Okay, first of all, I've already reached the Knight rank single-handedly, but things starts to get really hard for Rank 5 missions and onwards (Mainly because I mostly go solo on my missions). So... What gears/weapons do you recommend for the later missions (Rank 5-2 and onwards)?
Preparing for Knight and later missions
Fri, 09/07/2012 - 23:34
Sat, 09/08/2012 - 06:53
#2
it varies
Well, the point of the mission system is to teach you about all aspects of Spiral Knights. So you will face every kind of monster, trap, etc. This culminates in the mission "The Gauntlet", where you face every monster type in a single level, and are allowed to change your equipment three times to handle it. So there is no answer to your question.
So far, all we know about you is (A) you play mostly solo, and (B) you're starting to find things hard in Tier 2. Here's what I recommend you do:
1. Read the wiki page "Damage", to learn the monsters' vulnerabilities and resistances. Then you will understand the value of having two (or three) non-normal damage types among your weapons.
2. Tell us here what your desired "character class" is: sworder, gunner, bomber, mixed sworder/gunner, etc. To be precise, tell us how many swords you play with, how many guns, and how many bombs. These three numbers should add up to either 2, 3, or 4, depending on how many weapon slots you use. Then we can give you better advice.
Finally, understand that at the start of Spiral Knights (Tier 1), no skill is required. You just walk up to monsters and hit them until they die. But more skill is required as you get deeper into the game. You have to practice dodging, shielding, and waiting for the right moment to attack. Learn the monsters' AIs. As an exercise, try not to take any damage at all, even if it slows you down greatly. This is how we play in Tier 3.
Sat, 09/08/2012 - 21:25
#3
Okay, I understand.
Oh, and Bopp, to answer your second advice...
- I'm mostly a hybrid (Sword/Handgun) player, but I desire to be a supporting gunslinger in the party.
- I only have 2 weapon slots, so I usually take 1 Average-speed sword and 1 gun with me (I rarely use bombs, sadly).
As I played through the later missions, I realised that I'm not properly prepared to take on the later missions (Which is why I ended up dying more often in Tier 2 missions and onwards.), mainly because I don't have enough resources (Crowns and Crystal Energy) to craft the gears/weapons I need to survive those missions. Can you give me more advice on that?
Sun, 09/09/2012 - 12:33
#4
Yeah
Expanding on what Bopp said, later in the game, the outcome of the run weighs heavily on skill level and less on the gear you have.
Here's a story
My little brother plays SK too, but he's is not too great. Recently he has acquired a full 2* star set and has started tier 2 missions. One of his friends invited him to a Roarmulus Twins run, even though he isn't great gear wise, I was curious to see how he would do. Well, he did decently considering he had 2* while the others were who knows how old and had 3-4* gear. When it came to the boss, the guys were not sure how to work the switches so they made my little brother do it. I saw a great fiery and electric doom for this party in the future so I swapped places with him (on his character). Now, when it comes to me, I have months of experience, 7 five star items, and 47 bark mods under my belt. But this was with full 2* gear. How did it go? I didn't die once, the other party members did, they messed up the switches, and they did a sad job at defending me so I had to save myself quite often. Despite my handicaps, it was a quick death for the Twins and afterwards I would consider myself the MVP (most valued player) of the battle, against players with much better gear. Did I also mention he has a sword-gun combo while I always go sword-bomb? I cant even remember the last time I used a gun.
To sum it up, if someone has 5* with godly UVs, they can die terribly if they lack the passive UV called Increased Skill Level Maximum!
Oh and for gear, your average speed sword should be a brandish (are there anymore good average speed swords?), while your gun could be a alchemer, blitz (for vanny), or Polaris.
If ur gonna focus on guns, get gun benefiting armor or even just type-defence armor in combo with gun trinkets.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 00:32
#5
Hmm... You have a good point.
When I read through your story, I was impressed at how you single-handedly defeated the Roarmulus Twins with only 2-star gears/weapons. I have experienced soloing with Proto gears/weapons before, but now I don't do that anymore... (Unless I wanted to.)
And speaking of Alchemers, I already have a Cryotech Alchemer, which is for freezing enemies, but I don't use Alchemers often. I haven't tried out the Polaris and the Blitz Needle gun yet, although I remember the time I got the Autogun from the Auction House.
For the gears, to answer your question of other decent average speed swords, there's...
- the Leviathan Blade, or the Scissor Blades (Bechamel also have this);
- the Cold Iron Vanquisher;
- the Combuster, the Glacius, the Voltedge or the Acheron;
- the Cautery Sword;
- and the Fang of Vog.
(Note that this information is taken from the Spiral Knights Wiki)
And speaking of gun benefiting armors, I already got the recipe for the Gunslinger armor set. But once I upgraded it into the Sunset armor set, shall I upgrade it into...
