Yosha: ABHM guide

Introduction

Nightmare Krakatox is unlike any other boss encounter in the game. The tried and true formulaic strategies people may have developed in other dungeons such as Manaya's Core will not work here. Krakatox spends the majority of the fight performing attack chains on randomly selected targets, and sometimes maintains aggro on those targets for upwards of five attacks in a row. The randomness in the fight is a real test of a player's focus, as one small mishap can snowball into the entire party's death. Nobody is ever in a safe spot during this encounter, and so every member of the party shares the responsibility of learning the boss' mechanics. Hopefully, this guide provides a good idea of what to look out for.

Gearing Up

Gear plays a big role in this encounter. While it is entirely possible to complete the dungeon in Steadfast gear, those people would have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot of time and money on consumables. To minimize the inconsistency in the fight, I'd suggest every member of the party has, at the very least, a full set of +9 Devastator gear. This is the best available gear that can be obtained at no cost, and so it really should not be asking too much from those looking to attempt this dungeon.

Purifying Brooches are the go-to for dealing with the debuffs in the fight, but more experienced DPS can use Iridescent Brooches to make the final part of the fight much easier.

I suggest newcomers use full anarchic cruxes instead of full poised cruxes, as newcomers may not do enough damage to keep the boss enraged for the entire fight, and attacks when Krakatox is not enraged can still hurt. The standard bunch of consumables are a necessity here:

• Nostrums
• DPS scrolls
• Healing potions/draughts
• Mana elixirs/restoratives
• Combat Panaceas
• Resurrection scrolls
• Charms

To further the party's chances of success:

• Noctenium Infusions
• Canephora potions / Bravery potions (now easily obtainable by doing Blast from the Past)
• Warding scrolls
• Rejuvenation / Valiant potions
• Panaceaic Bolsters
• Heart Potions
• Goddess' Blessing* (See below)

Additional consumables that would help, but may be hard/impossible to obtain:

• Rootstock food items esp. Lamb Bulgogi and Bleak Wings
• Sarberry Ice/Deliciousness
• Divine Infusions
• Valkyon Health Potions
• Other HP restoring items like Noruk Jerky

*A note on Goddess' Blessings: There are two different kinds of Goddess' Blessings. Their names are exactly as follows: "Goddess' Blessing" and "Goddess's Blessing." They can be found on the brokerage by searching for the exact phrase. If players have exactly ONE "Goddess' Blessing" (without the extra s), they can use both to revive themselves twice in a dungeon. If they have more than one, the game will not allow them to use the other blessing in their inventories.

Party Composition

Like Manaya's Core, The Abscess allows a great deal of flexibility when it comes to party composition. 4 DPS parties, 2 healer parties, whatever. For beginners, however, the best party composition, in my opinion, would include 1 Lancer, 1 Warrior and 1 Priest. The 2 remaining spots can be filled by any DPS. It is far easier on the rest of the party if there is a tank in the party, not only because the first boss is a pain without one, but also because adding regular aggro swaps to the already frequent secondary aggro swaps in the Krakatox fight can be devastating to new parties.

The Boss' Moveset

I will be referring to Krakatox's attacks by the nicknames I came up with, but they are by no means official.

Krakatox has only a few attacks, but they all come out fast and they all hit hard. There are multiple variations of many of his attacks, which can catch people off-guard. One important thing to note is that while Krakatox can do the same attack repeatedly, it will rarely be the same variation twice in a row. For example, a Double into Laser will only very rarely be followed up by another Double into Laser. Or, if Krakatox does a 4 Combo, the next Combo in the attack chain will usually be a 2 Combo. However, true to the randomness in the fight, Krakatox has been known to do things like two Lasers in a row. Be prepared.  

The key to succeeding in this fight is being conservative with evasion skills. In many cases, attacks can be dodged by using mobility skills, or even by walking out of them. Or, players can run a quick cost-benefit analysis and decide that taking one relatively low damage hit is worth not burning an evasive skill's cooldown. Players that use their evasive skills poorly will find themselves unable to dodge critical attacks when they really need to, and will become acquainted with the floor in short order.

Becoming familiar with Krakatox's attacks is even more important in the final part of the fight. When Krakatox's HP dips below five bars, Krakatox will begin accumulating stacks of a buff that gives him more damage. The buff cannot be dispelled. When the fight reaches this point, the first priority is to DPS hard and fast. In a very short amount of time, Krakatox's buff will allow him to oneshot cloth and leather classes, and not long after that, he will begin to oneshot plate classes even through their block. The dynamic of the fight changes drastically when players cannot even afford to take a single hit, and so it is imperative that the party puts down as much damage as possible before and after Krakatox's final shield. I will refer to this last part of the fight as the "burn phase."

