Spiral Knights - Sword-Bomber Build?

Sword-Bomber Build?

6 replies [Last post]

Sat, 01/17/2015 - 15:06

Littlx

Hi, i started playing the game, currently i am stage 8-2. Time to decide what to buy. I want to be a Sword-Bomb Hybrid, here is my build idea:

Swords: Combuster/Voltedge(?) + Acheron
Bombs: Nitronome + Shivermist Buster
Helm: Divine Veil
Armor: Volcanic Demo Suit
Shield: Barbarous Thorn Shield

Does this work well as an allround build? Elemental + Shadow Brandish, a Nitronome to make kaboom, a freeze bomb for nice CC, armor gives defense against all attack types, +sword damage, -bomb charge time and some resistances.
Didnt checked this out yet, are there parts in this build that are super expensive?

Sat, 01/17/2015 - 15:38

Bopp

obligatory

You may find my detailed sword guide useful. Some of the early sections discuss coordinating weapon types, bombs on the side, etc. There is also an armor section near the end. In the middle is plenty of discussion of Combuster vs. Voltedge and stuff like that.

Yes, your build works. You have at least two non-normal damage types in your swords. Your armor gives good defense against some of the main threats, particularly fire and shock. The shield can absorb a fair amount of damage. It is adequate for Firestorm Citadel, even though it is not actually matched to FSC's threats. Nitronome is useful in compounds, Unknown Passage, and some other places. Some parties like having a Shivermist Buster for FSC.

That said, here are some "improvements" that you should consider:

* Chaos Cloak/Cowl would give huge benefits to both your swords and guns. Of course, the status resistances are dangerous.

* In my experience, starting players tend to like freeze and especially the incomparable Shivermist Buster. But after a while players tire of freeze. It doesn't help you kill monsters quickly. In some ways it hinders your fighting, by preventing knockback, kiting, shield-bumping, and other important tactics. So make Shivermist Buster if you like. But don't be surprised if you stop using it pretty soon. And therefore consider just skipping it entirely.

* What are you going to use against fiends? In my opinion the easiest weapon is Dark Briar Barrage. Nitronome also works, although the knockback can be hard to manage. Final Flourish/Barbarous Thorn Blade is another option. So are piercing guns of course. Consider swapping out Shivermist Buster for one of these.

Sat, 01/17/2015 - 18:13

Fehzor

I'd strongly consider crafting glacius or even triglav if you're going to stick with shivermist buster. Doing so allows you to freeze them with your bomb and then continue to freeze them with your sword, whereas voltedge and combuster would just unfreeze them and even prevent the ice from really working so well. If you'd rather not use shivermist buster, stagger storm is a good option that will be comparable against Vanaduke (whom I suspect you're figuring into this).

I'd also recommend some nice chaos cloak or hood. Specifically, either chaos + volc demo or chaos + divine veil, pending on how scared you are of the shock status and what variants you can afford to bring along. All of your weapons will need that charge time reduction though, if you go brandishes+bombs... so it's a pretty strong consideration.

And lastly, you'd probably be better off with the classic dark retribution and dark briar barrage combo for damage bombs if you want those. Nitronome is OK, but not nearly as stellar as those are in concert with one another and in general, especially if you're new to bombing. Having dark briar barrage would also provide piercing damage for you to use against fiends. On the other hand, you don't need to use bombs for offense all the time either- you could quite easily get away with crafting 2 support bombs and forgoing bombs as damage altogether. If you do so, venom veilor and ash of Agni would make an excellent pairing- ash for poison and non-gremlin themed levels, venom for gremlins, fire themed areas, and Vanaduke.

Your shield is great. It's the one I started with and I really can't say that I regret doing so.

Sun, 01/18/2015 - 03:36

Littlx

Thanks for the tipps! Chaos

Thanks for the tipps!
Chaos Cloak + Divine Veil seems nice, i think i will go for this instead. (or if i go chaos + volc demo, is it really not so important to have shadow defense?)
The Bombs... i want to have a cc bomb, shivermist/stagger storm/voltaic, i think i will just play around with 3*/4* versions and see which i like the most. Is it really worth the piercing damage to pick the dark briar barrage instead of nitronome?

Sun, 01/18/2015 - 07:37

Bopp

defense

i want to have a cc bomb, shivermist/stagger storm/voltaic, i think i will just play around with 3*/4* versions and see which i like the most.

That's a good plan. By the way, Voltaic Tempest is great, and Stagger Storm is definitely under-rated and under-used.

Is it really worth the piercing damage to pick the dark briar barrage instead of nitronome?

No. But DBB also has no knockback, which makes it much more party-friendly than Nitronome. For me, DBB paired with Dark Retribution is the obvious setup for someone who wants to try damage-bombing. Very easy and party-friendly. But if you're also carrying swords, then consider using your swords for damage and your bombs for support: status, vortices, etc.

Chaos Cloak + Divine Veil seems nice, i think i will go for this instead.

Yes, Chaos with Divine Veil is a good set.

(or if i go chaos + volc demo, is it really not so important to have shadow defense?)

Shadow defense is nice, because shadow-dealing monsters are some of the nastiest in the game (devilites, gorgos, greavers, kats). But damage protection doesn't have as much effect as you might think. Players have done many tests on this. In my opinion, your defensive priorities should go like this:

1. Fire, shock, freeze status.
2. Normal, elemental, shadow damage.
3. Piercing damage, poison status.
4. Stun, curse status.

And somewhere in there you have to prioritize offensive bonuses. If you're a very daring or experienced player, then they go before 1. If you're slightly daring, then they go between 1 and 2. If you're not at all daring, then they go between 2 and 3.

Sun, 01/18/2015 - 16:08

Traevelliath

IMO trying to go damage bombs + any other weapon type doesn't really work. An effective hybrid build would switch between different weapon types constantly throughout a skirmish, relying on both equally. Bombing, however, requires far more set-up than guns/swords. Unless you get insane CTR, you can't just quickly drop a DBB in the middle of your sword swings. Usually what happens is you'll either stick with your damaging bombs throughout a skirmish (thus any sword bonuses were effectively useless), or stick with your swords throughout a skirmish (thus any bomb bonuses were effectively useless).

I find the best bomb hybrid builds use support bombs. Bopp briefly mentioned this, but you should really look into Vortex Bombs. Those bombs have probably the best synergy with swords. Pull them together and then throw a Divine Avenger or a Brandish charge through the clump. The others covered the standard, Shiver/VT/Stagger/Ashes/VV so I wont go into too much detail as to why those are good. In general though, you want bombs that can keep enemies controlled, while using swords to quickly execute them. If you're using pieces of the Chaos set, you'll also have a nice universal CTR for your swords. Thus, you'll want swords that have great charges. For exampe, normally a charge like the Final Flourish's is considered high-risk/high-reward, but with a shiver holding everyone down, you can reap the benefits with none of the risk.

Sun, 01/18/2015 - 17:52

Bopp

agree

Traevelliath has added, and elaborated upon, several important points.

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Sword-Bomber Build?