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Post by Yaggleberry Finn on Dec 27, 2011 13:53:47 GMT -6
Some paths are so much better than the others that they should simply be the default for that character. Here are my nomination for no-brainer paths, let me know if you agree or not:
Wrecking Ball - Ultimate Spinner (force field upgrades)
Boomer - Demolition Troll (dynamite and time bombs)
Drobot - Master Blaster (quadruple blasters!)
Trigger Happy - Golden Money Bags (gold coins of doom)
Gill Grunt - Water Weaver (unlimited water)
Flameslinger - Pyromancer (better arrow attacks)
Dino Rang - Grand Boomerang Master (upgraded boomerangs)
Prism Break - Crystaleer (better crystals)
Terrafin - Sandhog (burrowing)
Stealth Elf - Pook Blade Saint (blade attacks)
Hex - Bone Crafter (instant bone walls)
Whirlwind - Tempest Dragon (storm clouds)
Voodood - Marauder (axe upgrades)
Zap - Slime Serpent (sliding bonanza!)
Double Trouble - Channeler (eldritch beam and magic bombs)
What do you think? Any other clear cut choices?
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Post by Tashiji on Dec 28, 2011 11:39:46 GMT -6
I would also add Voodood's Marauder just off the top of my head. Zipline Axe is his best attack, allowing him to speed around the field and clip the wings of keep-away PVPers and any story mode enemy alike. Additionally, the axe power upgrades are significant, and few characters pack Marauder Voodood's close-range punch.
Ignitor's Soul of the Flame applies as well. This path turns Ignitor into a force, especially in story/co-op, but significantly in PVP as well. It remedies his greatest problems--speed, and being redundant--and actually out-damages Blademaster up close (his alleged strength) with Mortars. There's really no reason to use any other path. Soul of the Flame is the difference between a middling melee who can't keep up with Stealth Elf (so why try?) and a true upper-tier character with unique and powerful abilities.
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Post by *~V~* on Dec 28, 2011 12:00:33 GMT -6
As someone with extensive experience with Hex, I'm going to have to contest Bone Crafter. It's definitely better in PVP and gives her some way to differentiate herself from Drobot... but in story mode/co-op, there's a SEVERE difference between her (in)ability to kill quickly and the way the projectile path shreds the field. Greatly reduced charge time might as well still be an eternity, because there's just no way to use Skull Rain effectively when Stealth Elf, Drobot, and other top-tier characters can clear the screen in seconds.
For me, Hex is definitely a character that should be built differently depending on if you're using her for PVP or not.
Also, Drill Sergeant needs to be on his charging path, Mega Dozer. Otherwise, he's just worthless. This path is both equally effective in both battle and story modes.
I would have to say that Zap on his Slime Serpent path rocks! You can slide all around the screen and electrify both enemies and battle opponents. I tried both paths, and must say that this is, indeed, the better of the two for this particular Skylander.
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Post by Yaggleberry Finn on Dec 28, 2011 15:17:31 GMT -6
Perhaps we need two separate threads - one for PVP builds and one for story mode builds. We pretty much abandoned story mode a while back and I really hadn't given much thought to the differences between the two.
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Post by Tashiji on Dec 28, 2011 15:46:24 GMT -6
You're absolutely right. Some builds are universal, but in the case of Skylanders like Hex, some aren't. PVP is definitely the 'endgame' in Skylanders, but story mode power rankings are nice to know for those who have yet to beat it/get the trophies/do the challenges, as well as those who want to make the best figure purchases.
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Post by Yaggleberry Finn on Dec 28, 2011 20:47:42 GMT -6
Just got done switching Drill Sergeant over to his Dozer mode. He's not great at dealing damage in either build, which is a real bummer to me... I value that over speed. But I do agree that it's a better path. Even though the "secret weapon" blaster only does 2 damage, that's a nice constant stream of damage. It all adds up!
However, I completed four of the five speed HC's I have (ran out of time and didn't get Ignitor's done) and he doesn't seem any faster to me. This is where a second, non-HC'd Drill Sergeant would be nice to have for comparison. I'll just have to wait for Flummer to keep building his collection!
