M4S Wicked Thunder Raid Guide – Arcadion Light-Heavyweight Savage (FFXIV)

Expansion: Dawntrail
Raid Series: Arcadion
Raid Tier: Light-Heavyweight
Boss: Wicked Thunder
Encounter: M4S (Savage)
Players: 8 (2 Tanks / 2 Healers / 4 DPS)
Duty Finder Type: Savage Raid

Unlock Requirement: Clear M4N Wicked Thunder
← Back to Arcadion Light-Heavyweight Raid Archive

Encounter Overview

Wicked Thunder (Savage) is the final encounter of Arcadion: Light-Heavyweight and the most mechanically dense fight of the tier.

Unlike Endwalker fourth-floor Savage fights, this encounter has no door boss and no checkpoint. The battle is split into multiple major sequences featuring:

• line AoE pattern recognition
• clone and cannon mechanics
• elemental tail storage
• debuff cleansing assignments
• tower sequencing
• strict light-party and partner coordination

Players may fall from the arena and die, and failed mechanics commonly apply Damage Down, making clean execution essential.

Raid Info Block

Expansion: Dawntrail
Raid Series: Arcadion
Raid Tier: Light-Heavyweight
Encounter: M4S – Wicked Thunder
Players: 8 (Tank / Healer / 2 DPS / 2 DPS / 2 DPS / 2 DPS)
Duty Finder Type: Savage Raid

Unlock Requirement: Clear M4N – Wicked Thunder

See the full list here → All FFXIV Raid Unlock Requirements

← Back to Arcadion Light-Heavyweight Raid Tier

Arena Layout

Phase 1 takes place on a standard arena that later transitions into:

• a compressed circular arena
• a two-column sword platform
• multiple tile-based reduced play spaces

Arena hazards include:

• falling off the arena edge
• line AoEs that destroy sections of the floor
• compressed circular phases
• tile destruction during sword mechanics

Because the encounter repeatedly changes the battlefield, spatial memory is critical.

Boss Behavior Profile

Wicked Thunder specializes in pattern sequencing and delayed resolution mechanics.

The encounter features:

• raidwide magical damage
• clone AoE overlaps
• stack and spread role mechanics
• line-cleave dodges
• elemental tail storage
• debuff cleanse requirements
• cannon baiting
• tower assignments
• repeated arena compression mechanics

Players must keep track of both what is happening now and what has been stored for later.

Mechanic Archive

Phase 1

Wrath of Zeus

High magical raidwide damage.

Response

• mitigate and heal through

Bewitching Flight

Wicked Thunder jumps north and fires five thin line AoEs from her wings, leaving safe gaps.

At the same time, four Gun Battery adds spawn on the west wall and fire untelegraphed line AoEs through either the upper or lower half of the tiles, creating a criss-cross danger pattern.

After the first line AoEs resolve, the purple electric traces remain on the floor. Then:

• either the three inner lines glow
• or the two outer lines glow

These lines later expand into wide line AoEs (Burst).

Meanwhile:

• four more Gun Batteries spawn east
• one spawns north
• the boss casts Electrifying Witch Hunt

Electrifying Witch Hunt

Targets either:

• all DPS
or
• all supports

These players are hit with medium AoEs dealing physical damage and applying:

• Physical Vulnerability Up
• Forked Lightning

Then the boss uses Witch Hunt baits.

Witch Hunt

The boss shows either:

• pink touching diamonds = closest four players bait
• blue separated diamonds = furthest four players bait

Players must resolve the bait based on which role already took the first hit from Electrifying Witch Hunt, while also staying spread to avoid Forked Lightning overlaps and dodging the remaining Burst lines.

Narrowing Witch Hunt / Widening Witch Hunt

This mechanic uses alternating bait pairs alongside alternating donut and point-blank AoEs.

All players should move to modified clock spots:

• melees swap with healers
• melees stand west/east
• healers stand southwest/southeast

Narrowing Witch Hunt

Safe pattern is:

in → out → in → out

Widening Witch Hunt

Safe pattern is:

out → in → out → in

The pink/blue diamond markers can mostly be ignored if the party follows the standard role movement:

• supports take first and second baits
• DPS take third and fourth baits

Electrope Edge

The boss spawns four untargetable Electromine adds in the corner tiles.

Witchgleam follows.

Witchgleam

Four sets of line AoEs strike random Electromines.

