Spiral Knights - Optimal all-around loadout for a beginner

Optimal all-around loadout for a beginner

26 replies [Last post]

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 15:49

Superbald

Hello guys! I just started to play a couple of days ago and i'm already feeling overwhelmed, could you please help me to decide what to craft and upgrade?
I'm looking for a versatile Sword/Gun setup for general use that can help me throughout the game.

1) Armor:
I crafted a Magic Cloak and Hood and i'm looking to upgrade them into a Chaos Set that seems the best for a hybrid, is it right? I don't know if i have to take something else before like a Wolver set but my resources are really limited and i can't upgrade 2 sets.

2) Shield:
On the paper i should craft a Swiftstrike Buckler but a 3 stars shield in end game is kinda meh, the alternatives are Grey Owlite Shield or a Barbarous Thorn Shield i guess but maybe there are something better.

3) Swords and Guns:
And now the most important part, i'll not unlock the third weapon slot anytime soon so i really need to choose the best 2-3 to upgrade. From what i read it seems that my choices for swords are the Acheron or the Combuster and for guns i have to choose between the Blitz Needle, the Polaris and maybe an alchemer like the Storm or Nova Driver. Any advice?

4) Battle Sprite:
I chose Seraphynx because i'd like to be durable and it seems the most useful overall, maybe i'm wrong and the maskeraith is the best i don't know.

Thanks for any suggestion.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 16:07

Dibsville

Just one gripe; most probably won't agree with me but still...

You seem to have done your research; the choices you've listed seem great, though one gripe I'd have is getting Chaos as your first and only set. Yes, Chaos can easily be considered one of the best, if not the best, hybrid armor sets in the game, however, having it as your only armor set is suicide for most players. Try getting another armor set along-side it, I'd personally say Grey Feather. It has virtually everything you need from a defensive armor set, compared to say, Vog Cub, which is virtually the same though lacks the noticeable shock resistance.

Crafting both Chaos and Grey Feather would basically cover everything you need; Grey Feather for situations where you need to get serious about status resistances, and Chaos for everything else. You could throw Snarbolax/Dread Skelly in there for coverage versus everything that's possibly a threat when put alongside Grey Feather, but that's purely optional (although so is Grey Feather, but I'd seriously recommend it).

Other than that, I'd say everything looks in shape.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 16:13

Bopp

obligatory

I have a detailed sword guide that you may find helpful. It addresses every aspect of your question --- which swords, which sidearm gun, which armor and shield --- except for battle sprite, on which I have no opinion.

You seem to be going for the most offensive armor. That's certainly what expert players recommend. I hope that you don't find it too vulnerable, as you're learning the game. The 2-, 3-, and 4-star precursors to Chaos have decent defense at least.

Everything else looks fine. You've correctly learned about the most powerful weapons in the game: Combuster, Acheron, Blitz. Don't overlook Warmaster Rocket Hammer. I would go for Nova or Storm Driver over Polaris. Also, try some bombs such as Dark Briar Barrage.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 16:33

Sandwich-Potato

To add on to these two long-time players, I'd like to point out a few things.

- Since Chaos doesn't give the bonuses until the 5* line, I'd personally recommend another beginner line, like Vog Cub or Skolver, as a dead enemy is better than a live enemy attacking you for a reduced damage.
- The Warmaster Rocket Hammer, which Bopp mentioned, is an extremely powerful yet fun weapon to use. However, it can only be obtained as a mission reward from playing the Expansion mission, Operation Crimson Hammer, which requires either 3200 Energy or 5 dollars in real life to obtain.
- Bombing is difficult to pull off until you have Very High or better Charge Time Reduction, as otherwise the bombs take an exorbitant amount of time to prep, during which monsters could attack you or you could've used a sword to finish the fight faster. Although bombing is kewl beans, I wouldn't recommend it as a first path unless you're very good at dodging and weaving.
- If you're only getting ONE gun, I'd advise an Alchemer, or an Antigua. If you're getting a few, the Blitz Needle is a must (for the Trojans and the boss itself) if you farm the last boss monster, which many people do because of its high crown amount per run.
- Seraphynx is kewl beans.
- Read Bopp's Sword Guide. It tells you almost everything you need to know. Experience does the rest.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 21:44

Fehzor

----Armor----

I'd go divine veil + chaos cloak or seerus + chaos cloak. One of those would make you extremely not 100% dead AND extremely potent in battle.

