Welcome to Gaia! ::

You say your game has slumped a bit lately? Farming isn't enough to get you past an Area? Perhaps you are in need of reinventing the way you fight. Read on and see just where the right tactics can take you.

####################Table of Contents

02. Version History
03. Foreword
04. Terminology
05. Guidelines
06. Intel
07. Solo Tactics
08. Crew Tactics
09. Mini-Event Scenarios
10. Boss Encounters
11. Null Chamber Tips
12. User Submitted
13. Links In
14. Links Out
15. Postscript

###Announcements


Z's back to the forum since school is winding down. :]If Glowing, Bump please [to reply box] :]

#
####################Foreword

Welcome to my guide, the Tome of zOMG Tactics. [insert fanfare sound effect here]

... >>

Anyways, this guide aims to pass valuable methods of waging battle and increasing the chances of winning your fights to you, the reader. Whether you're a newcomer to zOMG, someone who's seen a few fights, or a battle-hardened veteran, the goal is all the same - if any reader evades Dazing, or ducks any dicey situation zOMG throws at you at least once by applying the tactics in this guide, it can be counted as a success.

If you're still fuzzy on what tactics actually are, let's start with the definition from Merriam Webster: "the science and art of disposing and maneuvering forces in combat." Sure, disposing of your enemies, the Animated, can be quite simple, but the difficulty ramps up with stronger and more enemies as you go on in your zOMG travels. As most Animated follow simple movement behavior, you and your Crew can tip the encounter in your favor by simply employing maneuvers half the time. In addition, the right actions can mean all the difference between engaging your enemies successfully and heading into combat with a death wish.

Keep in mind that tactics are there to assist you - they are not surefire "guaranteed victory" h4x. No matter what, there is no substitute for being the appropriate CL for a particular area. However... become practiced at making the best decisions in response to the situation at hand, and eventually you'll be a formidable force all your own.

###How to Use this Guide


If you're a soloer, crew junkie, or anything in between, there's something for you in here.

Remember to use the handy Ctrl+F [Command+F if you're on a Mac] shortcut to pinpoint any specific piece of info you're looking for.

To help you decide if a particular strategy is right for you, take a look at the Pro: and Con: bullets - they list the advantages and disadvantages, respectively.

If walls o' text aren't your thing, look for the Recap bullets. They sum up the previous set of paragraphs into handy little bullets for your skimming pleasure. Or just great when you want quick, get-in get-out info.

Feel free to play around and experiment to achieve the best formula that works for YOU. What works for one person may not be as effective for the next person.

Do suppress your level and conduct testing runs in lower areas if you feel you need more practice. Get a good feel for the different flavors of combat sometime lest you find yourself in over your head. Practice makes perfect, after all.

For all the long, drawn-out explanations this Guide offers, tactics in battle are rarely, if ever, tedious analysis and calculations. Rather, Real-time tactics consist of quick observations and even quicker decisions.

Don't worry if all this seems like a lot to take in. Just keep at this against the enemy Animated, and you'll eventually have these tactics down as second nature.

#
####################Guidelines

###Observe the enemies, their formations, and the terrain.

As an old proverb says, "A drop of knowledge is equal to a sea of force." While the literal meaning might not translate into zOMG as well, the meaning still holds: battles can go your way given that you know the right things and how to apply them. How? By knowing what is disadvantageous for the enemies you're up against, as well as what they'll try to throw your way, and anticipating what will happen. Simply hold off for a few seconds before attacking and get a feel for the conditions surrounding the area.

One such method of obtaining info is by Conning. The quick definition is to select an enemy by either clicking on them or by tapping the Tilde key to cycle through enemies, and observe the border color around their picture. The colors aren't just there for show, they indicate the strength they have *relative* to yours. The color meanings are as follows. Simply take your current CL and subtract the enemy's - it'll fall within a certain range.

################Purple
################-1.6 and lower
########################Blue
########################-1.5 to -0.6
################################Green
################################-0.5 to +0.4
########################################Yellow
########################################+0.5 to +1.4
################################################Red
################################################+1.5 and higher

Naturally, enemies whose CLs are much lower than yours are weaker, while the opposite is also true. However, CL is not the only determining factor of a battle's outcome - it merely predicts the probability of said outcome, and only against one enemy. It does not factor in other Animated, nor does it account for other players you might be Crewed with. In addition, Con colors are not absolute. Some Animated might prove to be a handful at Green, while it's not completely impossible to defeat Animated who con Red.

You can con the enemies who appear on the adjacent screen as well. When you get close to the edge of the current screen, starburst-shaped glyphs appear: these glyphs follow the same color-coded scheme as above, but with added info. The bigger the glyph is, the closer the Animated, and vice versa. You can use this to gauge whether or not you'll be walking into a mob of enemies on the screen over. [A different type of glyph also shows up for Crew members, as well.]

Yet another aspect of this is the battlefield itself. There are times when the land formations lend themselves to affecting combat. Elevated regions of land, stone structures, and bodies of water serve to narrow the playing field down, favoring certain tactics more than others. For example, there are a few bridges in zOMG where combat takes place - the walkable area is constricted, so enemies are packed in close. For these kinds of places, AoE tends to work much better, since the scope of the attack encompasses the bridge span entirely. Other places the elevations differ, creating terraced regions. Melee range rings do not work here, so often times Ranged Rings are ace for these ground conditions.

