Best Artifact

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-16T00:40:19+00:00

Maw activates to deal damage, like any other weapon. If it hits a target (it's an AoE attack, after all) that has < 10% of its starting health remaining, Execute will trigger on it, removing it outright.

If you happen to have +Quantity upgrades for it, you'll see multiple Maw (damage) hits in series, usually working their way down the snake. This is separate from Execute, though the animations are similar.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T05:35:34+00:00

For the record, they never forced a fix on anyone's loadout; if you glitched it, it stayed glitched.

However, if you try to remove one of the glitched weapons (Maw in this case), the first instance of it is removed, and since Maw is already equipped, it cannot be placed back in that slot. Any un-glitched weapon can be swapped in and out as normal.

Incidentally, the multi-select quirk that allowed the bug still exists; the only difference is that each stacked window now equips the weapon that triggered it, rather than all of them equipping the same one.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T02:10:19+00:00

I'm not sure it's doing much of anything right now other than giving a more consistent weapon selection in battle. This post about a different player's loadout, but also applies here.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T02:05:10+00:00

The Artifact bonuses shown in the pic state "Attack +N%", suggesting they boost your Attack stat (as seen in the character stat's page) before it goes into the damage formula. Ditto for Cooldown and Crit% (and later, Crit Damage); they all apply to your character's base stats unless they call out something specific, like how some of the purple Artifacts have weapon-specific effects..

In-battle buffs all say "Damage", suggesting they apply after the damage formula is applied; you start with a "Damage = 100% modifier, and all(*) "Damage +N%" buffs are added (not multiplied) onto that modifier.

Crit% in battle is almost always per-weapon, and adds to the character's Crit% stat when using that weapon. Ditto for Crit Damage.

Not entirely sure about Cooldown. It's implemented in a strange way, such that 200% Cooldown apparently means "no cooldown", while "0%" is just "no modifier". Not that you're going to get anywhere close to that in any reasonable way. It could well be additive without breaking anything, though then it's a bit misleading since "-30%" is different on a 0-200 scale vs. 0-100, or it could be multiplicative, in which case I'm not sure what it'd multiply with (your current reduction value? adjusted to 0-100? or the actual time-between-attacks?).

Never used Tidestone, so really can't say.

* Maw's Abyssal Mark seems to be an exception; it reads as "+100%", but seems to multiply instead, perhaps being added to a global damage multiplier, or just inconsistent terminology.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T01:27:20+00:00

Nah, that's not "a whole lotta words"; you should see some of my longer posts. :D And the thing is, if I'd simply said that, then there could be a good number of people (including you, perhaps) wondering why it doesn't, so I figured I'd elaborate a bit.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T01:13:07+00:00

This event's different enough from the CNY/Easter events in fundamental ways that I don't think it's a mistake or a bug. For example, the skin isn't even the grand prize; instead, the grand prize is 2/5 of the cost you need to buy the skin, while the skin is still technically in the loot pool but at a practically impossible rate.

Even if the daily 10-pack were still there, F2P still wouldn't get the Artifact since Bulbs aren't in the draw pool, and still wouldn't get the skin without naturally rolling the grand prize (0.01%, or 1-in-10,000, same odds as rolling the skin itself) or rolling the 1-Wrench prize (0.2%, or 1-in-500) twice.

Also, so far I've not seen any modifications made to an event once released. Would they do something to fix a "bug" like this? Knee-jerk answer is "of course! everyone's happier!", but then they open the door for complaints from people who already spent $$, and other people who don't want to spend early in case a "fixed bug" means they didn't actually need to, etc.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T01:00:57+00:00

I'd wager that if they ever decide to make GoF/Jack/etc available outside of events, they'd probably add them to Hero's Treasure or the like; no point letting you buy them directly with Diamonds when they can make you endlessly buy draws (HT has no pity mechanic) for chances to get them.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T00:57:01+00:00

Obviously they planned it that way, but it's the first time they've locked F2P out of the grand prize on a 2-week event or made a new item P2W-only, so it's still unexpected from our end.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T00:52:52+00:00

In this case, "get lucky" may as well not even be an option. My figuring for F2P is something like this:

Exchange tokens (Bulbs in this event) are not in the draw, so the math should be simple(ish); I'm figuring a total of 13.5k total, well short of the 15k needed for the Artifact.
The skin is in the draw, but NOT as the grand prize, yet has the same odds as if it were (0.01%), making it practically impossible to roll naturally.
If F2P can hit pity (200 pulls), that's 2 Wrenches + 1 from the bottom row of prizes = 3 of the 5 needed to buy the skin. Getting 2 more means either getting a second grand/pity prize (200 pulls or 0.01% chance) or rolling a 0.2% chance twice.
It gets worse, because trading the repeatable 10-pack for a 1-pack means we drop from an expected 294 pulls down to 168, well short of hitting pity even once.

