

Blam! Roasted onions :D

This strategy is effective in a fun sort of way.

Stage 11: The Queen and I[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001 ;
• Wayward Hatchling.

Stage 8 rinse & repeat

Stage 12: Breakout[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Zu Hatchling ;
• Cherry Bomb.

Boss fight #4

Boss: Demon Brick

Type: Monster

It has a frontal cone attack, but tends to turn slowly, so when attacking the Demon Brick, always position your minions behind it whenever it turns.

Enemy: Wind-up Dullahan

Type: Monster

Enemy: Wind-up Succubus

Type: Monster

Phase 1: The Demon Brick slowly approaches and attacks your gates, while the Dullahan and Succubus build up their numbers and attack your Arcana stones.

It is tempting to attack the Demon Brick immediately since it is so slow moving and you know where it's heading to, so you can easily position yourself behind. However, while it's doing this the Dullahan and Succubi are slowly but surely building up their numbers. If you don't keep them pruned they'll take out the Arcana before the Demon Brick has finished destroying your gates. You don't have the number of minions created yet to do enough damage and take the Demon Brick out before your Arcana stones are destroyed.

You want a large enough army built up so that when you switch your attack away from the Dullahan and Succubi culling, to focus instead on the Demon Brick, you can damage the Demon Brick really quickly.

So it's better in this phase to focus on keeping the Dullahan and Succubi culled to low numbers, while building up your Zu army.

Split the initial pre-battle queued Zu to spawn in the two outer most gates, as the Dullahan and Succubi tend to attack those first. Then keep spawning those Zu. You've got a whole lot of them to spawn before your gates are destroyed. Remember that if the gate they are spawning at is destroyed, you can still teleport them out of another gate that hasn't yet been destroyed.

Make sure you make use of the 'Nasty Peck' special action to take out the Dullahan and Succubi as quickly as possible so less damage is taken by your Zu.

You want to get to the point where your army is fully spawned and spread evenly between the Arcana crystals while Dullahan and Succubi have barely any numbers on the field, and you can see the Demon Brick is only seconds away from taking out the last gate. At this point you want to start moving all of your Zu to jointly attack the Demon Brick from behind, as we're about to start phase 2 - a.k.a. PECK THE FREAKY BRICK!!

Phase 2: The Demon Brick mills around tripping over its own feet while trying to turn and face your minions, while the gates are out of commission but slowly mending themselves, and the Dullahan and Succubi keep building up numbers and attacking your Arcana.

Peck that Brick, baby! PECK! IT! Keep your squadron of Zu packed tight in behind that Demon Brick, and hit the 'Nasty Peck' action whenever it procs.

If you still haven't pecked the Demon Brick to rubble by the time the gates started being restored, just keep on spawning those Zus and keeping 'Nasty Peck' casting. It shouldn't take long.

Stage 13: My Name Is Cid[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001.

I could suggest a few alternates to zerg. But really, why bother? Come on, admit it. We both know you just wanna zerg it. Just go on and throw a shit tonne of Mammets at the enemy's Arcana.

Stage 14: Like a Nut[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet #001.

I mean, sure, I could go so far as to give you a little speech about how the enemies in this one are particularly efficient at killing your Mammets. But why? Just zerg it already.

Stage 15: Urth's Spout[edit]

Enemies:

• Wind-up Odin 

Odin will be the only enemy in this round, and there is no field strategy to worry about. Because he is a monster, you'll want a roster of poppets to challenge him. He'll ride around without attacking your Arcana Stones for quite some time (if not indefinitely), so you have some time to get a larger group together. However, at 25% health, he will begin to cast Zantetsuken. If this cast completes, all of your Arcana Stones will be destroyed.

Strategy A - Zerg

During preparations, queue four 15 point regenerative poppets such as Wind-up Louisoix  or the WHM Wind-up Warrior of Light . Hold the healer team at the gate and summon a large team of damage-dealing poppets. Twelve Wind-up Yugiri  work beautifully. Once the team is assembled, move them in unison against Odin (using Special Actions when available and replacing any minion that dies) and they will make relatively short work of him.

