Rogue (guild)
From SpiralKnights
Contents
About Us
We are a very friendly lot, who value friendship, working together, and having fun! We love to run, and help eachother out, doing boss runs like the Jelly King (Royal Jelly to you newer people), Vanaduke, and other runs! We believe in teamwork and having fun over everything else. We are a highly social group of people, but we're also professional players, we expect the best out of everyone, and we provide the same. That said, as long as we're having fun, we're set ^_^
We take a huge amount of pride in the conduct of our members. We wish to be some of the most exemplary Knights you'll encounter in the clockworks, in haven, and anywhere else. We want to be a symbol of what it's like to be a good community of players, both within our guild and outside of our guild. We wish to be a shining example of what good friendly players are, and we hope that others in the community will look up to us for our actions.
Joining
Ask one of our members if you want to join, even if they're not an Officer or Guild Master, they'll be happy to send a message to an Officer or Guild Master asking to have you added to our guild. If you have a friend who wants to join, or you want to join, just let an officer or master know ^_^ Compose message is the best way to do this if no one is online.
If you're looking for a guild with a few good active players who will be willing to help you out, and you're willing to help out others too, this is the guild for you!
Minimum requirements are 3* gear. Read under Ranks for more details. If you are not 3* gear yet, read our adventuring section and guides down below.
Rules/Requirements
We have a few rules, but most are really simple.
We expect our members to be friendly, and to have fun. We highly encourage doing runs of all kinds together! We do expect members to be social with the guild. A simple hi or hello when you log in is usually enough, and saying hi to others as they log in as well. Also, we do promote being talkative in the guild chat (/g), or the officer chat (/o). No one will be kicked out of the guild for lack of talking, but being social is a necessity to being promoted to higher ranks ^_^
Once again, use guild chat, type: "/g and then your message here"
Also, it is expected that members understand all the ranks, and what they entail (below).
As a guild, we are expected to be friendly and helpful with each other. However, we do not want begging or spamming in this guild. To do so is a mark against this guild, internally and externally. Warnings will be given to those who beg, and will end in termination of guild membership if warnings are not heeded accordingly.
Anyone that can report anything like this happening in the guild would be appreciated if it could go towards Jace-Jarak, Starfire-light, Candance, or any other officer.
If bad behaviour within the guild occurs, then a strike system will be put in place, meaning you get 2 warnings, and then it's most likely a kick, but if the member is of a high rank it will be a demotion.
We do not tolerate any mean, nasty, or outright dick-like behavior. Anything unsportsmanlike will not be tolerated. This includes coliseum games. So things like going AFK in matches will not be acceptable behavior. Anything that would bring shame or dislike towards this guild is not acceptable. Under any circumstances.
Ranks
Recruit
Recruit is the basic rank for all who join the guild. We expect you to be a minimum of all 3* gear or better. Allowances can be made, but this is the standard we expect. This is for all who are both new to the game and new to the guild. We expect you to be a nice social player, with a minimum of skill and game understanding. We will help you and teach you what we can, and will be happy to do so, but we do expect you to know how this game works, and be semi-decent at it.
Once in the guild, recruits have several days to a week to prove themselves to us that they're good people. If you're friendly and social, we'll keep you. If you're daft, or give us issues, you will be dismissed. We are more than happy to help out those who ask for it, and help you get better.
Members
For a recruit to petition to become a member, they must display several things, either to a veteran, or higher player. At a minimum, they must be able to display the following:
Knowledge of basic game mechanics. This includes how gates work, the different damage types, heat, how to use gate maps both in the arcade and while in a level (Click the gear in the top left of your screen while in a level). They must have basic understanding of how to play the game, and must demonstrate capability. There are no gear requirements for Members, however, we do STRONGLY prefer they have Tier 3 access (4* gear or better). If you need help getting here, do not hesitate to ask others, especially veterans and officers for help! They will do runs with you!
