Buddy Rush: Botherella's Skill Guide (1.3)

This article has been updated with changes in Update 1.3.3. Botherella's Summon and Pain Sharing skills have been improved to make Wolfgang more durable.

This article has been updated with changes in the Sixth Wave (1.5). The stats for a few skills have been changed.

Update 7 September 2012:
Details on Corrupt Botherella in this article.
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In the past, Botherella had some pretty weird unexplained skills (specifically, Charity). Now with Update 1.3, she has even more weird skills.

I noticed that when Botherella attacks two targets that overlap, both targets get hit. Her regular attack may do area effect damage to zero area.

Summon

Summon (1.3.3)

Botherella's Summon skill calls out of Botherella's skull (the one in her hand, not the other one) a cute little dog called Wolfgang, who will act as an additional buddy.

Wolfgang has a special attack: his bite, where he will affix himself onto an Oblin for a brief period of time. Wolfgang's bite has an interrupt effect. Oblins interrupted while performing a skill will redo its skill again from the start, even if the damage-dealing portion of the skill has been done. Thus, if interrupted at the wrong time, the target can potentially perform its skill twice, which is bad if the target is a boss attempting its ultimate attack.

Certain enemies, such as the Pelicano brothers, are immune to the interrupt effect.

On certain missions in Chapters 8 and later, Wolfgang summoned by the main character can pick up mission items (not treasure chests).

Beware of the long casting time of Summon. Do not cast while Botherella is in danger of being stunned. Otherwise the skill may be canceled and she has to wait for the long cooltime to try again. Unlike the first active skills of many other characters, Summon has a long cooltime and significant MP cost.

In Update 1.3, Wolfgang is more obedient and will no longer hang behind even if the rest of the party flees the battle.

Also, when summoned by the main character, there will be an icon that looks like Wolfgang's jaws at the top right of the screen. The background of the icon represents Wolfgang's bite skill - it clears up while the skill is charging. The icon can be clicked manually to activate Wolfgang's bite but it is easier to let him use it automatically.

There is a theory that Wolfgang's stats are based on Botherella's stats, but there is no definite proof.

Update 9 February 2012:
Wolfgang's Att now gets +1.5% per skill level. Wolfgang's max HP and Def remains unchanged at 2% per skill level.

Update 4 December 2012:
After the Daily Quest mini-wave, Summon's casting time is much shorter.
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Curse

Curse appears to be less effective compared with the previous updates. Even at max level, it does not reach the back of the screen. Oblins still go down quick when cursed, but not as quickly as before. Still, Curse reduces their attack, thus reducing the damage the party suffers.

Bosses shake off the effects of Curse quicker than normal Oblins. Thus, once a boss is Cursed, it is best to attack him/her/it before the effect wears off. After the effect wears off for the boss, attacks may be redirected to any extras who still have their Curse effects.

I think the Def system has been reworked. I have not noticed any significant boost to damage from lots of smaller Att hits compared to one big hit from a skill. Any argument about whether, with Curse, many little hits are better than one big hit will likely involve serious statistics suited to a research paper.

My advice is not to worry about statistics and just enjoy the game.

Update 9 February 2012:
The stats for Curse has been changed to Effect of curse +2% and Range +2.5% per skill level.

Update 6 Septermber 2012:
According to the patch notes for the Eighth Wave, the attack/defense decrease rate for Curse will not surpass 70%. Remember that Charity skill also increases the effectiveness of Curse.

Thorn Bush

Thorn Bush is Botherella's only active direct-damage skill. It does area-effect damage for an amount of time. In addition to that, it poisons Oblins in the area, including those that wander into the area of effect after the skill is used. Poison lasts for some time, even if the target leaves the area of effect. However, the poison damage is much smaller compared to the direct-damage effect.

Poison damage is affected by Att. Increasing SkillPow does not seem to increase the poison damage. Poison lasts for zero duration for inanimate objects - it deals some initial damage but does not stick around to do more.

If Thornbush is used untargeted, Botherella will aim for a spot in front of her. It is a bit hard to aim untargeted, so it is best to use the skill targeted and lure other Oblins out of the area of effect into it.

