Party wipe on Hamlet attack to Brigand Vvulf

[SergeitZ]

So I lost my best party all level 6 heroes with maxed out everything and ancestral trinkets to this M^@%$#@! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ boss fight, should I rage quit??

[Sir Francis]

The answer to that question is always no.
Let the dust settle, consider and then maybe quit.
Dont rage quit a relationship, your life or even anything.
Peace quit it if you must.
In all seriousness, losing more than one guy here is 100% your fault, you know you could (and should) have run away when it wasnt too late.
You could learn from the experience to go in with a better strategy, because your "best team" wasnt so great after all, was it? Ancestral trinkets mostly arent that great either, just saying.
Its quite tricky and risky to tackle him with a sub-par party, but with a few tweaks he becomes quite easy, even on NG+.
TLDR: Dont be mad at the game, be mad at yourself. You took a high risk gamble: highly investing in an uninformed attempt of beating him without retreating after apparent failure.

[Skeleton]

Since the first post isn't helpful-in-the-slightest. What heroes did you go in with fam? Were you targeting/able to at least near one shot Vvulf's bomb barrel? That's the kicker here. That barrel is what will make-or-break your fight against Vvulf.

[SergeitZ]

lol I appreciate the advice, well I went with (in that order) with a Crusader, Bounty Hunter, Plague Doctor and Vestal aka The Wardens. I actually targeted the barrell once but I guess you have to one shot it for that to be viable since it ripostes for a crap ton of damage AND he calls it back along with reinforcements, so on my next attempt I'm considering ignoring it altoguether so simply smack him with all I got

[SergeitZ]

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

Since the first post isn't helpful-in-the-slightest. What heroes did you go in with fam? Were you targeting/able to at least near one shot Vvulf's bomb barrel? That's the kicker here. That barrel is what will make-or-break your fight against Vvulf.

lol I appreciate the advice, well I went with (in that order) with a Crusader, Bounty Hunter, Plague Doctor and Vestal aka The Wardens. I actually targeted the barrell once but I guess you have to one shot it for that to be viable since it ripostes for a crap ton of damage AND he calls it back along with reinforcements, so on my next attempt I'm considering ignoring it altoguether so simply smack him with all I got

[Skeleton]

Originally posted by Atomic Panda:

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

Since the first post isn't helpful-in-the-slightest. What heroes did you go in with fam? Were you targeting/able to at least near one shot Vvulf's bomb barrel? That's the kicker here. That barrel is what will make-or-break your fight against Vvulf.

lol I appreciate the advice, well I went with (in that order) with a Crusader, Bounty Hunter, Plague Doctor and Vestal aka The Wardens. I actually targeted the barrell once but I guess you have to one shot it for that to be viable since it ripostes for a crap ton of damage AND he calls it back along with reinforcements, so on my next attempt I'm considering ignoring it altoguether so simply smack him with all I got

Don't forget you can also technically back-up your saves to reload from BEFORE you Embarked on your quest (you'll still have to do absolutely everything on that dungeon run again, but you'll get another try at it anyhow).

My favorite party is normally a shuffling Grave Robber --> Crusader --> HwM for boss fights like this. Make sure you incorporate trinkets that boost speed on your main dealers. I either bring a Vestal or a Man-at-Arms for fights like Vvulf's (the Brigand Pounder is similar to Vvulf in gimmick). I recommend the Man-at-Arms. Now let's get into the nitty-gritty here.

You want Man-at-Arms in position 2 with Crush, Retribution, Bulwark, and Bolster (Vvulf has very low Dodge/is easy to hit for the most part with average level 6 builds). You want your MaA to first activate Retribution on Vvulf (attack his barrel for some chip damage on it). The riposte on MaA is the best Riposte in the game (If you think HwM's is good, which it is, MaA's is a beast), and will become useful over the coming turns. After MaA activates Retribution, we'll move onto your next slot. Your HwM should be in Position 1 with Point Black Shot (you will be using this on Vvulf when shuffled into Position 1), Open Vein (if you want), Tracking Shot (good for buffs/chip damage on barrel), Duelist Advance (You will be using this on the barrel). Your Grave Robber will be in Position 4 with Lunge, Throwing Dagger (very useful and important on the barrel), Poison Darts OR Toxin (Toxin boosts your speed by an absurd amount at level 5, great for Initiative stacking), and Shadowfade (very important). Your Crusader will be in Position 3 with Battle Heal (to remove anyone that happens to get on Death's Door), Inspiring Cry (same as Battle Heal, but can hit all positions in your ranks and remove stress), Smite, and Holy Lance.