We expect our members to be team players. We also expect our members to be competent runners. You don't have to be a pro, but we do expect you not to be daft ~_^
If you wish to become a member, you must request it of a veteran player or higher. If they deem you worthy or capable of becoming a member, they will promote you, or will send a message to an officer or guild master and inform them of your ability. It's not hard, just do a run or two with them, and if they say you're competent, we promote you ^_^
Veterans
We expect a lot out of our veteran players. Veterans are the backbone of the guild. Veterans are expected to be highly social players, which includes friendly chatting with other members while online, and answering questions. Veteran players are expected to be able to help out any other guild members with any run, of T2 or lower. We expect them to be able to do any T2 boss with a group or solo (as you prefer). We do not require any T3 ability or experience to be a veteran, but it is highly desired. Most of our veterans will be 5* geared or nearly so.
Veterans are expected to submit reports to either an Officer, or Guild Master(Preferably Jace-Jarak) at least once a week. In person, or via 'compose message'. It can be as simple as "Hey, I'm still alive!" if you do not play often or do not see others online often, as we have members around the world.
What we like in reports is simple: If you did some runs with guildmates, give us what you think of them! Who did well, who needs help, if you think anyone deserves a promotion (or petitioned you for a promotion). Mostly, this is how the guildmasters can keep track of who deserves a promotion. You do not need to do this every run or anything like that, just every now and then is helpful. It is required of you to let an officer/master know if someone petitioned you for advancement, and you think they deserve it. If they still need work, then you can simply tell them so.
Officers
Officers are just like Veterans, but they have the ability to invite people into the guild, and have the ability to promote and demote other players. We expect everything of Officers we do of Veterans, only more-so. We expect our officers to be highly social, and eager to help out lower ranked guild members. We do like our Officers to be able to do T3 runs, at least in a group setting. We do not require FSC/Vanaduke ability, since we are a social guild, and not a 'boss-run' guild, however it is always a plus.
Being an officer is a privilege, and a responsibility. All officers are expected to submit a report weekly to a guild master (preferably Jace-Jarak), on what they've been up to, and what their interaction with other guild mates have been. This includes any promotions they've handed out, and people they have invited into the guild, and so on. If nothing of the sort happened, a simple "I'm still alive!" is enough.
Officers ARE NOT ALLOWED to promote anyone they invited into the guild. This is precautionary measure. They may petition other officers or higher to promote those they feel deserve it. If you were invited by a friend who is an officer, you must find another officer to petition for a promotion.In order to be promoted from recruit to member or member to veteran, there are a few simple steps, outlined above but repeated here for convenience.
To be promoted, you need to petition run with a veteran or officer (officers include GMs) and they will do a run with you. If they deem you worthy enough, they may forward the results onto an officer or higher, who will take you onto another run as well. You need at least 2 recommendations to be promoted. After these runs, you will be quizzed by our officer ranks, if we deem you a decent enough player.
If you are not deemed good enough yet, we will guide you so that you will be the next time. Our goal is to make you a better player, and thus, a better guildmember.
During the quizzing by at least 2 or more officers, we will ask understanding of game mechanics, and how to function within a guild group run. The quiz should be easy if you've made it this far. This is also a time for you to ask questions as well, about anything you wish (The guild, ranks, gear, etc). Once again, we want you to be a better player and want to help you!
Upon being accepted as a member one of our officers (most likely guildmaster) will give a congradulatory gift as a reward. This will be a 3* item. Upon talking about goals, strengths, and weaknesses, and deciding what would be best to help the new member out, we will offer several options, and the new member may choose what they want. It can be any of the craftable items by our members, which covers damn near any item in the game.
Also, another gift will be bestowed upon making veteran, if at this point the player does not have all their essentials covered. This will be a case by case basis.Useful Things to remember
Second Half of all tiers are more profitable than others! This means any part after the clockworks crossroads terminal, where basil the merchant is, will earn you more CR (crowns) than the floors before it.
So be a friend and let other guild members join you at the half way point if you have open slots available in your party! Even if they just want to 'go solo' after that. It helps everyone out ^_^
Also, an unofficial merchant friend of our guild is Bystrik, He sells Trinket slots for 85 CE and Weapon slots for 185 CE. Talk to him if you need some.
Do: Share pots Help eachother out Cover eachother Ask before using a heal Share revive turns, so the person with more capability to get up
Don't: Use a heal unless everyone is carrying full pills Use a heal unless you're the last member alive, and under half health. Use a heal unless everyone is almost dead Self revive, unless everyone is dead Self revive without asking party first, and coordinating revives Revive party. EVER. Revive someone without their permission, EVER Go attacking an area when you know you cannot handle it
Waste vials in JK runs (Fire, poison, or curse)Assuming you do not have 3* gear yet, and are running on ME (Mist Energy) here is a few simple ways to make the most of your first week or three.
