If this is in the wrong forum, someone else can move it. Can't be bothered to do it myself, and after finishing up with most of my assignments for the end of the semester, I still felt like writing so here's what you get from me for the holidays.

So, considering how I'm usually not too keen on helping out here in General Discussion, feel free to take any suggestions here with a grain of salt. I'm only here to tell you one of (probably) several ideal ways to deal with the Grinchlin Assault on Mount Krampus without having to throw away your Knight's life savings to do so. The format's gonna be simple as *($# - I'll have a basic synopsis on what to expect in terms of themes/monsters/shenanigans for the run. I'm not doing approximate monster counts or how much you'll deal with in each arena, but I will provide suggestions on how to manage the (artificial) difficulty this mission does provide. Because what's better than OOO responding to requests for difficulty by slapping a few monster spawners in every arena and thinking, "Job well done"?

But all jokes aside, I do genuinely like this update overall, even if the mission itself does seem a little more annoying than it is rewarding. So cheers, OOO. Drinks are on me.

For readability purposes, I have a Table of Contents that you can use to quickly "Ctrl+F" to a particular section as opposed to swimming through the wall of text. It is as follows:

• SYNOPSIS - provides a brief overview of what your knight will be faced with (does NOT provide specific details on arenas)
• MONSTERS - lists the kinds of monsters that one can expect for the mission, for advanced preparation in order to cater your loadout to what you'll fight
• STATUSES - statuses that one can expect for this mission; again, for advance prep
• GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS - my take on what gear you should consider bringing if it is available to you (subsections are Swords, Guns, Bombs, and Armors)
• Closing Notes - a general recap of some of the things I've stated throughout the thread, and a message to both newer players and experienced players.

SYNOPSIS

This mission's incredibly straight forward - clear out as many rooms as you deem possible with your knight's setup. Risk going further for the big bucks or lose it all should you run out of ways to revive yourself. That being said, it's pretty apparent that the mission is going to be designed to punish you for being greedy; I mean, the holidays are more about giving than receiving, so OOO saw fit to give everyone a big black eye for trying to fight to the top as soon as the event launched! Anyway, the basic expectation for this mission that everyone should go in with is that, simply put, the difficulty will scale exponentially in terms of arena design, the volume of monsters, and the expectation of the Knights in that fight. Many of the arenas are almost designed to negate the idea of having one Knight be able to solo the entire event from start to finish without dying. Or, at the very least, since I'm sure there's people out there who will claim to have and probably will end up attempting to solo it and not die, it will be next to impossible for your typical/average 5* Knight.

There, you're special now. Merry Christmas.

MONSTERS

The main monster families you can expect from the Grinchlin Assault are as follows: Gremlins, Constructs, Fiends, Slimes. Most of the saturation comes from the Gremlin family group, with virtually every common gremlin type making an appearance. Constructs are a fairly distant second, with Gunpuppies and Retrodes being the staple options, but also throwing in several Rocket Puppies and Lumbers throughout the mission arenas as well. Fiends are present with the Trojans and (respawning) Greavers being present, the latter being a part of virtually every arena battle in the run.

It's interesting to note that, even though the Grinchlins and the Greavers have different colorations than their non-Winterfest counterparts, they still act and function almost exactly the same. The only notable exception to this is that the Greavers in this mission don't shoot their secondary attack after the initial dash. They do still release their trademark haze to inflict Stun. So be careful to approach these monsters head-on if you have had issues with them in the past.

STATUSES TO EXPECT

For a replayable holiday-themed mission, they went above and beyond to make sure there was a diverse representation of status afflictions throughout the level.

Slow - The most notable status to mention is what I'm going to simply call the "Slow" status, which functions incredibly similarly to "Stun". The "Slow" status, which is inflicted primarily as an environmental hazard spread throughout both depths of this mission, does exactly what the name here implies - you'll move slower for the duration of the status affliction. Fortunately, since this status doesn't have any armor that can build resistance to it, it only affects your Knight for the two second minimum that the game seems to require. It is important to note that, as of the time of typing this up, the status does not have a disambiguation page on the Spiral Knights Wiki, so what else the "Slow" status doesn't appear to be documented.

