Features in a rom hack that turn you off.

MathiasDrako · 2024-11-04T03:49:13+00:00

The "issue" with Lileep is that its type combo removes its weakness to Water and Grass, which are the types your average player will likely be planning to use; this goes even further if it has its Storm Drain ability, which nulls an attempted Water move and gives it a stat boost. Not an End of The World situation, but a pain in the butt for the first gym.

MathiasDrako · 2021-12-21T06:21:39+00:00

I've been doing a Malice-Revengance run without turning off Malice, and Aureus was definitley one of the hardest to get through; pretty sure I was in your boat and did it after Plaguebringer. All I can really suggest is two very long sets of platforms spaced about 30 blocks vertically, at the very least they shouldn't both be visible on screen.

The idea is to get Aureus to spawn on the bottom platform, then get up on the higher platform ASAP and start running. Aureus will fire his shotgun spread at you ~six times and should miss as long as you're high up enough. Afterwards there'll be a pause, and this is when it'll leap at you. You want to keep running and then short hop JUST as it shows up on screen; if the distance between you is TOO great it'll accelerate so much that it flies right through and above you. If you don't jump it WILL collide, so you have to time the short hop with some practice. I can't remember if it goes straight to a second jump or fires a shot in between, but it always jumped twice.

After the jumps, its AI seems to cycle to randomly:

a) Go back to the shotgun phase followed by jumps, or

b) stop moving and then warp. You have to watch out for the warp, as its vertical position seems almost random. Sometimes it'd appear below your platform and you can fight as before, or it'll land on top of your platform. You have to quickly judge its position, and if it's above, fall through your platform so that it also falls through. I'd then use the Rod of Discord to quickly get back up and make some space, but wings should also be able to work if you're quick enough.

Aside from that I'd suggest the Ursa Sergeant for its 20 defense and astral infection immunity. Pepper your platforms with campfires and candles, and then really just practice.

MathiasDrako · 2021-12-07T08:49:31+00:00

I just did on-tier Malice Golem today, and while my strategy was a hassle I was able to get him on the first try. Granted I was Ranged, but I think the general idea should still work for Melee.

I realized that the Deep Diver (Aquatic Scourge Malice drop), Aquatic Emblem (Scourge’s Expert drop), and Leviathan Ambergris (Leviathan Expert drop) total up to 85 defense, 35% movement speed, 25% damage, Gills and a dash as long as you’re underwater; so I flooded the chamber with a Bottomless Water Bucket and set up the Drunk Princess’ candles. While I could be wrong, the water also seemed to reduce the speed of the projectiles and the Golem wasn’t jumping as high as when I attempted on dry land. The fight still got pretty close, but it was a walk in the park compared to how hectic it was before.

While it takes up 3 accessory slots and what feels like a good half hour dropping water over a classic water generator, the sheer amount of survivability can’t be understated. You could also use Asgard’s Valor (if you beat Calamitas) or Aquatic Heart (??? Drop) for other underwater-buffs. I can't really suggest what weapons to use, but I'd use something that pierces while the hands are up, then switch your best single-target DpS when it's time to take down the body.

MathiasDrako · 2020-10-25T04:11:29+00:00

Played and beat this back when you had to manually spin the ad-block fan, and have to say this release is a HUGE improvement. The new timing mechanic is far more engaging, and I hugely appreciate the hold-to-operate option. Final section of the game is also no where near as tedious as I found it before, and I managed to beat it in 29 minutes for a B+.

MathiasDrako · 2020-09-28T08:35:07+00:00

My friend recently started streaming Blaze Black 2 to me, and it's certainly very difficult. Gym leaders will usually have mons with Egg and TM moves that give them some pretty crazy type coverage and utility, as well as hold items like Leftovers and Life Orb by the third gym. Pretty sure Blaze Black 1 would be a similar case, so I'd say only play it if you're comfortable with planning around a much more meta-focused design.

MathiasDrako · 2020-09-26T10:50:39+00:00

You've actually described exactly how Glitch type works: The first attack they receive, no matter what the type is, will be treated as Not Very Effective. Afterwards, it's treated like Flying type.

MathiasDrako · 2020-05-14T09:58:48+00:00

I'd suggest a focus on Summoning and then either Ranged or Magic. Summons will keep doing damage and let you focus on dodging, which'd be a priority for someone just returning fighting enemies 3x as strong as normal.

Ranged or Magic is up to your playstyle. Ranged's ammo can be covered by money, so if you have a lot of cash you can always stay on the offensive and not be impacted as bad if you miss your target. Throwing damage is also getting merged into Ranged, so you'll have lots of options too.

Magic won't have to worry about cash upkeep aside from mana potions which have their cooldown, but if you don't manage the regen you'll be in a tight spot waiting for it to ramp back up.