Update 9 February 2012:
Skill damage for each skill level is +5%. Duration of poison remains unchanged at +0.1sec per skill level.

Charity

Charity increases the effects of Curse and Thorn Bush active skills. It also increases the duration of Curse's effect. This skill is more useful for builds that focus on those two active skills.

Elastic Skull

This ability gives the passive attack of Botherella a chance to hit an additional target. The extra attack also has a chance to make an extra attack. Thus, in rare circumstances, Botherella's skull (again, the one in her hand) can hit many times with one throw.

Update 13 January 2012:
I just noticed this today:

Elastic Skull (1.5)

Yes, Botherella's regular attacks can now cause Curse. I do not know when this was added.

I have seen Oblins Cursed by Botherella's regular attacks. The Curse symbol only appears for a brief moment when it happens, then it is gone. However, the Oblins remain darkened. I am not sure if the effect is the same as the Curse skill, though.

Update 26 January 2012:
Thus far, other than the special effects, I have yet to notice anything special about Oblins Cursed by Botherella's regular attacks. Those Oblins still take the usual amount of damage and they still deal the same amount of damage.
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Pain Sharing

Pain Sharing (1.3.3)

I do not know what this skill does. It is possible that it adds a portion of Botherella's HP to Wolfgang. Or it could be something else entirely. Does not look like a good skill to invest in unless one is going for a build with a focus on Wolfgang.

Update 30 June 2011:
Buddy Rush published an article that explains Pain Sharing. Basically, it transfers a portion of the damage Botherella suffers onto Wolfgang (but not the other way round). This explains why Wolfgang sometimes lasts for a long time but suddenly dies at other times.

The transfer of damage makes this skill very useful. At skill level 20, it is equivalent to having a 20% damage reduction while Wolfgang is active. The drawback is that Botherella has to have MP to keep summoning Wolfgang. Having high MP Regen is recommended.

High Summon skill is not required. Wolfgang just needs to stay alive long enough for the Summon skill to cool. In fact, having a lower Summon skill level means less MP is required to call Wolfgang.

Update 9 February 2012:
Wolfgang's HP is now +3% per skill level. 'Sharing HP' remains unchanged at +1%.

An eye for an eye

Allegedly, this skill gives a chance that some damage done to the party is reflected back to the attacker. However, I have only observed small numbers appearing on the Oblins who attack Botherella herself when she is the main character. This skill also works on Oblins who attack at range.

This skill is not very good for builds that focus on the Curse skill where the aim is to reduce damage. However, it may be good with party members that have lots of HP and low Def.

Still, I would not rely on this skill for damage dealing due to its low effect. The most damage I have seen is 11. If I had maxed the skill level, the damage would probably be 44. But then again, the chances of the skill activating is higher at higher skill level, and its ability allegedly applies to the whole party since it is an aura.

The main problem is that this skill relies on an external factor: the damage done by Oblins. If it relied on something the player can control like, say, Botherella's stats, then 'An eye for an eye' would be a more useful skill. It would also make this skill deadly against Oblins with skills that are a series of quick attacks.

Update 9 February 2012:
Returning damage is now +1.5% per skill level. Chance remains unchanged at +2%.

Update 5 June 2012:
With the second mini-wave of the Seventh Wave(1.6.2), I noticed that if I have Botherella in the party, occasionally attacking Oblins receive a little damage. I guess this means that 'An eye for an eye' really does work now as an Aura.

This skill is definitely ineffective at low levels. I have not tested it out at high levels. Theoretically, if the party keeps taking lots of damage, this skill would be good at high level. Just remember to bring a healer.
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As it can be seen in the screenshots, I went with the Barberella build for my Botherella. The idea of the Barberella build is to invest in Curse with Thorn Bush for damage dealing.

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Boorseye's Skill Guide (1.3)

This article has been updated with changes in the Sixth Wave (1.5). The stats for a few skills have been changed.

