Bombing Guide

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Bombing Guide

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Bombs 2.1 Blast Bombs 2.1.1 Nitronome 2.1.2 Big Angry Bomb 2.1.3 Irontech Destroyer 2.1.4 Heavy Deconstructor 2.1.5 Dark Briar Barrage 2.2 Shard Bombs 2.2.1 Shocking Salt Bomb 2.2.2 Scintillating Sun Shards 2.2.3 Deadly Crystal Bomb 2.2.4 Deadly Dark Matter Bomb 2.2.5 Deadly Shard Bomb 2.2.6 Deadly Splinter Bomb 2.3 Vortex Bombs 2.3.1 Graviton Vortex 2.3.2 Electron Vortex 2.4 'Haze' Bombs 2.4.1 Shivermist Buster 2.4.2 Ash of Agni 2.4.3 Venom Veiler 2.4.4 Stagger Storm 2.4.5 Voltaic Tempest 2.5 Dark Retribution 3 Armor 4 Trinkets 5 Load-outs 5.1 Rookie Bomber 5.2 Two Weapon Bomber 5.3 Offensive 5.4 Soloing 5.5 Defensive 5.6 Elite Bomber 6 Tactics 6.1 General Tactics 6.2 Shard Bombs 6.3 The Old Shards 6.4 Carrying Your Team 6.5 Other 7 Player versus Player 7.1 Blast Network 7.2 Lockdown 8 Videos 8.1 Eek's Videos 8.2 Culture's Videos 8.3 Fallout's Videos 8.4 Echoez' Videos 9 F.A.Q. 10 Appendix 10.1 Bomb Alchemy Paths 10.2 Bomb Charge Time 11 Helpful links

Introduction

A bomber is a person specializing in a play-style involving the primary use of a bomb. A bomber's responsibilities vary between crowd control, spreading status effects, or dealing damage over a large area. This may seem to be a tedious line of work to some, but bombs are very powerful tools and can significantly ease the difficultly of content for a party. There are two key points to being a successful bomber:

• Knowing which bombs are best for each situation, either to maximize damage or survivability.
• Placing bombs strategically, as to have to the greatest positive effect.

Bombs

Blast Bombs

A go-to mainstay of almost any bomber's arsenal, the Blast Bombs are a line of explosive weaponry that deal pure Normal damage and have a large amount of knockback on them, making these bombs exceptionally useful for tactics like "shielding" and "boxing". The Blast Bombs are some of the most generally all-around useful bombs available, they're extremely effective in any stratum in the game and they're also easy to attain as players provided with a free Blast Bomb along with all the recipes to upgrade it through to the Nitronome just by progressing through the Ranked Missions. Despite their all purpose utility bombers do have to be careful when using this group of bombs, due to their knockback and very bright visual effect upon detonating, they can be extremely disruptive in uncoordinated parties. For this reason bombers planning to use Blast Bomb-line weapons should always be sure to inform their party beforehand and try to plan out strategies before major battles.

Nitronome

Bomb Category: Damage, Crowd Control

The nitronome dealing damage to a large area and pushing slags away from its blast.

The Nitronome is arguably the best damage bomb available to bombers. It is a large-radius bomb that deals damage to everything inside of its blast radius as well as pushing everything outward from the center of the bomb. Of the Blast Bomb alchemy line bombs, it has the shortest fuse, fastest walk speed, and a short charge time. Want to deal damage to a large area? The Nitronome is the obvious choice.

The Nitronome has less knockback and less damage than the alternate blast bomb alchemy lines but it makes up for it with the fastest bomb-charging walk speed and a radius that covers over 200% more area than the other two. These attributes combine to create a weapon that leaves the bomber feeling nimble and agile, allowing them to avoid attacks while charging bombs and using the Nitronome's moderate amount of knockback as a "shield."

The Nitronome deals normal damage making it useful against virtually all monsters.

Potential Hazards:

• The explosion (and accompanying screen shake) obscures the view of surroundings for you and your teammates.
• Poorly placed bombs can push enemies into teammates.
• Over-kiting enemies past bombs will push enemies towards you.

Big Angry Bomb

Bomb Category: Damage

The next best blast bomb after the Nitronome is the Big Angry Bomb, and is a unique option for those who want everything wiped from the screen. Offering an incredible amount of knockback and the highest damage per explosion of any bomb in the game, the BAB is a tool for players whom want to feel powerful, to control an area and sure as hell make sure nothing can get to you. A common misconception many people have is that the Nitronome is always the superior weapon, in actuality the mechanics of the two are different enough that they actually fill different niches; whilst chaining the BAB is significantly slower and less aggressive than Nitro-chaining, the greater knockback and stun effect it offers make it a much more effective "shielding weapon" when used defensively, making it a great choice in the Unknown Passage. Additionally the BAB is also a viable alternative in Lockdown despite what you might assume; many Strikers will find themselves taken off-guard by the slower-fuse and the potential stun on its explosion can leave anyone you hit easy pickings for your own Strikers.

Potential Hazards:

• Huge knockback alongside the long fuse means you need to be more pro-active in leading enemies into correct positioning than with the Nitronome
• Slow walking speed when charging leaves you vulnerable

Irontech Destroyer

Bomb Category: Damage

The Irontech Destroyer deals a mid range damage (with Nitro dealing less, and BAB dealing more) bomb, with the same radius as the other blast bombs. The destroyer has a slowed walking speed while charging, and a slow fuse. The bomb is quite mediocre in that it isn't really possible to spam it like Nitronome and doesn't deal excessively large knock-back as the BAB does. Really it is a collectors item and a player is better off with the Big Angry Bomb or Nitronome.

Heavy Deconstructor

Bomb Category: Damage, Crowd Control

One of the least known bombs is the Heavy Deconstructor. This bomb gives the appearance of a gremlin-demo style 'ticker' bomb, as well as showing what appears to be the Darkfang symbol in the blast effect. The Heavy Decon is one of the least used because, in all honesty, Master Blast Bomb is better. The two are the same in fuse, radius and charge time... so what's the problem? The construct damage bonus isn't really that noticeable and the Master Blast bomb's extra damage overall is a nicer option. The worst aspect is that the Heavy Deconstructor stops at 4* so the Nitronome greatly outclasses it. In end game bomber mode, its probably just a better option to look for a UV Construct bonus than going to the effort of making a Heavy Decon.