You can avoid this status by not walking in the snow piles that are spread throughout the level. By breaking the cubes of snow that oftentimes block your path, you'll end up spreading the snow piles anyway, so keep this in mind as you proceed forward! Chances are, if you can walk around the pile of snow, you should attempt to do so - especially considering the presence of Wintersiege Wheels, which function similarly to the Siege Wheels that can be found in several depths of Firestorm Citadel.

Stun - Stun is primarily inflicted by the Greavers that are scattered throughout the mission, and is also a side-effect of being hit by the Trojan's sword swing as well as the Lumber's overhead punch. To my knowledge, there is little else that inflicts this status throughout the level.

Fire - The "Fire" status is inflicted mostly by the Gremlin Scorchers that are scattered through most of the arenas, but is also inflicted by various Fire tiles throughout the first floor, and primarily in the second arena. However, there are several water orbs that you can use to put out the fires spread throughout the level, and is required in order to proceed through the rest of the stage.

Freeze - A status that no one should be surprised by considering the theme of the event, it should be noted that this is probably the least represented status in the level. Many of the things that can inflict it are situational at best, with the only sources to my knowledge being the Retrode's laser beams, the Gunpuppy bullet, and the Ice Cube Jellies that show up every so often. Many of the upper tier armors provide freeze resistance however, so this will arguably be one of the lesser seen/encountered statuses.

GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS

Disclaimer: If you don't see a weapon listed here that you feel should have a mention here, oh well. Each section will have three recommendations that, either in my own personal experience or through observation of someone else using it in the same run as me for Grinchlin Assault, fit the needs that this mission demands. In no way do I claim that these are the only weapons you should ever use for this mission, and these suggestions are merely a reflection of my own experiences with the mission in its entirety. If you want to type up a suggestion and submit it, I'll add it to the top of the thread or include an anchor to your post. Otherwise, read on.

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Swords

Acheron - this suggestion should come as a no-brainer; with the main body of monsters being weak to the Shadow damage that this word can inflict (Gremlins) or being hit for neutral damage (Constructs), this sword essentially covers about 75% of the total monsters you'll encounter throughout the run. There's no shiny gimmicks with this sword though - it doesn't inflict status like it's newly introduced sibling in the Brandish Line, the Obsidian Edge, but if it comes down to being able to deal considerable damage to a variety of monsters, this sword gets the job done and does it well. Modifiers worth considering would be anything that increases it's potency as far as damage bonuses go, or something to increase how fast you can charge/swing the Acheron.

Gran Faust/Divine Avenger - I suggest either one of these swords as another decent contender throughout this level. Obviously, the Divine Avenger pales in comparison to the Gran Faust in terms of covering a majority of the monster families found in the mission, but the coverage it does grant to the Construct families, as well as hitting Fiends and Jellies for Neutral damage, gives it an honorable mention in this scenario. The knockback that both of these swords provide is also rather substantial, since in most cases your sword swing will hit multiple enemies at once due to the sheer volume of spawns that can happen if left unchecked. Suggested modifiers for this weapon line would be anything to increase the attack speed increase if possible.

Combuster - The Combuster, much like the DA, has less coverage than the Acheron and Gran Faust suggested here, but the charge attack provides fairly significant damage against everything except Gremlins - who are still affected by the Fire status and subsequent knockback the charge can deal. A competent Brandish user of any kind can utilize the charge's power to clear out many of the threats that will end up being present in the arenas, including Giant Lichen Colonies, Lumbers, Retrodes, and Glop Drops that make an appearance in two of the arenas during this mission.

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Guns

Biohazard - The Biohazard not being mentioned here would be nigh unforgivable, considering this is one of the weapon's bread-and-butter functions. However, with how cramped some of the corridors can be, how restrictive the arenas are considering their purpose, and the volume of enemies that can be present at any one time, being able to connect multiple charge shots with targets and then blow them up with the follow up shot may prove to be difficult. However, the poison status this gun can inflict will prove to be more than useful with Menders being around pretty much every corner in this mission. This gun helps spread the holiday cheer - one vitriolic explosion at a time.