Update 11 September 2012:
Details on Silver-eyed Bullseye [sic] in this article.
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Before Update 1.3, Boorseye was a damage-dealer, capable of handing out damage in four digits. Now that he has been reinvented, he is more of a sniper. His skills have been rearranged and his base Att has been reduced.

Greedy shot

Greedy shot fans out a number of arrows in the direction Boorseye is facing. It can be used at medium range to hit as many Oblins as possible, or at point-blank range to maximize damage on a single target. Or at long range for a random chance of inflicting stun or something nastier on Oblins out of sight.

At medium range, sometimes it is better to use it untargeted to hit as many Oblins as possible.

To target an Oblin simply click on it. Boorseye will also auto-target the nearest Oblin if he has nothing to do. To use this (or any) skill untargeted, click on the ground and drag in the direction you wish to attack. Then, as Boorseye faces that direction, activate the skill.

Update 6 July 2011:
My aim was a little off since I was trying to take a screenshot at that time.

Greedy shot at skill level 15.

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No-yield shot

No-yield shot fires a number of arrows in the same direction. Each individual arrow does little damage. The true use of this skill is to inflict status effect on one or two targets.

The skill can be used untargeted. But for better results aiming at two Oblins in a row, target the Oblin at the back. If the Oblin in front goes down early, the rest of the arrows will go for the Oblin at the back. The same happens if the Oblin in front evades an arrow. (If targeted at the Oblin in front rather than the back, extra arrows may not fly towards the Oblin at the back.)

Sneak

Before Update 1.3, Sneak was one of The Almighty Skills, able to buff up Boorseye's Att to great amounts. Combined with his other two active skills, Boorseye could inflict damage in four digits, per arrow.

Now, the skill's Att bonus has been reduced such that Sneak is a shadow of its former glory. Let us observe a moment of silence.

One benefit with the Sneak skill is that it can distract Oblins. Oblins hit by Boorseye while the skill is active may wander towards Boorseye, with a question mark over their head, looking for him (and failing).

In the previous update the chance of this happening increases with skill level. Not sure if it is still true (Oblins die too fast or the skill wears off too early for me to run enough tests).

Bosses are not distracted by such a cheap trick.

Bull's Eye

This skill is obvious. It gives a permanent boost to Critical.

Instinct for Survival

Increases the duration of Sneak, allowing Boorseye to keep his Att bonus a little longer. The little boost in evasion helps to avoid damage. I think the bonus to evasion works even when Sneak is not active.

Though Boorseye looks a bit round. Imagine a fat guy doing the Matrix dodge.

Update 9 February 2012:
For each skill level, Evasion increase is now +0.4%. And Evasion is now spelled with a capital E. Sneak's duration per skill level is unchanged at +0.3sec.

One Shot One Kill

This skill makes Boorseye a sniper. It gives Boorseye a chance to inflict huge amounts of damage on an Oblin. It does not guarantee a kill, though if the Oblin survives, it will have very low HP. When this skill activates, and the damage meter option is ticked on, there will be a second damage number that appears (only seen if Boorseye is the main character).

Its effect is greatly reduced against bosses. The boss will simply take an additional hit with moderately extra damage. It a way, the effect is similar to hitting the boss twice or thrice with one arrow.

Combined with the arrow-spamming properties of Greedy shot and No-yield shot, Boorseye can take out lots of regular Oblins fast. In Raids, Boorseye can take out the extras quick to keep the party supplied with orbs, and the occasional loot.

I did 6k+ damage once with this skill on the Mark2 at the start of the YA 86 raid.

'One Shot One Kill' is potentially one of The Almighty Skills. Even if it is not so effective against bosses.

Update 9 February 2012:
For each skill level, Chance is now +0.7% and Damage is +1.5%.

Update 14 March 2012:
In the Seventh Wave, 'One Shot One Kill' (when it activates) now does something like 6-digits of damage to regular Oblins. This should be enough to KO just about any regular Oblin. 'One Shot One Kill' is now one of The Almighty Skills.

Update 15 March 2012:
eyexplorer sent a screenshot of 'One Shot One Kill' activating:

'One Shot One Kill' now kills!

