User:Boblers/Sandbox2

High Zodiark Guide: Standard & Expert

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I must hold myself together...

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High Zodiark's Trial is a challenge quest centered on a boss battle with High Zodiark, unlocked upon the completion of Zodiark's Trial (Master).

• Rewards from Standard difficulty include , which can be traded for the 5 dragon or the , and can be used to upgrade the Fafnir Statue facility.
• Rewards from Expert additionally include , which alongside s can be used to craft Shadow-attuned High Dragon weapons with High Jupiter's Bane.

Stat and Equipment Requirements

HP

• For Expert, melee units should have at least 2484 HP if running with the double strategy, or 1 Prince + a unit with an HP/Defense co-ability.
• For Standard, melee units should have at least 2369 HP with the double Prince strategy.

Weapons

For Expert, all units should ideally be equipped with a Tier 1 Light-attuned High Dragon (HD) weapon with High Zodiark's Bane, obtained from High Jupiter's Trial: Expert.

If a HD weapon is unavailable, or if playing Standard, players can use a max-unbound 5 Void weapon with High Zodiark's Bane, obtained from Void Nidhogg. While a team using only mub Void weapons can feasibly clear Expert HZD, the execution needed to meet the dps requirements will be more demanding.

Weapon Category	Sword	Blade	Dagger	Axe	Lance	Bow	Wand	Staff
High Dragon Tier 1
Void Bane

Dragons

Everyone should be equipped with a max-unbound 5 dragon for all difficulties.

Adventurer	Dragon	Notes
		Cupid is the only acceptable option for Gala Prince. His ability Draconic Charge will charge up Cupid immediately after the opening blast, allowing Prince to heal the team in place of a dedicated healer. Cupid can then be charged up a couple more times during the fight for more healing or marker-tanking opportunities. Prince is more of a support than a dps. Running other dragons could potentially grant more dps, but would diminish his role.
		Mitsuhide and Fleur largely play the same role, being the primary dps Dagger unit with access to Paralyze. It's important that their dps be as high as possible, and the best dragon for the job is Daikokuten with his flurry strength - perfect for Daggers, who can rack up combos easily. Alternatively, Corsaint Phoenix's Paralyze Punisher can capitalize on these units' Paralyze procs for improved damage output. For safer runs, Cupid can be run for some extra healing utility, while still granting a good amount of strength.
		For the remaining units, maintaining a high combo is not quite as feasible, so Daikokuten wouldn't be a good pick. Instead, these units should use either Corsaint Phoenix for higher dps, or Cupid for safer runs due to his healing.

Wyrmprints

All dps units except for Gala Prince will generally equip their typical dps prints, potentially swapping in Paralyze Punisher from if it is available.

