P12S Athena Raid Guide – Pandaemonium Anabaseios (Savage)
Expansion: Endwalker
Raid Series: Pandaemonium
Raid Tier: Anabaseios
Encounter: P12S – Athena
Players: 8 (Tank / Tank / Healer / Healer / DPS / DPS / DPS / DPS)
Duty Finder Type: Raid (Savage)
Unlock Requirement: Complete P12N Athena
See the full list here → All FFXIV Raid Unlock Requirements
Encounter Overview
Athena (Savage) is the fourth and final encounter of Pandaemonium: Anabaseios (Savage).
This fight is split into two major phases: Athena and Pallas Athena. The first phase focuses on chain sequences, debuff assignments, panel destruction, and the major Palladion limit cut mechanic. The second phase shifts into a strict execution check built around movement puzzles, partner mechanics, shape interceptions, tower routing, and repeated high-pressure raidwide damage.
Key mechanics include:
• sequential wing cleaves
• tether and tower debuff assignments
• chain-based AoE routing
• platform destruction and tile management
• limit cut dashes and laser baiting
• shape interception puzzles
• caloric movement control
• Pangenesis tower routing and tether handling
The arena layout is extremely important throughout the fight, and most mistakes result in Damage Down, making later body checks much harder to recover.
Arena Overview
Phase 1 takes place on a 2×4 rectangular tile arena.
Players can fall from the arena and die, although they can be resurrected after a short delay.
This tile layout matters for:
• chain mechanic routing
• tower drops
• destroyed floor sections
• safe-tile movement
In Phase 2, the southern row is removed, leaving a 2×3 tile arena.
Before the pull, groups typically assign:
• light parties
• spread spots with tanks/melees north and ranged/healers south
• partner pairs (tanks with melees, healers with ranged)
• a horizontal conga line for Pangenesis
• Q-pattern spread spots for Caloric Theory 2
Mechanic Archive
On the Soul
Heavy raidwide magical damage.
Later uses also restore destroyed arena tiles.
Response
• mitigate and heal.
Phase 1 – Athena
Paradeigma 1
Athena summons yellow crystals that create Anthropos adds.
These adds move to the north or south side and target the nearest players with line AoEs.
At the same time, Trinity of Souls resolves.
Response
• bait the add lasers cleanly
• many groups use tanks to bait all four laser sets with invulns
• the party dodges the wing cleaves away from the baited lines.
Trinity of Souls
Athena’s wings glow in sequence, indicating half-room cleaves.
In Savage, some patterns require Athena to rotate 180 degrees between cleaves.
Response
• read the order of glowing wings carefully
• dodge in sequence, including into what first looked unsafe if the pattern flips.
Paradeigma 2
Athena summons blue and red crystals.
Blue crystal adds tether players at the edges.
Red crystal adds later fire line AoEs through columns.
This mechanic is paired with Engravement of Souls.
Engravement of Souls
Players receive combinations of:
• Astralbright Soul
• Umbralbright Soul
• Astral Tilt
• Umbral Tilt
• later, Astralstrong / Umbralstrong Soul
• later, Heavensflame Soul
• later, Quartered Soul / X-marked Soul
These debuffs determine:
• who drops towers
• who soaks towers
• who stretches tethers
• who shares line lasers
• who spreads
Response
• identify your Soul/Tilt assignment immediately
• tethered players stretch through the boss
• tower players soak the opposite color
• line soakers group based on opposite-color matching.
Glaukopis
Heavy line tankbuster that hits twice and inflicts Magic Vulnerability Up.
Response
• tanks swap during the cast
• main tank provokes back after the second hit.
Superchain Theory I
Blue clusters spawn with chained objects.
Objects resolve based on chain length.
Possible objects:
Green orb
• point-blank AoE
Blue donut
• donut AoE
Orange spiked ball
• protean cone AoEs on all players
Purple jack
• pair stack cones on either all supports or all DPS
Response
• find the cluster with two short chains first
• resolve close/far and spread/pair mechanics there
• rotate to the next cluster for lasers
• rotate again to resolve in/out plus Soul/Tilt debuffs.
Peridialogos
Closest player takes the shared tankbuster.
Furthest player takes the party stack.
Response
• tanks stack in the middle
• party goes to max melee.
Apodialogos
Furthest player takes the shared tankbuster.
Closest player takes the party stack.
Response
• tanks stack at max melee
• party stacks in the middle.
Paradeigma 3
Athena summons blue and yellow crystal adds.