For melee DPS, there is a very simple rule of thumb to follow. Am I behind Krakatox's right leg? If the answer is no, the first priority is to get behind Krakatox's right leg. I cannot emphasize this point enough. For Slayers and Warriors, the optimal response to most of Krakatox's attacks is to stay near the boss' right side, and if necessary, use an evasion or mobility skill to get behind the boss while dodging attacks.

For ranged DPS and healers, the fight becomes much more interesting. These player's sense of positioning will be the key to their success in the fight. They must be close enough to do their jobs and take advantage of Krakatox's safe spots, but far enough to evade attacks when their limited evasion skills are on cooldown.

In my opinion, Krakatox is the first boss in the game that truly tests a ranged DPS player's positioning skills. Krakatox's target, distance, and current status in attack chains must all be taken into consideration when deciding where to stand. Maintaining a constant ticker of attacks that Krakatox has performed and avoiding danger simply by being in the right place at the right time is a critical skill. Many ranged DPS and healers I have talked to say that they prefer to play very close to Krakatox, often right next to the melee DPS. Others say that they like to stay as far away as possible. Either playstyle is valid as long as the player becomes skilled at it.

Sword / Double:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox reaches into himself and pulls out a long bone. His left arm will extend outwards to the left, and Krakatox will rear back counter-clockwise before slashing to the right, then back to the left if it is a Double. Sometimes during a Double, Krakatox will step forward after each slash, making it difficult to dodge both slashes if a player is in front of the boss. Both slashes cover 15-16m. Krakatox will usually follow up a Double with a Laser.

It is important to learn how to dodge these attacks early. This is one of Krakatox's most damaging moves, and will start oneshotting players very early in the burn phase. There is a safe zone directly behind the boss in which players do not have to worry about this attack at all. However, players will often find themselves outside of the safe zone when Krakatox performs this attack.

The trick then is to get behind Krakatox, where only one sword slash can possibly hit. By far the easiest way to deal with a Double is using an evasion skill to dodge the first slash and get behind Krakatox's right side at the same time. When players are behind Krakatox, they only have to worry about evading one slash if they are not standing in the safe zone. However, if Krakatox steps forward while slashing, simply evading into Krakatox will allow players to avoid the damage from both slashes, as Krakatox will clip through the player for the second slash, leaving the player behind him.

In the picture below, the red area represents the zone covered by the first slash, and the blue area represents the second slash.

   

Spike:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox turns toward and targets a player with a purple circle. He will raise his right arm, and plunge it into the ground. When his arm touches the ground, a spike will come up at the targeted player's location. Any nearby players hit will take damage and receive a debuff that drains 10,000 HP every few seconds. This debuff can be cleansed. Most of the time Krakatox will follow up a Spike with a regular Smash.

Dodging this attack takes a lot of practice. Players will need to train their reflexes in order to recognize that Krakatox is raising his right arm, and that a nearby player is being targeted while planning for the follow-up Smash. Evasion skills/blocking are the standard way to avoid Spikes, but if players have good reaction times, they can also use a mobility skill like Fiery Escape or Leaping Strike before Krakatox's right arm hits the ground. Sometimes, evading away from Krakatox in order to build distance is a bad idea, because it can leave the player in a difficult position for dealing with the rest of the attack chain. If the party is healthy and the healer is not taxed, simply eating the damage from a Smash is a viable option, unless Krakatox is in his burn phase.

One way to tell that this attack is coming is that Krakatox will never perform this attack after reaching into himself, as it is not an attack he performs with his bones.

Grenade / Triple:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox targets a player with a purple circle. He will reach into himself and pull out an exploding monster, then raise it over his head before throwing it. When the exploding monster hits the ground, it will explode after a very short delay. Sometimes, Krakatox will throw three monsters at the same time in a fan pattern. Most of the time Krakatox will follow up a Grenade or Triple with a regular Smash.

Compared to the Spike, players can recognize a Grenade is coming if they are targeted with a purple circle, and Krakatox reaches into himself. Players have two options to avoid the Grenade and the Smash that usually follows it. They can walk towards Krakatox to avoid the Grenade blast, then evade the Smash, or they can evade away from Krakatox and the Grenade. Doing the latter, however, can put players in a difficult spot for follow-up attacks. If a player has no options for dodging Grenades and is faced with a Triple, all attempts must be made to avoid overlapping AoEs, as these will usually oneshot anyone standing inside.

2/3/4 Combo:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox reaches into himself and pulls out a short bone. He will raise this bone over his right shoulder then attack with diagonal overhand strikes while walking forward. A full 4 Combo is made up of the following attacks: right shoulder to left foot swipe, left shoulder to right foot swipe, right foot to left shoulder swipe, regular Smash.

