Spiral Knights - Skepticraven's Fastest Vanguard Challenge

Skepticraven's Fastest Vanguard Challenge

33 replies [Last post]

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 11:56

Skepticraven

How long does it take you to get to a Vanguard rank?
Without significant assistance, what is the fastest that someone can complete the missions.
This challenge is to see how fast people can get a knight to Vanguard rank.

Rules
Do's:
Do use a new knight. (Not your first knight, make a new one for this contest.)
Do complete missions and adventure in the arcade for everything you need to advance.
Do post screenshots of progress via the character selection screen (shows rank and time played).
Do be honest with following the rules. I can't really enforce them.
Do play on whatever difficulty you wish to.
Do ask in Haven for help with missions if you need (but only after attempting it yourself.)
Do challenge yourself.
Do use mission rewards to quickly pass the hall of heroes (You can use FSC token rewards to pass 5* HoH).
Do use items that cost energy ONLY if your the new knight purchases the energy with crowns earned.

Don'ts:
Do not drag an alt with a main account just to advance.
Do not use friends to drag your knight to advance.
Do not trade materials for crafting from a main account.
Do not beg in haven for assistance with advancement (it is faster to farm the arcade, believe it or not).
Do not beg in haven for mission lobbies that you do not currently have available.
Do not do anything that would otherwise break the novelty of this contest.
Do not mail me donations for the prize pool. (I can add you to the list below, but please do not mail it to me.)

Prizes
Will be determined after I get my fastest run.
My prizes will be given out to anyone that beats my time (with a new one picked every time someone beats me).

Most likely will be the winner's choice of one item from my forum shop.

FAQ
How does the timing work? Knight selection page will be our timer.
Do I need to heat 5* items to level 10 for this challenge? No. This is for advancing to the Vanguard rank only.
How does not sharing energy work since I already have a main knight? Honor system. I'm refraining from purchasing energy via the market unless I plan on using it with my speed-running knight.
I take it this branched of Forum-Bot's "guide"? Yes. I am also interested in how the game plays through with the forge (since I was already endgame before the update). Why not make a fun contest with it too?!
Are the Aeria Games promo items fair game? Yes.
Will this contest be modified once missions past Vanguard are introduced? Maybe. We'll see how everyone is doing by then.
Are you allowed to use OCH rewards? Yes, as long as the knight "pays" for unlocking OCH. If it is already unlocked on a shared knight, set aside the cost of OCH as if the new knight "payed" for OCH themselves.
Are OOO sales for things like OCH fair game? Yup. Events are also allowed (say if you want to try farming a BKC for your 5* helmet!).
Did I just make up this question to have more questions frequently asked? Yes.

My character log (Name: Mega-Tundrus):
Objective Arsenal - Acheron, Hail Driver, Shadowsun Slicker, Vog Cub Cap, Quickstrike Buckler (Rock Jelly/Aegis shield for 5* depending on free 3* orbs).
Rank 5.2 right before doing HoH and RJP. Time: 4h51m.
Rank 6.1 right after 3* HoH. Items: Nightblade, Dusker Cap, Gunslinger Sash, Jelly Shield. Time: 8h35m.
Rank 6.2 2 of 4 4* items acquired. Time: 15h50m.
Rank 6.2 still at 2 of 4 4*, but have recipes and enough to craft the 3rd 4*. Time: 18h57m.
Rank 6.2 still 2 of 4 4*, but have the resources to pass the HoH completely. Time: 20h52m.
Rank 8.1 Defender Elite! Time: 23h53m.
Rank 8.2 Defender Elite. 1 eternal orb drop so far (of 9 needed). Time: 26h35m.

