Spiral Knights - Another Newbie fumbling about...

Another Newbie fumbling about...

10 replies [Last post]

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 00:18

Anakletos

So, after picking up the game to get the TF2 hat, I have found myself addicted to Spiral Knights. I have been playing for all of... four(?) days, and I'm finding myself somewhat lost.

At the moment, I'm using a Cutter and Autogun (love both, and refuse to give either up) and have been turning Snarby into a fine red mist over and over and over again. However, this, pretty much, is all I have been doing.

Only recently (Today actually) I managed to finish my Wolver set, and used some tokens to get the Bristling Buckler. So, with 2* equipment, I want to start expanding my horizon. I'm not sure if I want to move on to tier 2 yet (I did already grab the Mist Tank though for getting to tier 2), due to most of my items being lvl1 to lvl3. I kinda want to level up my equipment a bit before I charge headfirst into a new level of difficulty. Is this just me being paranoid, or am I correct in my assumptions?

Speaking of equipment, it was only after I managed to get an Autogun for 1100 and a Cutter for 1300 at the auction house when I decided to check out the forums. Here, almost unanimously, every beginners guide suggests the Calibur. Should I, while still in the early stages of the game, give up my dearly loved Cutter for a Calibur, before I am seriously hindered by it? Likewise with the Autogun.

Another problem I have is that I cant find something that adequately explains what is down each lift. I encountered Snarby by sheer luck really, because it was the lift with a non-offensive green clover on the screen in front, compared to the skulls and other ominous colors/symbols on the others. Is it worth exploring these other options for the sake of heat/crowns (Albeit I'm not exactly worried about crowns right now, other than maybe buying some CE or the next tier recipes/items)?

So in short:
- What can be expected from tier 2 (in terms of difficulty)?
- What should I be doing, other than Snarby massacres?
- Will using the Cutter + Autogun be the death of me?
- Where does each lift go?

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 02:51

Hobcramwork

Hi there!

You're right about Tier 2 being much harder than Tier 1 in some aspects. The enemies do more damage in Tier 2 compared to Tier 1, so it's a good idea to start using the shield more often. For example, if you use swords often, do the first 2 swings, then shield. Also, it would be useful to observe how the enemies attack in order to shield up at the right time.

Piercing swords work very well on Beasts and Fiends and do normal damage to Undead and Gremlins, so the Snarble Barb from Snarbolax would be useful in Tier 2 and beyond. Try getting that.

Judging from what others say about the Cutter and Autogun, they require a steep learning curve (as in, it takes skill to use them effectively). For starters, you could get a Calibur and an elemental Alchemer (Cryo, Volt, Fire, Prisma). Use the Alchemer(s) on Turrets, Retrodes and Lumbers and the Calibur on everything else. I use the Cryotech often, it does extra damage if you let the ice thaw. When using the Calibur, be careful not to send enemies flying towards your team mates, especially a Lumber :( .

The lifts can take you all the way to the Core and Shadow Lairs (if you have Tier 3 clearance, that is). The Snarbolax boss room (last level/depth of Tier 1) has a green skull and is usually before Moorcraft Manor. Just look up the wiki for more details on the lifts, damage types and other info.

Once you get to Tier 2, look out for the JK levels (the ones with a pink or purple castle icons in Tier 2) as they will give you a lot of Crowns. Just be careful, as you may end up in an Arena before that. Shadow swords (Nightblade/Faust) are useful for the JK levels since Slimes are weak to Shadow damage.

I hope that this message had answered all your queries. You can add me as a friend if you want. My IGN (In Game Name) is Hobcramwork. Take care and enjoy your Clockwork runs :) !

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 03:20

Buckdida

Ah... yes... Okay. T2 is

Ah... yes... Okay.

