As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
Options

[Monster Train] Ive got fire in my caboose! Last Divinity dlc in beta!

13468918

Posts

  • Options
    BSoBBSoB Registered User regular
    I cannot get a win with umbra as my ally clan. They are such a bad ally. Everything about Morsels is awkward and underwhelming.

    Being forced to buff your tank instead of your damage dealer.

    Getting that stupid + energy morsel with the starter spell. The anti-synergy between life-steal and damage shield. The +5 +5 morsel costing 2 energy.

    All of your buffs dying to sweep, or thorns. Getting wrecked by harvest triggers.

    Unless you have exactly overgorger(or champion), gorge triggers don't seem to be cutting it.
    ritjwzzpi5lx.jpg
    So frustrated.



  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    edited June 2020
    Morsel deaths count for harvest triggers, so there's lots of Remnant stuff that works super well with them. You can also bring specific ones back with Reform.

    I think they synergize really well with Horned and Awoken too. The solution usually being "make your damage dealer your tank" or vice versa. Horned have the high attack to take full advantage of life drain, and Awoken have the big HP pools to... also take advantage of it. Both also have innate multi-strike units which are really nice if you're chowing down on morsels.

    Being able to generate tons and tons of morsels so you can feed the right ones at the right time is key though, and I regularly use them to tank hits rather than be fed, particularly the ones that give energy or health. Creating an improved Antumbra Assault that I can/will use on my own morsels if needed to generate more/better ones is always a top priority, and grabbing a buddy Maker/Master to go with the carry unit is also a high priority. If you're only generating 1-2 morsels a turn, you're unlikely to beat out the scaling.

    ArcTangent on
    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    The Escape GoatThe Escape Goat incorrigible ruminant they/themRegistered User regular
    The lifesteal gorge unit is the best common boss killer in the game. The damage shield one can work too, but then you're pretty much forced to squirrel it away in the top floor and carefully baby it so it has a metric ton of shields to handle multistrike bosses.

    9uiytxaqj2j0.jpg
  • Options
    SatanIsMyMotorSatanIsMyMotor Fuck Warren Ellis Registered User regular
    I've dropped a couple dozen hours into this now and really love it. I actually don't think it's as good as StS but I don't think that's all that important.
    I would like to see some deeper synergies between some of the clans though. Right now I'm finding that tactic of buffing the shit out of a damage tank and duplicating them a couple of times is a strat that can carry you through the first few covenants for each clan.

  • Options
    AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    I've dropped a couple dozen hours into this now and really love it. I actually don't think it's as good as StS but I don't think that's all that important.
    I would like to see some deeper synergies between some of the clans though. Right now I'm finding that tactic of buffing the shit out of a damage tank and duplicating them a couple of times is a strat that can carry you through the first few covenants for each clan.

    Slay The Spire wasn't as good as Slay the Spire back at release. This (and Griftlands, from what I've seen) has the best chance of ultimately getting on its level of anything similar that's come out in a while, I'd say. There's a lot of polish and originality to it.

  • Options
    DonnictonDonnicton Registered User regular
    edited June 2020
    The lifesteal gorge unit is the best common boss killer in the game. The damage shield one can work too, but then you're pretty much forced to squirrel it away in the top floor and carefully baby it so it has a metric ton of shields to handle multistrike bosses.

    The wax baron with +1/+3 harvest is also quite viable. An additional +1/+3 every time a morsel/enemy dies is nothing to sneeze at - though there are no artifacts that specifically benefit harvest like there are gorge artifacts.

    Donnicton on
  • Options
    Zombie HeroZombie Hero Registered User regular
    I think I rely on this big health pool champions (Awoken, Burnout Remnant) too much. I can't get much going with the smaller health pool ones. The Awoken is great, but i feel like when i use their champion my run is all about buffing the champion and nothing else, so it leaves the Remnant if i want to explore any of the other factions.

    Steam
    Nintendo ID: Pastalonius
    Smite\LoL:Gremlidin \ WoW & Overwatch & Hots: Gremlidin#1734
    3ds: 3282-2248-0453
  • Options
    FryFry Registered User regular
    I think the starter card for Umbra is my least favorite. Spend 1 to create a probably useless Morsel is really bad. Dregs are polite enough to cost 0 (and can be potentially nuts depending on how much Reform/Burnout support you get), and putting +10 spell power or +20 spell power/consume on the other starter cards gets them up to actually impactful. Frozen Lance is my second least favorite card, because I almost never want to deal a small amount of damage to a front unit. At least I can upgrade it with Consume so it goes away.

