As of July 7th the new Alexander Normal raid has opened up in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. To everyone's surprise, it's available for everyone via Duty Finder provided their item level is at least 170. So far it's being labeled with a difficulty somewhere between hard mode and extreme mode primals. So, provided your group is competent and patient, you should be able to clear it in its entirety.
Below I will go over the basic strategy for each boss in Alexander Normal. To avoid spoilers, the names of each boss will not be shared.
Floor #1: The Fist of the Father
Boss Battle #1
Adds should be pulled by off-tank and tanked to the side while all DPS focus on the boss. There is an enrage timer, so DPS need to be on-point to bring him down before things get out of control.
Boss Battle #2
Avoid AoE. At 66% HP the boss will clone himself. Both bosses need to be tanked on opposite sides of the room. Four adds will spawn that should not be gathered by a tank. DPS should bring the adds to the platform lasers to shrink them, and then kill them. Bosses will occasionally jump and throw bombs which should prompt the group to move to the opposite side of the platform. Continue avoiding AoE and both bosses must be killed within seconds of each other, so whittle them down to <5% before finishing them off. You may want to save a DPS limit break to ensure swift kill of the second boss.
Floor #2: The Cuff of the Father
Boss Battle #3
There are two Magitek Armor that should be used by DPS to drag bombs and hit the waves of trash enemies with a debuff. Enemy cleaves are dangerous for any players who get near the tanks. All players should be quick on their feet to avoid bombs throughout the fight.
Floor #3: The Arm of the Father
Boss Battle #4
There are three phases in this fight that are repeated twice before completion.
Human: Spread out to avoid splash damage. DPS and healers should avoid going in front of the boss.
Hands: Everyone should stand in the middle of the platform due to an AoE knockback that can instantly kill players. Both tanks should stack in front of boss to share the cleave's splash damage. At some point the hands will move apart, and the off-tank will have to pick up the second hand.
Tornado: Tanks need to pick up tether and move away from DPS and healers. DPS need to push as much damage as possible on adds. A positive/negative buff will hit two players at once, and they will need to avoid each other.
Floor #4: The Burden of the Father
Final Boss Battle
There is a lot of splash damage throughout this fight that causes distress on healers, so all players should work hard to spread out and avoid AoE. When a player receives a purple icon, the off-tank should pop the orbs. DPS should target the leg until it weakens, and save cooldowns to burst the core quickly.
In phase 2 a player will be targeted with a tether. This player should remain still while players gather around to soak AoE damage and kill the adds. The off-tank and a random DPS will be consumed every half minute and placed in a secondary area at moments during this phase, so healers should top everyone off when possible. In this "Quarantine" area the off-tank and DPS will have to kill an add as quickly as possible to exit. The off-tank should absorb orbs similar to phase 1.
The final phase reintroduces tethers and orbs. The tethers should be prioritized by off-tank and several DPS. Both healers will be targeted by an attack that should be countered by moving away from other players, especially one another. Lastly, the main tank should use defensive cooldowns following Discoid, as there is a heavy damage attack that follows.
An expansion to Elden Ring setting players on a new adventure in the Lands Between.
