Welcome, Rift Storm Recruits!
Are you ready to harness the power of both magic and tech to dominate the battlefield? The Rift Storm Essentials Training Series is your one-stop shop for mastering this captivating realm.
Hertz: The Lovable Powerhouse Tank
The name itself resonates with power, like a thunderous drumbeat echoing across the battlefield. Formerly known as Codename Atlas, this heavy metal aficionado has traded his codename for a legend – a legend forged in the fires of countless battles.
More than just a music enthusiast, Hertz is a towering force on the battlefield. He dominates the frontlines with his earth-shattering attacks, strategic debuffs, and unbreakable defense. While enemies may tremble at the first chords of his battle anthem, it’s his unwavering resolve and tactical brilliance that truly turn the tide of war.
Hertz’s Arsenal: A Moving Fortress
Active Skills
Skill: Crowd Surfing:
- High-Impact Damage: Deals a base damage of 300%, clearing out groups of enemies and potentially taking down weaker foes in a single blow.
- Lython Synergy: For each Lython acquired during your run, Crowd Surfing’s damage increases by an additional 15%. This incentivizes collecting Lythons and rewards strategic planning. This bonus stacks multiplicatively, meaning each Lython has a greater impact than the last.
- Invulnerability Window: Upon landing, Hertz gains 0.75 seconds of invulnerability, allowing him to reposition safely or follow up with further attacks without taking immediate damage.
Strategic Advantages:
- Mobility Enhancement: Crowd Surfing offers exceptional mobility. It lets you quickly traverse the battlefield, reach elevated areas, or close the gap on distant enemies. This makes it valuable for speed runs and allows you to adapt to various combat situations.
- Damage Scaling: The Lython synergy makes Crowd Surfing highly scalable. The more Lythons you collect, the more potent the ability becomes, allowing you to clear out larger groups of enemies and deal significant damage to stricter foes in the game’s later stages.
Tips:
- Plan your path: Consider the battlefield layout and enemy positioning to maximize the impact of your leap. Aim to hit multiple enemies and utilize the ability to reach strategic locations.
- Lython Acquisition: Prioritize collecting Lythons to unlock the full potential of Crowd Surfing. Remember, the damage bonus is multiplicative, so each additional Lython has a significant impact.
- Combo Potential: Use Crowd Surfing to initiate combat, close the gap on enemies, or reposition yourself for follow-up attacks. Combine it with your other abilities to maximize your offensive potential.
- Starting Essence: Look for weapons that grant starting essence to give yourself a head start on purchasing Lythons at the beginning of a run. This allows you to acquire more Lythons early on and unlock the damage potential of Crowd Surfing faster.
- Efficient Lython Selection: While all Lythons can be beneficial, prioritize those complementing your playstyle and enhance your overall damage output. This might include Lythons that offer an increased critical chance, attack damage, or area-of-effect damage, further amplifying the impact of Crowd Surfing.
Skill: Caustic Rift
A pulsating aura inflicts pain and disrupts enemy movement on the battlefield.
- Area-of-Effect Damage: Enemies caught within the aura take continuous damage over time.
- Slowing Effect: Enemies are afflicted with a slow debuff, hindering their movement and making them easier targets for Hertz and his allies.
Strategic Advantages:
- Crowd Control: Caustic Rift excels at controlling large groups of enemies. The combined effects of damage and slow offer valuable crowd control, allowing your team to focus fire on priority targets or reposition strategically.
- Box Breaking Efficiency: This ability also offers a unique utility. The disruptive sound waves of the melody can automatically break open nearby breakable boxes, saving you time and effort in clearing the environment.
Tips:
- Strategic Placement: Aim to cast Caustic Rift in areas with high enemy density to maximize its impact on the enemy team’s movement and damage taken.
- Combo Potential: Utilize Caustic Rift to set up follow-up attacks from yourself and your teammates. The slow effect makes enemies easier to hit with skill shots and melee attacks.
Skill: Mosh Pit
Taunt and Invulnerability: For 3 seconds, Hertz becomes the center of focus, taunting all nearby enemies and forcing them to attack him. Additionally, he gains invulnerability, completely negating any incoming damage during this duration.
Strategic Advantages:
- Aggro Management: Mosh Pit is an exceptional tool for drawing enemy attention away from vulnerable teammates. This allows your team to focus on dealing with damage without the threat of being targeted.
- Combo Potential: The invulnerability window and forced enemy focus create a prime opportunity for aggressive follow-up attacks. You can utilize this time to unleash your other abilities, swap to powerful weapons, or reposition yourself for optimal damage output.
- Defensive Utility: In critical situations, Mosh Pit can be used defensively to absorb enemy attacks and buy time for your team to heal or revive fallen allies.
Tips:
- Strategic Timing: Utilize the Mosh Pit when your team needs a window of opportunity to deal damage or heal. This could be during boss phases, overwhelming enemy waves, or reviving fallen teammates.
- Combo Planning: Consider your follow-up options before activating Mosh Pit. Utilize the invulnerability and enemy focus to unleash your strongest attacks or abilities for maximum impact.
- Positioning: Be mindful of your positioning when using the Mosh Pit. Ideally, activate it in an area where you can effectively absorb enemy attacks without putting yourself or your team in further danger.
