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  1. Boss Guide - Bolas [Updated]

    Sunday, 21 April 2013




    This is a comprehensive guide of the Bolas boss fight. Keep in mind that this guide is made purely through experience and observations and that I have no exact data/descriptions regarding boss attacks, defense, damage ranges, etc. I hope this guide helps players overcome this boss or, for those who already farm the boss, teaches you something that you had not known before.

    All data regarding Numbers are based off my own stats and observations. These numbers will most likely vary for yourself, but I will post my own stats to hopefully give you an idea of what to expect from the boss. I will attempt to post more concrete data once I experiment some more.

    Note: This guide will focus mainly on parties, for most people will be running with a party. This guide will also assume that the party you are running with consists of a Defender as I will be referring to some abilities. Plus I main a defender so tough luck. As you will see later in the guide, you can tank with any class.


    Boss Attacks

    Land Phase
    Dual Head Swipe: Bolas swipes his head twice toward his target, damaging any enemy hit.
    Damage: 750-850

    Charge: Bolas charges toward his target, damaging all enemies in front of him.
    Damage: 1800-1900

    Lunge (Unblockable): After charging for 1 second, Bolas lunges at his target, damaging all enemies in front of him.
    Damage: 1800-2100

    Back Leap: Bolas jumps backwards, damaging all enemies behind him. This attack is only used if his main target is behind him.
    Damage: 1100-1300

    Scream: Bolas breaths deeps, letting out a powerful scream after a short duration stunning all enemies within his range for 6 seconds. (Escape effects available) Aggro is reset.
    Damage: None

    Cone Flame Breath (Unblockable): Bolas fires a fiery blast in a cone towards his target. Any enemy caught within this blast is damaged and flinched. This attack leaves Bolas vulnerable to interruption.
    Damage: 2700-3100

    Cone Flame Breath (Unblockable) (40%): Bolas fires a fiery blast in a cone towards his target. Any enemy caught within this blast is damaged and flinched. This attack is no longer interruptable until his horn breaks.
    Damage: 2700-3100

    Flyback/Dive Combo (Unblockable): Bolas leaps backwards into the sky, pushing all enemies around him back rendering them unable to act for 2-3 seconds. Bolas will then dive toward his target, damaging all enemies hit.
    Damage:

    Fly: Bolas lifts his wings and begins to fly, pushing back all enemies around him, rendering them unable to act for ~2-3 seconds. (Escape effects Available) Phase 2 Begins.
    Tip: The pushback is blockable.
    Damage: None

    Air Phase
    Tornado (Unavoidable): Bolas seeks the closest target and conjures a mighty tornado, draining the HP and a 15% EP each second. Tornado persists for # seconds. Aggro is reset.
    Damage: 750

    Dive: Bolas dives toward his target, damaging any enemy within his path and knocking them back. Any enemies caught near his wings are pushed back, rendering them unable to act for ~2-3 seconds.
    Damage: 1800-2100

    Line Flame Breath (Unbloackable): Bolas charges a fiery blast, releasing it in a line in front of toward his target, damaging all enemies caught in its path.
    Damage: 4000

    Land: Bolas dives toward his target, damaging any enemy within his path and knocking them back. Any enemies caught near his wings are pushed back, rendering them unable to act for # seconds. Aggro is reset. Phase 2 begins.
    Damage: 1800-2100

    Land(40%): Bolas dives toward his target, damaging any enemy within his path and knocking them back. Any enemies caught near his wings are pushed back, rendering them unable to act for # seconds. Bolas injuries prevent him from landing properly, rendering him unable to act for # seconds. Aggro is reset. Phase 2 begins.
    Damage: 1800-2100


    Strategy


    The fight begins in phase 1. During this phase the boss will attack whoever generates the most aggro. During this phase, it is the defenders job to keep aggro on the boss by using aggro generating abilities along with any other damage he can get off and to keep the boss stable for his party members to DPS. Some of these abilities consists of threaten and shield slam. The boss will often use attacks like lunge and head swipe, repositioning the boss and sometimes the defender. The defender should attempt to reposition himself so that he is in the front of the boss again. If he does not, the boss will leap backwards, most likely damaging your entire party. At roughly 80%, Bolas will use his scream, fly, and begin phase 2.

