The Crippler's GOWII Run(s)

Hi everyone,

I'll be posting all information regarding my current run through GOWII as well as any future runs I'll attempt, here.

Here's some info about my current run:

Difficulty - Titan

New Game Plus - NO

Special Costume - NO

Current Area - The Temple of The Fates (just after beating the Kraken and riding the Phoenix).

Current Weapon/Spell Upgrades

1) Athena's Blades (AB) - Lvl 3

2) Barbarian Hammer (BH) - MAX

3) Spear of Destiny (SoD) - Lvl 1

4) Typhon's Bane (TB) - Lvl 1

5) Cronos' Rage (CR) - MAX

6) Euryale's Head (EH) - MAX

7) Atlas Quake (AQ) - Lvl 1

8.) The Blade of Olympus (BoO) - Not yet acquired.

HP - MAX

MP - MAX

XP - 2698 (Red Orbs)

I'll be offline for some time. When I return, I'll post the strategies/ tactics I used for all the bosses/ tight spots I've come across so far.

You have the stadard Titan level up, line up. You should do fine. I'd imagine a certain gent guided you past the Translator. IF and when you do a specialty run...you could cover it here and/or in the appropriate thread.

I look foward to going over your work thus far.

With the set up you have described it should be doable.

MAXimum CR is not my favoured upgrade route, still, it is your call.

MAX EH should certainly put you on the road to easy street.

Good to see you avoided upgrading Atlas Quake

I've just finished beating Lahkesis and Atropos. I probably didn't mention this earlier but, I've gotten the Gifts of Health, Magic and Experience. I'm having a ridiculously hard time in The Endurance Run.

Well anyway, here are the strategies I've used for the various boss-fights.

Theseus: My most hated Boss. No special strategy, just plenty of skill and a bit of luck. I've always felt that this fight needs a LOT of patience. Not my greatest strength. I've broken a controller while trying to beat Theseus :((

The Barbarian King: He's ridiculously tough on Titan Mode. For his first form I stand in front of his horse when he's not charging at me. This causes him to stay stuck in one place and lets me get enough hits to reach his second form.

In the second form I just hold down block. I realised that if I wait long enough, one of his minions grabs me is a bear hug. escaping from this move also lets me defeat the minion. I repeat this method till he summons the next wave of minions and slowly manage to reach his third form.

In the third form, I get behind him and attack him with everything including RotT and CR. Eventually, when I decide that I can't afford to lose any more health, I run away from him and attack him with the blades, one strike at a time till he eventually reaches his final form.

In his final form, I attack him with the blades, but only when he isn't swinging his hammer at me. When he starts his soul summon animation, I step a few yards away from him and roll towards him the instant he releases the souls. This usually causes most of the souls to avoid hitting me. It also lets me get in a few hits at the Barbarian King. Eventually I get the circle icon above his head that lets me finish him.

The Rock Minotaurs: The First and Third Rock Minotaurs are pretty easy. The Second Rock Minotaur requires a lot more skill than the First or the Third. And possibly, a bit of luck too. So there is no real strategy I have except, get close and use RotT when you can and use TB when you can't. Fleecing the rocks he throws at you and trying to get a Harpy between you and the Minotaur when he throws a rock are a couple of strategies I rely on. The exploding harpies can be a real pain in this fight. Dodging helps, but not always. I seem to need a bit of luck here, rather like the Theseus fight in that regard.

The Cerberus Boss: This one requires a bit of patience. Not really a challenge once you understand his pattern of attacks.

Euryale: She requires a fair amount of skill. dodging her petrification wave that rushes across the floor is not always possible for me, but otherwise, it's her first form that I find the most difficult. Overall, a medium difficulty boss.

Clearly you have skills Mr Crippler but you have much to learn.

The Endurance isn't easy. That is what it makes it good when you beat it, I am still still having fun with my General Kratos TMNUR.

I shall work through you points in order, seems a wise thing to do right now.

Theseus don't break controllers death grips, hurling things in frustration doesn't help. Short term Theseus is tough. The fight can be broken down into easy tactics though. The best example of this fight that I easily recall, relevant to your run, is Mistry Mans speedrun. He is known as ManeshM84 at YouTube (a great place to find GoW vids by us and other people)

The Barbarian King (no offence but we are a little fussy here and like things to have their "proper" names)

Sure he can be tough. Don't let that bother you though. Just wait until you do a bonus play run and get to absolutely destroy him with a sub weapon.