- the Deadshot set;
- the Justifier set;
- the Nameless set;
- or the Shadowsun set?
Sun, 09/09/2012 - 13:21
#6
Gamer-Troopa
Gamer-Troopa, my main advice is to consider only 5-star items. That's where everything ends up, even if you're free-to-play. You don't want to get a nice 3-star item, only to find that it has no future (Cautery Sword!). Once you know which 5-star items you want, look back in their alchemy paths, to figure out how to get them.
My sword guide is written for people like you. Since you like using a sword and a gun, the "Mixing Weapon Types" section will advise you to get an elemental gun and either a piercing sword or a shadow sword. Maybe give it a read, and then ask more questions here?
As for gunner armor, it somewhat depends on which monsters you'll be facing, and which guns you'll be using. But the obvious choice is Shadowsun, because it gives damage bonus against all monsters. That's worth six UVs on each of your guns (actually, slightly more than that, because it also applies to Vanaduke and to PvP). In contrast, the ASI of Nameless is nice, but amounts to just one UV on each of your guns. In other words, you can easily replicate the effect of Nameless through UVs, but you cannot replicate the effect of Shadowsun through UVs.
(Edited.)
Sun, 09/09/2012 - 07:52
#7
getting resources
I don't have enough resources (Crowns and Crystal Energy) to craft the gears/weapons I need to survive those missions. Can you give me more advice on that?
As Marazo pointed out, skill is more important than gear. Any advanced player who starts a new knight is quickly delighted by how awesomely skilled he is, compared to the novice players around him. So, as I said above, learn the monsters' AIs and practice not getting hit.
As far as getting crowns is concerned, there have been many threads, which you can find by searching the forums. Some brief answers:
* In the Clockworks, deeper tiers pay more than shallow tiers, and the second stratum of each tier pays more than the first stratum. In your case, try to work Stratum 4.
* Some recipes have high resale value, because they are not available in the Hall of Heroes. (They are recipes for upgrading boss items.) Learn which ones these are, and keep some money on hand, so that when you run into Basil, you can buy a lucrative recipe for resale.
* Some missions are worth more than others. The Royal Jelly Palace and Ironclaw Munitions Factory might be your best options, but I'm not sure. Skip the boss levels of these missions. At current energy prices, they don't pay enough to make up for the 10 energy spent.
Sun, 09/09/2012 - 08:44
#8
@Gamer-Troopa
Its amazing when you solo RJP (including JK) with full proto, no trinkets. Just the spiral armour, proto shield, proto sword, proto gun. Makes you feel awesome. I always see these 5* players with all these crazy UVs with trinkets die alot in JK runs. And its not lag :P
Tue, 09/11/2012 - 21:25
#9
I'm not sure, I could be
I'm not sure, I could be completely wrong, but I have heard that the calibur is not good to have and its better to get a specialized sword like a brandish or toothpick. FoV could be a viable option if you either don't mind being caught on fire or have good fire resistance, but besides the charge attack, its pretty similar to Combuster. Also, stay away from the cautery sword.
@Soulstaker: I do have to admit, sometimes during Vanaduke battles his slam attack causes a bit of framerate drop, making it harder to get out of the way or anticipate that ninja slag. I guess you could say it has a good chance to inflict lag on all players in the arena.
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 05:02
#10
Fang of Vog
Fang of Vog is actually pretty different from Combuster, even in its regular attacks (speed, damage, fire on every stroke). But that's not really relevant, as Fang of Vog requires beating Vanaduke 10-14 times, and Gamer-Troopa is probably not ready for that challenge yet.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 00:29
#11
True, Bopp.
Besides, I'm still stuck with 2-star gears/weapons (Although I already have a 3-star Magnus in possession), I haven't gained tier-3 clearance, and I don't have access to the Firestorm Citadel yet. But Bopp, when you said that skill is more important than gear, I'll take your advice to heart. And don't worry Marazo, I'll stay away from the Cautery Sword.
Bopp, regarding your opinion, I've checked the Spiral Knights Wiki and observed each of the 5-star gunslinger armor sets, like which armor set protects which damage types and/or status effects, and its' bonuses.
= Deadshot Armor set =
- Resists Normal and Shadow damage, and Curse status.
- Very High DB against Undeads, and Medium ASI for Handguns.
= Justifier Armor set =
- Resists Normal and Piercing damage, and Stun status.
- Very High ASI for Handguns.
= Nameless Armor set =
- Resists Normal and Elemental damage, and Freeze status.
- Very High ASI for Handguns.
= Shadowsun Armor set =
- Resists Normal and Shadow damage, and Poison status.
- Very High DB for Handguns.