    Note: There is a possibility that he will not fly and continue phase 1. For simplicity, I will assume Bolas flies.

    Phase 2: After a few seconds of flying, Bolas will lock onto the closest target and conjure a tornado. Bolas will then choose the closest target and begin his attack pattern. As far as I know, there are 2 main patterns to his attack.
    D=Dive, F=Flame, L=Land
    Pattern 1: D-F-D-D-L
    Pattern 2: F-D-D-F-L
    During any time after the 2nd attack in his pattern, Bolas can cast tornado again (on his main target), resetting his aggro, causing a switch in targets. On his 5th attack, Bolas will land, resetting his aggro. Phase 1 begins.

    Tip: Keep in mind where you defender is during this phase. In order for the defender to regain aggro on Bolas, he must be the closest target when Bolas lands. If possible, try to work with the defender to ensure that when Bolas does land, the defender is in position to pick up aggro.

    Phase 1: Similar to the start of the fight, Bolas will aggro the closest target to him. However, unlike before, Bolas will never switch targets unless he either flies or screams. During this phase, again, it is the defenders job to keep Bolas as stable as possible so that his party can freely DPS Bolas. However, it is also his job to interrupt Bolas come flame as well as regain aggro whenever Bolas decides to scream. Party members can make this easier on the defender by ensuring that they arent too close to the boss when he screams.

    Rinse and Repeat Phase 1 and 2 until 40%
    Phase 3: Once you reach 40%, Bolas will fly again. Repeat phase 2 until he begins his land phase. During this phase, everyone should focus their DPS on the Bolas head. There is a misconception that players should attempt to attack the horn at all times; however, I can verify through testing that his horn can only be broken after 40%. Any players who attempt to attack the horn before this point, with the exception of the tank, put themselves more vulnerable to his attacks.

    Phase 4 (Hone Break): Bolas is now vulnerable to attack. Any attacks to his head has a higher chance of flinching him. Bolas will also cast his cone breath more often, making it easier to flinch him. Repeat phases 1 and 2 until death.

    Phase 5: Loot your kebabs and sherbets

    Note: People often say that if you dont break the horn, Bolas does not have a chance of dropping crystals. Can anyone confirm this?


    Tips and Tricks


    1. If you are fast enough, you can block Bolas pushback effect when he flies. This does not apply to his dive attack
    2. Bolas point of origin is not his head, but rather near his neck. This means that his scream attack originates there rather than his head. When blocking this attack, people should aim near his neck instead of his head.
    3. The same applies for when his aggro resets. Example: if a player is near his head and another is near his neck after his scream, Bolas will aggro to the person near his neck. Keep this in mind when trying to draw aggro or trying not to draw aggro.

    I hope that this guide helps newer players who are struggling kill this boss. And even if you dont need help killing this boss, maybe you learned some things about Bolas that you had not known before.

    Please leave any comments or criticisms. Although this is my first guide, I hope to improve and possibly write more for old bosses, dungeons, or maybe new content once its released. Thanks for reading!

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:54 | 0 comments | |


  2. Updated (4/21/13)
    Basteroe (left side), The key to win this is to have them all gathered together in the pool of darkness. With this you can mob them all three together as you don't have to worry about target one first. Simply when everyone is using a skill they will reset their attack animation / skill animation. So hit them with everything you got.

    Weakpoint: pool of darkness

    Riviuete (right side), When he is pointing at you, you will receive a debuff called Point which means he will charge at you. When it is charging prepare to make a left or right dodge to avoid the attack.

