The road to perfection is littered with my failures

[Vinraith]

So yeah, I really, really suck at Journey to Perfection missions. I mean, I've never made it more than 40 seconds or so into one. Invariably I take damage from some unseen enemy (frequently, I never even know what did me in) and then boom, back out I go. Does anyone have any useful advice for these? I'll grant I'm not great at 2d platform/action games, I don't have much history with them, but I seem to do alright everywhere else in the game (with a couple of exceptions) on my present "skilled" difficulty setting, so I'm not sure why these particular missions are proving to be so impenetrable.

I could just skip them, of course, and I have been, but I don't like missing out on rewards or other mission types they might unlock.

So yeah, any advice?

While I'm confessing my failures, I've also had a real bear of a time with giant wasp and giant bat bosses, which I never seem to be able to get away from. Frequently I manage to beat them anyway, but I always come out of the encounter down several hundred health. Any tips for managing these guys would also be greatly appreciated.

[Misery]

So yeah, I really, really suck at Journey to Perfection missions. I mean, I've never made it more than 40 seconds or so into one. Invariably I take damage from some unseen enemy (frequently, I never even know what did me in) and then boom, back out I go. Does anyone have any useful advice for these? I'll grant I'm not great at 2d platform/action games, I don't have much history with them, but I seem to do alright everywhere else in the game (with a couple of exceptions) on my present "skilled" difficulty setting, so I'm not sure why these particular missions are proving to be so impenetrable.

I could just skip them, of course, and I have been, but I don't like missing out on rewards or other mission types they might unlock.

So yeah, any advice?

While I'm confessing my failures, I've also had a real bear of a time with giant wasp and giant bat bosses, which I never seem to be able to get away from. Frequently I manage to beat them anyway, but I always come out of the encounter down several hundred health. Any tips for managing these guys would also be greatly appreciated.

For the JtK:   *dont* do the outdoor ones.  Seriously.  I think the other two types are fine, the cave and indoor ones, but the outdoor ones are frankly a mess.  The game is still obsessed with those cliffs, and they WILL get you killed often.   If there's a non-irritating way to do these that DOESNT involve VERY VERY SLOWLY building a bridge with platforms, I've not seen it.

Also, take a shroud enchant with you.   One of those ones that reduces detectability.   Aside from keeping enemies from going nuts until you get close, it will ALSO show you where they are ahead of time.

Finally...... move slowly.   SLOWLY.   Slow and easy, that's the ticket.   

Oh, and take Energy Slice and Tidal Pulse with you for attacks;  both are very useful here.




As for the wasp/bats.....

......you're not GOING to get away from them unless they get stuck on something, and I've only seen that happen once.    Run forward, and just keep firing your strongest spell at the boss as you run;  if you keep running (and arent using someone slow like the Draconites) they cant go faster than you.   I mean normal run, too, not Storm Dash.    When you reach a point where you need to turn around, jump HIGH, and back over the boss in a big looping sort of leap, and then continue in the other direction.   Consider bringing a shield with and turning it on for when you make this jump in case you smack into the boss a bit.

[Vinraith]

Hmm, I don't know what a shroud enchant is, and that may be the key to my problems. I'm at tier 3 on my first continent, so I may simply not have come across the tools I need to properly tackle these. I've not seen shield spells, either, do those come along later?

Running is generally what I've done in buildings and you're right, that helps. I'm a little more stumped how to handle them in dungeons, where frantic movement usually results in that whole "falling to your death" problem.

Thanks for the tips!

[Coppermantis]

Outdoor ones are fairly doable as long as Ice Pirates are not a factor. I tried this once and basically hid under ledges everytime the ship fired then dashed to the next cover, hopefully in time. Eagles tend to kill me this way though since they come right through the terrain.

[Zozma]

-Visibility is your friend, so the better light enchants you have for indoor missions, the better.

- I find that orb of light is a good skill in these missions; it travels along a surface upon contact, and can be used to hit enemies close to the ground or are otherwise difficult to hit.

- Bats and hornets will be your bane. If there's only one nearby, a meteor will probably be the right size to hit these otherwise elusive buggers. Keep an eye on the cooldown, though.