Thu, 08/07/2014 - 13:47

Skepticraven

↓

Combatants:
Skepticraven (Mega-Tundrus)
Kwibble (Fastest-Vanguard)
Glacies
Theirillusion
Datast
Qwez
Addy
Klipik-Forum (Klip-Speedy)
Fettuccine-Alfredo (Not racing, but participating)
Dibsville
Sir-Alfred (Fiery-Falcon)
Parasthesia (Latency-Pls)
Darklycute
Reamed

Times:
1. Reamed 52hr25m19s

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 16:11

Kwibble

Hmm...

I may join this. I take it this branched of Forum-Bot's "guide"? It will be interesting to see how long it could take... I feel like calculating the shortest possible (note, not plausible. Say, if you got all the or a you needed from drops in a few hours type thing) time for becoming a Vanguard.

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 17:37

Dutch-Oven

I did this challenge a while back and I believe it took me under 100 hours, pretty much going by the rules you have here: no buying energy, only playing solo or random parties, no trading etc. Right now my alt is at 114 hours because I levelled a sprite as well, played quite a lot of LD and farmed for trinkets and extra weapons. Oh and I idled in haven a lot as well.

I bet you could get vanguard in half the time it took me, just depends on how well you plan your gear purchases and whether you get lucky finding alchemy orbs. I personally went the route of crafting rock jelly helm+shield then sold that and did the rest of T3 to vanguard in Cyclops,chaos and swiftstrike (with prisma driver and strike needle) to get ancient helm+shield.

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 18:26

Glacies

I'll try this out for sure. Am I able to use a secondary account via the client version since it's faster loading and easy to work with?

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 19:20

Skepticraven

@Glacies

Totally. The idea is just that the knight was made after I started the contest (or specifically the most recent balancing of rarity drops).

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 00:52

Theirillusion

I've been meaning to do this for a nice Youtube serie. Waiting till the summer though.

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 02:38

Datast

I believe I will be

I believe I will be participating in this. I'll need some time to plan out my route and set up a day to start.

I plan on streaming this via Twitch so I can keep the video in my highlights as 'proof' I guess.

Overall this sounds like a ton of fun, and I can't wait to participate. I'll be getting back to this thread soon as I figure out how/when I want to do it.

EDIT: Quick question. Are we starting time on Knight Creation (Aka, the time shown on the knight page) Or are we timing it ourselves via the program used by many speed runners?

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 02:45

Kwibble

I believe...

I read somewhere on this thread the proof is to be a screenshot of your knight selection page - so we can see the time played there.

Also, COUNT ME IN!! I may be really slow at it (as in, may have a good time, but that time may be built up over lots of months) but I will try xD

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 05:02

Datast

Awesome. I just finished up

Awesome.

I just finished up my preliminary equipment decisions and checkpoints.

Up to Jelly King looks like it will be pretty smooth sailing, with an assumed 35k CR cost to proceed. (assuming 1 Adv orb from farming and buying 200 CE for 13300)

I've decided I will be going Chaos Cowl, Divine Mantle, Glacius, Strike Needle, with a Heater or Aegis Shield. The 25k recipe cost may not be worth the elemental protection...

Anyways. Back to the Grind I go. Gotta get the statistics for up to RT.

EDIT: Ugh at the 120k Estimate with 1 orb drop to get past 4* HoH. That and the 112 Glowing Fire I'll need to collect... Though that should be doable with the 120k cr/ 10 Elite orb farming...

EDIT#2: So... You guys think 30 Vana's via Arcade will be quicker then 1200 Shining Fire (or 560k cr), 9 Eternal Orbs (160k cr with bad luck) and 120k?

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 08:24

#10

Qwez

Hmmmm... this sounds like a fun challenge. I think I'd try going for Azure Guardian, Leviathan, Nitrodome, Drakon.
...But I'll work on this in a couple weeks.

"Do not beg in haven for assistance with advancement (it is faster to farm the arcade, believe it or not)."
So... I take it that you can go with PUG(random parties)? Or are you supposed to solo these?

Huh this challenge reminds me that I should get cracking on my Knight-ranked 45k prestige character... so lazy... 39k prestige to go... meh

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 08:38

#11

Skepticraven

↓

@Quez
You can go in parties. The idea is not to have another player to complete missions for you. I personally am soloing to avoid the chance of teammates afking.