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Post by *~V~* on Dec 28, 2011 21:01:02 GMT -6
We have two Drill Sergeants, with one on either build. Try adding the Devil hat to him if you are still unthrilled with his Dozer build. Most all of the other hats are useless to play with until they up the level cap and overall game difficulty, with the other exceptions being the Wizard hat for magic based users- like Zap- with an already decent speed and the Pirate hat for melee Skylanders - like Terrafin and Drobot - who again, have an already nice speed integrated in their prebuilt movement patterns.
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Post by Tashiji on Dec 29, 2011 2:30:43 GMT -6
Here's my question, then: Are you playing on the Wii version? We tried him out tonight on the Wii, and if this is the version you're playing, I can see where you're coming from. His charge is a mere shell of its PS3/360 greatness, and although I don't understand why they would change that in the port, they have. He has to charge three times to cover the distance of one PS3/360 charge, and to say that the speed is nerfed on the Wii would be a huge understatement.
So, I guess Megadozer's true strength is only accessible on two of the three consoles. Auto Blaster is a lot better on the Wii; easier to access, and better auto-targeting. However, if the Wii version is why you don't see the insane speed, V and I completely concur. To be honest, I still don't understand why this is. I do see why Wii players would be underwhelmed by him, though.
I never understood, prior to tonight, why half the fanbase loves Drill Sergeant and half can't stand him, but now I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's differences between the two ports of the game.
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Post by Yaggleberry Finn on Dec 29, 2011 6:57:17 GMT -6
Yes, I'm playing the Wii version, and so is Flummer. It's unfortunate that they're not the same across platforms, but at least now we know that. That will certainly affect our tiers to some extent, but I think we can figure out a way to deal with that. I think the bigger problem is that it will limit our playtesting even further.
Insights like these are why we need this forum!
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Post by Tashiji on Dec 29, 2011 11:09:14 GMT -6
I wasn't expecting any difference either, to be honest, but at least now I know why Wii players don't like some of my favorites. Ever since I switched Drill Sergeant to Megadozer on PS360, I've frankly been blown away by him--he is perhaps that version's best overall charging character, and while he's not the best PVPer, he's certainly upper-tier. On the Wii version, and I hate to say this, because trust me, I truly enjoy the character--he's a scrub. Barely worth putting on the portal.
Further testing is definitely needed. I'm glad we have these forums; on DarkSpyro, half the posts in these threads would be spam and trolling.
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Post by galruikan on Jan 3, 2012 14:43:42 GMT -6
why would you chose tempest dragon for whirlwind? I thought the rainbow one would be way better and also the charged up rainbow of doom looks and is awesome
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Post by Yaggleberry Finn on Jan 3, 2012 16:54:54 GMT -6
I agree, it looks like the rainbow build could be good on Whirlwind, but in actuality (at least on the Wii) it doesn't play out that way. One of the problems is that the extra rainbows that pop out of a cloud will destroy a cloud, meaning you have to send out another cloud before you can do that attack again.
Also, the rainbows are a lob attack and are somewhat difficult to aim. Finally, the rainbow of doom is a huge disappointment. It takes forever to charge up and then it doesn't do hardly any damage! Maybe the most disappointing upgrade in the entire game.
Temptest Dragon, on the other hand, unleashes a sweet chain lightning effect when two or three clouds are out which can create a very large area of damage.
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Post by convoy_avenger on Feb 9, 2012 11:25:10 GMT -6
Sonic Boom is better in the Roar tree, her babies aren't very... efficient.
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Post by Yaggleberry Finn on Feb 20, 2012 20:03:42 GMT -6
Overall I agree with you on Sonic Boom. The roar path is definitely more powerful. However, there are certain matchups in PVP where the babies are actually very effective, mainly against the slow Earth types.
A guaranteed super star of a path is Double Trouble's Channeler path. While Marauder is fun with the swan diving doubles, Channeler is possibly the strongest path to date in the entire game. Eldritch Beam mows down story mode and Magic Bombs are ridiculous in PVP.
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Post by Tashiji on Feb 23, 2012 13:11:27 GMT -6
Another upside of the baby path is just the eggs themselves, which do significant damage when used as grenades. My Sonic Boom is on the roar path now, but I am actually reconsidering Medea for PVP.
Also, I agree, open-and-shut case on Channeler being included on this list. About as glaring of a difference between two paths as I've ever seen in this game, and that includes Stealth Elf.
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