I've been soloing FSC, and I have the need for tokens again, to get Blackened Crest. I don't have many good connections for making successful vana runs, so I'm trying to be able to solo him, so I can work without needing backup. What would be a good loadout for soloing vana? I'm fine on the trip there, it's for the boss fight that I have trouble with. My usual loadout is Divine Veil and Mantle, Wise Owlite Shield, Glacius and Strike Needle. It's hard for me to use strike needle on vana in the later stages because I'm forced to stay still, which often is certain doom when you're the target of everything. My other choices for using in FSC are Divine Avenger, Dark Thorn Blade, Gigawatt Pulsar, Silversix. My armour I can't change, because it's my only strong shadow armour. Any suggestions on what to do?
Best solo loadout for vanaduke?
Graviton Vortex, Sentenza, Umbra Driver, Biohazard, and full Valkyrie will destroy Vanaduke.
All kidding aside, I'd advise the Blitz Needle, if you can get it. It's also good for someone to have Shiver, to make it easier to properly acupuncture Vanaduke.
From what I've seen, it's full Vog, Barborous Thorn Shield, two sword damage trinkets, a Dread Venom Striker, a Divine Avenger, a Fang of Vog, and an Argent Peacemaker. How you would get the FoV when you need tokens... I don't know.
well actually I have a few load outs for Vana here is some of my experience in how I roll...
equipment
DA *not used on VD at all but helps for the levels up to him*
Dread venom striker
Blitz Needle
AP
Grey owlite shield
full vog, or perhaps I throw on the perfect mask of seerus, or my snarblax cap with a fire UV. You really don't need to worry about shadow def at vana because only the zombies deal shadow damage... The only reason why I use the mask or the snarblax cap is because of the damage or CTR bonuses.
for the first phase:
I turn off auto-aim and use the DVS to circle around Vana. you can literally just dance around him and he is completely unable to hit you in this stage. If there are zombies around I switch to the Blitz need and charge it and wait for vana to swing at me... at this point you can side step and unload you clip in to just about any thing. so I like to do this with a zombie in between myself and Vana so the zombie dies and vana takes the left over damage from the blitz charge. After zombie death... re-death? final death? occurs return to the DVS and dance around vana until he goes to the top of the screen to cry with his mask off.
Phase 2:
grab a water... put out the mask, two combos with the DVS... grab water... repeat
Phase 3:
Same as phase 2 with out the DVS dancing. conversely if you like here is a good spot to also use the AP to kill the undead lackies in the room... but the blitz does soooooooo much more damage. in this phase I pretty much just stand in from with a charge, wait for him to look like he is going to swing step up about 10 paces fire the charge and start charging again wait for the swing and move back to the same spot I was before the last attack... I like to kill all of the enemies before the mask phases, but if you're skilled you can just shield bump them outta the way.
phase 4:
same as 2
Phase 5:
charge you blitz needle and wait for him to walk out... if you let the charge go before he summons the guards, sometimes you can interrupt him from doing so. if you are unlucky and the guards are summoned, what I do is try to keep vana and the guards in the middle of the screen by circling and standing in front of them to entice them with my non-flaming flesh (assuming that's what the flaming undead go for) to keeping in the middle of the screen (read: don't bother with the guards). during this time I walk around pew-pewing with the AP. The key thing to note in this phase is that EVERY attack vana makes leaves him open switch to the blitz and attack during this time. once he is super aggro'd he basically just swings around the entire room meaning you can just use the blitz attack for the remainder of the fight.... due to the guards it's hard to get a charge attack in though, so I just use the normal attack..... if you some how feel compelled to take out the guards the FoV charge attack kills them in a single hit... and if at any point you're on fire pick up a water walk up to a wall and throw... the splash puts you out
Cheers Flawed
chaos cloak blitz needle
you're welcome
Well it's way better than being one-shotted. I mean I see the difference in how much damage i take when I have elemental fire resist defense & my shadow armor defensive tactic. You should care more about the now than the later because "Oh I got me all this vanaduke slaying gear! Let's do FSC!!" But what about FSC i general? You can't handle the TRUTH! Which is all that shadow damage those firestorm citadel lurkers do. I must've been crazy back on Bebop when I did FSC on my DPs gear. It feels good being a medic player. What I lack in damage, they have it for me. all I need to do is make sure I have just enough hp to rev my teammates & I always do thanks to my hefty defense.
