M2S Guide: Mastering Honey B. Lovely in FFXIV

The M2s Guide on CONDUCT.EDU.VN offers a comprehensive walkthrough to conquer Honey B. Lovely in Final Fantasy XIV. This detailed strategy helps players navigate the fight’s mechanics and triumph, minimizing mistakes and maximizing raid success. Unlock the secrets to victory with expert insights and proven tactics, ensuring your party emerges victorious. Explore practical tips and tricks for excelling in this challenging encounter, boosting your confidence and performance in every raid.

1. Introduction to Honey B. Lovely

Honey B. Lovely is the second boss encounter in the Anabaseios: The Twelfth Circle (Savage) raid in Final Fantasy XIV. This fight is known for its intricate mechanics and heavy emphasis on execution, making it a significant challenge for even the most experienced players. Understanding the fight’s phases and mechanics is crucial for success.

2. Unlocking the Honey B. Lovely Encounter

To unlock the Anabaseios: The Twelfth Circle (Savage) version of Honey B. Lovely, you must first complete the Normal difficulty of the raid. After completing the normal version, speak to Gabbro in Labyrinthos (X: 22.3, Y: 17.1). The minimum item level to queue is 705, but this requirement is bypassed when entering with a full party.

3. Lore and Background

Honey B. Lovely is a captivating yet dangerous opponent. The official lore describes her as: With her irresistible charms, your victory against Honey B. Lovely was hard-fought. Yet Gabbro’s words linger in your mind: what if the sweet songstress revealed a side of herself more vile than you had ever imagined? How might the battle have gone then…?

4. Video Resources for Visual Learners

For those who prefer visual aids, consider watching video guides that cover the encounter. Hope Productions offers a visual guide that can help you understand the mechanics more clearly. These video resources provide step-by-step instructions and visual cues that can be invaluable for mastering the fight.

5. Comprehensive Raid Guide: Honey B. Lovely Mechanics and Strategies

The Honey B. Lovely encounter takes place in a circular arena with a death wall. The arena has markings indicating cardinal and intercardinal directions, which are essential for positioning during the fight. This encounter is heavily focused on execution, with simple mechanics and few opportunities for recovery. The fight is divided into three main phases, each referred to as a “Honey B. Live” phase, with interludes featuring unique mechanics.

Honey B. Lovely’s enrage timer is set at 10 minutes and 11 seconds. If the fight lasts longer, she will restore her HP, incapacitate all players, and wipe the raid shortly after. To defeat her, the raid needs to maintain at least 137,425 DPS, though this number can increase due to the Infatuation mechanic.

5.1. Raid Preparation and Party Setup

Before engaging Honey B. Lovely, careful raid preparation is essential. Begin by pairing all supports with one DPS. Tanks should be partnered with ranged DPS, and healers should be partnered with melee DPS. Assign clock positions for the final mechanic of the fight. Each pair should be assigned a quadrant of the arena, which can be color-coded using waymarks. This setup ensures efficient communication and coordination throughout the fight.

Here is a sample waymark setup for easier coordination:

{"Name":"Imported","MapID":988,"A":{"X":100.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":90.0,"ID":0,"Active":true},"B":{"X":110.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":100.0,"ID":1,"Active":true},"C":{"X":100.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":110.0,"ID":2,"Active":true},"D":{"X":90.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":100.0,"ID":3,"Active":true},"One":{"X":105.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":95.0,"ID":4,"Active":true},"Two":{"X":105.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":105.0,"ID":5,"Active":true},"Three":{"X":95.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":105.0,"ID":6,"Active":true},"Four":{"X":95.0,"Y":0.0,"Z":95.0,"ID":7,"Active":true}}

5.2. Key Mechanics: Infatuation and Venom

The primary mechanic during the “Beat” phases is Infatuation. Certain attacks, color-coded with pink and marked with hearts, will increase the Heart Gauge. Players with Infatuation stacks take damage over time, with the damage increasing based on the number of hearts. If a player reaches four stacks, they become a Drone for six seconds, unable to move or perform actions. Each time a player becomes a Drone, Honey B. Lovely restores approximately 1% of her HP and gains a stack of Queen Bee, increasing her damage dealt.

