So I'm a fairly new player, I only have 2* right now. I want to be a bomber but don't know where or how to start. I've heard that it is difficult to bomb effectively in tier 1/ tier 2 so should I continue just using swords/guns until later or should I just go for it and go with bombs right now?
Also, which bombs are good for someone going pure bomber? The shard bombs look cool but I've heard they're super weak for tier 1/2.
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!
Bombers don't get any help with gear until endgame basically. Your charge times will be fairly long and you wont be doing high damage until you either get to 5*, get UV's on your bombs or level up your sprite. You can still try though and it's a fun way to play the game.
If you were dead set on using bombs I would get the demo set, craft up your blast bomb (its the cheapest one to make and is actually the most usable bomb at low levels), make a fire, poison and shock vaporizer. If you're able to I'd recommend getting the crimson hammer expansion too because the bomb you get for doing that mission is really good.
I'd recommend partying up with others too if you wanna bomb. Makes life a lot easier.
I'd recommend partying up with others too if you wanna bomb. Makes life a lot easier.
That's a very good point. You can't solo a mission FAST with bomb's. If it's a full party people will appreciate you, and it'll be a whole lot easier.
EDIT: You might want to get Chaos set for the CTR and DMG bonuses.
Bombers really get very little love until the endgame where they have nice Area of effect weapons.
If you want to be a good bomber you have to learn how to predict enemy movement. A good way to practice is by just using Calibur charges to fight enemies. If things get tough you can always go back to the hack and slash. When fighting enemies try to look for the tells (you can see when an enemy is about to attack what kind of attack they will do). Every enemy in the game has some windup before they attack (usually) and you can use this to keep you safe.
For first bombs I would suggest:
Blast Bomb
Spine Cone
Dark Shard bomb (unless you can get the OCH DLC)
Fiery Vaporizer
I would also greatly suggest getting a few non-Bomb items:
(These are for fighting enemies you have trouble bombing)
Fireburst Brandish
Flourish
Elemental Blaster
Owlite Shield
Needle gun
Shadowtech alchemer
Nightblade
For your first bomber armor set I would suggest bringing it to the Volcanic Demo. Mad Bomber is outclassed by the Chaos set (poor design but whatevs), and Chaos set is very unforgiving of mistakes. Volcanic Demo should offer you decent protection and the fire resist and lack of status penalties is nice.
What they're saying is kind of true, but I wouldn't let it stop you.
The shard bombs should actually be fairly strong compared to their later forms, since you won't be able to use them effectively enough to have their damage cut out due to invincitinks, but I'd recommend haze bombs and eventually volcanic demo to you. At some point you'll want to make chaos and black kat and roll UVs and branch out away from bombs, but to start with, spiral demo and toxic/fiery atomizer + a sword or gun of your choice which should probably be valiance/leviathan blade. It would also make sense to look into the other haze bombs, which deal shock, stun and freeze respectively, though of these I would recommend crafting freeze last.
Stick with Volcanic Demo if you find yourself getting hit a lot. Upgrade to chaos once you can dodge a bit better. Battle sprite perk of bomb dmg med and your bombs are maxed out. I wouldn't recommend BK, since it would be pretty silly to spend money on UVs to make the piece viable instead of getting chaos. You could get merc demo if you plan to LD bomb.
As for bombs to get:
Dark Briar Barrage
Nitronome
Electron Vortex
Dark Retribution
Ash of Agni
Maybe shards
Definitely get a Blitz too
Have you read the Bombing Guide on the wiki? It's pretty good.
To bomb well, you need to know the monsters' AI. So it's difficult for novice players. I think that this is more important than the fact that the low-star bombs have small areas, low damage, etc.
Despite these difficulties, Fehzor is right that you should bomb if you want to. It helps to be in a party, where your teammates are disrupting the AIs anyway.
For specific bombs I recommend Dark Briar Barrage and Dark Retribution for sheer damage, and Voltaic Tempest for a nice balance of crowd control and slow damage. Of course you should try vortex bombs, shard bombs, and every other weapon type at some point.
Thanks everyone for all your replies and advice it's great! :)
I logged on today to see that someone had seen this forum post and sent me 50,000 crowns and 200 energy to help me! I was so stoked, so many many many thanks to Lechery, you're awesome.