This mechanic pairs with:
• Engravement of Souls
• Unnatural Enchainment
• White Flame baiting
• tower soaking
Unnatural Enchainment
Athena destroys four alternating tiles.
Only four tiles remain safe.
Players receive Enchained Soul, preventing jumping.
Towers spawn on the safe tiles and must be soaked.
Response
• resolve strictly by role
• supports soak assigned towers and place Cross/Saltire safely
• DPS stretch tethers to opposite tiles
• if tether and debuff colors align, DPS bait inner lasers instead of soaking towers.
Palladion (“Limit Cut”)
Athena shrinks the arena into a small octagon and becomes untargetable.
All players receive 1–8 markers.
Athena dashes to each number in order, leaving puddles and proximity damage.
Meanwhile, Anthropos adds with yellow sigils fire White Flame lasers on the nearest players.
Response
• players move according to their number group
• all dashes must be shared with a partner
• laser bait order is handled in turns
• avoid puddles and dash paths while rotating clockwise.
Theos’s Ultima
Heavy raidwide after Palladion.
Damage is split among currently alive players.
Response
• mitigate and heal
• too many deaths here usually wipes the phase.
Superchain Theory IIA
Three clusters spawn north, center, and south.
This mechanic combines:
• wing cleaves from Trinity of Souls
• donut and point-blank routing
• final spread or pair resolution
Response
• identify the north/south cluster with the short purple tether
• start on the safe half near that cluster
• rotate to middle for the donut
• then either continue forward or return based on the long tether type
• finish with spread or partner stacks.
Superchain Theory IIB
Two initial clusters spawn north/south of center.
Later clusters spawn east/west, then north/south again.
The mechanic also combines:
• Paradeigma red add lines
• Parthenos
• spreads or pair stacks
• tile destruction from Unnatural Enchainment
Response
• start in the initial donut cluster
• move east or west to the cluster with the spread/pair object
• dodge Parthenos
• find the narrow add-line gap
• move to final out + spread cluster
• finish on the lone safe tile after arena destruction.
Theos’s Ultima
Hard phase 1 enrage.
Athena becomes untargetable and wipes the raid if not defeated.
Response
• push full damage before she becomes untargetable.
Phase 2 – Pallas Athena
Ultima
Heavy raidwide damage.
Response
• mitigate and heal.
Palladian Grasp
Main tank receives a diffuse half-room tankbuster that hits twice and applies Physical Vulnerability Up.
Response
• ideally one tank invulns both hits
• the rest of the party stays on the opposite half.
Gaiaochos 1
Shrinks the arena into a small sphere and applies Ascended, reducing movement speed.
This sequence combines:
• Summon Darkness line adds
• Missing Link partner chains
• Demi Parhelion 3×3 AoEs
• Geocentrism propagation patterns
• Divine Excoriation spreads
Response
• stack center until Missing Link appears
• break chains toward safe opposite spots
• identify vertical, horizontal, or ring-safe Geocentrism
• spread inside the final safe region.
The Classical Concepts 1
Players receive Playstation symbols and Alpha/Beta targets.
A 4×3 grid of shapes appears:
• blue icosahedrons
• red pyramids
• yellow cubes
Players must intercept the correct fusion pairs.
Response
• identify your column from your symbol
• Alpha usually blocks red
• Beta usually blocks yellow
• after interception, dodge shape point-blank AoEs.
Palladian Ray
Both side tentacles target the nearest four players with persistent cone AoEs.
Response
• bait in a K or X-style spread
• do not overlap initial cones
• move into the safe lanes after baiting.
Caloric Theory 1
Players receive:
• Pyrefaction
• Atmosfaction
• Close Caloric
Beacon players are role-locked and always start with 2 stacks.
The mechanic requires pair stacks and spreads while minimizing movement to avoid reaching 5 Close Caloric stacks.
Response
• form the initial 1-stack/2-stack pairs
• then spread Atmos players
• then resolve the second pair stacks
• limit all movement carefully.
Ekpyrosis
Two possible patterns:
• north/south proximities with horizontal exaflares
• east/west proximities with diagonal exaflares
Response
• split by light party to the correct wall
• spread after the first exaflares
• then collapse back mid while dodging the rest.
Pangenesis
Major body-check mechanic.
Players receive:
• Unstable Factor stacks
• Astral or Umbral Tilt
• Stable System
• later, Critical Factor
Pantheos towers spawn in three waves per side.