First stage: RotT and Threexsquare or regular square hits followed by tricking parrting is the way to go. Standing in front of his horse is a wise move. Consider these vids for the possibility of destroying the BK on bonus play addaminsains hercules run

Stage 2: no need to block. just roll jum and grab as required. Fancy stuff can be achieved here if you are feeling audacious.

Stage 3: Not the best tactivs that you used. In a normal play run I would go with Spirit whoring. Spirit of Hercules but aim to hit him with just the "super plume" ender. Use regular Plume of Prometheus if he is close. CR neatly negates his attacks and deals damage.

Stage 4: you got the rolling thing right. It is nice to have some RotT left for this stage and go to town with 3xsquare attacks.

DP because he started it. (the character limit is quite forgiving here, I think)

Titan Minotaurs: Luck shouldn't come into it. the only sort of luck you need is the sort whereby the more you play the luckier you get

First. For pretty much all settings this boils down to RotT bow cancelled HAMMER TIME

Second. Slightly trickier. "Sleep spot" abuse is favourite, ask if you are unsure of what this is

Third. Depends on how adventurous you are. MotK from range works. Do you know of the stage one skip?

speeds it along nicely.On your present settings RotT Bow Cancelled hammer time would end stage3 pretty quickly.

Cerberus B starred: Wise words indeed. He is a great big **** cat (no i am quite sure he is a three headed dog). addaminsain and BigvEE both have exceptional vids of this fight under various conditions. This vid may be of interest/mildly amusing, titan minotaur and Cerberus Bonus play tactics.

Euryale: Sorry to sound controversial but she requires zero skill whatsoever. Just abuse the sweet spot for stage one and three. Stage two is basically RotT and BH while she is on the pillars. Both the YouTube posters, BigVee and addaminsain that I referred to earlier have vids of this. BigVee shows it being done with the SoD addaminsain showcased the usability of the sweetspot with the BH.

Endurance Run: Don't know if you prefer to work through it by yourself or seek advice. If you want help at all, (I feel I can speak for everyone on this) just tell us how far you are getting, what is killing you and what tactics you are using and we will help as best we can, which without being big headed is, pretty damn well.

Was there a problem with the Message Board? One of the Messages I posted earlier isn't showing here. Oh well,

Perseus: A very easy boss. I used to have plenty of trouble with this guy earlier but not anymore. Basically, I was never able to wiggle the left analogue stick fast enough when he would blind me with his shield reflection attack. This would almost invariably be the cause of my failure in the past. However, I now use a slightly different technique. When the 'wiggle analogue stick' indicator shows up on my screen, I immediately hold the controller in my left hand and wiggle the left analogue stick with my right hand! This works marvellously well and I've never had any issues with Perseus, since I adopted this method.

Icarus: If you even call him a boss. :)

The Mysterious Adversary: A piece of cake. Only marginally tougher than Icarus.

The Kraken: A medium difficulty boss. The BH makes this a whole lot easier. I used to employ CR immediately after swooping towards his head, but BH works a lot better and doesn't consume any magic either.

The Sisters Lahkesis and Atropos: Medium difficulty. Most of it boils down to fleecing/ reversing their projectile attacks. This is especially true when facing Atropos on the sword-bridge from GoW1. This battle requires near perfect reversal abilities. Overall, a fun boss fight :)

I'll copy paste my messages on a text editor from now on. Don't want to spend forever re-typing messages because of some stupid tech issue. Typing isn't one of my strengths either :)

The Barbarian King (no offence but we are a little fussy here and like things to have their "proper" names)MrCycleCancel

Lol. I'll make sure I'm more politically correct with my names, going forward :)

First stage: RotT and Threexsquare or regular square hits followed by tricking parrting is the way to go.MrCycleCancel

What do you mean by tricking parrting?

DP because he started it. (the character limit is quite forgiving here, I think)MrCycleCancel

Who's DP?

Second. Slightly trickier. "Sleep spot" abuse is favourite, ask if you are unsure of what this isMrCycleCancel

Please enlighten me.

Third. Depends on how adventurous you are. MotK from range works. Do you know of the stage one skip?MrCycleCancel

What's MotK? What's the stage one skip?

Euryale: Sorry to sound controversial but she requires zero skill whatsoever. Just abuse the sweet spot for stage one and three.MrCycleCancel

What's the 'sweet spot'?