I did some grinding and used that money and so far I have:
- fused demo set (3*)
- dark matter bomb (2*)
- fiery vaporizer mk II (3*)
- super blast bomb (3*)
- great defender (3*)
- tempered calibur (3*)
My current plan is to upgrade to mad bomber set, shocking salt bomb line, and to grind some snarby to get his bomb which I heard is good.
I'm up to 6-1 right now in missions, and I've generally been running with other people because soloing with pure bombs is hard (but that's what the tempered calibur is for)
Also, @Bopp yep I read that guide on the wiki and it's very in depth but I don't really know enough about the game in general to be able to use most of that information; it doesn't really have advice for beginner bombers.
So I just got the snarby bomb, and I can almost get my first 4*. What should I get first? I was thinking maybe the ascended calibur so I can solo missions but then again I don't want to be stuck with crappy bombs in tier 3. Thoughts??
You should upgrade the calibur, as it is the only sword you have. Soloing while you are a pure bomber might take a little long, so upgrading your sword might be a good idea. You should upgrade the Spine Cone, as it is very usefull for beast's and fiend's. You should go with the freezing line of vapourizer's too. It is very usefull for the Vanaduke.
Just for your information:
Mad bomber: http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Mad_Bomber_Suit http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Mad_Bomber_Mask
Chaos: http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Chaos_Cowl http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Chaos_Cloak
The two equipments are almost identical with 3 differences:
1. Mad bomber has no negative curse resistance. Curse is dealt by very few enemy's, and the only reason you should ever have curse resistance or care about it is when you're using a Faust/Gran Faust.
2. Chaos gives charge time reduction and damage bonuses to all weapons. Mad bomber only applies to bombs. You're very likely to get other types of weapons later.
3. Mad bomber looks kind of cool, and it makes you stand out (since pretty much nobody ever uses it). Chaos is extremely common.
I'd personally suggest you get the Chaos equipment instead if you're going glass cannon. Though if you're getting bomber armor, I suggest you get volcanic demo. You're not going to be that much of a damage dealer if you're a bomber. The CTR is what's really important.
Carbinus is right. Mad Bomber is obsolete. Just get Chaos instead. If you really want to continue with bomber armor, then as a beginner you should probably go for Volcanic Demo. You could also read the bomb section of my armor guide.
It doesn't matter much which weapon you upgrade first. Maybe you should look ahead in the missions (on the wiki) to see what monsters dominate your upcoming missions. Dark Briar Barrage (or whatever its 4-star version is called) is a fine idea. Consider getting one set of 5-star equipment before building up a bunch of 4-star equipment, just so that you can get access to the later missions as soon as possible.
The Salt Bomb line is nice but it takes some practice to use.
The Mad bomber set has very little offer compared to Chaos. The only benefit is that people will pick up on the fact that you are a bomber immediately.
This game is grindy and one of the best places to do it is the Royal Jelly Palace. Moderate difficulty, good pay and large numbers of enemies making bombs more viable.
@Thagx I got the freezing vapo mk II as per your advice
@Carbinus I was aware that chaos and mad bomber were basically the same but figured for my first set I should get something that gives me the bomb bonuses in the lower tiers too (unlike chaos set which gives no bombing bonus until 5*). But now I think I'll get volcanic set.
@Bopp I read the guide and it was helpful, so thanks! I looked at the missions, and basically there's a few construct/gremlin levels leading up to RT, but after that is literally every enemy type leading up to FSC. Not sure if I should upgrade blast bomb line, calibur line, or fiery vapo for my first 4*/5*. Any advice?
@Holy-Nightmare I've been practicing using the rock salt bomb by running RJP on elite with another bomber and so far I like it. Trying to time it so that jellies get hit by the second round of explosions is hard, not to mention getting them between two shards. But I think I'm getting the hang of it.
So this is my plan in terms of 5* gear set:
- Volcanic demo set
- Aegis
- Either Leviathan Blade/ Ash of Agni/ Nitronome
Not sure which weapon of those three I should get first, so advice would be appreciated! Or should I get something else first?
Whoa
you definitely want to get a different shield than Aegis.
Sure it looks nice and has decent stats but most of the endgame monsters deal status to you and you should really get something to counter it.