    Fire nova is also another skill which is shown when he is charging it as a red circle on the ground. Defenders can block this with Bastion and the others has to be outside of the radius blast.

    However once you've taken down his health 1/3 he will drop swords that he has been pierced with. he will drop maximum 3 swords during the fight to help you out.

    Weakpoint: His own dropped swords (deals 6k dmg)


    Manelloth (Middle/final), darkness dot (aoe) will be set on one target. Whoever that has this debuff move away from the party and get hit by it and return to battle.

    Lightning strike is one of his main skill as you can block this or dodge it when he's shooting at you.

    Fire nova: This is blockable by all classes and it's probably the easiest skiill to avoid as it shows on the ground as red circles.

    Shield: This is recovering his health has to be taken down fast with maximum dps(use all your skills).

    Lightning ball/orb: Whoever it chases should back off from the boss and kite it around and let the party members dps the boss. This orb is aoe and deals up to 160 damage per hit. Combine this with the lightning strike and you'll be down in a few seconds.



    The trash mobs, make your way through them slowly 4 max at a time, target the wizard dudes and their skeletons die with them...

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    [more information]

    Bosses!!:

    Left Boss: This boss will summon adds from black pools on the ground! Target the adds UNLESS there is a black pool on the ground... Keep the boss in the black pool and damage him in it (if he's not in it, you'll only do like 1 dmg per attack)... There will always be a maximum of 2 adds out at a time... The tank should always try and keep the adds focused on him because they have fire bolts that are undodgable and he can block them.. But they should not stay up long because the dps should kill them fairly quickly!
    Once the boss reaches a certain amount of health fissures will begin spawning from the edges of the room and moving across it in a straight line DODGE THIS OR GET ROLLED!

    Right Boss: This boss does the same thing over and over. He'll charge at people all throughout the fight, a Cleric should be able to heal through the damage, but dodge it (while he's charging.. DODGE)... dps just stay on him and hit him when you can get close enough... He will always charge whoever is farthest away from him! I think this fight is quite easy... I also can't remember if he does a fire nova or not.

    Final Boss: He'll point at people, then cast lightning beam, dodge when he looks at you after he points!! And try not to have party members between you and the boss... This will happen constantly throughout the fight.

    He'll cast a fire nova, get away or block (if defender)!!!! You can tell he's casting it by red rings pulsing under him, he will do this through the fight.

    He puts a curse on random people throughout the fight, if you get it there will be a marker above your head... get AWAY from your party as it will explode and knock you and anyone else down dealing damage... This skill is unavoidable.. Just get back into the fight quickly once it explodes off you

    At 50% life the boss will begin to summon a lightning orb, it will target a random party member, that member must kite the orb around away from the group. it does 200~ damage per second it touches you.. it does move slower than you so kiting will be easy... Also when he gets low enough, he will summon 2 at a time..

    HIS SHIELD!! MOST IMPORTANT!!: Throughout the fight (and at start of it) he will gain a shield. While this shield is active your attacks will only do 5~ damage, and he will regenerate health... BEAT HIM INSANELY HARD, FULL DPS MODE when his shield is up! Kill the shield as fast as you can so he doesn't regenerate much life!!

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:50 | 0 comments | |


  3. The Best Raiderz Class


    Although I'm sure I will take some heat from saying this, there is in fact a best Raiderz class at the current point in the game. Although Raiderz does a pretty good job balancing classes for just entering open beta, there are some obvious discrepancies.

    1st Place: The Defender

    I'm sure a lot of people thought Sorcerer was going to go here. The truth is the heavy armor, high damage, and insane stuns as well as an inability to be caught make Defender the best class in Raiderz.