During the preview, the Heavy Decon was even more disappointing with an incredibly small radius (that of today's regular Blast/Super Blast Bomb). However, back then it seemed to have an actual use due to the reduced radius after getting a UV on bombs. (Obviously this feature has been removed.) This made the Heavy Decon an actual option inside the bombing community, eliminating gun puppies in a matter of 3 hits in a party of 4. Now though, there is no real use in favoring a Heavy Deconstructor over the Master Blast and for now it is only a novelty; perhaps it will be balanced in the future.

Dark Briar Barrage

Bomb Category: Damage

A Dark Briar Barrage explosion knocks down a soft-bodied Darkfang Thwacker.

The Dark Briar Barrage (DBB) is a piercing damage bomb with characteristics similar to the Nitronome. Despite this the Dark Briar Barrage is not technically a "Blast Bomb" as it is neither part of the same alchemy tree, nor does it have the characteristic knockback of the other Blast Bombs, instead being capable of knocking down soft-bodied enemies such as gremlins and wolvers.

The absence of knockback makes the DBB a great choice for bombers less adept at nitronome placement. The non-disruptive nature of the bomb means that teammates will not have to make adjustments to their gameplay and also means that several DBBs can be comboed together effectively without interfering with each other. The DBB is an excellent choice against fiends, beasts, undead, and gremlins. Because it deals pierce damage, it is ineffective against slimes and construct.

When attacking enemies neutral to piercing (undead and gremlins) the DBB has the same damage output as a Nitronome.

Because the DBB has no knockback, it offers less protection and must be used differently than a typical blast bomb. Bombers can take advantage of the DBB's non-disruptive behavior by running away from enemies while placing down DBBs and essentially kiting them into the blast zone. Another strategy is to take advantage of the lack of knockback by overlapping multiple bombs' blast areas on an enemy's position (like a Venn diagram[1]) while dodging attacks normally. This will allow bombers to easily hit a target multiple times without having to predict where enemies will be pushed.

Shard Bombs

Bomb Category: Damage

As of the shard bomb update on the 08/08/2012, a new, but interesting method of bombing has arisen. The mechanics introduced six cluster-like bombs which create an initial explosion on detonation that then fires a series of non-damaging shards in multiple directions. These shards will then stick into the ground and explode shortly thereafter causing a series a of explosions that form a kind of ‘ring’ around the initial placement point of the bomb. The initial shard does less damage than the ring of shards. These bombs are quite difficult to get used to similar to the old shard bombs, with the small knock-back making mobs end positions hard to predict. Due to the only recent release of the bombs, strategies are still being determined; and until further notice won't be listed.

Potential Hazards:

• Shard Bombs knock back enemies multiple times, making it hard to predict the end positions.
• Placing near wall will result in some shards disappearing

Shocking Salt Bomb

The Shocking Salt Bomb is a unique mix of shock and shadow damage not seen with any other weapons; and it can really pack a punch, especially to slimes with a Very High damage bonus to that family.

Potential Hazards:

• Enemies who receive the shock status will not be affected by knockback, making the bomb more unpredictable than other shards.

Scintillating Sun Shards

The Scintillating Sun Shards combines stun and pierce to become a true fiend killer; with the helping hand of a Very High damage to fiend bonus.

Deadly Crystal Bomb

The Deadly Crystal Bomb is the only elemental DPS Bomb, with the haze series focusing on the statuses. It is ideal for slow moving constructs, and can be good against undead with practice.

Deadly Dark Matter Bomb

The Deadly Dark Matter Bomb also deals shadow damage like the Shocking Salt Bomb, however it deals more damage, has no bonus to any family, and does not deal a status. This bomb will outclass Shocking Salt against Slimes if the bomber obtains Very High or better damage bonus from armor or trinkets.

Deadly Shard Bomb

The Deadly Shard Bomb is a red normal damage shard bomb, being the 'all-rounder' of the series. With other shard bombs being able to do larger damage to families, this bomb isn't something to get unless you are a collector. A player would be better off with a mix of the shadow shard bombs and the Deadly Crystal Bomb

Deadly Splinter Bomb

Another Pierce damage shard bomb, the Deadly Splinter Bomb deals greater damage, has no bonus or status, however it will trump the Sun Shards against fiends if maximum damage is obtained through trinkets or armor.

Vortex Bombs

Graviton Vortex

Bomb Category: Crowd Control

Five Slags trapped inside the vortex from a Graviton bomb.

This is a situational bomb, most useful for gathering up many mobs, then combining it with another weapons's attack. The Graviton Vortex is a bomb every bomber will own, just because the idea of a black hole is so cool. The Graviton Vortex doesn't reach its full potential until combined with a secondary weapon that deals a large amount of damage to a concentrated area. Because of this, the Vortex is suited for party play or bombers that have non-bomb secondary weapons.

The Vortex is great at drawing mobs into one area. If a large amount of monsters are pulled into the hole, then the knockback from the explosion will not occur. This bomb combos exceptionally well with sword charges, particularly the Brandish line. It can also be combined with the Shivermist Buster since Freeze will cancel the bomb's knockback; which traps enemies to a specific area.

Graviton is still something of an acquired taste. The bombing patterns used are quite different from that of blast bombs epicenter routine and Vaporizer's kiting pattern. The main pattern is just to walk around in a large figure 8 if one is pure bombing, but there are other ways to comfortably deploy the bomb. There is an indepth discussion of Graviton (particularly the Vortex) located at http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/13755 in the arsenal sub-forums.

• The Graviton Vortex is best used against melee enemies that are not too fast. Ranged enemies are likely to snipe you off as you go in to plant the bomb and fast melee enemies will reach you before you finish charging.
• The most effective way to use the Vortex is to run around enemies in a circle until they are in a packed formation. At this point, you should place the bomb such that it will catch the most enemies as they try to attack you.

