Buddy Rush: Nagne's Skill Guide (1.3)

This article has been updated a change in the Sixth Wave (1.5). The stat for Sword Mastery has been changed.

Update 19 September 2012:
For details on Ready Nagne, look in this article.
---

Update 1.3 added a few new passive skills to Nagne. Each of Nagne's skills supports other skills. Thus, a bit of thought should be given before investing skill points. A look at the skill descriptions below would explain the relationship.

Leaf Slash

With the Leaf Slash, Nagne leaps into the air and attacks a wide area around him. Skill damage and attack range increases with skill level level.

There is a slight delay before execution and Nagne will be immobile for a very brief period of time. Care should be taken to keep Nagne out of danger, especially from heavily-damaging targeted attacks (those crosshairs on the ground).

The Leaf Slash interrupts the attacks of Oblins it hits. If an Oblin starts an attack but is hit by this skill before it completes the attack, the attack is interrupted and the Oblin has to start the attack all over again. Against attacks that have a long preparation time, the Leaf Slash can buy an extra second or two before the Oblins' attack execute. The extra time may be used to run, get in an extra hit or two, or pray for a Stun.

If interrupted enough times, the Oblin may just give up and try something else, if it has not already been KOed.

If the Leaf Slash hits after the Oblin has performed the damage-dealing part of the attack (for example, it hits after the Oblin has thrown a projectile) but before the Oblin has completed its attack animation, the Oblin will restart the attack again, effectively giving it two shots of the same skill with no cooldown. This is very bad if the target is a boss attempting his/her/its ultimate move. 

This does not apply to Cutieblin's ultimate attack. 

Also, some opponents are immune to the interrupting property of the Leaf Slash, like the Pelicano brothers. Inanimate objects are also immune.

Be wary of running into the middle of Oblins to use this skill. They may all target Nagne and bring his HP down fast. It is better to wait for them to target buddies first. However, if too much time passes, the buddies may take out so many of the Oblins that there are hardly any targets left for the Leaf Slash.

QuickStep Slash

With the QuickStep Slash, Nagne rushes forward to hit Oblin after Oblin. However, the number of targets Nagne attacks is fixed at 3 until level 20 is reached, when it will be 4. Skill damage increases with skill level. 

This skill can be used defensively. It may be used to avoid targeted projectiles (crosshairs on the ground) and to run from retaliation while attacking as Nagne rushes from target to target. 

In Update 1.2, Nagne also gains a buff that gives +50% Evade. The duration of the buff is said to increase with skill level. There is no text describing this in Update 1.3, though Nagne still gains the little symbol beneath his little feet that signifies that the Evade+ buff is active. During observation, I did notice more misses on the part of Oblins attacking Nagne while the buff is active, but not as many as I expected with +50% Evade.

Note that the use of this skill potentially takes Nagne away from the safety of buddies. However, the evade buff helps improve Nagne's chances of survival.

Kiss of Death

With the Kiss of Death, Nagne will rush straight to the target and deliver a high-damage attack. If the target is dispatched with this skill, Nagne will add in a one-liner. Speaking about kisses, probably the only foe in the game worthy of a literal kiss would be Esline the 'Sercubus'. Unless Cutieblin is considered. 

Aside from doing massive damage, the Kiss of Death also stuns the target. Stun cancels whatever attack the target is executing. This can be used to cancel high-damage attacks from bosses as well as make him/her/it vulnerable for a few seconds. 

Inanimate objects are immune to Stun. So is the Raid Boss Farjegnon when he is attempting his ultimate move. 

As with the QuickStep Slash, the Kiss of Death potentially moves Nagne away from buddies. However, with only one target, it is easier to control where Nagne ends up. Use it to target the lone Oblin at the back after all the other Oblins have selected their targets. Or use it to prevent an Oblin from performing a highly-damaging attack. Or save it for the boss.

Sword Mastery

Sword Mastery increases Nagne's Hit Speed. The bonus from maxing this skill is less than in the previous update. Still, 14% Hit Speed is a considerable advantage. 

Increased Hit Speed is useful when paired with Stun to increase the chances of stunning an Oblin. Also, increased Hit Speed allows more chances for criticals to occur, which is important for Forgetful Nagne, the last passive skill.

Update 9 February 2012:
Nagne's Attack Speed now increases +1% for each skill level. Woot!

Pray for the enemy

'Pray for the enemy' allows Nagne to recover HP and MP, keeping him healthy and able to deal damage. This skill is more effective when Nagne is equipped with items that increase his maximum HP and MP.

However, this skill only has a chance of activating and requires Nagne to dispatch an Oblin in order for it to activate. Thus, Nagne's offensive ability should be high to have a better chance of KOing an Oblin before a buddy steals his kill.

'Pray for the enemy' is not very effective without many skill points invested. At low skill levels, the chances of the skill activating is very low and the HP and MP gained, meager.

Striking a vital spot

'Striking a vital spot' only applies to Nagne's skills, not his regular attacks. It gives Leaf Slash and QuickStep Slash a significant chance to Stun. Kiss of Death is already guaranteed to Stun, so 'Striking a vital spot' does not apply to Nagne's third active skill.

Update 15 July 2011:

After Leaf Slash level 15 with Striking a vital spot level 10.

Forgetful Nagne

Allegedly, when this skill activates, Nagne forgets about the cooldown on his active skills and is able to use them again. When Nagne performs a critical, there is a chance that all his active skills are instantly available again, regardless of cooldown. This chance increases with skill level.

In rare circumstances, Nagne could potentially spam the Kiss of Death one after another, supplied with MP from 'Pray for the enemy', until there is no target left.

How Nagne's skills relate.

Nagne's skills all relate to each other. All his active skills deal damage. Increasing those and Sword Mastery increases Nagne's damage-dealing potential, making it easier for him to dispatch Oblins. That allows his 'Pray for the enemy' to activate, which would supply the MP needed for his active skills.

Boosting Sword Mastery also increases Nagne's chances of performing a critical to give Forgetful Nagne a chance to activate, which would immediately refresh all active skills. Increasing the skill levels for Leaf Slash and QuickStep Slash allows Nagne to hit more targets, but the boost in the chances for a critical is small and thus not noted in the diagram above. 

Finally, 'Striking a vital spot' adds Stun possibilities to Leaf Slash and QuickStep Slash. 

One way to go about investing skill points is to pick a favorite skill, then invest in other skills based on that choice. 

Buddy Rush: Contents