Adds hit:

• once = Spark (1 tile)
• twice = Spark II (2×2 quadrant)

The two adds hit only once are always:

• both north or both south
or
• diagonally opposite

Symphony Fantastique + Sidewise Spark

The boss telegraphs a half-room cleave and shows either:

• eight small orbs = full spread (Eight Star)
• four large orbs = partner stacks (Four Star)

Players must identify the single safe quadrant left by the half-room cleave and the Spark pattern. The Electromine’s corner tile itself is unsafe, leaving an L-shaped safe area.

Wicked Jolt

Magical line tankbuster that hits twice and applies Magic Vulnerability Up.

Response

• tank swap with mitigation
or
• invulnerability timed late in the cast

Electrope Edge (Debuff Version)

Each player receives an Electrical Condenser debuff with either:

• short timer (22s)
• long timer (42s)

When the debuff expires, the player emits a square AoE based on how many lightning hits they took.

Players must count their Witchgleam hits.

Rule:

• long debuff players automatically add 1 to their count

Lightning Cage

One-tile AoEs appear in a fixed pattern, leaving one cardinal edge tile safe.

The short-debuff players resolve first:

• long debuff players go to safe north tile
• short players spread based on 2-hit vs 3-hit assignments

Then the boss casts Sidewise Spark with either spread or partner stacks.

Afterward, the second Lightning Cage occurs and the long-debuff players resolve using the same positional logic.

Wicked Bolt

Five-hit magical stack marker.

Response

• stack and mitigate

Ion Cluster

Each player receives 3 stacks of either:

• Positron
• Negatron

Two supports and two DPS share each color.

The boss then jumps north and creates a cannon phase.

Stampeding Thunder

The cannon hits three columns with five magical hits, followed by destruction of those columns.

Players must move into the single safe column.

Electron Stream

The boss stands in the safe column and charges:

• yellow AoE = Positron Stream
• blue AoE = Negatron Stream

Each player must be hit by the opposite color of their Ion Cluster debuff to cleanse one stack.

Being hit by the same color adds a stack instead.

The player closest to the boss on each side takes increased damage, so tanks should stand closest.

After each Electron Stream, players receive one of several follow-up debuffs:

Spinning Conductor

Small point-blank AoE, requires spreading.

Roundhouse Conductor

Large donut AoE, requires isolation.

Proximate Current / Remote Current

Narrow cone aimed at closest or furthest player.

Collider Conductor

Must be cleansed by taking Axe Current, otherwise it detonates as a roomwide AoE.

This full Electron Stream pattern repeats three times, allowing all Ion Cluster stacks to be cleansed.

Phase Transition – Electrope Transplant

The boss transforms and the arena changes.

Players should move boss-relative to assigned intercardinals:

• tanks/ranged → northwest/northeast
• healers/melees → southwest/southeast

Electrope Transplant

Seven sets of conal AoEs appear, leaving narrow dodge lanes.

During the fifth set:

• either all DPS
or
• all supports

are hit with Conduction Point, giving Lightning Resistance Down II.

These players are then targeted by Forked Fissures, line AoEs that must be blocked by their partner standing in front of them.

The sequence then repeats a second time.

At the end, the whole party stacks south of the boss.

Soulshock / Impact / Cannonbolt

The boss uses four successive heavy raid hits:

1. Soulshock (magical)

2. Impact

3. Impact

4. Cannonbolt

Cannonbolt knocks the party onto the south platform if positioned correctly.

Phase 2

The arena is now a 4×3 grid.

Cross Tail Switch

Nine hits of catastrophic magical raidwide damage.

A Tank Limit Break 3 is strongly recommended.

Wicked Blaze

Each light party moves to its assigned wall:

• Group 1 west
• Group 2 east

Sixteen exaflare-style telegraphs appear in a 4×4 pattern.

Players identify the safe row by looking across the arena for the row whose telegraph points outward.

At the same time, both healers receive a four-hit stack marker (Wicked Blaze).

Players must dodge the exaflares while remaining inside healer stacks.

Wicked Special

Two possible animation telegraphs:

Orange flaming sword in middle

Middle two columns unsafe.

Purple electric claws on the sides

Outer columns unsafe.

Mustard Bomb

Two random players receive tankbuster tethers.

Tanks must take them and spread.

These tankbusters apply Mustard Bomb, which later detonates lethally unless transferred or invulned.

At the same time:

• four random players receive large AoEs and gain Fire Resistance Down II

Tanks must identify the two players not hit and pass Mustard Bomb to them by contact.

Aetherial Conversion

The boss stores either:

• fire in both tails
or
• water in both tails

Fire

Massive lethal circle AoEs centered on the floor dots.