- NOTE
This section has not been updated since the mission release. All the information below IS STILL VALID. However, it is highly recommended you also do the missions when you can, since they do offer you most/all the recipes you'll need for gear in the Hall of Heroes when you can access those. Current suggestion till proven otherwise: Do missions, and follow this guide below the best you can when missions are too hard for you to do or you have no more available to you. I will re-evaluate the mission content and this guide soon, to give specifics on which missions will benefit you the most. Missions however do seem excellent for beginners (I have completed all missions to date). I have made a few changes below, but this not will not be removed until I have done a full revision.
- END NOTE
Learn how to read Gates. You want to find the one that is the Snarbolax, in the Gloaming Wildwoods. This is floors 4-7 on a gate with a Yellow slash symbol on it. They do not vary, or have other options. They will always be the same and go in a line. Following the basic adventuring tips, join party to get a deep a floor as possible. Wherever you end up, run to the end of this boss and defeat it. You will average 3 tokens per victory. Save these up to get 10 frumious fang tokens at least. Use this to get the Bristling Buckler from Brinks in the Bazaar, bottom left. It's a good 2* shield, that gives a sword damage boost, as noted above.
You should be able to do 1-2 runs a day on your ME. Do not do a run if you do not have enough energy to complete the gate. Log off, wait till the next day or whenever you'll have enough energy, roughly 60-70 if you have to start from floor 1. Less if you join a deeper party. Unfortunately, this is all you can do for a few days. Just do your best, and have fun doing this for an hour or two your first few days each day.
As you earn up CR (Crowns) Check the Auction House. You want to search under armor, for Wolver. Sort by buy price. This is important. You want to buy both wolver armor and helm, from 1k CR, to 1.5k CR. If you get lucky and find a wolver recipe at basil on your adventures, you may make it yourself, but it's not strictly necessary. It's cheap enough to buy 2* gear.
Also, you should search for a Calibur Sword, or other 2* sword of your choosing from the swordsman guide. (Calibur recommended for new players to the game). If you want you may also get an Owlite shield. Either way, this will complete your 2* gear lineup. EDIT: In missions you will now earn free 2* armor of the cobalt line, and free calibur sword and blaster gun. This will be your 2* armor that you were needing.
Once you have 2* gear, you are able to talk to the spiral warden (at the end of any t1 Run) and get t2 access. Congratulations! You're part way there!
Now you should focus on the gate that has the Royal Jelly Palace and the Royal Jelly Boss (Commonly referred to as JK or Jelly King). Do this boss as much as you can. You need JK tokens to get a sealed sword. More importantly though, is the Palace levels bring in a LOT of CR per floor. This will earn up your stockpile of cash nicely. So much in fact, that you can run these floors on CE (Crystal energy) and if you don't revive, earn more than enough to buy back the energy you spend on the market, and have leftover cash! Very good floors to 'farm' cash.
Continue to do this until you have enough cash to buy 3* gear, or find/buy 3* recipes for your armor and weapons. If you went with wolver gear originally, the 3* gear is the Dusker Coat/Cap. You want to buy the recipe between 4-5k in AH, or the armors itself for around 15-16k CR. Do not pay much more than 16k. 17k Should be your maximum spent on any one piece of 3* gear. Edit: From missions if you got cobalt armor and used it, don't bother buying 2* wolver gear, just save up and buy 3* dusker gear, and save yourself from needing to buy a recipe. Feel free to contact our guildmasters if you want to buy dusker gear, we can probably sell to you cheaper than AH.
