Boltslingers discussion/journal

I would like to get some boltslinger discussion and journaling going, if others are interested. All levels welcome - early struggles and veteran advice. What builds people have, questions about how others approach things, experiences in progress, etc. I tend to ramble a bit, so I am going to start using spoiler tags to collapse some narrative.

I am currently lv 56. I feel like it is something of a weak 56 as I got in on a lot of double xp, had gear to also kick it up and went grinding. I shot through the 40s and early 50s.

Spoiler: my two builds

I have two builds now, largely out of curiosity to see what it means to basically have no elemental defense.

Anyway, here is a normal (I think) build:
https://hppeng-wynn.github.io/builder/#7_0Lf0k706k0IZ0S10RQ0JH0F50Mp0U0T0P0U0F0u00000zz++++-Vp+eDb2
I still don't know how to get the powders in there; there are a few fire powders in the mix.

here is the "curiosity will probably kill the cat" build:
https://hppeng-wynn.github.io/builder/#7_0u30k706k0IZ0S10RQ0JH0F50Mp0P0P0K0U0O0u00000zz++++-Vp+eDb2
again, the powders have some effect, but less since the other helmet has some of it. hp shows as 3750, it makes the the bow faster and more powerful, plus some walking zip. Also something about exploding ID from my main attack. Not sure what that is, but it sounds good. But the numbers look like I would be defenseless. Obviously I don't really get how it works because I am not. I picked some fights and went questing and it isn't immediately obvious how this affects things. Really hard to be sure; I can survive some things and die in others with either helmet.

The difference in bow speed and shot power is nice, but it drops power in the spells.

I can freely switch the helmets, though it does cause a temporary deficit on hp.

Spoiler: a little background

I am new-ish to Wynncraft. I have just payed a lot recently since I started. So this is my first class and first time through. I am a little older than most on the boards, have a little arthritis and my parkour is terrible. I struggle through some quests and abandon others.
I like just poking around and finding things. I go in just about every cave I find and often get killed for it. I do battle reasonably well. While my quests are way behind, my mini-quest slays are not, except for one - the slimes near Troms.
Currently doing a lot around Olux, Nasaak and have ventured into Troms a couple of times. I am a little intimidated by the great bridge and the trail from it to Troms, but it wasn't long ago that I felt that way abut thigs I am comfortable in now.
I had a Thunderbolt for several levels and loved the speed. That's a big part of why I am experimenting with the scarlet veil. In the build pages I linked earlier, it even changes the bow classification when the scarlet veil is used.
I also love the galloping spurs. They allow the use of the bow, for shots and spells, on horseback. Greatly reduced power, but still very useful. When I upgrade for more hp, I will still hang on to them.
I love high speed walking and shooting; that seems to work best for me.
Here is a thread where I rambled on a bit, but partly because I was getting feedback that people liked it. But I figured an open discussion for boltslingers would be a better idea.
https://forums.wynncraft.com/thread...-should-be-a-spreadsheet-or-something.303356/

 

i think your my new 2nd favorite content creator, just behind technoblade

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oh also i would like your reviews on what some major quest stories are like to you, like quests with bob, wynnexcavation, and some others. some quests i havent done yet and im saving for a later playthrough as my first was rushed so if you detail those i may not respond

 

Your main build has better spell damage, allowing for better dps, but your secondary build has more EHP, melee damage, and your main attack has a chance of creating an explosion. I can see why you can't see a difference. They are both really good in their own ways. Btw the way to put powders on stuff is this:

 

doesn't sveil require exploding id for explosive impact to work?

 

Oh yea I forgot sviel doesn't have built-in exploding ID.

 

that's what i learned today

 

yeah so you would need scarlet veil to effectively use the exploding set

 

what exactly is exploding ID? I had hoped maybe it would do something with the bomb shot, but it doesn't seem to.

Spoiler: why I got the scarlet veil

the big hooks for me were the bow speed, the hp and the run speed. the big negative is that the numbers on elemental defense seemed crazy and I had been passing up items that had that until I saw a fabled item that had it. an oversimplification perhaps, but if an item that is designed as premium plays that game, the effect must not be as bad as I feared.

Sure enough, in use, I am not ridiculously fragile. I do seem to get jarred by damage more, but that may just be something about where I played it. And I might be taking more damage per hit; again hard to say for sure. It's hard to do apples to apples because the veil gives me the very fast stronger bow and some more run boost, enabling a different style of play.

The bow shot strength is further compounded by currently having precise shot on, so when I hit something in front of me, I hit it hard and fast. I say "currently on" because when I get the next ability point, I will reconfigure, leaving everything above it the same, but using its point and the new one to enable arrow hurricane. the style of play I use with it in active combat is pretty much "don't stop running, don't stop shooting". I need to clear a path and/or dodge mobs. Hurricane should help; in the right circumstances, a sledgehammer is an elegant tool.

Run speed is pretty straightforward. I am at 35% boost with the veil. Add another 25% or so if I sprint. It's a double edged sword as I get less shots to clear a path, so I do briefly stop or stutter step sometimes. Bobbing, weaving and leaving some behind me if it isn't a required kill room or slay quest is also part of the strategy. When I have tried the cave at the foot of the hill in Troms, I killed a bunch to get through the first real room and then just ran and made it to the last room with pretty close to full health.

Most deaths come quickly. I am usually at or near full health shortly before dying. It's usually from one or more ranged weapon attacks or getting in a crush of mobs. A bigger hp number dropping faster doesn't seem much different than a smaller one that drops slower. This is another factor.

