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Foreword: This article features Deserted Town, Ra Canyon & Seth's Pyramid
Links*:
Once a new revamp article is published, the links to similar articles will be featured here.
Xenia 1 (Xenia Border - Wyrm's Maw)
Xenia 2 (Altar of Judgement - Fortress of Ascension)
Alcubra 1 (Goblin Work Site - Sands of Illusion)
Archimedia 1 (Hammer's Reach - Relics of Kounat)
Archimedia 2 (Zeruel Border - Kounat's Collapse)
Once again,
1) I will liberally use made-up names for some of their attacks if I have to, and make them as easy to visually recall as possible.
2) I'm using my Lv85 Lire for damage-soaking experiments, thanks to her supposedly neutral balance of stats across the board especially in defense (Elesis would return false results because of her innately very high defense).
3) I will assess monsters by their Threat (Reactions) and Offensive (General attack strength) levels. it can be anywhere from levels ↓↓↓ to ↑↑↑ to • (indicates null change/neutral).
4) Telegraphing is the action taken to indicate attacks., from the new indicative red lines to magical glyphs where the attack projects itself, or simply body language from the monster.
So are we cool? Let's go~ (*゜▽゜ノノ゛☆
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Deserted Town
(Threat Level: ↓) (Offensive Power: ↑↑)
Retains both its attacks, but is much easier to kill thanks to low health. His arrows remain deadly from both types of attacks so be sure not to blindly charge against him, especially when he's off-screen.
(Threat Level: •) (Offensive Power: •)
This fellow is worst than the Fanatic Bomb Soldier. Quick on his feet be it for running or jumping he makes you chase him as he plants mines freely.
(Threat Level: ↓↓) (Offensive Power: ↑)
They are very slow to move, but high on damage and hitstun. To prevent them from cornering you with their tornado attacks, keeping close helps, as it forces them to resort to melee instead.
Boss:
(Threat Level: ↓) (Offensive Power: ↑↑)
Tactical Solutions:
With a good roll on luck, a high critical damage trigger from the fire arrow fired at the bunker can OHKO Khufu or at least cripple him. Besides that, normal attacks are more viable now that the shield busting gimmick and regeneration time has become lenient on players. Khufu should still be taken seriously for his attacks will still deal massive damage per blow. If Khufu uses his "Danger" move, quickly get to the walls where your safety can be assured, unless you're a master at dodging those explosions. Also avoid any other action while at the walls, because they may stretch the hitbox of your sprite while doing so.
(Threat Level: ↓↓) (Offensive Power: ↑)
Scorpings make their reappearance as eggs initally, bursting out in their scorpion form if players do not destroy the eggs by a period of time. Due to the changes in their health, they are very much easier to kill than before.
(Threat Level: ↑) (Offensive Power: ↑)
Hounds attack with sword combos and are pretty fast as well. Their damage is cumulative, if allowed to combo attack you.
Tactical Solutions:
He is slow but sturdy for a Mini-boss. While not especially cunning he attacks swifty, ensuring you get caught in his combos entirely if you're not careful. Of note, keep moving when fighting him. His special attack divides himself into separate ninja stars which all can deal one instance of damage when they diverge out and converge back in, making it two waves of attacks. If melee fails you tactically, use the Heliglyph's mobility and power to take him down.
Boss:
(Threat Level: ↓↓) (Offensive Power: ↑↑)
Tactical Solutions:
Depending on your damage you can deal, you will have to break down Carte's shield twice or thrice in a normal battle - Normally, because burst damage can overcome that situation by bringing his HP below the threshold where he summons them again (about every 4x HP lost), which at the same time reduces the number of times you have to go through the shield breaking process. It shouldn't be an issue as well since there are 4 Heliglyphs available and their bombs recharge faster than bunkers. Carte is also usually vulnerable to attack until he decides to go wild with his spear swinging frenzy, that which no melee character can safely approach him unless aided by Hyper Armor or invincibility. Simply wait him out if you must.
Additional Note:
In the 3rd stage where the sandstorm "Death"trap is present, make sure the storm fully dissipates on each end before moving off. The slightest contact of its storm sprite will instantly kill you and ruin the run (Because you only have one life).
(Threat Level: ↓↓) (Offensive Power: ↑)
The Amazone is less of a threat now that its counter response is decreased. It ends up running around too much, even jumping around, and less on attacking you unless you're straight in his (her?!) sights.
