Xvii: My Watchman

It sure is nice that I can summon a watchman. It can help me add more damage to the monsters.

Although I noticed that the lightning damage of the watchman is stronger than mine.

Here are some effective tips in using this skill:

Click on thumbnail for a larger image.

1.  If there are group of monsters ahead you can summon your Watchman. It will help you divert the focus of the enemy from you to the watchman so you can add more damage without being hassled yourself.

2. The Watchman will only last for 9 seconds so I suggest you stun your enemies prior to summoning it. It gives you and your Watchman enough room to deal as many damage as you can to the monsters.

3. The Singularity skill and the Watchman makes a good match. It dishes out bigger damage.

4. The Watchman gives seems to do bigger damage to Nefertaris.

5. Lastly, the Watchman is awesome in a boss fight because you can use it as a front/shield. The boss will focus on your summoned minion that gives you time to dealt more damage without worrying about your hit points. But make sure to inflict as many damage as you can because the watchman, aside from lasting for only 9 seconds, also has a cool down period of 30 seconds.

Dealing with Nefertaris

Nefertaris are probably some of the most challenging denizens in Drakensang-Online that you’ll have to battle with for two reasons:

1. They summon undead warriors to kill you
2. They try to avoid you when you’re trying to kill them

In my book, the only thing more annoying than a Nefertari summoning an undead warrior is a Nefertari summoning an undead archer. They can be found in dungeons (i.e., The Catacombs in Kingshill) and some regions (i.e., Slifmoor). Depending on their level (and yours, of course), they can dish out damage pretty fast not only because of the undead they summon but also because of the blasts they emit.

If you’re not carefully, you’ll find your hit points dwindling really fast.

In any battle situation involving Nefertaris, the first order of business is to take them out to prevent them from calling more undead warriors and overwhelming you or your party with sheer numbers.

There are three ways of doing this:

1. Driving them back to a wall
Since they tend to move away from you as you’re coming towards them, the idea is to back them up against a wall (or an immovable in-game object) and give ‘em hell once they have nowhere else to go.

2. Stunning then attacking them
For Dragon Knights, such as myself, I frequently utilize either the Paralyzing Onslaught or the Ground Breaker to stun a Nefertari trying to beat a hasty retreat. It is at this point that I dish out hell while they’re trying to recovering their wits.

3. Sandwiching them
In the event that you’re in an open space where the nearest wall is too far away, you can try trapping a Nefertari between 2-3 members of your party. This being said, this technique will only work with 1-2 Nefertari present.

What are your techniques for dealing with Nefertaris?

Location, Location, Location!

Proof that you can take on overwhelming odds by being at the right place (behind a bunch of crates and barrels) at the right time.

Click on thumbnail for a larger image.

Skill Pointers for Spellweavers

Click on thumbnail for a larger image.

Here are some tips on how you can effectively use your skills.

1. The Magic Missile is the Spellweaver's basic attack skill. Its base damage is equivalent to 55% of your basic damage. It is best used against Nefertaris since they are magic type.

2. When you use Lightning Strike pair it up with Fire Ball but don't wait for the lightning to strike before you use another skill. Cast the lightning and fire away immediately for bigger damage.

3. Lightning Strike can be helpful when you need an escape plan. It paralyzes the enemy for at least 3-5 seconds which gives you enough time to run. If you still can't get through because you are surrounded you can use your Teleport skill.

4. Another helpful skill when you are surrounded is the Frost Nova. I suggest you use it when you are surrounded with at least 4 or more enemies so you can maximize the skill. Once the enemies surrounding you are frozen you can cast your fire ball for bigger damage.

5. When you are to fight a boss and you're in a group, you can help your tank (Dragon Knight) best by using your skills that can paralyze the enemy like your Frost Nova, Lightning, and Frost Wind. This will help the Dragon Knight by lessening the damage he will take from the monsters.

6. Take note that when you Teleport there are times you return in the same place where you were before. That's because there probably are monsters or objects in between you and the place you're looking to Teleport to. It's best to click in place where nothing is blocking the path.

7. If you are to choose between a Meteor or Lightning Strike, I suggest you use Lightning Strike instead because it creates bigger damage compared to Meteor (plus the stun effect, of course).

8. If you want to reduce the attack speed of your enemy, use the Ice Blast. If you are trapped, this will help you run away because it will slow the enemy down by 20%. This is also helpful for long range fights since it decelerates the enemy's movements, it gives you more time to do damage before it reaches you.

9. If you are to use your chain of Lightning Skills, I suggest you use with enemies lower than your level. It only takes about 10% of your basic damage so it won't really help that much.

10. Skills that causes the enemy to daze usually has a longer cool-off time. Don't use them all at once.

Battle Strategy: Dealing with Slifmoor’s Undead Guardians

Click to enlarge.

I mentioned during a past article that Slifmoor has one of the best places to go item farming in Drakensang-Online. If you’re going to go farming there though be prepared to deal with a horde of Undead Slifmoor Guardians, Archers (which I hate the most out of all the monsters and creatures in Drakensang-Online), and Nefertaris (who can revive the undead you dispatch).

Individually, these creatures are easy enough to deal with (the Nefertari can be a bit annoying though as they have an evade manoeuvre of sorts) but can be a real pain in great numbers. If you’re not careful, you can get over run without realizing it.

As a Dragon Knight, I employ a sort of priority list when faced all three in a combat situation (illustrated below).

Click thumbnail to enlarge.

I take out the Nefertaris first (since they raise the dead from, well…the dead), archers second (because they can hurt you a lot even from a distance), and the guardians last. It goes without saying that, if the Nefertaris are not in the equation, then the first order of business is to dispatch the Archers and the Guardians next. Conversely, if the Archers are the ones not present (which is indeed a rare situation) then the Nefertaris gets it first. This is the kind of situation where I frequently employ the Paralyzing Onslaught as part of Melee Attack no. 2.

"I start off with a Furious Battle Cry to generate the needed Rage to use the Paralyzing Onslaught. After stunning the enemy, I use 2 Angry Strikes to generate more Rage then use a Mighty Swing and then another Angry Strike (in the event that the monster is still standing)."

Click on thumbnail for a larger image.

Just make sure to keep a close watch on your hit points lest you get carried away and lose sight that you’re bleeding to death.