This will take a week or three to earn up all 3* gear, but once you do, you are now ready to join the Rogue Knights! From here on out, we will help you with anything you need. Feel free at any point along the way to earning 3* gear to ask for advice from one of our Knights. We will be happy to answer questions, and may or may not be free to help you on a run (don't count on it every time though). You may also mail Jace-Jarak any questions you have, and I will be happy to send you a reply to anything you might need!Heat Bleeding- This common routine is for transferring heat collected by a players who have no need of it to players who do. It is best performed at the end of stages and where there is a source for replenishing health nearby. The process involves using a trap or enemy to repeatedly deplete all the health from the player who does not need his heat. Alternatively, a faust, gran faust or fang of vog can be used to deal damage to oneself. Then, the player who does need heat revives others which collects a small amount of heat from them. If two or three people want one persons heat, taking turns reviving is the fairest method. If two people want two others' heat, then each person can choose another to continually revive. Remember, care must be taken so those responsible for reviving do not end up losing all of their own health. Also, any players who aren't participating should not wait on an elevator in case an accident occurs. Most importantly, do not be afraid to object to the transferring of heat if you are in a hurry or if you just don't feel like waiting. Heat is an abundant resource and heat bleeding is a purely superfluous convenience that can take a significant amount of time.
Recipe Relay- At the beginning of any second stratum a terminal exists where a stranger named Basil will sell a number of random recipes. Because there is such a variety of play styles, it is helpful to communicate every recipe available. However, if time is limited, it can be just as helpful to just communicate the most popular recipes. In order to provide an entire list with minimal messages it is usually necessary to eliminate spaces when possible without making the message too convoluted. Relaying the recipe like so "crownofthefallen, crestofalmire, vogcubcoat, etcetera" should allow anyone to provide the necessary information with just one message while still being clearly legible.
Recipe Reserve- If somebody wants a recipe after it has been relayed or if they join a party at a terminal and see one for themselves, there are a number of ways to allow that person the recipe. In the best case scenario, someone capable of buying the recipe (the saver) does so, then the rest can be resolved with a trade. If the person who wants the recipe (the buyer) cannot afford it, the saver should purchase and hold the recipe for the buyer until the necessary amount is accumulated. If saver cannot afford the recipe, the buyer must trust them enough to send the necessary crowns in order to do so. Then the saver can trade the recipe for the difference. If the saver is as trustworthy as we expect, the full amount for the recipe can be sent or traded, then the recipe can simply be sent or traded without the need for additional mathematics.
Stage Jumping- Because the second stratum of any tier is more profitable than the first, especially when there is a boss, it is very beneficial to offer a "jump" to guildmates when a terminal is reached. The term "jump" should be used if there is no intention of continuing the stages together, otherwise use "join" or "party". If a person uses stage jumping, they should go solo as soon as possible to allow others the opportunity to jump. If another player does wish to join it is also best to suggest they wait until a terminal is reached. The exception to this occurs when a player wants the recipes at the terminal to be available to them for purchase. In this case, the player will need to join at least two stages before the terminal is reached, preferably at the beginning of a stage of course.
Game Guides
Disclaimer- The tactics described here do not necessarily represent the best possible solution for every scenario. Different situations will require different strategies. My goal here is to give those strategies a recognizable definition so they can be more readily used during gameplay. I will include a recommended indicator in parenthesis for rapid communication.
Buddy System- In my experience many of the tactics I will describe will work best with two player groups. If there are four players, designating which two people will work together should avoid confusion during battle. If there are three players, then one person could be designated for a role instead of a formation. Players should choose their buddy at the beginning of a stage.
Funneling- This will be used to describe situations when players can keep enemies on one side of any openining, if players can defend a corner so it is more difficult for enemies to surround players, or if players are circling enemies.
Defender- This adaptable role will designate players for keeping enemies away from his teammates either with shield bumps or strikes. There may also be times when it is necessary to protect teammates from projectiles. Knowing when to dodge attacks and when to shield your teammates can be a tricky habit for anyone to learn, but any player with any role can use this trick to help the team.
Survivor- This planned role will designate players to avoid damage at all costs, usually staying away from enemies and avoiding combat in order to revive anyone when necessary.
Safeguard- This adaptable role will designate players, generally whoever dies first, to only revive when absolutely necessary despite whenever he is given health. The safeguard's goal is a contingency plan to revive the party when necessary without using energy.
Face to Face (face)- This planned formation is generally for gunners fighting wolvers, particularly in Tier 3. Theoretically, the gunners could face each other and constantly fire until all wolvers are dead since they will be constantly diving behind each gunner.