Rule of Thumb - If you aren't ready to attack, stay out of the proximity within his barrier, nowhere near it, nada. Barakhufu is invincible as long as the Balefires are at rest, and the stage setup is designed to deter camping at those said artifacts. Also remember, Barakhufu tends to levitate slightly above your character or generally above you. Because he may also teleport around at any time to do this, choose and time for the right skills to hit him with. Burst damage is excellent because you don't always have a large uninterrupted window of time while trying to bait him as well, and at the same time, working on two Balefires.
Additional Note(s):
If you're not up snuff in dealing with Barakhufu alone, the Treasure of Osiris is very effective in punishing anything with it's charged beam cannon. Its cumbersome movement can be very difficult to control especially when in use against Barakhufu, but rewarding if the full force of its attack is delivered.
Supposedly if you forgot to bring the initial Treasure with you, there is another one waiting at the end of a nasty trap room (like a jump stage, only more dangerous to traverse) if you head upwards at a stage junction. Effectively you can also commandeer two Treasures as a team to increase your show of force.
Regulars:
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| Sword Bandit |
(Threat Level: ↓↓↓) (Offensive Power: ↑)
Used to be a heavy counter attacker, but toned down a lot. Like most other melee enemies, they just run after you to attack with their simple assaults.
- They no longer use their spinning attack. That used to hurt.
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| Crossbow Bandit |
Retains both its attacks, but is much easier to kill thanks to low health. His arrows remain deadly from both types of attacks so be sure not to blindly charge against him, especially when he's off-screen.
- The ones manning the bunkers are equally deadly in strength if not in threat. They have reduced shoot frequency unlike before.
- Occasionally uses the fire arrow. Explosive and highly damaging.
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| Mine Bandit |
This fellow is worst than the Fanatic Bomb Soldier. Quick on his feet be it for running or jumping he makes you chase him as he plants mines freely.
- No longer uses the slowing mine. And mine life is shorter than before.
- It enters Super Armor while laying a mine so you can't stop him, melee attackers should beware not to stray too close as that same mine will easily detonate near you.
- The bomb he leaves behind upon death is advantageous but tricky to use, especially for melee characters. It can instantly kill any other enemy if it explodes on them (for 100000dmg!), but requires you to either wait it out or strike it yourself. The slight risk is of course, injuring yourself from the explosion if you did it too close.
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| Axe Bandit |
They are very slow to move, but high on damage and hitstun. To prevent them from cornering you with their tornado attacks, keeping close helps, as it forces them to resort to melee instead.
- If you get caught in his tornado attack, attempt to move away as you fly. You can get repeatedly struck by it if you just fall back straight down, at least twice or more.
Boss:
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| Khufu |
Khufu may also have been reduced by his threat level but all his attacks remain brutally strong. The fight itself is no longer as gimmicky and tedious as before, so players should have an easier time on average just taking him out with some patience.
- Its stinger attack is no longer used, and thus removes its long ranged threat.
- For whatever reason, Khufu's shield is
notnow visible and the "Miss" indicators tell you so. One fire arrow from the bunker is enough to tear his defenses down now. And takes approximately 30 seconds to regenerate.
Tactical Solutions:
With a good roll on luck, a high critical damage trigger from the fire arrow fired at the bunker can OHKO Khufu or at least cripple him. Besides that, normal attacks are more viable now that the shield busting gimmick and regeneration time has become lenient on players. Khufu should still be taken seriously for his attacks will still deal massive damage per blow. If Khufu uses his "Danger" move, quickly get to the walls where your safety can be assured, unless you're a master at dodging those explosions. Also avoid any other action while at the walls, because they may stretch the hitbox of your sprite while doing so.
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| Scorping |
Scorpings make their reappearance as eggs initally, bursting out in their scorpion form if players do not destroy the eggs by a period of time. Due to the changes in their health, they are very much easier to kill than before.
- The frequency in which eggs spawn has been heavy reduced. It is now an infrequent occurrence, and as mentioned, poses very little threat. Not to mention the bunker is highly effective in wiping them out too, even if they hatched.
- Unlike their Sands of Illusion counterparts, they will use their Earth Spike here. The damage is heaviest if you take the hit from the stinger, not the rocks that come out after.
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Ra Canyon
Regulars:
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| Hooded Hound |
Hounds attack with sword combos and are pretty fast as well. Their damage is cumulative, if allowed to combo attack you.