But largely it was/is an experiment out of curiosity. Speaking of which, I think I may try the Thunderbolt and see what it does with a super fast bow. I still have the one I used. I market my legendary stuff or stuff that is desirable even if it isn't legendary at the suggested prices so I can purchase upgrades that are being sold by others who appear to be doing the same. Some prices seem insane, but I check it fairly often and got my two fabled items for about 1200 each.

My list of incomplete quests is pretty long. I often bail because of parkour, a couple seem glitched and I have a couple where I died in a boss battle and didn't feel like immediately redoing it because of the effort to get there, like struggling through parkour.

Spoiler: follow up from some prior conversation

I found the tunnel to Troms. It is technically in pigmans ravine, but it is a short ravine that doesn't connect to anything else and the mouth of it is in the little farming area on the plateau south of pigmans. I had never been up there. It's a real constructed tunnel with smooth stone and pillars. But I hit a force field and was told it is for citizens of Troms. So my guess is that a quest is going to grant me citizenship.

I am part way through Bob. I have one of the weapons pretty much by chance. I am going to have to watch a video to find the other two. I have done excavations A and B. I did cheat on the puzzles, looking them up. It's not like I am in a competition, though there is more satisfaction on completing a quest without ever looking anything up. There are a lot of quests that I think need more beacons, where it will tell you to return to speak to an NPC you had a beacon to get to earlier.

Speaking of beacons, are the road signs (town/area names with arrows at forks) new? I could swear they were not there a few days ago.

Thanks; will watch and update builds later.
As I said earlier (might have been tldr), it is actually hard to compare since it affects play style to have a very fast bow with more punch. The spell drop off isn't immense. Things that only need one bomb still usually only need one; two will generally take out any on level mob with either. Storm is pretty lethal either way. Getting caught in a crush or taking too may ranged weapon hits kills me either way; archers can't take much abuse.

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details? what is the exploding set? the idea of explosions was just an interesting plus. The faster more powerful bow was the biggest factor.

 

the amount of exploding you have is the chance you have to trigger an explosion for full melee damage upon a mobs death. exploding impact makes it so simply hitting it rather than killing triggers the chance as well.

and the road signs were always there

 

It may be that I am getting more comfortable with travel and noticing the signs now as I do have to stop to read them and sometimes turn around.

I have had some mobs explode but thought that was something done at higher levels as more of a threat to me. I though it meant shots would explode or bomb would be more of a true explosion.

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btw, I really like western Gavel for getting around by heading. Very few obstructions that aren't easy to go around and stream I can leap or escape across if a bridge isn't handy. Lots of farms and tree cutting areas that have fewer mobs (double edged sword; I like getting some xp travelling).

 

Just wait until you get to the Canyon of the Lost... :doom:

 

Okay, the first was easy; just knowing the abbreviations and format. How do you do the additional ones?

 

Just write the other powder in in the same way.
Example: 2 tier 4 water powders: w4w4

 

Thanks! I was trying various separators, but didn't try no separators...

I ran over to Ibojo Village from Troms and had a mob explode. Double edged sword, that. I took some damage from it, or at least I think so. It came into sight at pretty short range and I didn't see a projectile, but there could have been one.

In your opinion, which build is likely to be better for a boss altar (The Passage)?

 

I would say as long as you keep a good distance from the boss, your main build is better.

 

Thanks. I went and got the eyes at a suggested nearby zombie cave. I was planning to just kill a handful and run back out, but the majority don't drop eyes. I ended up clearing the cave and getting only 5. I only need 4 to go in once, but I am not too sure about my chances. I did the zombie cave wearing the veil and didn't take but a little damage until the final room, which was crammed full of slime cubes. Weird exit; kind of high up. There was likely a parkour way to do it. I leaned forward and used escape.
Swapping helmets costs me 275 hp, but I have more defense and get a spell boost. I will drop another 50 hp to swap to a necklace with a walk speed boost, but will take a defense potion. Mostly run around firing shots with angel up and try to cast a storm or escape if something is in front of me. Hopefully Troms is the closest town, where I will respawn if I die. That business with going to Temp Town if you die in the final room of the cave you enter right in Troms is annoying, but oddly makes sense. It's a long way down that hill from the bank (spawn spot) to the cave mouth and a long way down the cave. All that distance is pretty much directly toward Temp Town.

 

the helmets from that quest are amazing, i like spell spam in the mid to late game so i got blue helmet (or whatever its called)

 

I have died twice in there; once with each of the recent builds.

I was thinking about trying again wit a build I call "no guts, no glory"

https://hppeng-wynn.github.io/build...u0Mp0F0F0F0F0O0v01000BM0010005Mzz++++-Vp+eDb2

Yes, it pulls the health under 2500. A potion of defense will get it around 2800. But look at he damage. It pushes arrow storm into 5 figures.

I could take a potion of intelligence (as I am obviously lacking in that department) and bring it up even further.

I have been running around with this build a bit. Even cleared a couple of caves; I am almost a 58. I completed the slime slay with the not quite as insane build with veil.

I said I was thinking about it. I changed my mind because I am nearing lv 58 and I found some leggings. This build looks like it could be a winner. Still under 3000 hp without potions. But adds still more power and turns all the defense numbers green.

https://hppeng-wynn.github.io/build...I0I0I0I0O0w01000BM1005eA010005Mzz++++-Vp+eDb2

I haven't actually put the powders in, but it seems like w4t4f4 is the way to go. The numbers are green even before the powders, but barely so. I can sub out boots and/or helmet to make it more conservative.

Going grinding to see if I can to 58...

 

its not exaclty health that matters but effective hp, but hey thats a pretty good damage build.
you should kind of split your sp (skill points) in def and int

 

That is a very good build for your level. You can probably beat the boss now, but just to make sure, get one of every type of stat potion and drink them right before the fight. Will improve your damage and boost your chance of survival greatly.