33 réponses à ce sujet

[AreleX]

Next up in the 'Say No to Kiting' series is one of the toughest fights in the game: Xebenkeck, the end boss of the Forbidden Knowledge quest. She has a bunch of HP, and her buddies don't make things any easier on you, but with good tactics, fast killing, and solid play, you can clear this without resorting to running enemies down the hallway, and I'll show you how. Let's do it!

Two-Minute Xebenkeck Clear

Preparation

- Get your Electricity staves ready for Merrill's Elemental Weapons, since every enemy in this mission (except for the Rage Demons) is weak to it.

- The Etched Ring of the Twins (knockback immunity) is a BIG help in this fight, since getting panicked/staggered by Rage Demons and Abominations is almost a guaranteed death sentence.

- Get elemental defense runes for yourself and your companions, if you find it neccessary.

Tactics

Merrill
Self: Health >=50% - Activate: Blood of the First
Self: Health <50% - Deactivate: Blood of the First
Self: Any - Activate: Elemental Weapons
Self: Any - Activate: Rock Armor
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Self: Mana or Stamina <25% - Use: Lyrium Potion
Enemy: STAGGERED - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Crushing Prison
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: STAGGERED - Chain Lightning
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Horror
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Hex of Torment
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Misdirection Hex
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Stonefist
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Attack

Anders
Self: Any - Activate: Heroic Aura
Self: Any - Activate: Panacea
Self: Health < 25% - Use: Potion
Self: Mana or stamina <25% - Use Lyrium Potion
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Haste
Hawke: Health <25% - Heal
Self: At least two party members below 50% health - Aid Allies
Ally: Dead - Regroup
Ally: Being attacked by a ranged attack - Glyph of Repulsion
Enemy: Target Rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Glyph of Paralysis
Self: Being attacked by a melee or magic attack - Glyph of Repulsion
Hawke: Health <50% - Barrier
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Attack

Varric
Self: Health <25% - Use: Potion
Self: Mana or stamina <10% - Use: Stamina Draught
Self: Any - Activate: Bianca's Song
Self: Health <50% - Use current condition for next tactic
Anders: Any - Back-to-Back
Anders: Being attacked by a melee or ranged attack - Use current condition for next tactic
Hawke: Any - Goad
Merrill - Being attacked by a melee or ranged attack - Use current condition for next tactic
Hawke: Any - Goad
Self: Being attacked by a melee or ranged attack - Use current condition for next tactic
Hawke: Any - Goad
Self: Being attacked by a melee attack - Armistice
Anders: Being attacked by a melee attack - Armistice
Anders: Being attacked by a melee or magic attack - Kickback
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Brand
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Pinning Shot
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Rhyming Triplet
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Attack

Enemy Priority List

High
Revenant
Rage Demon

Medium
Abomination

Low
Xebenkeck

Strategy

- Wait until you've drawn enough aggro to get the enemies in a group to activate abilities like Cleave, Barrage, Sacrificial Frenzy, etc, to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck.

- Get the most out of your party member's debuffs and lockdowns. I have the Muscle upgrade for Might, which gives me +25% critical damage, and if you give Merrill Death Hex (upgraded from Hex of Torment), this adds up to huge amounts of pain very quickly.

- Drop the Rage Demons AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. They're too random and too powerful to be left alive, especially when there can be so many of them at once. Be very mindful of when they go underground, because their resurfacing attack HURTS. Devour is a great way to mitigate the chance of death from a Rage Demon's surfacing attack. Use it when your healer is on cooldown, or use Health Potions if you don't have Devour.

- When one of the first Rage Demons or Xebenkeck dies, A LOT of powerful adds spawn (Revenant, 2 additional Rage Demons, several Abominations). To lessen the threat and stress on your party, try to damage the Rage Demons simultaneously, and kill them one right after the other.

- Abominations can be killed without worry, since the adds don't spawn unless you kill Xebenkeck or a Rage Demon. Use them in between attacking higher priority targets to keep your stamina full, and your party safe.

- Drop the Revenant first when the wave of adds spawn. Interrupt him, and try to put as much hurt on him as possible; he can damage your entire party for free from anywhere on the screen, which is a major threat when you have so many squishy companions.

- Be mindful of your companion's locations at all times. You're fighting in an incredibly enclosed space, and one errant ability in a party member's range can take you from perfect run to certain death almost instantly.

- Leave Xebenkeck for last. Once you clear everything else out, you're home free, and can wail on her without worry.

- Dog holds aggro in the center like a champ, and you can attack through him 100% worry free.