    In PvP Defenders are able to keep players knocked down or dazed while dishing out high damage. Although defender doesn't have the highest damage output, this is offset by the fact that all other classes wear weaker armor. If a Berserker and defender go toe to toe for example, Berserker will do more damage, but Defender has higher armor, as a result they end up equal in damage taken. The difference is Defenders can heal, block completely with shield, and stun/disable the Berserker to oblivion. This makes them near unstoppable in PvP, at most I see people forcing them to retreat, but virtually never killing them.

    Now I'm sure somebody would say at this point, that's just PvP! What about PvE?

    While soloing its almost impossible to die as a Defender. Although killing monsters takes slightly (and I mean slightly) longer than Berserkers and Sorcerers, Defenders have pretty much no down time. If they hybrid a point into revitalize in the cleric tree, they have literally no down time. This means that they can progress through quests/mobs faster than clerics with a huge amount more survivability than Sorc/Zerk.

    What about endgame?

    Endgame dungeons in Raiderz require a Defender to soak the damage and provide group damage reduction. Although they aren't really viable as damage dealers in a group, they are the only class that can really take the pain that some bosses dish out. Although a group can get by without them if all players are fully capable of dodging, Defenders speed up the run.

    2nd Place: Sorcerer

    In Raiderz Sorcerer deals more damage endgame than any other class. Berserkers are close but because of stamina issues and needing to run out of boss range are second. On top of being extremely powerful damage wise, Sorcerers are extremely difficult to catch because they are ranged making them a pain in PvP.

    The only reason Sorcerers aren't first is because they are easier to kill than Defender. Although they get to stand back safely at a range, they can be brought from full to empty in one solid chain from a Berserker. In PvP they can feel very powerful from their ability to take somebody from 80% to zero while never getting close, normally making them peoples view of the most powerful.

    What about PvE?

    They are powerful in PvE and capable of destroying mobs quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately they suffer from down time since they don't have a solid method of not taking damage or returning to full health rapidly. This means they start to balance in speed to Defenders because they need to take breaks.

    What about endgame?

    Sorcerers in Raiderz are powerful endgame. Their ability to do huge damage to the bosses without ever needing to get near make them great additions to endgame teams.

    3rd Place: Cleric

    The Cleric in Raiderz is considered one of the borderline unkillable classes, unfortunately they are also the class that is least likely to kill a player. Although they can slowly beat on an enemy and have an ability to burst, they just don't bring enough killing power to the table when compared to the other three. They don't have the CC Defenders have or the damage output of Sorcerers and Berserkers. What they do have though is the ability to run and heal to full.

    In PvP Clerics take the role of support healer and rabbit. Pretty much if you are going toe to toe with anybody, you run. If a Cleric is stunned, they are more than likely dead. This is equalized by them being extremely hard to catch, and the ability to use mail as well as mace and shield. Overall, they end up being one of the borderline unkillable classes along with Defenders because of the ability to go from zero to near full quickly and being insanely hard to catch.

    What about PvE?

    They require almost zero downtime since they are a healer but killing mobs can take a while. They are a healing class with the ability to do damage, don't be shocked that in PvE they are the turtle, slow and steady.

    What about endgame?

    They're healers. In Raiderz there will always be a spot for a Cleric in the group, just not normally a dpsing one.


    4th Place: Berserker

    I don't know what would piss people off more, putting Defender at one, or Berserker at four, but lets be honest, they need to wear plate or fix their stamina costs.

    Berserkers can be a devastating force in PvP with the ability to take a group from full health down to near nothing. The knockdowns that Berserkers use are extremely potent, unfortunately they are extremely killable with virtually no escapes. They suffer from the fact that all of their abilities use stamina which is their only way of escaping so after hitting a combo they find themselves unable to dodge their way out of a fight. They do the damage of the Sorcerer, but are much easier to catch.

    What about PvE?

    Berserkers are solid in PvE. They are able to kill mobs quickly and with their AoE swings they are able to kill multiple enemies quickly. Unfortunately Berserkers often have to take breaks because they take damage from being in melee range and have no effective way to heal. This makes them one of the fastest classes in killing mobs, but also has one of the longest downtimes

    What about endgame?

