Own
Moderator
These are assorted tips for acquiring the S-Rank items in arena.
1. Ignore HP buffing perks completely, unless you're going for a Snowbuddy build (his HP is based after yours). If you're getting hit on the floors you want to double S-Rank, you've already failed before you take enough damage to die. A better weapon and a better shield will serve you better, possibly with Time Warp or the +Quiver size to help.
2. Stats over defense, always. If you have something that gives -7 DEF armor but +5 AttackSpeed, switch. If you can sell everything that gives +DEF on your character for one item in the shop that gives ridiculous stats, do so.
3. Understand that your favorite build from Story Mode, or your favorite in Arcade, probably isn't going to work. If your skills can't do a ton of burst damage in a short amount of time, or can't crowd control multiple enemies, it's not going to work so well. All it takes is a few A-Rank room times to lose that floor S-Rank. A few of the bosses are currently balanced towards how quickly Whirlslash killed them in the previous update, and now that Whirlslash is nerfed you need something especially broken to compensate. (Personally, I assume that the timers are the way they are because the devs are trying to motivate people to find the most broken builds as possible for nerfing... which is clever, if intentional. Maybe when the game is more balanced those room par times will be more forgiving?)
4. Save your stat potions for the floors you want to S-Rank. If one room looks particularly difficult, immediately pause and chug that potion, otherwise save them for a hard boss.
5. Don't worry about taking damage on the floors leading up to the floor you want S-Rank items on. Play as casually as you like. If you want Flying Fortress's item, don't treat all the areas before that like a typical run.
6. Only take Bishop Challenges and Challenge Rooms if you're on the floors before the items you want. It doesn't matter if you take damage during them, you just need their items to hopefully burst down your target floor ASAP. If the Bishop appears on your target floors, ignore him. If you see a Challenge Room on your target floors, don't go inside.
7. Take as few rooms as is possible to get to the bosses on your target floors. Every room is a chance for an elite enemy to ruin your day. You lose some EXP and gold, but the reduced chance of getting an A rank is worth it.
8. Don't hesitate to rush in and start killing things. IHeartPie in his videos has a tendency to circle around the enemies a few times, trying to find the best venue to attack from, but that's because he plays for depth and not score. Plus he has to commentate, so he's distracted. You have to throw yourself at the enemies ASAP to ensure the room S-Rank.
9. Memorize the boss attack patterns, more than anything. Or figure out the best way to kill them. 20 arrows (or more with Arcadia perks) go a long way to ensuring early boss S-Ranks. The bees annoying? Run to the side of one and machinegun it down, do the same to the other. Vilya annoying? Walk up to her and hold your shield up once, let her bang on it for a while to memorize when you're safe to attack. Helloweed being sucky? Shield up when he digs towards you instead of runningaway, then attack to his left - when he raises up to swipe, move to the right, then repeat. All bosses have very clear tells like these.
Anyone else have anything to contribute?
1. Ignore HP buffing perks completely, unless you're going for a Snowbuddy build (his HP is based after yours). If you're getting hit on the floors you want to double S-Rank, you've already failed before you take enough damage to die. A better weapon and a better shield will serve you better, possibly with Time Warp or the +Quiver size to help.
2. Stats over defense, always. If you have something that gives -7 DEF armor but +5 AttackSpeed, switch. If you can sell everything that gives +DEF on your character for one item in the shop that gives ridiculous stats, do so.
3. Understand that your favorite build from Story Mode, or your favorite in Arcade, probably isn't going to work. If your skills can't do a ton of burst damage in a short amount of time, or can't crowd control multiple enemies, it's not going to work so well. All it takes is a few A-Rank room times to lose that floor S-Rank. A few of the bosses are currently balanced towards how quickly Whirlslash killed them in the previous update, and now that Whirlslash is nerfed you need something especially broken to compensate. (Personally, I assume that the timers are the way they are because the devs are trying to motivate people to find the most broken builds as possible for nerfing... which is clever, if intentional. Maybe when the game is more balanced those room par times will be more forgiving?)
4. Save your stat potions for the floors you want to S-Rank. If one room looks particularly difficult, immediately pause and chug that potion, otherwise save them for a hard boss.
5. Don't worry about taking damage on the floors leading up to the floor you want S-Rank items on. Play as casually as you like. If you want Flying Fortress's item, don't treat all the areas before that like a typical run.
6. Only take Bishop Challenges and Challenge Rooms if you're on the floors before the items you want. It doesn't matter if you take damage during them, you just need their items to hopefully burst down your target floor ASAP. If the Bishop appears on your target floors, ignore him. If you see a Challenge Room on your target floors, don't go inside.
7. Take as few rooms as is possible to get to the bosses on your target floors. Every room is a chance for an elite enemy to ruin your day. You lose some EXP and gold, but the reduced chance of getting an A rank is worth it.
8. Don't hesitate to rush in and start killing things. IHeartPie in his videos has a tendency to circle around the enemies a few times, trying to find the best venue to attack from, but that's because he plays for depth and not score. Plus he has to commentate, so he's distracted. You have to throw yourself at the enemies ASAP to ensure the room S-Rank.
9. Memorize the boss attack patterns, more than anything. Or figure out the best way to kill them. 20 arrows (or more with Arcadia perks) go a long way to ensuring early boss S-Ranks. The bees annoying? Run to the side of one and machinegun it down, do the same to the other. Vilya annoying? Walk up to her and hold your shield up once, let her bang on it for a while to memorize when you're safe to attack. Helloweed being sucky? Shield up when he digs towards you instead of runningaway, then attack to his left - when he raises up to swipe, move to the right, then repeat. All bosses have very clear tells like these.
Anyone else have anything to contribute?