Tips for episode 4

Le120

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Hi there.

I recently gave a go at the subterranean desert for the first time and discovered what "regret" meant. So, to get a better feeling at how things are going on in this part of Ragol, and despite my ranger being lvl 94, I got back on Normal difficulty which helped but I still could use some general tips.

So far, my observations go as follows :
-Episode 4 is meant to be some kind of purgatory for rangers, so back in the bank the spreadshot goes and let's introduce those melee weapons I stored because "you never know when it will become useful" ;
-Rooms are somewhat small, considering the number of enemies there is inside. So, to clear some space ASAP I maintain a Shifta buff all the time (which I understood is to be done anyway) ;
-Rappies are the same old rappies we know and love ;
-Lizards should not be attacked frontally with ranged attacks, as it becomes obvious quite fast. Instead I get in their sides and start slashing with that Soul Eater (currently the best partisan-type I got) ;
-Gorans also should not be attacked at long or mid-range since they seem to teleport closer in response, resulting in getting surrounded in a heart-beat. Instead, I found it more efficient to run around them and get a combo with the Soul Eater when I could, taking advantage of the somewhat small AoE of their long-range attack ;
-Merissa A are, on the other hand, a pain in close range due to their tendency to become untargetable when they attack. As such, I tried to take them off from a distance but I fear it worked well only because I was on Normal difficulty and I have the distinct feeling it would had not gone so smoothly if they had an appropriate health bar and their allies an increased move speed.
-Zus are basically the only reason I kept carrying a rifle-type weapon and I believe I should try to get them down first, as they were able to harass me for as long as they were alive and with noticeable damages too ;
-Girtablulus... Well, what the hell is going on with those things ? Luckily I met only two of those and always accompanied by only basic enemies I could dispatch relatively quickly (still wondering if it would have gone as smoothly on an appropriate difficulty, though) but the thing in itself...
Well, the first one got shot to death with my mechguns-type weapon in the blades, but considering it took a few minutes, with a Shifta buff, on Normal difficulty, I will take a wild guess and say this is not the way. I also tried a few techniques but did not succeed any better to target anything else than the blades.
For the second one, on the other hand, I got full-in and plunged my saber-type weapon in it. Turns out that way I could target the body instead of its blades (not everytime, though) and while it took quite some time, I read somewhere on the forum they have a ridiculously high amount of health, so I guess it is normal. But I am not sure going berzerk on them is a viable solution on an adapted difficulty level, even more so with a RaMar's limited health pool.
-Saint-Million... Well, it went pretty well, but again I am not sure I would have done it in an adapted difficulty. But I wonder if there is a way to get rid of those missiles-thingies other than running in circle until it disappear or make them smash on a boulder (because, you know, heavy damages does not go well with my limited pool of TP) ;
-Finally, while looking for info on how to handle girtablulus, I read somewhere that Kondrieu is a "rare boss". I assume it means, like Dark Falz's third phase, it only appears on higher difficulties.

So do you see errors in my reasoning or do you have some suggestions on how to handle some of those beasts (like that damned Girtablulu) ?
And also, do you have any idea what could be a good replacement for the Soul Eater for a purplenum ? The thing, while appreciated, fells a bit like a weapon I should have dropped some 20 or so levels ago.
 
First of all, exactly what weapons and armour do you have? Similar to ep2, ep4 requires quite specific strategies in order to do it well. In regards to Girtabulus, the best way to handle them is to Paralyze them, lower their HP with the Demons special, and then use a high ATP beatstick (or mechguns) to finish them off. Especially in Ultimate, they are a massive pain. Honestly more difficult than some ep1 bosses in my opinion. Kondrieu is a rare monster and spawns in 1/12 encounters with Shambertin / Saint Million (these bosses differ depending on the quest you are playing) on all difficulties. As for what gear you SHOULD be using, it's kind of up to you to an extent. Excalibur is amazing for Rangers in this episode, as well as others. Daylight Scar may also be an option, as it is equippable by all Rangers and has good ATP as well as the Berserk special. For Partisans, if you are a RAmar, maybe Asteron Belt? If not, then you can always use stuff like Tyrell's Parasol. Ranged weapons like Spread Needle are amazing and really help to slow down spawns. As I mentioned earlier, having a weapon with Demons or Devils is essential for taking down Girtabulus. Any sort of handgun or rifle is fine. Maybe even something like a Monkey King Bar would work as well. Sorry for making this reply so long, and as such I will condense the answer. Any sort of Double Saber, Dagger, or Mechgun is essential. Multi target weps like Excalibur and a high ATP Partisan of your choosing are required for dense spawns, and Ranged weapons with specials will help out with stuff like Dorphons and Girtabulus. One quick note also, if you find you don't have enough HP to comfortably do the ep4 boss fight, HP Mats and HP Units are always an option.
 