The best shield for you is the Grey Owlite shield, not only will it help you with the last 2 token bosses but it offers status resists to the 2 worst status in the game Fire and Shock
But free recipes D:
I was considering Omega Shell because I've heard it's pretty good at everything but not amazing at anything which will probably suit me fine.
As bomb I see one extraordinary useful:
Dark Briar Barrage.
This is actually the only bomb that is able to knock down enemies by not blasting them out of the bombing radius - so the next bomb, if placed on the same spot, will hit the enemies again and knock them down again, too. At the same Moment it Interrupts enemy attacks.
This effect is very useful to wolvers (exspecially wolvers: i see this weapon as the best weapon in wolver dens vs wolver groups), gremlins of all Kind, devility (but use with care, devilities are still evil), beasts, stopping gorgos (which will otherwise bite 3x in Tier 3), Zombies.
This bomb is quite useful but lacks of the fallowing enemies: all Kind of constructs (they are resistant to pierce), jelly (resistant, too), greavers (if fighting without a secound bomber, it is a lost fight, here i would recommend another weapon).
I also would like to add that this 1-star-shock bomb is also nice to use as beginner. well since you reached 3 star gear, this would be too low meanwhile.
As gear i definitely agree by using chaos over mad. and also i'd advice you to take it over volcanic demo suit, because heating one part to 5 stars, heat 10 takes longer than you will learn how to dodge enemies (usually). I myselfe got volcanic demo, too but it does not only gather dust in my inventory.
Vloe, do not get Aegis just because the recipes are free. Recipes end up being a tiny part of the cost of a 5-star item. The orbs cost much more, and the Radiants cost extremely more than that (although they are not necessary for shields, because shields benefit so little from heating). Don't be tricked into getting items that you don't really want. Instead get Barbarous Thorn Shield, Grey Owlite, Volcanic Plate, Dread Skelly, or maybe Omega Shell. Once you've done Firestorm Citadel many times, consider Crest of Almire too.
Am I right that you don't own Operation Crimson Hammer? That's where you get Dark Retribution, which is awesome. In the meantime, I recommend that you upgrade Dark Briar Barrage and your sword.
I already made great defender but I guess now I'll get Omega Shell probably.
Also, I don't have OCH yet and don't feel like forking out the cash, so I might save up later to buy it with energy.
I use the Omega shell a lot, it's the best all-round shield. Its high health makes it okay against all damage which makes gear selection much easier. Between that and Swiftstrike I almost never touch any other shields (btw Swiftstrike benefits bombers slightly by increasing the bombing animation speed, worth trying it out).
You will absolutely want to get a Shivermist Buster and a Dark Briar Barrage..
The enemies resistant to pierce should be killed with an Ash of Agni or Nitronome.
That's all from Snarby.
You will absolutely want to get a Shivermist Buster and a Dark Briar Barrage..
The enemies resistant to pierce should be killed with an Ash of Agni or Nitronome.
In the line above that you just said you should get a Shivermist Buster, and in the next line your saying get an Ash Of Agni.
Please try to read the forum before posting, because Vloe already has the 3* version of those bombs.
A lot of the more advanced players do not like the Shivermist buster for average play. While it does keep enemies from moving it also makes it so you can't shield bump them out of the way and it's doesn't keep them from attacking. In the wrong place you could end up making a wall of enemies that your allies get trapped behind.
As such you will need to use this bomb more and more sparingly as you upgrade your sets, a field of frozen enemies becomes an obstacle course but a few out of the horde can be a blessing.
A good tactic is to drop an Electron Vortex and Follow it up with a Shivermist bomb. The shock from the bomb will break the freeze very often and the freeze/shock combo will keep the enemies from moving much. Allies will be able to take advantage of this situation with relative ease.
Yeah I actually have barely used the freezing vapo in favour of fiery vapo. It screws every one in the party up including me, and the fiery vapo has more damage anyway. It looks like it'll only be really used in FSC where fire is pointless.
well, there are only 3 shield(-serie)s with positive buffs:
-that snarbolax shield, which is totally pointless if you are a pure bomber,
-the swiftstrike, that reduces the bomb drop time by a barely even noteable time. (i recall something around 0,08 sec, not sure though),
-and the scarlet shield, that grants a max health Bonus.
