6+ Schrats... How do you beat them without taking casualties?

[zAcEz]

Against 6 Shcrats 3hrs & countless reloads my best play was to lose 2 level 13+ bros with 40+ mdef.

I use 2 archers to constantly apply the overwhelm debuff.
I give all my melee guys iron will potion at the start of the fight.
I use a 2H mace to daze the♥♥♥♥♥♥out of them.
2 of my 2H have the -33% ignore damage attachment.
TIL: poison & nets have no effect on them.


For some reason they dont spawn the baby schrats while being hacked away with greataxe, long axe & fighting axes.

Anyone got a proven strategy to fight 6+ schrats without losing bros?

My best fight so far was 5 schrats using the same strat but pulling my 2 dieing bros to stand in a corner away from the fight.

Update: Thanks guys!
Beaten 9 Schrats w/o casualties!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1618393675
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1618393609

[TKbio]

Are you breaking their shields? Because if they are not spawning sapplings it's because you are not doing enough damage per hit and that seems that you are attacking them while they still have their shields up

[zAcEz]

Ah that figures, I have about 80+ accuracy per hit after surrounding the targets, so totally ignored breaking their shields.

[Tephros83]

Originally posted by zAcEz:

Against 6 Shcrats 3hrs & countless reloads my best play was to lose 2 level 13+ bros with 40+ mdef.

I use 2 archers to constantly apply the overwhelm debuff.
I give all my melee guys iron will potion at the start of the fight.
I use a 2H mace to daze the♥♥♥♥♥♥out of them.
2 of my 2H have the -33% ignore damage attachment.
TIL: poison & nets have no effect on them.


For some reason they dont spawn the baby schrats while being hacked away with greataxe, long axe & fighting axes.

Anyone got a proven strategy to fight 6+ schrats without losing bros?

My best fight so far was 5 schrats using the same strat but pulling my 2 dieing bros to stand in a corner away from the fight.

1h fighting axes on tanks seems more helpful to me than other axes. With no mastery they can take down the shield in one turn. So the tank on the target takes down his shield. Ideally a few other tanks are on multiple schrats each and if you're not hitting the schrat you might as well have your tank use indomitable/shield wall. Everybody else focuses on killing 1 schrat at a time, keeping in mind their 3-tile split style move.

In terms of doing damage, pretty much all 2h weapons do well. The 2h mace is good to debuff them as you said. The greatsword can do really well by using the saplings to cause berserk. You'll want the whole back row to be 2-tile weapons though so that you can more effectively have everybody hit one schrat. I typically take one turn to kill each schrat, then another turn of repositioning and a little damage, and 3rd turn to kill the 2nd schrat.

Forests help funnel the schrats into your tanks. I've killed 6 a few times. I usually get injuries but no deaths.

[Mr.M]

Originally posted by zAcEz:

Ah that figures, I have about 80+ accuracy per hit after surrounding the targets, so totally ignored breaking their shields.

Yep, breakind shield is super important.

And archers are pretty much completely useless against them - actually even worse than against orc warriors and skeletons. If you got backup troops switch in billmen or more frontliners

[flameDjinn]

great axes is answer. I have two only vs scrats battles. Break scrat shield not only makes them receiving ~5x more dmg, increasing accuracy, but it also "stunning" them, because they spend their next turn to regrow it. Also 320 armor protects good against them.

[Estieukua]

Some type(s) of shield-breaking weapon is essential. Axes (and other shield-breaking weapons) don't prevent saplings from being spawned (if enough damage is done), but surrounding schrats prevents saplings from being spawned (at the cost of having lots of people vulnerable to the schrats' more damaging attacks).

Greataxes can one-shot their shields without mastery, but the user needs to be directly engaged (and potentially in line to be attacked by multiple schrats).

Longaxes can one-shot their shields with mastery, without being engaged or in line for their attacks.

Fighting axes can two-shot their shields without mastery. Hand axes can two-shot their shields with mastery.

Throwing spears can two-shot their shields without being engaged or in line for their attacks.

Any non-axe 2-handed weapon with the Split Shield skill (except the longsword) can two-shot their shields, but this is inefficient and should only be done on occasions and in pairs.

Footwork is very useful for longaxe/polearm users to disengage from saplings that can't quickly be killed, and for 2-handers to damage shieldless schrats and then disengage from them.

Indomitable is great for preventing injuries when in line for attacks. It's the only defensive measure that prevents injuries if you've already lost your armour.

Schrats can cause injuries on first hits against targets in ~200 armours with ~100 HPs (I think they have Crippling Strikes). Light/medium armour and Nimble, or ~300 armours and Battle Forged, will allow you to take one or two hits without being injured, but it still won't take long for you to get injured if you keep getting hit.