- - - - - - - -

Strategy B

A strategy not relying on mogstation purchased or veteran's rewards (subscription length) minion awards:

• Wayward Hatchling ;
• Wolf Pup ;
• Coeurl Kitten.

My attempt at beating the entire 24 Stages of the Lord of Verminion challenges via only those minions available for purchase from the Minion Trader in the Lord Of Vermillion lounge alas has failed at this one hurdle. But, nevermind, it's still possible to beat the Wind-up Odin without having to buy a Wind-up Yugiri from the Mogstation.

Note that Odin not only casts Zantetsuken near ~25% health, but also at 4 minutes left on the timer. Whenever he casts it, the crux of the fight remains that you still need to whack ~25% of his health within roughly a 10 or 15 second window. Which means basically you need minions that have a high attack to cost ratio, and if possible, a very useful special action.

Wayward Hatchling:

• Buy from the Minion Trader ;
• Type: Critter ;
• ATK:cost ratio of 4:1 ;
• Special Action 'Choco Shuffle' - Inflict a weakness to critters on all enemies within range for 15s.

Wolf Pup:

• Obtained from Skribyld quests in Skull Valley, Western la Noscea (level 15 quest) ;
• Type: Critter ;
• ATK:cost ratio of 4.333:1 ;
• Special Action 'Teen Pup' - Increases ATK of all allies within range by 20 (40 if the ally is a critter) for 6s.

Coeurl Kitten:

• Obtained from Skribyld quests in Skull Valley, Western la Noscea (level 15 quest) ;
• Type: Critter ;
• ATK:cost ratio of 5:1 ;
• Special Action 'Tiny Blaster' - Delivers an attack with a potency of 230 to all enemies within range.

Yes, I know, sending critters against a monster boss. Doesn't seem too intelligent an idea. But take a moment to consider all those special actions working in conjunction with each other, in addition to the minions base ATK statistic.

Phase 1 : Just keep sending out all three types of minion after Odin to get his health down asap. Best to start with the pups and hatchlings since they have higher defense and should last longer (i.e. get more kicks in before needing to be replaced). Keep in mind the party balance as set out in phase 2 when spawning minions in this phase, as it might save you some time in phase 2. Be prepared to RETREAT when Odin is getting down to ~30% health.

Phase 2 : Muster your retreating forces together behind a gate. Take this time to make sure you have in your army at least 4 each of the Wayward Hatchlings and Wolf Pups, and the rest of your army in Coeurl Kittens. Use the time to make sure they have, or are near to having, their Special Actions proc'd. But keep an eye on that timer.

Phase 3 : You need to commence your second attack on Odin bearing in mind:

• if you have used sufficient time to heal your minions and get their specials actions ready, or very near ready ;
• the distance your minions will have to travel before they reach Odin ;
• how much health Odin has left to that 25% mark (it might be slightly higher than 25%) ;
• how much time you have left before the timer reaches 4 minutes left and Odin Zantetsukens anyway.

Don't worry, it's really not that difficult when you're in it. Hopefully, if all goes to plan Odin's final health points will be easily taken care of. Just remember NOT to use the special abilities UNTIL he starts the Zantetsuken sequence (he'll start talking via on-screen text).

Stage 16: Exodus[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet.

Just zerg.

Stage 17: Over the Wall[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet.

You know what to do.

Stage 18: The Hunt[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet.

Did you even try to zerg before reading this?

Stage 19: Battle on the Bitty Bridge[edit]

Boss the Fifth!

Boss: Wind-up Gilgamesh

Type: Poppet

Enemy: little quick, flappy bird things (otherwise known as Enkidu)

Type: Critter.

Strategy 1

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Wayward Hatchling ;
• Cherry Bomb ;
• Fat Chocobo.

Party construct: 2x Fat Chocobos, 8x Wayward Hatchling (gives you 2 possible procs for 'Choco Shuffle'), the rest in Cherry Bombs (to maximise the amount of opportunities you'll have for 'Self Destruct') ... or thereabouts. Don't get too stressed about it, feel free to make your party numbers up on the fly.