Supernova - One might ask why I choose to suggest the Supernova over the Polaris. Aside from a general distaste for the Polaris from PvP, the chance for Shock status being inflicted when the situation calls for the ability to keep everything as far away from you as possible conflicts with the concept of crowd control that you should go into this mission with. The Supernova offers that crowd control without having a factor that can limit it, and it hits Gremlins for solid damage, whereas the Polaris does not. In this case, the lack of specialization works to the Supernova's advantage, and gives those who want to have a gunner loadout a potential option for effective PvE zoning without the potential for crippling yourself.

Argent Peacemaker/Sentenza/Obsidian Carbine - I mention all three of these guns within the same category solely because they all fulfill mostly the same purpose, with the only exception being where the gun can specialize. The Argent Peacemaker is arguably the weakest option to consider for the mission, but can still be looked into should your resources limit how accessible other options are. It does deal decent damage to Constructs, even without the inherent gun bonus that the Argent Peacemaker and Sentenza have for Undead and Gremlins respectively, and can prove to mean the difference between killing a Rocket Puppy across the room or getting blown up because you couldn't get the last 122 damage in before it was too late. The Sentenza and Carbine are a toss-up for effectiveness, since the Sentenza hits harder versus Gremlins, whereas the Carbine can inflict Poison some of the time. In the end, this decision comes down to whether you want consistent performance or the ability to spread status.

Blitz Needle - As always, the Blitz Needle makes it into the list of weapons that the boss of the mission does not resist. While this just seems like shoddy continuity checking being done by the OOO staff, the main Battlepod at the end of the mission will take neutral damage from Blitz Needle's charge attack, and as such, should be abused as much as possible. It will take roughly 8-10 charge attacks at Damage Bonus: Ultra in order to successfully bring the Battlepod down to size, but this can be shortened simply by keeping the Gremlin Mender far enough away from the pod that it can't heal it.

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Bombs

Venom Veiler - Oh, Venom Veiler, I have missed you so. This bomb is by far the most recommended weapon you can select for your party in this guide. Nothing in the mission resists this status, even if the Greavers and Grinchlins look like they could spread this status just by giving you a hug. It also negates the potent aspect of the Gremlin Menders' ability to sponge off the damage that your party inflicts as you progress through the levels - with the added bonus of making their attacks a fraction of the power they would be otherwise, which can serve to improve your longevity immensely. Considering the lack of boxes and health crates in these levels, every pip counts.

Stagger Storm/Shivermist Buster - In either of these cases, you simply cannot go wrong. The Stagger Storm, while limited in availability due to it only being accessible as a Krogmo recipe, is also another status that most, if not all, of the enemies in this mission have no resistance to. Given the amount of monsters that can be on screen, the ability to slow down their attack speed can prove invaluable to a Knight in escaping death, being able to use a Remedy Capsule to shrug off their own Stun/Fire status, or score the killing blow on an enemy that's been causing just a bit too much trouble for their own good - and yours as well.

Nitronome - The mere fact that I'm suggesting Nitronome as a bomb choice baffles even myself, since I abhor the amount of distraction it can cause to even the most coordinated of parties. However, with there being so much going on in the screen anyway, the only time the Nitronome's potent attack animation will ever be more of a hindrance than a help to your party in terms of making a "safe area" for Knights to retreat to in order to heal far outweighs that downside. It also serves as an integral part of the final battle, should you choose to go the distance and find out why Captain Kirk climbed the mountain.. Once you start the final boss battle, the party can simply head to the interior of the room and deny access to mostly every other monster in the arena by setting the Nitronome down by each of the icicle barriers that are located there. Your Knights may not be able to go through those barriers themselves, but the monsters can. And we just can't have that. At this point, in a fully party, having one person dedicated to locking down the bottom area allows for three people to focus on the Rocket Puppies located in the interior as well, and keep the area as clear as possible for when the Battlepod drops its barrier.