This is another reason Krakatox's right leg is so important. If a player is standing to Krakatox's right, he usually does not have to worry about the Combo at all, since the first attack will pass safely over his head, leaving the player behind Krakatox and thus safe from the rest of the attacks in the Combo. 3 Combos are rare, so if the right foot-left shoulder swipe comes out, it is usually safe to assume that a Smash will follow. If players are caught in front of Krakatox, they can evade into the boss, as he will clip through them with successive strikes.

Smash / Smash-Backhand:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox reaches into himself and pulls out a short bone. He will raise this bone over his head, step forward, and smash it into the ground, creating an 18m radius circle AoE with the bone at its center. If Krakatox performs this attack by itself and not as a follow-up to a Spike or Grenade, there will sometimes be a backhand strike after the Smash.

Yet another reason to stick to Krakatox's right leg. Because the AoE is centered at the bone, being behind the right leg gives players the best chance to avoid the AoE, and keeps them from getting hit by the backhand, which is extremely difficult to predict. Melee DPS can dodge this attack if they are in front of Krakatox by walking around his right side and using Leaping Strike to get 6m behind him. Because the center of the AoE is on Krakatox's left, a Leaping Strike to his right should build enough distance to get players out of the AoE after Krakatox steps forward.

Because it is extremely difficult to react to a Smash, melee DPS should usually stand 5-6m behind Krakatox after he finishes an attack chain to avoid being hit by a Smash that is part of a new attack chain.

Laser:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox extends his right arm towards a player and tracks the player while preparing a cone AoE attack. It is impossible to outrun Krakatox's tracking with mobility skills. If a player is moving while hit by the laser, or is too far away from Krakatox, there is a high chance that the player will be hit twice, which will deal heavy damage if not instantly kill. Players that are hit by the laser will receive a debuff that drains 10,000 HP every few seconds. This debuff can be cleansed.

As long as players do not panic and use their mobility/evasion skills reflexively when they see Krakatox's arm extend towards them, the Laser can be dodged with relative ease. Within 15m of the boss, the Laser can be avoided three different ways outside of blocking:

• Using an evasion skill.
• Breakaway Bolt/Fiery Escape/Glacial Retreat can be used to dodge Lasers, but the timing is very strict.
• Walking around the boss. The player must be walking at full speed right next to the boss while the Laser fires and be within 5m of the boss. If the player walks into the boss, he will not be moving fast enough and will be hit. The key distinction to make here is that the player must be walking at full speed very close to the boss, and not into the boss. Players should be mindful of their fellow party members if they choose to avoid the laser this way.

If the player is further than 15m, the Laser can only be blocked or dodged with an evasion skill.

Aggro Swipe:

Krakatox will perform a quick backhand slap in front of him. He will only direct this at players who have primary aggro, or at players who have recently drawn primary aggro, though the attack covers an almost 180 degree arc in front of him. The attack does relatively low damage, but is nearly impossible to avoid.

This attack is only a serious threat if Krakatox has built up a lot of power buff stacks during his burn phase. To make sure they are not hit by these attacks, players should avoid standing near whoever has primary aggro. Players who rip primary aggro should stand a few meters away from the boss.

Cage:

Relevant J2W Studio video

Krakatox turns toward and targets a player, whose name will show in the message "X is grappled by tentacles!" He will raise his right hand, and plunge it into the ground. When the arm touches the ground, the targeted player will be surrounded by tentacles. If these are not killed within 18 seconds, the entire party dies.

This attack is at the same time Krakatox's most dangerous attack, and the hardest to avoid. When players are caged, the party is often forced into dangerous positions that leave them vulnerable. A cage in a bad position during Krakatox's burn phase can often spell doom for the entire party. To differentiate this attack from Spikes, targeted players will not get a purple circle indicator. Also, the party wipe attack warning (the pink triple skull icon above Krakatox's healthbar) will appear. There are several ways to avoid being caged, but all of them require a very fast reaction time.

• Use an evasion skill while Krakatox is plunging his arm into the ground.
• Breakaway Bolt/Fiery Escape/Glacial Retreat can do the same, but the timing is extremely strict.
• A priest can cleanse the target right as the cage starts to form, but even I do not know the exact timing for this.
• Priests, Sorcerers, and Archers can use their aggro neutralizing skills (Prayer of Peace, Stone Skin, Feign Death respectively) to despawn cages they are trapped in provided the cage has taken no damage. If any damage is done to the cage, however, these skills will not work. I suggest saving these skills for the burn phase, as they have a lengthy cooldown.
• Mobility skills can save a player from being trapped within a cage, but the cage will still spawn and wipe the party after 18 seconds if it is not killed.
• Cages can be blocked, but the player must be blocking before the animation even starts. It is impossible to react to a Cage, as blocks only work if players correctly predict that they are getting caged beforehand.