T2 is brutal at the start- Enemies begin doing special damage (Pierce, Shadow, Elemental) and more damage overall. If you're not properly defended against a damage type, it WILL hurt, and you WILL notice the damage. Things like walking though spike traps and explosive blocks actually hurt now, rather than be just an annoyance. Gun Puppies fire 3 bullets at once, wolvers and gremlins start dodging, Mecha Knights start using shields against guns, and a whole host of other nasty things. There's more of an emphasis on not getting hit, period, and making good use of your shield .The difficulty is ramped up, for sure, and you may want to try it in a party first to avoid painful energy revives. The levels of your equips don't matter ALL that much, but lv10 does help a little. Even so, your equips will level fast.

BUT most players would recommend heading into T2 asap. Why? You'll need to practice anyway, and you'll get much, much better profits. You may have heard of the Royal Jelly Palace- Start doing Royal Jelly massacres, as the payout on the levels leading up to him are great, and the boss tokens from the Royal Jelly give you access to the Sealed Sword and Antigua- both very popular weapons. T2 Also has the Ironclaw Munitions Factory, home of the Roarmulous Twins. You maaaaay want to hold off on that, though- the levels there are very tough for new players, and the payout isn't so great. Generally, you'll want to run them for the boss tokens if you're after a specific item. (They drop Bark Modules.)

You'll also want to start looking for 3* recipes to upgrade your Equipment. 3* items allow you to remain effective in Stratum 4 (the levels after the Clockwork terminal in T2). Note that for most 3* items, you'll need the 2* precursor, as well as 200 energy. You'll have to get that energy by buying it off of other players for Crowns, or with real money. To get into T3, you'll need all 4* items, but that's still a while off.

Autogun and Cutter. Ooooh, that might be tough to work with. The autogun makes you stand still, and the cutter doesn't have as much crowd control ability as many of the other swords. That will probably lower your survivability a great amount. People would recommend the Caliber because it's easy to get a hold of, and it's charge attack has great crowd control. However, as long as "you get good" with your chosen weapons and learn how to survive using them, there will be no problem. But yes, that combo will be hard to use at first, especially if you're trying to learn attack patterns and other quirks of T2 at the same time. This isn't to say "drop your cutter!" You can always have more than one weapon at your disposal, and like I said, it's just a matter of knowing how to use the weapon well. If it's fun, and you like it, keep it! Its 3* upgrade is the "Striker," so keep a lookout for that. If you do keep the cutter, though, you might want to switch to a gun that helps ensure you stay alive- one that you can use while moving around, and reliably fall back on.

Each lift is "randomly" created by the players with minerals. Those are the gates on the right of the arcade. As for each distinct level, you can check the gate map, which is shown to you when you go up to an active gate. The colors and symbols shown tell you what you'll be facing, and there are some named areas which have certain layouts. You may want to check here: http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Gate for more specific info. Oh, and to check the gate map during a run, click the gear in the top right corner, and select "Gate Map."

In short...
-It's much harder. Can't mince words there. Run it in a group to start while you're learning how to T2.
-Start running Royal Jelly Palace and Looking for 3* recipes to craft. Also, when you get the chance, start amassing Crystal Energy. This will take some time.
-Cutter + Autogun will probably get you killed, and will take some practice to stay alive. If you switch out one of the weapons, your chance of staying alive will probably increase dramatically.
-You can see that by checking the gate map. You'll learn what the gate map means, mainly, though running the levels, and learning what each symbol and color represents.

Whew! I think that's everything covered. I hope this information helped you!

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 03:22

Hobcramwork

Another thing...

For the JK (Jelly King) levels, it's a good idea to equip Dusker armor and helmet (or the 2 star equivalent for now), Bristling Buckler and a Shadow weapon of your choice. You can read up on the weaknesses of each monster family through the Help button located at the top right of your screen when playing Spiral Knights.

Owlite shield is good for the other levels as it blocks damage from Electric and Fire statuses (the most dangerous statuses in SK). You could get a Magic Hood and pair it with the Wolver armor as an all-purpose set. The 5 star equivalents are really useful, from what I've heard (since the Divine Veil has resistance against Curse).

If you need any help, just send me a mail and I will be glad to help you out :) . Take care and have fun!

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 03:32

Hobcramwork

I agree, Buckdida.

Anakletos, Buckdida's advice is quite solid. It will help you in understanding why Calibur is used often by beginners and so on.