It won't be easy, and it may take a few tries to get it right, but it's so much more satisfying to finish this without cheesing the game. Give it a shot, it's definitely possible!

Modifié par AreleX, 28 mars 2011 - 05:10 .

[nicodeemus327]

Great strategy. Pretty much what I had to do. The rage demons gave me so much trouble at first. Once I figured out they behaved like rogues I adjusted accordingly and just blew them up asap.

[Jman5]

Nice one and props for not just walking back 5 feet to the door and facerolling to victory. They really ought to put a barrier up at that door because it changes the fight from one of the hardest to one of the easiest.

[ShadowPlay 14]

I clapped.

[AreleX]

Jman5 wrote...

Nice one and props for not just walking back 5 feet to the door and facerolling to victory. They really ought to put a barrier up at that door because it changes the fight from one of the hardest to one of the easiest.

^ Exactly why I made the vid. I

t's like paying for a hooker; sure, it gets the job done, but afterwards, you feel really dirty about it, and wonder if it was worth it.

...not that I'd know anything about that.

[L33TDAWG]

I used the developer console and made a cross class combo rogue and killed her in 5 seconds. I think I have won, but niceness on your part for not doing the same.

[Maverick827]

I watch a lot of these videos with two-handed warriors not controlling their own party (e.g. using tactics and letting them run wild) and there's always a point where you look back and there's like seven mobs on a non-tank companion for a rather long amount of time and he or she doesn't die, and that always baffles me.

If any of my non-tank companions even gets looked at, they're chain knocked back and die in a few hits.

[AreleX]

This is a relatively isolated incident, I don't think I can recall anything that matches 3 Abominations and 2 Rage Demons bum-rushing Anders' ****, or even comes close, in any of my vids.

For those few times it does, I've developed a pretty solid sixth sense of 'they can tough it out' and 'requires immediate attention or Anders screams about poultices'.

Anders is really the only big issue, because Merrill can tank better than I can (during the Brekker fight, I swear to god, she got backstabbed twice, TWICE! simultaneously and just tanked that **** like a CHAMP, I felt like so much less of a man).

Varric uses Back-to-Back when his health hits half, and if I see him do it, I take note that I should probably be paying more attention/helping.

All this aside, the number one cause of squadmate death for me is easily them trolling me. Sometimes, Anders will, I swear this on my life, walk right in front of an enemy, turn around, and just STARE at me with his 'prrrrrroblem, Hawke?' face on. I kill him out of spite.

I hate this game.

Modifié par AreleX, 28 mars 2011 - 10:24 .

[SuicidalBaby]

Bravo!

Modifié par SuicidialBaby, 29 mars 2011 - 12:12 .

[SuicidalBaby]

Bravo!



yes, this was on purpose!



Bravo!

Modifié par SuicidialBaby, 29 mars 2011 - 12:13 .

[ScroguBlitzen]

Maverick827 wrote...

I watch a lot of these videos with two-handed warriors not controlling their own party (e.g. using tactics and letting them run wild) and there's always a point where you look back and there's like seven mobs on a non-tank companion for a rather long amount of time and he or she doesn't die, and that always baffles me.

If any of my non-tank companions even gets looked at, they're chain knocked back and die in a few hits.

Arelex play's on the XBox 360, as do I.  This makes it much more time consuming to issue orders to your party.  We can't just target an area and hit a hot key.  We have to bring up the radial menu to direct them, and that takes time that we don't want to waste when recording a speed run.

I also seem to get targeting issues on the 360 where an enemy is standing right in front of me and I click (A) button and nothing happens (except for a rally looking animation).

Arelex- you ever have that problem?

[AreleX]

Yes, yes I do, The no target fist pump dance has become the new 'Can't get a lock!'

[SuicidalBaby]

AreleX wrote...

Yes, yes I do, The no target fist pump dance has become the new 'Can't get a lock!'

At least you're not standing there spinning a staff for 2 full seconds while looking like some 14 year old batton twirling cheerleader.

Modifié par SuicidialBaby, 29 mars 2011 - 12:38 .

[ScroguBlitzen]

We need a bug fix on this. It's exceptionally annoying. I try to use the D-Pad to switch targets, and sometimes looking down helps...

[SuicidalBaby]

The phrase, "working as intended." Not good enough for you?

[ArchibaldWheeler]

Impressive!

[VanilleGrobi]

Hmm, if anyone is still around, with which level do i stand a chance in this fight?
I had my first few tries with level 17 and got ripped to shreds as soon as the second wave of demons appears.
As I am the mage in my group i have Aveline as tank but unfortunately she (or I, as the player) can't get/hold the aggro of all the demons.
May i ask for the spec of your tanks (ability/attribute distribution)? Maybe i got something wrong that way even though i don't have too much problems in other fights.