- Hounds respond to attack quickly, keeping combos short can help you circumvent their counters.
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| Hooded Jackal |
(Threat Level: ↑) (Offensive Power: ↑)
Jackals race across the ground to attack, using their claws in close range combos and attacking with stuns. They do not have high attack power per blow, but the combos make them significant if allowed to happen.
(Threat Level: ↓↓) (Offensive Power: ↓)
Crows only appear in the air and are invulnerable to regular offense methods. Only the Heliglyph must be boarded to shoot them down. Fortunately, the seasonal changes have made them easier to kill than before.
Mini-Boss:
Jackals race across the ground to attack, using their claws in close range combos and attacking with stuns. They do not have high attack power per blow, but the combos make them significant if allowed to happen.
- While not particularly dangerous, Jackals and their long combos can keep you locked while their allies continue a chain. If you're unlucky, that could be troublesome to get out of.
- The Bunker Jackals are less dangerous than the Crossbow Bandits in Deserted Town, but they fire more frequently to the point of halting your advance.
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| Hooded Crow |
Crows only appear in the air and are invulnerable to regular offense methods. Only the Heliglyph must be boarded to shoot them down. Fortunately, the seasonal changes have made them easier to kill than before.
- They attack less frequently and are lesser in numbers in the stages they appear in. Usually just 4-5 of them.
Mini-Boss:
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| Hooded Scorpion |
(Threat Level: ↓) (Offensive Power: ↓)
He is slow but sturdy for a Mini-boss. While not especially cunning he attacks swifty, ensuring you get caught in his combos entirely if you're not careful.
He is slow but sturdy for a Mini-boss. While not especially cunning he attacks swifty, ensuring you get caught in his combos entirely if you're not careful.
- Beware of his shuriken attack. They are swift to separate from the Scorpion but also quick to merge themselves back from the Scorpion.
- The Heliglyph is effective as a weapon against him ^ But too slow to evade the above mentioned attack.
Tactical Solutions:
He is slow but sturdy for a Mini-boss. While not especially cunning he attacks swifty, ensuring you get caught in his combos entirely if you're not careful. Of note, keep moving when fighting him. His special attack divides himself into separate ninja stars which all can deal one instance of damage when they diverge out and converge back in, making it two waves of attacks. If melee fails you tactically, use the Heliglyph's mobility and power to take him down.
Boss:
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| Carte |
Carte is less aggressive than before but by no means is he a pushover. Still retaining his speed, Carte is one of those more mobile bosses that can keep you running. Not so strong on the magical side, his physical spear attacks are deadlier and makes up for most of the damage he can deal.
- Strictly speaking, every time Carte loses 4x HP, he will stop all action to cast his shields. This is cannot be bypassed even if you were to use a rapid multi-hit skill on him. So the only viable option of critically damaging him beyond his threshold is by burst damage.
- His shielded state is now completely visible after patching, similar to Khufu's previous issue.
- Carte no longer uses the Prime Knight's - Birth of Blades skill replicate, thus it diminishes the threat of constant danger from his flying spear coming from multiple vectors.
- Below 50% HP threshold, he may use a skill that summons 3 tornados (similar to Saviour's Annihilate) to hunt you, beware as they can do serious damage if you keep running into them.
Tactical Solutions:
Depending on your damage you can deal, you will have to break down Carte's shield twice or thrice in a normal battle - Normally, because burst damage can overcome that situation by bringing his HP below the threshold where he summons them again (about every 4x HP lost), which at the same time reduces the number of times you have to go through the shield breaking process. It shouldn't be an issue as well since there are 4 Heliglyphs available and their bombs recharge faster than bunkers. Carte is also usually vulnerable to attack until he decides to go wild with his spear swinging frenzy, that which no melee character can safely approach him unless aided by Hyper Armor or invincibility. Simply wait him out if you must.
Additional Note:
In the 3rd stage where the sandstorm "Death"trap is present, make sure the storm fully dissipates on each end before moving off. The slightest contact of its storm sprite will instantly kill you and ruin the run (Because you only have one life).
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Seth's Pyramid
Regulars:
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| Seth's Warlock |
(Threat Level: ↑↑↑) (Offensive Power: ↓↓)
Also known as "Demonic Mage" in game, their goal is not to attack you but to be a nuisance to your advance. They can conjurer a slowing pool or green gas/liquid and are very fond of re-creating Mummies from dead allies.
