Introduction
God forbid, it's here. Pohwaran and her stronghold Sea Serpent Supply Base. With all the glory of pre-nerf status and double the health on all bosses. Gone are the days where tanking is equivalent to spamming 1 key, your understanding in your class as well as the coordination with party will be tested.
Reading through this guide, you will learn phases and patterns of bosses and how they need to be dealt with. If it's your first attempt, I highly recommend you to replay videos several times to get yourself familiar with patterns. It helps a lot to at least briefly know what's going on. And after several attempts, come back here to learn what you/your party could have done better. Death can only be a practice when you know what you got killed by, right?
Note: Avoid cross server dungeon like a plague. It sure is convenient, but is it really designed for couple hours of dungeon practice? Not by long shot. People don't give a crap about responsibility and get bloody impatient in cross server dungeon because they are playing with other 5 that you he/she will not likely encounter ever again. What's even worse, you cannot recruit anyone once you are in! Even if you have perfect party, just one d/c can easily shatter that.
Role Distribution
Blademaster
DPS belongs in Tank category because you need to outdamage everyone to be able to tank. You are automatically DPS if you can tank.
BM has been regarded as primary tank since the launch and for good reason. Spammable guard? Check. High DPS to hold aggro? Check. Many invul moves? Check. Decent CC? Check. It's difficult to go wrong with a skilled BM in your party. Due to some bosses having great mobility, however, BM player may find it insanely difficult to hold aggro especially when with KFM or FM. For such reason, having destroyer or LBM who can keep boss in place is highly recommended.
Kung-Fu Master
KFM is undisputed king when it comes to hoarding aggro thanks to high damage output and skill(s) that enhance threat. In addition to being a reliable tank, KFM is capable of saving party from deadly AoEs and has great set of CC. For instance, Destroy choke -> knockup into KFM aerial suppression combo can buy your party 10+ seconds of free dps. KFM offers a lot to party and should definitely be on your priority list.
Destroyer
Having destroyer is awesome in any dungeon and this raid is no exception. Destroyer is without doubt the single best disabler in the game and can do high sustained damage when correctly played with animation cancel. Invite them before they turn back and join other party!
Lyn Blade Master
LBM is often disregarded as inferior version of destroyer, but with current endgame weapon that grants you with absurd amount of Chi regeneration, LBM has potential to top off the chart when it comes to DPS.
Great alternative to destroyer and generally a fine pick.
Force Master
Despite having little to no CC to offer, FM excels in dps and support. A good ones can even tank bosses without help. Provided your party has sufficient CC, FM is always great addition.
Assassin
Similar to LBM, with current endgame weapon sin can stab someone until he dies or NA B&S release, whichever comes first. While assassins may not be a priority pick, they can inflict some serious damage without worry of stealing aggro from tank and offer good utility to party.
Summoner
Summoner isn't exactly known for dps, but there are more than meets the eye... With multitude of DoTs and cat, summoner can dish out deceptively good damage while applying a debuff that decreases armor which in turn leads to increased dps from entire party. Summoner is also great at dealing with those annoying adds and tanking particularly difficult pattern of boss with kitty, giving your tank much easier time.
1 . Ruthless Fish King
The boss pattern isn't very difficult and your challenge would be more focused on coordination and doing enough damage before enrage timer. And most importantly finding at least half-decent BM who can properly press 1 key(You will be surprised by how difficult it is to find one)
Phase 1
1)Thrust : Fish King thrusts main aggro for 2~3k. Can be CCed
2)Cleave : Fish King cleaves front dealing ~5k damage in small AoE.
3)Double Attack : Fish King swings his weapon twice. The second attack knocks target back.
After repeating Phase 1 two times(may vary if he was CC'd for long time), Fish King will become invulnerable and submerge into water.
Phase 2
1)Water Missile : Shoots water projectile 4 times rapidly, dealing 9~10k damage to targets hit.
2)Water Boil : Boils the water on the field, dealing heavy damage to everyone.
