Breachway

Breachway

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Developers, please record a video of how to defeat the second boss.
Has any of you actually beaten him? I don’t believe it’s possible to beat him. Dozens of attempts have all ended in failure for me. I easily kill everyone else on the map, but not the second boss. There's something off with the difficulty in your game. Does anything even exist beyond the second level? I have my doubts. There's nothing there. Nothing.
Originally posted by VisionofFire:
Originally posted by posthuman:
Second boss is way, way too OP, i say this as a fairly experienced card battler gamer & big fan of tactical sci fi stuff...it's just not fun. I was a big fan of the demo, but I'll be shelving this game for now and hope that they change it in future updates.

Hi posthuman,

Something to consider, is that despite having experience from previous card battlers, you may not be playing into the boss battle correctly. The bosses in Breachway function more like puzzles, and it helps a great deal to tailor your build to bring specific answers to what the boss is doing. The other simple solution is to simply bring enough scaling that you can easily crack the bosses equipment. There's actually a reasonable amount of footage online demonstrating how to handle the Custodian now, a well built deck is generally going to stomp the Custodian taking minimal damage. I would suggest you browse through some of the footage to get some ideas and see what is possible.

Inferno Breachway YT videos

Inferno has full runs up on his channel, so you can see how the buildup towards the boss goes.

For specific footage of just the boss fight, I've expanded on the original set of videos posted, there's more example videos of both Arbalest and Marauder now.

Arbalest Custodian Playlist

Marauder vs Custodian Playlist

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Showing 1-15 of 62 comments
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 11:37am 
Wait. The third level really doesn't exist? Now it makes sense why the second boss is so unkillable. The question is off the table. With a heavy heart, I'll go touch some grass.
JJ Oct 4, 2024 @ 12:34pm 
It is easy. Pay attention to detail. Read the cards. READ the cards. Pay attention to detail. Also depends on what systems you use. I think I beat him 50% of the times I made it though and only by destroying the parent equipment
Last edited by JJ; Oct 4, 2024 @ 12:38pm
VisionofFire Oct 4, 2024 @ 12:50pm 
Originally posted by NOTOURDESTINY:
Has any of you actually beaten him? I don’t believe it’s possible to beat him.

Hi Destiny,

There's actually another Steam discussion on the same topic. Tips and advice on how to beat the Custodian, as well as some successful gameplay footage is there.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2118810/discussions/1/4846526476119315814/

If you need video examples of how to beat the Custodian, I am currently in the process of recording footage for the Breachway wiki article for Arbalest strategy. I've linked 4-5 videos below demonstrating primarily Arbalest Laser/Ion/Missile versus the Custodian, most are a landslide victory. You don't have to sit through the whole video, just skim around. The build mostly locks down the boss with a combination of breaking equipment + Ionize effect, and is fairly consistent as both missile launcher and the Ion family of weapons are interchangeable. There are absolutely other ways to beat the boss, but defanging the boss makes for fairly straight forward decision making.

For the Arbalest, keys are to have enough resource generation to play all your weapon cards, accomplished by upgrading the reactor / resource cards + augments, and stacking enough +damage to make your Lasers efficient at breaking the bosses. Arbalest already comes with +1 damage on the PDC equipment and +1 damage from Catalyst Pulse. Then you add something like Weapon Stabilizer augment (+1 damage to weapon), Cascade Event (+1 damage when enemy shields broken by ion), or Attack Forge equipment (+1 damage upkeep no hull damage taken). You also want to bring an efficient answer to the shields, in this case Ion doubles as both a shield cracker and defensive tool. If you're relying on Ion missiles, crack the enemy PDC first.

https://youtu.be/iKu3Sot5vXs

https://youtu.be/Cc0pyFx4I04

https://youtu.be/baVDEDAPwK0

https://youtu.be/s80Q8cUxTZc

https://youtu.be/EGkaseC5iqY
Last edited by VisionofFire; Oct 4, 2024 @ 1:26pm
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 1:44pm 
Originally posted by JJ:
It is easy. Pay attention to detail. Read the cards. READ the cards. Pay attention to detail. Also depends on what systems you use. I think I beat him 50% of the times I made it though and only by destroying the parent equipment

Let's be honest with each other. The second boss is really difficult. He clearly shouldn’t be this hard. The developers have clearly done this on purpose. It’s not fair. I understand that the game is still in development and they need to keep players engaged, but that’s just sneaky. It’s an unfair decision to make him this challenging. The difficulty curve is broken.