Juggling (j)- This impromptu formation is generally used when there are just a few small enemies to fight, particularly slow enemies. If timed correctly, enemies can be batted back and forth between two players until the target is killed. Ideally, this should make faster work of enemies than chasing them around or hitting them until they are pinned.
Sword Pinning (pin)- This is less of a strategy than a very helpful team habit. If you strike an enemy so it is pushed towards the nearest wall, it will make it easier for your teammates to strike that enemy dealing damage much faster than chasing targets around. Alternatively, If one person keeps their shield up they can act like a wall so teammates could pin an enemy faster.
Shooter Defense (sdf)- This adaptable formation can be applied to almost any situation, but is best used with funneled enemies. Defenders will be in the front of the formation shield bumping or striking any enemies that get close. Meanwhile shooting players will remain behind the guards. Since there will be less worry about defense, the shooters will be able to fire more consistantly and deal more damage while risking less than swordsmen who pursue a target.
Charger Defense (cdf)- This adaptable formation is very similar to the shot defense formation. The defenders will generally have more work to do since they must wait for an attack to be charged instead of defending constant shots. I have used this most frequently in arenas to keep enemies away from whoever is using the divine avenger's charged attack. Front Man Circling (fcc)- This adaptable strategy is generally for fighting several enemies at once. It is usually best to agree which direction to rotate beforehand. In order to keep everyone close together, and to keep from interfering too much with the funneling, only the person at the front of the rotation should perform any attacks. Others should only use shield bumping or their most mobile attacks until they are at the front.
Front Man Circling (fcc)- This adaptable strategy is generally for fighting several enemies at once. It is usually best to agree which direction to rotate beforehand. In order to keep everyone close together, and to keep from interfering too much with the funneling, only the person at the front of the rotation should perform any attacks. Others should only use shield bumping or their most mobile attacks until they are at the front.
Shell Mode (shm)- This planned formation requires all players to stay very close or even in one place. Theoretically four players in the center of a room could keep enemies away from any direction. However, this presents the danger of letting every player get hit at once if performed incorrectly or at unfavorable moments.
Back to Back (bak)- This is like shell mode, but while it only requires two players, it does require a narrow corridor. Alternatively, one person could fight the majority of the enemies while the other keeps away any attackers from behind. This also presents the risk of taking more damage than necessary due to proximity.
Frenzy (fre)- I imagine if each player could attack fast enough with their swords and were practiced enough at attacking the same target, or in the same direction, then they could quickly defeat enemies while projectiles would be shot behind the whole group. This strategy is dangerous because it requires players to avoid using their shield in favor of moving quickly, and then there is also a danger if a player moves too slowly even without the shield.
Shield Train (stra)- In situations where there are numerous projectiles and it is very difficult to get within attacking range of a target, a team could potentially close the distance without damage by coordinating their blocking. Whoever is in front would shield until it takes too much damage, then move back to let the next person block. If three or four players did this, it might get everyone closer to the enemy while taking less damage.
Basic gear for great swordsmen:
Wolver line of armor. 2* to 4*, Wolver, Dusker, then Ash tail. All give sword damage low, and are Peircing armors. This line will get you through just about anything in the game.
5* versions include: Skolver: P armor, freeze resist. Main point of it though is sword damage medium. Combine this with the armor and helm together, and you dish out major damage. Great adventuring gear for most locations, great for JK as well.
Vog: E armor, fire resist. Main point of this is sword attack speed increase (S:ASI). This is essential armor for big swords, the DA, Faust, or Troika, also, it's essential for FSC if you plan on doing Fire Storm Citadel runs. Also great for arenas, general adventuring, and RT runs. Not the best in JK at 5* because it goes from P armor to E armor.
Weapons of choice: Divine Avenger: This is a sealed sword, which you get from the Jelly King tokens. This is a half normal/elemental weapon. It's probably one of the best swords in the game, great for everything except beasts really... This is the main sword most swordsmen carry.
Calibur Line: Leviathan for general adventuring. It's a pure normal sword, so it's never the right weapon, but it never lets you down either, and it's charge attack (360 spin) is always good to use. Don't throw enemies into your allies though! The alternate is the Cold Iron Vanquisher, weaker than the Leviathan, but great vs undead (Good for FSC runs actually, less anywhere else)
Useful weapons:
Thorn Blade: simply for beasts, since they suck so much. Alternatively, use a Flourish, but the charge attack is easier on a Thorn Blade to use against beasts. Also very useful against Fiends (keep in mind your shield however when fighting fiends).