For demonstrations of using the Graviton Vortex in various situations against various enemies, check out this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKjKrWnpbKY

Potential Hazards:

• Standing on top of the bomb when the fuse goes off can often trap you in the center of vortexed enemies
• Enemies can still attack while inside the vortex
• Enemies that are alive when the vortex expires are flung randomly away from the bomb
• Kats are unaffected by the Graviton's suction

Electron Vortex

Bomb Category: Status, Crowd Control

The Electron Vortex is an elemental version of the Graviton Vortex that has a chance to status enemies that remain inside the vortex when it expires. Despite having a different damage type, the graviton-style bomb is still not a damage bomb as it only deals a trivial amount of damage at the beginning of the vortex and a moderate amount of damage to enemies still in the vortex at the end of it. Unlike the Graviton Vortex, the Electron Vortex is capable of trapping Kat ghosts which makes it a better option for targeting undead.

Because of the chance to spread shock status, the Electron Vortex will be less likely to fling enemies at the conclusion of the vortex. Being able to pull enemies into close proximity of each other and shocking them also maximizes the potential of shock. If the bomb manages to shock a group of enemies, they can be daisy-chained into another electron vortex.

The Electron Vortex is a new and improved Graviton Vortex but the mechanics are similar enough that frugal bombers that already own a Graviton Vortex should not feel the need to "upgrade".

Potential Hazards:

• Standing on top of the bomb when the fuse goes off can often trap you in the center of vortexed enemies; if the enemies get shocked at the end of the vortex, this can be potentially fatal since shield bumping may not be reliable
• Enemies can still attack while inside the vortex
• Enemies that are alive when the vortex expires are flung randomly away from the bomb unless they are prevented from being knocked back by shock status
• While charging you move at a significantly slower speed, leaving you open to fast moving enemies and projectiles.
• This bomb is a PvP reward

'Haze' Bombs

Shivermist Buster

Bomb Category: Status, Crowd Control

A Shivermist Buster makes Lord Vanaduke battle a breeze.

Looking for crowd control? You have found everything you need! The freeze line with its highest upgrade, the Shivermist Buster, will freeze mobs in place. Frozen mobs cannot turn or move, but are still able to attack. This bomb is arguably the best support weapon. Freeze most of the mobs, finish the leftovers. Alternatively, you can freeze single mobs and leave the rest. Every mob in the game is easier to deal with when stuck in place so this bomb is useful almost everywhere.

The downside to a pure crowd control bomb is that the damage output is quite low. A mob that is frozen takes no damage from the status effect until it wears off, referred to as "thawing." Breaking the freeze early with another attack (from either a friend or foe) or refreezing results in no damage at all. Continuous freezing can be used to keep a mob alive while healing between waves, specifically in some rooms of the Firestorm Citadel.

Mobs can still attack while frozen so flank them from the side or from behind to stay safe when attacking.

Combining a freeze bomb with a damaging weapon can be quite devastating. First freeze the mobs in place, then charge up a blast bomb or a calibur sword and watch the carnage. Since the mobs are all herded together, the AoE damage will apply to many targets at once. The freeze also allows the calibur charge to connect on all three hits if released close to the target.

However, there is one downside that should be considered. If a knight is completely surrounded by mobs then freezing the mobs will hold them in place. As a result, the knight will not be able to evade the situation by pushing the mobs away with a shield.

Potential Hazards:

• Enemies can still attack from the front; approach enemies from behind to melee
• Can refreeze melted Ice Cubes
• Can create an impenetrable wall of enemies which Knights cannot shield bump through

Ash of Agni

Bomb Category: Status

The fire bomb line and its highest upgrade, the Ash of Agni, provide damage over time. The fiery mist inflicts a fire status on mobs that were foolish enough to not run away. Still, the fire line may be considered a support bomb. These bombs help by softening up monsters or by simply killing them slowly over time. However, the raw damage of a Nitronome bomb is usually more effective as it also provides some crowd control via knockback.

As with other haze-style bombs it has a small elemental damage blast in the middle when initially exploding. Damage UVs will increase the blast damage, but for these bombs it is negligible since the focus is on their status effects. As far as UVs go, CTR is desired as it allows bombs to be deployed quickly.

This bomb can be combined with a blast bomb by setting the monsters on fire and then blasting them away. Also, kiting is very easy with the bomb by simply running in a large circle setting monsters on fire. This strategy can out DPS menders, trivializing arenas or danger rooms. It takes some time, but the damage to yourself will be minimal if done right. Since the bomb only causes damage it should not disrupt other party members.

All in all, this bomb is one of the better ones and can be recommended.

Potential Hazards:

• Can set Oilers and Toxoils on fire

Venom Veiler

Bomb Category: Status

Poison is a very weak status. Knights rarely die from being poisoned and the same can be said of the clockwork's residents. The effects of the bomb are quite poor - the defensive and offensive debuffs are minimal. The time spent charging the bomb and placing it could be better spent using any other bomb.

The one redeeming value of the bomb is that it does not disrupt other haze bombs. So given a small area, one could alternate between Ash of Agni and Venom Veiler to do passive damage and provide a debuff, but the effects of the Venom Veiler would hardly be noticeable. Venom Veiler will slightly increase the ticks from Voltaic Tempest since it does actual damage, but the improvement is only about 7% over the low damage shock provides.

Despite the bomb having little effect in most areas, it can help a great deal while healers are in the room. The reason for this is that poisoned mobs will be damaged by menders' abilities. So in Tier 3 for example, if a room of poisoned mobs walk onto the circle of healing cast by gremlin menders, a great amount of damage will be inflicted upon the damaged mobs - so the room can be completed in less time then a lot of other bombs. The kiting ability of this bomb also means you are less likely to get hit so you are pretty safe in a room full of menders. So Venom Veiler can actually be a great bomb situationally, especially in shadow lairs, which have a lot of healers about.