###Keep some Stamina handy for unexpected occasions.

Stamina is your primary ammunition when heading into battle. Every single ring [with the exception of Fitness] needs a certain amount of Stamina to be used, and having no Stamina left effectively disables those rings of yours. When that happens, you can't attack. You can't defend. You can't even heal. You can only run when this happens - especially if you're being attacked by enemies. Normally you can kneel to increase the rate of Stamina regeneration, but doing so in battle causes you to take three times as much damage, risking the chance of being Dazed. This isn't a very good idea, especially in the upper levels where there's no Null Chamber to respawn from. Instead, shake the Animated from following you, and *then* kneel to rest.

If need be, use only the rings that you need. Avoid casting an AoE attack when there's only one enemy engaging you, and stay away from using Ranged attacks at point-blank range. Otherwise, judge [quickly] whether you'll be able to finish off anything given your remaining stamina and take them out as soon as possible, or hide out and replenish your Stamina and resume the attack sometime later.

To avoid Stamina getting low, a few options are available. One is to don the Shaman Set, whose bonus is to increase the rate of Stamina Regen. Another is to have a Divinity cast on you - it also "heals" your Stamina over a time period, dependent upon how much Rage it's powered up by. There's also the Fitness ring too, which ups all of your stats by a marginal amount.

###There are only such things as tactical retreats.

Qixter, the first Senior Developer for zOMG, once said "Don't be afraid to run when grossly outnumbered." This is true, especially when things aren't going as planned. Your HP is plummeting faster than a rock, your Stamina's depleted, all your buddies have either been Dazed or are in the same sticky predicament.... things just aren't going well. Your only choice for now is to retreat and regroup.

Before that happens, however, if retreating a few screens improves your prospects of surviving and/or coming out the victor in the current fight, then by all means - do so. Often certain enemies will repeatedly spawn in a particular location, and you [plus your Crew, if there is one] only have so much Stamina to spare if no short breaks are taken. The Animated will just keep on coming. However, move over one screen, and the enemies currently attacking you will follow, but NOT the rest of the other spawns. This reduces the size of the mob you're trying to fight off, making it easier to prevail against them. Keep this in mind for when your Stamina is getting low.

If things really aren't looking favorable, fall back even further. Mobs will generally follow for approximately three screens from their original spawn point, or from their predetermined patrolling path before giving up and leaving you alone. If need be, seek out safe screens - Animated will never follow you when you go to these special places, so you can hunker down and regroup here. Explore an area to find out where these safe screens are. In addition, Animated will NEVER follow you past Area Boundaries. Use this to your advantage if need be.

###Know your Rings and how to apply them efficiently.

Knowing how your rings work makes zOMG go a LOT smoother. It certainly saves time to know what targets a ring can affect, as in the case of Defibrillate. The ability to recover from Dazing is certainly quite useful.... but only to other people. It's an allies-only ring, which signifies two things right away: 1. You can't un-Daze yourself no matter what. Allies-only means it's almost always a Crew's ring, except if you're either feeling generous and Defibbing random Dazed people or if you have it on for the Medic Set's Footspeed bonus. 2. Defib has little to no place within solo ringsets. Even worse if you happen to be in an instanced area, since no one is around. The lack of targets essentially means that Defib is dead weight to you in that scenario. Needless to say, you could have brought something else that's useful.

Also factoring in the grand equation is the range of a certain ring. Having that bit of info is handy since you can tell whether a target will be hit with an attack or not. At first, Shark Attack's good Damage rating seems nice, until a player discovers that the range is only a smidgen better than a Melee ring.

Let's not forget about Cooldown time either. Certain rings take longer to refresh and become available for use than others. Knowing this enables you to better plan a course of action based around when your rings become available. Just don't try to go about memorizing the exact time when rings finish cooling down, since that's impractical. Instead, learn which rings feature a speedy cooldown time, and which ones don't.

A guide on Rings is like the weapons manual - it tells you the specifications and limitations of the tool to be used. [Valheita does a good job of it here.] Knowing how to use your "weapons" is the start of learning how to wage combat effectively, so one can move on into tactical maneuvers, which this guide deals in.

###Timing is everything.

Frequently, some actions are better at certain times than at others. Raging a Bandage ring at half HP is better than waiting until there's only 10 left. Waiting until a patrol slips by and then sneaking around them is better than blindly charging into the fray.

One major aspect of timing has to do with your rings. Some rings have their effects applied much better when they're in a certain order. Not just letting a fully Raged heal fly at half HP, but attacks as well. For instance, among the Melee attacks, there are a few rings with Knockback. You generally want to cast these ones at the end, since knocking an enemy back may cause it to get out of your range, most of the time. Other such orderings include, but are not limited to: using crowd controls then following up with Ranged attacks, throwing Buffs on before attacking, Defibbing someone with full Rage after s/he gets out of combat, etc. Experiment and see what works.

