Spiral Knights - FSC Shield AFTER Shadow enemy buff?

FSC Shield AFTER Shadow enemy buff?

14 replies [Last post]

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 07:06

Sternlock

Back before the patch hit I got myself a Volcanic Plate shield, because my leading causes of death in FSC were Vanaduke himself clobbering me (Normal/Stun/Fire) or knocking me into hellfire. However, now that zombies and trojans are more capable of dealing shadow damage, I was wondering if a pure Normal shield is still any good in FSC or if there's better choices? I haven't actually gotten to try it yet because I'm still new to FSC and the one run I did do ended up being costly in terms of reviving, so I'd like to prepare myself more thoroughly before I try again.

The first (and only) time I've actually done FSC, I used a Grey Owlite shield. Less Normal, but protection against fire grate/hellfire instant damage components, as well as Vana fireballs. The fireballs are honestly not an issue at all, however, so that's not all that important in my eyes.

I also built myself a Crest of Almire, which is essentially a Grey Owlite with the Elemental switched with Shadow. Should I be using this in FSC or would the VPS still be the best choice for the actual boss fight? Are the pre-boss stages actually harder at all after the zombie/trojan buff?
Despite dying a LOT in the Vana fight the first time, I never got hit by the Slag Guards even once. I only died because Vana's mace can hit you from off-screen and you won't see it coming.

For reference, I'd be using a suit of Vog Cub for this, no UVs. What I get hit by while NOT blocking is usually hellfire from Vana's mace knocking be back despite missing me by a good several feet (as in, no damage from the mace, just the knockback), so my actual armor being Elemental/Fire seems good enough.

tl;dr: VPS, Grey Owlite, or CoI? I'm not pro enough to run with a BTS yet, although I do have one.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 07:51

Otaia

My Crest of Almire is my only

My Crest of Almire is my only 5* shield and it works fine for the entirety of FSC. It's perfectly capable of handling Vana and it rarely breaks in normal usage.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 07:52

Demonicsothe

GoS is still one of the best

GoS is still one of the best shields in throne room, alongside vps. Note that in mask stage, bullets are elemental, which is where vps fail at. Pre vana fsc, I used to use GoS simply because it had enough health to tank a few zombie hits. With the new patch though, the jump registers as a hit 3 times. This instantly takes your GoS to yellow, if not orange. And it staggers the shield, forcing you to hit until the zombie attack is over.

I'm now using the crest in fsc, and kiting vana better so I don't get pinned by fieballs.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 08:05

Otaia

On the mask phase, I usually

On the mask phase, I usually just charge Blitz and dodge fireballs so I can get in two full Blitz charges per water orb (3840 damage). The Crest is still capable of blocking 4-5 fireballs before breaking, so I don't really have any issues with it.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 08:17

Demonicsothe

Right, it shouldn't be a

Right, it shouldn't be a problem. But it does happen. And not everyone is good at dodging.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 08:27

Fradow

I only did one FSC since the

I only did one FSC since the patch, but Barbarous Thorn Shield worked still fine for me. I had some trouble with the new zombies jump attack (dealing damage on landing) but another shield wouldn't have changed a lot.

Did trojans really switched to shadow damage ? I didn't notice (tho I didn't really paid attention). If they do, it would a good incentive to switch to Crest, indeed, but i would still take VPS or GoS over Dread Skelly because of the fire resist.

But, really, all those shield are good enough for FSC. If your shield breaks too often, consider improving your dodging skills. You are supposed to dodge most things in T3, not block.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 08:39

Sternlock

Like I said, previously I had

Like I said, previously I had no issues with the pre-Vana stages, since zombies could never hit me, but I haven't tried it yet with their new and improved lunge attack (that one room where you can only kill them in the four corners sounds like it could be a pain). Just wondering if the zombies are actually dangerous now, to the point where a shadow shield would be a good idea for some of the fight rooms. Trojan charge/fart attacks supposedly also do shadow damage now.