3)Charge : Fish king charges at main aggro, knocking up and dealing heavy damage to everyone in the path.
Phase sequence : 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2(Enrage)
Tactics
* Have 1 or 2 players who can tank adds as rest focuses their dps on boss. Typically BM takes this job because it really is piece of cake to tank two adds simultaneously with spammable guard.
* As BM draws aggro, rest of party should drag fish king away from BM so he can tank adds safely.
* DPS fish king at your best ability. How to tank? Just move in circle around him. You will be surprised to know the amount of bosses this neat trick work against...
* Once he submerges, your party can choose to gather around FM/sin/summoner who can put smokescreen/barrier(recommended) or time your guard ability to block Water Missile.
* When water starts to boil up, FM or KFM should cast Ice Flower(V and X respectively) which can keep your party safe for the duration of Water Boil. Alternatively you can choose to stay invulnerable for 3 ticks with Q/E/hexa slash/fist dance/whatever invul move you might have...but this can't be done by everyone.
DISCLAMER FOR LBM : DO NOT USE YOUR X AS NOT OPTIMALLY TIMED ICE FLOWER DURATION MAY EXPIRE AFTER FIRST TICK, EXPOSING YOUR ENTIRE PARTY TO REST OF WATER BOIL WHICH CAN EASILY RUIN EVERYTHING. BELIEVE IN YOUR PARTY GOD DAMN IT
* When he(adds) charges to you, you can block it and make him knockdown for several seconds. EVERY CLASS CAN DO IT, SO DO NOT JUST HIDE BEHIND BM/KFM AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. BM, KFM : Well...kind of obvious
Destroyer : V
FM : Tab(with talent)
LBM : Tab(with talent)
Sin : 2
Summoner : 4
* On 4th submerge he will enrage and keep boiling water until everyone dies. Make sure to assign minimum resource to adds(Just 1 BM is the best) and direct your party's dps towards boss as much as possible.
2 . Tae Jang-Geum(Lou Xing-Hua in Chinese)
Parody to famous Korean drama Dae Jang Geum, she is the cook of pirate ship and also one of very rare assassin bosses. With poison mine slowly filling up the field, you want to make a quick work of her else be drown in deadly minefield.
Phase 1
Against main aggro in close range
1)Lotus Dance : Strikes main aggro and nearby random enemies 5 times, dealing 2.5k dmg per strike and knockdowns target on fifth strike. Can be CCed
1-2)Shadow Slash : If fifth strike knockdowns main aggro, she will cast Shadow Slash that extends knockdown duration by 3 seconds and applies 75% slow(approx.)
2)Art of Poison Cloud : Covers the area in cone with poison cloud. Applies a stack of poison each tick. This move is easy to avoid but can be DEADLY when comboed with 1-2) above.
3)Art of Decoy : If she is attacked during its animation, she instantly teleports to rear of attacker and turns invisible.
3-1)Spine Stab : If she successfully turns invisible and main aggro is nearby, she will stab the main aggro for ~3k damage and stun.
3-2)Cutthroat : If main aggro does not break out of stun quickly, she will follow up with Cutthroat that deals ~4k damage.
Against main aggro in range(>10m)
1)Shuriken : Throws 4 shurikens at each target for ~2.5k damage and a stack of poison.
2)Infiltration : Dashes to main aggro.
3)Lotus Dance : Check above
Apart of above pattern, she will put a poison mine at her spot several times which senses nearby enemy and explodes after couple seconds.
Phase 2
1)Backstep : TJG tumbles backwards and leaves flashbang effect in area.
2)Time Bomb : Sets up a time bomb that detonates 5 seconds after installation to whoever closest OR farthest from TJG
3)Minefield : Sets up a line of poison mines on either left or right column of boss room.
The first time she finishes phase 2, a destroyer add will join the fight.
Tactics
* Have 1 person to deal with destroyer add. Summoner and FM suit best as they can still do damage to boss from range while kiting the add.
* Her moves are not very damaging on their own, but poison can whittle you down very quickly especially with >3 stacks.