    They are sought after endgame as damage dealers. Where Sorcerers can be one shot by a boss, Berserkers are able to to take two to three shots, making them more reliable in some fights.

    Conclusion:

    In the end the developers of Raiderz did a great job in keeping classes mostly balanced making it mostly up to players skills, but Defenders/Sorcerers undeniably have advantages. This could be solved by reducing the damage of Defenders and upping the squishiness of Sorcerers (or reducing their damage slightly, honestly Berserkers should be top damage since they have more risk in melee range). 

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:42 | 0 comments | |


  4. Defender PvP/PvE Build

    Defenders are the tank class in PvE for Raiderz and the crowd control/initiator of PvP in Raiderz. This makes them a very powerful class in the game. Looking at the Defender skill tree can be one of the most difficult tasks because every skill appears useful. This is different from other classes that blatantly have less useful skills.

    Pros and Cons:

    Pros:
    High Survivability
    High Mobility
    High CC

    Cons:
    Medium Damage
    Timing based

    Skill Build:

    Tier 1:

    5/5 Strike of Ruin: Heavy damage along with a sure crit on the next strike. This skill is great for getting a combo started.

    1/5 Stunning Smash: Although the name makes you think there will be a stun, it's actually an interrupt that allows you to get in there and start your combo.

    1/3 Rush: A chase and stun maneuver. It also triggers counterattack which is a key element in playing Defenders.

    5/5 One-Handed Weapon Mastery: 10% increase do One-Handed Damage. Enough said.

    Tier 2:

    4/5 Massive Strike: I would 5/5 this if points allowed. Massive damage with stun.

    1/3 Comeback: Small heal. Mostly taken to get at damage reduction skills.

    Tier 3:

    1/3 Piercing Strike: Stacking magic and defense reduction. Great for PvE although in PvP very few targets will stay in place long enough to land it consistently.

    1/3 Rapid Assault: A stun that does not remove counterattack makes this a nice one for stopping/stunlocking enemies. It's also a stepping stone to Shield Slam.

    2/3 Defense Mastery: Increases the chance to fully block attacks and increases damage reduction. Great for PvE and if you have fantastic timing in PvP.

    Tier 4:

    1/3 Chaotic Strike: Damage attack that interrupts and regains your stamina if it lands. It's a nice skill to have in both PvE and PvP.

    4/5 Slam: I would 5/5 this if points allowed. Massive damage and stun.

    1/3 Bastion: Damage reduction increased by 20% but mostly taken because it allows you to block unblockable attacks.

    Tier 5:

    1/5 Shield Slam: A very powerful skill. I would place more points in this if they were available. It's a very powerful attack with a stun.

    1/2 Resilience: When blocking successfully it increases stamina regeneration. It also adds stamina regen to Comeback. Great skill for PvE but doesn't warrant two points.

    Tier 6:

    1/3 Cyclone Strike: Decent attack damage but offers a 10% attack speed buff. Worth one point, no more though.

    1/1 Evasive Strike: This is your only legitimate escape if you're caught off guard. Necessary.

    1/3 Impact Recovery: Party damage reduction buff. Good for both PvE and PvP.

    Tier 7:

    1/3 Steel Wall: Very large group damage reduction. Great for both PvE and PvP.

    Sorcerer Tier 1:

    1/3 Ice Arrow: Good for pulling and chasing enemies. The best part is it can be cast while moving.

    1/5 Ice Thorns: AoE slow. Primarily used for grouping mobs in PvE and snaring players in PvP. 

    Why no shouts?

    The skills are nice but at this stage in the game they don't really bring a huge benefit to the table. Most classes are able to regulate their stamina and energy effectively. Bringing the extra damage to the table helps more in both PvP and PvE.

    Why go into Sorcerer Tree?