Another major point of consideration is waiting too long to do something. Staying in the middle of a deadly mob for too long would likely cause Dazing - avoid by pulling out as soon as conditions become unfavorable. Waiting too long in the middle of a patrolled area is hazardous as well, because enemies appear, regardless of how ready you are. And as with the case of the healing during battle.... it's quite impractical to fully Rage a Bandage when you're on the brink of running out of HP.

Timing increases in importance within crews as well. While soloing, you only have to worry about yourself. While in a crew, however, you've gotta pay mind to everyone else. Do not rush out and leaver everyone else behind, nor deliberately lag after everyone else. Discover the pace at which the crew runs and run along for best results.

###Take a breather in Real Life if you're not feeling so hot.

Sure, a few consecutive hours every now and then isn't a bad thing, but it's when you start going into overtime that you need to take a breather and recover Real Life Stamina. Keeping up especially prolonged bouts of playing zOMG will result in tiredness [your mileage may vary], and all sorts of consequences can result - you make errors in judging the situation, you mess up in executing the correct ring at times, you don't react as quickly, and overall, you're just not at optimum fighting condition. In especially extreme scenarios, even death can occur. Just ask a certain player who was on another MMO for 15 days straight. So do yourself a favor by taking a well earned break from time to time.

Depending on how understanding your Crew is, a simple "Brb guys, I need a bit of a break" and a couple of minutes' downtime can suffice. Other times, you need to pull out entirely and go for a quick nap. Don't forget about the 8 hours of nightly deep sleep your body needs to repair itself, either. Rested gamers usually perform better than tired gamers.

In addition, your computer would be happy with a break as well. Unless you've got a liquid-nitrogen cooled supercomputer, chances are that zOMG would prove to be a sizable strain on the processing system. Letting the computer itself rest for a while can also cut down on glitches and errors that may pop up under prolonged gameplay.

After all, the enemies aren't going to go easy on you simply because you're tired. Why give them that extra advantage by not resting?

#
####################Solo Tactics

###Melee


Pro: Highest damage rating
Con: Poor against limitations on range

A favorite of most people, this is one style that gets the job done relatively quick. Melee is home to the hardest hitting rings, and some of them are quite Stamina efficient as well. The only downside is that you need to be within point-blank distance to conduct your assault. Good ideas would be to increase your Footspeed to get the first hit in on the enemies before they can land a hit in return, or don a few other Buffs to slow the rate of HP you lose to counterattacks, since just about any Animated can attack at close range.

Melee combat is effective against the larger, loner Animated. They're wide open to attack since they're found relatively few and far in between, the high attack power of Melee range rings compensates for their higher HP counts, and often you can get away without alerting nearby enemies of the same type. Mobs of smaller Animated aren't too much of a threat either if you're packing close combat AoE rings - pump some Rage in them for better results, or you can buttonmash single-target Melee rings along with Enemy selection [the Tilde key] at the cost of increased Stamina usage.

This style utterly fails when you can't move in to attack quickly or at all, whether by Animated ability, debuffs and/or by battlefield effect. Enemies who have habits of flying all over the place or running fast tend to zip out of Melee range often, so you'll have a hard time hitting them. Same goes for the land being separated into sections, limiting movement. Sometimes you can get away with attacking across the boundaries, but more often than not you'll find yourself out of range. In addition, a few Animated limit your own movement, whether it's slowing down your speed or plain rooting you in place. Be extra cautious when this happens, since you take increased attacks by timing, and you can't retreat as effectively either!

###Sniper


Pro: Attack with less chance of collateral damage
Con: Best against single enemy and not a mob

While not as hard-hitting as Melee is, Ranged makes up for it in well, range. Rings here hit enemies quite a distance removed from your location, and only a few Animated can return fire. The Sniper here has more options to tinker with: increasing Accuracy to both ensure the attack hits plus an increase chance of Critical, using a Crowd Control ring to slow down or send the enemy into a panic for longer sniping opportunity, don a Defense buff or two if you expect rough battles ahead, and more.

Sniping is excellent on terrains that are broken up, and directed at enemies who attack at Melee range - they'll have to get close to you instead, and by the time they get there, they'll be quite low on HP, if not dead already. Even if the enemy can attack at range too, you'll at least have your own ranged attacks to return. Sniping the Loner Animated works as well, but there's the bigger HP counts to consider. Of course, staying out of immobile enemy range and pestering them with Damage can also be fun, as well.

Mobs of Animated are anywhere from an annoyance to a threat when playing Sniper. Most of the better Ranged rings are single-target only, and only a few turn into AoE attacks when Raged. By the time you kill off one enemy, chances are a few more will have popped up to take its place. Enemies who can heal each other also prove to be annoying, since it'll take a while to vanquish them.

###Brawler


Pro: Attacks multiple enemies at once
Con: High amounts of damage taken

The objective here is to use AoE attacks to inflict damage on a wide swath of enemies, often times as a countermeasure to mobbing. Wielders of this style are top-notch at kicking a bunch of yellow damage numbers out of enemies and killing a bunch of Animated at once.

