Buddy Rush: Botherella's Skill Guide (1.8.0)

Botherella is a spell-caster with decent area-effect damage skills and the ability to Curse Oblins into ineptitude. Note that Botherella's regular attacks are area effect with zero area. This means that she will hit targets that overlap.

Summon

With Summon, Botherella will call Wolfgang, a big scary dog. Wolfgang used to be sooo cute in the past. Guess he grew up. Anyway, Wolfgang follows Botherella around and attacks her enemies. He usually gets beaten unconscious after a Mission ends. Unlike other buddies, Wolfgang does not teleport to Botherella if he is too far away.

Wolfgang has a special attack where he bites and hangs on to the target Oblin, interrupting the Oblin's attack. If Botherella is the main character, an icon of jaws appears at the top-left of the screen to show the CoolTime of Wolfgang's special attack. Note that there are baddies who are immune to interrupt.

Casting time for Summon has been improved and as such, Botherella is in lesser danger of being vulnerable while she is calling Wolfgang.

Interestingly, if Botherella is the main character in the Kanbucay Mission 'Gather the yummy coconuts', her Wolfgang can gather the yummy coconuts.

Curse

Curse is Botherella's specialty where she may reduce the Att and Def of Oblins over a large area. Lowering an Oblin's Def makes it easier to defeat that Oblin while lowering Att reduces damage from that Oblin.

This skill is very useful against Raid Bosses with very high Def (Genzir the Storm and SD-91). Curse also helps the buddies stay alive. The Curse symbols on bosses disappear sooner compared to the Curse symbols on regular Oblins. Despite that, the effect of Curse seems to continue on bosses for a short while even after the symbol is gone.

Curse is one of The Almighty Skills, able to reduce damage received drastically and also make targets with high Def vulnerable.

Thorn Bush

Thorn Bush does damage over an area for a short amount of time. In addition, Thorn Bush also poisons. The poison damage depends on Att and is unaffected by SkillPow.

One trick is to cast Thorn Bush on an Oblin then lure other Oblins into the area of effect of the skill. This is a good skill to start off an Arena fight - just cast it on the ground the opponents are rushing to.

Some opponents may be resistant to poison damage. In the past, these opponents would take one tick of poison damage then immediately recover. I have been unable to confirm this lately since those same opponents die instantly on contact with a Diamond Level 5 Botherella's Level 7 Thorn Bush with an extreme amount of SkillPow bonus.

Ghost Storm

Botherella's Ultimate Skill, Ghost Storm, creates a ring of skulls and bones around Botherella, doing damage to any Oblins who get near.

The special features of Ghost Storm is that it does fairly consistent damage and it follows Botherella. These makes it very useful for completing low-level Missions. Simply cast the spell and take a walk to the Mission exit. Oblins will die left and right when they come into contact with the storm.

Charity

Donating skill points to Charity is a must to improve Curse. As an added bonus, it also increases the effectiveness of Thorn Bush.

Elastic Skull

Elastic Skull allows Botherella's regular attack to jump to an additional target. This is useful for any Botherella builds that focuses on regular attacks. Combined with Botherella's zero area of effect, this allows her to deal a lot of damage to Oblins clustered close together.

Elastic Skull also allegedly allows Botherella to Curse with her regular attacks. However, I have only seen the skull symbol appear on targets affected by this passive Curse. I have not noticed any increase in damage done to those targets or any decrease in damage received from them.

Pain Sharing

Pain Sharing describes the relationship between Botherella and Wolfgang, a one-sided relationship, that is.

Sharing HP means that some of the damage Botherella receives is transferred to Wolfgang. It does not apply the other way around. Effectively, Pain Sharing gives Botherella a certain percentage of reduction to any damage she suffers while Wolfgang is around. This is very useful since Botherella has low health.

As an added bonus, Wolfgang gets a boost to his Max HP so he can endure more damage. This skill is good for Botherella builds that focus on Wolfgang.

