Subzero shroud trial: 20K dmg possible with mage build?

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Hello,

Planning ahead for my first playthrough. Pure mage. Following https://www.reddit.com/r/codevein/comments/e3yotc/black_grimoire_an_attempt_at_an_extensive_dark/ (currently at the beginning, having found 3 bloodsprings, and three depths maps)

The guide mentions the subzero shroud, but not how to get it. It is locked behind a challenge: 20K dmg in 1 hit against Frozen Empress (FE)

Two questions:

1° Can this only be attempted while FE is still alive? Or is is like a Depth map whose bosses can be farmed (I think they can, haven't tried yet); looking at https://codevein.wiki.fextralife.com/Horror+Hunting+Trials+(Frozen+Empress) , I think the boss can be farmed.

More crucially,

2° Is it even _possible_ to do 20K damage in a single attack (does that mean "gift / spell cast" or "hit"?) with a pure mage build? Or should I plan ahead and attempt to master specific melee gifts in anticipation of this specific trial?

[Lynfinity]

Originally posted by Gamall Wednesday Ida:

1°

All Depth bosses can be farmed repeatedly, FE is no different.

Originally posted by Gamall Wednesday Ida:

2°

Nope. You can only do that with a specific build, and, of course, it's a melee build.

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Thanks.

Originally posted by MC Von Neetinator:

Nope. You can only do that with a specific build, and, of course, it's a melee build.

Of course it is :-|.

The only build I found online so far is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGzm2vj9gD4

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Possibly also that, depending on how nerfed it has been:

https://codevein.wiki.fextralife.com/Halberd+one-shot+build

[Nerevar]

Originally posted by Gamall Wednesday Ida:

Possibly also that, depending on how nerfed it has been:

https://codevein.wiki.fextralife.com/Halberd+one-shot+build

this still works fine youll get the 60000 dmg aswell with it. just keep i mind you wont be doing 99k with it anymore due to the nerf to final journey you wont get quick mobility with this weapon anymore thus only 10% from swift destruction.

keep in mind you dont have to KILL the boss for it to count. landing a big enough hit is enough even if you die afterwards. its really easy to do.

sadly overall mage builds are kinda hard to do and fall off crazyly in ng+ enchanced aswell compared to melee builds. they overnerfed the barrages with the balance patch so that build simply is no good anymore.

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Thanks. I'm not sure I'll go into the higher difficulties. I just want a nice, full mage playthrough, that feels complete. I'd be a bit sad to forgo what appears to be the best mage veil. It is a bit *irksome* that completing a mage build forces me to make a super-specialised melee build, but it is what it is...

PS: assuming your avatar is the Nehrim logo, and your name a reference to Morrowind, for both, kudos :)

[Surf3unny]

Hey Gamall,
Try this:
https://sethclydesdale.github.io/code-vein-builder/?build=IIFgjAPgDByQIiasbAEywJywBwQMJgDME8qYArAZddgKJX5omFJNIBiImQA

You should be able to get close to 30k on use of Wulpurgis Fire if everything is buffed correctly and in the right order.

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Originally posted by Surf3unny:

Hey Gamall,
Try this:
https://sethclydesdale.github.io/code-vein-builder/?build=IIFgjAPgDByQIiasbAEywJywBwQMJgDME8qYArAZddgKJX5omFJNIBiImQA

You should be able to get close to 30k on use of Wulpurgis Fire if everything is buffed correctly and in the right order.

Interesting, thanks.

However, I see that Dark Shout is learned from Queen's throat; I am going for the Queen ending, so I will not have access to that. (Perhaps I should have mentioned that before...)

If that build does *close to* 30k, without DS, which is a 50% boost according to the wiki, that means the attack will be just shy of the needed 20k...

Still worth a try, though; and I'd much prefer to do that with a mage build, is it's at all possible.

Anyway, I'm still at the second mistle of the cathedral, so I have some time before it becomes an issue.

