This article has been updated with a change in the Sixth Wave (1.5). The stat for Spiral Shots has been changed.
Update 21 September 2012:
Details on Light Skully is in a separate article.
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Skully is a range character who attacks twice in her regular attacks. However, each attack is at half her Att. The target can be switched if the first target goes down before the second shot is fired. It is somewhat like a regular half-Att attack, followed by another one immediately, before the delay for the first attack to happen again.
Because she attacks twice, Skully has twice the number of opportunities for abilities that depend on chance to occur like Stun or Bleed.
All of Skully's active skills have her immobile for a significant amount of time. So be careful using the skills when she is in danger of being attacked, especially by Oblins who can stun.
All of Skully's active skills have her immobile for a significant amount of time. So be careful using the skills when she is in danger of being attacked, especially by Oblins who can stun.
Update 1.3 changed the effect of two of her active skills and it also introduced a few interesting passive skills.
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| Spiral Shots |
With Spiral Shots, Skully spreads bullets all around her, with more bullets in the direction she was originally facing. This skill is best used when surrounded by Oblins, or right on top of one to maximize the number of bullets that hit.
A good use of Spiral Shot is for inflicting Bleed and Stun. Each individual bullet does low damage. However, each individual bullet has a chance to inflict. Even if an Oblin takes only one hit, that bullet may inflict Bleed and/or Stun. For this effect, the skill is best used in the middle of a group of Oblins to maximize the number of targets hit.
While Skully is executing this skill, she will be immobile and unable to move out of the way of any attacks. Special care should be considered if there is an Oblin or a boss in the vicinity that has a high-damage attack.
Update 9 February 2012:
Skill damage per skill level is now +4%.
A good use of Spiral Shot is for inflicting Bleed and Stun. Each individual bullet does low damage. However, each individual bullet has a chance to inflict. Even if an Oblin takes only one hit, that bullet may inflict Bleed and/or Stun. For this effect, the skill is best used in the middle of a group of Oblins to maximize the number of targets hit.
While Skully is executing this skill, she will be immobile and unable to move out of the way of any attacks. Special care should be considered if there is an Oblin or a boss in the vicinity that has a high-damage attack.
Update 9 February 2012:
Skill damage per skill level is now +4%.
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| Don't move! |
With ' Don't move!', Skully tosses a net. Oblins in the area of the net at impact (not after) will be caught. Caught Oblins cannot move and may be Stunned.
Unlike in Update 1.2 and despite what the description says, I have not noticed any reduction in attack speed of Oblins caught in the net. 'Don't move!' is good against melee Oblins to prevent them from coming near enough to attack. It can also be used on ranged Oblins at long distance to prevent them from entering the fight until later.
One cheap trick is to attack an Oblin to draw its attention, then net it and run away, leaving the buddies to finish off the Oblin. The Oblin will be left staring after Skully while the buddies do their damage.
Unlike in Update 1.2 and despite what the description says, I have not noticed any reduction in attack speed of Oblins caught in the net. 'Don't move!' is good against melee Oblins to prevent them from coming near enough to attack. It can also be used on ranged Oblins at long distance to prevent them from entering the fight until later.
One cheap trick is to attack an Oblin to draw its attention, then net it and run away, leaving the buddies to finish off the Oblin. The Oblin will be left staring after Skully while the buddies do their damage.
The area of effect increases with skill level, as do the duration the net lasts. Stun inflicted by the net does not necessarily last for the duration of the net.
Note that it takes Skully a little time to take out the net and toss it, and for the net to land. The delay is enough for melee Oblins to march next to Skully before the skill takes effect.
If this skill is used untargeted, Skully will aim for a spot in front of her. If the untargeted use is done badly, Skully could potentially throw the net behind charging melee Oblins.
To target an Oblin simply click on it. Skully will also auto-target the nearest Oblin if she 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 Skully faces that direction, activate the skill.
To target an Oblin simply click on it. Skully will also auto-target the nearest Oblin if she 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 Skully faces that direction, activate the skill.
If a boss is caught in the net, the net lasts less than the usual amount of time. i.e. A boss and any Oblins caught with him/her/it are released sooner than normal.