Stagger Storm

Bomb Category: Status, Crowd Control

The Stagger Storm is a status bomb that stuns enemies that enter its mist. While stunning enemies, slowing down their attacks and movement, can be a useful crowd control tool, the stun duration does not last long after the mist dissipates. Bombers wishing to use Stagger Storm should attempt to keep the status rings deployed at all times to avoid having enemies go in and out of stun since adjusting to constant speed changes can be difficult for teammates.

Despite the risks presented by using Stagger Storm alone, it works extremely well in conjunction with certain other status bombs, namely Volatic Tempest where a dual stun/shock stack will completely prevent most enemies from being able to maneuver or attack.

Potential Hazards:

• Spike attacks and thrown projectiles are unaffected by stun and will continue through the air at regular speeds.
• This bomb is a PvP reward
• Quicksilvers, Oilers and Toxoils are immune to Stun

Voltaic Tempest

Bomb Category: Status

Voltaic Tempest mist spreading shock status to nearby Slags.

Given the option between Ash of Agni, Shivermist or Voltaic Tempest there are rare situations where the Voltaic Tempest would be preferred. The Voltaic Tempest is an AoE shock bomb which delivers damage while interrupting movement and attacks. The problem is that the other two bombs do these duties better - the Ash of Agni is much more powerful for damage and the Shivermist completely locks down movement.

However, that argument only holds against one enemy. An enemy that spasms from Shock will also damage nearby monsters. This makes Voltaic Tempest very effective against a large group, especially when used with another bomber's Graviton or Electron Vortex. Ash of Agni and Voltaic Tempest are a popular combination for damaging enemies that aren't immune or resistant to Fire or Shock. Keep in mind that Shock deals elemental damage, and thus is not nearly as effective against Gremlins or Beasts.

The one place it truly shines is against large groups of Kats. The shock interrupts their lunges and their tendency to clump together makes them shock each other for decent damage.

It can also be used against Wolver packs. Shock will usually keep Alpha Wolvers from lunging (though they will still rotate and bite) and, unlike other status effects, the wolvers tend to not teleport continuously. Shock does very little damage to Beasts though since the damage is elemental unlike fire and freeze.

Unlike the Ash of Agni, one can actually use Voltaic Tempest in the Firestorm Citadel. The shock occasionally interrupts zombies' lunges but does not affect their breath attack. The damage isn't significant enough to make noticeable difference unless the zombies are grouped together. The shock does interrupt Vanaduke's charge, but Shivermist happens to do the same.

In LockDown, however, this bomb has a whole new purpose and usefulness as a defensive tool. In Tier 2, spamming Lightning Capacitors (the 3* version in this line of alchemy) is an effective way to defend capture points. This is because the majority of players tend to wear the Wolver or Cobalt line of armor (both of which provides no elemental or shock protection). It is a great way to force Gaurdians to keep their shields up, in which case it is then a great time to pound on their shield with another weapon or bomb. Breaking their shield in the mist will automatically shock them and keep them from pulling up their shield again as it restores. Also, a shocked Gaurdian cannot put up his shield long enough to heal himself or other players. The mist keeps Recons off of the capture point as well exposing those caught in the initial blast (and keeping them from re-shielding/disappearing). Strikers, on the other hand, might be able to fly over the capture point without getting shocked, though many times fly right into the mist and are unable to fly off as easily. Since most strikers carry the flourish or Snarble line of swords, they will often get caught in the mist on the third strike of their sword attack.

In Tier 3 LockDown, more players will have shock protection, or elemental resistance, mostly due to UVs, but the Voltaic Tempest is still a very viable defensive tool as most players will still not be protected against its effects.

Potential Hazards:

• Can supercharge quicksilvers
• Enemies can break ghost blocks, activate switches, and blow up explosive crates with shock spasms
• Enemies have reduced knock back while shocked

Dark Retribution

Bomb Category: Damage

The Dark Retribution (DR) is a shadow damage bomb with a unique damage pattern. After a small initial explosion, four orbs will begin rotating inside the blast area (2 clockwise, 2 counterclockwise). These orbs are the primary source of damage that the DR deals.

DR has the highest damage-per-second of any bomb in the game, especially if used against immobile, or large enemies where multiple orbs will hit the target(s) repeatedly in quick succession. Against enemies such as the Royal Jelly or a Battlepod a few well placed bombs will lead to an extremely quick kill. The DR is undoubtedly one of the best bombs to use against slimes and constructs due to the abundance of monsters in their families that have movement patterns that make very vulnerable to DR.

Potential Hazards:

• Jelly Minis are immune to the orbs
• Due to invincibility frames, DR is useless in Lockdown
• This bomb can only be acquired through the expansion mission Operation Crimson Hammer

Armor

Trinkets

Trinkets can be used to increase the innate abilities of your bombs without, or in addition to, bomber specific armor. They provide a more accessible means to reaching maximum CTR or damage without having to target specific unique variants.

• Bomb Focus Module (Charge Time Reduction)

The Bomb Focus Module is a trinket more suited for status and hybrid bombers. The four-star variant will allow users of full Volcanic Demo Armor to reach maximum charge time reduction on all heat level 10 bombs. Hybrid bombers wearing either a Volcanic Demo Helm or one piece of Mad Bomber can reach maximum CTR with the five-star focus module.

• Elite Boom Module (Bomb Damage Bonus)

The Elite Boom Module gives bombers a medium bonus to bomb damage. This trinket is best suited for bombers wearing full or partial (with medium bomb damage UVs) mad bomber armor wishing to maximize their damage potential. Coupling this trinket with both full mad bomber or a Volcanic Demo Helm + Mad Bomber Suit mix allows users to achieve maximum charge time reduction and maximum damage with bombs against all targets without the need of any unique variants.

Load-outs

Rookie Bomber

Starting off as a bomber is difficult; as most bombs are pretty stupid until they get to the higher levels. However, the beginner stages of being a bomber mostly revolve around what type of bomber you want to be; whether you want to be the all-out bomber with epic everything, or the support artist who make party runs all happy-like. This set is for finding and establishing your ground as a bomber.