At this point, I had a hard time deciding which armor set to go for, since I'm aware of defending myself against certain damage types. But as you explained... you've convinced me really well. The Shadowsun set's damage bonus can greatly benefit handguns, especially the weaker handguns and the High-powered Magnus line (which is my favorite handgun). In my opinion, I would go for either Justifier set or Nameless set, mainly because of its very high ASI, but...
Like you said, the Shadowsun set's effect worths more UVs than the other sets, to the point that it can't be replicated by UVs from other equipments, as compared to the other sets. So... I've decided. I'm going for Shadowsun.
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 09:16
#12
sounds good
Sounds good. You can try some of the other armors later, especially if you decide that you need more defense. (They defend against different damage and status, as you've noted. Also, ASI can help you interrupt monsters, which can aid your defense.) Try Swiftstrike Buckler, to get your ASI up. Also keep offensive trinkets in mind for the future. (Right now they probably shouldn't be a high priority.) Cheers.
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 16:06
#13
Fire on every stroke for FoV?
Fire on every stroke for FoV? Sounds nice...
Sorry about my derps on FoV.
Personally I like ASI over damage on almost every thing. (CTR for bombs, but then everyone likes that..) I just like dishing out more attacks over more damage because attacks can come with status affliction, knockback, and other goodies. Just my opinion.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 01:27
#14
Hmm... Good opinion, Marazo.
Like you, I personally trade damage for speed, but I only do that when I use slow weapons (like the Magnus or the Troika). As you noted, Charge Time Reduction can benefit mostly bombs, but it can also benefit some handguns and swords. As for Damage bonus, it can benefit weaker weapons.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 07:08
#15
I like the FoV, but must point out something:
by "fire on every stroke", Bopp must have meant "chance of fire on every stroke". So don't get too excited.
@Gamer-Troopa, damage bonus is a percentage. Weaker weapons do not benefit more than stronger weapons.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 07:40
#16
right
Yes, FoV is not always igniting everything, but there is a significant, qualitative difference between it and Combuster.
According to our best data, ASI increases your speed 3.5% - 4.0%, while damage bonus increases your damage by about 7%. Consequently, damage bonus has a larger effect on DPS. However, damage bonus may not have any effect on kills-per-second (if it doesn't lessen the strokes-per-kill), or it might have a huge effect on KPS (if it does). Meanwhile, ASI probably improves your KPS by a reliable rate, that may be as high as 4%. Also ASI helps you defend. So it's not clear to me which is more useful. We can leave it as a matter of taste.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 07:53
#17
No disagreement there.
Just a correction/clarification, no more or less. I like setting things on fire as much as the next guy.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 14:47
#18
Yay! *vaults text hurdle*
Toothpick'll jump you into spikes.
FoV doesn't do fire enough and it blows you up.
Calibur annoys your teammates.
Caut-*vomits* WHY IS THIS LISTED. THIS IS NOT A WEAPON.
The other Brandishes are pretty nice, though...
General 5* weapon set for most, goes (pick four)
Barbarous Thorn Blade
Polaris
Voltedge
Divine Avenger
Gran Faust
Blitz Needle
Argent Peacemaker
Also some form of Wolver armour and Barbarous Thorn Shield.
Yes, seven weapons.
Yes, no bombs.
Yes, the vast majority are swords.
Yes, I know Argent is useless now.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 16:16
#19
I'm kind of a
I'm kind of a rebel...
Have:
Glacius
Nitronome
Shivermist
Electron Vortex
Full Mad Bomber set , a Vog Cub Coat, and a Skelly Shield.
I don't understand why bombs are ignored by the majority of people. Some have great party uses while others are great at soloing. Maybe its because they don't want to give up their gun, the safety weapon, or their sword, the best damage dealer. (for people who use two weapon slots, like how most start.)
Want:
Blitz (general)
Barbarous (...gereral...)
GF (..........general...........)
Valiance (woot, good bomber side arm)
Storm Driver (good party weapon)
DBB
Vob Cub Cap and Crest of Almire
Actually, to be honest, parties would be chaos if bombs were mostly used, with enemies flying all over the place and mist bombs being overlapped. A party only needs 1-2 bombers, with each of them having a gun or sword being fine.
But still, join us bombers, we have black holes and cookies.
Hmmm... If you've reached Rank 5, your gears are probably 3-4*, yes?
Then... I'd recommend using(mostly swords and guns):
"HEAVY": LINES
>AVENGER/FAUST
>MAGNUS
"NORMAL SPEED": LINES
>ASCENDED CALIBUR
"FAST": LINES
>SILVERSIX/BLACKHAWK
For the armor... just upgrade the helmet, armor and shield. Practice doing JK and viola! You can probably manage on your own then. Buuuuuttt.... that's just me.