Brandish line: The brandish line is simlar in behavior to the calibur line, except they have split damage, normal and something else. These are great if you don't like the slower swords like the DA and GF or Troika line. They can cover your elemental or shadow damage, and can do status effects as well depending on type! Their charge is a bit different from caliburs though, since they are forward only, but have a blast that does status effects, very very useful line. They're more powerful than a calibur overall, but need a little more thought (and weapon slots) to use effectively. Great choice for those wanting more without using a calibur or heavy sword.
***NOTE*** Since the update, these swords are much stronger. They are now a very good alternate choice for those who do not like the slower sealed sword series. They now do a blast equal to the * rating of the sword, but have lost a little of their base damage. Either way it was an overall improvement. Much recommended as a basic sword.
Glacius: Freezes targets. Great for solo runs, but does less damage due to the nature of the status.
Combuster: Causes fire, using the charge/shield-bump technique, is very powerful. This does the most damage normally out of the brandish line.
Voltedge: Similar to combuster, but deals shock. Must use Krogmo Koins.
Nightblade: Shadow instead of elemental. No status. Good for JK runs as alternate to Faust/Gran Faust swords.
Pulsar: From the RT tokens, taken down the Polaris line. This is a great gun to use as a sidearm if you have a slot available. It's a great general adventuring gun, highly reccomended!
Autoguns: Generally made into Blitz Needles, this is the gun to use for FSC. It's charge attack is probably the most powerful in the game of any weapon on one target, but harder to use. A good sidarm to use for beasts as well.
Antigua/Argent Peacemaker: A good gun to get for solo runs of Vanaduke, however the polaris is generally a stronger weapon. The strength of this weapon is it's high capacity clip that let's you continue to move while firing (Unlike magnus/callahan, or autogun series).
Useful Shields to Own
Bristling Buckler: One of the favorites. Earned by beating the Snarbolax, and traded in for 10 tokens. This is a Piercing shield, and gives a boost to sword damage. Very good for the Royal Jelly Palace!
Owlite Line: This is by far the best all round elemental shield in the game. Not superbly strong early on, but 4 and 5* is the best shield to have for the Firestorm Citadel that you can craft, and great for arenas too. This is simply a must have all-round shield for all swordsmen.
Crest of Almire: Best shadow shield in game, earned from beating Vanaduke. No other shadow shields are really super-effective, so your best bet is to go with a buckler or owlite line shield from above, until you can earn this shield (which starts as a 4* blackened crest from Brinks for 30 almiran seals).
There are other shields with various properties, but for beginners, the Bristling Buckler line and Owlite line should be all you focus on. Past 3*, talk to members about pros/cons of other gear, since we can give you more detailed information beyond the scope of a basic guide here.There are a few things to know about defeating the Jelly King.
Fire, poison, and especially CURSE are useful pots for his defeat. Generally, part 1 (while he has a crown) try to keep him on fire and poisoned as much as possible. This prevents him from healing while you attack him.
Charge attacks are great on him (DA if you have it, Faust, or, use your calibur charge, it works wonders!)
Phase 2, he loses his crown, gain a shield of invincibility, and do counter clockwise spins. This is a great time to charge your weapon, and try to follow him, he knocks things out of his path, and his wake is clear. When he stops spinning, unleash a charge attack, or hit him with a pot. Now is a time to hit him with Curse, since he will hurt himself a lot when he spins around. Keep up fire and poison though!
If you can't follow him, or others are, while he spins is a great time to kill the minis, since they heal him. Killing minis is like hurting the JK. Having one person work on them will make the fight much faster.
In the event everyone dies, or one or two people die (in a 2-3 person run, instead of 4) it is imperative you self revive quickly, since the JK is a time battle against his healing. Don't heal more than your 5 or 10 though, it shouldn't take more than that in a 4 person run at all.
- Piercing Armor
- Piercing or Elemental Shield
- Shadow Weapons, preferably Swords
Roarmulous Twins are an easy boss to defeat, but coordination is the key! Someone who has done switches or watched them be done should do them. Time switching so rockets go past and hit the other twin.