In addition to Infatuation, Honey B. Lovely uses other key mechanics throughout the fight:

• Call Me Honey: Deals approximately 135,000 magic damage to all players. This requires raid-wide mitigation and healing.
• Honey Beeline: A line AoE that hits in front and behind Honey B. Lovely. This spawns blobs on the east and west edges of the arena, forcing players to move inward.
• Tempting Twist: A donut AoE that creates a safe spot close to the boss. This spawns blobs on the cardinal directions and inside the arena, forcing players to move to the intercardinal directions.
• Drop of Venom: Honey B. Lovely coats her weapon. After the next Tempting Twist or Honey Beeline, four players of one role will be targeted with AoE damage that must be shared. This deals approximately 260,000 magic poison damage, split between two players, and inflicts a poison resistance debuff.
• Splash of Venom: Honey B. Lovely coats her weapon. After the next Tempting Twist or Honey Beeline, all players will be targeted with an unmarked AoE. This deals approximately 130,000 magic poison damage and inflicts a poison resistance debuff.
• Stinging Slash: Wide conal tank busters on the two players with the highest enmity. Deals approximately 280,000 physical slashing damage and inflicts a slashing vulnerability debuff.
• Killer Sting: A shared tank buster on the main tank. Deals approximately 500,000 physical damage split between two tanks.

5.3. Phase One: 1st Beat Strategy

During the 1st Beat, players are introduced to the basic mechanics of the fight. Understanding these mechanics is crucial for progressing through the encounter.

5.3.1. Phase One Mechanics Breakdown

The following mechanics are introduced in phase one:

• Honey B. Live: 1st Beat: Deals approximately 135,000 magic damage to all players. She gains the Top of the Hive buff, meaning all players gain the Heart Gauge. From this point on, certain mechanics will increase the gauge.
• Centerstage Combo: A series of AoE attacks consisting of a donut AoE with cardinal conal AoEs, a wide plus-shaped AoE, and a point-blank AoE with intercardinal conal AoEs. Getting hit by any of these increases the Heart Gauge.
• Outerstage Combo: A series of AoE attacks consisting of a point-blank AoE with intercardinal conal AoEs, a wide plus-shaped AoE, and a donut AoE with cardinal conal AoEs. Getting hit by any of these increases the Heart Gauge.
• Love Me Tender: Spawns Fracture towers. The second time, spawns floating hearts that increase the Heart Gauge if hit.
• Fracture: Towers spawn on the arena that must be soaked. Soaking a tower increases the Heart Gauge by 1; if not soaked, all players take massive damage and everyone’s Heart Gauge increases by 1. This deals approximately 12,000 magic damage.
• Loveseeker: Large point-blank AoE that increases the Heart Gauge by 1 if hit.
• Heartsick: Stack marker on a random player with 2 or fewer hearts. Gives four hearts spread equally to all players in the stack. If there are fewer than four players, random players will gain multiple hearts. This deals approximately 240,000 magic damage split between the stack.
• Honey B. Finale: Deals approximately 145,000 magic damage to all players. This removes her Top of the Hive debuff and the Heart Gauge from all players.

5.3.2. Strategic Approach for Phase One

The fight begins with Call Me Honey, a raid-wide attack that requires mitigation. Honey B. Lovely will then cast either Drop of Venom or Splash of Venom, so players must remember which one it was. After the next mechanic, Honey Beeline or Tempting Twist, she will execute the Venom mechanic. The possible configurations are corner spread, corner stack, inside line spread, and inside line stack. All players should stay in their assigned quadrant and either spread or stack with their partner.

Afterward, she will perform the opposite pattern from before. Players will learn to dodge these four mechanics, which are prevalent throughout the fight. This is followed by Killer Sting or Stinging Slash. Tanks need to mitigate and stand together for the stack or away from each other and the party for the cleave.

In the 1st Beat, the initial distribution of hearts varies: four players will start with one heart, two players with two hearts, and two players with zero hearts. This phase is lenient regarding heart collection, and a few mistakes won’t necessarily result in a wipe.

Honey B. Lovely will begin with either Centerstage Combo or Outerstage Combo. These combos involve three AoE combinations in quick succession, each giving one heart if hit. The diagram below shows the safe spots for each hit. Note that while max melee range is safe for the outer hit, all players need to run out for the giant plus-shaped AoE.