Players must merge Unstable Factor stacks productively while routing towers correctly, then collapse for slime tethers and tankbuster overlap.
Response
• start in the conga line and identify debuffs
• 0-stack players step forward, 1-stack players step back
• short-tilt players take the first towers with 0-stack partners
• 1-stack players and long-tilt players take the second towers
• adjust horizontally or diagonally for the third towers based on what color you gained
• collapse south after all towers
• 0-stack players take all slime tethers away from the group
• main tank handles Palladian Grasp cleanly.
The Classical Concepts 2
Similar to the first version, but Panta Rhei rotates the entire solution 180 degrees.
Response
• find your initial intercept
• during the cast, move to the rotated final spot without breaking partner tether
• after tether resolution, preposition for Palladian Ray
• then dodge the lingering cones and Implode AoEs together.
Caloric Theory 2
Players receive:
• Atmosfaction
• Close Caloric
• one player receives Entropification
The party uses pre-assigned Q-spread positions.
The Entropification debuff is passed clockwise between players to minimize movement and avoid hitting 5 Close Caloric stacks.
Response
• red marker player takes middle
• all others hold exact grid intersections
• pass Entropification clockwise around the Q
• the middle player stays fixed
• finish spread for Atmosfaction.
Gaiaochos 2
Second UAV-style mechanic.
The sequence includes:
• Summon Darkness
• Missing Link chains
• Geocentrism safe lanes
• Divine Excoriation spreads
• then four add tethers, first for one role, then the other
Response
• stack center until chains appear
• split perpendicular to the single add to break links
• spread in the narrow safe lanes
• tethered players go to the wall opposite their add
• their partner blocks slightly inward
• then repeat with the opposite role after Ultima.
Ignorabimus
Hard enrage.
If Pallas Athena finishes this cast, the party wipes.
Encounter Flow
Phase 1 begins with On the Soul and immediately establishes the encounter’s core themes: sequential wing cleaves, laser baits, and Soul/Tilt debuff management. Paradeigma 1 pairs White Flame baiting with the first Savage version of Trinity of Souls, forcing the party to dodge rotating half-room cleaves while keeping the add lasers controlled.
The next major section introduces Paradeigma 2 and the first real Engravement of Souls resolution. Tether players stretch their beams, Soul players drop towers, and opposite-color Tilt holders soak them while the party also dodges column lasers from red crystal adds. After a Glaukopis tankbuster, the encounter moves into Superchain Theory I, which combines chain timing, in/out movement, spreads, pair stacks, lasers, tower drops, and later more Trinity movement.
Athena then uses Peridialogos or Apodialogos, followed by Paradeigma 3, where role-based execution becomes more rigid. Supports handle fixed tower responsibilities and Cross/Saltire placements, while DPS route their stretched tethers and either soak towers or bait inner lasers based on color matching. This transitions into Palladion, the phase’s signature limit cut sequence, where players resolve numbered dashes, puddle placement, and rotating White Flame bait order inside a compressed octagonal arena.
After Theos’s Ultima, the fight enters Superchain Theory IIA and IIB, both of which combine chained object timing with additional layered mechanics such as Trinity of Souls, Parthenos, red add line gaps, spread or pair resolutions, and finally arena destruction. Athena must be defeated before becoming untargetable for the phase 1 enrage.
Phase 2 begins at the checkpoint with Pallas Athena on a smaller 2×3 arena. The first section introduces Gaiaochos 1, a sphere-compressed movement check involving chain breaks, line adds, expanding AoEs, propagation patterns, and full spreads. This is followed by The Classical Concepts 1, where players solve the shape grid using their Playstation markers, then bait Palladian Ray safely.
The fight then transitions into Caloric Theory 1, a movement-restricted pairing mechanic, before escalating further with Pangenesis, the major tower-routing and stack-merging body check of the phase. Players must manage Unstable Factor reductions, tower colors, tilt swaps, slime tethers, and an overlapping tankbuster cleanly or the phase quickly collapses.
The final stretch repeats the puzzle pressure with The Classical Concepts 2, Caloric Theory 2, and Gaiaochos 2, each demanding cleaner movement than the first iteration. The encounter ends with Ignorabimus as the hard enrage.
Related Encounters
| Order | Boss | Normal Guide | Savage Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kokytos | P9N Guide | P9S Guide |
| 2 | Pandaemonium | P10N Guide | P10S Guide |
| 3 | Themis | P11N Guide | P11S Guide |
| 4 | Athena | P12N Guide | P12S Guide |