Endurance Run: Don't know if you prefer to work through it by yourself or seek advice. If you want help at all, (I feel I can speak for everyone on this) just tell us how far you are getting, what is killing you and what tactics you are using and we will help as best we can, which without being big headed is, pretty damn well.MrCycleCancel

I am having some trouble with this bit. For the first part where you encounter the three 'Gladiators' for lack of a better name, I use EH with the L2 + O Blast move, I think it's called Gorgon Rage or something. For the part where you face the gorgons and sirens, I use AQ (now upgraded to MAX). I've been able to reach the part where you face the Satyrs and torch weilding Minotaurs. I'm stuck here right now. I'd really appreciate some advice with this battle.

Still stuck here :(

It seems to me, no matter how skilled you are, you still need a bit of luck to get past this!!!

Alright, I can't take this anymore, I've got a life to live.

I'll try this stupid battle later.

Yeah, I'm here now. Was busy yestereday and just got a chance to drop by the union.

So let's get things straight.

I know the basics of your run. Titan NP (basic).

Is it safe to assume you start with full HP/MP/Rage? Have you weapon/spell levels changed at all since the first post?

Is it safe to say you DO NOT get hurt by Minor waves? (Wave 2,4,6)

Wave 1 - So you use Gorgon Rage the crush the Fate Juggernauts (likely with the BH). Elaborate. Do you get hurt at any part? How many uses of GR do you let off? How do you handle the Cursed Legionnaires typically?

Wave 3 - AQ? Why? So far your strats have been too magic reliant. I trust you know how to provoke Gorgons (Queens in this case) into using their petrification so you can use the Fleece to reverse it and essentially 'Gorgon Rage' everyone into stone around you. Or is it the case that you've overlooked this? Use the Hammer to crush their statues. (you need to be quick about Queens). I consider Queens helpers and Sirens the priority target due to their interference (energy wells, bolts, etc.). Use the Queens to petrify Sirens, kill those then use the Gorgon's attack against its kind.

Wave 5 - Satyrs and Hades Minotaurs...What exactly have you been TRYING to do to them? Where do you take the most damage? How much HP/MP/Rage do you have typically (going into the fight).

NOTE: Be patient..I'll help those that truely want to be helped. It just helps that you're asking here. I've lost interest in helping those in the basic boards whereas another fine you gent you know hasn't quite reached that point yet.

~I'll see you through. Just stick with me.

Is it safe to assume you start with full HP/MP/Rage? Have you weapon/spell levels changed at all since the first post?MrStarkiller

I start this battle with approximately 2/3rds of my health. Which isn't quite a lot, but that's not really a problem considering that the game slowly fills up your health metre every time you die here. However, I do have a full magic metre and a full RotT metre. I have upgraded Atlas Quake since the first post. This was more out of desperation. What I mean is, I needed a spell that would render me invulnerable to enemy attacks and Atlas Quake grants me this ability.

However, I still have the old save file before I upgraded AQ. If you advise me not to upgrade this spell, I could upgrade something else

Is it safe to say you DO NOT get hurt by Minor waves? (Wave 2,4,6)MrStarkiller

That's a safe bet. I'm able to get past minor waves with bare minimum damage on most occasions without using any spells.

Wave 1 - So you use Gorgon Rage the crush the Fate Juggernauts (likely with the BH). Elaborate. Do you get hurt at any part? How many uses of GR do you let off? How do you handle the Cursed Legionnaires typically?MrStarkiller

I used to use this technique. I'm trying something different now, to avoid wasting MP. I lure the enemies into empty areas and deal with them one at a time. I switch between the Hammer and the Blades to allow me to roll. Once I've succeeded in isolating an enemy, I use the Hammer to finish him off quickly.

For the Juggernauts/ Legionnaires (I'm assuming they're the same thing), I use the Hammer when they're not swinging their spiked maces. I try to isolate them and attack them individually. It doesn't always work though. If they surround you, it's really hard to roll away without taking significant damage. But I seem to be getting better at this.

Wave 3 - AQ? Why? So far your strats have been too magic reliant. I trust you know how to provoke Gorgons (Queens in this case) into using their petrification so you can use the Fleece to reverse it and essentially 'Gorgon Rage' everyone into stone around you. Or is it the case that you've overlooked this? Use the Hammer to crush their statues. (you need to be quick about Queens). I consider Queens helpers and Sirens the priority target due to their interference (energy wells, bolts, etc.). Use the Queens to petrify Sirens, kill those then use the Gorgon's attack against its kind.MrStarkiller

As I said earlier, AQ seems to be a safe bet. When my screen gets crowded with gorgons and sirens, death comes surely and swiftly in two ways. First: I get frozen and smashed to bits by a hurled projectile or a gorgon attack, Second: I get frozen and smashed to bits by the 'energy mines' planted by the sirens. It almost never fails.