[AreleX]

VanilleGrobi wrote...

Hmm, if anyone is still around, with which level do i stand a chance in this fight?
I had my first few tries with level 17 and got ripped to shreds as soon as the second wave of demons appears.
As I am the mage in my group i have Aveline as tank but unfortunately she (or I, as the player) can't get/hold the aggro of all the demons.
May i ask for the spec of your tanks (ability/attribute distribution)? Maybe i got something wrong that way even though i don't have too much problems in other fights.

Wow, I forgot this topic even existed!

Check my Mage guide for the Aveline build I use, and feel free to PM me with your current Hawke build and etc, I'll try my best to help.

[VanilleGrobi]

Wow, I'm deeply surprised of what can be achieved with a proper group setup. I did my next attempt with your "Red Mist" team setup and Xebenkeck went down nearly too easy.
I think i will do this fight a couple of times more to see where exactly my original setup failed :-o\\. I guess it wasn't so much about the abilities but rather the taktics you applied.
What I'm wondering about is how you do the finetuning of your setups? The only way i could think of is re-loading big fight like Xebenkeck over and over again with intermediate visits at the Emporium.

Anyway, I'm deeply impressed. Thanks for the guide, the videos, the strategy...
I think i still have a few lessons to learn :-o)

[AreleX]

It usually starts with an idea. After the initial planning period (when I work out the skeleton of what I want to do) I'll notice something that's not working/could be working better, and I add my ideas/what I can do to improve it. I get to a tough part in the game, and I test it out, to see if it works like I intended. Then, I reload and do the area/mission/fight a few more times to make sure that the strategy I'm using can be replicated reliably.

I mod my games to give myself a bunch of money to test things, and almost all of it goes to Maker's Sigh potions. I think my record is around 60 in one playthrough.

You're very welcome, VanilleGrobi, and feel free to let me know if you need any help at all!

[Apathy1989]

Derp I always pull on this one. Too many rage daemons to fight but I will try next time.

Very nice vid.

[Eternal Phoenix]

You asked for a reply. I made one:

Your video:

Hawke does 100 (+) damage when having at least 7 bonuses. My warrior did 100 (+) without any abilities activated. Your 300 damage part is unachievable as my warrior, your character activates at least three abilities after the 7 initial bonuses to achieve that but those abilities last for a few seconds before wearing out. I also see you've got mighty offensive potion activated. So yes, your damage is going to be higher than mine if you're using potions and Anders' spells to increase your damage. Anders is using Heroic Aura as well which increases damage further more if I recall correctly. My mage and rogue don't even need to use such abilities, potions and spells to score high damage. Why does a warrior need to use such things to increase their damage? I don't have anything against the Heroic Aura but when mages and rogues do more damage than a warrior without those abilities activated and a warrior needs those abilities activated it points to the warrior being underpowered compared to those two classes.

Is that really too hard to accept? Everyone knows the rogue class in Origins was the weakest class and everyone knows the rogue class in DA2 is the best class to be if you want to get your ass handed back to you after two hits by a mature dragon but it has its bonuses. Now in DA2 - the warrior class is simply the best class to be if you wish to be a good defender but when it comes to damage - potions, spells, passive abilities and abilities are needed just to score 300 damage whereas a rogue or mage can score 300 damage without potions and spells which increase damage which proves the warrior is underpowered when compared to them.

If you can't see that, then that's your ignorance.

/Done here.

[AreleX]

I didn't 'ask for a reply', I told you that you can talk to me when you pull your head out of your ass, which you clearly have not. I don't care if you're bad, I don't care if you think I'm bad, I don't care if you think my build is bad, I don't care if you think Warrior is bad, I don't care to prove anything to you, and I don't care to argue with you, all because you are a colossal waste of time.

You called my video 'stupid' (why? who knows?), and have consistently acted like a petulant child in your thread. Fine, it's stupid. Fine, warrior is weak. There are too many people who WANT my help, and AREN'T narrow-minded scrubs, for me to waste any time or effort arguing with a person who is dead-set on believing the class is weak.

Consider this 'weaseling out' if you will. As explicitly stated above, you are a waste of time, and I don't care what you think.

Modifié par AreleX, 28 avril 2011 - 10:44 .

[Shep309]

lol wtf man... each thread I've been in of yours you're arguing with someone.

The internets has gone crazy!

[AreleX]

I don't even know, Shep!

It's like today is BSF 'Try To Make Arelex Angry' day.

It's because I got my hair cut short. It must be. Bad mojo.