This is followed by Love Me Tender, spawning Fracture towers on the ground. A total of eleven towers spawn, meaning the raid gains eleven hearts once all towers are soaked. Players with fewer hearts should prioritize soaking towers, with melee staying close to the boss and ranged getting the far towers. After all towers are soaked, there shouldn’t be any players with less than two hearts.

Honey B. Lovely finishes this phase with Love Me Tender again, spawning floating hearts. Unlike normal mode, there aren’t any AoEs, so these hearts are easier to dodge. However, one random player with two or fewer hearts will receive the Heartsick stack. At least three other players with two or fewer hearts need to stack with them to share damage and hearts. Players with three hearts should avoid the stack unless necessary. After this, there will be another Stage Combo, so avoid getting hit as almost everyone will have three hearts. Heal up as Honey B. Lovely will cast her Finale, dealing massive damage and ending the 1st Beat.

5.4. Phase Two: 2nd Beat Strategy

The 2nd Beat introduces more involved mechanics and requires precise execution. Players must coordinate and adapt to survive this phase.

5.4.1. Phase Two Mechanics Overview

The following mechanics are introduced in phase two:

• Alarm Pheromones: Summons groupbees at the edge of the arena, which do line AoEs on random players. These line AoEs knock back players if hit, inflicting a damage down and piercing resistance debuff.
• Honey B. Live: 2nd Beat: Deals approximately 135,000 magic damage to all players. She gains the Top of the Hive buff, meaning all players gain the Heart Gauge. From this point on, certain mechanics will increase the gauge.
• Spread Love: Honey B. Lovely uses Splash of Venom, but the hit now increases the Heart Gauge by 1.
• Drop of Love: Honey B. Lovely uses Drop of Venom, but the hit now increases the Heart Gauge by 1.
• Love Me Tender: Now spawns AoEs underneath players.
• Heartsick: Deals less damage in this phase, approximately 170,000 split between players. Still gives four hearts total.
• Heartsore: Two random players are marked with an AoE, which deals approximately 90,000 magic damage. This increases the Heart Gauge by 1.

5.4.2. Tactical Execution for Phase Two

Phase two begins with a Stinging Slash or Killer Sting, so tanks will need to mitigate it and stand away from the group. The first mechanic is Alarm Pheromones, functioning similarly to the normal mode, although getting hit by an AoE is more punishing. Players can start north and rotate together, or melee can stick together and dodge while ranged stay on the outside. Because the location of the groupbees is random, this requires high awareness and precise execution.

Next, the 2nd Beat will begin. Two players in each role will start with one heart, and the other two players in that role start with zero hearts. Mitigate and watch her cast: she will either use Spread Love or Drop of Love, indicating a spread or partner stack after the main mechanic.

There are multiple ways to solve the 2nd Beat’s main mechanic, which involves two Heartsick stacks on players with zero hearts, Heartsore AoEs on two players with one heart, and two Fracture towers that must be soaked, ideally by players who originally had one heart. A recommended strategy is to split the party into two groups, with players having zero hearts in the south and players with one heart in the north. Players will rotate clockwise until the Fracture towers spawn and the Heartsore AoEs appear on two players.

Keep in mind the towers can spawn north/south or east/west. Players soaking the towers need to rotate further or double back: the tank should always keep going to the next tower, and the DPS should rotate back to soak the tower the group passed. Meanwhile, the players with the stack will take them together, dividing the hearts between them. All players should have two hearts at the end of this mechanic sequence.

Finally, Honey B. Lovely will cast Honey Beeline or Tempting Twist. Players must dodge the first AoE, then either stack or spread with their partner in the safe spot in their quadrant. The stack or spread depends on the Spread Love or Drop of Love cast at the beginning of the phase, so it may be a good idea to type it down in chat as a reminder. If done correctly, all players will have three hearts as Honey B. Lovely casts her Finale, ending the phase.

5.5. Phase Three: 3rd Beat Strategy

The 3rd Beat is a dance-like phase that is simple to execute but requires players to be practiced with previous mechanics. Coordination and precise movements are essential.

