Brütal Legend is now available for PC on Steam! Multiplayer beta now active!
http://www.doublefine.com/forums/viewthread/7759/
Greetings Metal Warriors!
In honor of this Saturday being ROCKTOBER 13, the three-year anniversary of the release of Brütal Legend, many of us will be playing multiplayer Stage Battles this weekend on both XBOX and PS3. Because a lot of people bought the game this year due to a few giant sales we put on (hey, there’s one going on right now!) I’m hoping we might actually have some first-time players online this Saturday!
So I’d like to round up some basic strategy tips for new Brütal Legend players. First, I’ll post an updated version of the tips I posted near the time the game released. But please add to this thread with all the info you advanced players have learned over the years. I’d love to gather up at least a high-level view of successfull strategies in one thread for newcomers.
And remember to be nice to noobs, share with them what you know, and THEN burn down their stages.
Brütal Legend Stage Battle Tips
I hate calling these “Tips.” Just doesn’t sound very metal. Let’s call this
The Brütal Legend Strategy METALFESTO!
In a traditional RTS game you float high above the action, making one split-second strategic decision after another. You often command individual units to position them based on their health and context. In Brütal Legend, you make strategic choices once in a while, but then you jump into the battle and slug it out in person. You can fly, but it’s mostly for quick scouting and transportation. You will spend a few seconds every once in a while popping into a menu to build troops or pick a guitar solo, but then you should be right back in the action. To play the game most effectively you need to be on the ground with your army most of the time, mixing it up with your axe, and your guitar, but most of all—using your Double Team attacks.
Double Team attacks are critical to your success in Stage Battles. Every friendly unit in your army has a move that they can only perform in conjunction with the player character. These moves are extremely varied, extremely powerful, and extremely fun to perform. Sometimes you might simply gain control that unit’s weapon—for instance, when a Razor Girl jumps up on your shoulders—but when you do so you increase it’s damage significantly. Other units, like the Bride, seem to be just passive, debuffing units most of the time (the Bride slows down enemy units) but when you Double Team with her she has a devastating lighting attack. More complicated Double Teams include the Frightwig, who Ophelia can pick up and throw onto an enemy unit. The Frightwig then wraps itself around the enemy’s head and causes the victim to join Ophelia’s side in the battle. (You can even use this to commandeer the enemy’s Rock Crusher!) The Organist is another passive unit whose Double Team attack allows you to gain direct player control over an enemy unit, giving you command over whatever attacks they normally have.
There are important strategic choices to make in Stage Battles. Should I spend my fans to upgrade my stage and gain access to more powerful units, or should I spend it now on cheap infantry? Which fan geysers should I fight for and which should I concede? What is the right time to block my enemies troop production with a Rock Block solo? Would anti-infantry units be better against the current enemy army, or should I switch to anti-vehicle? But these strategic decisions only take a second, and then you should get right back in the action. You should never be up in the air or away from the battle for too long.
Your army is most effective when it’s together. The AI automatically groups your warriors into battle formations where the troops support each other. Many of the units buff or heal each other. When they are together they can all be enhanced with a single Battle Cry (or other buffing) solo. And when they are all together and you are in the middle of them, that is when you have the greatest number of options for Double Team attacks.
So remember to:
Get in the center of the action!
Don’t stay in the air too long!
For the most part, keep your army together.
Always be building squads and spending your fans. Don’t hoard fans!
More Tips:
Early in the game, low-level troops are vulnerable to enemy Avatar harassment; make sure you watch over them and protect them if necessary.
Don’t play timidly. The game is about projecting power and taking control of territory. If you try to play defensively and stay in or near your base, you’ll be at a resource disadvantage.
If you set the beacon on a building, your dudes will attack the building until it’s destroyed, ignoring any incoming attacks.
The right solo played at the right time can be devastating - don’t forget you have those tools at your disposal!
Ironheade-specific Tips:
Ironheade is extremely mobile - use this to your advantage.
Razor Girls’ Double Team is great for dealing with early-game Avatar harassment, or use it with target lock to take out those pesky fast-moving units like Reapers, Tick Choppers, and Fire Barons.
Remember that you can upgrade your level one troops once your stage hits level three. If you’ve spent the game massing up those small infantry, an upgrade can really pay off.
Drowning Doom-specific Tips:
Gravediggers, while more numerous, have lower health than other basic melee troops. They may need extra support in the early game.
Use your debuffers (Bride, Organ, and Dirgible). They’re powerful, and the Bride and Organ stack their debilitating effects.
Bride’s Double Team is great for dealing with early-game Avatar harassment, or use it with target lock to take out fast-moving, mobile units.
Remember that you can upgrade your level 1 troops once your stage hits level 3. If you’ve spent the game massing up those small infantry, an upgrade can really pay off.
Tainted Coil Tips:
Your hierarchy units (Nuns, Warfather, and Overblessers) are extremely vulnerable while alone.
They’re much safer when they’re surrounded by minions, because they get a small, stacking healing bonus from each nearby minion.
Punishing Parties’ Double Team is good for dealing with early-game Avatar harassment, or use it with target lock to take out fast-moving, mobile units.
Remember your Superior and Divine troops - for example, if you build a Warfather, he can then build a Superior Nun, which in turn can produce Superior Soul Kissers and Punishing Parties. Superior and Divine squads are more powerful than the basic troops, but cost the same!