An eye for an eye

'An eye for an eye' is an aura that gives Botherella and fellow buddies a chance to return damage received. This applies to any damage, including damage from a range attack and even poison damage.

At low-level, this skill is quite useless with the low chance of activating and low effect. At high level, its use is debatable. It is useful for buddies who have high Max HP but low Def. However, it should not be relied upon to deal damage.

It is best to bring along a healer if one wants to make use of this aura.

Update 25 April 2013:
'An eye for an eye' is potentially deadly in the Arena. When the opposing team has Botherella, I sometimes lose huge chunks of HP when using powerful Skills.

***

In hindsight, I probably should not have invested so many skill points into 'An eye for an eye' since the Botherella in the screenshot above is built around the Curse skill, which reduces damage.

To further increase the effectiveness of the Curse skill, I had included a lot of items with Skill CoolTime bonus so Botherella could use the skill more often. The duration of Curse is still shorter than the CoolTime so there is a time when the target(s) is not affected.

I also invested a lot in Pain Sharing to keep Botherella alive. I did not put many skill points into Ghost Storm since I did not plan to use it often. In hindsight, I probably should have (instead of investing in 'An eye for an eye').

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Jeweless Sword Set (1.8.0)

Today, I received the red Processed Oblinium from the Daily Quest Special Reward. Thus, I am able to complete the Jeweless Sword Set... at a cost of .99M bugs to buy the Jeweless sword from the shop.

Jeweless sword

Red version of Processed Oblinium

There is also a blue Processed Oblinium, which will give the set effect of Att+190, Skill Pow+20%, Skill CoolTime-2sec, Critical+3.5%, Hit Speed+3%.

And no, it should not be possible to equip both Processed Obliniums at the same time.

Update 10 March 2013:
beepbeep sent the following screenshot of the blue Processed Oblinium:

Blue version of Processed Oblinium

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Boorseye's Skill Guide (1.8.0)

Boorseye is still one of the best damage dealers with skills focused on, well, doing damage.

Greedy Shot

'Greedy Shot' is a very good offense skill. The skill fans out a wave of arrows. At long range, the arrows can be distributed among a number of targets. At point-blank range, however, the arrows can be concentrated on one target. The number of arrows increases with skill level, thereby increasing potential damage by a whole lot.

To appreciate the true potential of 'Greedy Shot' requires Boorseye to be of high-level, when he will be able to equip items that reduce Skill CoolTime by a lot. With the proper amount of bonuses, Boorseye can spam 'Greedy Shot' every few seconds. Just do not neglect Att and SkillPow.

In addition, Stun and 'One Shot One Kill' (see below) work with the arrows fired by 'Greedy Shot'. Because of the potential of the skill, I'm adding 'Greedy Shot' to the list of The Almighty Skills.

No-yield shot

'No-yield shot' fires a number of arrows in the same direction. It is good for concentrating fire on a target at a distance. If the target goes down, the arrows can continue to hit other targets behind the first - arrows fired by this skill have good range.

Also, Stun and 'One Shot One Kill' work with arrows fired by this skill. At the start in Arena, 'No-yield shot' is a good skill to greet the opponents with.

Sneak

Long, long, very long ago, this skill used to be one of The Almighty Skills, able to buff Boorseye's damage to ridiculous amount. Now, not so much. But it still has its use.

When Sneak is used, Boorseye will make a camouflage to hide in. This boosts his Attack considerably. Sneak now has a decent duration. With enough Skill CoolTime bonuses, Boorseye may fire 'Greedy Shot' twice while Sneak if active - maybe even thrice! However, the time it takes for Boorseye to prepare his camouflage is a small drawback.

The other benefit of Sneak is that Oblins will stop targeting Boorseye. Oblins hit by Boorseye while Sneak is active may get confused and wander towards Boorseye with a question mark over its head.

Bosses are not confused by such a cheap trick and may attack Boorseye.