When in the final stage where you're defending the last remaining Arcana stone, think of your Fat Chocobos as tanks, and the Wayward Hatchlings as squishy DPS, and Cherry Bombs as Megumin.

You'll need the Cherry Bombs as part of the party make-up to use 'Self Destruct' in order to prevent the flocks of Enkidu overwhelming your party.

You'll need the Wayward Hatchlings to use 'Choco Shuffle' to mop up any leftover Enkidu HP, and to increase the attack rate against Gilgamesh.

You'll need the Fat Chocobos with their high defense stat to prevent Gilgamesh and the Enkidu from killing off your other minions faster than you can spawn them.

Gilgamesh follows a scripted performance:

• He dances around a bit - attack him. He has no talent.
• Falls over - give him space at this point. When he bounces back up again he does a huge AoE attack that can decimate your minion numbers. Just has no feel for the space his body occupies, I guess.
• He gets back up - He's a bit buffed up at this point. You may as well wear it and keep attacking.
• He'll say something and rush off the field to the right, gifting you with an additional flock of Enkidu on his way out - take the time to regroup if needed. Prepare for the final phase.
• He'll reappear on the left side of the field, pause for a short while, then join with the Enkidu to attack the Arcana.

You don't want to fight him away from an Arcana stone in this final phase. You need to choose a stone (there'll probably be only one left at this point anyway), make your camp, and defend it.

Gilgamesh will likely repeatedly retreat, regroup with some (still spawning) Enkidu for some additional strength, then attack again. Repeat.

Keep a Fat Chocobo or two at the front of the camp to deflect their attack strength then hit the attacking group with 'Choco Shuffle' and 'Self Destruct'. Repeat. It shouldn't take a minute before big daddy Gilgamesh is toast.

Strategy 2

Minions:

• Wayward Chocobo ;
• Black Chocobo Chick (veterans award minion, not available in the lounge - however is also available from Jonathas at Apkallu Falls by trading in the achievement certificates you earn by completing 'Achievements').

Form a party of about half of each minion.

The Black Chocobo Chick is useful for their high defense stat and 'Choco Trap', which can help take out the flocks of Enkidu.

The Wayward Chocobos are there for 'Choco Shuffle' .

Camp your party around an Arcana. The one that Gilgamesh is currently attacking is best (so you can also attack Gilgamesh). You'll need to dodge out of the way of Gilgamesh's jump when you see him fall over. Other than that just defend that stone by making judicious use of 'Choco Trap'.

Stage 20: Guiding Light[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet.

Optional :

• Cherry Bomb.

This one turns out to be quite close compared to previous zergfests. You can still overrun the Arcana with Mammets.

Alternatively you can start the battle by using a few Cherry Bombs to destroy the enemy's Shield, to help your Mammets churn through those Arcana more easily.

Stage 21: Wise Words[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet.

Optional :

• Cherry Bomb.

Refer to Stage 20.

Stage 22: World of Poor Lighting[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Mammet.

Optional :

• Cherry Bomb.

Refer to Stage 20.

Stage 23: The Binding Coil[edit]

Boss: Clockwork Twintania

Type: Monster

Other enemies : Accompaniment Node (Gadget); Slime (Monster); Golem (Monster).

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Wayward Hatchling ;
• Black Coeurl.

Completing this one with only Minion Trader minions is a lesson in thinking outside the box. You'd think, 'it's a monster, I should use a Poppet'. But no. Nero isn't capable of beating Twintania before the adds take out your Arcana stones.

Try inside a combination of Wayward Hatchlings, with their 'Choco Shuffle' debuff, and Black Coeurls, with their slightly higher defense stat to help

You don't want to be fighting Twintania near an Arcana. When the other mobs finish taking out the other Arcana and come to the one where you are, your minions will be overpowered ... and there goes your army. You can lure Twintania away from the Arcana. Hopefully to a spot more towards your gate so your minions don't have to travel so far.