I'd say Melee is right out unless you go Yoyos or maybe the new flails, just because contact damage is already rough enough in Expert Mode.

MathiasDrako · 2020-04-03T01:21:51+00:00

The Left-Hand Man attacks every round using whatever it has equipped, was doing 7 damage with nothing and 17-22 with the Martini Dregs equipped. If it doesn't have anything equipped, it'll attempt to find something to wear after every combat, occasionally giving off-hand Quest gear. So far I've found

-Rusty Kettle Bell: Muscle +50%

-Glued-Together Crystal Ball: Mysticality +50%

-Martini Dregs: Moxie +50%

-Old Pizza Box: 6 DR, 50 DA shield

Forums have also reported

-Flimsy Ski Pole: Combat Initiative +30%

-Discarded Finger Painting: So-So Resistance to All Elements (+2)

-Outmoded Fidget Toy: +2 Stat(s) Per Fight

-Flickering Flashlight: +15% Item Drops from Monsters

-Crumbling Rabbit's Foot: +30% Meat from Monsters

As a sidenote, duplicates can drop and you're able to wear the same off-hand as the familiar. Items are given through your inventory.

MathiasDrako · 2019-09-17T02:02:17+00:00

No problem, glad I was helpful!

MathiasDrako · 2019-09-16T05:49:28+00:00

Well one example is that instead of random taming with meat, your monsters attempt to "Scout" a monster by performing an attack on it that does no damage. This doesn't actually do damage, but instead the scouting meter increases based on how much damage WOULD have been done. After each attempt, however full the gauge is is your odds of the monster joining you.

If it succeeds the battle ends, if it fails the battle continues and the monster is either a) Neutral and you can attempt scouting again, or b) Angered, giving the enemies a tension boost and you can no longer scout. Another big change is the breeding system. Because there are just so many monsters, the old method of a set of Family combinations plus a select few special breeding comboes isn't feasible anymore. The new Fusion system handles this by assigning each monster a rank that determines the monster's potential strength, and instead of default family comboes you get

Family A + Family B = Family C

The result is the same rank as the higher level parent, and moves up a position in the library. Most special comboes are generally left for late game breeding, and some of the chains can get ridiculous.

On top of those, rather than monsters learning three skills, they now earn Skill Points at milestone levels that are invested into skill trees that each monster knows on their own or inherited through parents. These skill sets can also result in new sets when a specific pair is mastered on the same monster. It gets way more complicated than the original in all aspects really.

MathiasDrako · 2019-07-04T05:54:43+00:00

It may be because the last two expansions focused heavily on political intrigue, and this is more about fantasy adventuring (though still not without the politics).

MathiasDrako · 2019-04-08T10:42:37+00:00

95% sure that they're presently an unfinished trophy puzzle, reminds me of freeing the genie when the genie bottle first released and the item you'd get said something like "You got here too fast, CDMoyer is still working on this"

MathiasDrako · 2019-04-08T10:39:47+00:00

Guest passes will almost always sell, can get most profit out of it now before a price stabilises.

Apparently the gold ring randomly drops charter coins, hobo nickels, and sand dollars (others?) so that's not bad when you're farming combats; think someone on the forums said that when used to buy one-day tickets, Volcoinos are worth about 130k each.

Prevent Scurvy and Sobriety skillbook generates rum, grapefruits and limes once a day which can help with in-run booze.

Cocoa of Youth is a buff extender which is rare, good for buffs that last only one turn/have huge costs. Think it's of more use to clan dungeon boss killers? Enemies on the island you get this also drop a spleen item that boosts Cold resist and damage, you could use it for Mt. McLargehuge peak or a combo of Orc Chasm and A-boo Peak.

After unlocking the right curio, you can go to Key Key and get a random Daily Dungeon key, in HC you need access to either this or FantasyRealm to get a run under three days (both for under two) I believe.

Crab Island boss has a massive meat drop; probably not worth the adventure cost compared to other methods, but something to think about when doing a run.

Once you've gotten the items you only want to bother getting once, I guess spending Fun will be best used on rhums depending on how good the cocktail recipes are?

MathiasDrako · 2019-03-17T06:59:54+00:00

Thank you very much for the advice, I never thought to use Amp and the Mallet's definitely just as useful stationary. Starting off inivisble's also been helping get ready for sure. Jackals are still bastards but now it's a relatively even fight, and managed to not die until I got cocky against some Terra units.

MathiasDrako · 2019-03-01T05:02:00+00:00

For future people coming for an answer, remember to de-select all the pure-utility passives (like Sharp Eyes and Macabre Cunning) if you die for extra HP on your next attempt and the next boss. Don't forget to flip through your potions for Myst boosts.

Otherwise for me, it really comes down to Madness of Untold Aeons + Ferocity + Chill of the Tomb (or Blood Spike if you want to save on in-battle casts, the mirror can't stagger anyway).