Now that the abilities, and positions are out-of-the-way. I will go into my general order for how all of this works. At this point in the game, these characters all have Mankind Hater/Slayer to some capacity (along with Eldritch). hence why they are also all excellent here. After the MaA has cast Retribution, he will be Marked (meaning most attacks will target him) and will not just tank your shots. But he will counter with his devastating Riposte. Max gear on Vvulf, this equates to potential 30+ damage crits per Riposte (I averaged around 37). The next (or even first character) to go in this set-up will be your Grave Robber. You have three options: First, have her buff herself with Toxin (Speed stacking for more moves per intiative check per turn), your second option is toss a Throwing Dagger immediately at Vvulf's barrel-o-bombs (if it's not one-hit on a crit, or by the resulting near max-damage attack; then the HwM will finish it off on his turn) or immediately Lunge at Vvulf (Lunge will carry her forward two positions, pushing the Crusader back, and the MaA back; this is intended). Afterwards, your Highwayman should be up next.

The Highwayman's phase will be him using Point Black Shot directly on Vvulf (if there is a Brigand in the way, use Open Vein on Vvulf instead or the barrel if it isn't destroyed by now). If he uses Point Black Shot on his turn, he will be pushed back behind the Grave Robber, with the GR in Position 1 and HwM in Position 2. This is intentional. The next character will be the Crusader who will Holy Lance Vvulf directly, carrying him forward one spot and pushing the MaA to Position 4 (intentional). The MaA should be going again at this point. Your next goal is to start mass casting Bolster (have him cotinuously cast Bolster until it can't stack past it's three-cast buff max). This should give everyone in your group an average of 60+ dodge, thus enabling you to effortlessly dodge all those Brigand stabs, and stress attacks that Vvulf hurls your way. It will also, more importantly, boost your party's speed two-fold. You will notice a pattern here by now, this set-up is designed to paralyze Vvulf's ability to use his bombs. Allowing the Crusader with Holy Lance, the HwM with Point Black Shot while in Position 1 and he will use Duelist's Advance whilst in Position 2 or 3, and the GR with Shadowfade Stun ---> Throwing Dagger/Shadowfade ---> Lunge spam. This shuffle paralyzes the bomb-chucking capability of Vvulf. When that's gone, he's a toothless, clawless wolf.

Whenever the MaA's Riposte is a turn away from wearing off (because everything will be gunning at him with his Marked status, and he will be annhilating the basic Brigands with his Ripostes), just have him Bulwark stun anything (even hit the barrel-o-bombs if you want; does some okay damage) in-order to move up one slot and use Retribution again on w/e is available and rinse, repeat the shuffle-cycle.

Vvulf plays almost exactly like the Brigand Pounder. When you understand that, you'll wipe the floor with him and his crew. Hope that TL;DR crud helped ya out.

[LaserGuy]

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

My favorite party is normally a shuffling Grave Robber --> Crusader --> HwM for boss fights like this. Make sure you incorporate trinkets that boost speed on your main dealers. I either bring a Vestal or a Man-at-Arms for fights like Vvulf's (the Brigand Pounder is similar to Vvulf in gimmick). I recommend the Man-at-Arms. Now let's get into the nitty-gritty here.

Much easier/faster approach: Ignore the barrel, use your MaA to Protect whoever has the bomb. That's really all you need to beat the boss.

Also, AFAIK, none of the enemies in that fight intentionally target marked characters.

[SergeitZ]

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

Originally posted by Atomic Panda:

lol I appreciate the advice, well I went with (in that order) with a Crusader, Bounty Hunter, Plague Doctor and Vestal aka The Wardens. I actually targeted the barrell once but I guess you have to one shot it for that to be viable since it ripostes for a crap ton of damage AND he calls it back along with reinforcements, so on my next attempt I'm considering ignoring it altoguether so simply smack him with all I got

Don't forget you can also technically back-up your saves to reload from BEFORE you Embarked on your quest (you'll still have to do absolutely everything on that dungeon run again, but you'll get another try at it anyhow).

My favorite party is normally a shuffling Grave Robber --> Crusader --> HwM for boss fights like this. Make sure you incorporate trinkets that boost speed on your main dealers. I either bring a Vestal or a Man-at-Arms for fights like Vvulf's (the Brigand Pounder is similar to Vvulf in gimmick). I recommend the Man-at-Arms. Now let's get into the nitty-gritty here.

