The Wreath of Snakes (Extreme) Guide – Seiryu EX Mechanics

Encounter Overview

The Wreath of Snakes (Extreme) is the high-end version of the Seiryu encounter from Stormblood. The fight is split into two phases and expands heavily on the normal version with tighter positioning, stricter add management, paired tank mechanics, and a dangerous water arena in the second half.

This encounter is built around reading Seiryu’s symbols correctly, handling Cursekeeper tank swaps cleanly, surviving multiple Shiki add sequences, and maintaining control during Phase 2 when knockbacks and water hazards begin overlapping with nearly every major mechanic.

Arena Overview

Phase 1 takes place on a standard circular platform. After the transition, the raid moves into the outer waters of the arena, where the battlefield becomes much more dangerous.

In Phase 2, players must avoid the surrounding water and the persistent White Water cones. Contact with White Water launches the player and applies a stacking debuff, which can quickly turn later hits lethal. Positioning near knockbacks becomes extremely important from this point onward.

Mechanic Archive

Fifth Element

An unavoidable raidwide AoE used throughout the encounter. Later versions are used to finish longer mechanic chains and can be dangerous if the raid is already injured.

Serpent Descending

Four players receive AoE markers and must spread. In Phase 1, this overlaps with Kuji-Kiri, so marked players must spread while still moving into safe squares.

Kuji-Kiri

A criss-cross grid of line AoEs across the arena. Players must stand in an unmarked square to avoid the first blast. In Phase 2, after Seiryu is empowered, Kuji-Kiri resolves twice, requiring players to move diagonally into a new safe square after the first blast.

Onmyo Circle

Seiryu teleports to a player and displays a symbol indicating the type of AoE he will use.

• Yin & Yang symbol: point-blank AoE. Run away.
• Dragon symbol: donut AoE. Move close.

Double Onmyo Circle

After Blazing Aramitama, Seiryu casts two Onmyo Circle patterns in sequence. Players must read the order of symbols and react accordingly: either out then in, or in then out.

Cursekeeper

A debuff placed on the main tank that stores incoming damage and then explodes in an AoE when it expires. The off-tank should provoke as Cursekeeper is applied so the debuffed tank can move away from the party and avoid taking the following tankbuster.

Infirm Soul

A heavy tankbuster that overlaps with Cursekeeper. If the Cursekeeper target is also hit by this, the stored damage explosion becomes extremely dangerous. Tanks must swap promptly.

Double Cursekeeper

In Phase 2 after Seiryu is empowered, Cursekeeper happens twice in quick succession, requiring clean tank coordination and fast provokes.

Summon Shiki

Seiryu’s signature add sequence. Different Shiki types appear in ordered patterns and must be handled correctly to keep the arena manageable and meet the DPS check.

Red Shiki

Two red fan-like adds tether to DPS players. Tethered players must aim them away from the party. In Phase 2, they should also use knockback prevention so they are not pushed into the water.

Blue Shiki

A blue fan tethers to a healer and creates a line stack. The tethered healer should stand behind the group at safe distance while the unmarked players line up to share the damage.

Large Shiki

Large adds leap to opposite edges and blast wide circles before tethering to players. Tanks should grab these tethers and aim the resulting attacks away from the group.

Inner Add Pack

Additional smaller and larger adds spawn in the center during Phase 1. Tanks should gather them, and the raid should stagger deaths because the smaller adds explode on death. The large add can cast Stoneskin, which should be silenced if possible to protect the DPS check.

Strength of Spirit

The transition-ending raidwide attack from the normal version is replaced here by a more elaborate add check leading into the Phase 2 transition. Failure to clear the adds in time results in a wipe.

White Water

Persistent water cones around the Phase 2 arena. Touching them knocks the player upward and applies a stacking debuff. These remain active throughout the phase and complicate knockback-heavy mechanics.

Orochi

A wall of snakes forms at one side of the arena and charges across, dealing damage and applying knockback. Unlike normal mode, there are no directional arrows, so players must watch the snakes and move close to them before the charge.

Big Shiki

A giant watery figure that slams half the arena twice, then performs a central knockback. This often overlaps with Orochi, requiring players to angle the knockback so they are pushed toward the snakes and then back into safety instead of into the water.

Forbidden Arts

A line stack marker placed on the healers. In Phase 1, the whole group can generally help absorb it. In Phase 2 after empowerment, the raid must split into two separate groups so nobody takes both line hits and the resulting vulnerability stack.

Blazing Aramitama

Seiryu dashes north and empowers himself. From this point on, several mechanics double-cast or gain added effects, making the second phase much more punishing.

Serpent Ascending

A triple mechanic where every player gets a personal ground AoE, four players receive larger AoE markers, and four dark circles spawn at the intercardinals. Unmarked players must take the circles, while marked players stand between them or in the center to avoid clipping others.

Encounter Flow

Phase 1

The encounter opens with Fifth Element, then immediately layers Serpent Descending with Kuji-Kiri. Four marked players must spread while the entire raid also moves into safe grid squares.

Seiryu then introduces Onmyo Circle. The first cast is always the point-blank Yin & Yang version, so the party should expect to move away. Afterward, the main tank receives Cursekeeper and Seiryu follows with Infirm Soul. The off-tank must provoke immediately so the Cursekeeper target can move out and let the stored damage explode harmlessly away from the group.

The first Summon Shiki sequence follows. Red and Blue Shiki resolve first, then the Large Shiki tether sequence, and finally the center add pack. This is a DPS check, so add deaths should be staggered carefully and Stoneskin should be interrupted whenever possible.

Transition to Phase 2

If the add sequence is cleared in time, the encounter transitions into the water arena, similar to normal mode but with the added threat of White Water and much stricter knockback positioning.

Phase 2

The phase begins with Orochi and Big Shiki sequences. Players must stand close to the incoming snake wall to survive its knockback, while also handling the giant hand slams and central knockback from Big Shiki without being launched into the water.

Seiryu then uses Forbidden Arts on both healers, followed by Blazing Aramitama, which empowers the rest of the encounter. From here on, players must handle Double Onmyo Circle, then Double Kuji-Kiri, followed by another Double Onmyo Circle and a raidwide Fifth Element.

Next comes Serpent Ascending, where players first dodge the AoE under their feet, then either soak a dark circle or move safely away if they have one of the larger spread markers. This is followed by a split Forbidden Arts where the raid divides into two healer groups so no one is hit twice.

The phase then revisits Double Cursekeeper and a second, reordered Summon Shiki sequence. Large Shiki now resolve before the Red and Blue Shiki, and after the tether hits, all players must also spread because personal AoEs appear under everyone while four additional players receive larger markers.

From this point onward, Seiryu loops the empowered Phase 2 mechanics in different combinations until he is defeated.

Enrage

If Seiryu is not defeated in time, he begins a long cast of Fifth Element. This is the hard enrage and will wipe the raid.

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