AoEs are divided into two main types, immediate area and Point & Click abilities. Immediate area relies on a simple ring cast to inflict damage on the area around your avatar. These are best used while in the middle of a mob, so the attack radius encompasses the enemies around. On the other hand, Point & Click attacks an area from a distance away. These rings are better used for getting the first hit on a mob while you're out in the clear, since they generally attack debuffs to their targets. In addition, due to the high numbers of counterattack damage, Brawlers need to be especially cautious with their HP count - for best results, don defensive Buffs and Rage a Bandage so the healing over time slows down incoming damage.

However, for all the rear-kicking this style does, two main things stand out. First, AoE attacks hit one enemy for small to moderate damage. This is because the intensity of the attack is spread out over an area, instead of concentrated into a single attack like single-target Melee rings are. The same holds true for Stamina as well. Often, a full bar of Stamina is needed to wipe out a moderate to big mob [ignoring Rage, that is], so combat needs to be punctuated by little periods of Rest and Rejuvenation. Otherwise you'll be heading into the fight with less Stamina than you need, and that's never a good thing.

###Hit and Run


Pro: Avoids lots of Damage
Con: Less effective against stronger enemies

Ah yes, good ol' Guerrilla tactics - the practice of appearing suddenly, striking with great force and/or intensity, and returning back to hiding as soon as possible. If pulled off smoothly, you can avoid quite a bit of damage dealt in return.

One of the important things to know when playing this style is the 'art' of sneaking around. Lurking around where Animated won't notice or attack you enables you to get places without engaging any surprise enemies. This is important to save your Stamina until engaging the target, for killing off said target quickly. High attack-value rings, like Hack, usually do better with this use, but you may get it to work just as well, if not better with other rings. Should things not go as planned, have methods of escape ready - things like extra Footspeed for making tactical retreats, running back to certain safe screens, and perhaps even bringing defense buffs like Turtle for especially sticky situations.

while Hit and Run is great for slicing up weaker enemies in succession, its success is limited to two factors: how fast an enemy can be killed, and the amounts of rest the player can get. This style of combat is just fine for killing the smaller Animated, but bigger ones may prove to be too much, as they require more effort to kill, slowing up the flow of battle. Other Animated may also accomplish this by debuffs, or healing itself or its comrades, demanding even *more* Stamina to kill the target. In addition, having good amounts of Stamina is critical - hence, a person using this style needs to rest and regain Stamina to take out the next target, but only when there is a spot that's safe. Roving patrols are a threat since they lessen the chances of rest.

###Heavy Armor


Pro: Plenty of Buffs to provide Advantages in combat
Con: Buff rings may overtake attack and other rings

Buff rings can be found aplenty on these people, and for good reason - these rings' effects usually make players less susceptible to damage [barring the 3x multiplier incurred by kneeling], or by increasing a certain Stat to modify the battle outcome. Damage prevention is done by one of many methods: reducing the Damage taken, occasionally nullifying attacks, or even reflecting them back on the attacker.

Ringsets usually consist of one healing ring [Bandage is recommended when soloing], one to two attack rings, and the rest being Buffs. Mix and match Buff effects and see what works best to your advantage, or stack similar buffs as a measure of insurance. Go about combat by donning Buffs beforehand at RR1. Take your time and engage enemies one by one, gradually building Rage. When you get a full Rage meter, pump it into the most appropriate Buff and repeat. Do so until all the Buffs you carry are fully Raged, and then you can go on the offensive. Opt for Stamina-efficient rings, as they cool down quicker and comsume less Stamina so you can cast your buffs.

Having plenty of Buffs on is always a good thing, however... be wary of mobbing, as your Buffs can only prevent so much damage over an extended timeframe. As for killing them off, you'll be hard pressed to take out the entire mob with the low number of attack rings you have equipped, not to mention the single healing ring [some of you might go for two] you have with you. Just know your limitations - gauge whether or not you can come out the victor, and act accordingly. Also, this style takes quite a while to get warmed up to optimum combat effectiveness, which is having all handy buffs at full Rage. Until then, play defensively and you'll be safe.

###Can't Catch This


Pro: Useful when mobbed and/or low on Stamina
Con: Requires open area to run effectively

This little tactic comes in handy when the odds aren't in your favor, and you're left with a little bit of Stamina left. Simply drop everything and run around the screen - the Animated attacking you will follow. Select one of them and quickly fire off a ring while running. You'll avoid lots of damage by running out of their range.

It's highly advisable to be in an open area free of barriers - smaller areas are still okay to run around in, but the chance of getting caught in place for more than a second is more likely. You could try to compensate by packing Footspeed buffs, and even employing rings with Knockback [like Bump and Dervish] to increase the distance between you and the Animated that are hot on your tail. If the mob following you catches up too easily, try out a Crowd Control ring like Quicksand to slow them up. In addition, since you'll be relying on this tactic quite often when you're low on Stamina, it's a good idea [albeit always] to have a fully Raged Divinity active.

It may seem simple when reading about this, but in practice it requires some finesse. For one, the mob in question can't be too powerful relative to you, else you'll get done in quite quickly.... or it'll take a really long time to fend all of them off. Having low Stamina is also quite risky as well, and more so with higher-level Animated.

###All-Purpose


Pro: Good for most situations
Con: Tends to fall short when specific rings are needed

The idea here is to be as well-rounded as you can be, by packing a variety of rings. This style can adapt to nearly everything, and there's a ring suited to most scenarios that pop up. To fight effectively, see what you've got in front of you and use the appropriate rings to deal with the situation at hand.