    Defenders don't have a ranged pull for PvE so Ice Arrow is helpful in that. They have stuns in PvP but if they can't slow to catch a player those stuns are useless, it also adds an escape mechanism for them.

    Armor:
    Plate. No arguments. Just plate.

    Weapon:
    Sword and Board. By far the best option but also using mace and shield is viable.

    Gemming:
    Strength. Some people may argue to gem for survivability but Defenders don't need more, they have plenty. Strength adds to their damage output, helping in PvP and PvE.

    Overall:
    The toughest part of defenders is that they have so many viable skills. Defenders are a stun heavy class that are made to mitigate boss damage while dishing out some pain. In PvP they are made to bait, dive, and CC. This build sets them up for large amounts of damage and CC while maintaining most of their tankiness for PvE. 

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:41 | 0 comments | |


  5. Sorcerer PvP/PvE Build

    Oddly enough a Sorcerer glass cannon build is what is best for PvP and PvE. Obviously there are several deviations people can make on preference but for the most part PvP and PvE builts follow the same structure. In both instances the goal is maximum damage output and since in Raiderz players can dodge and avoid damage naturally, glass cannon is much more viable.

    Pros and Cons:

    Pros:
    Extremely High Damage Output
    Crowd Control
    Sought after for PvE and PvP

    Cons:
    Squishy if caught
    Very timing sensitive

    Skill Build:

    Tier 1:

    1/3 Flame Arrow: You purchase this skill for both a ranged attack and proc your fire magic damage increase skill from range, and sort of because you have to.

    5/5 Rapid Blasts: Close range very fast attack that's part of your burst combo. Does great damage.

    1/3 Ice Arrow: Range attack and necessary to get other skills.

    1/5 Ice Thorns: AoE damage and slow. Necessary for both escape and chasing enemies.

    5/5 Magic Mastery: 10% increase in damage. Enough said.

    Tier 2:

    5/5 Flame Impact: Close range very fast attack that's part of your burst combo. Does great damage.

    1/3 Meditation: Mostly because you need something to regenerate EP.

    Tier 3:

    1/3 Flame Orb: Strong AoE ranged attack. Very nice for ranged pokes in PvP and attacking group at range in PvE.

    1/3  ice orb: Mostly taken for the 30% decrease in movement speed.

    1/3 Ice Barrier: AoE damage and CC. This is useful for grouping in PvE and PvP.

    Tier 4:

    3/5 Pillar of Fire: Very heavy AoE damage. When used with frost CC this skill is devastating in both PvE and PvP.

    Tier 5:

    3/5 Burning Meteor: Huge AoE damage and knockdown. This skill is great when used with frost CC and Fire Pillar.

    3/3 Flame Armor: Increased magic damage.

    1/5 Cold Wave: Instant cast AoE damage and movement speed reduction. This skill is necessary for escaping in both PvE and PvP.

    1/2 Elemental Harmony: Increase to casting speed and more importantly movement speed. This skill helps in both damage and survivability.

    Tier 6:

    1/1 Crystallization: Absolutely mandatory for PvE and PvP. This skill not only saves your bacon by making you immune to all damage for two seconds, but anybody in range of you when the time is up gets frozen. This skill can be used as an escape but can also be used to bait offensively.

    Tier 7:

    1/3 Flame Tornado: Instant cast AoE damage and movement speed increase to self. Good for both damage in PvE and PvP and escape in both.

    What about other trees?

    Some people opt to move into the starter skills of other trees. I don't see a reason to with sorcerer. The fact is Sorcerers have so many escape mechanisms that I couldn't fathom a situation where if your Sorcerer skills can't get you out, that another classes level 1 skill will. Some people opt to take divine punishment for a quick damage boost an interrupt.

    How is this a PvP build?

    A lot of people think that to be a PvP build Sorcerers should spec into frost. This simply isn't true because one point in the frost talents give you significant slows and okay damage. All putting additional points does there is take away damage that could burn your enemies to the ground.