I learn't the 'gorgon provocation' technique from Mr. CC who posted the method in one of the topics on the GoW2 message board. I tried using it but there seems to be little margin for error. In any case, I'm going to work on this to improve my skills.

Wave 5 - Satyrs and Hades Minotaurs...What exactly have you been TRYING to do to them? Where do you take the most damage? How much HP/MP/Rage do you have typically (going into the fight).MrStarkiller

I used to rely on AQ earlier because of the safety it provides. However, I've been trying something new lately. I use gorgon rage to freeze a bunch of Satyrs and Minotaurs and then go to town with the hammer. Which enemy do you think I should give top priority in my hammer attacks? Satyrs or Minotaurs? The Minotaurs have an unblockable overhead move that really worries me. Of course the Satyrs are super fast and totally relentless. So it's a case of choosing between Scylla and Charybdis as it were.

If I get into a corner, unable to roll away, with a Satyr and a Minotaur blocking my way, I'm guaranteed to take damage. I usually have 2/3rds or less HP and 2/3rds or less MP going into this battle.

P.S. Sorry if I sounded impatient or agitated earlier, I'm sure you appreciate that this can be insanely frustrating until one develops a sound strategy/ technique.

Yess!!!! I did it!!! Finally!!!!!!

I just made sure I didn't lose too much health or magic in the part where you face the Gorgon Queens and Sirens, then took out the Hades Minotaurs and Satyrs with blasts of Gorgon's Rage then smashed them to bits, then unleashed atlas quake against the Cyclops while also grab/throwing the smaller guys at them......

I'll fully review what you had to say (though I read the posts) later today. It's good that you're progressing right along. Perhaps you can soon try your hand with a Speciality run.

~Off to bed

NOTE: There is an EDIT feature in unions like this that doesn't exist at the Social Boards (GFAQs controlled). Typically it is asked that one not 'double post' very often. There should be a decent reason for it. (especially if it is in quick succession)

Wise words indeed.

Cltotho is more puzzle than boss.

Zeus is a great big pussycat Once the Endurance Run is beaten the rest of the game is merely a formality.

I think you may be up to a challenge run or two.....

Tell me Mr Crippler, have you completed all of the Challenges of the Titans?

If not then after completing Titan Mode I wou;d make that your next priority.

Sorry for double posting earlier. How much of a time interval is permissible before another message can be posted?

I still haven't started Zeus. I'll try him tomorrow.

@ MrCycleCancel: I haven't attempted CotT yet. I'll start it as soon as I'm done beating Zeus. Too bad I wasn't able to complete Titan Mode this weekend as planned earlier.

I'll be offline for some time. I'll keep everyone posted as soon as I'm done with Titan Mode.

HA! Did't even get the chance to give you suggestions for the Endurance Run. So what was your Wave by Wave approach (winning strat)?

It's not an exact 'rule' though doube posting is discouraged. Sort of a guideline. One that isn't fleshed out either. For now it's just a judgemet call.

Until then.

NOTE: There is a 'Tactics/Tips' thread for GoWII on this board. It contains much information. Some parts are outdated and in need of addition/correction. It can give you the run down on (nearly) all Official values of the beasts/bosses. As well as a few other things..

Alright, here's how I did it:

Wave 1: Legionnaires and Juggernauts

After failing to beat the Endurance Run for the umpteenth time, I realised that I was probably spending far too much magic in the early battles and didn't have enough for the crucial later battles. So I decided to be really patient right at the beginning.

So instead of petrifying and Atlas Quaking the first two Juggernauts, which is what I used to do, I decided to stay away from them until I had dealt with most of the Legionnaires. So I took out Legionnaires, a pretty easy task considering that I was wielding a MAXED Hammer. I also tried something else here: I was pretty used to rolling out of tight spots when I used to employ just the Blades. This was before I developed a liking for The Hammer. Once I did, I guess I just stopped employing the roll. I suppose it was just too much of a bother to switch between weapons all the time. But let me tell you, this is exactly what one needs to master in order to be successful in this battle. Another useful trick to master in the continuous use of The Hammer's Crushing Defeat move in tandem with Soul Summon. This should be employed whenever enemies are trapped behind the force field and sometimes even otherwise. Also, it is very important to isolate enemies wherever and whenever possible.