You want Man-at-Arms in position 2 with Crush, Retribution, Bulwark, and Bolster (Vvulf has very low Dodge/is easy to hit for the most part with average level 6 builds). You want your MaA to first activate Retribution on Vvulf (attack his barrel for some chip damage on it). The riposte on MaA is the best Riposte in the game (If you think HwM's is good, which it is, MaA's is a beast), and will become useful over the coming turns. After MaA activates Retribution, we'll move onto your next slot. Your HwM should be in Position 1 with Point Black Shot (you will be using this on Vvulf when shuffled into Position 1), Open Vein (if you want), Tracking Shot (good for buffs/chip damage on barrel), Duelist Advance (You will be using this on the barrel). Your Grave Robber will be in Position 4 with Lunge, Throwing Dagger (very useful and important on the barrel), Poison Darts OR Toxin (Toxin boosts your speed by an absurd amount at level 5, great for Initiative stacking), and Shadowfade (very important). Your Crusader will be in Position 3 with Battle Heal (to remove anyone that happens to get on Death's Door), Inspiring Cry (same as Battle Heal, but can hit all positions in your ranks and remove stress), Smite, and Holy Lance.

Now that the abilities, and positions are out-of-the-way. I will go into my general order for how all of this works. At this point in the game, these characters all have Mankind Hater/Slayer to some capacity (along with Eldritch). hence why they are also all excellent here. After the MaA has cast Retribution, he will be Marked (meaning most attacks will target him) and will not just tank your shots. But he will counter with his devastating Riposte. Max gear on Vvulf, this equates to potential 30+ damage crits per Riposte (I averaged around 37). The next (or even first character) to go in this set-up will be your Grave Robber. You have three options: First, have her buff herself with Toxin (Speed stacking for more moves per intiative check per turn), your second option is toss a Throwing Dagger immediately at Vvulf's barrel-o-bombs (if it's not one-hit on a crit, or by the resulting near max-damage attack; then the HwM will finish it off on his turn) or immediately Lunge at Vvulf (Lunge will carry her forward two positions, pushing the Crusader back, and the MaA back; this is intended). Afterwards, your Highwayman should be up next.

The Highwayman's phase will be him using Point Black Shot directly on Vvulf (if there is a Brigand in the way, use Open Vein on Vvulf instead or the barrel if it isn't destroyed by now). If he uses Point Black Shot on his turn, he will be pushed back behind the Grave Robber, with the GR in Position 1 and HwM in Position 2. This is intentional. The next character will be the Crusader who will Holy Lance Vvulf directly, carrying him forward one spot and pushing the MaA to Position 4 (intentional). The MaA should be going again at this point. Your next goal is to start mass casting Bolster (have him cotinuously cast Bolster until it can't stack past it's three-cast buff max). This should give everyone in your group an average of 60+ dodge, thus enabling you to effortlessly dodge all those Brigand stabs, and stress attacks that Vvulf hurls your way. It will also, more importantly, boost your party's speed two-fold. You will notice a pattern here by now, this set-up is designed to paralyze Vvulf's ability to use his bombs. Allowing the Crusader with Holy Lance, the HwM with Point Black Shot while in Position 1 and he will use Duelist's Advance whilst in Position 2 or 3, and the GR with Shadowfade Stun ---> Throwing Dagger/Shadowfade ---> Lunge spam. This shuffle paralyzes the bomb-chucking capability of Vvulf. When that's gone, he's a toothless, clawless wolf.

Whenever the MaA's Riposte is a turn away from wearing off (because everything will be gunning at him with his Marked status, and he will be annhilating the basic Brigands with his Ripostes), just have him Bulwark stun anything (even hit the barrel-o-bombs if you want; does some okay damage) in-order to move up one slot and use Retribution again on w/e is available and rinse, repeat the shuffle-cycle.

Vvulf plays almost exactly like the Brigand Pounder. When you understand that, you'll wipe the floor with him and his crew. Hope that TL;DR crud helped ya out.

Whoa dude that is the most in depth/guide reply I've ever gotten, thanks a bunch all I need is a Grave robber lvl 5-6 for when his ♥♥♥♥♥ ass shows up again, which I'm close to (Lara croft, my main grave robber now is lvl 4). I will give this combination a shot, practicing that on a couple dungeons beforehand since a there are a couple abilities there that I dont normally use but sound pretty cool, again thanks a bunch man, will let you know how that goes.

[str4hlemann]

Heed Sir Francis' and JellySlayers's advices, I say.

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

Since the first post isn't helpful-in-the-slightest.

It is actually. It just does not tell exactly what to do but leaves room for him to figure it out by himself. I mean, that is what the game is about.

Also, OP is not 'What strategy do I use to beat Vvulf?'

