Abigail v. Mel and The 5Ok, so here it is (finally): Abigail's battle with Mel and The 5.
I'll note at outset that I'm considering having Abigail do this again, because I wasn't entirely pleased with Mel's behavior in the finishing sequence: I don't feel as through she got the full SCS-Ascension experience. Nonetheless, here's the battle as it happened. For the record, this was the 6th try including the crash.
The Plan: Streamline the spellbook with an empahsis on low casting time spells: AoF and Doom at 1, DUHM at 2, Dispel Magic at 3, Poison at 4, CC at 5, Harm at 6, Firestorms at 7. Setup the inventory as below.
Maintain a movement rate advantage using Boots of Speed + Oil of Speed and fight with the Sling. Before Mel's arrival, chew through The 5's Stoneskins and healing. After the skins and healing are drained, make significant progress on Abazgial, Sendai, and Yaga Shura before killing one of them. Trigger Mel's arrival by finishing Abazigal so that he won't be in a position to Breach away Focus before Mel's Time Stop.
Switch up the inventory when Mel arrives.
Keep your Aura clear and listen for Praeses- being sure to hit each Focus. Restrict non-essential spell equivalent action usage to times when Mel has either a clouded Aura or no access to Time Stop. Look for opportunities to unload Firestorms- perhaps with the assitance of a kite- but expect to rely on the Sling assisted by Dispel Magic. Manage Bone Blade damage using Easthaven and Armor of Faith- being sure to keep hitpoint above 60 to thwart PW:K.
Execution: The battle went according to plan for the most part but there were a few wrinkles: some good, some bad.
Abigail's Sendai's Skins and Heals were Abigail's first objectives. An opening Sling bullet let Sendai know that she was marked. Everad was used in the Stoneskin chewing phase.
Sendai's Time Stop via Wish was foiled with Focus, her Implosion -injudicously cast during Time Stop- was foiled by Ages.
Abigail used Sendai's Time Stop to work on Abazigal's spellbook with Everad's Morning Star. Sendai made a little progess with Wilting during the Time Stop, but the damage was quickly healed.
While wearing through Sendai's Skins, Abigail got some most welcome help from Yaga-Shura. Thanks big fella!
Through the Skins into the Heals.
Keeping the pressure up.
Once Sendai's Heals were tapped -and therefore couldn't be cast on the high hitpoint, high resistance Yaga- Abigail went to work on him. Doom->Poison helped speed things up though casting it felt dicey given the spell's middling casting time and poor range.
The vanilla version of Harm works beautifully on Yaga. The SCS version, less so...
Once Yaga joined Sendai in Near Death territory, Abigail went to work on Abazigal. Unexpectedly, it was a Yaga Lava Bomb that finished him.
With Abazigal's death, Mel appeared, Abigail turned and fired a sling bullet to end Sendai (no screenshot).
Now, while everything seems to be going smoothly at this point, Abigail was actually in grave danger. The timing of Abazigal's death put Abigail in the awkward position of being too far from Mel when she arrived- risking a silent Time Stop cast. Seeing Mel waving her hand -and knowing that Mel often casts Time Stop just after arrival- Abigail chose to use her Focus ability. Big mistake: Mel wasn't casting Time Stop- raising the possibility that Abigail wouldn't have Focus available when Mel did cast.
The dreaded moment came -Abigal heard "praeses" with her focus used. What to do: how can Mel be interrupted?
Abigail (unequip The Reflex)
Illasera: Red Slayers!
Abigail (re-equip The Reflex)
Illasera- Death
Melissan- Weakened
Melissan- Spell Failed: Casting Failure
Abigail- Phew!
With that hurdle cleared, it was time to take down Gromnir and Sarevok. "With friends like these" the pair thought...
Sling bullets finished them.
Yaga was next.
And then Mel.
Her first Time Stop was countered with Focus.
Oddly though, Mel Teleported Without Error to the North and then parked as per the original Ascension. She fought well when parked -using her Bone Blades and other abilities as expected- but the casting window was a huge boon since it gave Abigail a chance to use her Firestorms. They took Mel down to Badly Injured- saving at least an hour of real time.
Sling bullets and Dispel Magic Finished her.
Fin!
In the next few days, I'll likely have Abigail try the fight again. Hopefully she'll get more aggressive behavior out of Mel this time.
Best,
A.
Modifié par Alesia_BH, 25 octobre 2012 - 12:33 .
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