Ringsets commonly sport a Melee ring, a Ranged ring, a healing ring, an AoE attack ring, one to several buffs, probably Defib, perhaps Divinity, sometimes Meat, there are players that will have a Crowd Control ring on them. Using the appropriate ring at the right time will ensure that you get the most effect out of your rings while being Stamina efficient. To do this, use each ring wisely and switch between them seamlessly. Lead off with the ranged ring, fight back with the Melee ring, heal whenever possible, and cast the AoE when you're surrounded, for example.

Just remember the old adage of "Jack of All Trades, Master of None." While all the bases are more or less covered here, you won't be able to fight as effectively when you find yourself relying on one ring too often. The effects compound here, as you will have to deal with cooldown if you rely on one ring too much. Be cautious around enemies that require a specialized strategy.

#
####################Mini-Event Scenarios###

###Orb Spills


Mission: Defeat the Charge Orbs that randomly spawn.
Time: 15 minutes
CL Cap: Varies by Area
Spawns:

Charge Orbs

One of the best things to chance upon if you're sick and tired of farming away at Animated constantly. Orb spills operate on the same mechanism as the Easter Event - random harmless items spawn out of thin air, usually in hard to see locations, and it's the Gaians' job to attack them for rewards. Unlike the Eggs, however, Charge Orbs spawn instead. Once struck, an Orb yields the very same number as the CL Cap for the area. 2 Orbs for Village Greens and Barton Town, all the way to 8 Orbs a pop in Otami Ruins. Orbs will continually spawn as they're struck down for 15 minutes.

However, the Mini-Event is made complicated with a 'first shot, first served' basis. Whoever lands the hit on the Charge Orb first will reap the rewards. Therefore, it would be in your best interests to use a reliable and speedy Ranged Ring [Solar Rays works quite well, and Hunters' Bow comes in at a close second] to hit the Orb, plus Footspeed increases [Coyote Spirit + Fleet Feet + Medic Set] to cover more area, and generally, learning where the orbs usually spawn combined with selecting them and attacking as quickly as possible. Optionally, both types of AoE attack can come in handy for either not having to deal with targeting, or hitting Orbs in certain "unclickable" areaslike the Hive World Portal, Sabin =P. Keep in mind you cannot select an Orb by the Tilde key.

As a side note, the Orbs behave like Animated in the sense that their drops are shared amongst a crew provided all of you stay on the same screen. Plan your travel route wisely.

###AirShark Bombardment! in Barton Town


Mission: Defeat 200 Sky Boxes dropped from AirShark.
Time: 20 minutes
CL Cap: 2.0
Spawns:

Sky Box

Borne out of the epic shenanigans of April Fools' Day 2009, the AirShark has returned to wreak havoc on Barton Town! It comes armed with bombs that explode and damage an area, and from those bombs spawn Sky Boxes.

However, you cannot attack Airshark directly [game script says your weak attacks simply bounce off its Armor - it DOES con Red, after all]. You CAN attack the Sky Boxes, though - good since they'll start attacking any appropriate target that wanders too close. These boxes, like their relatives in Bass'ken, also swarm in groups of 3-5, as well.

Each Box, when defeated, yields 70 points maximum. Points are distributed on the Hate that you gather, and how many people a particular Box hates. AoE attacks are perfect for the job here. As for Airshark itself, it follows a path that loops around Barton, dropping bombs at regular intervals. Trail the Airshark to attack as many Boxes as you can, but don't forget to heal when necessary.

###Rotary Mayhem in Village Greens


Mission: Defeat all three LawnSharks.
Time: 20 minutes
CL Cap: 2.0
Spawns:

LawnShark

Three of them, to be exact. Two in the northern Greens and one in the deep south. Open up your PDA in zOMG and their relative locations will show up. Be careful however, the marked locations lag a little so don't get caught off-guard.

The Sharks look like a cross between a hammerhead shark and a mechanical push-driven lawnmower. They generally roam their own area, and will follow a target into the other Sharks' areas, until a certain range. In addition, if you happen to be getting low on HP, there are also some safe screens hidden within this area - Remo's screen is one such safe spot. Get back to these areas quickly to heal up and get back in the fight.

If you encounter some trouble going up against these baddies, you can rally fellow Gaians to join in the fight - it is an area-wide Mini-Event, after all. In addition, if you're lucky enough to come across a Crowd Control ring that limits an enemy's movement, sic it on the nearest Lawnshark, and run circles around it while pelting it with ranged attacks. This is commonly known as kiting. Rinse and repeat as necessary for the other Lawnsharks.

###Grucken Chuckin' in Bill's Ranch


Mission: Catch the Gruckens and throw them down the well.
Time: 20 minutes
CL Cap: None
Spawns:

Grucken

You read right, there is no CL Cap for this Mini Event. Why? No combat is involved, and the Gruckens don't attack anyway. It's up to you to grab as many Gruckens as you can and throw them down the well a little bit north of the Null Chamber - this point will be marked by a Green Arrow on your PDA map. Oh, and the green buggers will only appear inside of the Ranch itself, and not in the outside grassy areas where other Animated roam.