- Warlocks retreat into a coffin upon death and will come back to life as a Mummy (once, the coffin then disappears instead) if the coffin is not destroyed within a time.
- If Balefire artifacts are present, the Warlocks are usually invulnerable until the Balefires are activated.
- It may be wise to simply wait till the Balefires are charged and your MP stocked to quickly kill them with skills.
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| Seth's Mummy |
(Threat Level: ↑↑) (Offensive Power: ↓)
The Mummy is more of an iron wall nuisance than a danger. Not only does it boast oddly high HP, the green insects that he spews will slowly diminish your MP if allowed to hover around you, and they take about 3 hits to kill off. The only attack it does is to smack with you both hands raised; that or try to blind your vision temporarily with their stinking breath, however that works.
- In the case of Seth's Pyramid, the coffins that spawn them can really add to this nuisance. It is wise to quickly destroy them and remove these iron walls from growing in numbers.
- In the room where Balefires are introduced, it may be wise to wait for the Balefires to fully charge so that you can engage the 2 Warlocks instantly, as they will quickly re-create Mummies from any available corpses around.
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| Seth's Amazone |
The Amazone is less of a threat now that its counter response is decreased. It ends up running around too much, even jumping around, and less on attacking you unless you're straight in his (her?!) sights.
- The attack it only uses is similar to the Hooded Scorpion's main melee attack, only a little slower in attack speed.
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| Anubis |
(Threat Level: ↑) (Offensive Power: ↑↑)
Anubis have high attack power with a crippling attack (as in movement crippling). However, since they telegraph their attacks really slowly, evading them shouldn't be a problem at all.
Boss:
(Threat Level: ↑↑↑) (Offensive Power: ↑↑↑)
Anubis have high attack power with a crippling attack (as in movement crippling). However, since they telegraph their attacks really slowly, evading them shouldn't be a problem at all.
- The crippling attack slows your default walking to a miserable crawl. All other actions like jumping and dashing remain unaffected. Strange status affliction though.
Boss:
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| Immortal Barakhufu |
While he is somewhat predictable thanks to his obvious telegraphy before attacking, under no circumstance should you underestimate Barakhufu's cunning. He has the ability to immobilize you and it is not a stun you can break free of, but only to wait it out. And in the meantime he will do many wonderful things to you.
Tactical Solutions:- Barakhufu's attacks can come rather quickly and suddenly. Avoid idling in one spot for too long, even if its just waiting for the Balefires to charge.
- The barrier around Barakhufu is non-obstructive but sometimes it can mysteriously displace and obstruct you. While it is not offensive in nature, it is an indicator, sort of a danger zone where Barakhufu will attack.
- The immobilization spell will strike anyone within the radius of the entire barrier. If you're unlucky, he can craftily lay two attacks on you which can mean serious trouble if you're not a well-fortified character.
- His last spell is a life-stealing vortex that appears anywhere on the stage. If it appears or starts acting off-screen, rush to it and attack the vortex to stop its effects, otherwise at the end of the spell Barakhufu is completely healed and you are back to square one.
- If he summons his Anubis lackeys to assist, try to focus on bringing them down first. Barakhufu is best engaged uninterrupted because of so many gimmicks you have to perform just to hurt him.
Rule of Thumb - If you aren't ready to attack, stay out of the proximity within his barrier, nowhere near it, nada. Barakhufu is invincible as long as the Balefires are at rest, and the stage setup is designed to deter camping at those said artifacts. Also remember, Barakhufu tends to levitate slightly above your character or generally above you. Because he may also teleport around at any time to do this, choose and time for the right skills to hit him with. Burst damage is excellent because you don't always have a large uninterrupted window of time while trying to bait him as well, and at the same time, working on two Balefires.
Additional Note(s):
If you're not up snuff in dealing with Barakhufu alone, the Treasure of Osiris is very effective in punishing anything with it's charged beam cannon. Its cumbersome movement can be very difficult to control especially when in use against Barakhufu, but rewarding if the full force of its attack is delivered.
Supposedly if you forgot to bring the initial Treasure with you, there is another one waiting at the end of a nasty trap room (like a jump stage, only more dangerous to traverse) if you head upwards at a stage junction. Effectively you can also commandeer two Treasures as a team to increase your show of force.
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