Spiral Knights - Weapons for Vanaduke Solo ?

Weapons for Vanaduke Solo ?

10 replies [Last post]

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 02:14

Fradow

Hi,

As the title say, I would like to hear some opinions on what would be the best weapons to take down Vanaduke Solo. Why solo ? Because it's a challenge I want to complete, I know very well it's easier in a party.

First, let's start with gear : I wear a full Vog Cub and I have a Grey Owlite Shield. I am not really willing to change that.

Current equiped weapons are : DA, Leviathan, Polaris, Strike Needle.

Here are the weapons I have to choose from (I have 4 slots) :
- Divine Avenger : that's the only weapon I am not willing to drop, so the first slot will be DA. It's essential to run FSC in my opinion.
- Leviathan : great for P2 and P4, but that's pretty much all. Almost useless in the FSC run.
- Gran Faust : i don't really the point of it, there are so few jellies, and DA is enough for everything else.
- Barbarous Thorn Blade : Good for trojans, but can't be used against the body of Vanaduke in P3 and P5, so rather useless
- Polaris : seems good for body phases. I wonder if it's not better than Argent Peacemaker ?
- Strike Needle : soon to be Blitz Needle. Very high dps, but the problem is i am solo. Does someone actually handle it solo against Vana body phases ? Else i'll probably drop it.
- Silversix : I'll not have AP anytime soon, as my Silversix is still lvl 1 ... Doesn't seem that great when you have Polaris and Needle.
- Shivermist : not sure if it's a good idea solo. Would i have enough time to do something usefull before the freeze go off ?

In addition, I would love some tips to handle adds. In particular in p5, they seem to be a pain (I only went to p3 alone).

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 02:33

Reulogh

Here's a set up which I think

Here's a set up which I think will do well for soloing vanaduke and fsc in general

Divine Avenger
Barbarous Thorn Blade
Blitz Needle
Shivermist

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 03:56

Fradow

Explanation plz :)

Would you mind explaining why this setup ?

What's the point of BTB over Leviathan ? Does it do more damage during mask phases ?

Are you able to safely throw a Needle charge after Shivermist during Body phase ?

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 03:59

Jimmyjazz

Why do everybody believe you

Why do everybody believe you need divine avenger for FSC? I solo it with a Levi and i don't find it harder than doing it with a DA; and for the boss, it's the best sword along with the barbarous; barbarous charge does higher damage to vana in phase1, but in phase 2 and 4 the levi is the best sword;
for the set: vog is good but i prefer grey feather mantle + divine veil, since i don't need bonus for sword speed using only a Levi; stun weakness can be annoying. Best shields are Grey Owlite and Volcanic Plate. To solo the boss, polaris and argent peacemaker are interchangeable as the best guns: polaris helps you keeping vana shocked, wich can save your life, while argent has more DPS (but not a great difference) and is easier to use, because it has 6 shots instead of 3.

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 04:16

Fradow

DA is a must

Yes, you don't NEED DA to do FSC. It's still one of the best sword, and the only viable slow sword, which i prefer to use over brandish series. There is no point in using Levi, as it will do lower damage than a brandish in most case. Long story short, I'll stay on DA, it fits better my playstyle.

Thanks for the info on BTB vs Levi for vana. phase 1 is very easy, so i'll probably stay on Levi for phase 2 and 4.

As for the set, doing another one is just too costly. And divine Veil is a big no for me. No normal damage resistance is a killer. And i prefer vog over grey feather because of the ASI. Remember, I use DA.

Does the shock on Polaris interrupt Vanaduke ? That seems a big point in favor of Polaris. I am used to the 3 shots of Polaris, so that's not a big problem.

Some more opinions on Blitz Needle ?

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 06:28

Ethyce

Are you able to safely throw a Needle charge after Shivermist during Body phase ?
I don't think that you'll be able to shiverlock+needle him properly: even with Max! CTR on both SMB and BN, the timeframe for a re-freeze after a BN-charge won't be very forgiving (I'm not able to confirm this though).

Blitz Needle itself is a valid choice for solo runs though, it's mainly about maneuvering against Vanaduke and both guards in phase 5. This video should provide some useful insight and encourage you on your quest for challenge:
--- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3bf7UFIKqc
(by Nivlam -CDG-...there are also several other solo-vids on his account, you might want to browse some of them)

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 16:10

Tengu

I've gone through a few

I've gone through a few permutations of Vanaduke gear, and I'm still working on the combo I like the best.