The bone plating armour mod is obviously very useful against the likes of schrats, as is the additional fur padding one (but, again, you can't avoid injuries if you keep getting hit).

As others have mentioned, 2H maces are great for reducing damage (-33%) by dazing the schrats, but you need to be careful about whether the user will also be in line for attacks from other, non-dazed schrats, and also you have to consider that non-dazed saplings are liable to be spawned next to the user. Saplings don't readily cause injuries against targets in decent armour, but the combined effects of attacks from saplings and dazed schrats can still get nasty quickly (and I think that schrats have the Resilient perk and so don't remain dazed for long). This is an instance in which Footwork can come in handy.

Schrats don't always regenerate their shields instead of attacking. In fact, if a vulnerable target is in range to attack, they'll probably choose to attack instead. In some cases, you might be able to put a seemingly vulnerable target in line for an attack, and then use Indomitable, so that the schrat attacks and leaves itself vulnerable to subsequent attacks.

[Styxwash]

Get some Mansplitters. Problem solved.

[Estieukua]

Mansplitters don't remove schrat shields any more quickly than greataxes (or mastered longaxes), and the fatigue cost of using the skill (and carrying the item) is much greater and makes it harder to use protective skills.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Estieukua:

Some type(s) of shield-breaking weapon is essential. Axes (and other shield-breaking weapons) don't prevent saplings from being spawned (if enough damage is done), but surrounding schrats prevents saplings from being spawned (at the cost of having lots of people vulnerable to the schrats' more damaging attacks).

Greataxes can one-shot their shields without mastery, but the user needs to be directly engaged (and potentially in line to be attacked by multiple schrats).

Longaxes can one-shot their shields with mastery, without being engaged or in line for their attacks.

Fighting axes can two-shot their shields without mastery. Hand axes can two-shot their shields with mastery.

Throwing spears can two-shot their shields without being engaged or in line for their attacks.

Any non-axe 2-handed weapon with the Split Shield skill (except the longsword) can two-shot their shields, but this is inefficient and should only be done on occasions and in pairs.

Footwork is very useful for longaxe/polearm users to disengage from saplings that can't quickly be killed, and for 2-handers to damage shieldless schrats and then disengage from them.

Indomitable is great for preventing injuries when in line for attacks. It's the only defensive measure that prevents injuries if you've already lost your armour.

Schrats can cause injuries on first hits against targets in ~200 armours with ~100 HPs (I think they have Crippling Strikes). Light/medium armour and Nimble, or ~300 armours and Battle Forged, will allow you to take one or two hits without being injured, but it still won't take long for you to get injured if you keep getting hit.

The bone plating armour mod is obviously very useful against the likes of schrats, as is the additional fur padding one (but, again, you can't avoid injuries if you keep getting hit).

As others have mentioned, 2H maces are great for reducing damage (-33%) by dazing the schrats, but you need to be careful about whether the user will also be in line for attacks from other, non-dazed schrats, and also you have to consider that non-dazed saplings are liable to be spawned next to the user. Saplings don't readily cause injuries against targets in decent armour, but the combined effects of attacks from saplings and dazed schrats can still get nasty quickly (and I think that schrats have the Resilient perk and so don't remain dazed for long). This is an instance in which Footwork can come in handy.

Schrats don't always regenerate their shields instead of attacking, In fact, if a vulnerable target is in range to attack, they'll probably choose to attack instead. In some cases, you might be able to put a seemingly vulnerable target in line for an attack, and then use Indomitable, so that the schrat attacks and leaves itself vulnerable to subsequent attacks.

Very informative! Thanks!

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Styxwash:

Get some Mansplitters. Problem solved.

More like problem compounded.

[MrMouseSE]

theme sounds like "i try to kill sckratch with shields, and cant :D i rly wanna know, how you kill 5 of them with shields O_____O

[Hammer Bear]

my bros(day150sh) can handle 3 Schrats without casualtes,
but 6+? geez

[zAcEz]

Thanks guys!

Turns out that leaving a couple of schrats free wastes their turns trying to flank the bros.
So that makes for a better tactic than trying to pin all of them down.

[Tephros83]

Originally posted by felix:

great axes is answer. I have two only vs scrats battles. Break scrat shield not only makes them receiving ~5x more dmg, increasing accuracy, but it also "stunning" them, because they spend their next turn to regrow it. Also 320 armor protects good against them.

Fighting axe is better since you can hold a shield at the same time... so the tanking bro can break their shield and be protected themself. There's always quick hands I suppose, but why risk being exposed without a shield half the time.

For me they almost never regrow their shield. They try to hit somebody anyway. Mostly means they die faster though.

[Mhorhe]

Good posts, thank you peeps :)