Rogue (Guild)

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

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 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.

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.

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!!!