You solo players with your vogs & skolver & snarbie don't last long in 4 man groups. So much for your pro-ness. Magnus is a weakling, I was a fool to praise that silly goof. I'll start admiring those players when I see them lead a perfectly PUGish PUG.
My other choices for using in FSC are Divine Avenger, Dark Thorn Blade, Gigawatt Pulsar, Silversix. My armour I can't change, because it's my only strong shadow armour. Any suggestions on what to do?
If you're soloing then switching out the needle gun for either the Silversix or Gigawatt Pulsar seem ideal (though highly advised to upgrade whichever one you use). You'll lose damage output but they are generally easier and safer when you're solo since you can keep moving while shooting.
As for which one, up to you. Silversix/AP will likely do more damage out of the two options with its rapid spam shots but Gigawatt Pulsar/Polaris can inflict shock.
I solo Vana regularly with:
* Vog/Vog or Seerus/Vog
* BTS or COA
* CTR and ASI Trinks
* DA
* Polaris
* Final Flourish
I don't bring the Blitz because you tend to take hits while you use it if Vanaduke is aggro'ed to you and not frozen. The FF is for Trojans and first stage (just dance around him with combos, he'll never hit you). Polaris and circle like a champ in stages 3 and 5, two shots and move...you can all but ignore the slags as they should always be tracking behind you. When you circle towards a water ball, grab it, throw towards some fire or his balls and move on quickly - get a bit of distance before you start shooting again - and try to keep the space around Vana clear so you aren't constantly avoiding fire patches. It usually takes me about three slag respawns to finish stage five.
Those of you who spend big on a fourth slot could put an AP or DVS there. The OP could use either his Silversix or Pulsar to decent effect.
You need more normal defense
acheron, gran faust, dark retrebution, biohazard, valkyrie helm and mail.
I solo with my hybrid set (done this at least 10times, don't really need to revive):
skolver cap (fire low)
nameless poncho (fire low)
2x elite trueshot trinkets
barbarous thorn shield
nova driver
acheron
blitz needle
combuster
do not follow my armour because it is, by no means, optimal for FSC.
I find the blitz is a big help when soloing vana (I also own a polaris and find that takes way too long). I just bait his hammer smash and release my blitz charge. as mentioned above, ignore the slag guards. It takes me around 4-5 blitz charges to make vana change phase (for phase 1,3 and 5), and a bit less than 3 point blank blitz charges for the mask phases.
For solo runs I use the following:
Seerus Mask
Shadowsun Slicker
Grey Owlite Shield
Polaris
DVS
Glacius (CTR High)
Blitz (CTR Med)
2 Elite Trueshot Trinkets
Polaris is for Puppies and the few Slimes, Glacius is for when taking out large numbers of Zombies at once. The Blitz with that setup will one shot almost everything with the charge, and the DVS is for the Mask phases of Vana.
The trick for Blitzing Vana solo is you bait him into using his mace, move a few steps to the side so it doesn't hit you, and unleash the Blitz charge. You'll be recovered soon enough to either move or shield as he starts to turn towards you.
I only have the Shadow resist from Shadowsun because I wanted to max out my Blitz/Polaris' damage. You honestly shouldn't need Shadow resist as Zombies are very easy to dodge. If you pay attention and dodge you can get through most of the FSC floors without getting touched by a Zombie. Trojans, while big and bulky, are the easiest of the fiends to kill (are are very easy to one shot with the Blitz). It is the reason why very few people actually pack Shadow resist for FSC, and instead go for what Vana deals.
~Gwen
I have to say, take Dawnstrike's advice.
About twenty minutes ago I completed my first no-deaths solo Vana run and I didn't use a Blitz Needle. I also had no health capsules left for Vana, but managed to do it without dying. My loadout was very similar to the one Dawnstrike described:
Vog Cub Coat
Vog Cub Cap
Grey Owlite Shield
Voltedge
Final Flourish
Polaris
Argent Peacemaker
Sword Damage Trinket
Sword CTR Trinket
I used Polaris during the FSC run before Vana, and Argent Peacemaker on Vana Phases 3 and 5.
I let the shadow fire concentrate in the middle of the room and only cleared a giant outer ring to run. When Vana would try to charge, he would often get stuck on the shadow fire in the middle. I actually found Phase 5 easier than Phase 3, because the zombies would often block the shots from the Argent Peacemaker during Phase 3.
If you're skilled enough, Radiant Sun Shards and Divine Avenger are all you need.
Hint: trick vana into dashing on top of RSS. you'll easily do 1000+ damage PER BOMB.
