Massive Girdle of the Forge - Advice plz

[Drakh]

Im currently 200 smithing and in the process of building up all of my tradeskills to 200 before purchasing my first Tanaan mastery AA and increasing smithing to 250.

I was hoping to Grand Master smithing first of all other tradeskills, one because i can make a good profit farming EP components while XPing there, and two because i can obtain a +10% smithing mod item with relative ease(brewing is already at 249 but isnt a great fast money maker).

Heres where i need your advice - The Massive Girdle of the Forge drops from one of the minis in Seru and i was wondering whats the smallest raid force people have taken to drop this guy?
I am in a Time Guild and can probably muster at least 2 clerics 1 bard and myself. Im aware pets are needed to tank to reduce the chance of banishing people.

[Nolrog]

Im currently 200 smithing and in the process of building up all of my tradeskills to 200 before purchasing my first Tanaan mastery AA and increasing smithing to 250.

Get your smithing to 201 first. Otherwise, you might get baking or brewing there first, and then cannot GM smithing first without spending AAs.

[Raamil]

We one grouped him with one cleric, a shaman and me (druid) healing a mage pet. Don't remember the rest of the makeup of the group, but the cleric was maybe elemental equipped and the rest were bazaar equipped so I think if you get the bard 2 clerics and another pet class or nuker you will do fine. Too bad I'm a human and couldn't roll on it.

[filobeto]

If this is the same guy that I am thinking about, he banishes, so unless you have CoH set up, or another other way of getting back (we bound in his room and had a Wiz TL to bind upon banishment) he'd best be done with pets.

Faction hit was huge, we all became instanly KOS with many stuck in a bind loop while trying to clean up the mess. This was prior to lvls being 65, so I'm sure he's pretty easy now with a small pet force and a healer.

Nice item, PITA to get the old fashioned way. Hope your friends don't mind the faction hit.

[Pag0]

Have done this guy as both a warrior and a mage primary.

If you have a Mage, it is easy to set up a coth link to one of the safe rooms near the named. Have 2 clerics alternate heals (although 1 can normally just chain heals, it would depend on your mana regen). I believe he can be slowed/crippled, but am not sure atm (no notes with me).

Easily 1 grouped.

[Angelsyn]

2 Beastlords, 2 Mages... someone to Snare & someone to generally heal (Druid or Shaman would be fine).

Throw pets and more pets at him. Healing/Buffing Pets will not give Faction Hits, so you can even have others around doing that without much trouble.

Might go with 1 Earth (roots) and 1 Air (stuns) pet for the Mages... though the Water pet does backstabs, doesn't it?

The Mages can also help burn him down with DDs towards the end of the fight.