5.5.1. Phase Three Mechanics Detailed

The following mechanics are introduced in phase three:

• Alarm Pheromones: The line AoEs are now static, creating a square in the middle of the arena and safe spaces on the outside.
• Poison Sting: Marks one player from each role with a prey marker. This drops a poison puddle on their location and deals approximately 70,000 magic damage, inflicting a magic vulnerability debuff.
• Bee Sting: A stack marker on two random players, one of each role. Deals approximately 520,000 physical damage split between all players in the stack and inflicts a piercing resistance debuff.
• Honey B. Live: 3rd Beat: Deals approximately 135,000 magic damage to all players. She gains the Top of the Hive buff, meaning all players gain the Heart Gauge. From this point on, all players are inflicted with the Poison ‘n’ Pop debuff, which explodes in a large AoE when the debuff expires, giving all players hit one heart.

5.5.2. Executing the 3rd Beat Strategy

The phase begins with Splash of Venom or Drop of Venom, and like previously players need to remember which cast it was for later. Alarm Pheromones will spawn safe spots on the outside of the arena and box players on the inside. Players targeted with Poison Sting need to drop their puddle on the outside. Supports should drop them on the north side, and DPS should drop them on the south side. While it is preferred to have them dropped in order, players can eyeball the space and head to a safe space, as long as the support and DPS do not go to the same spot.

At the end, there will be a stack. Supports should stay on the north side, and DPS should stay on the south side of the box in the middle, which will get smaller as the AoEs continue. There’s a random tank buster after, so tanks need to get in front and either stack or spread. Afterward will be a Honey Beeline or Tempting Twist with the Splash or Drop from the beginning of the phase. Do this like normal, then heal up for the 3rd Beat.

All players will begin with zero hearts in the 3rd Beat. All players are inflicted with the Poison ‘n’ Pop debuff, which is a large explosion when the debuff expires. One role will have their debuff duration be shorter, and the other role will have it be longer. Honey B. Lovely will cast Spread Love or Drop of Love again; remember it for later.

First, players need to dodge either Centerstage Combo or Outerstage Combo. The role with the shorter debuff has them expire right after, so they need to go to the edge of the arena at intercardinals to spread out. Meanwhile, four Fracture towers spawn with one in each quadrant of the arena. The role that did not go out will stay in the very center of the arena, then quickly head to their towers.

The role that went out can immediately go back in after the explosion because immediately following this is another Stage Combo. The roles are then reversed as the longer debuff will be expiring right after and four more towers spawn. The role with the expiring debuff will run out to the intercardinal edges, and the role without debuffs will stay in the middle then soak towers after. If done correctly, all players should have two hearts.

This is followed by a Honey Beeline or Tempting Twist with the Spread Love or Drop of Love from earlier. Again, handle this like usual, heal up, and mitigate the 3rd Finale.

5.6. Phase Four: Rotten Heart Strategy

Honey B. Lovely reveals her true self, gaining the Rotten Honey debuff. This phase is a DPS check and requires quick thinking and execution.

5.6.1. Phase Four Mechanics Unveiled

The following mechanics are introduced in phase four:

• Rotten Honey: Deals approximately 150,000 magic damage to all players. All players are inflicted with either Beeloved Venom: Alpha or Beeloved Venom: Beta. Players with these debuffs who touch explode in a Big Burst, dealing approximately 70,000 magic damage to all players and inflicting a magic vulnerability debuff. Expiry of the debuff will kill the player.

5.6.2. Tactics for Phase Four Success

The final phase serves as a ramping damage soft enrage. The difficulty of this phase will increase the more stacks of Queen Bee Honey B. Lovely has, so it’s essential to keep stacks low in previous phases. She will begin by casting the final tank buster of the fight, either Stinging Slash or Killer Sting.

This is followed by the Rotten Honey cast, dealing massive raid-wide damage and giving all players either the Alpha or Beta debuff with four random players having each debuff. All players need to spread to their clock position, though spreading out and not being close to other players is fine, making sure there are no players in the middle.

These debuffs will start with four varying lengths: 12s, 28s, 44s, and 1m. The two players with the shortest debuffs need to go to the middle to explode, removing their debuffs and dealing moderate magic damage to the raid. They need to do this with six or more seconds remaining on the debuff, as Honey B. Lovely will cast Call Me Honey soon after. If players explode too late, the magic vulnerability debuff will still be active for that raid-wide, wiping the raid.