  • Options
    IblisIblis Registered User regular
    I've finally started climbing through covenant ranks. Think the big issue I was having was I tried very hard to do primary Stygian or primary Umbra for awhile after unlocking those. The Stygian champion can be okay, but suffers pretty heavily from just how squishy they are with most builds. Gets destroyed by thorns or sweep enemies. Umbra is just kind of a crapshoot since if you focus on morsels then there's a couple of enemy types that can just hard counter your particular brand of bullshit. Finally won when I went back to Awoken/Hellhorned, then unlocked Melting Remnant and they so far seem fairly absurd. Rector Flickus is just so damn good at pounding your enemies into dirt and they have a lot of neat gimmicks. Like my first run with them was with an Umbra secondary, and even getting it late into a run the Bounty Stalker is rather hilarious when combined with cannibalize. During the seraph fight I think it was hitting for about 200+ damage.

    Steam Account, 3DS FC: 5129-1652-5160, Origin ID: DamusWolf
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    .
    Fry wrote: »
    I think the starter card for Umbra is my least favorite. Spend 1 to create a probably useless Morsel is really bad. Dregs are polite enough to cost 0 (and can be potentially nuts depending on how much Reform/Burnout support you get), and putting +10 spell power or +20 spell power/consume on the other starter cards gets them up to actually impactful. Frozen Lance is my second least favorite card, because I almost never want to deal a small amount of damage to a front unit. At least I can upgrade it with Consume so it goes away.

    Morsels can at least tank a hit or be used to buff/provide a gorge trigger. I've honestly yet to find any kind of decent use for Frozen Lance. At least Train Wadens are polite enough to get the fuck out of the deck once played, unlike the spells.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    The Escape GoatThe Escape Goat incorrigible ruminant they/themRegistered User regular
    edited June 2020
    Also, protip for anyone trying to make primary Umbra work: Just don't bother with the gorge Penumbra. There's way better gorge payoff units that are easy to find, and focusing all your gorging on the top floor only makes you much less weak to harvest enemies. Instead go as Monstrous as you can and chuck the occasionally lifesteal morsel at it, and/or take architect so you can slap it behind a good off-faction tank.

    The Escape Goat on
    9uiytxaqj2j0.jpg
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    Also, protip for anyone trying to make primary Umbra work: Just don't bother with the gorge Penumbra. There's way better gorge payoff units that are easy to find, and focusing all your gorging on the top floor only makes you much less weak to harvest enemies. Instead go as Monstrous as you can and chuck the occasionally lifesteal morsel at it, and/or take architect so you can slap it behind a good off-faction tank.

    I have made it work, but yeah, I agree with the sentiment. All the champions feel like they have one build path that's just plain bad, or at least far worse than the other two and desperately needs outside help just to be functional.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    hushhush Registered User regular
    edited June 2020
    monstrous trample penumbra can work basically the same way as burnout rector, and if you end up picking a few of the buff/emberdrain cards, he becomes the golden god we all want him to be. he definitely sucks shit at lvl 1, though, not enough hp for a boy that large.

    edit: also, it really feels like gorge penumbra was meant to have permanent bonuses (a la overgorger), thats the only way he would feel good in an umbra main deck (meaning, you're most likely gonna have a crucible boy doin work with lifesteal or dmg shield) - i think they need to lean even harder into his gorge if they want him to feel as good as the others.

    hush on
    This is the future. This is what we built. This is what we wanted. It must have been. Because we all had the fucking choice, didn't we? It is only our money that allows commercial culture to flower. If we didn't want to live like this, we could have changed it at any time, by not fucking paying for it.

    So let's celebrate by all going out and buying the same burger. -transmet
  • Options
    AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    I think I rely on this big health pool champions (Awoken, Burnout Remnant) too much. I can't get much going with the smaller health pool ones. The Awoken is great, but i feel like when i use their champion my run is all about buffing the champion and nothing else, so it leaves the Remnant if i want to explore any of the other factions.

    It's not you - the champion health pools on everyone but Burnout Flicker and maybe Trampke Penumbra are just too small, even after the last round of buffs, if you're in a situation where hits are unavoidable. Pretty sure it's a legacy of testing w/ Hellborne in the mix regularly. Torch is bad, but being able to Torch the damage units masks the problem.