Rain of Arrows

'Rain of Arrows' is Boorseye's Ultimate Skill where he rains down four waves of arrows over a medium-sized area. Previously, the skill is not very effective since it does not do enough damage, in addition to not causing Stun and the fact that it was not compatible with 'One Shot One Kill'. With the Ninth Wave, 'Rain of Arrows' still does not work with Stun or 'One Shot One Kill', but it does a whole lot more damage.

The arrows fall around Boorseye and the area of effect will follow him as he moves. It should be noted that 'Rain of Arrows' does not distribute arrows evenly within the area of effect. A few targets may be hit by lots of arrows while others may only be hit by one or two.

Update 20 April 2013:
Boorseye as a buddy uses this skill a little differently where his 'Rain of Arrows' may center on a target instead of Boorseye.

Bull's Eye

'Bull's Eye' gives a passive bonus to Critical. It is a good solid skill to have if there is nothing else to invest skill points into.

Instinct for Survival

'Instinct for Survival' boosts Boorseye's Evade, helping him to survive longer. In addition, the skill also increases the duration of Sneak, allowing the benefit of extra Att to last a little longer. This is an important skill to invest in if one wants to spam three 'Greedy Shots' per Sneak.

One Shot One Kill

'One Shot One Kill' is one of The Almighty Skills, allowing Boorseye a chance to deal ridiculous amounts of damage to normal targets (KO guaranteed). Bosses are somewhat resistant and will only take an extra moderate damage. Boorseye's arrow-spamming skills, along with decent Hit Speed, will allow plenty of opportunities for this skill to activate.

'One Shot One Kill' is a good skill to have in Missions. In Raids, it increases Boorseye's damage potential and it helps Boorseye farm orbs from extras (if the extras are not mini-bosses).

Eyes of Boorseye

'Eyes of Boorseye' give a passive Att bonus to the entire party. The bonus is not much, but it is constant and does not require casting or MP.

***

Boorseye is a damage dealer with lots of skills to do damage. A good build for him would be to make full use of his 'Greedy Shot'. Equip Skill CoolTime items, along with Att and SkillPow. Stun would help too. Select buddies to buff these attributes (Aikilu and Healury can temporarily buff Att, Vivich can temporarily buff Skill Pow, Jacky's Aura improves Skill CoolTime).

And do not neglect MP, though it is less of a problem after the Ninth Wave.

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: February 2013 Attendance Reward

It is a new month and it is time for a new attendance reward. This month's reward is a Lucky Sack!

20-day Attendance Reward

The Lucky Sack gives Def+2%.

Lucky Sack

I tried putting it on Worrier, who has an Oblin Doll on.

Looks like a fat Oblin.

Let us add ear studs to the Oblin.

Fat Oblin with ear studs.

Let's go play!

Worrier goes to play!

***

Meanwhile, Boorseye leads a party against SD-91.

1 second left!

ARGH!!

So close to winning in 1 try!

But SD-91 is not done yet. This happened at the start of try #2:

Boorseye sees the treasure that SD-91 dropped.

There was not any time to collect the Treasure Chest!

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: Worrier's Skill Guide (1.8.0)

I found no reference to Burning Worrier after the Ninth Wave. Looks like Worrier is just Worrier again. Anyway, the Ninth Wave rearranged the whole skill system so here is an updated guide to Worrier's skills.

Chopchop

With this skill, Worrier will attack several times quickly with enhanced damage. This skill has low CoolTime and is good against single targets. If a target goes down before all the attacks are used, Worrier will attack another target within range. Beware the very short range of this skill.

Mockery

Mockery attracts the attention of Oblins. This skill is useful to direct the attacks of Oblins away from buddies. This skill can also help lure Oblins into the attack range of buddies' skills. To help Worrier keep the attention of Oblins, Worrier also gets a Defense (and allegedly, an Evade) boost.

ShockWave

ShockWave throws a wave in the direction Worrier is facing, doing a lot of damage (as the description suggests). This skill is best aimed manually (i.e. used untargeted - direct Worrier to move the desired direction and fire) rather than used targeted (click/select the target). Aiming manually gives better control, allowing more targets to be hit by aiming between them. Just beware its narrow area of effect.