This will occur four times in total. Healers need to top all players off between each debuff explosion and Call Me Honey, and all players need to spread out their mitigation. At least 2 10% mitigations for each Call Me Honey is recommended. After the fourth cast, focus on damage as Honey B. Lovely will cast her essentially hard enrage Sheer Heart Attack at 10:06. This will grant her sixteen Queen Bee stacks and heal her up, and wipe the raid shortly after. Defeat the bee before she finishes you off!

6. Party Finder Strategies for Diverse Groups

Depending on the data center and strategy used, party finder pugs may use different strategies for the fight. Here are some common variations:

1. As Alarm Pheromones 1 is quite random, many strategies exist to dodge the line AoEs. The “Mario Kart” strategy requires players to start north as the cast bar starts and rotate clockwise, adjusting speed based on where the AoEs originate. Alternatively, players can bait four directly in the middle of the arena and then spread or rotate. Otherwise, players will all dodge individually.
2. 3rd Beat can be done on clock spots or quadrants. Clock spots create more difficulty for the OT as they have to switch, but may be more convenient for the rest of the party. Quadrants ensure a consistent position for all outside spread mechanics in the fight.

7. Loot and Rewards

When Honey B. Lovely is defeated, a treasure coffer will appear containing Dark Horse Champion’s Head, Hands, and Feet Coffers. These coffers contain an item level 730 Dark Horse equip for the job the player is currently on. The number of coffers depends on how many players have already cleared during the weekly lockout. If no players have cleared yet, all three coffers will appear, along with a Surgelight Glaze and Universal Tomestone. If one to four players have already cleared, two random coffers will appear and a random upgrade item. If five or more players have already cleared, no treasure coffer will appear.

Players who defeat the encounter for the first time during the weekly reset will also receive an Anabaseios: The Twelfth Circle (Savage) Illustrated token. Four of these can be traded in for a Dark Horse Head, Hands, or Feet gear of your choosing at an Arcadion gear vendor.

8. Updates and Changes (Changelog)

• August 5, 2024: Added possible party finder strategies and explanations.
• August 2, 2024: Added boss image.
• August 1, 2024: Changed 2nd Beat strategy descriptions.
• July 31, 2024: Guide added.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Honey B. Lovely

1. What is the minimum item level required to fight Honey B. Lovely (Savage)?
   The minimum item level is 705, but this requirement is bypassed when entering with a full party.
2. How many phases are there in the Honey B. Lovely fight?
   The fight is divided into three main “Honey B. Live” phases, with interludes featuring unique mechanics.
3. What is the enrage timer for Honey B. Lovely?
   The enrage timer is 10 minutes and 11 seconds.
4. What is the Infatuation mechanic?
   Certain attacks increase the Heart Gauge, and players with high stacks take damage over time and eventually become Drones.
5. What happens when a player becomes a Drone?
   They are unable to move or perform actions for six seconds, and Honey B. Lovely restores HP and gains a damage buff.
6. What are the key mechanics in Phase One?
   Key mechanics include Centerstage Combo, Outerstage Combo, Love Me Tender, Fracture, and Heartsick.
7. How does the Alarm Pheromones mechanic work in Phase Two?
   Groupbees spawn and cast line AoEs, requiring players to dodge while avoiding knockback.
8. What is the strategy for handling the Heartsick mechanic in Phase Two?
   Split the party into two groups and rotate clockwise to soak towers and handle stacks efficiently.
9. How does the Poison ‘n’ Pop debuff work in Phase Three?
   It inflicts a large AoE explosion after a set duration, requiring players to spread out to avoid overlapping damage.
10. What is the main challenge in Phase Four (Rotten Heart)?
    Players must manage Alpha and Beta debuffs, spread out, and explode at the right time to avoid wiping the raid.

For more in-depth strategies, tips, and tricks to conquer challenging encounters like Honey B. Lovely, visit CONDUCT.EDU.VN. Navigate complex mechanics with confidence, minimize raid wipes, and enhance your overall gaming experience.

Disclaimer: This guide is based on current strategies and may need adjustments based on future game updates and community findings. Always adapt to your specific group’s needs and strategies.

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