The Bombs

• Blast Bomb
• Freezing/Fiery Vaporizer [are you the offensive status bomber or support?]
• Crystal Bomb
• Electron/Graviton Charge

Armor

• Spiral Demo Suit/Helm
• Owlite Shield

Two Weapon Bomber

If you're just starting out or are fully fledged but free to play, there are some hard decisions to make for being a bomber. Only having two weapon slots means you will be changing a lot inline with each stratum. These are just some options; but play to your style if need be.

• Option 1: Blast/Shards
• Option 2: Blast/Vapor
• Option 3: Vapor/Vortex
• Option 4: Shards/Vapor

Where Blast includes And of the standard blast Bombs not including BAB or Irontech (including Snarbolax Bomb series), Vapor is whatever you like using (refer to bomb section above for comparisons), Vortex is Electron or Graviton lines and Shards is 3* Salt Bomb (not Ionized) and the Sun Shard lines.

Offensive

By this stage you understand where you stand as a bomber; you're the guy who want's to blow [obscenities] up - and clog them Wolvers throats with Spikes..... There are some great options out there, and never assume these are rules, only guidelines designed from tested sets. The Bombs

• Option 1:Nitro,DCB,AoA and Vortex
• Option 2:Nitro, DBB, DCB and AoA
• Option 3:DBB, VT/AoA, DCB and Vortex

The Other Stuff

• All Options: 1x Elite Boom Mod, Mad Bomber with Status resistances (mainly fire+Shock)

These Options work very well, with AoA delivering the initial and constant damage (use for kiting) Deadly Crystal Bomb getting rid of Constructs and Gun-puppies, Vortex can be combo'd well with Deadly Crystal Bomb and DBB when you need to be Party friendly for those not used to knock-back. They can be mixed and matched to your liking, but these 3 work the best for pure bombers.

Soloing

Playing solo is best using an offensive loadout; seeing as you will be the only one delivering damage. It is also necessary to have something to fall back on when on low health such as a polaris or heavy sword; because although pure bombing is quite easy after a few tries; it isn't a nice feeling getting stuck with low health in a gun puppy room. Bombs

• Nitronome for knockback
• Deadly Crystal Bomb/DBB for DPS
• AoA (perhaps switch out for a polaris [AP for greavers if DBB isn't equipped] or your preferred sword)
• Shivermist (so when low on health you have time to recover and quickly strategize your next moves - combo it with closely placed Deadly Crystal Bomb)

Other Stuff

• Vdemo helm (+Elite Boom mod)
• Mad suit

Defensive

Playing Defensive is pretty much the safest way to bomb. This requires a bit more dungeon knowledge; as it is basically a hold the fort style of play. E.G. in a clockworks tunnel area, you can hold off individual rooms when annoying mobs such as retrodes or devilites are chasing you. Basically lead the mobs to a choke point (corridor) and spam knock-back and freeze while hiding behind walls. this is not the most fun way to play but it is the safest: as it is more of a one enemy at a time pattern. The Bombs

• Shivermist Buster
• Dark Briar Barrage
• Nitronome
• Voltaic Tempest

Other Stuff

• Volcanic Demo Set
• 4star Bomb Focus Module

Elite Bomber

So you're this....this Incredible Bomber; and you are probably working towards every bomb - even the gag bombs like Irontech. You might be a bit confused as to what to do next, and there is one thing that a few bombers miss (or have not understood): the most super-special set you can get. At this stage you know which bombs you're comfortable with ~ however, this isn't so much about the bombs, but everything else that makes bombing worth it.

That Epic Setup (stuff you need in your arsenal)

• UV Vhigh CTR Bombs (Whatever your favourties are)
  • Stagger Storm, Ash of Agni, Shivermist Buster, Venom Veiler and Voltaic Tempest
  • At least one Vortex
  • Nitronome, Dark Briar Barrage
  • Deadly Crystal Bomb

• Mercurial Demo Helm with Fire or Shadow resistance [Even both!]
• Mercurial Demo Suit with Freeze or Pierce resistance [Even both!]
• 2x Elite Boom Mod Trinkets
• 2x Elite Bomb Mod Trinkets

By now you may have an idea what this is about. With all these items you pretty much have everything you need to be the ultimate pure bomber. Why? Well for starters you have a medium movement speed bonus; allowing you to run while charging a bomb, or walk when charging Irontech. Yes! Irontech and BAB can actually be viable with one factor of their uselessness knocked out. You also have max damage and CTR in PvE, and can be the fastest bomber as a striker in Lock-Down and still have max CTR! You can basically enter any dungeon in Spiral Knights with a smile on your face instead of the "cheers to burning to death with Mad Bomber", and come out of party play with people wanting to know what bombs are the best. Congratulations in owning the best pure bombing arsenal in the game.... Now go out there and work on your tactics ;)

What you get from this setup

• Maximum damage for bombs (medium with striker in PvP)
• Maximum CTR for bombs
• Medium Movement Bonus to move faster while charging
• Highest PossibleSpamming increase
• Maximum dislike from Gunners and Swordsman
• Ultra Conversion rate of other players to bombers.

Tactics

General Tactics

There are several important things to consider while playing the role of the bomber. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, is to avoid the common mistake of simply running about randomly while dropping bombs erratically. This will cause the positioning of monsters to become very difficult to predict, and the explosions may randomly push monsters into places where they may be able to attack a vulnerable ally. Instead, focus on what would be the most efficient strategy to ensure that monsters are persistently lured into your bombs (and preferably blown away from your allies). An easy tactic is to place a bomb, begin charging a second bomb, run into the crowd of enemies in front of you to lure them into the blast radius of your bomb, and then after the explosion, place the second bomb in the same place as the first, repeating for as long as necessary.