  • Options
    The Escape GoatThe Escape Goat incorrigible ruminant they/themRegistered User regular
    Actually I should probably amend that. If you don't find a good tank by your second upgrade, or a second good tank and you really need your one good tank on another floor: taking gorge over architect can be fine just for the starting lifesteal making Penumbra more resilient in the mid-game. Gives you some valuable leeway to find lifesteal/damage shield morsels to keep them going, probably solo-ing the second floor.

    9uiytxaqj2j0.jpg
  • Options
    AegisAegis Fear My Dance Overshot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered User regular
    Instructions unclear: which one of us is the boss again?

    J1BOefY.jpg

    We'll see how long this blog lasts
    Currently DMing: None :(
    Characters
    [5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    PdZWKbN.png

    Well, now I NEED to buy out every shop.

    I also have an Overgorger already at 68 Atk, and this area also gave me the "Gorge effects trigger twice" artifact. This run is essentially over, and haven't even reached Fel yet.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    FryFry Registered User regular
    -3 cost and gains gold? The heck?

  • Options
    destroyah87destroyah87 They/Them Preferred: She/Her - Please UseRegistered User regular
    edited June 2020
    Fry wrote: »
    -3 cost and gains gold? The heck?

    It's been upgraded with Heaven's Finest from a random event.

    when you give a unit or spell to a guy in a tent on the side of the tracks. You can let him hold onto it for a couple fights and it comes back better.

    destroyah87 on
    steam_sig.png
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    Fry wrote: »
    -3 cost and gains gold? The heck?

    It's been upgraded with Heaven's Finest from a random event.

    when you give a unit or spell to a guy in a tent on the side of the tracks. You can let him hold onto it for a couple fights and it comes back better.

    Yeah. Two battles after you purge the card, you get offered it back with a level 1 upgrade, and one battle after that, it goes to the second.
    The possible unit upgrades are:

    Level 1:
    Revenge = +1 Atk
    Endless and +5 Atk
    Extinguish = Deal 20 damage to front enemy

    Level 2:
    Revenge = +1 Atk to all friendly on floor
    Endless and +5 Atk and 0 cost
    Extinguish = Deal 50 damage to front enemy

    Spells
    Level 1:
    +25 gold
    Reserve = +2 Pyre HP
    Add copy to discard pile

    Level 2:
    +35 gold and 0 cost
    Reserve = +5 Pyre HP
    Add copy to discard and 0 cost

    Unit I've found to be a crap shoot. The first is really good for a tank unit if you can go without it for 3 battles, but the other two are better for an imp or burnout unit that you want to be dying constantly, and aren't technically useless for other things, but are pretty bad. The spell side though... If you have an expensive spell, practically all the upgrades are really good.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    626msc44mujg.png

    was a melting remnant/umbra run, i had the top floor daze relic and the double gorge proc relic, put the overgorger up there and mostly just fed him forever and would instakill anything that leaked through the rest of my train.

    good bite friend.

    aeNqQM9.jpg
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    For the last run I needed to hit level 10 on everything, my starting two Stygian cards were Ice Tornado (3 cost, deal 20 damage to 3 random enemies), so I figured, "Fuck it. If there's any run to use the low cost Champion, this is it."

    wEGzSCw.png

    I still don't think it would've worked if not for picking up a Harness the Titan and managing to put Holdover on it before duplicating it. Run really wanted to be Frostbite.

    HFxoFAQ.png

    Everyone level 10 now. Time to get back to climbing the covenants, or maybe golding every card.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    MirkelMirkel FinlandRegistered User regular
    Knight_ wrote: »
    was a melting remnant/umbra run, i had the top floor daze relic and the double gorge proc relic, put the overgorger up there and mostly just fed him forever and would instakill anything that leaked through the rest of my train.

    good bite friend.

    Somehow the fact it is size 1 makes it all the more hilarious.

  • Options
    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    Mirkel wrote: »
    Knight_ wrote: »
    was a melting remnant/umbra run, i had the top floor daze relic and the double gorge proc relic, put the overgorger up there and mostly just fed him forever and would instakill anything that leaked through the rest of my train.

    good bite friend.

    Somehow the fact it is size 1 makes it all the more hilarious.

    smol but stronk

    aeNqQM9.jpg
  • Options
    Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    Dang, lost a run (covenant 6 I think) with the Seraph just squeezing into the final level too soon. I had relied quite a bit on damage shield, which really shows its limitations compared to life steal when a multi-strike enemy melts through it far too fast.