Everyone else: Protect the switch user, and hurt the twins when they are down.
It's that simple :P Getting to the boss isn't though. Expect RT levels to be LAGGY. Ask a vet or higher for help if you need it, we love doing RT runs, and are more than happy to get you through them!Vanaduke is considered one of the most difficult bosses to defeat in the game. He deals mostly fire status damage and elemental damage, therefore it is a good idea to have fire resistant/elemental or shadow gear(for Zombies/Slag Guards), a good elemental or shadow shield with fire resistance, and also a good piercing gun to face this boss for the best outcomes(he is weak to piercing). Also, It is wise to have a good sword to use on mask stages(Phase 2 and 4), a Divine Avenger or Brandish Line works well for this, although pure normal damage weapons deal greater amounts per hit.
Gear recommendations are below:
Armors:
Vog Cub Set ( 5 Star Version of Wolver Set): Sword Attack Speed:Very High and Full Fire Resistance
Volcanic Demo Set ( 5 Star Version of Demo Set): Bomb:Charge Time Reduction: High and Full Fire Resistance
Divine Set-Divine Veil and Divine Mantle ( 5 Star Version of Magic Set): Elemental and Shadow Resistance, plus Helm gives Fiend Damage Medium and the Set gives Full Fire/Shock/Curse Resistance. Also this set has ZERO Normal Resistance!
Shields:
Crest of Almire ( 5 Star Version of Blackened Crest): High Normal and Shadow Resistance, plus Max Fire/Shock Resistance(Highly Recommended!)
Grey Owlite Shield ( 5 Star Version of Owlite Shield): Medium Normal and High Elemental Resistance, plus Max Fire/Shock Resistance(Best Alternative!)
Guns:
Blitz Needle-Piercing ( 5 Star Version of Autogun)(Highly Recommended!)-Preferred Weapon for Vanaduke and Trojans, also works well on Slag Guards at Phase 5 Vanaduke
Strike Needle-Piercing ( 4 Star Version of Autogun)-Alternate to Blitz Needle if you are short on funds, but works the same(less damage than Blitz Needle due to lower star level)
Polaris-Elemental ( 5 Star Version of Pulsar)(Highly Recommended Secondary!)-Good Firestorm Citadel gun, more a "solo gun" for Vanaduke due to Shock status property(Shock Status Breaks Freeze), also shock status tends to "interrupt" Vanadukes charge attack sometimes, so this gun can keep you safer for longer, in tight situations.
Kilowatt Pulsar-Elemental ( 4 Star Version of Pulsar)-Alternate to Polaris if you are short on funds, but works the same(less damage than Polaris due to lower star level)
Argent Peacemaker-Elemental ( 5 Star Version of Antigua)(Updated, might be less effective against Vanaduke!)-Good gun for Firestorm Citadel, Lacks Polaris Knock Back ability and Shock Status, but has 6 bullet clip and fires faster
Swords:
Divine Avenger-Elemental(5 Star Version of Avenger/Sealed Sword)(Highly Recommended!)-Slow Weapon but decent speed with Vog Set, Charge Attack works great in Firestorm Citadel(Does "explode on walls" though...) Elemental Damage means lower damage on mask stage though.
Glacius/Combuster/Voltedge-Elemental(5 Star Elemental Versions of Brandish): Great Charge Attack and regular attacks are faster than Divine Avenger, works well on mask stages and zombies alike! Also elemental damage, meaning lower damage on mask stage as well. (Note on Voltedge: Shock Status Breaks Freeze!)
Bombs:
Shivermist Buster(5 Star Version of Freezing Vaporizer)(Highly Recommended!)-This Bomb is designed to hold monsters in place, in the case of Vanaduke, you keep him from moving so the battle is "safer" for your other members to either kill slags or charge up attacks for Vanaduke!
Vanaduke Strategy:
Vanaduke has 5 Phases. The first, third and final phases are with Vanaduke spawning Zombies(Phase 1 and 3) or Slag Guards(Phase 5). In the second and fourth phases, Vanaduke goes inactive and spawns a fiery mask that floats around the map and shoots many flaming bullets.