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| Hand Bomb |
When executing the Hand Bomb, Skully will pull out a cannon (presumably from Hammerspace) and fire at the target. A bomb will fly out and land on the target, creating Skully's signature skull-explosion (which has been plagiarized by the Pelicano brothers).
Hand Bomb deals lots of damage at launch and at impact. At launch, each bomb will damage any Oblin standing directly in front of the cannon. At impact, each bomb does damage in a tiny area of effect. These makes the skill a lot like a shotgun - more effective at point-blank range.
Despite what the description says, Skully only gets one additional bomb at skill level 20. This would lead to one additional bomb to deal damage at launch. However, it is unlikely that both bombs will hit the same target at impact. Then again, the spread pattern may have been changed in Update 1.3, something which I have yet to observe.
Hand Bomb deals lots of damage at launch and at impact. At launch, each bomb will damage any Oblin standing directly in front of the cannon. At impact, each bomb does damage in a tiny area of effect. These makes the skill a lot like a shotgun - more effective at point-blank range.
Despite what the description says, Skully only gets one additional bomb at skill level 20. This would lead to one additional bomb to deal damage at launch. However, it is unlikely that both bombs will hit the same target at impact. Then again, the spread pattern may have been changed in Update 1.3, something which I have yet to observe.
If Hand Bomb is used untargeted, Skully will aim for a spot in front of her. This is a highly inaccurate use of the skill especially with the tiny area of effect.
Update 5 September 2011:
The additional bomb is available level 16 (not 20!) and will land to the left of the first.
Update 8 October 2011:
Hand Bomb does damage on contact with an Oblin. Because of the trajectory of the bomb, it is possible to damage an Oblin twice (once at launch and once at impact) if the Oblin is at point-blank range and is selected as the active target. This, however, requires that the bomb leave the contact (or collision) area of the Oblin before hitting the Oblin again to inflict damage a second time. Thus this trick does not work on larger Oblins where the bomb is unable to leave the Oblin's contact area.
Update 13 March 2012:
In the Seventh Wave (1.6), Hand Bomb no longer does damage at launch. Only on impact. Say 'bye-bye' to one powerful boss-killer technique.
Update 1 April 2012:
Hand Bomb does damage at launch in Raids and in Chapter 11. My guess is that the no-damage-at-launch thing only happens in Chapter 12.
Update 5 September 2011:
The additional bomb is available level 16 (not 20!) and will land to the left of the first.
Update 8 October 2011:
Hand Bomb does damage on contact with an Oblin. Because of the trajectory of the bomb, it is possible to damage an Oblin twice (once at launch and once at impact) if the Oblin is at point-blank range and is selected as the active target. This, however, requires that the bomb leave the contact (or collision) area of the Oblin before hitting the Oblin again to inflict damage a second time. Thus this trick does not work on larger Oblins where the bomb is unable to leave the Oblin's contact area.
Update 13 March 2012:
In the Seventh Wave (1.6), Hand Bomb no longer does damage at launch. Only on impact. Say 'bye-bye' to one powerful boss-killer technique.
Update 1 April 2012:
Hand Bomb does damage at launch in Raids and in Chapter 11. My guess is that the no-damage-at-launch thing only happens in Chapter 12.
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| Bleeding |
Skully's passive skill, Bleeding gives her a chance to inflict Bleed on Oblins with every attack. This includes each shot of Spiral Shots and each of her regular double attack. Oblins inflicted by Bleed has red droplets flying off them. They lose HP continuously until Bleed wears off. The duration and chance of Bleed increases with skill level.
Unlike in Update 1.2, Bleed now does less damage such that it cannot be relied upon to finish a regular Oblin. Despite that, it is still additional damage to weaken the target it afflicts. Damage increases with Att and Skill Pow. I think, for the latter. Since the damage is so small, it is hard to tell conclusively from observation so far. And my Skully is one level short of a major Skill Pow item requirement.
Update 7 July 2011:
I ran more experiments with Bleed and Skill Pow and the results are inconclusive. That is because I found that Bleed damage is higher with lower Skill Pow!? I had higher Stun with the lower Skill Pow setting and I am not sure if it is related.
On a side note, I discovered that Skill Pow heavily influences Hand Bomb's damage.
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| Be Stock on Her |
I have no idea what sort of skill name 'Be Stock on Her' is.