The MUST haves for me will be DA and Polaris. If you're better with the gun....why not try a Valiance? it's got damage, knockback, fast shooting...and I imagine it could be built on a nice UV for really cheap. Polaris' chance for shock is cool, but I'm debating on the effectiveness of it. I may build up one of those toxic IMF guns...
When I'm dead...which is a lot...I compare damages with other players. I'm seeing Polaris damage in the 150-220 range per shot, expanded. AP on the other hand does around 100-120, but with six shots. if you only pop off 5 shots, you could probably run instead of reload. When I still owned my silversix, I did something like 85/hit on him. Now, my Blitz with a trueshot does 66x6 normal, or 130x15 charge.

DA is better, period. The Brandishes and Caliburs just don't get close to the output + knockback. You can hold off a large amount of slags for a very long time with shield-cancelling. If you were going to use anything else, I'd suggest Glacius. I've heard of a lot of good stories in FSC with those.

Someone told me to try the FOV down there. I ain't gonna do it...

Vanaduke apparently can't be cursed, so no reason to bring a Faust.

I'd look into a Hail Driver. It does good damage, and can freeze him (from gun range, not right next to him). That's better than the Shivermist, IMO.

Barbarous Thorn Blade, from my usage down there, does a lot on charge, and has enough range to not get hit with one of his shield fireballs. The hit dis 400+120 or so per thorn for me, though I think I had a Skolver piece on.

What about bombs? Nitronomes are like a personal damage shield when you have some CTR.

Honestly? If I were to try and solo Vanaduke, I'd just keep on running. Slag Walkers are easily dodgeable, and Slag Guards will run at you in a straight line, so keep moving in a circle. :D It's as simple as that, right?

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 18:15

Sick

lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im2gZBUxLFE

Vana solo using shiver/blitz

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 18:30

Bigfootm

umop ep!sdn-What Dark Ritual?

Solo setups: (Two best/most common IMO)

Nitronome (Hopefully with good CTR)
Divine Avenger
Argent Peacemaker
Shivermist Buster
Vog Set/Divine Veil+Vog Coat
Volcanic Plate Shield

Divine Avenger
Argent Peacemaker
Shivermist Buster (Good CTR recommended)
Leviathan Blade
Vog Set/Divine Veil+Vog Coat
Volcanic Plate Shield

I recommened both, the Nitronome one can be really helpful in a few of the rooms.

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 21:22

No-Thanks

Zelda

my blitz can handle p1p2p3p4p5

instead of polaris/shiver get a volt nova or magma driver

"Barbarous Thorn Blade : Good for trojans, but can't be used against the body of Vanaduke in P3 and P5, so rather useless"

thats wrong ive killed duke multiple times with merely BTB charge..the playstyle is just to risky

"Strike Needle : soon to be Blitz Needle. Very high dps, but the problem is i am solo. Does someone actually handle it solo against Vana body phases ? Else i'll probably drop it."

it takes long without a needle

"In addition, I would love some tips to handle adds. In particular in p5, they seem to be a pain (I only went to p3 alone)."

i just keep walking with charged needle untill i have the feeling that the slags attacked and duke hit his mace, then release charge
as long as u only water the fire at the outside, u wont have too much trouble kiting because the fire tiles have a maximum limit

Fri, 09/30/2011 - 00:02

#10

Fradow

Thanks

Thanks for the feedback, my questions are more or less answered.

I may not have been very clear : I don't need tips to reach Vanaduke, and I am not really willing to craft some more weapons, except if it is something way better (and I don't think there is something I missed).

Both videos were very helpful : it shows that Needle is indeed possible, but the first clearly show, for me, that it is really hard in p5. I don't think i'll be able to handle it, so I may use a Polaris for p5 instead, to be safer. The second one clearly show that Shivermist + Needle is viable, but still look hard in p5. I guess i'll make some try with Shivermist instead of Polaris.

What I fear is that the CTR/ASI I have will not be enough : both my Shivermist and Needle have UV CTR low, but I'll need a lot more heating to reach lvl 10 with its CTR Medium (that would make CTR high). And I don't have gun ASI at all, to speed up Needle recharge after the charge.

Also, Venom Striker seems to do loads of damage during p2 and p4. I'll not switch out my Levi, but I'll keep that in mind for a distant future.

@Tengu : no, I am not better with a gun, and there is no way I take a Valliance. I only listed relevant weapons, but I already have at least one gun of each type, I don't want a normal damage gun. Solo, Polaris is very effective, because with proper training, you'll be able to land almost every expanded shot (that's not the case in party, you'll have a considerable dps drop because of that). The damage you listed are not for Vanaduke, or with loads of +damage. Also, I clearly know about the debate between DA vs Brandish series. That's not the point if my post.

As for BTB, ok, it may be possible, be remember I am already struggling. I don't need a hard weapon. I'll remember it when i'll be experienced, for the fun.

Same for Nitronome, I already heard of it, but I'll not make one anytime soon.

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Weapons for Vanaduke Solo ?