Update 16 March 2012:
After a quick patch, 'One Shot One Kill' has been nerfed to only do 5-digits of damage to regular Oblins on activation. The huge number in the above screenshot no longer happens.
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Eyes of Boorseye

'Eyes of Boorseye' passively increases the Att of all members of the party. It is not as powerful as Aikilu's Roar (not even close) but it is more reliable since does not need MP and it does not need to be cast.

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Boorseye is now a sniper, specialized in bringing harm to regular Oblins. His active skills give him lots of opportunities for skills that rely on chance (like 'One Shot One Kill') to activate. He is even more effective when combined with Stun from equips and Worrier's Blunt Aura.

And Stun works on bosses.

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Worrier's Skill Guide (1.3)

This article has been updated with changes in the Sixth Wave (1.5). The stats for a few skills have been changed.

Update 15 September 2012:
For details on Burning Worrier, look in this article.
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Prior to Update 1.3, Worrier had been pretty unimpressive. Sure he had durability but he did not do much damage. This, in addition to his inability to attract the boss' attention made his use in Raids, well, not very much.

This changed with the revision of skills in the Fourth Wave.

Chopchop

Worrier will attack several times in quick succession with this skill. If the target dies before all the strikes are completed, Worrier will attack another target within range. I have yet to see an Oblin stunned when this skill is used, so it is possible that the stun effect does not work with this skill. Then, again, maybe I have been very unlucky.

Update 9 February 2012:
Skill damage increase per skill level is now +3%.

Mockery

This skill is useful to draw the attention of Oblins away from, say, an injured party member or a mission objective to be guarded. It works by attracting the attention of Oblins in a decent area of effect (though not screenwide). Needless to say, those Oblins will target Worrier instead.

The increase in Def helps Worrier to stay alive longer. According to the notes on Updates 1.1 and 1.2, Worrier's Evade will also increase. Though this helps him survive longer, it makes him less of a shield to buddies behind him since Evaded projectiles will fly through him.

Mockery now attracts the attention of bosses (it did not before Update 1.3). It even works on the Raid boss, though it may be hard to see the SFX since the Raid boss is so big. Worrier is now able to protect party members in boss fights.

Update 9 February 2012:
Defense increase per skill level is now +1.5%. Duration is still +0.2sec per skill level.

ShockWave

ShockWave throws a wave in a specified direction that inflicts moderate damage on targets in its path. It can also be used untargeted to direct the wave in between two targets that are not close enough for the wave to hit both if used targeted.

To target an Oblin simply click on it. Worrier will also auto-target the nearest Oblin if he has nothing to do. To use this (or any) skill untargeted, click on the ground and drag in the direction you wish to attack. Then, as Worrier faces that direction, activate the skill.

The wave stops at terrain walls such as cliffs at the edge of the map. However, it is passes through object walls, such as the walls of a maze so ShockWave can hit Oblins behind those walls.

Also, any stun effect the character has is applied to the wave.

Update 3 October 2011:
ShockWave does Skill damage +10% per level.

Unbreakable

This skill is obvious. It seems that in Update 1.3, Def greatly reduces damage. At least, that is what I have observed during Raids.

Getting Strong

This skill reduces the chance for Worrier to get stunned. Despite that, my Worrier still gets stunned occasionally.

I think it works by reducing the % chance of getting stunned. At skill level 20, it would take a stun of at least 21% for there to be any chance at all of afflicting Worrier. It seems that certain bosses, especially raid bosses, have this resistance to stun.

Other than that, this skill helps increase the effectiveness of HP increasing items. This is useful since the red orbs that are sometimes released after an Oblin expires heal ~5% of the Max HP of the main character. So having Worrier with high Max HP as the main character gives more HP when red orbs are collected.

Update 9 February 2012:
For each skill level, Chance to get stunned is now -1.5%. HP gain per skill level is still +0.5%.

The Fear is Gone

'The Fear is Gone' passively increases the effect of the active skills without increasing the MP Costs. And reduces the Cooltime so the skills can be spammed more.