Water

Unpreventable knockbacks from the floor dots.

Players must note the order tails glow, because the stored attacks resolve later during Tail Thrust.

Azure Thunder

Heavy magical raidwide damage that compresses the arena into a smaller circle.

Twilight Sabbath

Four Phase 1 Wicked Replica clones spawn on the cardinals.

The first two spawn faster and resolve Sidewise Spark first.

Players stack middle to bait Wicked Fire AoEs, then move to the first safe quadrant, then the second safe quadrant.

During the second safe movement, the boss also uses Wicked Special, requiring side or middle positioning.

Midnight Sabbath

Eight Wicked Replica clones spawn.

• cardinal clones all share one animation
• intercardinal clones all share the other

Clone attacks:

Wicked Cannon

Line AoE in front of clone.

Thundering

Donut AoE around clone.

At the same time the boss uses:

Scattered Burst

Initial full spread, then stack with partner.

Concentrated Burst

Initial partner stack, then spread.

Players must read both the clone pattern and the boss burst pattern on the fly.

Wicked Thunder

Heavy magical raidwide damage.

Flame Slash

Destroys the two inner columns of the arena.

Players split by light party onto the safe outer columns and spread vertically.

Raining Swords

Four towers spawn on each column and must each be soaked by one player.

They leave swords embedded in the floor.

Chain Lightning

The boss conducts lightning through the swords in sequence.

On each side, the safe sword is shown twice in a row.

Players memorize the safe order as a four-number code (for example 3-2-1-4) and move between swords accordingly.

Afterward, the arena regenerates and the boss resolves the previously stored Tail Thrust.

Mustard Bomb (Second Use)

Mechanic repeats.

Aetherial Conversion + Azure Thunder

The boss again stores an elemental attack and compresses the arena.

Ion Cluster + Sunrise Sabbath

Players receive:

• Positron or Negatron
• short or long timer

This creates one DPS and one support for each color/timer combination.

Sunrise Sabbath

Four cannon adds spawn on the intercardinals and two winged adds east/west.

Players must:

• bait cannon lines using opposite color players
• soak wing towers with the correct timer group
• resolve a Wicked Special in between
• repeat the cannon/tower resolution with the opposite timer group

Afterward the lethal edge AoE disappears and the boss resolves the stored Tail Thrust.

Sword Quiver

Four hits of physical raidwide damage, leaving glowing line patterns on the floor.

Players and their assigned partner stack in one of the four large gaps between the lines:

• tanks/melees northwest/northeast
• healers/ranged southwest/southeast

The lines then explode while either all supports or all DPS are hit with Laceration, a split-damage conal AoE.

This repeats three times with different line layouts.

Enrage

Wicked Thunder

Long enrage cast.

The boss must be defeated before it finishes or the raid wipes.

Mechanic Sequence Pattern

Role Pressure Analysis

Tanks

Tanks handle repeated double-hit tankbusters, dangerous Mustard Bomb transfers, and positional responsibility during compressed arena mechanics.

Healers

Healers face extremely heavy raidwide pressure during Wrath of Zeus, Wicked Thunder, Cross Tail Switch, and repeated multi-hit mechanics. Mistimed healing during reduced-arena phases quickly snowballs.

DPS

DPS must execute partner stacks, clone dodges, cannon baiting, sword path memorization, and movement-heavy spread mechanics without dropping uptime.

Failure Points

Common wipes come from:

• incorrect Witch Hunt bait assignments
• wrong safe quadrant during Spark/Four Star/Eight Star
• miscounted Electrical Condenser hits
• wrong color cleanse during Electron Stream
• failed Forked Fissures partner blocks
• Mustard Bomb passed to the wrong players
• bad Chain Lightning movement on swords
• incorrect cannon bait or tower pairing during Sunrise Sabbath

Difficulty Profile

Wicked Thunder (Savage) is a full raid choreography fight built on strict movement memory, partner coordination, and repeated arena compression mechanics.

Encounter Intelligence Summary

M4S – Wicked Thunder is the capstone encounter of Arcadion: Light-Heavyweight and pushes every core skill the tier asks of the party: bait control, partner assignments, clone reading, line-dodge execution, and safe-space memorization under extreme pressure.

Parties that succeed are the ones that stay organized through the long mechanic chains, especially during Electron Stream, Electrope Transplant, Sunrise Sabbath, and Sword Quiver. The fight rewards clean consistency much more than improvisation.

Related Encounters

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