    Meteor vs Pillar

    A lot of people opt to put more points into Pillar of Fire. Personally I like splitting them for the additional damage as a compromise. Although for consistent regular damage Pillar is preferred, I find that most players try to time their CDs to blow up simultaneously. 

    Armor:
    Cloth is the only set I personally would use. A lot of people opt for leather though. I find that leather lacks the intellect you would want on it and doesn't offer enough survivability for the damage lost.

    Weapon:
    Some people go sword and board. I personally prefer staff. The fact is, Sorcerer's have a lot of escape mechanisms. More survivability shouldn't be necessary for them as a class.

    Gemming:
    Pure intellect. Sorcerer's are casters and are expected to do heavy damage. Only intellect offers the means to do this and if a player opts to aim at survivability they will be horribly disappointed.

    Overall:
    This build is meant to be a glass cannon style build. Fortunately Sorcerers have a plethora of viable damage/CC abilities in the frost tree available to them as well. This means that Sorcerers might be one of the most versatile classes when it comes to PvE and PvP. The skills chosen allow for massive burst on the fire end as well as plenty of escapes on the frost end.

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:40 | 2 comments | |


  6. Berserker PvE Build

    Berserkers can be looked at as the cookie cutter class of Raiderz. They are very easy to play initially but at high levels players find themselves fumbling with Berserkers. The class is heavily dependent on stamina and timing in order to stay alive, but when played well they can offer massive damage for the group.

    Pros and Cons:

    Pros:
    Heavy Damage
    High Mobility
    High HP

    Cons:
    In melee range
    Stamina depletes quickly

    Skill Build:

    Tier 1:

    5/5 Crush: Your main damage dealing ability as well as a powerful knockdown. This skill should be taken immediately and a point put in pretty much every chance until maxed.

    2/3 Dodge Attack: A second point is taken partially because you have to, and partially because at level two it exposes weaknesses in enemies.

    5/5 War Weapon Mastery: 10% increase to damage. Enough Said.

    Tier 2:

    3/3 Neutralize: Key combo starter and interrupt for players and mobs alike. This skill is necessary.

    Tier 3:

    5/5 Nocturne: Instant cast extremely powerful attack. Each level increases its damage by 60% offering one of the best returns on investments.

    3/3 No Mercy: Increased critical damage. Enough said.

    Tier 4:

    1/3 Upward Strike: Dodge and counter attack with an expose weakness. Nice skill overall but doesn't warrant more than one point.

    Tier 5:

    1/3 Bash: Taken primarily for the knockback. Although this skill can be a lifesaver it is also one of the most annoying skills a Berserker can use while in a group.

    2/5 Armageddon Crush: A double attack that does decent damage.

    2/2 Grievous Wound: Overall great skill. Decreases targets movement speed so you can chase them when they start to run off. Helps with annoying mobs in PvE and PvP.

    Tier 6:

    2/5 Crushing: Would put five points here if I could. Although it can only chain after crush or upward strike it is a powerful attack.

    1/1 Escape: It can save your life in PvE when you get in over your head, as well as PvP. It's a necessary skill given that Berserkers don't have a way to heal or any solid escape mechanisms.

    Tier 7:

    1/3 Tornado: AoE damage skill that offers four strikes. This skill has close to the output of Nocturne in AoE form. This is a great skill.

    2/2 Blood of the Berserker: Some people do not agree with putting two points in this skill but personally I love it. You need the increased movement speed, damage, and stamina and since you will be in melee range in all fights you can expect to be using it.

    What happened to the berserk tree?

    All the skills are more heavily associated with PvP and have little PvE use. This is the primary difference between a Berserker that wishes to push PvE over PvP. While Berserking is one of the key aspects of the class, auto attacks are easy to land on mobs so you should active Berserk without issue.

    Why no Buffalo Charge?