Using these methods, I was able to clear the first wave with just 10% damage incurred and 0% magic used.

Second Wave: Blade Fodder

This wave is a piece of cake as long as you're good at reversing attacks. It's pretty easy to get surrounded by enemies here. It's also a good idea to grab/throw enemies wherever possible during the Endurance Run and that applies here as well. I finished this wave without taking any further damage.

Third Wave: Gorgon Queens and Siren

This can be very tricky if you're not sure of what you're doing. Here's what worked best for me. Right at the start, I let loose with a spell of Cronos' Rage. I did this because I was guaranteed to get enough magic from both the Sirens and Gorgons.

I then scored a few hits with the Hammer while the opposition was being electrified. Now, this is what really helped in this battle. I stood in a spot and just held down BLOCK. Thats all I did. The only time I released block was when a Siren unleashed an energy well beneath Kratos' feet. Eventually, a Gorgon tried to petrify me and this gave me an opportunity to reverse her beam and freeze everyone in the vicinity. My Hammer did the rest. All I did was repeat this method till I took out all the enemies in this wave.

Fourth Wave: Legionnaire

I made a mistake while fleecing their attacks when I was surrounded by a bunch of them and ended up losing a third of my health here. This shows how crucial timing is when attempting to reverse enemy attacks. The slightest mistake can prove to be costly

Despite losing health here, I didn't take the chest I left in the previous battle. I headed towards the Satyrs and Minotaurs.

Fifth Wave: Satyrs and Hades Minotaurs

There may be other strategies but this one makes life a lot simpler. Using Euryale's Head, I petrified two Minotaurs and a Satyrs right at the beginning and then crushed them with the Hammer. I repeated this with the second set of Minotaurs and Satyrs. I took a bit of damage when I wasn't able to freeze the final to Satyrs in time so I improvised with a blast of Atlas Quake. I then tore into the Satyrs with my Hammer. When there was only one Satyr left, I used the grapple attack and the Hammer to deal with it.

I then rushed back to collect Magic from the unopened chests.

Sixth Wave:Blade Fodder and Cyclops

I used the weaker enemies here by hurling them into the Cyclopes. When they got too close, I used Atlas Quake repeatedly until I got the circle prompt to finish them. I also used techniques like weapon switch/ rolling, Crushing Defeat/ Soul Summon to wear down enemies. Eventually, I was able to defeat all the Cyclopes and the rest proved no match for me, especially as I still had about a quarter of health left at the time.

But make no mistake, that was seriously tough

Sorry we weren't around to help you through it mate. Sometimes this place is desserted. Guess it was just a time difference thing.

Now forgive me if this sounds harsh but I will point out what youare doing wrong.

Wave 1: EH+AQ no no no.Petrify if you must, shatter with the BH, T,T for the first, MotK for the second. I see Gorgon Rage as a justifiable expenditure to quickly devastate the double juggernaut spawn. I'd even go that route on a GK MAX run

My preferred tactic on Titan Mode (General Kratos regular Titan) is to launch the CL with the SoD (quicker than the AB launch) and take the Juggernauts out with collisions with Orions Harpoon.

You really want to get the hang of weapon switch to roll, once you do so the BH becomes even more tasty. Its not difficult, I do it as a matter of course no matter which sub weapon i am using.

MAX BH pwns so very hard, taking the CL out with it probably wasn't a problem for you.

Wave 2: Is regardless of tactics a no count. Fleece to grab to square is about it.

Wave 3: What you want to do in this wave is try and grab theGorgons, it won't work, this is termed a FALSE GRAB, doing so provokes their floaty orb freeze attack. Fleece reverse this then shatter. Shatter Sirens first as the energy well attack will mess you up in a hurry. Keeping at least one Gorgon alive to the end makes everyone else easier to kill.

You can get cocky in this wave, Icarus Ascension and air grab the Sirens, abusing the I frames to laugh off the freeze attacks, Cycle Cancel to negate the freeze if essential, save that for later runs.

Wave 4: see wave 2

Wave 5: To me this is the most difficult wave. The other guys here are probably sick of hearing me go on about this but THIS wave is the reason you should MAX both TB and EH before the Endurance Run. This expensive but worthwhile magic combo excels against groups of strong statues e.g HM and Satyrs.

Petrify and shatter was a wise ploy for your current settings, I can't fault that.

I notice you have not mentioned using RotT at all. Or have you? It would have been a nice way to despatch one of the Satyrs, RotT + Hammertime. Faoiling that separate the two satyrs, using the barriers and just abuse the "anytime grabbability" of satyrs.