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 09:34

#12

Addy

I've been considering doing

I've been considering doing this for a while, actually, so it's kinda cool seeing an actual reason to give it a shot. :D

One question tho:
Could I perhaps do this on another account? My laptop can barely run ONE instance of the game, much less a second, and I don't want all of my character slots filled on this one just yet. Definitely no risk of alt-dragging on my end, anyway. ;3 (Plus I'd have an easier time keeping track of the energy purchases, etc.)

I'm not even 100% sure I'll end up doing this but just making sure first. :>

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 09:57

#13

Skepticraven

↓

@Addy
Clarified the wording. New knight anywhere. I guess the "on your own account" caused confusion.

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 10:20

#14

Addy

ahh okay, coolcool. I slept

ahh okay, coolcool. I slept weird so I'm a bit spacey, too. I figured it was out of concern for alt-dragging but my friends and guildmates can definitely vouch for me, it'd be impossible on this laptop, hahah.

Will let you know once I get this goin I suppose. :D I'm starting a mini-vacation this weekend so I might not bother until I get home.

Sat, 05/31/2014 - 11:15

#15

Klipik-Forum

I'll try it.

Sat, 05/31/2014 - 12:08

#16

Klipik-Forum

Forgot to screenshot the 0:00 but here's my first one: squire after finishing sprite missions + Collector, 48:00

http://imgur.com/xXpg1Jh

Sun, 06/01/2014 - 17:34

#17

Terrifying-Pancake

I can contribute casual

I can contribute casual gameplay time if needed, since I made a noob while unaware of this challenge. I most likely won't be competing since my noob is a gunner (blackhawk, firotech mkII, sunset stetson, gunslinger sash, drake scale shield) at 33 hrs 21 mins. (2 4* items at this time).

Gunning in tier 2....lemme tell you guys a little secret....IT SUCKS

Good luck to you challengers, getting to 4* is the biggest hurdle so far.

Best beginning loadout is probably wolver armor and brandish line swords (combuster + acheron lines). Can't forget that blitz needle, but i would craft it up to a strike only.

Last bit of advice that I'll give for now: Only make 1 of each type (weapon, shield, armor, and helm) when going to 4*. I don't recommend getting 2 weapons to 4*, because then after the 4* HoH, you won't have any use for the FREE ELITE ORBS they give you.

Mon, 06/02/2014 - 00:14

#18

Kwibble

On Hold...

I am waiting for a sweep of holidays before I start this competition. I am going to be rolling around in the character... Fastest-Vanguard! I have created the character, haven't even done the starting mission yet (getting to the rescue camp). This is just setting up for the challange.

Thu, 07/03/2014 - 17:56

#19

Skepticraven

↓

I'm almost past the 4* HoH bump. Holding out a bit longer farming for some free orbs (2 currently, so might as well farm energy for 5* while I get a 3rd).

Anyone else jumping in and making progress?

Fri, 07/04/2014 - 05:56

#20

Dibsville

Can I join in or is it a little late for that?

Also, is Operation: Crimson Hammer banned if I have it on my main knight or can I use it for the 5* weapons (and possibly helmet)?

Fri, 07/04/2014 - 06:24

#21

The-Worst-Knight

Does fastest vanguard have

Does fastest vanguard have real life?

Fri, 07/04/2014 - 07:18

#22

Skepticraven

@Dibsville

Anyone can join whenever (as long as I'm still here to host).

OCH is not offlimits. However, I'll add it to the FAQ as the new knight must pay the energy cost to unlock it (if it is on your first knight's account as well, just give the energy to the other knight - but from the new knight it must be a "cost").

Fri, 07/04/2014 - 07:38

#23

Addy

I've been putting this off

I've been putting this off lately because real life is pretty hectic lately, I hardly have time for my main nowadays. ;_; Still quite interested in this, though. Glad to see progress being made, too.