Adventurer	Wyrmprint 1	Wyrmprint 2	Notes
			This is the only acceptable wyrmprint setup for Gala Prince. Choco allows him to use S2 before the opening blast, granting everyone enough defense to avoid using in favor of a second dps print. Sisters' Day Out then boosts Prince's Force Strikes and grants him another use of s2 during the important first-stack break phase.
			Fleur and Mitsuhide play the same role and wield the same weapon type, so they end up running the same prints. The first slot goes to the all-important Twinfold Bonds for its 40% Dagger skill damage. The second print should ideally be Spirit of the Season to play off these units' Paralyze affliction, but since that print is limited, Levin's Champion may be used instead. If the team has issues with breaking HZD on time, the secondary print can be swapped out for a Force Strike booster such as The Lurker in the Woods or Sisters' Day Out. SDO has the additional utility of getting another skill up early for more dps in that phase.
			Gluca prefers The Wyrmclan Duo for its crit damage, which synergizes well with his high crit rate. If that is unavailable, then Resounding Rendition is an acceptable alternative, boosting Gluca's crit further. If one plans to maintain combos on Gluca for his natural Flurry Devastation ability, a flurry print such as Primal Crisis would give a larger boost than most other print options. If Primal Crisis is not available, then a straightforward 13% strength print such as Crystalian Envoy may be considered. Like everyone else except Gala Prince, Gluca can choose to run Spirit of the Season to score some bonus damage off of the team's Paralyze affliction.
			Yachiyo runs the classic Resounding Rendition as her primary print, usually with a Force Strike booster as her secondary. While blades typically don't Force Strike for damage, Yachiyo's S2 boosts her Force Strike's damage high enough to rival a typical skill. Alternatively, Yachiyo can run Spirit of the Season to take advantage of Paralyze from herself and the team. If she goes this route, then it is recommended to pair SotS with Mega Friends so that Yachiyo still gets her Force Strike damage boosted.
			Malora runs typical axe prints: Kung Fu Masters + Flower in the Fray/The Wyrmclan Duo for lots of Skill Damage, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage. With the meta team using Paralyzers, Malora can replace her secondary print with Spirit of the Season for more damage output.
			Vanessa plays similar to a normal lance, but adding a Force Strike into her combos to maintain defense down on the boss. But once HZD enters Overdrive, she can absolutely shred the bar down with Force Strike, so a print such as Sisters' Day Out to boost her Force Strikes would be a good call. The Force Charge of SDO also sets up s2 quickly, so Vanessa can guard Umbral Chaser early in the fight for a big strength boost. Note that since the HZD strategy revolves quite a bit around dps, and that Gala Prince's defense buff gets everyone past the opening blast anyway, the extra shadow res from is not necessary. Therefore, Vanessa would prefer the usual Resounding Rendition for her primary slot. Spirit of the Season is an option to replace SDO, taking advantage of Paralyze from both Vanessa herself and the rest of the team. If she runs this, then she can also replace RR with Mega Friends to still have boosts for both Skill Damage and Force Strike.

Party Roles

Primary dps

These units will be doing the majority of the dps, and will need to carefully bait HZD around to ensure the speed strategy flows smoothly. In public rooms, it is expected that they are well-built and have a good handle on controlling the fight.

Adventurer	Notes
	Fleur's dps largely relies on Paralyzing and punishing, which is easy due to is HZD's 0% starting Paralyze resistance.
	Mitsuhide also does Paralyze and punishing, but does good damage even when Paralyze doesn't land. She's less reliant on Paralyze than Fleur is, leading to a better "floor" amount of damage. She has a slightly-higher damage potential "ceiling" as well.

Secondary dps

These units won't be doing as much dps as the Primary dps, but are still very important for overall dps, and dragon tanking some attacks when the Primary dps doesn't have a dragon available.

Adventurer	Notes
	Gluca does great damage due to his high crit rate, and Gala Prince's variety of buff icons from S2 will boost Gluca's crit even more. While Gluca doesn't deal Paralyze, he can capitalize off of the team's Paralyze if he runs a punisher print. Too many paralyze dealers could cause the boss to become immune too quickly, so Gluca not dealing it isn't really a setback.
	Yachiyo is able to Paralyze and punish, similar to Fleur. She also grants herself a strength buff whenever she lands her own Paralyze.

Gala Prince

This role currently can only be filled by Gala Prince. His S2 buff, combined with the HP/Def Support's co-ability (or another Gala Prince's buff) ensures the team survives the opening blast, letting everyone skip equipping in favor of dps prints.

Adventurer	Notes
	Provides: defense buffs (from skill 2) shields to cover HZD mini-dashes. (from skill 2) attack buffs (from both skills) high Overdrive damage (due to being a sword) healing (from Cupid) instant dragon gauge after opening blast

HP/Def Support (or Gala Prince 2)

These units can offer an HP or Defense co-ability, or defense buffs in the case of Gala Prince. It's important to have one of these units alongside a Gala Prince to make sure everyone survives the opening blast.