It is possible for DPS to get "back" hits on cages, which makes Cages much less of a hassle. When Cages spawn, they will always face north. Relative to the arena, Cages will always face slightly right of the entrance. Players who can quickly orient themselves will be able to deal with Cages very effectively. (Thanks to ErinKitten)

Below is a clip of a Priest using Fiery Escape and Purifying Circle to avoid cages. Watch the cooldown timer of these skills carefully.

Tips and Tricks

General:

• Mystics can quickly toggle Corruption Ring with Glyph of the Unfeeling on and off to help tank attacks without putting Corruption Ring on cooldown. (Thanks to Nan0teck)


• Priests can save their highly valuable Retaliate cooldown by making use of the knockdown immunity in Purifying Circle's animation. (Thanks to kikuri)

Shield phases:

• Lancers should never use Pledge of Protection around the time of a Shield Phase. Even if a blue Cage is broken to provide the DoT protection, the lancer will take all of the damage that would have occurred if no blue Cage was broken upon the DoT protection ending, usually killing instantly. This video seems to elaborate on the problem. (Thanks to RancaJamesies)


• If the party's healer is a Mystic, it is sometimes helpful to ask the weakest DPS to stand outside of the poison pool during a shield phase so the mystic can focus on the three DPS inside the pool. This is not as much of a problem if there is a ranged DPS in the party. (Thanks to Nan0teck)


• The party must stay alert even after Krakatox's HP reaches the threshold for a shield phase. Krakatox will only go to the center once he finishes his current attack chain, so if a threshold is crossed right after Krakatox begins an attack chain, the party must not let its guard down. The last thing a party needs is a cleanse right before the burn phase because the DPS did not dodge a Spike they were not expecting.


• Skills like Slayer's Overpower only need to be cast once during a shield, because the buff is not consumed after hitting Krakatox's shield.


• Priests who are good at dodging Cages and Spikes can run around to Krakatox's front side once they see the party has successfully broken a shield. This creates a small advantage. If the boss decides to Cage or Spike the Priest, the DPS gets some more free back DPS time. If the boss decides to turn around to Cage or Spike the DPS, the Priest is in a good position to cleanse the party. (Thanks to Fervently)

Virus zones:

• With the healer's approval, multiple virus zones can be stacked on top of each other to minimize their effect in the fight. The healer has to be prepared for 40k ticks of damage, however. (Thanks to Nan0teck)

Power buff AKA "You are not prepared to face me!":

• Experienced healers can take advantage of the pause in the fight that Krakatox's power buff provides and dispel it at the last possible moment. Krakatox will not attack while he is in the animation for his power buff, which can provide the party's DPS several precious seconds of free back DPS if the plague/regression is timed correctly. Obviously, newcomers should not try to attempt this.


• If the healer fails to dispel the power buff, the party needs to react immediately. All attempts should be made to transfer primary aggro over to the most mobile player in the party, usually melee DPS. This player should then attempt to kite the boss as close to the outer walls as possible, while the healer works on ressing/keeping players alive. Warriors and Slayers should have no problem kiting Krakatox. Nobody should be attacking the boss. While Krakatox has his power buff active, he gains a persistent damage aura which makes doing damage with melee DPS impossible. However, if Krakatox is close to a shield phase, the DPS can rush him down as the power buff will end early if he is scripted to go to the middle of the arena.

Managing Debuffs:

• Like in Manaya's Core and KNHM, managing the passive DoT debuff on the party is a major part of the fight. However, the constant ramp-up of DoT and the accompanying party DPS increase makes this aspect of the fight much more complex, because healers must balance the damage increase with the heightened risk to the party. For experienced parties, I have found the optimal number of stacks on the debuff to be 4-5. The key to managing debuffs effectively is good communication from everyone in the party. If players have a high number of stacks, it is their responsibility to inform the healer so that the healer can create a plan. Forcing a healer into bad positions in order to cleanse people is one of the biggest reasons for party wipes.


• If players are having trouble with the bleed debuff from Lasers and Spikes, the healer will also have to constantly evaluate the state of the party's healing consumables and Purifying Brooches, because the bleed drains HP at a very rapid pace. In some cases such as the burn phase, healers may decide against cleansing bleed debuffs, because the increased DPS from the passive DoT is too valuable to pass up.


• Players hit with the bleed debuff can make the fight easier on Priests by separating themselves from the rest of the party so that the priest has an easier time cleansing just the one player instead of the entire party. (Thanks to Leiloni)