As a note, just buy the 2 star stuff at the Auction House and craft them to 3 star and above. I can craft the Cryotech Mk 2 and Dusker armor for you (if you can send me the required amount of materials, crowns and CE). Alternatively, my friend Smit can craft the Elemental Hood (3 star equivalent of Magic Hood), Tempered Calibur and so on for you. Just add him as a friend and mention me in the message/invitation., so he'll know how you came across his name.

Anyways, have a good time on Spiral Knights (SK) :) !

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 05:50

Kraanx

since you might be

since you might be considering getting more armor, ull probably want to expand your weapon arsenal, right? lemme see if i can give some advice:
SWORDS:
you do lots of snarbolax runs, so try getting a snarble barb. youll have a piercing damage weapon, thatll help u against devilites and wolvers and is also an annoyingly good weapon in lockdown[pvp]).
calibur is an extremely easy sword to use, normal dmg all the way to 5-star, and arenas and monster crowding problems are easily solved by her charge.
the brandish, at first, may not seem very powerful, mostly because its a stronger proto sword, but its 3-star versions offer elemental or shadow damage and status effects, making them the only melee weapons to offer such types of damage at their star level.
the troika and the sealed sword are like the opposite of your cutter, and only hit twice. however, they are just as reliable after you learn how to use them, and do very high normal damage .the SS turns into two of the most powerful swords is game, and in later star levels starts dealing either shadow or elemental, while the troika remains normal and just as strong.
the flourish is like the snarble barb, but without the range charge attack, delivering instead a hellish combo.(flourish trick: wait for everyone but you to get on the elevator, charge flourish and aim for the last hit to take you out of the elevator. the elevator will go down and youll follow dissapearing in a sparkling energy wave)
spur: a high tech gun-sword. goes only to 4-star, but does good normal damage and its charge fires projectiles.
now lets move on to...
GUNS
the 2-shot tech alchemers are very powerful guns against constructs and undead, mostly because all of them but SHADOWtech(that doesnt deal elemental) and prismatech give status effects, but also the charged bullets split , giving you opportunities for even more destruction.
magnus is a heavy(2-shot) piercing gun whose bullets blow up(and the charge sends u flying backwards), hitting enemies that dodge.
the blaster is the 3-shot gun of the spiral order(like the calibur and the cobalt stuff), and deals normal dmg ( also has a hadouken-like charge attack).
the catalyzer and the pulsar can be acquired at the token vendor. their bullets behave strangely, probably becasue they are gremlin weapons, and respectively stick to enemies or expand and explode.
the antigua deals piercing damage and is very popular between players.
and last but not least, the autogun, than leaves players unable to move while attacking but still is largely used becasue of its high amount of dmg dealing.
ARMOR ADVICE: the gunslinger set will be usefull if u choose to go gunner. same to the bristling buckler and the switstrike buckler.
BOMBS
u didnt mention anything, so i thought i could give it a try....
vaporizers are the alchemers of the bombs, status effect and elemental dealing will be most usefull to bombers.
blast bomb is the bomb of the spiral order, and deals normal dmg.
the graviton and electron charge are vortex bombs, and suck enemies in a whirlpool.
the crystal bomb is a piercing range bomb, and has very little explosion charge time
and the spine cone is a piercing bomb that u get from snarbolax tokens.
the demo set is the best for a bomber.
btw feel free to mix weapons and take a look at these:
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Gunslinger_Guide
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Swordmaster_Guide
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Bombing_Guide
and also very important:http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Shieldbearer_Guide
always check the wiki if u have any doubts, hope i helped you out.

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 17:19

Anakletos

Responding...

Alright, responding to each person, in chronological order:

@Hobcramwork:
I have heard a lot about the JK, and probably will try to reach him at some point. I've been working on using the shield more often than just applying brute-force to get out of situations, and I've had plenty of practice navigating hazards with the Cutter's combo.