Anyway, this skill adds a small boost to Stun to each of Skully's regular attacks (note that I keep mentioning 'each') and a large one to her active skill 'Don't move!'. The latter would make up for the fact that 'Don't move!' does not seem to reduce attack speed. Why reduce attack speed when it can be stopped altogether? :)
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| Sharp Shooter |
I do not get what Sharp Shooter has got to do with reducing the chances of getting attacked.
Anyway, this skill increases Skully's attack speed. Which means more frequent double attacks. Which then means more chances to inflict Bleed and Stun.
Sharp Shooter also reduces the chances of Oblins selecting Skully as their target. Despite 10 skill points in this skill, I still find bosses going after Skully whenever she spams bullets and bombs in their faces. Maybe they will give up earlier.
Sharp Shooter also reduces the chances of Oblins selecting Skully as their target. Despite 10 skill points in this skill, I still find bosses going after Skully whenever she spams bullets and bombs in their faces. Maybe they will give up earlier.
Also, despite Skully being less likely to be targeted, she will still suffer damage from area effect skills aimed at a buddy next to her.
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| Keen Attack |
Keen Attack gives a passive increase to the chance for a Critical to happen. A small increase. To each party member. Which is significant for buddies with skills that depend on Critical. Like Nagne and his 'Forgetful Nagne' passive skill.
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Two possible strategies to invest in Skully's skills are one that focuses on damage, and one that inflicts Bleed and Stun.
For damage-dealing, Skully's Spiral Shots and Hand Bomb do more damage at close range. However, that would put Skully in potential danger, so investing in some defense is necessary. Also, it requires Skully to be close to her target, which requires moving to the right spot, something that is too delicate for the AI.
On the other hand, Skully has a good chance to inflict Bleed and Stun with support from her skills. The AI would do better with this strategy since it simply requires shooting and the spamming of skills.
A balance of both strategies could also be good since it allows Skully to be effective, both at damage-dealing and in Stunning the opponents.
A third possible strategy is damage-dealing for the AI. It is accepted that the AI is going to stand back and shoot, so just pile on all the offense and hope for the best. Oh, and add in a little defense too, in case the AI decides that Skully should sit still while a boss is pulling out his/her/its ultimate move.
Update 29 September 2011:
When having Skully as a team member, lure Oblins close to her (Worrier is good at this) so that her Spiral Shots and Hand Bomb are more effective. With practice, you'll be able to time when the AI is about to use Spiral Shots and lure the Oblins just before that happens.
Be careful when doing this with Raid Bosses (Jinie cannot be lured). If you lure the Raid Boss to the wrong place, Skully may end up in position to get hit by a Super Skill.
Buddy Rush: Contents
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Two possible strategies to invest in Skully's skills are one that focuses on damage, and one that inflicts Bleed and Stun.
For damage-dealing, Skully's Spiral Shots and Hand Bomb do more damage at close range. However, that would put Skully in potential danger, so investing in some defense is necessary. Also, it requires Skully to be close to her target, which requires moving to the right spot, something that is too delicate for the AI.
On the other hand, Skully has a good chance to inflict Bleed and Stun with support from her skills. The AI would do better with this strategy since it simply requires shooting and the spamming of skills.
A balance of both strategies could also be good since it allows Skully to be effective, both at damage-dealing and in Stunning the opponents.
A third possible strategy is damage-dealing for the AI. It is accepted that the AI is going to stand back and shoot, so just pile on all the offense and hope for the best. Oh, and add in a little defense too, in case the AI decides that Skully should sit still while a boss is pulling out his/her/its ultimate move.
Update 29 September 2011:
When having Skully as a team member, lure Oblins close to her (Worrier is good at this) so that her Spiral Shots and Hand Bomb are more effective. With practice, you'll be able to time when the AI is about to use Spiral Shots and lure the Oblins just before that happens.
Be careful when doing this with Raid Bosses (Jinie cannot be lured). If you lure the Raid Boss to the wrong place, Skully may end up in position to get hit by a Super Skill.
Buddy Rush: Contents
Also, Skully's "Keen Attack" skill is very helpful when used with Vivich's "Aum" along with a third buddy who relies on skills to do damage.
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