Despite it sounding like a walk in the park, it can be absolutely frustrating to some [me included]. The Gruckens are already quite speedy, and they zigzag around, changing directions. Obstacles are also present in the form of cows out and about. What's a Gaian to do? For one, increasing your Footspeed allows you to move quicker, so clicking on a Grucken has a higher rate of success. Otherwise, train your reaction time and your reflexes so you can spot where one goes next.

More Gruckens can only be spawned when existing Gruckens are disposed of. Avoid clicking more than once on a Grucken before catching, as it'll cause the Grucken to disappear, to prevent exploits from auto-clicking scripts.

###Deadman Spies in Zen Gardens


Mission: Defeat the Clutch Spies.
CL Cap: 4.0
Spawns:

Clutch Spy
Purse Spy

Clutches sent by Zhivago are flying around Zen Gardens, seeking out intel - your job is to counter this threat via a search and destroy Mini Event.

The Clutch Spies look exactly the same as do Clutches and Purses in Dead Man's Pass. These ones travel in groups, though - three normal Clutches and a lead Purse fly around, unless another Gaian has taken out part of said group. The spies mainly fly around the areas of the bridges, nearby the Wish Tree, and in front of the gates to the Shrine. Some people choose to camp in these areas instead. This can work too, provided the Clutch Spies pass by regularly.

Naturally, a boost to Footspeed will assist in the Searching aspect of this Mini-Event, if you choose to go on roving patrol instead. As for Destroy, it'll be easier to kill the Clutches as they will attack given provocation or close enough distance. The Purses avoid combat until attacked, however - use fast Ranged rings to keep hold of these enemies. Both types of Animated can prove hard to hit, so bringing along Accuracy buffs is always a welcome idea in this encounter. The event ends when every Clutch Spy has either been killed or has successfully reached their safe spot.

###BuzzKill! in Bass'ken Lake


Mission: Defeat BuzzKill.
CL Cap: 5.0
Spawns:

BuzzKill

As if Papa Saw wasn't a bad enough Saw for you, here comes another variant - BuzzKill spins around horizontally on a screw, and it just so happens that its blades match up with an average Gaian's neck height. As if it wasn't dangerous enough, it can teleport to other places at will, often attacking prey of opportunity.

Here you and everyone else in the immediate area are assigned the task of defeating this monstrosity. Immediate area is used since you can't exactly rally friends in other layers, since BuzzKill nullifies friend teleportation between layers. Use the PDA Map to track its location as best as you can, since it'll teleport to and fro quite a lot. Remember that there is strength in numbers, so mob BuzzKill with everything you've got.

Since BuzzKill teleports away when hurt too much, you've got to chase after it. Speed buffs are definitely quite nice to have, as well as defensive enhancements. Not only does it slow BuzzKill's damage, but they could very well save you from the aggro of other enemies in Bass'ken Lake. As always, keep an eye on your HP, and don't hesitate in retreating temporarily should things get dicey.

Since Mini-Events trigger when there are lots of people in an area, BuzzKill often shows up along with the 9pm Night Patrol of Giftboxes and their hunters.

###Bug Breakout in Old Aqueduct


Mission: Defeat 100 Aliens.
Time: 30 minutes
CL Cap: 6.0
Spawns:

Shockroach
Lightning Bug
Deathroach
Walker
Landstrider

Hive World has announced a counterattack on the Old Aqueduct in response to the Gaians that keep invading through the Star Portal - your mission is to fight back against these invaders and kill off 100 of them to repel their own invasion.

The brunt of the fight here is where the Star Portal is. Hive World aliens will spawn en masse from here, and slowly spread out to attack anything and everything they come in contact with, whether it's P3 or Gaian. The key here is to listen to Agent Caruthers - he'll let the area know what's happening, so you can coordinate tactics with everyone else in the area.

When he mentions GiB sensor readings spiking, take cover! A wave of Deathroaches will pop out, decimating whatever they're targeting in a large kamikaze attack. Don as many protective buffs as you can here to avoid getting Dazed. Afterwards, Hive World sends out another force of Shockroaches, Lightning Bugs, Walkers, and Landstriders in a one-two offensive. Since the enemies are tightly packed together here, let loose with AoE attacks to rough them up.

The aliens will then fan out - pursue them, minding the rest of the Old Aqueduct enemies. Pay attention to any fights that break out between the Hive World aliens and the P3s - it's your cue to pick off the weakened Aliens and hopefully get away from the P3s once they decide to attack you instead. Ranged rings do well for this phase, but feel free to sweep the area with what works for you.

A while later, Caruthers will announce the aliens heading back to the portal. That's just what they'll do, so head back to where the portal is and mop up the injured aliens before they hop on the portal and warp back to their world for maintenance. For best results, combine AoE attacks and rooting Crowd Control to prevent their escape.

This cycle repeats until victory is achieved by the remains of 100 defeated aliens, or the Mini-Event has failed by taking too long to accomplish the objective.

