Is this a good bomber setup?
So, 06/19/2011 - 15:18
So after trying to go sword/gun, and not liking it, I want to try out a bomber build. The setup I"m planning for gear atm is:
-volcanic demo set
-aegis/crest of almire/dread skelly shield
for weapons, I"ll probably have 3 slots open, and I can open a 4th if necessary. I plan to do a 2 bombs/1 gun or 2 bombs/1 sword setup. So far I'm set on getting a graviton vortex as my 1st bomb. So here are some things I'm wondering:
-with 3 slots open, going for a bomber build that will probably be equal parts support and aggro, would it be better to do 2 bomb/1sword or 2bomb/1gun?
-if I do 2 bomb/1 gun, I"ll probably settle for a hail driver as the gun. In that case, what should the 2nd bomb be (probably normal or piercing type damage, cuz the driver is elemental and the graviton is shadow right?)
-if I do 2 bomb/1 gun, I might have an issue with monsters that dodge (wolvers, devillites). Do I counter by setting down the vortex, then shooting up the monsters trapped inside?
-if I do 2 bomb/1 sword, what sword and bomb would do good in balancing with the vortex?
-if I open up a 4th slot, what setup should I do then?
-how heavy an investment would all this be / how rare are all these items to get?
Thanks in advance for the help guys!
So, 06/19/2011 - 16:41
#2
Which bomb then?
Well the reason I said 2 bombs and 1 sword/gun was because I assumed that I could use a combination of 2 bombs for attacking/support, and use the sword or gun when needed (sword for devillites/wolvers/gremlins, guns for range). The reason I wanted a graviton was because I partied with a bomber before who was using it, and it seemed great at gathering enemies for a short time. I don't necessary want to get the graviton first, I just thought it would be good to have at some point.
I know I"ll need something to cover every damage type, and I was thinking that each slot would have a type-specific weapon. But if the graviton is that bad, I might reconsider...
So, 06/19/2011 - 22:17
#3
2 bombs, 1 sword
2 bombs + 1 sword is a more common setup than 2 bombs + 1 gun. You can use the bombs to inflict status, do some damage, some crowd control, etc. then whip out the sword to finish off anyone still standing. In terms of efficiency, a gun just isn't going to give you much damage for that one leftover enemy. If you really like bombs and guns though, give it a shot, see if it works for you. If you are heading into JK bring any sword otherwise the party might give you a hassle about needing to deal continuous damage.
Like loser mentioned, skip the Graviton until you have a base set of bombs to regularly use. Then you can make another bomb just for the fun of it. Check out the comments in the bomb balance thread about why the Graviton fails so badly.
The first two bombs are usually going to be Nitro and either Ash or Shivermist - Ash for damage or Shivermist for crowd control depending on what type of bomber role appeals to you. From there you can expand your arsenal. Bombers don't really have a lot of great options right now, but the bombs that work well are so much fun.
As for doing non-normal damage types... err yeah, we don't have good options right now so we end up relying on normal damage instead. Graviton, the only shadow bomb, is problematic. The haze bombs are our only pure elemental option, but their blasts are small and weak since they are intended for status not damage. Crystal Bombs have piercing/elemental options but require extreme skill and specific situations to use in an even moderately efficient manner, also they lack a 5* version. We recently got a pure piercing bomb, the Dark Briar Barrage which is really great for some enemies. Eeks has a nice review of DBB here.
What sword to pair with your two bombs? You can go Levi and do good damage to everything since it provides normal damage and reaches 5*. That one sword will carry you all the way to Vanaduke. Or you could grab a couple different swords and switch it out depending on the upcoming strata... DA/Combustor/Glacius for Undead and Constructs, Faust/Acheron for Slimes and Gremlins, and then Flourish/Snarble Barb for Beasts and Fiends.
So, 06/19/2011 - 22:36
#4
Start with a blast bomb ->
Start with a blast bomb -> nitronome line and add in either the freezing bomb line (shivermist buster) or fire (ash of agni). Expand out from there based on preference/ experimentation/ advice you read in threads.
Volcanic demo set is OK, especially if you are running Firestorm Citadel. You might consider also making Mad Bomber Suit since then you will have maxed CTR without any UVs. The Volcanic Demo Suit is not as good as the Volcanic Demo Helm because it has low instead of medium CTR.
Most bombers I know have mad bomber because they need every edge they can get for damage thanks to having to use normal damage bomb + fire status ticks for their main damage generation, and because you get quite good at dodging enemies once you can no longer shield.
The shield you use is personal preference, I would take Crest of Almire off your list since you can not get it unless you kill vanaduke many times, which means also that you don't need it at that point haha. It's a nice item though! Since you rarely ever use your shield most bombers go with either niche shields, something that looks awesome (like ironmight), or something that is useful for bumping away enemies. I would tend to recommend a bumper shield for when you are surrounded by gremlins, knights, or jellies. So a high normal/elemental blocking shield will be most useful for that purpose. Also if you go with mad bomber you could want a shield like Grey Owlite or Volcanic that will keep you safe from a status effect until it wears off.
Mo, 06/20/2011 - 11:23
#5
Wrong armor first of all. Use
Wrong armor first of all. Use mad bomber suit if you are only bombing.
But bombbs you should use:
Graviton Bomb/Vortex
Shivermist Buster
Big Angry Bomb
Nitronome
Mo, 06/20/2011 - 16:34
#6
?
@BigFootM err, what? If he is only carrying two bombs, when would BAB or Graviton Vortex ever be one of those two bombs?
Both Mad Bomber and Volcanic Demo are viable options. For FSC, Volcanic is highly recommended until they are really comfortable with it. I've done FSC about 20 times successfully and still only use Volcanic Demo Helm paired with Mad Bomber Suit. Seeing half your health disappear due to catching on fire once is not a happy feeling.
Outside of FSC, if I'm heading into a fire or shock strata then I'll still use Volcanic Demo. For anything else though, Mad Bomber all the way.
do NOT take graviton as 1st bomb, that particular bomb is the most useless, but fun to use bomb out there, its ur last choice
u cant say in general x bomb x sword x gun, u need to specify in order to get an answer, it depends which bombs ur going to use, preferably u should have 1 dmg weapon either a good sword u can handle or a bomb with good radius and as many status inflicting support weapons as possible(shivermist and ash of agni are the most useful, but if ur getting a gun, get 1 with a different status inflict than ur bombs/swords)
the rarity doesnt matter, its a similar cost on all weapons
u seem to be definitely going with the graviton, just my experiences here
-when u place the bomb, get away from it as fast as possible, if u activate shield quickly itll save u too, if u activate it too late, the mobs will get shield knocked far away from ur graviton
-when u spam the bomb, be careful while holding it above ur head, the mobs in the previous black hole can still hit u and time it correctly to dmg them, else they will get sucked away from the previous bomb's 2nd explosion
-when u try to use a 2nd weapon to hit the monsters(preferably leviathan blade with good charge time!), it better be a charge attack, multiple hits will trigger the monsters to attack u and because of the whirls u might not be able to land the suspending 3rd hit on all of them
if u go with leviathan blade and graviton vortex, id suggest an ash of agni as 3rd weapon for dmg and great kiting or a shivermist buster for very good support or any blast bomb for fun(a real bomber should experience at least 1 of them :D)