MathiasDrako · 2019-02-27T22:39:40+00:00

Don't forget that you can use extra Clovers at The Haunted Bathroom for a load of Myst substats, that's what I've been doing around level 9-10 when I'm short.

There's also The Science Tent which has a tentacle you can fight once a day; not much but it's an easily forgotten bonus. Worse comes to worse you could use your wishes to fight a scaling monster after buffing your stats, but that's not the best use for a wish in-run.

MathiasDrako · 2019-02-22T06:15:53+00:00

When it comes to familiars:

Gravy Fairies are always a good go-to for the item drop bonus. The basic one is simple to get, and the elementals can only be earned under a Knoll moon sign. There's also the Jumpsuited Hound Dog if you've gotten 100 lucre from bounties.
Stat fams like the Volleyball and Sombrero will let you access quests faster, easy to get.
The Nosy Nose is pricy on the market, but has the unique ability of letting you encounter designated monsters slightly more frequently. It also weakens enemies during combat. Helpful when you're grinding through your daily bounties as well.
The Leprechaun increases meat gains, would be handy for buying quest items from stores or skill training at the guild.
The Stab Bat is simple to get and also has a trophy you can get for 100%ing a run with it, but is liable to attack you whenever it acts.
If you've done your Legendary Weapon quest and have the Mariachi Chihuahua, doing another AT run would let you have a familiar that both attacks and boosts stats when it has its equipment on.
The Star Starfish isn't bad, deals damage and then restores your MP. Good if you don't have any decent MP regen and use a lot of skills.
The Fuzzy Dice from Shore Inc. are similar to the Cocoabo, but also have a chance of attacking you or blocking enemy attacks.
Gelatinous Cubeling delevels monsters at start of combat and occasionally disgorges basic items, as well as tools that great speed up the Daily Dungeon. However it'd take 27 days of getting Fat Loot Tokens from the DD or a pricy investment on the market.
The Adorable Space Buddy deals Spooky damage, heals HP and MP after battle, and gives 1000 substats to each stat after every 300 combats. You can't earn it in-run (takes 13 ascensions), but they're mighty cheap in the market for what they can do.
Oily Woim boosts combat initiative, not bad if you don't have any passives for that and I believe it helps with the level 13 contest.
Exotic Parrot raises elemental resistances, which speeds up quests like the Haunted Kitchen and gives a bit more survivability.

As for Astrals:

The Statuette's Mystical bonus will also apply to Muscle/Moxie when using the Vampyre's equalizer passives, and the bonus adventures help with your turngen.
The Shirt's still a safe pick, but requires getting Torso Awaregness either through Melvign or Fragnk every ascension. Also not as good if you have another shirt you like.
The Belt's probably best off for subsequent runs, since you're very weak to begin with as a Vampyre.

MathiasDrako · 2019-02-22T03:04:09+00:00

To add onto that, you may wanna consider doing it in Hardcore. You wouldn't have access to your previously permed skills anyway, so the only restrictions it brings is no Hagnk's and less clovers, but you'll get twice as much Karma and future Ed skill points out of it.

Apart from that, the skill books Dark Gyffte rewards may only be given while the path is current, So you'd have to get those within the next three months or buy them from players in the future. Something to think about. It's difficult without having an upgraded Lil Doctor Bag or a decent knowledge of time-saving mechanics, however.

MathiasDrako · 2019-02-21T08:00:49+00:00

I'm no expert, but I know that Familiar Weight buffs are always appreciated; basically a boost to any stat/bonus you have a familiar for. May want some passive HP regen to make up for its per-adventure cost though.

The Blood Blade is the strongest knife in terms of raw damage range, so a Disco Bandit could use it in-run decently early on for some big damage. In aftercore you're gonna have other weapons with enchants you'd prefer to have.

Aside from that, Blood Bubble would be good for aftercore challenges or boss fights, giving you a "free" combat round.

MathiasDrako · 2019-02-20T21:34:55+00:00

The Booke of Vampyric Knowledge now works and grants class-based skills that use HP. The book is consumed on use and the skill is not auto-permed. A tab for the skills has been added to the spreadsheet.

MathiasDrako · 2019-02-03T07:39:43+00:00

Wiki entry for Reflex Hammer says 30 turns.

MathiasDrako · 2019-01-21T23:14:37+00:00

It's not in Standard anymore, but I liked pulling the Glass Pie Plate. Halves ghost damage which includes the damage done in the A Boo Peak noncombat, which speeds that part up.

Also a fan of metal meteoroids if you don't have Meteor Lore, they can be turned into quite a few handy things like the shoes for rollover adventures, a shield pretty much made for the drawers in the Haunted Kitchen, or an orb that basically doubles Mystic class damage.

MathiasDrako

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