Since it allows Mockery to be used maybe a second sooner, it means that injured party members are vulnerable for maybe a second less.

Blunt Aura

Blunt Aura increases the chance to inflict stun. Not only is the bonus applied to Worrier, it is also applied to the rest of the party as well. Combined with buddies that have high attack speed or skills that hit many times, the opposition's ability to do damage is reduced. And if Blunt Aura stacks, i.e. if two Worriers are in the party... heh heh heh.

This skill is what makes Worrier a good buddy to have in a rush. Blunt Aura has the potential to be one of The Almighty Skills. Which means that it will probably be nerfed in the next update. :p

Update 9 February 2012:
Hmmm... no nerfs yet... :p

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Aikilu's Skill Reference (1.3)

Update 1.3 came with a full revamp of the skill system. The level cap is now 20 and the cost of each skill level is fixed at 2 skill points. Each character has three active skills and four passive ones. For many of the characters, the last passive skill is an aura that gives bonuses to fellow party members too.

('Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V'-ed from the Wizz reference. :) )

This article is a reference for Aikilu's skills so you know what that cute little buddy of yours can do. This is not a skill guide - I do not have an Aikilu, so I cannot experiment with the skills.

Screenshots here are courtesy of my fellow buddy Bebe. Everyone, say 'Thank you' to my buddy.

Shooting Dumpling

This skill cools quick and the dumpling stuns its targets, making this a valuable skill in Aikilu's arsenal. The question is whether to invest skill points for a larger area of effect, or not in order to reduce the MP cost.

Roar

Before Update 1.3, this was one of The Almighty Skills. Not sure if it still is one.

Blade Typoon

Should be obvious when Aikilu does this.

Quick soft light step

This skill should also be obvious.

How dare you

Named after the Oblins' favorite phrase.

A thread on the developer's forum mentioned that the skill description is incorrect. The correct description is: When you evade a monster's attack, sometimes her attack power increases for a while. Depending on the skill level, you can get Chance +2%, Attack Increasing duration +0.5sec, Attack power +2%.

I Win!

Obvious, my little berserker.

Dance For Attack

Aikilu has this instead of an aura. I guess that Roar is her equivalent of an aura. Anyway, this skill makes HP+ items less useful while Atk+ confers more benefit. Maybe increase Def and HP Regen for defense instead. Also, having good Evade helps as it also supports her 'How dare you' skill.

Now you know the reason why that Aikilu buddy of yours has a negative HP bonus.

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Wizz's Skill Reference (1.3)

Update 1.3 came with a full revamp of the skill system. The level cap is now 20 and the cost of each skill level is fixed at 2 skill points. Each character has three active skills and four passive ones. For many of the characters, the last passive skill is an aura that gives bonuses to fellow party members too.

This article is a reference for Wizz's skills so you know what that Wizz buddy of yours can do. This is not a skill guide - I do not have a Wizz, so I cannot experiment with the skills.

Screenshots here are courtesy of my fellow buddy Bebe. Everyone, say 'Thank you' to my buddy.

Fire

With this skill, Wizz stomps a circular field of fire. Good area and damage.

Freeze

Freeze creates a small cloud of ice that slows any Oblin in it or who wanders into it. I am not sure if it also slows the Oblin's attack speed (it did before Update 1.3). If it does, the reduction in attack speed is small.

Z-flash

This skill creates a ball of lightning that zaps from target to target dealing high damage to each. The ball may have trouble reaching some targets - such as those hidden outside the play area or behind walls. Also, the ball interrupts.

Z-flash is the reason I do not bring a Wizz whenever I go up against Esline the 'Sercubus' in Chapter 6. Not sure if they changed anything with Esline in Update 1.3, but I am not about to let my character be blasted by a Z-flash just to find out!

Wizzdom

This skill should be obvious to those with wisdom.

Fire Burning

Oblins affected by this will have little bursts of fire around them.

Excercise for Survival

This skill should also be obvious.

For the Friends

This skill increases the MP Regen of all members in the party.