----Shields----

Let me tell you how shields work. There are currently 5 shields in game:

Swiftstrike = offensive, requires skill to use, keeps you on your toes and makes you play well.

Barbarous Thorn Shield = Mediocre shield that tanks a couple of hits. Stronger than swiftstrike but worse than everything else due to lack of status. Only use if you like buffing your swords and don't mind being less defensive 100% of the time.

Omega Shell = Decent defense against all possible things via extra shield HP.

All the other shields = Best possible defense 100% of the time! Except when you're not up against the right thing, in which case you're on par with barb shield.

Tortodrone shields = Requires you to obliterate the tortodrones in the event; not viable for beginners. You shouldn't be considering these right now.

So in terms of defense, here is how these all work:
Swiftstrike < Barb thorn shield/the wrong shield < Omega shell < Whichever shield magically fits the situation you're in

In terms of offensive potential:
Swiftstrike > Barb thorn shield (with swords) > Every other shield, including barb shield without any swords being buffed

In terms of cost: (Greater than = more cost efficient)
Swiftstrike > Omega Shell > Barb thorn shield > crafting a plethora of other shields to fit ALL the situations

...The best deal and my recommendation would actually be the omega shell, but that's debatable.

----Swords and Guns----

If you're looking for exactly one of each to complete the game with, pepperbox is usable for every single main boss fight.

Snarbolax = can be crushed with a plastic spoon
Jelly King = Takes heavy damage from charge attacks; fire damage is useful
Roarmulus = Gives ample time for charge shooting when down
Vanaduke = Is less effective than blitz but still usable.

For swords, the brandishes are certainly powerful and noob friendly, but they aren't strictly normal damage and you'll find yourself needing to deal with a variety of things. You may want to try something along the lines of sudaruska or leviathan blade.

If you are crafting multiple of each, I'd suggest something like:

Umbra Driver/Obsidian Carbine (leave it at blackhawk until the event because you won't need it as much as you did in T2)
Blitz Needle

Combuster
Acheron

Consider also the impending gunner update that should be here last November. There's a good chance that this could give you additional super powers if you play your cards right and read the stuff on the testing forums, provided that you don't mind spoilers.

Another point is that the game intends for you to branch out more than many players do. I urge you to go out and try all of these things for yourself rather than just crafting 1-2 things. It'll take you longer to progress, sure... but it isn't like anyone is timing you.

----Sprite----

Seraphynx and Maskeraith are fine choices. Seraphynx makes you and your party stay alive longer. Maskeraith makes you into a damage machine and lets you kill priority targets.

Drakon is also a fine choice, but is a bit more questionable and arguably has a higher skill curve + requires ultimates to really compare. Drakon allows you to quickly overwhelm enemies and support your team better with crowd control.

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 04:29

Superbald

Thanks for all the advices!

Thanks for all the advices! Now to summarize:

Armor: Chaos is fine but i'll probably need a more defensive set to complement it, about that i have two choices:
1) Craft another Magic set to turn into a Grey Feather or Divine set
2) Craft a Wolver Set and later decide which one to take between the Vog, Skolver and Snarbolax

Shield:
It seems fair to Craft 2 of them a Swiftstrike for offense and the Omega Shell for defense.

Swords:
The best bet would be a Combuster first and later an Acheros, no other sword seems really a must for an hybrid

Gun:
I admit here that i still have doubts about them, the blitz needle seems mandatory but i don't know which one will be more useful between the Nova and the Storm driver, ideally I need a gun to be able to deal with turretts efficiently or when i'm low on health.

Thanks for any clarification.

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 07:50

Shadowstarkirby

That sounds good

To answer your summary, crafting either one of the magic sets (either one is really good, but Divine is preferred) would be great if you want to be a bit more lenient in you runs, but deal less damage. Wolver would be good if you want to deal better damage (or attack faster with Vog) while giving up one of your better resistances, shock, and also fire in two of the three sets (these two statuses are the worst). If I were you, I'd get a Wolver set and recommend you craft Vog set since you're getting Chaos, it'll help you out while learning the ropes at Firestorm Citadel.

For shields, I would honestly recommend getting Barbarous Thorn Shield for defensive since it provides enough hits to get you through anything, it's not as weak as it sounds in some previous posts. It provides DMG medium to swords, useful for hybrids and swordies. Omega Shell isn't bad, per se, but it's just mediocre compared to other choices. Grey Owlite is also a fantastic choice, in fact it wouldn't be a bad idea to get them both.