Note also that Twintania seems to have a frontal cone attack. Try spreading your minions evenly around Twintania so that overall damage taken by your party is reduced. Best positioning is the Black Coeurls on the side nearest any nearby Arcana, in case you come under attack from any travelling adds.

Remember to use 'Choco Shuffle' whenever it procs.

It is a tight fight, but it is winnable with just these minions.

Stage 24: The Final Coil[edit]

A strategy using only those minions which are available from the Minion Trader in the Lord of Verminion lounge :

• Wind-Up Nero tol Scaeva.

Things you have to deal with:

• Bahamut boss minion (minion type: monster) ;
• 2x Clockwork Twintania minion that spawn about halfway through (minion type: monster) ;
• A flame trap that will damage any full health Nero within its circle to near death. DODGE THESE! They only appear for a short time, so dodge immediately. This trap will usually spawn wherever your largest group of minions is positioned. ;
• A flame trap with some kind of spear/tower that starts spawning one at a time once Bahamut's health has been reduced by a roughly 25-30%. If you don't do anything to them before they go off, they can obliterate your entire army. However, if you stick a full health minion in the middle of it then only that minion will lose health and not the rest of your army on the field. So ... ALWAYS STICK A HEALTHY MINION IN IT! They tend to have a long build-up time before going off, however you need to take into account how far away your minions may be. This trap can spawn anywhere on the field.

When in the pre-battle phase adjust your camera to a wider/higher view so you can see the whole battlefield without moving the screen around. It will make it easier to spot those flame tower traps when they spawn.

Keep spawning those Neros throughout the battle.

Kill the Twintania spawns a.s.a.p. . Try to fight them separately if possible so they don't overpower your minions when bunched together. Rather, your minions will overpower them when singling them out. Taking them out one at a time is fine, you don't need to spread your army too thin.

Try to keep your Neros in at least 2, possibly 3, separate attack groups overall. This will achieve:

• i) Less health loss overall as you split Bahamut's attention, rather than having his damage affect the entire army;
• ii) Less damage to the Arcana stones as, if you have separate groups attacking Bahamut and the Twintania adds, then those enemies won't be attacking your Arcana stones while they're beating up your minion(s).
• iii) If you have to move a group away from Bahamut because a flame trap appears under the group's feet, the other group (hopefully positioned on the other side of Bahamut) can keep attacking. This will likely keep Bahamut in place rather than having him toddle off all around the battlefield.

If you're playing with a gamepad switch your character configuration to mouse just for this fight. I could beat all other Verminion fights up to this one with gamepad, but this fight is pretty much impossible without the ACCURACY and SPEED of movement with a mouse. You need to give your minions move orders very quickly and very accurately to avoid being decimated by the two different flame traps. If you don't adjust the character configuration your mouse commands won't have the needed functionality. Once you've changed it over to mouse, then:

• Left-click selects an individual minion ;
• Double left-click on an individual minion selects all nearby minions that are the same as the one you've clicked. (Not necessary in this strategy due to only using Nero tol Scaeva) ;
• Left-click & dragging a box around a group of minions selects the whole group. ;
• Right-click on the battlefield to move your selected minions to that position.

Don't forget to adjust your character configuration back again once you've finished.

If you do get a wipe at some point during the fight just remember what the towel says : Don't Panic.

You can recover.

Start by making sure:

• If the flame tower traps are appearing that you give them first priority to avoid further wipes ;
• That you keep moving your minions off the spawn gate as soon as they spawn, otherwise you'll get a flame trap on the actual gate ;
• Alternate sending the spawning minions to fight Bahamut and one of the Twintanias (if they remain). Having at least one minion attacking each of them will prevent them from destroying the Arcana stones.

Untested theories:

• a) Does Nero's trap ability convert the flame spear trap to your use?
• b) Does having multiple minions inside the flame spear trap disperse it's overall damage effect?
• c) The Clockwork Twintania minion is supposed to have a buff to ally defense. So, best to fight them separately to avoid that buff stacking when they're near Bahamut.