Strategies for the cove?

[GwynnTheGreen]

Every expedition on this, my first campaign have been sent packing so far. The fishmen just seem to give and take more punishment than my boys can dish out and whithstand. Are there any good tactics to better fight these beasts?

[Platoon]

Get a high-speed party. Equip everyone with +SPD and Eldritch damage. Poison the shield guys, stun the spearmen and try to finish the backliners in the first turn so they can't buff/heal.

[Cure Seraph]

Always have a Plague Doctor with you.

[YukoValis]

Being sea creatures they are much more vulnerable to blight, and less to bleeding. Remember to count your dots, so if something is going to die next turn, don't waste someones turn. Oh and bring shovels... like max out each time. Barnacle Chests AND blocked passages are here.

[GwynnTheGreen]

so high speed + blight is the way to go? got it.

[Cure Seraph]

Originally posted by 104th CyberInsaneoHD:

so high speed + blight is the way to go? got it.

Yeah!
It's why I recommend to have a Plague Doctor in each group that goes there, specially in medium and higher difficulties, as there is a type of enemy there whose bleed NEEDS to be cured and she will help you to save on bandages.

[Pseudok]

Medicinal herbs for Eerie Corals are mandatory. Almost a free removal of a negative quirk. But that's just bonus.

You need something that can get rid of Bleed effects. That's one of the reasons Plague Doctor is so awesome in Coves. She has Blight and Stun to back ranks, blight to front ranks AND a way to cure Bleed. edit: see above.

Some good single target stunner that can target front ranks is also recommended, as that can clear a nasty Guard action.

[Calchexxis]

Strategies highly depend on what level of the cove you're going into.

Low level dungeons - Prioritize bringing antivenom medicinal herbs, and shovels, bring a holy water for the odd altar. Prioritize high damage blight dots from plague doctor and grave robber. When you fight fishmen, target the shamans in the back who use Stress Wave because they also buff and heal their allies, save the guys with Barnacle Barrier for last and control them with stuns, they do low damage but inflict bleed. When fighting the marine life have your front line focus the sea snails while you back line dots the jellyfish to death. Keep an eye out for Eerie Coral, always keep herbs on hand for this because using herbs on coral gets rid of a negative quirk for free.

Mid level dungeons - Same as above with a few caveats. try to have bleed and blight boosting trinkets on your bleeders and blighters because dots are very effective regardless of the fact that Cove-dwellers have resistance to bleed. Try to always have a plague doctor with Battlefield Medicine because there's a crab monster that inflicts a devastating bleed effect. Once again focus on dividing your line up, your front line vs. their front line, your back line dots vs. their back line buff/stressers.

[Cure Seraph]

Originally posted by Pseudok:

Medicinal herbs for Eerie Corals are mandatory. Almost a free removal of a negative quirk. But that's just bonus.

You need something that can get rid of Bleed effects. That's one of the reasons Plague Doctor is so awesome in Coves. She has Blight and Stun to back ranks, blight to front ranks AND a way to cure Bleed. edit: see above.

Some good single target stunner that can target front ranks is also recommended, as that can clear a nasty Guard action.

Wat really?
Stun counters the Guard move from the fish tank?
I didn't know that...

[LaserGuy]

At Apprentice level, I generally don't bother visiting the Cove until my guys have level 2 gear. You can do it at lower level, but the monsters there tend to be just a bit stronger than the other areas.

Houndmaster and Occultist do very well in the Cove. Houndmaster can mark and reduce PROT, which can be helpful. Almost everything is Eldritch in the Cove, so Occultist can do some very nice damage.

[xxxaziexxx]

Originally posted by Blazing Star:

Always have a Plague Doctor with you.

Yessssss.

Plague Doctor's cure is invaluable in Cove at higher levels since there's so much bleed and Plague Doctor out-speeds tankier classes, allowing you to heal before their turn comes around, with the added benefit of also curing the Plague Doctor, should he have Bleed/Blight to cure. Blight is also really useful in Cove due to the higher bleed resistance on some of the mobs there.

Honestly, even if the resistance wasn't there, I'd still bring him. I bring mine to Weald regularly despite higher Blight resist on a lot of enemies there since he has so much versatility.

[Cure Seraph]

Originally posted by xxxaziexxx:

Originally posted by Blazing Star:

Always have a Plague Doctor with you.

Yessssss.

Plague Doctor's cure is invaluable in Cove at higher levels since there's so much bleed and Plague Doctor out-speeds tankier classes, allowing you to heal before their turn comes around, with the added benefit of also curing the Plague Doctor, should he have Bleed/Blight to cure. Blight is also really useful in Cove due to the higher bleed resistance on some of the mobs there.

Honestly, even if the resistance wasn't there, I'd still bring him. I bring mine to Weald regularly despite higher Blight resist on a lot of enemies there since he has so much versatility.

Just one correction, SHE, the PD is a girl

[Magic Mike]

lvl1 quests in Cove can pretty much be handled by Plague Doctor, but as the quest level progresses and the enemies practically DOUBLE their PROT and HP, PD becomes to fall off to the useless bin.

I would say lvl1 Coves a PD is quite useful, Blighting a tank, the double-Blight bomb to the backrow, Medicine to cure Bleeds, etc.

Lvl3 and 5 Coves for the sake of your own sanity try using a -PROT Marker, such as Bounty Hunter or Houndmaster,both of these can save you alot of time when facing tanks and also they are able to hit atleast one of the backrow positions. Seriously PD's noxious Blast from lvl1 to lvl5 only increases like 2 or 3 Blight effect, which is near to nothing comparing how the enemy's stats scale up two fold.