Hardcore players can get through anything, and I respect that. But I would really like to see the developer defeating this boss.
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 1:49pm 
Originally posted by VisionofFire:
Originally posted by NOTOURDESTINY:
Has any of you actually beaten him? I don’t believe it’s possible to beat him.

Hi Destiny,

There's actually another Steam discussion on the same topic. Tips and advice on how to beat the Custodian, as well as some successful gameplay footage is there.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2118810/discussions/1/4846526476119315814/

If you need video examples of how to beat the Custodian, I am currently in the process of recording footage for the Breachway wiki article for Arbalest strategy. I've linked 4-5 videos below demonstrating primarily Arbalest Laser/Ion/Missile versus the Custodian, most are a landslide victory. You don't have to sit through the whole video, just skim around. The build mostly locks down the boss with a combination of breaking equipment + Ionize effect, and is fairly consistent as both missile launcher and the Ion family of weapons are interchangeable. There are absolutely other ways to beat the boss, but defanging the boss makes for fairly straight forward decision making.

For the Arbalest, keys are to have enough resource generation to play all your weapon cards, accomplished by upgrading the reactor / resource cards + augments, and stacking enough +damage to make your Lasers efficient at breaking the bosses. Arbalest already comes with +1 damage on the PDC equipment and +1 damage from Catalyst Pulse. Then you add something like Weapon Stabilizer augment (+1 damage to weapon), Cascade Event (+1 damage when enemy shields broken by ion), or Attack Forge equipment (+1 damage upkeep no hull damage taken). You also want to bring an efficient answer to the shields, in this case Ion doubles as both a shield cracker and defensive tool. If you're relying on Ion missiles, crack the enemy PDC first.

https://youtu.be/iKu3Sot5vXs

https://youtu.be/Cc0pyFx4I04

https://youtu.be/baVDEDAPwK0

https://youtu.be/s80Q8cUxTZc

https://youtu.be/EGkaseC5iqY

Thank you for the examples. I don't want to watch them just yet. I hope to defeat this boss on my own someday. But I want to do it fairly. I want the game to be honest with me. As I mentioned before, I believe the difficulty curve is broken with this boss. It’s not fair.

Hardcore players can get through anything, and I respect that. But I would really like to see the developer defeating this boss.
VisionofFire Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:06pm 
Originally posted by NOTOURDESTINY:
Thank you for the examples. I don't want to watch them just yet. I hope to defeat this boss on my own someday. But I want to do it fairly. I want the game to be honest with me. As I mentioned before, I believe the difficulty curve is broken with this boss. It’s not fair.

Hardcore players can get through anything, and I respect that. But I would really like to see the developer defeating this boss.

For what it's worth, maybe it would help if you think about the boss from a different perspective. Have you ever played Slay the Spire, or FTL? In the Slay the Spire, most of the Act bosses have a strong gimmick, and cannot be handled like a regular fight. Time Eater punishes decks that aren't efficient per turn, Infinite decks that would hose any regular fight can lose to Time Eater. Awakened One punishes you for blindly jamming too many powers in your deck. Donu and Deca will outscale a slow deck and the Dazes mess with infinites. Even in Act 2, Champ gives you time to setup, but once you drop him to half, you need to race to finish him before Execute spam. Bronze Automaton has Hyper Beam. In StS, it's very common that a deck has cards that are relatively useless in hallway fights, but are taken purely as anti-elite/boss cards. Slow scaling cards like Ironclad's Demon Form fit this category.