Second, a bomber must be aware of their party as well as their enemies. Remember that the Blast Bombs are great for soloing, but in a party, your group will begin to tire of not being able to see enemies due to the large blue cloud produced after the detonation, which is very dangerous. (This is known as the blue screen of death.) Though you may well be safe standing at the epicenter of your bomb, your fellow knights will likely be blinded, unable to see the foes that are around them. The only real way to effectively blast bomb in a party is to follow members closely if they have a gun, or to simply herd enemies into a corner for your swordsmen. To a lesser extent, be aware of the interactions of your bombs with certain monsters. Using the Ash of Agni on Oilers is a poor idea due to their healing when set ablaze, as well as using the Ionized Salt Bomb on Quicksilvers as they become extremely fast when affected with shock.

Third, memorize the spawn patterns that appear after a party button has been pressed. Though the spawns are somewhat random, they are collected from a pool of possible locations, and a bomber can capitalize on this by placing a Haze Bomb-series bomb on one of those locations before the monsters spawn, which will apply the respective status effect on the monsters that appear there. Even if no monsters spawn in that location, other monsters may be lured into the resulting cloud of mist, ensuring that the bomb is not wasted.

Lastly, a bomber must know how to deal with monsters that attack at range. though a knight with a sword or handgun will be able to combat them as normal usually, sometimes "pure" bombers will not have either of those things (instead having an equipment set of four bombs), or the duties of a bomber may take precedence over defeating those monsters personally. A bomber is not entirely helpless, however; bombs such as the Crystal Bombs fire projectiles instead of a standard explosion, and can be used to "snipe" ranged attackers such as Gun Puppies and Devilites. A well-placed Shivermist Buster may also freeze several foes in place, making Devilites easy targets and making it impossible for gun puppies to rotate, effectively limiting them to attacking only knights that cross directly in front of them.

Shard Bombs

Due to only the recent release of these bombs working tactics are still being worked out.

The Old Shards

• Spamming is useful in general, however in beast, fiend and gremlin environments, the field becomes hazardous for team members due to the large amount of dodging mobs(the shards act as projectiles similar to which guns use, causing dodging; so these bombs are really just guns that shoot in a number of directions at once).
• In FSC, slags can be short work. Stand in one place until a slag starts the leap attack animation; place a Radiant Sun Shards where you're standing and walk backwards (don't shield or it will knock them away). This method hits the slag with every projectile, and with the right bonuses '1Hitting' is plausible but not definite.
• Trojans are now made easy. Shiver - circle: Trojan is frozen; Place RSS behind them = Big Damage and only a few hits to take them out.
• Shards disrupt Gun Puppies and the range will allow you to take them out from a distance.
• Shards are one of the only bombs that can be used to effectively handle Greavers, thanks to both their short charge and fuse.
• Shards can be quite devastating in Lockdown, especially when used in conjunction with a Shivermist.

Carrying Your Team

In order to carry a team, there are many factors that will help. four availiable weapon slots is always a good option, unless you feel comfortable with the crowd control bombs (nitro). Damage per second is really whats need to carry a party by yourself (by saying carry, Its implied that you aren't helping your team members in anyway as its assumed they're dead). One should be equipped with a crowd control bomb (vortex/Nitronome) a high damage bomb (radiant sun shards) a field stabilizing bomb(Shivermist). Ash of agni is always helpful against crowds of mobs (last room arena) ~ but isn't needed unless it's preferred over Vortex. There are many combinations which allow a player to carry a team - and they really depend on a players style. However the best possible set up will be Nitronome, Shivermist, Radiant Sun Shards and a bomb the player feels comfortable using (or just a sword/gun).

Other

There are 4 guns that have explosive abilities; Supernova, Polaris, Biohazard and the Neutralizer. These 4 guns prove viable options in both crowd control + DPS. The two catalysers(Bio+Neut) allow the player to charge an enemy up with several amounts of charges before being able to detonate the high explosive contained in each particle. You may be thinking how these guns don't relate to bombs - but they do, and one can never have enough explosions. The Polaris and Supernova are another option; with Polaris now being compared to guns such as the Argent Peacemaker and Storm Driver. These guns's shots get stronger as they go, and provide a blast with a knock-back when the bullet reaches its maximum range. This ability is especially useful in crowd control and getting rid of gun puppies, as the blast tends to cancel their attacks. Having a Pulsar gun at a narrow stretch with mecha zombies is quite useful, as much as even the larger bombs, since it can reach far enough past the Retrodes range attack. In all, don't out-weigh a gun when choosing an alternate weapon to bombing - and if you like explosions, why not stick to guns that provide you with that satisfaction?

Player versus Player

Blast Network

The Blast Network is a PVP game mode quite similar to the classic Bomberman game series. It neglects the knight's equipment, the main and only weapon is an upgradable bomb.

The Basics

To win in a round of blast network, it is ideal to play defensively and let other players come to you; rushing at players, and spamming bombs doesn't always work as it does in the clockworks. Just remember a few key points and you're on your way to getting top position.

• stay away from corners and dead-ends; other players will be able to block you off with ease. It will be better to sit down the bottom at an intersection and carefully dodge bombs to stay alive.
• Collect power-ups; otherwise say goodbye to first place
• Play defensively, especially if you have bad latency; Other people will usually be ahead of you when you think they aren't...this makes it easy for you to place a bomb, and your opponent place a bomb straight after (trapping and killing you)

Team

Team play can be very frustrating if your team doesn't follow the basic concepts of winning. The best way to help out your team is to stand and dodge in an optimal position (an intersection), and only occasionally place bombs if you are certain you'll cause your opposition some grief. However, there are people out there who are quite aggressive, and for you guys; the best help you provide will be the kill count. Try to power-up as much as possible, and place bombs in places that are easy for you to get out of while a surprise for your enemy. A long corridor that stretches to the top of the map should be ideal, and placing bombs down by the bottom will usually catch your enemy by surprise. Don't worry if you kill a teammate by doing this - it's their fault they weren't aware. If you have good latency, try your skills at trapping and spamming bombs while chasing players: it's a lot of fun and makes for an enjoyable game. One last tactic is to place 3 bombs down a column behind a breakable block. This way one bomb will break the block, and you have 1 bomb to catch unaware opponents, followed by the last bomb which will surprise the enemy, who expects less of a tactical placement.