For swords, if you want to play a bit more defensive, you can get Divine Avenger and Gran Faust, which are good in their own right thanks to huge knockback. Otherwise, Combuster and Acheron would be best.

For guns, Blitz is definitely mandatory. Between Nova and Storm you can't go wrong, but a lot of people including myself go with Storm since shock works great with guns and can allow more hits into groups of enemies enemies when a shock tick occurs, stopping them in their tracks and lining them up for more ricochets. It also makes turrets fire at a slower rate because of the shock ticks.

For sprites, Maskeraith is currently the best, but Seraphynx is also a good choice. Basically, if you want to be offensive, go Maskeraith, but if you want to be defensive, go Seraphynx. Don't even bother with Drakon, he doesn't have much to offer over the other two sprites.

Other than that, you are pretty set. Good job on the research!

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 05:37

Bopp

you'll be fine

Don't agonize over Nova vs. Storm. You'll be fine with any of these plans.

Keep in mind that the infamous gunner update is probably coming "soon". So you might want to work on your swords, armor, and shield first. Get a low-star gun, but wait for the update before committing serious resources to guns.

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 07:48

Superbald

Ok i just finished crafting

Ok i just finished crafting and upgrading my stuff, now i have:

Armor:

1) Magic Cloak and Hood (halted until i get more resources and experience)
2) Dusker Cap and Cloak (i'll decide later what to upgrade, still doubtful)

Shield:
I'm farming the tokens for the Bristling Buckler, i'll get the Barbarous Thorn Shield

Swords:
I got 2 Brandish i'll go for the Acheron first and then the Combuster when i have the resources

Guns:
I crafted a Voltech Alchemer (my priority) and one Autogun to upgrade when i have the resources

I hope it's alright, Thanks for all the precious suggestions.

Sat, 05/10/2014 - 11:47

Hmmlol

Iralspay Ightsknay

It's called Proto Gear, and you come equipped with it.

Sun, 05/11/2014 - 09:48

#10

Superbald

Ok now i have 2 problems: 1)

Ok now i have 2 problems:

1) I need the recipe for the Twisted Targe but where can i find it? The wiki says from Basil but which one?

2) I need to upgrade my brandish so what's better between the Acheros and the Combuster as main sword?

Thanks for your time

Sun, 05/11/2014 - 10:25

#11

Shadowstarkirby

Your answers are...

You can find Twisted Targe in T2. When you reach a Clockwork Terminal in the Arcade in T2, Basil may have your recipe. If he does, that's great, you get it. If not, you're going to have to repeat the trek to the terminal again until he has the recipe on him. There's no specific gate you have to go to, but it has to be in T2 as it's a 3* recipe.

Both swords are extremely powerful, it's best to have both, but if you had to make a choice, go with Combuster since when you get to T3, the farm kingdom of Firestorm Citadel is hefty in the amounts of Undead and Combuster will definitely serve you better there than Acheron. Combuster also does good in Royal Jelly Palace (and Ironclaw Munitions Factory), which is the farming kingdom of T2.

Also, don't upgrade your weapons to 5* when you're able to, Lv 1 5* weapons are much weaker than Lv 10 4* weapons.. The Radiant Fire Crystals required is massive and the drop rate for Radiants is pretty awful; you need about 450+ Radiants to max a 5*.

But don't worry about that for now.

Sun, 05/11/2014 - 10:42

#12

Dibsville

"1) I need the recipe for the Twisted Targe but where can i find it? The wiki says from Basil but which one?"

Basil sells it at Depth 13, you just need to get really lucky (as far as I know, it's the rarest recipe!)

"2) I need to upgrade my brandish so what's better between the Acheros and the Combuster as main sword?"

At the moment, Combuster should probably be the priority. You'll probably want to farm Firestorm Citadel later on, so making Combuster first allows you to get the new stuff you want faster.

Mon, 05/12/2014 - 04:30

#13

Sandwich-Potato

@Dibsville:

Gets Twisted Targe at first D13 Basil

2 months, still no Argent Peacemaker recipe

Mon, 05/12/2014 - 07:17

#14

Shadowstarkirby

With all that time...

Wouldn't you have bought it off the AH for 30k or so by now?