Passive Skills
Skill: Shredded Encore
This powerful skill offers a “get out of jail free” card in moments of desperation, allowing him to cheat death once per mission.On activation, if Hertz would be dealt a fatal blow, he instead survives with 1 health point and gains invulnerability for 5 seconds.
Strategic Advantages:
- Clutch Plays: Shredded Encore allows Hertz to survive a potentially fatal attack, giving him a chance to heal himself, reposition, or unleash a final stand. This can be game-changing in close encounters or against powerful bosses.
- Tactical Advantage: The invulnerability window provides a brief window of opportunity to regroup, strategize, or utilize powerful abilities without the threat of immediate damage.
Skill: Djent Dissonance
Passive ability that fuels his rage and empowers his attacks.
Strategic Advantages:
- Rewarding Aggression: Djent Dissonance encourages an aggressive playstyle with Hertz. By actively targeting slowed enemies, you can quickly stack Fury and significantly enhance your effectiveness in battle.
- Balanced Power: This ability provides a balanced buff to both offensive and defensive capabilities. This makes Hertz a more well-rounded tank, capable of dealing significant damage while also taking punishment from enemies.
- Synergy Potential: Djent Dissonance shines when combined with Caustic Rift. Utilize Caustic Rift to slow enemies and efficiently stack Fury, transforming Hertz into an unstoppable force.
Tips:
- Prioritize Slowed Enemies: Focus your attacks on enemies afflicted with the slow debuff from Caustic Rift or other sources to maximize your Fury gain.
- Aggressive Playstyle: Be bold and active in combat. You can stack Fury quickly and unleash your full potential by actively engaging slowed enemies.
- Teamwork: Communicate with your team and coordinate your abilities to create opportunities for you to exploit slow effects and stack Fury efficiently.
Skill: Drop Tuning
Whenever Hertz gains a Fury stack (through Djent Dissonance), there’s a 5% chance that a used charge of Crowd Surfing will be refilled.
Strategic Advantages:
- Increased Mobility and Defense: If Drop Tuning triggers, you gain the opportunity to utilize Crowd Surfing more frequently, enhancing your mobility and temporary invulnerability in the midst of battle. This allows you to reposition strategically, escape danger, or close the gap on enemies more often.
- Sustained Damage Potential: By potentially regaining Crowd Surfing charges, you can extend the period of high damage output associated with the ability. This can be particularly beneficial against large enemy groups or bosses where sustained damage is crucial.
Tips:
- Maximize Fury Gain: Prioritize actions that generate Fury stacks (such as attacking slowed enemies with Djent Dissonance) to increase the chances of triggering Drop Tuning.
- Strategic Use of Crowd Surfing: Use Crowd Surfing wisely and plan your movements, as you might not have the luxury of relying on Drop Tuning to regain charges consistently.
- Adapt to the Situation: Be prepared to adjust your playstyle based on whether Drop Tuning activates. Use the additional Crowd Surfing charge to engage or reposition strategically if it triggers aggressively.
Lython Synergy for the Unrelenting Tank: Hertz
Hertz, the legendary tank, thrives on the battlefield with the right Lython companions. Let’s explore some potent Lython choices that synergize with his playstyle and abilities.
Offensive Powerhouses:
- Corrosive Aura: This Lython bathes enemies in a damaging aura, perfectly complementing Hertz’s close-quarters combat approach. It weakens enemies around him, making them easier to tear through with his attacks and Crowd Surfing.
- Hollow Point Rounds: As Hertz excels at close-range combat, Hollow Point Rounds provide a significant damage boost to his attacks, particularly effective when combined with a shotgun. This combination allows him to shred through enemies even faster.
Defensive Fortifications:
- Energy Conversion: This Lython maximizes the benefits of Hertz’s high invulnerability periods. While invulnerable, you can tank damage and generate extra mana, allowing you to maintain the cycle of abilities and sustain your aggressive playstyle.
Bonus Lythons:
Consider Lythons that offer utility or offensive buffs. Options like increased critical chance, attack speed, or movement speed can further enhance Hertz’s effectiveness in battle.
Lython Acquisition Tips:
- Prioritize essence: Look for weapons that grant starting essence to give you a head start on purchasing Lythons at the beginning of a run.
- Essence-generating equipment: Equip armor pieces, weapon perks, or other Lythons that boost your essence gain throughout the run, allowing you to acquire more Lythons consistently.
- Collect them all: While specific Lythons are highlighted, don’t hesitate to experiment and find combinations that best suit your playstyle.
Conclusion: Hertz is more than just a tank – he’s a symphony of war.
Master his diverse skillset, harness the power of Lythons, and dominate the battlefield! Embrace Crowd Surfing’s scaling damage, utilize Caustic Rift’s crowd control and utility, and leverage Mosh Pit’s strategic opportunities. Don’t forget Shredded Encore’s clutch potential and Djent Dissonance’s synergy with Drop Tuning for increased mobility and sustained damage.
Remember:
- Prioritize Lythons that complement your playstyle and boost Hertz’s strengths.
- Experiment and find the Lython combinations that best suit you.
- Embrace an aggressive approach to maximize Fury gain and unleash Hertz’s full potential.
With dedication and practice, you’ll turn the tide of war and claim your place as a master of the Rift Storm!