Tue, 07/08/2014 - 06:08

#24

Skepticraven

↓

The 7.1-8.2 missions were a great challenge (with the gear I selected).
Now I'm stuck at the next farming wall - 5* HoH, with one of my 4* items heated to level 7. I'm actually thinking that by the time I gather all the shinings, I'll have enough free eternal orbs. We'll see though.

Wed, 07/16/2014 - 05:06

#25

Forum-Alfred

This sounds fun, I'm in!

This sounds fun, I'm in! =P

IGN: Sir-Alfred (Alt: Fiery-Falcon)

Just a quick question, the new knight cannot be a secondary one on your main account can it, or must it be a separately signed up account?

And another question, would it be alright to try something different like being the fastest Vanguard pure bomber? I would like to see how long it would take for a pure bomber to rise through the ranks for scientific purposes and I don't really mind about the reward, just the challenge >=P

Tue, 07/15/2014 - 16:36

#26

Parasthesia

I'm in, going to be fun. Alt

I'm in, going to be fun. Alt name is Latency-Pls.

Working my way past the missions right after snarby currently, rank soldier with about 4 hours on record.

Wed, 07/16/2014 - 07:20

#27

Skepticraven

↓

@Forum-Alfred

New knight can be a secondary on your main account. However, "shared" things between that account cannot be used by the new knight until they unlock it themselves. For example: OCH costs energy. If you already purchased it on your main account, the new knight must purchase it (by farming crowns for energy then considering the energy as "spent" and no longer usable by the new knight but can be used by the main knight).

Wed, 07/16/2014 - 12:11

#28

Darklycute

O__O

I... actually want to do this. Count me in, I'll make a new knight tomorrow XD

Thu, 08/07/2014 - 13:39

#29

Sorenkair

FINISHED!!

Sorry I didn't post to announce my entry but here's the screencap.

My inventory:
Glacius
Silent Nightblade
Chaos set
Aegis

Method:
1. blew through beginner quests. took me a couple hours
2. got silent nightblade and started grinding jk
3. started building glacius, chaos, and aegis (in that order)
4. rushed through advanced quests (used up a lot of sparks here)
5. grind
6. grind
7. grind
8. (i think u get the point...)
9. full 5 star!
10. kills Vana
11. victory lap =D

Notes and anecdotes:
- I was lucky enough to find several orbs while grinding. somewhere around 2 elites and 4 eternals
- heating my items actually took up most of my time. And grinding for shinings. GOD I'm so sick of In Cold Blood
- I miscalculated and i had to grind jk quite a bit to heat, ending up with 21k leftover at finish
- my finish was postponed for a while due to failing Vana a couple times (fire and lag is not cool, especially in chaos)
- I chose Maskeraith. duh.

Thu, 08/07/2014 - 13:50

#30

Skepticraven

↓

Gratz on being the first to get to vanguard, Reamed.

I should be finishing up mine soon enough (hopefully in the next 2 weeks [so realistically in a month?]).
My current standings are about half your time stuck at defender elite (1/4 items for 5* HoH). I think it will be close.

Thu, 08/07/2014 - 14:08

#31

Sorenkair

That was quick...

Quick reply! I was afraid this thread had died

Fri, 05/25/2018 - 08:56

#32

Sorenkair

4 years later

Haha well, I suppose it's dead now...

I never really thought about quitting, but some things are too painful to come back to.

Adrift in the Grey, off Floridian shores. Like tears in rain.

Thanks for all the happy moments, K.

Sun, 05/27/2018 - 23:00

#33

The-Blue-Salamandr

Well your comment made this seen

That ... was... a good idea, I wanna try it too just for the curiosity and having something to do if ever after my never ending grind for accessories and UVs end.

Also interested in the fastest records for boss runs and vanguard missions.

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Skepticraven's Fastest Vanguard Challenge