I do have the recipe for a Prismatech Alchemer, so I might invest some time into crafting it (I kinda want to get the Ice version instead of the non-status-inflicting one). Originally I gravitated to the Autogun (and Cutter) because I loved its rate of fire. After exploring the wiki a bit, I'm tempted to go for the Antigua. I've seen the Flourish a bit, yet I never really liked its aesthetics compared to the Cutter. I've yet to actually get my hands on one though.

Also, I've already started searching for a cheap Dusker recipe in the auctions, and probably will stay with it. Shields I'm a little more flexible with. I'll look into the Owlite Shield, and see how it works for me.

@Buckdida:
Alright, I'll see if I can get a party at tier 2 (Ideally JK).

I'm starting to reconsider the Autogun though, even though I really enjoy it. I'm not giving up the Cutter though :P. I was thinking about aiming for the Antigua line, but I'm probably not going to get my hands on one for a little bit.

I've already started searching for the 3* recipes for my weapons of choice, yet most of them are outside of my price range at the moment (I only have about 6500 crowns right now).

Also, the gates now make a bit more sense. Of the several lifts at the arcade, does it matter which one you pick? I assume no, but I have been wrong in this game before.

@Kraanx
I do have a Brandish Recipe (So far, I've got a net gain of ~2000 crowns for crafting and auctioning off Brandishes). I like the look of the Shadow variant for the sword, and will look into finding its recipe. I really like the feeling of speed and rapid attacks that the Cutter provides, which is why I choose it over the other swords. I never liked the Rapier style of the Flourish and the Snarble Barb, so I haven't tried them yet.

As for guns, I do have plans to try the Antigua, yet it is a bit out of my price range right now. I like the Autogun for the machine gun type feel, and enjoy unleashing a stream of shots, compared to something like the 2-shot guns. Although the demand for mobility may make it hard for me to keep with it.

As for a shield, I'm keeping with the Bristling Buckler, but I have had moments where it has broken on me (Mainly when I choose to block Snarby instead of dodge). I might look into more durable alternatives, but I like the +damage with my Cutter.

Now Bombs... I tried them once, and never came back to them. They feel really awkward to me, and I don't like having to run around in circles charging a bomb, before I can place it at my feet and then run around in circles some more. I'm probably going to stay with the Sword + Gun combo.

@Everyone who commented
Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the words of wisdom and support :D

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 23:39

Fehzor

I'm a bit late to the party,

I'm a bit late to the party, but I can still tell you that you're doing everything perfectly for jelly king-
-Your armor/shield is piercing, which is common in JK levels
-Your weapons are 2 of the best to fight the jelly king, a fiery pepperbox will offer you a nice weapon to burn him with (as well as to play support with), and a vile striker will allow you to poison him, stopping his healing.

Friend me-> Fehzor
I'd be glad to help you with JK/Twins, if you catch me online at the right time.

Thu, 11/24/2011 - 01:37

Anakletos

Ah yes...

I've been working on getting a Striker (eventually the poison track). At the moment, I'm still mustering the crowns for some CE (just for the sake of getting some). I'll probably start looking into a Striker Recipe, and eventually the Vile Striker. I might upgrade my Autogun once, before focusing back onto my armor.

However, I am starting to see why people dislike the Cutter and Autogun lines. It does lack the knock-back and interrupting abilities of weapons like the Calibur. One guy ingame suggested I try the Nightblade series. I do have the Brandish recipe, and the materials needed for both the Brandish and the Nightblade. Is the Nightblade worth the investment (I'm probably going to keep the Cutter as well, just holding onto two swords)?

Thu, 11/24/2011 - 04:01

Stavrosg

Nightblade!

Yes, nightblade is definitely worth it! You slice your way through jellies and gremlins almost without thinking, and it works OK against beasts if you happen not to have your piercing sword equipped.

If you're active between 15:00-22:00 UTC/GMT, add me ingame and poke me for a JK run (or more).
<--- IGN

Thu, 11/24/2011 - 22:56

#10

Kraanx

btw, u dont have a forum

btw, u dont have a forum pic.
click on forum preferences, next to the search bar, the on edit profile

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Another Newbie fumbling about...