User:Magnus

Magnus

Joined: 03/01/2011 Guild: Guild

Just another player from beta.

About Me

I've never really written anything about myself, so I can't say I'm particularly good at it. I play Spiral Knights because the game is fun, even through all the mayhem Three Rings has caused in their own game over the first year. Even after a year, though, almost anyone would get bored of any game. And I won't deny that I have. I've vanished a few times around Summer Camp and The Great Gift Pile sales on Steam, and when Dark Souls and Skyrim came out. Being an avid gamer, I was really just drawn to them instead. But why I keep coming back?

When I first started, I had a chance encounter with Biznasty and Decrous. And I joined Guild. And I've had nothing but fun playing with all the friends I've made, and I'll always come back for more of those good times... Until Three Rings kills their own game, which I believe we all hope they won't do.

Achievements

• Second in Command of Guild, lead by the most charismatic player of Spiral Knights, Biznasty.
• Helped Guild become great by publishing videos, while Biznasty would write on balance issues on the forums.
• First player to get Fang of Vog with two others, Biznasty and Decrous, during the Preview Event.
• First of four players to kill Vanaduke after release (with Biznasty, Aeca, and Otrapas).
• First player to get full Vog Cub after release.
• First player to get Fang of Vog after release.
• Heralded as the strongest player in all of Spiral Knights since Preview.
• 400,000+ hits on Youtube.
• Number one ranked in Lockdown for the first two days after release.
• Lead Guild to the number one rank in Lockdown for the first day after release.
• Lead Guild to a thirty-eight win streak. Team did not lose afterwards, merely quit from boredom.
• Among the first group of players, with Biznasty, Meida, and Miranthinas, to reach the first Sanctuary.
• First of two players to first equip a full Snarbolax Armor Set, the other being (of course) Biznasty.
• Helped Biznasty obtain the first Arcane Salamander Set in the game.
• First to complete Ultimate GW, RJP, IMF, and FSC with Biznasty.
• The first, with Biznasty, to collect all four Echo Stones.
• With a lot of help, first to get the Twilight Aura, and the only one with it for a month or two.

Arsenal

Fanart <3

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A Guide to Playing Spiral Knights

The game has several depths to explore, and I don't mean the levels. A proper guide would be composed of everything, but I've never seen one, only parts. After a lot of discussions, I find that many people don't know why everyone gets Wolver-line armor, or that people don't understand why Argent Peacemaker is a better general gun than Valiance, and most surprisingly of all, that other teammates can revive you without the use of energy.

For this guide to encompass everything, it would take days of writing. So I will write what I can, and update it as I go. I'll at least aim to complete subsections. What I will be covering is How To Play, Armor, Weapons, Enemies, Boss Stratums and Bosses, and Shadow Lairs and Bosses. In each section, I will not only cover what is good, but what is also bad. And sometimes, what is ugly.

I aim to boil everything down to a point it would be impossible to argue any of these points.

How To Play

Playing the game may seem like a simple task, but it isn't. Many players still use Default controls, don't know how to read Gate Maps, and how begging makes people not like you. Oh, and general combat tips.

Controls

Default uses the mouse to move and attack, and X to block. Not everyone has the sense to change these, even though they limit your ability to move and aim to the pointer, and forces you to use the Strafe button when it could all be done much more easily.

Advanced is the control scheme to use and is as follows:

• WASD as Move North/West/South/East (Not to be confused with Move Fwd/Left/Back/Right.)
• Action as Left Mouse
• Defend as Right Mouse
• Prev Weapon as Wheel Up
• Next Weapon as Wheel Down
• Auto Target as Left Shift
• Auto Target is UNCHECKED (Found at the bottom of the Controls Tab.)

This control scheme allows players to move freely while aiming, be it sword or gun, and provides a much easier method of alternating between attacking and blocking, as well as completely removes the need for the Strafe button entirely. PC gamers will find they agree completely with these controls, or had one point come up with them on their own. People new to PC gaming while find this to be the most comfortable possible.