Aside that there is one other shield Kind that has a Special efect that you may like as bomber: the Torto-shields, which have an area-stun-bash, that makes enemies move slower and thus can defend less against your bombs. The downside is a permanent slower movement.
Now there are 3 ways of how I do myselfe think about shields, when I use only bombs:
1. ,,I want to spamm and dont care about a shield because I cant rise my shield and Charge my bomb at the same time."
-> Here is where I use a Scarlet Shield, because the health Bonus i the only useful (and exspecially noteable) buff in my eyes.
2. ,,I will use bombs almost non-stop; and dodge attacks rather than shielding. This will give me the highest shield Regeneration Speed."
-> Since the shield health is not used, you can use shield bashes aside bombs when it is ready. With a torto-shield you have an additional 'stun-bomb' that Comes in Handy.
3. ,,I want to bomb, but when I am about to get damage, then I want to have a relieable shield that can block that attack and protect me from getting damage."
-> Here Comes almost any shield. I dont suggest swiftstrike or scarlet for this purpose. Since Tortoshields offer nice defense, they are also worth a though, when you aren't scared by the movement Speed decrease. Otherwise there are enough Options, but like alrady suggested: Grey Owlite should be your first shield for this purpose.
Excessive use of the freeze bomb can be bad, it should be used sparingly and in tandem with powerful charge oriented weapons or teammates with these type of weapons.
With Freeze you can lock down enemies for a teammates to kill. I would also like to point out that the Freezing Vaporizer line pairs well with the Leviathan blade, the freeze locks enemies into place so your sword charge attack hits 3 times.
Still, you should always ask if your teammates mind if you use this bomb.
Shivermist buster prior to firestorm citadel is overkill and kind of a crutch at that- you need to learn how to dodge and take care of a wide variety of situations rather than just freeze them because you can't always just freeze them forever. It's also going to be slightly frustrating since your team members aren't always going to take advantage of it properly- they need to get it into their heads that frozen = charge and destroy.
Here is a Story of what happens pretty often in one of These fiend-arenas in the secound room (not the 12 greavers ones. well but still 4-6 in a wave):
What I do:
-Place shiver to Keep greavers in place, then Charge dmg-weapon (different what i bring here)
What the Blitz needle guy does:
-start to charge his needle in order to 1-hit-KO one greaver after another
What the guy with the brandish does:
-attack 3 different greavers with normal hits
And finally on the stage the Greaver's Response:
-2 fallowing and killing the brandish-guy,
-1 attacks the Needle guy and since he has low health left, he dies
The aftermatch:
-complaining and begging for sparks :x
Yeah if you get in a team try to make sure that they're guildmates and are smart enough to cooperate correctly with you. If not just explain it to them. As Fehzor put it so simply "Freeze = Charge and Destroy"
Even solo, you can just use Dark Briar Barrage to manage 12 greavers at once, without "wasting time" on spreading status.
@Thagx
Greavers are actually quite slow when you pull out dark briar barrage and flinch them repeatedly-
i'm a top tier bomber and even some the things you guys have said helped me.
i'm a pure bomber and i'm always looking for ways to improve. i wish i had some of these tips when i 1st got into bombing..
my tips:
when in lockdown go recon always, tho some people might say defender is good to. but bombing as a recon help you sneak into the capture point and lay a bomb down so you can cap the point. bombs to use in lockdown are vapor bombs every one loves a vapor bomber on there team. when you bomb in lockdown don't go for dmg go for caps.
hope what i said helps you..
Thanks everyone for the advice and everything. I got the heavy demo set and the fiery atomizer, as well as the ascended calibur. All I need now is to heat up a drake scale shield for the stone tortoise and I can move on to tier 3!
But for now, I'll be taking a little break from spiral knights. I will announce my return with fanfare and cake.
See you all later! :)
You should probably wait for now. Nobody really respect's bomber's in tier 1/2. Wait till you are tier3, and then start bombing. You should get the Mad bomber mask and suit. The Voltaic Tempest (Shock Status) is a good elemental bomb and so is the Shivermist Buster (Freeze status). The shard bomb is difficult to place, and will be useless if you are not able to place it. The Nitronome is a good bomb for knockback.
Personally I don't really "like" bomb's. You should probably stick with gun's and sword's for now, but if you find them boring, go with bomb's.