* Do NOT hit TJG casting decoy. You are putting heavy burden on tank and giving up an excellent chance for free choke by doing that.
* It is highly advised for ranged class to not take aggro and stay at least 10m away from TJG to avoid being in the search range of Lotus Dance. This ensures TJG stays in the top half of room and doesn't mix up with her add.
* When you have time bomb on you, stay away from your party and use your invul move(SS, Ice Flower, etc) at 1 second to avoid its damage. Bomb has fairly big AoE and it can easily get your entire party in trouble if you stay nearby boss.
* You want to get it finished as fast as possible. Your party's movement is severely impaired after 3~4 columns of mine. Mine completely covers the room on 5th column and the next up is enrage.
3 . Mak So-Bo(Jiu Bao in Chinese)
This dude would love to show how OP FM is in PvE, proof given with your dead body. Be prepared to get insta-killed few dozen times if this is your first run.
Phase 1
1)Shockwave : MSB unleashes Shockwave in line, dealing minimal damage. Consumes Ember stack for extra damage
2)Smoldering Flame : Puts field of fire under him that explodes 3 seconds later. Knockdowns everyone caught within. Stacks Ember
3)Fireball : After drawing his Chi into the palms of his hands, MSB releases a deadly Fireball that deals ~7.5k damage and briefly knocks target back. Consumes Ember stack for extra damage
4)Fireball
5)Trail of Flame : Deals damage in a line
In addition, MSB randomly uses Force Choke which resets aggro on target. It seems he has slightly different pattern against ranged aggro but I'm not sure.
Phase 2
Upon reaching certain health, MSB enters phase 2 and repeats following pattern 4 times then return to Phase 1.
1) Diffusion Ember : Throws flame that hits the target and then 4 subsequent targets. Does not do damage but stacks Ember.
2) Flame Circle : Puts blazing field under main aggro that explodes 3 seconds later for ~7k damage to everyone caught within. Consumes Ember stack for extra damage. Be reminded that it explodes TWICE!
Upon reaching certain health, an add will appear. There are 7 different adds and they focus only one certain class assigned for each(Remember there are 7 classes?) regardless of aggro. The first add depends on which room you entered and you are highly recommended to choose top left room where BM aggro add spawns. Second and third adds are completely random, so all you can do is hope for the best.
MSB alternates between phase 1 and 2 several times.
Tactics
* He is one of the most bursty bosses in the history of B&S, even including newer ones in KR region.
You MUST evade his every ability that consumes Ember for extra damage. Relieved by the fact that Shockwave does 'minimal' damage? Just build yourself 20 stacks of Ember and suddenly it hits for 30k which can instakill pretty much anyone.
* Managing Ember stack is key to success. Try using smokescreen/barrier to minimize the effect of ranged attacks from MSB. Without Ember stack, his abilites no longer instakill anyone. Also, FM can remove Ember stack in AoE with 3.
* FM tank strategy is widely popular in CN. Basically you want FM to take aggro and let Flame Circle be thrown far away from MSB himself so melee classes can safely DPS him. Reminder to FM players, you must dodge his choke as it resets threat.
* For melee tank, you can avoid most of his Phase 1 pattern by moving in circle. Fireball sometimes can't be avoided that way and it is safe to have your block up instead.
* When add spawns, the aggro class should immediately fall back to door side so it does not cause chaos around boss. Your party can choose to focus down add(given your party have sufficient dps and a reliable tank who can 1v1 boss for extended period) or have someone 1v1(1v2 if possible, normally BM takes this job) the add
4 . Po Hwa-Ran(Huo Pao-Lan in Chinese)
Phase 1
Against main agrro in close range
1)Frontial Shot : PHR slides backward and then unleashes flurry of bullets forward. Puts everyone hit in groggy state. Can be CCed
2)Tumbling Shot : PHR tumbles over main aggro as she shoots downward, grogging everyone hit. Cannot be guarded.