Free-For-All

In FFA the most important thing is to stay alive while building up the maximum number of power up. Afterwards you can kill other players from the other side of the map in relative safety. Place bombs at intersections which cover the most surface area.

Lockdown

See:Lockdown Guide

Videos

This section is dedicated to video's demonstrating bombs and their uses versus a number of different enemies and is organized by contributor.

Eek's Videos

Devilites

In tier 3, Devilites tend to be a bombers worst nightmare. Especially in the deeper depths, bombers end up lying on the ground, thinking a way out from the hordes of fiends. It is actually quite possible to solo through these stages (devilish drudgery) with limited damage taken. Here are two good examples.

• Devilite, Kat, Trojan Clears
• Different Devilite/Kat Ghost Clears
• Devilites & Kats: DBB vs SSS

Greavers

Bombers often find themselves at odds against greavers. Just a single greaver can sometimes spell doom and has massive wipe potential. The main issue is that greavers are fast, enter bomber personal space quickly withing giving bombers enough time to charge and drop a bomb. Unlike using swords, it's just not possible to cancel a greaver's attack without pre-dropping bombs. The best strategy for greavers is to always be prepared; drop bombs BEFORE greavers spawn so that you can cancel the first attack and get the upper hand. The best choices for greaver defense is probably the Nitronome.

• Scintillating Sun Shards vs Greavers
• Scintillating Sun Shards & Nitronome vs 6 Greaver Spawn

Trojans

Trojans are one of the easiest fiends to deal with mostly because they can be predictably baited into doing certain attacks. The most efficient and safest trojan killers are definitely the DBB and nitronome using a back and forth bombing pattern where you drop a bomb in front of the trojan then spin him around and drop one on the other side while the first bomb explodes into his back.

• Scintillating Sun Shards vs Trojans at FSC
• Eeks vs Trojans

Gremlins

Two of the best options for dealing damage to gremlins are the nitronome and dark briar barrage. The nitronome can get risky since misplacement can push gremlins from their shield-side (not canceling their attack) into you or bombers but it does knockback and knockdown if placed correctly allowing you to have some breathing room. The dark briar barrage on the other hand only knocks back allowing you to trap gremlins that have been successfully hit in a knockback cycle similar to what the nitronome can do when pushing gremlins against a wall. The downside of the DBB is that the long fuse can leave you vulnerable and make it difficult to time a bomb that will knock all the gremlins down, leaving you open to attack from one or more if you miss with one of your bombs. Since these are AOE bombs, menders can't be specifically targeted. This can be mitigated by isolating menders by kiting other gremlins away or just trying to place bombs to hit them when possible.

• Gremlins vs Dark Briar Barrage
• Gremlins vs Shocking Salt Bomb

Constructs

There is are a variety of options available for bombers to deal with lumbers. Using small damage radius bombs like haze-style bombs will mean approaching lumbers from their weak side and placing a bomb right next to them. When doing this, care should be taken NOT to shield after you drop the bomb so that Lumbers aren't pushed away. The RSS can be used at long-range but it is best used like a haze-style bomb so multiple hits can land.

• Lumber vs Ash of Agni
• Lumber vs Ash of Agni pt2
• Lumber vs Nitronome
• Lumber vs Radiant Sun Shards Pre-Patch

Mechaknights can get out of hand in some arena stages, and players tend to over kite them - in turn getting hit by a flying charge attack. This example shows a player dealing with the type using only a nitronome.

• Mechaknights vs Nitronome
• Deadly Crystal Bomb vs Lumbers, Retrodes, Scuttelbots

Slimes

• D14 RJP Slimes vs Dark Retribution, Big Angry Bomb, Nitronome, Shocking Salt Bomb
• D21 Jelly Farm vs Heavy Dark Matter Bomb (4*) & Shocking Salt Bomb (5*)
• D25 A Pinch of Salt - single bomb clear

Wolvers

Fire and shock can make wolvers warp around feverishly and freeze prevents them from moving but doesn't stop them from warping around. In Tier 3 the best options to deal with wolvers are the nitronome and dark briar barrage. The wolvers in tier 3 will warp around a lot and end up in the blast radius of both bombs quite often allowing a bomber to stay in place. Both bombs will knock down regular wolvers but the nitronome provides a little space to operate since it will also knock them back making regular wolver attacks miss. A bit more care should be taken with the dark briar barrage; bombers should pay attention to the direction of attack from both wolvers and alpha wolvers and move laterally or to the side of the wolver to avoid getting hit. The piercing damage makes up for the small amount of extra legwork required with the DBB allowing it to two-shot regular wolvers before basil without any damage bonuses and two-shot up to D27 with full mad bomber.

• Wolvers vs Dark Briar Barrage
• Wolvers vs Nitronome
• Wolvers vs Nitronome vs DBB vs SSS

Undead

• Dark Briar Barrage vs Graveyard
• Graviton Vortex and Voltaic Tempest vs Graveyard
• D27 Firestorm Citadel: 4 Button Room
• Deadly Crystal Bomb vs Zombies in Firestorm Citadel (duo)
• Deadly Crystal Bomb vs Zombies in Firestorm Citadel Part 2 (solo)
• Dark Briar Barrage vs Zombies in Firestorm Citadel (solo)

Bombers can deal with kats by spreading shock status which is super effective against undead. The shock status partially immobilizes kats as well as interrupting many of their attacks allowing bombers to finish them off with either sword or damage bombs like the nitronome, dark briar barrage, or sun shards.

• Kat Ghosts vs Voltaic Tempest

Bosses

Snarbolax isn't exactly the hardest boss to take down, but there is always something you don't know. Like, did you know you can relocate ol' snarby at anytime even in his defense stage with a graviton bomb?

• Vortex vs Snarbolax

With this newly found technique, Eeks and Fallout head in to see how fast they can kill Snarby in.... Sadly it doesn't help a lot. And Fallout dies.