I see from what you have written you have not yet learnt the joy of collision damage. Good. I can't wait until you do, it will blow your mind how potent they are, especially as GK.

Wave 6: you missed out but it is another no count, same as wave 2 really.

Wave 7: Generally correct but I must utter a cry of disbelief at Crushing Defeat?! SRSLY, DUDE? DUDE, SRSLY? the spinning move? and soul summon to wear enemies down? are you aware of how little damage those souls do? I can think of only two uses for those souls, this isn't one of them.

Can I ask how many AQ it took to wore the Cyclopii, I could work it out but doing so ain't my style?

My point is this, wouldn't spending 50MP for one GR have been more efficient, stoning and allowing you to shatter both major foes, going RotT and opening the magic chest would have given you enough MP for a GF. This would have been the end of any opponents with unblockable attacks meaning the Endurance Run is as good as over.

Don't take any of this the wrong way, big up nuff respect.

You have done well, clearly you have skills but you still have much to learn.

Have a little patience, stick with us and we will see you through the CotT and a NUR. Possibly more, who knows, there are more challenging runs than that.

Speakling of which I really ought to go play some GoWII. Oddly enough I talk the fight much better than I am fighting it present.

Congrats, Mr Crippler, no doubt Zeus will have fallen to your hands by the time I have finished composing this tl:dr

And it's done! I've beaten one of the toughest games ever made on it's most difficult settings....feels good. Zeus was more about patience and reversals than a ton of skill. But I guess patience can be a useful skill...something I need to work on :)

Wave 3: What you want to do in this wave is try and grab theGorgons, it won't work, this is termed a FALSE GRAB, doing so provokes their floaty orb freeze attack. Fleece reverse this then shatter. Shatter Sirens first as the energy well attack will mess you up in a hurry. Keeping at least one Gorgon alive to the end makes everyone else easier to kill.MarquisdeInsain

I try to use the Gorgons to freeze nearby enemies. However, most of the time, instead of grabbibg Gorgons, I wait till they try to petrify me first before reversing their beams. I find this method a bit safer, at least at this point in time.

Wave 5: To me this is the most difficult wave. The other guys here are probably sick of hearing me go on about this but THIS wave is the reason you should MAX both TB and EH before the Endurance Run. This expensive but worthwhile magic combo excels against groups of strong statues e.g HM and Satyrs. MarquisdeInsain

I've not really experimented withg TB. I should probably start soon.

Wave 7: Generally correct but I must utter a cry of disbelief at Crushing Defeat?! SRSLY, DUDE? DUDE, SRSLY? the spinning move? and soul summon to wear enemies down? are you aware of how little damage those souls do? I can think of only two uses for those souls, this isn't one of them.MarquisdeInsain

Crushing Defeat isn't the spinning move. It's the move where Kratos smacks his hammer into the ground and unleashes a wave of energy at his enemies. I think this wave tends to bounce lesser enemies. Also, the only time I use Soul Summon is when I don't want to get close to enemies. I figure any damage is better than no damage.

Can I ask how many AQ it took to wore the Cyclopii, I could work it out but doing so ain't my style?MarquisdeInsain

I think it took me 4-5 blasts of AQ. But I guess you're right, it would probably have made a whole lot more sense to just freeze the Cyclopes. I didn't try this for just one reason: I wasn't sure if Cyclopes were freeze resistant or slow to freeze or whatever. I mean, given their size, I suppose it's logical to think of them as one of the stronger minions in this game. Plus, it took me countless tries to get to the point where I was fighting the Cyclopes. So I decided to play it safe and stick to a tried and tested spell like AQ.

I don't think I made full use of RotT. I tend to get caught up in all the action and somehow, usually forget to use this. Plus, I try to play safe wherever possible and RotT seems more like an "all guns blazing" approach to me.

You mentioned some interesting techniques like abusing the I-frames. What's an I-frame? And what does cycle cancel and collision damage mean?

And you're right, I have plenty to learn. My next target is CotT. Do you know where I can find the remaining Cyclops eyes to unlock the GK costume?

Congrats, Mr Crippler, no doubt Zeus will have fallen to your hands by the time I have finished composing this tl:dr MarquisdeInsain

Thanks :)

Crippler: I mostly concur with French here.