###Kikidnapped! in Buccaneer Boardwalk


Mission: Rescue Kiki plushies.
Time: 20 minutes
CL Cap: 6.0
Spawns:

Anchor Bug
Sand Castle Golem

A set of Buccaneer Boardwalk's mascot plushies [Kiki Kitty] have come to live by Ghi lifeforce, and the Animated are kidnapping and holding them hostage! This sure can't be good publicity. It's up to you to kill off the captors and rusk Kiki plushies to safety!

Kiki and a set of three Anchor Bugs and a Sand Castle Golem will spawn at randomized locations in the area, 2 at a time. Once someone gets close, the 4 Animated will give chase. Kill them off so that someone can snatch poor Kiki and take her back to Butterfingers Bart. The exact location is marked by a green arrow on the PDA Map, all the way to the far east side of the area.

Excellent player coordination is the order of the day here. Have some people focus on killing the captors, some clear up the naturally spawning Animated, one or two people running back and forth to rescue Kiki, and maybe a couple more people to ensure that the Rescuer reaches his/her destination safely. All these roles are needed to ensure the operations here go as quickly and efficiently as possible, since a total of five Kiki plushies need to be rescued every 4 minutes in order for the Event here to be a success.

In addition, it doesn't matter who's the Rescuer so long as Kiki gets rescued. The anti-click spam measures in the Grucken event also apply here, so avoid doing so.

###P3 Trophy Hunting in Gold Beach


Mission: Defeat all 100 P3 Raiders.
Time: 20 minutes
CL Cap: 7.0
Spawns:

P3 Hunter
P3 Tracker

Another search and destroy type Mini-Event similar to the one in Zen Gardens. This time it's the P3s getting ambitious and invading Gold Beach, attacking anything in sight.

The patrols here are a bit more varied: sometimes a whole convoy of P3s will march together, while other times a lone P3 will engage targets. Remember that while their Invisibility cloak makes them hard to see, the sand of Gold Beach lowers the effectiveness by a good bit. Feel free to engage the Raiders if you think you have enough power, or look for P3s who have already engaged the naturally spawning Animated and get a hit in before they die. Beware of the P3 Hunters though, as they have over twice the HP of the P3 Trackers; they have the white color scheme accordingly.

As with the search and destroy Mini-Events, it's a good idea to have Footspeed increasing buffs for the searching. If you feel you can't hold your own when searching the northern sands, try sniping P3s around the Sand Fluffs. A single target Ranged ring will kill P3s who have attacked the Fluffs, and *not* get said Fluffs aggroed at you. Otherwise, camp out at the entrance to the Old Aqueduct, as well as the grassy areas nearby the Null Chamber. These two locations provide plentiful chances to attack the P3s without the hassle of dealing with the present Animated.

###Saving the Spirits! in Otami Ruins


Mission: Quench and defend the Spirit Pyres.
Time: 30 minutes
CL Cap: 8.0
Spawns:

Tiny Terror
Tiny Witch Doctor
Feathered Coatl

The Otami Ruins Animated have built pyres to somehow leech energy from the Spirits of the indigenous people here. Your mission is to put these flames out... by killing the Animated nearby.

There are 4 Pyres in all: Ground, Pad, Ledge, and Waterfall. Their locations and status [whether they're lit or not] are marked in the PDA Map. To start the process of dousing a Pyre, walk up to the flame and rally several people to do the same. Enough people appear and a timer set to 1 minute shows - this is how much time you and anyone else in the present screen have to kill off the Animated here. If there are no Animated on the screen when the 1 minute timer runs out, then the Pyre will extinguish.

To keep it unlit, defend the Pyre by killing off the spawn that tries to reclaim it before too many of them get close. If this happens, the 1 minute timer returns and you have to repeat the process or else the Pyre relights. To start up the dousing process again, have people walk a decent space away, and re-converge on the Pyre itself, killing anything that stands in the way.

Due to the sheer numbers that you'll be facing here, you and everyone else participating in the event need to be ready for sustained combat, ESPECIALLY at the Ground Pyre. [You may want to attempt the other Pyres beforehand.] Excellent player coordination is an absolute MUST. AoE attacks work well against the large mobs here, and a fully Raged Divinity is especially helpful for regaining Stamina faster. Once the dousing timer has started, start by killing off the enemies that appear to build up Rage. Keep this up for 30 seconds, and use the remaining time to launch the brunt of the counterattack. Let loose Raged attacks so that no enemy is left when the 1 minute timer runs out.

And as a special note, avoid avoid AVOID going in between the torches at the Ground Pyre. This willl cause a bunch of non-Event Terrors to spawn, adding to the stress on the players defending the Pyre there.

#
####################Null Chamber Tips

###During Combat


Don't waste AoE attacks on one enemy when there's a group coming up behind him. Hit him, wait till they are all together, and *then* use your AoE.

Try to find good combinations of rings to use. For instance, Slash, THEN Hack, THEN Shark Attack so that the knockback effects of Hack or Shark Attack don't move your target out of range before you can use Slash.

Avoid using attacks that hit multiple targets when you'd rather fight only one. (Bite off only what you can chew.)

Running is honorable. If you're in over your head, run away and heal up. It's faster than coming back to the Null Chamber all the time.

You can sometimes 'pull' a monster toward you with a ranged attack so you can fight it at a safe distance from its friends. This has to be done carefully, but can be very effective.

