Buddy Rush: Betty Jr'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. Still no confirmation on Betty Jr's gender.

Update 1.3 has still not cleared up Betty Jr's gender so I am still calling it an 'it'. I think all the inconsistencies are in Betty Jr's introduction screen.

Update 24 September 2012:
Details on Hungry Betty Junior is found in this article.
More signs point to Betty Junior being a 'she' so I shall be calling her a 'she'.
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Betty Jr is a durable character with active skills that are capable of dealing damage to multiple targets. It has a few new passive skills in Update 1.3.

Superhard Stonehead

With Superhard Stonehead, Betty Jr flies (in looks more like a jump after the animation has been sped up) into the air, then comes down hard, causing a shockwave that deals damage to surrounding Oblins. Compared to Betty and YA 86, Betty Jr's execution of the skill is much faster, though there is still a slight delay. Damage will not be done if Betty Jr is Stunned before it gets to the damage-dealing part of the animation.

Superhard Stonehead does damage twice to all targets in a very large area around Betty Jr. Even if Betty Jr is stunned during the first damage-dealing, the second attack will still happen.

This skill good when there are a number of Oblins on the screen. The skill's large attack radius easily hits many targets. This skill is more effective if Betty Jr is in the middle of a group of Oblins to maximize the number of targets. This will likely draw the Oblins' attacks, although Betty Jr's durability reduces the risk. However, there is a small chance that Oblins with the Stun ability will stop the skill from executing.

Update 20 September 2011:
In the Fifth Wave, Superhard Stonehead does damage three times. This dramatically increases the damage potential of the skill.

Nobody can stop me

The description is still as short as ever.

Anyway, when 'Nobody can stop me' is activated, Betty Jr will charge forward almost immediately, dealing damage to all Oblins in the way (sometimes damage is dealt twice) and Stunning them. Because the starting delay is very small and because this skill does not require Betty Jr to be in the middle of a group of Oblins, the chances of this skill getting interrupted by a Stun is very small. Betty Jr may still be Stunned during a charge, though.

This skill potentially puts Betty Jr in the middle of a group of Oblins. However, the Stun effect the skill inflicts reduces Betty Jr's risk. Also, if enough skill points are invested (in theory, since I have not tried it out), Oblins hit by Betty Jr's charge will have little HP left and easily dispatched.

This skill is good at the start of battle against melee Oblins who will come charging into the path of this skill. However, this skill is bad against ranged Oblins who may not be standing in a nice little line. Even if they are, the player has to aim Betty Jr properly to hit all the Oblins in the line. Also, this skill is bad in crowded areas where obstacles may block Betty Jr's charge.

'Nobody can stop me' is best used untargeted in order to hit as many Oblins as possible. Some practice is necessary to learn the contact area of the skill and to aim.

To target an Oblin simply click on it. Betty Jr will also auto-target the nearest Oblin if it 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 Betty Jr faces that direction, activate the skill.

 

Also, care should be taken if Betty Jr is the main character in a party that has range buddies that have low defense (especially a Wizz with the List of Death equipped). If Betty Jr charges too far from the buddies with 'Nobody can stop me', the buddies will run after Betty Jr - out of safety and potentially into danger.

Update 13 March 2012:
In the Seventh Wave (1.6), 'Nobody can stop me' no longer Stuns. There goes one of Betty Jr's most powerful moves.

Burping Fire

With Burping Fire, Betty Jr breathes a continuous flow of flames for a few seconds. The area of effect has been increased by a lot in Update 1.3, making this skill much more effective at barbequing lots of Oblins. It can even hit targets behind walls. Betty Jr's version of this skill has a very much shorter delay compared to Betty's and YA 86's. 

This skill is good against groups of immobile targets or in the faces of charging Oblins. If this skill is used targeted, Betty Jr will adjust its aim if the target moves.

Betty Jr does not charge into danger or need to be in the middle of Oblins to use this skill. However, Betty Jr is immobile while it is burping fire, unable to step out of the way of Oblin attacks.

Bone of dinosaur

I have not noticed anything regarding the 'faster HP regen' mentioned in the skill description. If there is not any, 'Bone of dinosaur' is less impressive compared to Worrier's 'Getting Strong'. The latter gives some resistance against Stun in addition to increasing Max HP.

'Bone of dinosaur' increases Betty Jr's Max HP and 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 Betty Jr with high Max HP as the main character gives more HP when red orbs are collected.

(Yes, yes, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V from Worrier's article.)

Update 9 February 2012:
MaxHP is now +0.7% per skill level.

I have a brain, too

'I have a brain, too' increases Betty Jr's Max MP. It also increases the effectiveness of MP increasing items. If the blue orbs from KOed Oblins follow the same ~5% rule of the red orbs, this means that more MP will be gained if Betty Jr has more Max MP and is the main character. 

I am not sure if MP regen +0.05% applies to the MP Regen stat itself. At skill level 20, this would mean an additional 1% MP Regen. And 1% of a generous MP Regen of 10 is a very small number indeed.

However, it would make a lot more sense if the percentage were applied to Betty Jr's Max MP.

Update 9 February 2012:
Max MP is now +1.5% per skill level. MP regen remains unchanged at +0.05%.

Teeth Trimming

Teeth Trimming increases Betty Jr's offensive potential by increasing Att. Since the increase is by percentage, it also increases the effectiveness of Att increasing items.

This skill also adds a chance to Stun, which is a welcome side effect, even though Betty Jr does not have a high attack speed.

Update 9 February 2012:
For each skill level, Att is now +1.5%. Stun remains unchanged at +0.5%.

Shiny Scale

As with 'I have a brain, too', the percentage makes little sense if it is applied to HP Regen (0.4% at level 20!). It makes a lot more sense if it is applied to the Max HP.

Also, this skill is an aura, extending the bonus HP Regen to fellow buddies. This makes Betty Jr somewhat like a minor healer in boosting the recovery of HP. It is no substitute for Vivich or Healury's healing skills, but for long missions and raids, Shiny Scale is something helpful to have.

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With Update 1.3, Betty Jr is a more versatile character. It is durable enough for range characters to hide behind, it is capable of dealing damage and it helps regenerate HP too.

Buddy Rush: Contents