ShockWave can stun the targets hit (probably based on Worrier's Stun). ShockWave goes through walls and terrain.

At the start in Arena, ShockWave is good for greeting the opponents and attracting their attention.

Hammer of Passion

'Hammer of Passion' throws a large hammer at the target, doing damage and Stun to targets in a large area. The hammer also does damage an extra time to the target. It is uncertain if this extra damage is only to the target or if it applies to a very small area around the target when used untargeted.

Allegedly, the hammer grows in size with skill level. Not sure if this affects the area of effect.

The Hammer of Passion can be thrown over a wall when used targeted.

Unbreakable

Unbreakable now increases Worrier's Attack along with his Defense.

Getting Strong

In addition to increasing Worrier's Max HP, 'Getting Strong' also reduces the chance that Worrier is Stunned. With short Stun duration and the fact that Worrier's Active Skills execute quickly, Stun does not affect him much anyway.

The extra Max HP helps increase the healing effectiveness of red orbs when Worrier is the main character.

The Fear is Gone

'The Fear is Gone' improves Worrier's damage dealing potential by improving his SkillPow and Skill CoolTime. This is good when combined with Chopchop since it allows the skill to be spammed more often. To a lesser extent, this skill also works well with ShockWave and 'Hammer of Passion'. It also allows Mockery to be used sooner to protect weaker buddies.

Blunt Aura

'Blunt Aura' is one of The Almighty Skills, improving Worrier's and buddies' Stun potential. This is good when combined with buddies with high Attack Speed like Skully and Nagne.

Surprisingly, not only is the skill not nerfed, its potential has been improved.

Remember that there are Oblins who are immune to Stun (Genzir the Storm).

***

All of Worriers skills are useful such that it is okay to evenly distribute all the skill points. At the very least, with at least 5 levels in each skill, Worrier will be versatile. Alternatively, skill points may be allocated to make Worrier either an offense character or one suited to defense and protection.

Buddy Rush: Contents

Buddy Rush: 2nd Anniversary

It is the second anniversary of Buddy Rush and there are three events. The first is the sale of 2nd Anniversary Giftboxes at the shop from 12 to 28 February.

The second event is the 50% discount at the shop for many items from 15 to 17 February. This includes accessories, costumes, consumables and equipment sold for bugs. It does not include the new weapon accessories, though.

I have been saving chips for around a year for this. One of the first things I bought was an increase to my storage space.

Inventory Upgrade

I thought I would have a look at what the 2nd Anniversary Giftbox would offer. I bought the Lv. 100 version.

Buddy Rush 2nd Anniversary Giftbox Lv.100

And received a BuddyRush Game Guide.

What was in the Giftbox.

The BuddyRush Game Guide has the following stats:

I wish I could read what is inside.

I also took advantage of the discount to buy Big Bags for each of my characters.

Big Bags for everyone!

One Big Bag allows one character to carry 5 consumables instead of the usual 3. It seems I can still buy them at the store after a character has one. I decided not to find out what would happen if I bought a second Big Bag for the same character.

I thought I would buy a second Giftbox to see what else I could get.

Buddy Rush 2nd Anniversary Giftbox Lv.100, full price.

Looks like the second Giftbox is at full price at 7 chips. What was inside was:

(speechless)

Hopefully the third event on 22 February will be much better.


Update 23 February 2013:
Forgot to mention this yesterday:
The third event is that from 22 to 24 February, Mission Clear Exp will be doubled.

There is a fourth event next week.

***

Update 28 February 2013:
The fourth event is that from March 1 to 3, Epic Drop Rates from Raid Bosses and Mission Clear will be doubled. This is great except that the purples that I really want are the character-specific equips for characters that I have. Those only appear in Treasure Chests during Raids and Missions. Maybe they can be looted from the special stamina chest at Mission Clear - I'm too stingy to test it out.