-You want your projectiles to move as quickly as possible, taking out enemies asap. Find the appropriate enchants for that. All in all, damage doesn't really matter. What you want is fast, accurate projectiles that you can use quickly and continuously.

-I find it's for the best to never ignore an enemy. Kill everything that you see, whether or not you think it'll be a threat to you later.

[Misery]

Hmm, I don't know what a shroud enchant is, and that may be the key to my problems. I'm at tier 3 on my first continent, so I may simply not have come across the tools I need to properly tackle these. I've not seen shield spells, either, do those come along later?

Running is generally what I've done in buildings and you're right, that helps. I'm a little more stumped how to handle them in dungeons, where frantic movement usually results in that whole "falling to your death" problem.

Thanks for the tips!

"Shroud" is just any enchant that reduces "detectability", as the game calls it.   I think they are often called "Cloak of" something.   I've been just calling them Shrouds.   But they are absolutely invaluable for JtP missions (and have alot of other uses too).   They are a torso enchant.


As for the shields, you should be able to get them pretty much right away (their crafting requirements arent too bad but I *think* they need plums)..... I think.   Just look them up in the encyclopedia thingie.  There should be one of each color;  fire shield seems to be the best right now (you'll find out why when you meet the Overlord, lol).    Shields are very useful but they're not easy to use.  When you activate one it runs until you either turn it off, run out of mana, or it absorbs the maximum amount of damage it can handle;  higher shield levels mean it can eat more and more damage before breaking down.

They eat mana pretty fast, so with lesser-mana characters, they're often used to quickly block an attack or pass through a dangerous bullet wave, lasting only a couple of seconds.   Higher mana characters can use these much more effectively and for MUCH longer (which can help them make up for a lack of damage potential).

Again though, these take some practice to really get the hang of.  But they're powerful tools if you manage it.

[Vinraith]

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

@Misery

If they need plums, that's why I haven't noticed them yet. I know what my next unlock priority is!

[x4000]

Check out the latest version, which just came out -- it will really help with JTP missions in general!

[Vinraith]

Timely as always, thanks Chris! 

[x4000]

You bet!

[LintMan]

The game is still obsessed with those cliffs, and they WILL get you killed often.   If there's a non-irritating way to do these that DOESNT involve VERY VERY SLOWLY building a bridge with platforms, I've not seen it.

It's probably pretty moot now, but there was a much easier way to deal with those %$^&%^ cliffs: Lesser Teleport.  It usually had enough range to reach the top, or you can chain cast it if one shot alone couldn;'t reach.  The AA didn't pick on you when you used it, either. 

[Misery]

The game is still obsessed with those cliffs, and they WILL get you killed often.   If there's a non-irritating way to do these that DOESNT involve VERY VERY SLOWLY building a bridge with platforms, I've not seen it.

It's probably pretty moot now, but there was a much easier way to deal with those %$^&%^ cliffs: Lesser Teleport.  It usually had enough range to reach the top, or you can chain cast it if one shot alone couldn;'t reach.  The AA didn't pick on you when you used it, either.

I never used it because I never would have been able to see what I was aiming at.

Old monitor is OLD.  Not a widescreen;  which doesnt exactly help me much, hah.

[LintMan]

The game is still obsessed with those cliffs, and they WILL get you killed often.   If there's a non-irritating way to do these that DOESNT involve VERY VERY SLOWLY building a bridge with platforms, I've not seen it.

It's probably pretty moot now, but there was a much easier way to deal with those %$^&%^ cliffs: Lesser Teleport.  It usually had enough range to reach the top, or you can chain cast it if one shot alone couldn;'t reach.  The AA didn't pick on you when you used it, either.

I never used it because I never would have been able to see what I was aiming at.

Old monitor is OLD.  Not a widescreen;  which doesnt exactly help me much, hah.

There's a trick for that, too!  In the game settings, there's asetting "Mouse cursor dynamically moves camera".  This makes the camera follow the mouse instead of center on the player.  It takes a little bit to get used to at first, but it's fantastic for getting a good view ahead of you or above you, nehind you, etc.  I have  awidescreen, but it should work the same for you, I think.