The Primary, most tried and true strategy for defeating this mighty foe, is to have one person dedicated as a "freezer" with a Shivermist Buster Bomb equipped and 3 others equipped with Blitz Needles for Attacking. It usually works best to kill all the Zombies/Slag Guards that Vanaduke spawns BEFORE actually dealing damage to him. This way you can get everyone to focus attack on Vanaduke sooner and not worried about taking hits or avoiding zombies.
The Phases go as follows:
Phase 1: Vanaduke starts in the middle of the room, he performs one of 2 actions and has 2 main attacks. The first attack he raises his mace high and strikes the ground causing debris to fall from the ceiling. His second attack is to Charge any player he is focused on that is a fair distance away. He usually summons 4 Zombies, 2 on the left and 2 on the right of his position. These spots are where most spawns come into the fight. Freeze him in place, deal with the zombies, then Blitz him!
Phase 2: Vanaduke walks to the northern center wall of the Arena and bows his head. The screen changes perspective to an "overhead" view as a Fiery Mask spawns just under Vanadukes position. Also it generates 2 fireballs that orbit around it and shoot bullets in set directions. The object of this Phase is to use the 4 water globes located at the 4 corners of the room to extinguish the mask and then damage it until it is defeated. When the mask is extinguished, you have about 4 seconds to deal damage to it before it reignights, there is a timer that appears over its head that looks similar to time bomb blocks in the clockworks. Usually this works best with one person who has very good aim to be in charge of "watering". Also, you DO NOT hit the mask with another water if it is already extinguished, if you do, it can cause problems with the masks extinguish timer and make it difficult for members to predict how much time they have left to damage it.
Phase 3: The Mask Disappears and Vanaduke Bursts into flames for a second. Then he walks to the center of the room and either spawns zombies or tries to attack a player. He has 2 main attacks like Phase one, only this time, his mace striking the ground, will cause a greater amount of debris to fall and they generate Shadowfire where they drop. Also Vanaduke has 4 orbiting fireballs right next to his body so using a sword is ill advised. The Freezer freezes him in place as soon as he starts the Phase and the other members kill the zombies and focus on him just like before.
Phase 4: Vanaduke marches to the northern center wall of the Arena like Phase 2 and bows his head. Again the screen changes to overhead view and another Mask appears in the same location as last time, but this time it has 4 orbiting fireballs that shoot bullets and it shoots bullets itself at a greater frequency. The person who was in charge of water last time will again resume this role, trying not to hit the outer fireballs in the process, while the other players focus on getting in and dealing as much damage to the mask as possible until it is finally downed.
Phase 5: Vanaduke bursts into larger flames briefly again and approaches the center of the Arena. In this stage he will only generate Slag Guards on spawnings. He will start out again either spawning 2 Slag Guards, or attempting to attack a player. Vanaduke has 3 attacks on this phase, the 2 like before, and a new "flame snake" attack where he sends out 4 flame snakes to attempt to catch anyone in the area on fire. On this phase it is best to make sure all the flames spawned from dropping debris are put out as soon as possible, the outer edge flames are generally more important since this is where you will be spending most of your time dodging as an attacker. The Freezer should attempt to freeze one of the Slag Guards at the opening of Phase 5 but keeping Vanaduke frozen is always more important. Once all the Slag Guards are dead, its time for the Blitz Needle Attackers to focus all their charge attacks on Vanaduke. Once he is down, you win!!!
Note on Strategy for Attackers: Try to time your Charge Attacks with Blitz Needles so that they go off at the exact same time. Also if you can, try to keep Vanaduke Facing a single direction, North is the most Ideal since you can see your character and him and his fireballs orbiting around him a lot easier from this position.coming soon
Monster Type | Damage Type | Weak To | Neutral To | Strongly Resistant To |
---|---|---|---|---|
Slime Family | Piercing | Shadow | Elemental | Piercing |
Beast Family | Piercing | Piercing | Shadow | Elemental |
Gremlin Family | Elemental | Shadow | Piercing | Elemental |
Construct Family | Elemental | Elemental | Shadow | Piercing |
Fiend Family | Shadow | Piercing | Elemental | Shadow |
Undead Family | Shadow | Elemental | Piercing | Shadow |