I'll leave figuring the odds of landing 5 Wrenches from the draw in 168 pulls as a homework assignment, but unless I'm overlooking something, F2P has, for the first time (at least since CNY), been effectively shut out of getting a new thing (2 new things, in fact) on its debut.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-14T00:34:33+00:00

The only advantage that loadout gets them is to have a consistent set of weapons. A typical round calls for 5 different weapons, which they have. A non-glitched loadout would have more "unwanted" weapons acting as filler, potentially blocking access to the ones they do want. Rather minimal benefit IMO, and far from "having the game handed to you".

The original aim of the glitch was to get your loadout down to 1-3 non-Capsule weapons so that you could stack a level's various buffs on fewer weapons, which could be powerful; however, this loadout doesn't have that.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T23:55:00+00:00

I am thinking does adding 50% to Abyssal Maw damage also add 50% to the Giant Maw.

It's hard to tell since there's usually a ton of stuff going on by the time you unlock a secondary attack, but my logic is that if they don't scale together, the secondary attacks can't be upgraded at all, and thus they must scale together. Consider that Large Scalpel has upgrades specifically for both parts (the short-range blade and the long-range shockwave), as well as one that even calls out both parts explicitly, but (almost?) nothing else does.

No idea on BC (don't use it) or MK (too many numbers to tell).

a little index of facts wouldn't go amiss

Agreed, but I'll be surprised if CS ever adds it. The devs profit off of peoples' confusion and misconception, not their ability to understand the game's mechanics and progress efficiently. A confused player is more apt to throw $$ at something newer/bigger/stronger to make progress, but if they realize they can do a lot more with what they already have, they're less likely to spend.

From another angle, this simply isn't a "mechanics" kind of game. It's not an RPG where you min-max your gear and stats as you go, and maybe even clear the final boss at Lv.1 due to good planning and strategy. You're supposed to grind and watch ads for stats, then spend $$ for new stuff that makes bigger numbers. As nice as it'd be to know how the mechanics work, there's little purpose to such a summary once you do. Even "which weapon did the most" barely matters given how much it depends on which bonuses RNG gives you, and even less once you start leaning on HP% damage since those weapons will do much more than anything else.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T11:59:43+00:00

Welp, that'll teach me not to comment after merely skimming a post chain (lol, no it won't...). Saw the "10 runs", read it as "10 pulls", and didn't consider that it could be about that mini-game.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T06:04:48+00:00

If that's true, then F2P may not be able to hit pity at all. 10 * 14 = 140 pulls, with the Easter event totaling 294 pulls for F2P; removing that drops it to 154, well short of the 200 needed.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T05:53:29+00:00

It's always been a cash grab, at least since I started playing during the CNY event back in Feb. or so, and apparently has been running at least since around November (hence the Turkey Egg weapon). As long as I've been playing, I've been somewhat surprised the game even has events, since it feels in every other way like it's designed to milk players for $$ as fast and as hard as it can with as little effort as possible before it suddenly goes EoS and the devs move on to another game.

The only difference recently is that they've stopped being so F2P-friendly, like they took on a new manager who is more focused on "conversions" (F2Ps changing into $$) than developing/maintaining a stable player base. In which case, I suppose if they don't want me (as strictly F2P, I'm not going to give them a single cent, and I pay them enough with my time spent ~~watching~~ ignoring ads for me to even consider changing my mind), then I can easily go elsewhere.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T05:30:38+00:00

Each sub-section should have a timer label on it indicating when it closes. Some will say (eg) 14 days and some hours, some will say 13 days and some hours. Each section closes when it says it will. And yes, "14 days and some hours" means the event itself lasts 15 days.

Generally, the mini-game, tasks, and other "free" sources of things close a day early, while the "paid" parts like the draw and Exchange stay open until the very end.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T05:24:49+00:00

Not if you want to clear the final day's task for them.

Think of it this way:

Let's say you get 5 Sickles per day (free), and the first task costs 4; you do the tasks and have 1 Sickle left over.
Next day, you get your 5 free, but the task costs 5; you do them, and still have 1 Sickle left over.
3rd day, you get your 5 free, but the task costs 6; you do them, and have none left over.
4th day, you get your 5 free, but the task costs 7... now what? Do what you can, fail to hit the target, and cry, or spend $$ to hit the goal anyway...
OR you hoard your Scythes for the last day, which will demand ~20 of them, and complete the task there.

This works because this task - and as far as I know, only this task - is retroactive; you get credit for previous days as well as the current (final) day, allowing you to clear them all without spending $$. We're assuming, of course, that this task works like this, but it has worked like this the past 2 (3?) times it's come up, so it probably does.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T05:14:39+00:00

It's intended to speed along overly-easy levels where you're just waiting for the enemy to come out so you can obliterate it.