    Plus I had a hand flooded with Stings from a Lifemother but never managed to get a Sting upgrade artefact.

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • Options
    PinfeldorfPinfeldorf Yeah ZestRegistered User regular
    I made my biggest man to date. All of you want to date this man.
    7nzlr1kjp4vy.jpg

  • Options
    AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    Dang, lost a run (covenant 6 I think) with the Seraph just squeezing into the final level too soon. I had relied quite a bit on damage shield, which really shows its limitations compared to life steal when a multi-strike enemy melts through it far too fast.

    Plus I had a hand flooded with Stings from a Lifemother but never managed to get a Sting upgrade artefact.

    That one boss w/ Revenge is about the only instance where Damage Shield really lives up to its potential.

  • Options
    A Half Eaten OreoA Half Eaten Oreo Registered User regular
    So do the random encounter cards get more powerful as you go up in convenant? I’m in the mid teens and the last few runs have been carried by cards from the encounters.

    Also was absolutely loving this game, but in the past few days it’s causing my PC to reboot with a kernel-power error. No other game/program is causing this. Anyone experienced something similar? From googling this doesn’t seem like an issue that’s game specific, but nothing else is making it happen.

  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    So do the random encounter cards get more powerful as you go up in convenant? I’m in the mid teens and the last few runs have been carried by cards from the encounters.

    Also was absolutely loving this game, but in the past few days it’s causing my PC to reboot with a kernel-power error. No other game/program is causing this. Anyone experienced something similar? From googling this doesn’t seem like an issue that’s game specific, but nothing else is making it happen.

    Nah. They're pretty random on any level. I think the only thing controlling them is that you can't get the stuff with delayed rewards like Dante or Heaven's Finest after Fel (ie where there's not enough battles left to trigger them).

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    edited June 2020
    Got this. Won my third run as Hellhorned/Awoken - Lots of rage stacking, a couple of endless warriors. Seraph never even made it off the first floor, despite sapping everything constantly.
    78AEBE80DB41C414D00DD98C70AA4148AA7B8C24

    Time to climb covenant playing Random/Random!

    Edit: Covenant 1 down as Stygian Guard/Awoken. Just overwhelmed things with spells, while having big fat Awoken Hollows tanking (Who i could then heal to full, causing even more bullshit as incant stuff went off). Lots of sting spam.
    021E7DAB33DD30D0CFBD78D90AA8DAEA298194B1

    Edit the second: Covenant 2 down - Awoken/Hellhorned.

    Lots of big fatties, cover them in spikes, watch things die. Hellhorned was baiscally useless except for ascend, letting me create super death floors. also it was fun getting to create a super fatty spikey guy, then shrink him so he only took up 1 space.
    1581ABE3F22EDDF4B4F3518C4912DC6AD01FDE71

    This is vastly swingier than Slay the Spire so far - You can have a rough few starting flaws in Sts (JAW WORM YOU FUCKER), but it's nothing like getting handed crap for your starting cards and then not being able to take the +10 armor for more rewards fight in this. Seems like you really want to lean into as many of the extra rewards as possible, unless they're obviously super bad for you (Spikes when you're multistriking). Which contributes to the swingyness further. I hit enemy spikers in this (...who cares, i'm not attacking that much), and enemy multiattackers (...Yeah, that'll go well for you all)

    The Zombie Penguin on
    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
    Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
    Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
    Switch: 0293 6817 9891
  • Options
    ED!ED! Registered User regular
    I've had the complete opposite experience with Umbra. For me, at least, it's easily one of the most powerful clans in the game, even as an ally. The Damage Shield Warden is just stupidly strong especially with Multi-Strike and Rage or Trample. The Lifesteal Warden is decent as well, if you are able to get the Largestone and an attack buff on him. Put them at the top with the Morsel generators and you're good to go.

    "Get the hell out of me" - [ex]girlfriend
  • Options
    The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    Annnd Covenant 3 down. I am comming for you all:
    73CE7327DC0AEC64FFD5FB23DCD91BE04384E51E

    Big ol' fatties protecting crazy murder spiders. Lots of ways to make things fat, or summon super things.

    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
    Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
    Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
    Switch: 0293 6817 9891
  • Options
    MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17 NebraskaRegistered User regular
    Sometimes I think I'm doing well, breaking the game system to make dumb runs, and then I see your 276x6 hellhorned basher.

    You madman, you absolute monster, what have you done!? SHOW ME HOW

    Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
  • Options
    The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    edited June 2020
    And covenant 4 down. I am not kidding on i am coming for you all.