3)Knockup : PHR strikes target upward, launching it into air.
3-2)Aerial Shot : If 3) succeeded, she will mercilessly fire her gattling gun to target caught in air, dealing heavy damage to it.
Against main aggro in range(>10m)
1)Grenade Artillery : PHR bombards small area around target 5 times, dealing damage and leaving fire for several seconds.
2)Relentless Shot : Shoots forward for several seconds, dealing damage over time and applying brief slow. Can be CCed.
3)Multi Grenade : Bombards area with 4 grenades simultaneously.
4)Tumbling Shot
5)Knockup
Phase 2
Upon reaching certain health, PHR will jump to the center of boss room and prepare for Fire Mine attack.
1) Fire Mine : PHR unleashes wheel of flame that extends outward from center and then returns back.
Phase 3
Upon reaching certain health, PHR will jump to the center of boss room and prepare for Ice Mine attack.
1) Ice Mine : PHR sets up Ice Mine. It will root nearby enemies after 5 seconds and freeze the entire room after some time.
2) Multi Grenade
3) Aerial Combo : After Ice Mine detonates, PHR recoils upward, shoots and charges at closest enemy. If charge goes through, it will reset aggro on target. Can be CCed after landing on ground
Phase 4
Upon reaching certain health, PHR will jump to the center of boss room and prepare for Ice+Fire Mine. In addition, if this is first time she's in Phase 4, two tiger adds will spawn.
1) Ice Mine
2) Grenade Artillery
3) Fire Mine
4) Aerial Combo
Phase sequence : 1-2-1-2-1-3-1-4-1-4-1-4-1-Enrage
Tactics
Phase 1
* Ranged pattern is much easier since PHR stays rather stationary compared to in close range where she jumps and dashes everywhere in ninja style. FM tank strategy is highly recommended. * Should tank gets knocked up into air, CC PHR ASAP or use support ability to keep tank safe.
Phase 2
* There are several options to choose. You can choose to :
- Time your invul well
- Use dash move over the flame. It does not need to grant you immunity.
- Ask FM/KFM to use Ice Flower, but it is most likely that it's on global cooldown
* If you have only one invul skill like summoner and destroyer, you can use it at the edge of room.
Phase 3
* Pay close attention to two levers on the side of rooms. One of those two will be enabled when she installs Ice Mine. Activiating the lever creates small steam zone for few seconds where you are safe from Ice Mine. You can also choose to use your invul moves, but they need to be timed REALLY well because Ice Mine first freezes everyone in room and then damaging wave spreads a second later. You need to invul both.
* To time the activation of lever, you can use one of following methods.
- At 10th beeping sound
- When PHR says something(that foreshadows Aerial Combo)
EDIT : It appears chinese ppl are pretty spoiled and majority take other way around : Ice Flower. The timing is fairly similar to lever, just use it a second later.
* The shot portion of Aerial combo can be blocked but the charge isn't. Use SS to avoid it completely.
Phase 4
* Two tigers will spawn and dash to main aggro when PHR called them. Putting them away from PHR group is a must as their dash attack and claws knockdown target, exposing the target(normally your tank) to great danger. Good candidates for tanking adds are summoner, BM, destoryer, and FM.
- As summoner, you want to press Q as soon as PHR calls her tigers so the aggro is set on your cat.
Immediately stay away from party after that(don't forget to bring your cat too) and press Q as two tigers crash on your cat. Afterwards you can just watch 3 kittens playing while doing damage to boss from range. Don't forget to heal your cat.
- For destroyer and FM, you can hit both tigers once before they dash to your tank and run around in circle to avoid their dash attack all day long.
- For BM, you can play Merry Go 'Round like above or spam 1.
* To time the activation of lever, you can use one of following methods.
- At 10th beeping sound
- At 2nd shot of Grenade Artillery(pew pew)
* After surviving Ice Mine, don't forget the Fire Mine...
Credits: Special thanks to Dun1007 for the comprehensive guide on Blade & Soul's Pohwaran Dungeon.