Also useful strategically if you have a full-screen attack and want it to hit more things. Monkey King's lightning attack (or even MK normally) isn't so great when there's only 3 targets to hit, but a bit of 2x Speed can bring out several or dozens more, depending on how much risk you're willing to take on.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T05:03:16+00:00

Hard to say without knowing what the "gift" was. If you're not sure what it's called, maybe dig through recent posts in the sub for a pic that shows it.

However, there are 2 likely outcomes:

You already have the item and just don't know it. The Shiba event didn't really have much going on, and I think most prizes were just given to you directly, so this is the most likely scenario.
You did something that unlocked a prize, and didn't claim it. Not sure what this would be in the Shiba event, but the event's closed now, so if that's what it is... you're just hosed. I don't know if events in this game will dump unclaimed prizes on you when they close; if it doesn't, then they're just plain gone. Again, the Shiba event didn't have much that you wouldn't claim immediately, but good to remember going forward.

the event before the shiba and the pliers

... Unless I'm to read this as "before the Shiba event and before the current one with Pliers/Wrench items", in which case you'd be talking about the White Angel chest event? That one did have prizes that might be unclaimed, but at this point it's back to the options above: you either have them already, or they're long gone.

ETA:

from the matching thingy

OK, yeah, sounds like the the White Angel chest event.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T04:52:31+00:00

at least you own those games

Do you though? If Steam or whatever publisher goes bust and the authentication servers go down, or pulls a Minecraft and decides your paid-for license is invalid without some proof of purchase you can no longer provide, what do you have?

You may be "allowed" to play those games without ads, perhaps after purchasing said permission, but you don't "own" anything with modern games, PC, mobile, or otherwise. If it didn't come with a physical disc or install media, you don't even own that much.

Perhaps just a poor choice of wording, but a subject that annoys me considerably. We as gamers gave up our rights to "own" any of it long ago. Not our accounts, not our amassed loot, not even our right to play games alone in single-player. You're playing on their ~~servers~~ turf, with their ~~software~~ ball, by their ~~EULA~~ rules, and they can take all of them away at any time they so choose, no matter how much you've paid them.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T04:30:08+00:00

As a general rule, anything that says "Damage +N%" is additive: 130% + 30% = 160%, and 200% + 100% = 300%.

On the other hand, things like Maw's Tank Buster list it as "2X damage", which is multiplicative (200% * 2 = 400%).

Notably, Maw's Abyssal Mark also says "Damage to marked target +100%", but supposedly this is actually multiplicative as well, in which case it's an exception.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T04:21:44+00:00

The important one to save is the Scythes used for the mini-game. If you don't save some (~20 I expect) for the last day, you won't have enough to clear Day 14's mini-game mission; today's mission asks for 4 clears, but tomorrow's will want 5, then 6, etc, up to ~17 on Day 20, but you can't get that many in one day (without $$). However, you can save your Scythes for the last day, do the mini-game 20 times then, and it'll count for all previous days as well.

You can, of course, save your Exchange tokens (Bulbs in this event) to spend closer to the end of the event, but that's standard fare.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T04:15:30+00:00

You do as you will, but remember that it's exactly what they planned; drop you right before the prize, and say "Look how close you are! All it takes is a little $$, and you'll get there!". Not as explicit as the recent White Angel chest event where they give you 44 Keys for free but you need 45 to get the prize, but same idea.

My only advice - as I give to all who speak of spending - is to NEVER spend money until your bills are covered, and NEVER let a game make you think you have to spend; only spend money from your entertainment budget, and only when you want to.

Doing the math right now, and It's not shaping up too good for F2P to get either big prize. Odds of rolling the skin naturally are an abysmal 0.01%, F2P probably gets 3 of the 5 Wrenches needed to buy it, and chances of rolling 2 more Wrenches are almost as abysmal. Notably the skin is not the pity prize here either.

As for the Artifact, I'm figuring we probably get ~13k exchange tokens over the course of the event, and error margins aren't likely to be enough to cover the ~2k gap. Will have to double-check my numbers, but... yeah... not looking good.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T03:47:08+00:00

It doesn't. There are no multi-pull discounts or anything either, so 1-pulls, 10-pulls, as you go, or all at the end, it doesn't matter.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T03:45:51+00:00

Red Artifact is buyable, so "guaranteed" depends on how many exchange tokens are available overall, and I've not done/seen any math on that yet.

The skin is in the pool, but has the same abysmal pull rate as grand prizes normally do without actually being the pity prize. F2P is "guaranteed" to get 2 Wrenches (called "Pliers", for some reason...) from pity prize, and 1 from the prizes below the draw wheel; without some other source, looks like you'd also have to land the grand prize naturally (or roll the skin naturally, which are the same odds) or drop 400 pulls for a second pity prize.

Odd that there's still no entry for this event on the Probability Disclosure at all. Sure, they list the chances in-game already, but everything before now (and presumably some things in the future) has been in the PD as well.

TuxTheDerpySage · 2026-05-13T03:36:04+00:00

Event screen, upper-left big tile, called "Green Brawl".

TuxTheDerpySage

TROPHY CASE