In general, long-ranged attacks do less damage than close-ranged attacks. But not all monsters can hit you at range, so close-up attacks will get you damaged more often. Be aware of those choices!

If you attract the attention of too many monsters, you may find yourself running out of Stamina during the fight. Watch your Stamina meter!

If you're faster than your target, then try running away a bit, hitting with a ranged attack, running away a bit, etc. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

If you have a ring with Knockback, try knocking one target back, then switching targets to attack with another ring, then knock the original target back again when it returns to the fray.

###Out of Combat


Buff up before entering a boss encounter...don't wait until the middle of the fight.

Put the rings you need to use most after Awakening in your first few ring slots so they become unlocked first. (Lots of people do this with Defib so they can help Awaken crew members quickly.)

Power up your G'hi Meter by visiting Barton Town once in a while. Powering those G'hi Buffs up can help you survive a lot longer.

G'hi getting low? Take a quick breather in Barton before you head back out.

The world isn't all combat. Take a moment to chill and hang with other players. Head back to Barton to fill up your G'hi meter. Taking a break once in a while can make you happier.

Watch the enemy indicators on the side of the screen so that you don't accidentally walk into ambushes.

It *is* possible to sneak around some monsters. Many of them can only see you if you are in their front 180-degree arc and some of them are quite short-sighted. You don't have to kill *everything*.

Don't be in a rush! Take your time, try to plan your attack.

When entering a new area, find the null crystal first so you don't have to make that long trek back.

If you are in a new place, exploring, sit down and recover your stamina to 100 whenever you have a chance, cause you never know when the next big fight is coming.

Be sure you have Stamina remaining before you charge into battle.

###Crew Dynamics


Be nice to your crew. They won't help you if they don't like you. (Sounds silly, but it's oh, so true.)

Obviously there is strength in numbers, so join a Crew. Perhaps someone will have Defib so you don't have to read another 'Null Chamber Hint'.

When in a Crew, think about each person taking areas of responsibility. For example, one person heals, one person crowd controls, a couple of people do damage, etc.

You get a lot more loot as part of a Crew than you do as a solo player.

When in a Crew, keep your crew list open to keep an eye on your crewmates and ask them to watch your back as well!

You get a lot more loot as part of a Crew than you do as a solo player.

A crew with a large variety of rings can provide better effectiveness in combat.

If you are in a Crew, try standing closer to others who are fighting. That makes it easier for them to heal you.

Remember, joining a crew will increase the drop rate for a lot of items. This includes Gaia Gold, Charge Orbs, and even Recipes!

Ally-only rings are extremely useful in Crews.

###Game Mechanics


Use your Crew panel to select Crew members for healing and buffing during combat. It's easier and faster than trying to click their avatar.Rings that have 'Armor' stop damage from hitting you on a one-for-one basis. Four points of armor stops four points of damage.

Rings that have Deflection abilities have a percentage chance to prevent some or all of the damage from hitting you.

Rings that have Reflection abilities have a percentage change to bounce some or all of the incoming damage straight back at the attacker.

If you have multiple rings you want to use, then pay attention to their recharge timers and 'twist' your way through the rings as they become available. This maximizes the amount of healing or damaging you can do in a short period of time.

Be aware that later zones are TOUGH if you're just starting out. For instance, if you are lower than CL 6.0, you should seriously reconsider whether Gold Beach is right for you or not.

Keep your crew panel open (even if you're soloing) so you can monitor the status of your buffs and reapply them as soon as they run out.

If you're getting lots of lag, try closing other applications so that zOMG! gets more of your bandwidth pipeline.

Enemies are shown in different colors, and the important ones are like a traffic light. Red = STOP! They're dangerous! Yellow = Use caution. Green = Go, go, go! That monster is a good challenge for you.

You get even more power out of your rings if you combine them into RING SETS (see the Advanced Combat section in GAME HELP for more details on Ring Sets).

Don't put all your Charge Orbs into only one ring. The most efficient use of Orbs is to bring all your rings up at similar levels.

Hit the SPACEBAR to select yourself quickly. This lets you use target yourself for buffs and heals very easily.

A quick Kneel can give you a breather between attacks...just don't get caught kneeling!

If you use Rage attacks, you'll get bigger effects for the same amount of Stamina.

###Specific Ring Effects


Getting knocked back by monsters too much? Try using the My Density ring to increase your weight!

Need more Stamina? Try Divinity so you can use your stamina when it really counts.*

Some monsters are hard to hit. Try using Keen Aye to improve your Accuracy so you can hit them more easily.*

Use defense buffs at full rage for better protection. (The same is true of healing or stat alterations.)

When using a healing ring, it's best not to wait till the last minute. Stamina conservation is great, but not getting Dazed is even cooler.

Defensive buff rings (like Teflon Spray, Pot Lid, and others) can reduce the damage done to you by an animated. Use your buffs!

Crowd Control rings (like Scaredy Cat, Gumshoe, and others) can be used to keep Animated at bay. If they can't attack you, you won't suffer any damage until they're free.

#
####################Links In###

Normally I use the colors of Venetian Red [#C80815] and Black [#000000]. Sacramento State Green [#C80815] Hot Pink [#FF69B4]