Also, because of the recent server disruptions, there will be an "Attendance Fever" event in March where the players will be compensated with more Daily Rewards. Instead of the usual 38 Stamina Potions, 20000 bugs, 5 Blood of Phoenix, 3 Golden Potions and 20 Chips, players will get 53 Stamina Potions, 80000 bugs, 39 Chips (gimme back the chips I wasted on the second gift box!). The missing Blood of Phoenix and Golden Potions aren't too bad since I get more than I need from Daily Rewards.

The 20-day attendance reward will still award 1 accessory, though (unless another bug happens).

For those of you too lazy to load the image mentioned in the comments below, this is the item one lucky person looted from the Giftbox:

I wish I could play the song.

***

Buddy Rush: Contents

Robot Rising: Low-Level Rare Equipment

When I started playing Robot Rising, I wondered if there were any Rare Equipment. It was only recently that I found a few.

The Franklin Defense CPU Kit has superior Defense for its level.

Franklin Defense CPU Kit

The M55 39mm Hunter is a decent rocket launcher. Despite its double-barrels, it does not fire double rockets.

M55 39mm Hunter

The Iotech Mule Mk. IV comes with 1 extra Max Speed compared to common quadrupeds.

Iotech Mule Mk. IV

Not only does the 370mm RHA Ironsides have extra Absorption, it also has extra Weight. And look at that Recycle Value!

370mm RHA Ironsides

Here's something completely unrelated: a screenshot of long-distance sniping.

Long-range sniping fun!

Buddy Rush: Assigning Skill Points

The Ninth Wave revamped the entire skill system. Characters now get 1 skill point per level up instead of from mastering Missions. Skill points are only awarded up till level 100. Diamond levels do not give skill points. As such, the maximum skill points is 99 (characters start at level 1).

The maximum level for each skill is 7. Active skills costs 3 skill points to level, while ultimate skills cost 4 and passive skills cost 2.

Here are two possible methods of skill distribution:

Versatile Method

If the character has all round good skills, it may be best to evenly distribute the skill points and assign what is left to the skills which are considered important. By using this method, the character will be well rounded and able to use all his/her skills.

In order to level up all skills one level, the skill point cost, C = (number of active skills x 3) + (1 ultimate skill x 4) + (number of passive skills x 2)

C = (3 x 3) + (1 x 4) + (4 x 2) = 21

If we raised all skills to level 4, the amount of skill points needed is C x (desired level - initial level)
= C (4 - 1)
= 63
This leaves (maximum skill points - 63) = 99 - 63 = 36 skill points left to distribute among the skills that are considered important.

If we raised all skills to level 5, the amount of skill points left would be 99 - C (5 - 1) = 15.

Skill distribution, Versatile Method

In the example above, I raised all of Nagne's skills to level 5 first. With the 15 skill points left over, I bought 2 levels of Leaf Slash (6 skill points), 1 of QuickStep Slash (3) and 2 of Kiss of Death (6).

Remember that this method works best if all the character's skills are useful.

Subtract Method

The second method is to start with all skills at level 7 first, then subtract skill points from the not-so-useful skills.

WARNING: This should be obvious: Don't try to assign all the skill points first - do it on paper beforehand! Or do it in your mind.

To max out all skills at level 7 requires C (7 - 1) = 126 skill points.

This means that there is a shortage of 126 - 99 = 27 skill points.

So these skill points have to be subtracted from the available skills.

Skill distribution, Subtract Method

Botherella is used as an example for this method. I do not depend much on Wolfgang's damage-dealing potential so I thought I could do with 3 less levels (9 skill points). Ghost Storm is powerful but I do not use it often, so 5 levels of the skill should suffice (8).

I do not rely much on Botherella's normal attacks so Elastic Skull gets knocked down to level 3 (8). For the last 2 skill points, I thought I should take it from 'An eye for an eye'.

In hindsight, I probably should have taken more skill points from 'An eye for an eye' since my strategy is damage-prevention rather than healing-damage.

Buddy Rush: Contents