Mon, 05/12/2014 - 10:32

#15

Battlegrinder

If you're still trying to decide what final armor set you want to use, I've found nameless hat and vog cub to be a very effective combination, especially if you equip ASI trinkets and use fast weapons.

Mon, 05/12/2014 - 12:21

#16

Sandwich-Potato

@Shadow:

The only AP recipes I could find when I had enough crowns were like 50 thousand crowns each, and I was busy crafting a myriad of new bombs.

Mon, 05/12/2014 - 20:02

#17

Shadowstarkirby

Such robbery

Wow.

Tue, 05/13/2014 - 03:11

#18

Superbald

Last question, I need to

Last question, I need to upgrade the Ash Tail set but in what? Skolver has the damage, Vog has the defense and the Snar has the look, tough choice.

Tue, 05/13/2014 - 03:46

#19

Shadowstarkirby

You have 2 reasonably good choices

You can go full Vog or half Skolver and Vog. The former allows easier farming in FSC thanks to the great elemental defense, incredible amount of fire resist and faster attack speed for slick mobility, the latter allows you to have the joy of both worlds by providing you with decent elemental and piercing defense, decent fire and freeze resist (though freeze resist doesn't actually do much), and extra attack speed and damage.

I don't suggest full Skolver since piercing defense falls off off in usefulness in the majority of T3; Snarbolax isn't an option since that's only obtainable in a Shadow Lair. I'd recommend going half and half so you can get benefits of both Skolver and Vog sets to farm T2 and T3. After farming at a comfortable pace, you can make another Ash Tail set and complete both sets later; most newcomers do this method, but if you're getting Chaos you might not even want to get Skolver yet.

Also take breaks from farming too, there's a lot more to the game than these two places.

Tue, 05/13/2014 - 06:45

#20

Bopp

all three are good

Last question, I need to upgrade the Ash Tail set but in what? Skolver has the damage, Vog has the defense and the Snar has the look, tough choice.

I address this question in the Armor section of my sword guide (linked in post #2 above). All three are good. Which one you pick depends on your goals, your need for defense (lag), etc.

Tue, 05/13/2014 - 11:36

#21

Superbald

@Shadowstarkirby I can find a

@Shadowstarkirby I can find a guild or someone that can help me with the Snarbolax so it is an option, i'm not really a big fan of mixed sets because i'm looking for something pleasing to the eye.

@Bopp i read your guide many times but i can't afford to make mistakes and i'm looking for opinions. I don't have lag problems and i'm looking for the most offensive setup.

Tue, 05/13/2014 - 12:00

#22

Sandwich-Potato

A Shadow Lair key is 1800 Energy. If you do it split 4 ways, that's still 450 Energy needed to join in most cases, assuming they let you in at all with only 4* gear. Plus, it's much harder than something like the Firestorm Citadel.

Tue, 05/13/2014 - 12:27

#23

Bopp

i can't afford to make

i can't afford to make mistakes and i'm looking for opinions. I don't have lag problems and i'm looking for the most offensive setup.

Then you want Chaos. If that seems too crazy, then buy one Nightmare mane, run Shadow Gloaming Wildwoods in Ash Tail armor, get your second Nightmare Mane, and upgrade both pieces of Ash Tail to Snarbolax. If that seems too crazy, then get Skolver; it's more offensive than Vog Cub.

Sat, 05/17/2014 - 06:44

#24

Actionpacked

*An elite knight pauses a second* Eh-whoops. Cross topics.

EDIT: Wait a minute.. wrong forum area. Alright I'm out of here. Sorry guys.

Wed, 05/14/2014 - 16:15

#25

Shadowstarkirby

Actionpacked...

U wot m8--stop. Did you even read the thread and responses? What you're providing isn't close to anything that he's asking for, nor is it a good idea for any newcomer. What good would Cobalt do when he already owns Ash Tail? And Aegis when he's working on Barabarous Thorn Shield? I admire the enthusiasm, but please provide information that's actually accurate.

...on a side note, it seems like Cobalt armor is the new topic of the month, let's see how many other people try to justify it's usage.

Wed, 05/14/2014 - 16:30

#26

Sandwich-Potato

Cobalt looks like a blue version of Ignition gais so it's coolio. And we all know weapons r 2 powerful so you as well look gud while stabbitying things.

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Optimal all-around loadout for a beginner