The Custodian boss is similar in that respect, in that it's designed to present a unique challenge to the player, rather than just being a regular ship with more HP. Genuinely like the other guy said, it really helps to read the bosses cards, and understand what problem you're trying to solve. Some cards and augments are incredibly powerful against the boss, as an example, Ion Spear is generally incredible against the boss, because it's always producing small amounts of shield, and almost guarantees you can trigger Spear's disable 2 effect, perfect for disabling the Hyperlaser that has lots of equipment HP. Cascade Event subsystem, which grants a +1 damage bonus that lasts for the rest of the fight every time Ion breaks shield will almost single handedly win you the Custodian Fight, as your Lasers will hit ridiculous +damage levels very quickly.

Asking specifically the devs to beat the boss is also a bit silly. The "meta" builds for each ship right now don't require special tactical decision making to beat the boss. They're straight forward to play, and mostly overpower the boss through brute force.
Last edited by VisionofFire; Oct 4, 2024 @ 3:59pm
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:11pm 
No, dear developer. Don't close the discussion. In order to finish the game, I shouldn't have to watch videos on YouTube. I should gain experience in your game and, over time, become smarter and better as a player. But the second boss is unfairly strong. He shouldn’t be like that. That's why I asked for one of you, the developers of this great game, to record a playthrough.

I’m not trying to insult or offend you, and I don’t want to be a toxic player. I really enjoyed your game. But you seriously messed up with the second boss.

I hope my comment helps make the game better.
Liniyka Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:21pm 
The second boss has already been nerfed to the point of being killable with just about any build. Learn to use your ships properly and you'll kill it no problemo
VisionofFire Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:22pm 
Originally posted by NOTOURDESTINY:
No, dear developer. Don't close the discussion. In order to finish the game, I shouldn't have to watch videos on YouTube.

I don't think the devs marking a response as an answer means the topic will be closed. We are still free to chat in here. In fact why don't we do something productive?

Next time you play Breachway, take screenshots of your equipment build before engaging the Sector 2 boss, or open your deck list in battle with TAB and screenshot that. It's entirely possible that you're skipping on cards you should take, and overvaluing some cards. Or maybe your build is undersized for the boss because and you're getting enough resources. Taking a look at your decklist would be the best way to assess your situation.
Jambit Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:24pm 
1
Thanks VisionofFire for actually trying. I appreciate you!
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:26pm 
Originally posted by VisionofFire:
Originally posted by NOTOURDESTINY:
Thank you for the examples. I don't want to watch them just yet. I hope to defeat this boss on my own someday. But I want to do it fairly. I want the game to be honest with me. As I mentioned before, I believe the difficulty curve is broken with this boss. It’s not fair.

Hardcore players can get through anything, and I respect that. But I would really like to see the developer defeating this boss.

For what it's worth, maybe it would help if you think about the boss from a different perspective. Have you ever played Slay the Spire, or FTL? In the Slay the Spire, most of the Act bosses have a strong gimmick, and cannot be handled like a regular fight. Time Eater punishes decks that aren't efficient per turn, Infinite decks that would hose any regular fight can lose to Time Eater. Awakened One punishes you for blindly jamming too many powers in your deck. Donu and Deca will outscale a slow deck and the Daze's mess with infinites. Even in Act 2, Champ gives you time to setup, but once you drop him to half, you need to race to finish him before Execute spam. Bronze Automaton has Hyper Beam. In StS, it's very common that a deck has cards that are relatively useless in hallway fights, but are taken purely as anti-elite/boss cards. Slow scaling cards like Ironclad's Demon Form fit this category.

The Custodian boss is similar in that respect, in that it's designed to present a unique challenge to the player, rather than just being a regular ship with more HP. Genuinely like the other guy said, it really helps to read the bosses cards, and understand what problem you're trying to solve. Some cards and augments are incredibly powerful against the boss, as an example, Ion Spear is generally incredible against the boss, because it's always producing small amounts of shield, and almost guarantees you can trigger Spear's disable 2 effect, perfect for disabling the Hyperlaser that has lots of equipment HP. Cascade Event subsystem, which grants a +1 damage bonus that lasts for the rest of the fight every time Ion breaks shield will almost single handedly win you the Custodian Fight, as your Lasers will hit ridiculous +damage levels very quickly.

