So I just got to Tier 2 and am considering a dual bomb approach overall. I was thinking of going down the Ionized salt bomb path with the shivermist bomb path. Now considering I almost never go solo, does this sound alright? Although I would to have the ability to go solo if I feel I ever choose to, but that's secondary.
Any thoughts or recommended combinations?
Personally if your a bomber and are pretty skilled and have the right uv's its pretty easy. Gun puppies and fighting monsters such as Vanna or Jelly King its not recommended, but its pretty easy to use bombs I usually use 2 bombs 2 swords
Thanks. Good to hear dual bombs work out. Thoughts on my bomb paths or some other combo?
Fossa and Nj have a point in that the Gun Puppy enemy line and the bosses will be a massive pain in the neck if you don't know how to deal with them. I do see the wisdom in your choice of bomb type however, so I'll offer a little advice regarding those huge problems:
-Gun Puppies. Their constantly turning to shoot you will be really annoying, so freeze them with the Shivermist and then set an ISB behind them. It might take a while since they're resistant to Piercing, but if you keep them frozen and stay behind them, they can't hurt you.
-Royal Jelly. I actually don't recommend freezing this one since not only can he attack from all sides anyway, but in order to kill him efficiently -- remember, he self-heals at an absurd rate -- you'll have to pretty much make him sit on an ISB or ten... but the caveat to this is all the other Jellies he has with him will likely interrupt your bomb charging, so you'll have to freeze them in place. I recommend waiting until the boss breaks free -- he will break free before anything else, guaranteed -- and lure him into your ISB while the rest are stuck. Remember to toss a Poison Vial at him if you have one.
-Lord Vanaduke. His skeletons and Slag Knights won't be much of a problem if you freeze them, and His Majesty doesn't move a whole lot if you stand near him anyway, so ISB away. Once he goes into his Bullet Hell phase though, it might get a little tricky to drop an ISB at his head in time before he shakes off the paralysis of the water ball. I don't think it's impossible though. Just remember to actually get rid of his subordinates first, or they will cause you nothing but grief during the Bullet Hells.
These strategies seem sound enough to me. Try them if you're feeling bold.
I really enjoy bombs and plan to keep them my primary weapon. That said, there are times it's just good to have a gun and/or sword, so I recommend buying at least a third and better yet even a 4th weapon slot. This will be especially important if you encounter an ice level during your dungeon runs, since your shivermist buster will become nearly useless (enemies are likely to be immune to ice), or a shock level that will lower the damage done by an ionized salt bomb. You'll want a sword or gun with you to complement your bombs, even if you use the bombs 95% of the time.
I tried a dual bomb strategy once, and trojans and shield gremlins were miserable to fight- it seems that they only took damage if the unshielded part was exposed to the center of the blast. Not sure if that's changed... at the time, I was using an irontech bomb and ash of agni. Probably not optimized, but it's what I was leveling at the time, and shield-type monsters do need to be considered.
Also, some monsters- esp royal jelly or gremlin healers- heal continuously, and may fix damage faster than you can deal it. A poison bomb will go a long way towards improving the odds in that case. Overall, the best way to make dual bombs work is to adventure with someone else who is using swords. Then you play a supporting role, without losing the advantages of other weapon types.
@SL: Wow thanks for all the strat advice, I'll keep it in mind. Oh and yes I'm feeling bold >:) Definitely a nice change of pace considering most action games involve some kind of close range meelee weapon or guns.
@Icee: Yeah I can see that getting pretty annoying, but do remember that I'm in a party ~90% of the time anyway. I guess renting a third weapon slot won't feel as costly when I reach farther in the game?
@Pauling: I've got two friends who are sword users so I've got that covered. If I really do go solo, I'm hoping I can freeze shield monsters and just go behind them for a ISB blast that should hopefully hit them multiple times. I could consider the poison path as well... Anyway I'm still open to other bomb combos.
My roommate runs dual bombs, works fairly well. Gun puppies will annoy the heck out of you, though.