With this article, you should know what that Wizz buddy of yours is capable of.

Buddy Rush: Contents

Stunt Crazy

A lot of good free games have been released this month. So many that I do not have the time to play all, let alone review them. One of the good games that I have found on Kongregate is Stunt Crazy by the team known as thePodge.

Okay, a truck without wheels does not look very impressive.

Stunt Crazy is a driving game on a 2D-platform. Roughly. The player is a stuntman (or stuntwoman for those of you who insists). Using the keyboard control, he/she drives a car up and down the playing field destroying movie props and performing stunts and is rewarded with fame and a cut of the box office takings. Money earned is used to upgrade the player's vehicles so the player can create more mayhem on set.

Things to do.

The player has a choice of movie studios to work for, each with six movies in the making. Medals are earned by completing objectives in the movie stunts. The objectives are always collecting movie reels but the job briefing tries to make it sound more exciting. And it can be exciting, for the imaginative player.

Collecting the reels is not always straightforward. On some movie sets, the player has to figure out a way to get the vehicle (or a missile) to each reel, which may be hidden among or behind obstacles. As only three tries are allowed per set, it involves a bit of thinking, planning and skill on the part of the player.

It is really hard to drive and grab a screenshot at the same time.

In addition to working for movie studios, the player can also organize a stunt show. This is basically a free run on the playing field for the player to, well, destroy things and perform stunts. Putting on a good show rewards the player with fame and money. Hopefully, the profits will be enough to cover the costs.

Pick a venue.

There can be more on the screen but it's hard to take a screenshot when the PC is busy complaining about all the processing it has to do.

Stunt Crazy is an exciting driving game with challenges that tests the player's mental abilities. It combines the joy of driving destructively with the fun of figuring out ways to meet objectives.

Please do not drive the same way in public.

The Fourth Wave hits on Buddy Rush

The Fourth Wave (Update 1.3) just hit without warning on Buddy Rush. Well, I expected it to take another month or so.

And uh, it's right in my busy period so it's going to be some time before I can post updates.

There's a lot of information to process. There are new raid modes. The skills system has been rearranged - there are now three active skills and four passives with a level cap of 20 each. There is a new chapter. There are new raid bosses. And the stats for many items have been changed.

A lot of information on this blog is now outdated and it's going to take me a lot of time to sort them out.

Oh, and the fifth day reward now gives a chip instead of the Golden Potion. I think this is in addition to the mystery gift.

Update 19 June 2011:
Having trouble checking out the new stuff with the connection problems on Facebook. I'm going to use that excuse to catch up on other work.

Dreamsong Catcher

Dreamsong Catcher by nerdook over at Kongregate is quite a unique game that is not easily classified or described. It has several innovative features such that not everyone would 'get' every part of it. For example, it is supposed to be a music game featuring procedurally generated music. I did not 'get' that part.

Basic gameplay.

The player plays an apprentice out to visit sleeping children in order to gather imagination, which is used to create a dream creature. The basic gameplay is to hit the bright keys at the edge of the screen. This will launch square projectiles that would collect the green 'Z's. This would score the player points. To complete the level, a minimum number of points is required.

More features added.

At each new level, more and more gameplay elements are added, such as red thingies to avoid hitting and different colored projectiles. Different hazards and bonuses are also added to the game field. For a long time I did not realize that the green keys launch green projectiles and golden keys launch golden ones. I blame it on my colorblindness.

More features are added.

And yet more...

With several unique features, players are likely to find things that they like. Some have also found things that they do not like. In the following screenshot, many players found the dreams that the children have to be amusing.

Weird dreams.

The game does start slow with a lack of excitement. Do play with it for a while, for quite a while, to unlock the fun part. The spoiler screenshot below hints at how far the player has to go to reach that fun part. Look away if you do not want to see the spoiler.

Spoiler level select screen!

Dreamsong Catcher is a unique game. The basic gameplay is simple. But with the many features and additional rules added at higher levels, it is a challenge to master the game. The game has parts that some people find fun, while others do not like that same parts. The best way for one to find out if it is fun is to try it out.