• Fallout Vs. Snarbolax

Royal Jelly

• Jelly King - Shocking Salt Bomb
• Jelly King - 25 Second Clear (Duo)
• D14-D16 Royal Jelly Palace & Boss Clear with 3 Bombs (side-by-side-by-side)

Firestorm Citadel

Firstorm citadel is a bomber's paradise and can make even mediocre bombs look good. The most important thing to learn is where and when enemies will spawn and take advantage of that with CC bombs (i.e. vortexing spawns, freezing groups, pushing into walls/corners, etc)

• FSC - Radiant Sun Shards 'Pre-Patch
• Lord Vanaduke (support bombing)
• D25/26 Firestorm Citadel (FSC)
• Firestorm Citadel with Voltaic Tempest
• FSC - End of D26 (2 man)
• FSC - End of D26 (3 man)
• FSC - End of D27 Bomb Only solo

Legion of Almire

LoA is very similar to FSC in terms of what loadouts you'll want to bring. One thing to note is that all enemies in this mission are affected by vortexes (including large alimirian knights) so it can be a very powerful CC tool if used correctly. Shivermist and Stagger are great CC bombs for this stage as shivermist can lock down shielded enemies for teammates. Stunned almirian knights (the smaller ones) are unable to attack while stunned so stagger storm is a decent choice for parties.

• LoA: 4 Gate Room - Solo, Bombs Only

Compound 42

Dark retribution really shines as a polyp sniper in C42. Unfortunately the SSB is not very good at clearing polyps and isn't as good as DR for kiting faster enemies like oilers.

• Compound 42 D24 Party Room Clears - SSB vs DR (solo)
• Compound 42 D25 Final Boss Room - solo

Culture's Videos

• Radiant Sun Shards to safely take out Gun Puppies

Fallout's Videos

• Nitronome
• Dark Briar Barrage
• Graviton Vortex
• Irontech Destroyer
• Shivermist Buster
• Ash of Agni
• Stagger Storm
• Voltaic Tempest
• Radiant Sun Shards
• Electron Vortex
• Big Angry Bomb
• Venom Veiler
• Heavy Deconstructor
• Proto bomb
• Cold Snap
• Fire Cracker
• Static Flash
• Ionized Salt Bomb

• Big Angry Bomb in Tier 2
• Big Angry Bomb in Tier 3
• Bomb walking speeds

Echoez' Videos

Aurora Isles

• Jelly Farm
• Jelly Farm II
• Low Gardens
• Stone Grove

Concrete Jungle

• Blighted Boulevard II
• Totem Trouble II
• Briar Bone Barrage

The Silent Legion

• Cryptic Statuary

Danger Missions

• Heart of Ice

Boss Battles

• Royal Jelly
• Royal Jelly

F.A.Q.

There are a few questions that have been answered repeatedly, yet players still get confused. So here are some answers to the questions that haven't specifically been talked about in this guide.

Appendix

Bomb Alchemy Paths

This is a list of the alchemy paths of all the bombs currently in game. Click the bomb you want to view the materials needed to craft it.

The Haze Bomb

The Haze Bomb

☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ Fiery Vaporizer Fiery Vaporizer Mk II Fiery Atomizer Ash of Agni Freezing Vaporizer Freezing Vaporizer Mk II Freezing Atomizer Shivermist Buster Toxic Vaporizer Toxic Vaporizer Mk II Toxic Atomizer Venom Veiler Haze Bomb Haze Bomb Mk II Haze Burst Stagger Storm Static Capacitor Lightning Capacitor Plasma Capacitor Voltaic Tempest

The Blast Bomb

The Blast Bomb

☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ Blast Bomb Super Blast Bomb Master Blast Bomb Nitronome Blast Bomb Super Blast Bomb Master Blast Bomb Big Angry Bomb Blast Bomb Super Blast Bomb Irontech Bomb Irontech Destroyer Blast Bomb Deconstructor Heavy Deconstructor

The Shard Bomb

The Shard Bomb

☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ Crystal Bomb Super Crystal Bomb Heavy Crystal Bomb Deadly Crystal Bomb Shard Bomb Super Shard Bomb Heavy Shard Bomb Deadly Shard Bomb Dark Matter Bomb Super Dark Matter Bomb Heavy Dark Matter Bomb Deadly Dark Matter Bomb Dark Matter Bomb Rock Salt Bomb Ionized Salt Bomb Shocking Salt Bomb Splinter Bomb Super Splinter Bomb Heavy Splinter Bomb Deadly Splinter Bomb Splinter Bomb Sun Shards Radiant Sun Shards Scintillating Sun Shards

The Spine Cone

The Spine Cone

☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ Spine Cone Twisted Spine Cone Spike Shower Dark Briar Barrage

The Vortex Bombs

The Vortex Bombs

☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ Graviton Charge Graviton Bomb Graviton Vortex Electron Charge Electron Bomb Electron Vortex

Other Bombs (no alchemy paths)

Other Bombs

☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ Cold Snap Firecracker Static Flash Dark Reprisal Dark Reprisal Mk II Dark Retribution

Bomb Charge Time

Bomb charge time is the minimum time required to hold down the action key to successfully prepare a bomb. The minimum charge time occurs prior to the charge-complete animation (glowing). All bombs gain a natural CTR bonus while leveling up via heat. At level 5, bombs will gain a low charge time reduction and at level 10 they will have a medium charge time reduction bonus.

-Bomb Charge Time in Milliseconds

-Bomb Charge Time - % reduced from base charge time from CTR bonus

Bombs that share Haze Bomb charge times: Graviton Bomb, Electron Vortex, Voltaic Tempest, Big Angry Bomb

Bombs that share Blast Bomb charge times: Dark Briar Barrage, Irontech Destroyer, Heavy Deconstructor, Shard Bombs

Helpful links

• Elite Bomber Thread
• Bomb Balance Thread
• Bomb Suggestion Thread

Tutorials & Guides
Starting Out | New Player Briefing | User interface | Useful Links
Bombing Guide | Gunslinger Guide | Swordmaster Guide
Shieldbearer Guide
Hybrid Guide