Firstly, thanks for the tip on the Girtablulu. I too often forget weapons have special attacks (even though the thing is mapped in my base actions). And also, I admit I always looked at the HP unit like some not-so useful things, but I guess it can help survive a burst of damages.

For the weapons, I tend to have at least one weapon of each type I can equip, but for now it mainly is rare weapons I got in Very Hard. Mainly V&S25 Justice, Rianov 303SNR and a Havoc Arms +10. I also keep a Soul Eater for close range multi-targetting and a Kaladbolg for close range DPS on single targets (mainly for episode 4). And I also keep a double saber somewhere just in case I would find myself in a situation where gargling fluids would not be enough to maintain enough TP for a boss fight.

Now I have the Spread needle in my sight since I started playing on Ephinea and all I am waiting now is feeling ready enough to venture into the ruins on Ultimate for some Merlan farming. And pretty much the same with episode 2 for Heavenly Punisher and Episode 4 for farming Lame d'Argent with my Skyly friend.

And since it is indeed a good info to have, I play a purplenum RaMar and currently have equipped an ultimate shield and a divinity armor for which I am looking for a replacement. And I never get out without my well appreciated God/Arm (because I like hitting what I target, which is the reason I play a RaMar in the first place) and my well-beloved God/Battle (because I also like to not stay in place after shooting at something far bigger/angrier than me).
 
I would say what you need the most at the moment is Scavenger Weapons. These will help you tremendously and are very cheap to obtain.
 
Thanks again for the tip. I had never heard of the scavenger before that, but from what I found on the wiki, it seems like an easy enough way to step up my game and maybe I will finally be able to start and finish a room in Ultimate in the same day.
 
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For gorans, freezing or paralyzing them will help make dispatching them far easier, in spite of the teleport. as a spread needle can shoot fast enough to fit a para in before they can whack you post-teleport.
for girtas, make use of para and demons specials. because unless you para them with their body/head targetable, you won't hurt them for as much as a demons weapon can inflict. even a sof or s rank mechgun can work well on casts versus girtas.
using gifoie when zu are around is a nice way to not get knocked down. also helps with dorphons if you know their spawns. in normal/hard dorphons are pretty much a joke.
Kondrieu is a rare boss kind of like how a hildeblue is a rare hildebear. All 3 variants are mechanically the same but have different defensive stats. Not sure about offensive stats.
Merissa are indeed a pain, but para/freeze is good for them too. confuse as well, actually. They tend to target other monsters almost as often as lizards when afflicted by it.

Note that Divine Punishment special (on heaven striker or heaven punisher) helps a good bit for rangers wanting to take it easy in ep4 (ignores the lizard frontal immunity for ranged), but using it in multi is most often going to slow it down for your team rather than help 'em due to dmc.
 
Hi there.

I recently gave a go at the subterranean desert for the first time and discovered what "regret" meant. So, to get a better feeling at how things are going on in this part of Ragol, and despite my ranger being lvl 94, I got back on Normal difficulty which helped but I still could use some general tips.

I'll link this advice over in this post for you @Le120 since I mention tips on using Divine Punishment in there.

As for a great replacement for Soul Eater, you can use an Excalibur - preferably with some hit, an ES Scythe with the Hell special specifically for both lizards that can help out when they are paralyzed or frozen. I guess you can use an Asteron Belt if you like to show off that coloful blue partisan too. I guess someone recommended a replacement for the Soul Eater already, but this is what I would do. Feel free to look up other weapons (and other equipment suggestions for RAmar) here on the Ephinea Wiki for some other ideas.

To explain what Scavenger means, this is a type of weapon that an NPC from Ephinea events provides as a service at the cost of one piece of event-only currency such as 1 Coal, 1 Event Egg, or 1 4th (or current year, which is going to be 5th this year) Anniversary Badge where it comes with hit only like a 50 hit Charge Gungnir, which is another recommended replacement for Soul Eater too.
 
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