Quad-Core Hardcore (Normal) #40 walkthrough [SPOILERS!]

[Giopeppe]

Just want to let you know my strategy, since it took me more then 30 attempts on four different run before i figured a working strategy to kill the 20/20 Bellower and don't get him possessed by Eyeless just after .

My heroes and turn order:

1st- Iver-lvl10 with + move item;
2nd- Krumr-lvl10 with WIL regen item;
3rd- Bolverk-lvl10 with +BRK item (Miniature Carving was GREAT);
4th- Hakon-lvl10 with the best you could equip him as a damage dealer.

My positioning:


http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=705032885

My strategy:

a) On the righ side, using Iver and Krumr's Forge Ahead you need to kill SOMETHING, possible something week. Vile skulker is a nice choice;

This is needed to let Eyeless possess him, then you just need let her be TRAPPED in that creature an kill Bellower and the rest first;

b) On the left side, keep Bolverk and Hakon positioned just out of Bellower's reach, then use Bolverk's passive to break armor (6-7) and do some STR damage. Use Hakon to damage his STR further, keep your heroes safe from the big ones and, in the next turn, you should be able to kill Bellower letting Iver/Krumr give a hand or just with Bolverk double attack;

c) Kill the rest except Eyeless and avoid to be killed or crippled too much;

d) Destroy that damned possessing Sundr for good;

e) Enjoy!

[Giantbore]

Sweet Giopeppe! I would have never thought that possible with just 4 Varl. I always thought the Quad Core achievement means you have to use just 4 Varl but can add 2 humans. It's impressive you made your whole run without a mender or archer. Did you actually win this battle before they nerfed Bellower and Eyeless? If so, I am even more so impressed!

o.k. now beat that battle on Hard before they fix the Eyeless possession bug and I'll buy you a drink!

[Giopeppe]

I will try, but NOT with just four varl. Never again.

The run it's not so difficult, except for battle 33 with lot of stonesingers, the second one with warped dredge and some second waves.

Never managed to do the second wave of battle 39. Too scared. Too risky.

And then there is the last battle.

Anyway the nerf was quite effective, those 3 point of STR was all it was needed to not have you always pray for a crit or a dodge.

[Aleonymous]

Thanks for the tips, Giopeppe! I had figured the "kill-something-weak-and-let-EL-possess-it" part, but the rest of the enemies feel so overwhelming.

Looks like luck was on your side, as I see neither a Scourge Destroyer nor a Stonesinger. I rarely get Skulkers and I always had the two types previously mentioned... Gloomwardens/Direguards are quite bad too, especially with that "shock-wave" AoE attack of theirs, so brutally punishing in tight boards with bulky varl units.

[Giantbore]

Even with the nerf I'm still dang impressed. How often did you find that you used Krumr's Forge Ahead? I used him a whole playthrough and never used it. That was probably a huge mistake on my part.

[Giopeppe]

Nearly every turn i could use it to let anyone play before Bellower or when i could use a double turn to kill/maim something dangerous.

At first i was skeptic, since in the campaign it's quite useless, but as soon as i figured how it works in survival turn order, it's the best ability you could have.

[Aleonymous]

So, you gave both Iver & Hakon the Forge Ahead as their second active ability, instead of Tempest? Interesting... I always went for multi-hit dmg, but it might not be suited for this boss fight, with its turn-order peculiarities.

[Giopeppe]

I tried in a run, but it didn't work well as espected, just on Krumr OR on Hakon if i don't want Krumr in party but prefer a Warhawk.

[Mercotroll]

Just wanted to let you know I got Quad Core (normal) on my second try. The first one was a good learning experience, but was wiped out on battle 33. As a good consequence, I got the On Wings on Ravens achievement to (beat the game in less than 180 minutes). I think this just happens naturally, as the battles become faster with only 4 characters.

Here are some tips that I found useful:
-Use and keep strength resist items throughout the whole game, even if "better" higher level items come along later in the game.
-Use Divert and Dodge talents for all characters. This I found to be the most useful.
-Give yourself a nice starting advantage by exploiting viking funeral early in the game (for example, bring a character you won't use, kill it, then when you get an item of its level, which you don't want, perform viking funeral, and get lots of renown)
-Get rid of ranged units as fast as possible (it helps placing Bolverk near archers always at the start)
-ALWAYS get rid of Warped Scourge first (it's the weird dredge in the caves, the one WITHOUT a shield).
-Get rid of Eyeless first. Take your time, let her come to you.
-On the last battle, if you kill Bellower first, stand on his body so Eyeless can't resurrect as him. Keep in mind that if he has low health, it's better not to kill him, rather than have him respawn with more health.
-Always keep in mind that varl are large and you don't want to block your own path. Try to think ahead in terms of space.
-Placement is very important. It's ok to let the enemy make the first (out of range move) :D

My personal run:

I used Mogr-Bolverk-Krumr-Iver througout the whole game. I used the viking funeral exploit at the very start (killed Gunnulf intentionally).

The 3 hardest battles were

#24 (lots of Warped Scourges and Warped Stoneguard)
#33 - Here the strategy was NOT to wait in the back for Eyeless (the way you would do if you had a bunch of ranged characters). Get in front of the barricades, otherwise you will be stuck with just one varl at the front due to lack of room, ready to become varl meat. Kill Eyeless first.
#40 - I did this in one try, but I think that it comes down to luck with placement. It's good if you get here with a few reloads available, just in case. In my case, I was able to bring Bellower to low health very quickly with just two hits (Mogr, Bolverk), and then Eyeless showed herself to the very front, so it was easy to access her.

I hope this helps :D

[Aleonymous]

Congratulations, Merco and thanks for sharing your strategies. They'll hopefully be useful for the future generations!

[Jocher]

Interesting stuff. About to give it a go. 3 more survival achievements and it’s a wrap!