Some people will prefer controllers with Dual Analogue controls, but this can cost up to $60 for a good controller, and Keyboard/Mouse is generally what people already have, and if not, mice are very cheap.

Gate Maps

When you walk up to a Gate, a screen labeled Adventure Board pops up, and to its right, the Gate Map. As you can see on the right side of the Gate Map, there is a Scroll Bar. You can move this Scroll Bar down to see deeper tiers, and what exactly is there. You can even mouse over the little icons in the Gate Map to see the name of the area. Generic level names will hint at the Status, and then the Enemy types. Non-generic levels will be something like Aurora Isles - The Low Gardens.

Boss Stratums, one of the most asked about stratums, are the easiest to find, as they are the only depths that are consecutively a single level per depth and are colored uniquely.

(Note: I will never understand why people ask 'where is royal jelly' when Hot Pink icons are so easy to spot in a Gate Map.)

General Gameplay Tips

Did you know...

• You can move vials around in their slots to keep Pills and Remedies to a familiar first two slots?
• You can hold Attack to Charge your weapon?
• You can hold Defend, and then Attack, and when you let go of Defend, you will be charging your weapon without swinging/shooting first?
• Pushing Defend after Attacking will let you Shield Cancel the last part of the animation?
• Shield Cancelling can only be done the same number of times as the weapon can swing/shoot naturally?
• Defending next to an enemy will Repel them?
• Repel is stronger the higher star rating your shield is?
• You can revive defeated players by standing over them and pushing Action when prompted, and give them half of your health?
• Health revives give you 30% of the revived player's heat?
• There are areas in the game that allow you or others to repeatedly revive/die to get/give heat, and heat equipment at much higher rates? (That's Firestorm Citadel, by the way. End of last two depths with the Healpads.)

Armor

There are, in fact, only three useful armor lines in the game. Why this is exactly, no one can say for sure as Three Rings does not like to comment on it. These armor lines are Wolver, Demo, and Gunslinger. Now you might ask why this is, or even say you don't care and would rather get some armor that is unique so you can be an individual and a hipster. For now, let me tell you that that is the worse possible way to approach equipment. Equipment is mainstream for a reason.

Wolver

This is the armor for players who focus on using swords. Wolver upgrades to Vog Cub, Skolver, and Snarbolax armors. Vog Cub boosts Sword Speed, and Skolver and Snarbolax boost Sword Damage. If you equip trinkets of the opposite bonus, you're already granted Sword Attack Speed and Damage Very High. Adding to that is the Barbarous Thorn Shield, which gives Sword Damage Medium. And finally, swords with the Unique Variant of Attack Speed Increased: Medium are not rare at all, and aren't extremely expensive.

In other words, the Wolver line of armor and some accessories will bring you up to Sword Damage and Speed Maximum. If you primarily use swords, then why not double your damage output? And as an added bonus, Sword Speed doubles as a defense. The faster you swing, the faster you can shield/shield cancel, allowing you to deal with much larger groups of enemies or awkward situations with ease.

As a tip, the best to get first would be Vog Cub, that way you can do FSC much more easily to save up for the shield and trinkets and other armors.

Demo

This is for those brave and noble souls who can actually bomb. (It seems easy but it's really a pain and often severely underpowered.) Demo armor buffs bombs, so if you use bombs primarily. I'm however not an expert in this field, but will say that Volcanic Demo seems to be the best to get first, as then you can grind FSC and get trinkets and the other armor types.

Gunslinger

It buffs guns.

Subpar Armors

The previous armors all buff specific weapon types. These buffs can double your damage output with enough, and the more dead something is, the less it can hurt you, Howlitzers excluded. And the more things are dead, the more a credit you are to your team.

All other armors give the illusion of having a lot more defense, but in reality, it's not a major change from specialized armor. So why do less damage for virtually identical defense?

Weapons

Here I will break down why I have what weapons I do, why they're good, and why I don't have certain other weapons, and why you shouldn't.

Monsters

Boss Stratums/Bosses

Shadow Lairs