Also, a good few years of playing shmups has resulted in Vana's fireballs during mask phase also not being an issue. What killed me was Vana himself, either by bonking me over the head from off-screen with his mace, or the mace missing me (no damage) and still knocking me across half the room into hellfire.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 09:00

Fradow

Oh, so you fear zombies new

Oh, so you fear zombies new jump attack.

I was in an experienced team, so even if no one encountered the new jump attack, we had no real problem dealing with them. But I can see how it could be a problem for less experienced player : now you really have to move out of the zombie path to not be hit. Actually, the damage occur very first (as soon as they land, or perhaps a little before, which really is faster than you could think), so shielding was not that easy (again, on the first time. It may be either after some training), whereas the usual dodging, amplified a little bit to take into account the aoe, was fine.

I still think a shadow shield is not worth it.

For the room you are talking about, you should kill the trojan first to open the doors, then take the totem and move it to have a huge clear zone left. If you are in a group, have someone with a Blitz charge ready while someone else activate the switch. If you are solo, get a Blitz Charge ready and quickly go near the trojan and lure him to do a close range attack. Once the trojan is down, the rest is easy. If you don't have a Blitz, well, curse yourself for not getting this awesome weapon.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 10:28

Sternlock

So, I should stick to the

So, I should stick to the VPS?

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 10:32

Demonicsothe

Take it through fsc once or

Take it through fsc once or twice, then decide. The damage itself isn't that high, and should not impact you a huge deal.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 11:57

#10

Juances

Basically with enough skills you could use whatever 5* shield you want with no problems.

Since we cant measure how good you are, the best way is to try it yourself.

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 12:03

#11

Nicoya-Kitty

I've switched out my GOS for

I've switched out my GOS for my CoA until I get used to the new jump attack, but I think I'll probably switch back after I teach myself to stop trolling the zombies into doing the jump attack as a herding method.

Sun, 02/26/2012 - 00:47

#12

Nubskills

Nyan nyan nyan nyan....

<-- Just realised there was a pic combo
@Fradow
"If you don't have a Blitz, well, curse yourself for not getting this awesome weapon"
Hmm, Faust time....lemme curse my wallet too....
Is it still worth getting a blitz only for fsc if you're low on crowns?
@Nicoya-Kitty
"I've switched out my GOS for my CoA until I get used to the new jump attack, but I think I'll probably switch back after I teach myself to stop trolling the zombies into doing the jump attack as a herding method."
LOL so true, it used to be almost impossible to take damage from the jump if you were trying not to.

Sun, 02/26/2012 - 02:11

#13

Sypsy

My vote goes to

My vote goes to swiftstrike.
Gives more flexibility in selecting your other gear. The ASI applies to both swords and guns, which is nice.

And yes, this still applies to post patch.

Sun, 02/26/2012 - 05:34

#14

Fradow

@Nubskills "Is it still worth

@Nubskills "Is it still worth getting a blitz only for fsc if you're low on crowns?"

The question is ambiguous. If you are low on crowns, you may not be able to get a blitz in the first place. Anyway, yes it is, unless you are the shiverlocker in the party and always have some blitzers with you.

It makes Trojans a breeze : some can be OS right after the pop, making them a non-issue (especially the ones in the last room, which can otherwise be very painful), and the Shiver + Blitzers combo is very easy to use on Vana while being one of the most effective.

If i had to take only two weapons in FSC, it would be DA + Blitz. Note that Blitz is an investment for FSC only, which is not a big problem because in end-game, you are going to spend a lot of time in there.

For the time being, I prefer to stay on BTS instead of Swiftstrike. The shield can actually take some hits, and the Sword DMG is great. Also, I'm already ASI maxed with swords so .... (both Vog + UV ASI med). But yeah, that's a good option too provided you can get away with basically no shield.

Search

FSC Shield AFTER Shadow enemy buff?