Additional Suggestion: Dark Retribution - Originally I had intended to avoid putting too many things in the thread that required additional content outside of the core game itself, but seeing as how I included Perfect Mask of Seerus below, it's workable. The Dark Retribution provides several layers of defense that most damage-based bombs cannot provide - a "safe area" to recoup for a moment between waves, as well as continual damage being dealt to anything caught within the blast radius. Additionally, it can deal extensive damage to many of the Gremlin types that spawn throughout the mission, and can serve as an active way of countering the Ghostmane Stalkers by breaking their recon modules almost instantly. Their AI doesn't necessarily account for the AoE bombs in the game, so they don't go out of their way to avoid it, and will eventually walk right into it. Lastly, it also proves to be an invaluable asset for preventing Greavers from following through with any of their attacks, as the Dark Retribution's orbs will knock the Greaver out of its main attack animation. Just keep in mind that the bomb will do very little damage to it - so have a buddy there to do the dirty work and knock it out of the sky for you. This bomb, for all intents and purposes, takes a practical approach on Warmaster Seerus' intent for designing the bomb for use against other Gremlins, and it nearly negates one aspect of the mission that would otherwise cripple most Knights who would choose to ignore the Ghostmanes and Greavers in favor of killing other monsters - or trying to, anyway. The Dark Retribution also works well in conjunction with many of the status bombs in the game, as they both offer an area of denial that can stack together to be a surprisingly effective way of killing things with ease.

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Armors

Special Note: For the sake of this guide, the armors that will be mentioned will also have considerations given for the 4* Knights that are restricted in their ability to upgrade because of Fire Crystal shortage.

Volcanic Demo Set/Heavy Demo Set - With how much emphasis that I've placed on crowd control, it only makes sense to recommend the smartest set for such a thing. The inherent CTR VH bonus that the Volcanic Demo set gives to bombs allows for a CTR Max bomb with absolutely no UV investment. This can serve to be integral for providing a save area for your party to retreat to, or for encroaching further into the map in order to clear out enemies bit by bit. The Elemental resistance that the armor provides also serves to be ample protection against many of the threats present that deal elemental damage (Gremlins/Constructs), and the Fire resistance serves to mitigate how much damage a random Rocket Puppy can deal to the bomber should they fail to see the rocket amidst everything else going on. The Heavy Demo set, while still 4*, will have a fair bit of Elemental resistance in order to mitigate some of the damage that many threats will inflict, and will still confer a CTR Medium bonus, which is respectable for many bombs regardless of the situation. After factoring for the CTR Medium bonus all weapons receive once reaching Level 10, the bomber will still hit a VH CTR bonus.

Nameless Set/Poncho + Perfect Mask of Seerus - This is another instance where the armor set provides a large amount of synergy with the weapons suggested, which just ended up happening really. But regardless, the Nameless Set is actually a suggestion by Dogrock that I decided to include in retrospect. The Nameless set has a nice balance between overall resistance and reactivity, which is great for this mission - the set as a whole grants the wearer an ASI VH bonus for all guns, substantial Elemental resistance, and ample Freeze resistance in the off chance a Gunpuppy does manage to connect to the player's Knight. The Mask of Seerus, while it provides negative freeze resistance to the player, also provides one of the higher Elemental resistances in the game, even being at Level 1 with no heat. Coupled with the fact that it grants a CTR Medium bonus and an ASI Low bonus for all guns, you can see how this can find a niche in the mission through survivability.

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Closing Notes

As I stated before, in no way to I claim to have the authority to say this is an official "guide", so to speak. This is me merely putting my own suggestions out there for others to either use, or not use. However, if there's anything additional or any glaring oversights that I should fix, feel free to post here and let me know. Otherwise, have fun farming.

Please keep in mind, that this guide does not take individual playstyles into account, and in a sense, is a little idealistic by assuming that everyone will work together as a team to get the job done. If you simply lack the equipment to make it past the first floor, then take solace in the fact that you're still doing better than many other people who quit after the first arena. There's two weeks for this event, and chances are there will be other strategies to make this mission incredibly easy by the time the event is finished.

Lastly, to some of the "veteran" players (if that's even really applicable at this point), if you've made it this far down the thread and think that the suggestions are less-than-stellar, I implore you to take it upon yourself to either type up additional guides to help others out, or invite a not-so-experienced player to take with you through the run. There's a huge knowledge base in Spiral Knights - both on and off the forums. With it getting close to the holidays, feel free to spread some of that knowledge around. It'd be better than giving everyone @*(% for doing something that most of us would deem to be silly.

So, have fun grinding, and Merry Christmahanukwanzaakuh. Because I can't be bothered to say Happy Holidays.