Thanks again for the pointers.

[Surf3unny]

Originally posted by Gamall Wednesday Ida:

Originally posted by Surf3unny:

Hey Gamall,
Try this:
https://sethclydesdale.github.io/code-vein-builder/?build=IIFgjAPgDByQIiasbAEywJywBwQMJgDME8qYArAZddgKJX5omFJNIBiImQA

You should be able to get close to 30k on use of Wulpurgis Fire if everything is buffed correctly and in the right order.

Interesting, thanks.

However, I see that Dark Shout is learned from Queen's throat; I am going for the Queen ending, so I will not have access to that. (Perhaps I should have mentioned that before...)

If that build does *close to* 30k, without DS, which is a 50% boost according to the wiki, that means the attack will be just shy of the needed 20k...

Still worth a try, though; and I'd much prefer to do that with a mage build, is it's at all possible.

Anyway, I'm still at the second mistle of the cathedral, so I have some time before it becomes an issue.

Thanks again for the pointers.

Yeah, no problem. I know for sure though, the desperate burst gets over 20k even at level 1.

https://youtu.be/9boAne_UFRQ

So you can build this if you get dark shout and don't have Queen. Either way. There are many ways to get above 20k without melee.

Good luck!!!

[Nerevar]

Originally posted by Gamall Wednesday Ida:

Thanks. I'm not sure I'll go into the higher difficulties. I just want a nice, full mage playthrough, that feels complete. I'd be a bit sad to forgo what appears to be the best mage veil. It is a bit *irksome* that completing a mage build forces me to make a super-specialised melee build, but it is what it is...

PS: assuming your avatar is the Nehrim logo, and your name a reference to Morrowind, for both, kudos :)

you assume correctly in both cases. back then wen tes was still good and had depth.

[Surf3unny]

Hey Gamall, the Desperate Burst indeed gets you the challenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMGVTe_Hg5k

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

I won't have have Desperate Burst either, since it's a preorder-only thing.

But I should not need it; Walpurgis Fire does 600%, while Desp Burst does only 450%.

The only real issue is whether Dark Shout, which all builds so far use, is critical to reaching the 20k target.

If Owen reached 20k at lvl 1 with DS and DB, I gain 33% by using WF instead of DB, and lose 50% by not having access to DS. It seems likely 150lvls will make up for the 20ish percent difference.

In the worst case scenario, I'll just go into NG+ for the bad ending and get DS.

The important thing it that it looks very much possible to overcome this challenge using mage builds, which makes it more enjoyable (for me) than having to roll hyper-specialised melee builds just for that.

As usual, thanks for the pointers.

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

With Ymir, level 165ish, Intense Spurs, quick mobility + Swift Destr., I do 12k on a good shot, before she gets her defenses up. That's lower than I expected; I do 11k on the dummy, and she's supposed to be weak to fire. Perhaps I'm not quick enough? But bosses are nearly invulnerable at the beginning of the fight, and she buffs very fast. Will have to try again following the video above to find a better window. (edit; tried again; https://codevein.wiki.fextralife.com/Frozen+Empress+(Boss) says 22.5% weakness, but given I get a ratio of 1.09999, seem like it's actually 10%).

Anyway, with 12k, I can definitely get to 20k with Dark Shout (once I go through NG+ to get it) and Dark Impulse.

Do % bonuses stack additively or multiplicatively? 12k takes me to 21k or 23k depending on that.

Eva's Communal might substitute for DS.

But getting Dark Impulse to trigger before the boss buffs might be tricky. Is there a way to enter focus state at will?

edit: I get to 19k with Eva. So close. The Red Tearstone thing might do it; Survival Instinct.

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Got it!

Ymir + Walpurgis Fire + Eva + 2 Will-Up sufficed :-) I got a shiny new veil. Thanks for all the tips, and merry Christmas :-)

edit: Boy is it ugly, though :-P