Wave 1 - Crushing Defeat isn't strong even with Souls added. Souls are for keeping the combo meter up, slight stuns, maybe a bounce (special), whittling down with distance damage, etc. I never bothered to master the weapon switch to roll thing either but I never needed to. I can use it, but I prefer using blocks or drawing the Bow/Head to cancel. The latter allow for Tricking right out of a cancel. For a special like the one you used, it would seem nuts to use THAT special seriously..let alone without knowing how to cycle cancel out of it.

What do you know of Collisions? What do you know of infinites? What do you know of Cancels/Tricking? What do you know of OH/alt.OH? What of how Rage works? Damage values? Special properties of weapons/spells/specials? These are the things we need you to know if you are to reach beyond "Titan".

As French said, you CAN afford effecient usage of Euryale's Head but it will take a bit of familiarity with it, skill and a tactical approach. Gorgon Rage can be a reasonable call if use properly. But don't use AQ. One spell you've probably overlooked is Typhon's Bane. Understandable. It wasn't for many runs that I finally gave it focus testing and eventually found it quite worthy. Working with another much was found of note to say about it where most players just see a mobile Zeus' Fury. (also underestimated)

Wave 3 - French's talk covers things well enough.

Wave 5 - Not bad at all by the sound of things.

French brings up a 'favorite' of high level players. Collisions. I too find it curious you don't often use Rage. I guess I understand a little...it isn't well explained/understood.

Wave 7 - Tossing people is a good call. The Fate Sentries should be used at range and/or when your target is cornered.

Crushing Defeat is a decidedly bad choice. AQ was't a great call either. Petrification is key for ridding yourself of Cyclops in a hurry.

French and I are quite knowledgable in this title..extensive experience and all that sort of thing. We are, as he said, just trying to give helpful critic. I, personally, need to know where you stand so I can begin educating you further.

Keep us posted. It is expected that you beat this run soon enough with just Zeus left over. IF you need ANY help..you know what to do.

French: tl:dr. How we love it.

Dammit Starkiller, I hate when we agree.

Crippler: Crushing Defeat is the spinning move L1+square. Methinks you have it confused with Might of the King L1+triangle, which is the move with the shockwave.

Collisions, or more importantly collision damage, happens when two(or more) enemies collide. This is usually seen in the form of throws, but other methods exist for producing collisions, notably moves that cause knockbacks. Collision damage is tied to either your strength or toughness(I forget which), as in collision damage is low with high stats, and collision damage is high with low stats, particularly in the case of General Kratos.

I-frames is short for Invincibility frames, which are "frames"(short periods of time measured in the game engines rate of pictures in a certain time), in which you are, invincible. Most notably this happens when pulling out TB or EH, using CR, using AQ, and at some point when using the Icarus Wings Ascension move(forgot name).

That's all I have time for to explain.

You got the name right Alucards.

I didn't know Icarus Ascension had any I frames associated with it. Not saying it hasn't, i just hadn't (ab)used them yet.

Cycle Cancelling is a different kettle of fish altogether.

Do some reading around the tactics/tips thread, crippler, there is some good stuff there.

The first PROTRICK I would advise that you learn is bow tricking.

Here is an example of the I-frames (Invulnerability frames to be factually accurate) associated with Typhons Bane, Euryales Head and Cronos Rage that I stumbled upon at YouTube

Impressive, I could only just have put it better myself Riningan.

Don't be afraid of grabbing and throwing an enemy when "swarmed". It is quite surprising how hectic a situation you can get away with grab to throw. I shall no doubt demonstrate this on my *work in progress* GKTMNUR Endurance Run.

Crippler: Crushing Defeat is the spinning move L1+square. Methinks you have it confused with Might of the King L1+triangle, which is the move with the shockwave.MarquisdeInsain

My bad. These names tend to confuse me sometimes. At any rate, would you agree that MotK is a good move for the Endurance Run?

@Alucard: Thanks for the bit on I-frames. Very very interesting. So does that mean gorgons can't freeze you while you're in the Ascension animation? Also, does using RotT cause collision damage?

@Marquis:hmm...cycle cancelling can be useful. And that also explains a certain gentleman's username.

Wow....there are so many tricks. It's just incredible. I suppose thats one of the great things about this game. It gives you a lot of freedom of approach. So many different ways to despatch enemies. Kind of like the Free Form Fighting system from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, but maybe a bit more fleshed out?

No big deal about Crushing Defeat/Might of the King name mix up. I'm pretty sure I have made the same mistake in the past myself.

Easy way to remember the difference;

Crushing Defeat is the virtually useless move that you should avoid using.