Adventurer	Notes
	Provides: defense debuffs defense co-ability
	Provides: high Overdrive damage (from unique force strike) Paralysis defense debuffs HP co-ability
	Provides: defense buffs (from skill 2) shields to cover HZD mini-dashes. (from skill 2) attack buffs (from both skills) high Overdrive damage (due to being a sword) healing (from Cupid) instant dragon gauge after opening blast

General Party Setup

The general setup includes 1 primary melee dps, 1 secondary melee dps, at least 1 Gala Prince, and 1 HP/Def support (or a second Gala Prince)

Primary DPS	Secondary DPS	Gala Prince	HP/Def support

Attacks and Patterns

For simplicity of explanation, this guide will refer to the Gala Prince + HP/Def Support as if they were 2 Gala Princes, since that is the most common team composition.

Status Mechanic: Spite

Before we begin, it should be noted that HZD deals a special status condition called Spite. The more stacks of Spite that are on a player, the more damage they take from Shadow Blast. Spite is dealt by a variety of HZD's attacks, so it's important to dodge as much as needed as to not get Spited.

Cursed Catastrophe

This is the fight's initial hp-check blast. It cannot be i-framed or avoided: it must be tanked.

• The Princes should activate Skill 2 immediately to buff everyone's defense before the blast hits. Afterwards, they should activate Skill 1, Shapeshift into Cupid, heal, and start shooting at HZD. The Princes need to stay close together, and maintain some distance away from HZD for the next phase. Usually, they will head for the bottom-right corner after shapeshifting.
• The Primary and Secondary dps need to position themselves behind HZD in order to bait his next few attacks away from the Princes.

"Purple Breath" + "Mini Dash" + "Poison Spits" + Purple Dash

HZD will target the closest player and perform a Purple Breath attack, followed by a non-telegraphed Mini Dash, followed by 2 lines of poison spits. Note that the poison will stay on the ground once it is launched. Afterwards, he will target the farthest player and perform a Purple Dash.

• The Primary and Secondary dps need to stay close to HZD near the top of the map and bait the first 3 attacks of this combo away from the Princes. The Mini Dash can be i-framed if needed, and the spits are usually baited towards the right, then towards the top.
• The Princes should stay in place and allow the Purple Dash to hit them, reverting their dragon early. This will usually push both of them and HZD into the bottom wall.

"Tail Smash" + Umbral Chaser + Cursed Realm + Purgatorial Prison (Fast Break Phase)

HZD will perform a Tail Smash behind him, which can be i-framed if needed. He will then cast Umbral Chaser, an unavoidable purple attack that follows each player until it detonates. He will follow this up by targeting the closest player with Cursed Realm, a "stack"-like move that spreads damage among the players standing in it. Before Cursed Realm detonates however, HZD will also trap the 2 farthest players in Purgatorial Prisons, making them unable to act.

• Even though Cursed Realm is a stack move, that's not how we plan to deal with it. All players should gang up on HZD and spam Force Strikes to shred his Overdrive bar as fast as possible, but make sure to momentarily retreat as to not stack the Umbral Chasers on top of other players. The idea is to Break HZD after he initiates Cursed Realm, but before it actually goes off, thus cancelling the attack. This is a critical moment in the fight, so there are several backup plans depending on how it goes:
  • Breaking before Cursed Realm (bad) - If the bar is going down too quickly and it seems HZD will break before Cursed Realm, stop attacking and throw a "wait!" sticker to alert the team. If HZD does end up breaking early, the person who gets Cursed Realm will need to "dragon tank" it - that is, be mid-dragon-skill at the moment the attack hits, as to not take damage. Whoever is targeted should also remember to not retreat immediately, but instead stick close to HZD until the Prisons go up. Running away too early risks this player taking both stack and prison, which is guaranteed to kill them. If they don't have dragon available, then they will need to sacrifice themselves as to not endanger the entire team.
  • Breaking after Cursed Realm but before Prisons (great) - If HZD breaks after Cursed Realm but before Prisons, the Prisons will happen after Break but HZD will stand in place until the Prisons open on their own. In such a case, the 2 Princes should retreat in order to bait Prisons, while the Primary and Secondary dps can get some free hits on HZD. This scenario is ideal for the dps opportunity.
  • Breaking after Prisons (okay) - If breaking before Prisons isn't possible, the Secondary dps and 1 Prince need to retreat to bait the Prisons, while the Primary dps and the second Prince continue to focus on Breaking HZD.