When you do not read guides and stuff and you are about to tackle a new challenge that you know not so much about you can only guess and prepare for possible encounters based on your previous experiences with this game. Still, it might turn out that your team just ain't the right one for the challenge at hand. What's the right course of action here? You watch and learn how (in this case) the boss battle works and retreat. Then you figure out what did not work and what could make it work. Then you go again.

@Kawaii Fire Keeper
Your strategy may be nice and such, but, yeah, that is your way to do it. I'd also say it is rather complicated and also a little risky (not having tried it out, mind you).

[nightshift]

1: Bleed Vvulf with Hellion (occasionally YAWP the front two Brigands)
2: Bleed Vvulf with Houndmaster (occasionally Stun Vvulf)
3: Heal with Vestal (occasionally Stun Vvulf)
4: Defend + Bolster with MAA

Result in NG+:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=782521263
- Building up Bleed on a Human boss with 2 rounds per turn is extremely effective. Forget damage increasing trinkets, it won't help you too much when you Bleed and YAWP anyway. Equip items that increase your Dodge but most importantly: resistance to Bleed & Stress!
- Aria Box, Flesh's Heart, Cleansing Crystal, Calming Crystal, Protective Collar
- Heaven's Hairpin (+ACC -Stress = YES PLEASE)
- Bleed Amulet (+Bleed skill +Bleed res. = DO WANT)
- Guardian's Shield (+Heal +PROT +Dodge = MUST HAVE)

- On your way to Vvulf, use the Vestal's Illumination to reduce any high Dodge on the enemy (can use Command in addition with MAA) and slay the Madmen & Bloodletter first with your Hellion & Houndmaster ASAP. Keep stress as low as possible. Houndmaster can switch with MAA until the boss battle to keep stress at bay with Cry Havoc. Good luck!

[villa_youth]

Man at Arms is a must for this fight imo. His protection buff to fend off the bomb damage and also the stun for the minions is really good. Get someone in behind him who does good damage numbers (bounty hunter/grave robber) and you should be able to wear him down. Marking him as a target isn't so great as he has so many turns and you get limited chances to use it.

[SergeitZ]

Thank you so much for the tips, I'm rebuilding a good party after that catastrophe, got a couple level 5 man-at-arms ready just need a good healer.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

Vvulf plays almost exactly like the Brigand Pounder. When you understand that, you'll wipe the floor with him and his crew. Hope that TL;DR crud helped ya out.

Well, a little bit more like a combination of the Cannon & the Gibbering Prophet but yes, basically rather similar to those two.

[Chuckie]

OP, exactly the same happened to me just recently. :-)
I sent a previously rather succesful Lvl 6 team with many good trinkets on it's way to defend against the invasion (the second one after I had to retreat during an invasion a few weeks earlier).

I arrived at the Vvulf fight in rather good condition, but really slowly got worn down during the fight and lost 2 of my beloved heroes. I finally had Vvulf down to 2 HP(!) with my two guys left standing (quite low on HP and both afflicted), but then Vvulf dodged my Leper's attack: I cursed like I have never before in this game :-)
After that they took out my last two guys and that was it :-(

But this game will not beat me, I'm going to go back in tonight and level up a few new heroes.

[Qwertion]

Yesterday I've lost 2 lvl6 heroes to the invasion. And I didn't even get to Vvulf. Sold all of my inventory trinkets to equip the team. But I didn't realize from the description that I'll need a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ shovel. That was quite a hit on overall psyche particularly vestal's, cause she had some +30% stress trinket for healing. Then I've seen that my highwayman is gonna die (cause he got masochistic and refused being healed with <50% hp), then I didn't quit cause I gambled he'll survive another poison hit. Guess what - he didn't. My afflicted vestal was taken as a toll for abandonment. I'll probably cheat and read wiki next time to get the exact party I need to win (and some shovels of course).

[Reedo]

Originally posted by JellySlayer:

Originally posted by Kawaii Fire Keeper:

My favorite party is normally a shuffling Grave Robber --> Crusader --> HwM for boss fights like this. Make sure you incorporate trinkets that boost speed on your main dealers. I either bring a Vestal or a Man-at-Arms for fights like Vvulf's (the Brigand Pounder is similar to Vvulf in gimmick). I recommend the Man-at-Arms. Now let's get into the nitty-gritty here.

Much easier/faster approach: Ignore the barrel, use your MaA to Protect whoever has the bomb. That's really all you need to beat the boss.

Also, AFAIK, none of the enemies in that fight intentionally target marked characters.

Agreed. It's not that difficult.