Asking specifically the devs to beat the boss is also a bit silly. The "meta" builds for each ship right now don't require special tactical decision making to beat the boss. They're straight forward to play, and mostly overpower the boss through brute force.

Yes. I love FTL so much that I bought the terrible Trigon: Space Story :P

Thank you for the comment. I understand that each boss should have its own approach. Defeating the boss should be a VICTORY! I get it. I’ve made so many attempts... All battles before the second boss are very easy. Either the second boss is that strong, or something else is going on. I’ll happily continue playing this game, but later. When the third level comes out and “suddenly” the second boss becomes very easy.
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:32pm 
Originally posted by Liniyka:
The second boss has already been nerfed to the point of being killable with just about any build. Learn to use your ships properly and you'll kill it no problemo

Yes, yes. It’s my fault that the whole game is so easy and the second boss is unkillable. Of course, it's all on me. And I just made up the whole thing about the broken difficulty curve. Thank you for your comment. After this, I will definitely change my mind xD
Zucadragon Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:37pm 
I took the second boss down on like my third run with the Arbalest. The thing you shouldn't do though, is stack up on too many cards. Because when you do that, you'll often find yourself in a position where you can't respond. So I focused on good shields and lasers that combo'd together really well, all my lasers give me shields, and I can keep my shields around for longer which makes it harder for the enemy to actually hurt my hull.

Skipping on new cards unless they're really good and fitting also gives you a lot of money, don't hesitate to cruise around, go to startbases, get fuel, take on more fights just so you can buy some upgrades.

I didn't even have any kind of missiles or anything.

So yeah, that's my tip for the Arbalest, make sure you're not overburdened on cards so you'll generally, almost always have some shielding potential and some pew pew potential.

Oh oh, and use the station's ability to throw away cards once you have enough, cards that don't have any synergy with your build. Once you've got enough money going, you can easily build up your resource points so you'll never run out, and that means weaker cards can go.

Two cards that really worked well for me, one was a shield card that gave me shield based on my energy income, at the boss, I had 5, which meant that card alone would give me 10 shield, great help, plus one card that draws a shield card when I use it, also really nice.

As for my lasers, no heat damage at all, but I had an augment that meant every third laser attack did 3 more damage and a laser card that attacked twice. So I could often, easily do 18 damage with that one attack, quickly destroying systems.

Last edited by Zucadragon; Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:43pm
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 2:48pm 
Originally posted by Zucadragon:
I took the second boss down on like my third run with the Arbalest. The thing you shouldn't do though, is stack up on too many cards. Because when you do that, you'll often find yourself in a position where you can't respond. So I focused on good shields and lasers that combo'd together really well, all my lasers give me shields, and I can keep my shields around for longer which makes it harder for the enemy to actually hurt my hull.

Skipping on new cards unless they're really good and fitting also gives you a lot of money, don't hesitate to cruise around, go to startbases, get fuel, take on more fights just so you can buy some upgrades.

I didn't even have any kind of missiles or anything.

So yeah, that's my tip for the Arbalest, make sure you're not overburdened on cards so you'll generally, almost always have some shielding potential and some pew pew potential.

Oh oh, and use the station's ability to throw away cards once you have enough, cards that don't have any synergy with your build. Once you've got enough money going, you can easily build up your resource points so you'll never run out, and that means weaker cards can go.

Thank you. I'll try a few more times when the game stops frustrating me with its unfairness. ;)
NOTOURDESTINY Oct 4, 2024 @ 5:15pm 
Thank you all for the valuable advice. I don't know how, but I managed to do it.

https://youtu.be/v5LYhRANrKI

I still think this boss is very difficult and broken, and I would like to see a similar video from the developers. I hope they play their own game.
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