    I don't like it. It's just not a great skill. You will find that you're running on empty stamina more often than you'd expect as is. Adding another skill isn't necessary.

    Armor:
    Chain. Some players opt to go plate but you're a damage dealer. Chain is the way to go since it offers the most strength which will result in a huge increase to damage.

    Weapon:
    Great sword. Some people opt for hammer but I don't see a point unless you're hybrid Cleric. Great swords have the highest damage output.

    Gemming:
    Strength. You're not a tank, you're a damage dealer. Strength is your primary damage dealing stat and should be compounded.

    Overall:
    Berserkers require great timing and stamina management to be effective. Although they are the cookie cutter class they can be classified as easy to pick up, hard to master because of stamina management. The major mistake most Berserkers make is they blow all their CDs and have no way to avoid damage. Dead dps does less dps.

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:38 | 1 comments | |

  7. This Raiderz Party guide is meant to help people who are starting out understand their roles as well as what hurts a group in parties. Since Raiderz is different from most other MMOs I've noticed a lot of players really struggling with the concept of ROLES. I've seen Clerics deal damage and only heal themselves and I've seen Defenders let Berserkers tank because they wanted to deal damage. I've also seen Berserkers whine about not being healed while running all over the place avoiding heals. This Raiderz Party guide is meant to help address some of that.

    The first thing I will touch on in this Raiderz Party guide is the concept of Roles. Previous MMOs dictated that there is a tank, a healer, and three dps. This hasn't changed. What has changed is what is expected of each of the roles now.

    Tanks used to hold aggro while dps bashed the monster mercilessly. This has changed in that defenders can't soak all the hits so they need to kite a bit. Defenders are expected to do heavy CC to the mobs they are tanking and actively block as well as dodge the attacks. Because of this, tanking has more kiting to it, especially if the Defender gets low on health. This can frustrate DPS who just want the mobs/boss to stand still. Understand that sometimes the defender needs to dodge and run. Just run with him.

    DPS now plays a much more active role as well. DPS needs to actively dodge and block as much damage as possible. If you are a DPS and don't actively dodge/block, you will die. The way clerics are set up in this game doesn't promote a group that takes huge damage. DPS also should be aware that when they pull aggro it's best to bring the monster back to the group that the Defender is holding if they want the monster off them. This allows the defender to get the mob off of you. If you run around yelling heal, chances are nothing will happen. You are also responsible for CCing when you can to keep the group slowed or knocked down.

    Healers have the most frustrating job of all in Raiderz. Primarily because the way their heals function. In Raiderz Clerics have the difficult task of casting AoE heals on their team. If a team is close together and all of them are inside the heal ring, its easy. As soon as one player starts running around, it becomes very hard. Lets say a tank has 80% health, and two berserkers have 60% and 30%. If they stay relatively close, the Clerics heal will bring the Defender up to 90%, the first berserker up to 70% and the last berserker up to 40%. This will happen at the cost of one spell cast. Lets say MR. 30% decides to run out of the group yelling heal. The Cleric will have to heal him at the cost of one cast, then heal the other two at the cost of one cast, costing double the energy and taking twice as long. This means also that by this time the the Defender and 60% zerk, are probably both at their original values or lower since they probably took damage.

    That brings me to my next point. DODGING MITIGATES DAMAGE, NOT RUNNING AROUND THE ENTIRE DAMN ROOM. If you are a berserker, stay with the group and take the group heals and when the enemy attacks, dodge. In the same scenario above, if all three players in the fray can dodge to avoid damage and let the Cleric get multiple heals off, they will all be 100% in no time.

    One of the best parts about Raiderz is the active element in it, but as a result I think we have players who feel the need to run all over the place to avoid damage when you can avoid it while standing right next to the boss.

    The key elements I hope people pull away from this Raiderz Party Guide is that dodging is important for everybody, and if you're going to run around, run around as a group.

    Posted by Neutro articles at 08:37 | 0 comments | |