Castle Never Mod 9

[bluebutton]

This is a great place to talk about CN--

Known new mechanics
1) lime green domes of death

2) green tether line

3) keep away from the yellow dome

[Ziek88]

Add to the mechanics.

During dome phase with zombies walking in. Each zombie that enters heals Baphomet during the fight.

[tornnomar]

Hail *NOR/!

Lime Green Domes of Death: Teleporters have an advantage here as they can simply teleport out of its range if they get caught by one. At least the ones through the main run.
The ones spawned by Orcus, are a different matter entirely. The spawn at random places and follow random paths, but just like MC/VT's bacon strip phases, we'll all learn the best way to avoid them.
It is interesting to note that in our successful completion, Orcus spawned no Killer Orbs, so the spawning is either random, or we blindly stumbled onto a chain of events that cause him to just spam the tether and Power Word: Kill all the time.

The other phase is just trying to prevent as many zombie things from entering the dome. Paul was the first to notice that it seemed to have a healing effect on Orcus, and then when that phase happened again I noticed that Orcus' health bar was still visible. But he did gain small amounts of health for every critter that went into the dome.
This is one of the domes you do not get near.

Both the Beholder and Orcus spawn a tether line now and again. It will pull two party members together and if they collide, its curtains.

All in all its a pleasant run.

[Tyrandil]

I noticed that the mobile green orbs of death tended to appear more frequently when I stood in front of Orcus and just took his "Power Word: Kill" with my shield, instead of running away. (His "Power Word: Kill" animation is where he holds his arms out to the side like he's on a cross for a few seconds, then fires off a burst of green light.)

Rifts appear during the fight, and if you don't go in there and shut them down, Orcus is all but invincible. I suggest that the tank and healer stay outside and distract Orcus while the others stop the rifts.

I agree, all in all this is a fun new dungeon and I really like that the boss fights force you to stay on your toes, pay attention, work as a team, and keep moving.

[Phelaia]

"Power Word: Kill" has the same animation as a DC's Forgemaster's Flame. A green lighted chunk of something will land on your head from above. I did not see what it was until it landed on Nors' head.

[Ziek88]

Is the power word what he does right before triggering one of the assorted mechanics?

I do believe, of them all, the orbs that chase you are the hardest. I am looking forward to getting better at evading them. The comparison to MC/VT bacon may just be the answer. A pattern the whole party runs that helps keep away from them.

[Phelaia]

Pull your camera out to at least 75 or 85 for this fight. Having a somewhat top down view of the room helps you see where the moving green orbs are.

Power Word: Kill appears to have no red whatsoever. You either take on the chin and have enough HP to survive it, or as soon as he starts stretching out both arms, start bunny hopping.

There's also some kind of life stealing going on, and this appears to be some kind of trails of stardusts that beams between you and Orcus. This doesn't appear to hurt much, but still, be careful.

[Tyrandil]

@Ziek: yes, the power word (the Jesus arms --> green burst of death) is what he does right before triggering one of the mechanics (green orbs 'o' doom, rifts, stop-the-zombies).

[Tundrra]

Yesterday, I ran CN twice. Once dps GF and then again after I respect'd my guardian fighter back to a protector I had a much better experience. The first couple bosses were pretty flawless compared to my past experience. The zone as a whole went well.

Orcus, as long as I ran away during the Power Word Kill with full health, he would only knock me down to a quarter left. The green floating orbs that zip around was instant death for me still though.

Overall we didn't beat it but came pretty close, and I stayed alive for most of the fight. So I think this build will do the trick...maybe after dragonflight armor upgrades next week:)

[tornnomar]

First, great discussion going on about this awesome dungeon!

I have a much better CN experience on my DC than I do on my TR, if only because of the last fight. I find myself slotting additional defensive encounters to assist in my survival.
For both my characters that will be running CN, the Powerword: Kill isn't the issue, its those Orbs, so excellent suggestion to zoom out a bit with the camera. I will adopt that as soon as I am in game.

On John, the first two bosses are not a problem, but Orcus presents a whole new set of problems for a TR.
1. We are in leather, so its a one shot if we are hit. I have 101,989 HP, but it worthless when you get hit for 500k+, deflecting a little over 300k of the attack still spells death.
So for this fight, Cloud of Steel will be slotted to replace Duelist Flurry and I will attack from range and move in when possible. Also I have been slotting Wicked Reminder to help in the DR stripping.
But now a curiosity strikes me...I wonder how a Whisper Knife would fare, particularity one running Vengeance Pursuit....

I have noticed that there is greater success chance in instances where no Orbs are spawned during the fight.
At any rate, it is a fun dungeon, and a challenge for most of us to enjoy and thats what we are here for!