    Awoken/Hellhorned - Spikes and Imps was the name of the game. Got some pretty funny stuff, especially whenever i got to play a transcendantimp. Since it would inherit the +hp from the Bramble fellows. I really like imps, though i wish they werent gated behind a relic and card to be really good. But god, getting those two is so much damn fun.
    E873B82373803AC4A2145E731DC204473A5E39BF

    Ol Seraph made it to the third floor and died horribly.

    And Cov 5 down. There are no breaks on the penguin train.
    B46CE7D7F073EC3BD38FCBE10CABDEEE0B4B35A7

    Stygian/Melting this time - i only just unlocked melting. Used a frost/sweep tethys in combo with Holdover Molded to keep bringing him back, resulting in him rapidly getting super buff and ripping things apart. Also got the dood who permantly gains ten strength every time he dies... then upgraded him with a Wickstone (burnout 1, stealth 1) and Endless.

    So once i drew him, i got to play him every turn. He uh, he got real stabby by the end (385...). Shame i never found a way to give him multiattack, but yeeesh.

    The Zombie Penguin on
    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
    Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
    Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
    Switch: 0293 6817 9891
  • Options
    MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17 NebraskaRegistered User regular
    trancendimp+endless is a riot.
    I made a daily run trivial using that, combined with deranged brutes.

    Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
  • Options
    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    well that was dumb, i lost a run i was cruising on because i got the wicker units are endless artifact without really realizing what that would do and it totally prevented my deck from using it's reform mechanics.

    that was a real bummer. i think that artifact is a huge trap, maybe the first one that can be actively harmful.

    aeNqQM9.jpg
  • Options
    destroyah87destroyah87 They/Them Preferred: She/Her - Please UseRegistered User regular
    Knight_ wrote: »
    well that was dumb, i lost a run i was cruising on because i got the wicker units are endless artifact without really realizing what that would do and it totally prevented my deck from using it's reform mechanics.

    that was a real bummer. i think that artifact is a huge trap, maybe the first one that can be actively harmful.

    I had one run where it helped, but only because I quickly removed every Dreg card I had. Leaving my only Waxer unit being a buffed and beefy Lady of the House. Otherwise, yeah, it's kinda bad. The couple battles where I had the Dregs still there my draw would be 3/5 or 4/5 those units. Not super good for drawing other cards, agree.

    steam_sig.png
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    I've accidentally screwed myself in Umbra or Remnant runs a few times by picking up artifacts that give + health or damage shield because then they become too beefy to be able to kill them myself to trigger Extinguish abilities or stuff like Antumbra Assault.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • Options
    The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    Hell yeah. Cov 6 down, winstreak at 3.

    Hellhorn/Stygian this time. Honestly just a big ol multi/rage, with some powerful spell backup. Frozen Tiresome climb saved the run, letting me ascend one of those stupid nasty archers that would have killed Dante, and isntead letting him rip the poor seraph to shreds.

    it was even the Sapping seraph, but uh... i dindt really notice.
    3992E07343BA632DC2E7365C3530FB52CD6FD33A

    This defintely feels easier than StS. a lot more random, but with the randomness comes a lot of varinace you can lean into.

    Though i'm amused that so far this game's version of Snecko Eye seems kinda terrible. Probably because it's harder to draft around/lean into, compared to StS.

    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
    Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
    Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
    Switch: 0293 6817 9891
  • Options
    ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    edited June 2020
    Hell yeah. Cov 6 down, winstreak at 3.

    Hellhorn/Stygian this time. Honestly just a big ol multi/rage, with some powerful spell backup. Frozen Tiresome climb saved the run, letting me ascend one of those stupid nasty archers that would have killed Dante, and isntead letting him rip the poor seraph to shreds.

    it was even the Sapping seraph, but uh... i dindt really notice.
    3992E07343BA632DC2E7365C3530FB52CD6FD33A

    This defintely feels easier than StS. a lot more random, but with the randomness comes a lot of varinace you can lean into.

    Though i'm amused that so far this game's version of Snecko Eye seems kinda terrible. Probably because it's harder to draft around/lean into, compared to StS.

    Energy just plain isn't as much of an issue with being able to reduce the cost of expensive spells, and there not being all that many expensive spells to begin with, so something that is likely to bump up cards to 3 energy is... really not great.

    ArcTangent on
    ztrEPtD.gif
Sign In or Register to comment.