BTW you should have gotten blackened crest FIRST.
I'll give you a minimalist setup. Whether you care to listen to my advice, or the tongue of an elitist is your choice.
- Any elemental weapon of your choice (Generally a requirement for heading into FSC, as nearly every enemy is undead, elemental weapons shine there.)
- Plague Needle (Highly recommended, as poison is very useful. Having enemy attack and defense lowered adds a great amount of survivability.)
- Blitz Needle (A great alternative for those who don't have enough time and patience to deal with Lockdown.)
- Shivermist Buster (Optional, not recommended as it makes the battle take longer and isn't necessary.)
- Damage and status resistances to everything in FSC (Optional, as being specialized with armor that gives bonuses to your weapons is good enough.)
It's cool if you'd like to use something different, but this is generally the right setup to go with, no UVs required.
With good timing, a plain (no UV) Shivermist and a plain Blitz (No UV) is a workable strategy for Vanaduke. He goes through his phases relatively fast. The shiver is there mainly for the later stages to keep him still while you clean the field of fire. With these two, its very possible to kill him without dying. Oh, and trigger his attack before you go and shoot him. You'll take less damage if you attack him after you sidestep his mace than when he's idle. If you do attack while he's idle, its likely you'll be unable to dodge his mace due to blitz keeping you still.
I'd also recommend a brandish (5*) and an elemental gun (I go with Polaris for an easier time with the rocket puppy room.)
Armor-wise Vog Cub and Wise owlite will cover your anti-fire needs.
I use full chaos, BTS (Barb shield) or COA, Voltedge, AP blitz and either Shiv, Voltaic tempest or electro vortex 5*. I will probably use humbug hazer when I get it :3 I can solo entire thing without death including boss. Here are some tips.
1. Don't try to ignore the shadow fire. It is a mistake that I and many others have made. Water it until it is clean enough to blitz Vana.
2. Don't try to ignore the slags. You lose a lot of health while blitzing when they charge/slash you.
3. Use blitz charge on mask because even on elite, it takes down half of the mask's health.
4 Use dash when taking down slag guards so that Vana is no longer trying to kill you.
5. If you follow my loadout, place a bomb in the middle of the room (Shiv does the best) so Vana can't move while you take out slags :3
Good luck :D
This thread is 3.5 years old. The original poster is probably not looking for your input anymore.
my 2 Slot-solo-loadout Looks like fallowing:
-Chaos Cloak
-Chaos Cowl
-Shivermist
-Blitz Needle
-Gun damage sprite perk
-Wise Owlite Shield or Swiftstrike Buckler
the tactic vs vana is quite simple:
drop a shivermist to get vana in place and you can needle him with a blitz wave to Counter the slowness of the autogun-line. Even if you are solo, you can get a Phase done with never giving him the Chance to attack or let Lava rain. Here my Suggestion is: 2x dropping shiva while moving, and then Charge 'below your shield' to leave out the first normal needle attack and unleash that attack into his back.
Bopp:
You always post that people should use google to search in the Forums. Necros like this are the result.
necroes like this are more from someone not knowing to check the date of the OP, not from the method they used to find it
Typically, when I go for a good old fashioned dance off against Vanny, I take:
Vog Cub Cap
Dread Skelly Suit
Grey Owlite Shield
Warmaster Rocket Hammer
Gilded Griffin
If you don't have the Rocket Hammer I recommend the Polaris, Glacius, or Voltage for your elemental damage. If you don't have a Gilded Griffin, take a Blitz Needle, Callahan, Final Flourish or a Barbarous Thorn Blade for your piercing. I wouldn't recommend bringing a shadow damage dealing weapon as you only encounter slimes at least twice, and the Silkwings and Trojans are a pain if you can't take them out quickly.
To go the extra mile, if you have a Seraphynx, have them wear a Crystal harness and engage either the Quick Steps or the Healthy Boost perk. Whenever you step on a party button and it starts a fight, Heart Attack the group immediately. You're going to want extra hearts laying around and you want to save your health capsule for the fight against Vanny.
I'm quite good with this set:
Armor / Shield
- BKC [Black Kat Cowl]
- Chaos Cloak
- BTS [Black Thorn Shield]
Weapons
- Combuster [ Has CTR H from crafting :D ]
- Blitz Needle
- Electron Vortex
Trinkets/Sprite
- 6+ Health / 1 Damage Bonus MED [Sword]
- Black Kat Sprite with Gun MED Recharge Perk
Hey I had used to have the same problem who FSC I has easily done Vana except boss.