Spectral Flames + Cursed Realm

HZD will summon 4 Spectral Flames, which will tick on a timer and explode into giant lingering poison pools if they aren't killed first. He will also cast Cursed Realm again on one of the players.

• The Primary dps needs to get close to HZD in order to take Cursed Realm. The team then needs to quickly kill the bottom-most flame in order to create a safe area. The Primary dps will need to move to the bottom-right of the safe zone and dragon tank it - that is, be mid-dragon-skill at the moment the attack hits, as to not take damage - so the rest of the team isn't put in danger.

"4 Purple Dashes" + Mini Dash

HZD will perform a Purple Dash targeting each player one by one, starting from the closest player and working his way to the farthest. This order is locked in at the moment he starts doing the first Purple Dash. He will then do a Mini Dash towards the closest player

• Ideally, he should be baited toward the bottom of the map for setting up bait on his next couple of moves. Remember to dodge or i-frame his Mini Dash as well.

"Purple Breath" + "Tail Smash" + Shadow Blast + Purgatorial Prison

HZD will do another purple breath towards the closest player, followed by another Tail Smash behind him. He will then cast Shadow Blast - an unavoidable attack that hits everyone, and deals more damage if you have lots of Spite stacks - basically punishing players who got hit too much throughout the fight. He will then cast Prisons again on the 2 farthest players.

• If HZD was baited towards the bottom wall during 4 Dashes, his breath should ideally be cast into the wall. A player should stay close to HZD's face to ensure this happens, then carefully avoid the Tail Smash afterwards. The Princes can take this opportunity to heal with Cupid before the Tail Smash.
• During Shadow Blast, the Princes should stick together and retreat to bait the prisons. They should try and position in the center of the map or towards the right, so they can attack the rightmost Flame in the next phase.
• The Primary and Secondary dps will need to stay close to HZD and go to the top left for baiting the next attack.

"Poison Spits" + Spectral Flames + "Purple Breath"

HZD will do 2 more poison spits toward the closest players, which the Primary and Secondary dps should bait towards the edge of the map, away from everyone. HZD will then summon Spectral Flames again, followed up by a Purple Breath after the Flames explode.

• The Purple Breath has a very wide range, so the team needs to carefully make room in order to dodge it. 2 Flames need to be killed this time: the bottom and right Flames.
• After the Flames are killed, the Primary dps should stand close to the right of HZD to bait his breath towards where the right Flame used to be. The rest of the team should stand to the bottom-left of the safe zone, where the Primary dps will join them after the breath starts.

Cursed Realm (Vertical)/Cursed Field (Horizontal) + Purgatorial Prison

HZD will cast another stack-type move on the closest player, but this time it randomly picks from 2 variations: Cursed Realm is the vertical one from before, but Cursed Field is horizontal instead. the attacks work the same, but the screen zoom may make it hard to tell when Cursed Field is about to detonate. HZD will then cast Prisons on the 2 farthest players again, before Cursed Realm/Field detonates.

• The Secondary dps should usually take this stack, assuming the Primary took the stack during the first Spectral Flames phase. Whoever takes it just needs to have dragon ready, or they will die.
  • If the stack picks someone who wasn't expecting it, they should not run away immediately but instead stick close to HZD until the Prisons are decided. Running off too early risks this player taking both stack and prison, which is guaranteed to kill them.
  • If the stack picks someone who doesn't have dragon ready, they will need to take one for the team and sacrifice themselves. As mentioned above, they should still wait for Prisons to go up first, then retreat away from everyone else so the party isn't in danger.
• The Princes should retreat in order to bait the prisons.

"Purple Dash" + "Tail Smash" + "Purple Breath" + Shadow Blast

HZD will do another purple dash towards the farthest player, followed by Tail Smash and another Purple Breath towards the closest player. HZD will then cast another Shadow Blast.

• HZD's dash will push him into a wall, so the team just needs to bait HZD's breath into the wall again.