Might of The King is the move which you rightly said, is a good move for the Endurance Run.

It boils down to playing style/personal preference. If you have the patience to abuse the magical barriers and take enemies out with the shockwave, which always does 15HP damage regardless of level/costume/difficulty then do so. I prefer a more direct approach.

I frame abuse is pretty much the focus of my playstyle. Generally I would rather trick an attack than block or parry it. It allows for a

Tap L2 with the left analogue neutral and you are invulnerable to attack. The instant you touch the left analogue the I frame ends, this isn't a bad thing,it can be used to your advantage.

Orions Harpoon has I frames. That is why the tactic of Launching the Cursed Legionnaires and OHing them for collisions is so effective in Wave 1 of the Endurance Run. You can't get hit during the OH animation, only during the brief instant that the Blade is thrown up to harpoon your opponent.

I suppose my name may seem a little odd to anyone that does not know of the technique. Allow me to give a brief explanation of it.

CycleCancelling is only possible once you have at least two sub weapons.

Cycle Cancelling refers to entering the start menu, cycling through your subweapons (or just changing subweapons) then exiting the start menu.

Doing this will allow you to avoid the "lengthy" end animation associated with subweapon special moves.

As a simple demonstration try this:

Perform Crushing Defeat, part way through the spin press START, then press circle, then press start again.

Voila. When you exit the menu you are no longer performing Crushing Defeat (which is as I said, generally best avoided)

It might not sound much but when you get how useful this can be then it can really be useful.

Wow....there are so many tricks. It's just incredible. I suppose thats one of the great things about this game. It gives you a lot of freedom of approach. So many different ways to despatch enemies. Kind of like the Free Form Fighting system from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, but maybe a bit more fleshed out?

thecrippler2005

With regard to the freedom offered in combat then yes and no. I have beaten all three Prince of Persia games but was never that good at them.

The "freeform fighting system" was still engineered and restrictive, sure you had options at each point in the fight but the way I (we?) play GoW goes beyond that. We go slightly beyond what is normal. The ability to bow trick completely ***** on the AI and gives you an unfair advantage, quicker counter attacking. CycleCancelling sub weapon special moves extends further on this edge, it allows you to deal damage and avoid the consequences. I was unable to do such things in The Two Thrones, there may be PROTRICKS for that game but I never really got into it.

I appreciate what you were saying about the "openness" of the combat system though.

I have a question:

What does NUR/ NUR+ mean?

I'll start CotT tomorrow. I'll post my progress here on a regular basis. My primary goal is to unlock all costumes.

I kind of like the Dark Odyssey costume. I wish Kratos looked that way all the time :)

Athena's costume was a bit of a disappointment. I'd have loved it if the costume looked like the Athena statue from GoW1 instead of the Athena from GoW2.

NUR = No Upgrade Run. All spells and weapons must remain at base level.

NUR+ As above but no Phoenix Feathers or Gorgon Eyes are to be collected i.e. No extensions to the health/magic bars.

The Dark Odyssey costume is pretty sharp looking, classy grey and gold.

The outfit you really want to unlock is General Kratos. That guy is pwnage pesronified.

CotT, I predict initial difficulties with challenge2. After that you should be fine up to "Protect the Weak".

NUR+ As above but no Phoenix Feathers or Gorgon Eyes are to be collected i.e. No extensions to the health/magic bars.MrCycleCancel

:shock: Is that even possible?! I mean, seriously! How can one get past the Translator battle? Or the Endurance Run!

The Transator fight is doable under NUR conditions.

It isn't by any stretch of the imagination easy but I, Alucards and MrSK have all done it, as have others

Titan Mode No Upgrade Run Translator fight. Click the link, watch the vid.

Part of the fun of a No Upgrade Run is knowing when to use RotT to "level up" the damage of your weapons.

(were you aware of this effect?)

As you are aware a MAX BH is a potent tool, with selective use of RotT a level1 hamer can be "temporarily upgraded" *in terms of damage multipliers*.

See how deep the wormhole goes?

Allow me Mr Alucards, after all I helped in choosing the specifics

As best as I recall the PAIN+ conditions were:

Titan Mode

NUR+

No relic usage, To clarify fo the unbinitiated this means

No Golden Fleece (parrying is O.K return/revenge is not),

No Icarus Wings, No Rage of the Titans or Amulet of the Fates, (except where demanded by the game)

No magic, free tricking is allowed

No Subweapons.

I think that about covers it.

Are you not tempted to make the leap straight to GKPAIN+ ?