The key is timing and strength
Think of vanaduke as a trojan wait until he strikes to attack with your blitz
Even on the mask phase timing is needed
If you had the seraphynx or maskeraith you use the abilities in order to take out his mask
The set I had used is
Helm:Chaos
Armor:Chaos
Shield:Swift strike buckler
Weapons
Voltedge
Argent peace maker
Blitz needle
Electron vortex
•My advice is to kill slags on the first and second stage so there aren't any intrusions.
Then focus on Vana to kill
The damage bonus from the chaos is pretty useful just keep your distance from fire
Its deadly to chaos
Oh. Hey there Danny. Havn't seen you in a while.
..Bombs
-The Shivermist buster is the perfect mob suppression and tactical party anti wipe device. It allows your party to safely deploy attacks against mobs bunched together immobile for a slaughtering free for all. A godsend when the party or you have little space to operate in. Can also be done solo with careful timing. If you are lagging or are a slow bomb charger you will not be fast enough to attack in between and refreeze them with the same mist from the bomb you charged before the attack. This also works against Lord Vanderduke and his summoned thugs effectively. Most of the time we ignore the frozen thugs and drop the Boss. Its mist radius is slightly wider than the protective fire orbs that protect the fiery lord when his mask isn't in the floating around phase.
For all out bombers. This coupled with voltiac tempest keeps them held and suffering AOE (area of effect) damage over time. Sadly bombs like nitronome spread enemies out in chaotic situations which can lead to dead party members. Poor knights that were caught in the middle of enemy attack pushed carelessly towards them.
..Melee.
-I use a more classic Triglav for group push back with that freezing chance. But it works better for the Divine avenger charge attack for crowds. But any non-shadow melee weapon with effective charge attack that presents a good area coverage will do. Standard attack speed helps this process.
..Ranged attacks.
I agree with Danny on this.. with the addition of Polaris. Blitz needle and the Ardent Peacemaker are very effective in clearing enemies quickly. I added polaris because they are also pushed back drastically giving you room to spam shots at high range without having to re position.
..Armors/Shield.
The best armors for this place are focused around stepping in shadowfire, getting hit by heavy horse that stun, and being rolled over by spiked wheels you didn't see coming or did.. Even the best players get hit with the ocassional lucky shot.
..Maneuvers.
If you are fast and accurate enough you can avoid almost everything.
I was bored.. Decided to post this old thread. See you in the field.
EDIT: i just noticed this thread is kinda old lol
ill just say that offence is by far the best defence in SK. at least in my oppinion.
full chaos, use sprite fire perk and dont walk into fire. save remedies for when you really need them (hearts and pills are ridiculously common ever since they removed the loot sharing)
barbarous thorn shield gives you dmg max for swords
combuster or voltedge (or glacius if thats the brandish you chose...) for charge spamming with ctr max dmg max.
blitz needle for vana and trojans. you get ctr max and dmg vh on blitz
just spam combuster charges thru the whole run. not much else to say.
the easiest way to kill vana imo is to always start by killing the slags with combuster charges and then move on to kill vana. charge blitz and release it when vana attcks and you are safe. never take risks with the charges. if you have maskeraith or drakon you can easily 1-shot the mask phases with the double hit bug. on the last phase i dodge the big guys. killing them is hard with vana slamming you so its much safer to ignore them. with dmg vh and ctr max it doesnt take many charges to kill vana anyway.
in short endendgame FSC loadout is (Regardless of whether you're soloing or not)
BKC Ele Max Fire Max Normal Max
BK Raiment Ele Max Fire Max Normal Max
Swiftstrike Normal Max Fire Max Ele Max
2x True Love Locket
Blitz CTR VH ASI H
Voltedge/Combuster CTR VH ASI H (Voltedge clears vortexes faster)
Electron Vortex CTR VH
Random Weapon (Argent Peacemaker ASI H is good for breaking boxes faster)
Swiftsteps Sprite Perk
Drakon
First Skill doesn't matter
Backfire Barrier
Frenzied Firestorm
meh, + hp in pve...
I have a similar loadout what you wrote, but I use 2 wetstone pendants.
Or you can use sword + gun asi trinkets and equip a heavier shield.
Hey guys, can I jump on this dead horse too?
I just got shadow defense & fire resist trinkets & freezing weapons. I'm doing FSC like nothing. Well kinda, except vana.