Hey guys, I'm a level 160 NL with 8388 HP. I still have 40 base int. I know 9k is "safe" for HT but I'd also really like to get rid of the int to make my damage better. Also, I want to get rid of it because if I wait until I hit 9k HP it'll be realllyyy annoying getting 40 int out (by that time i'll probably be level 185+) My question is: Is my HP sufficient given that I'll darksight for wings and remove haste when attacking so if seduced, I won't get to the falling rock as quickly? I've also thought about taking AP from int and putting it into HP (thus getting the 9k goal) then slowly resetting AP from MP back to luk. Any advice? Thanks!
To your question, yes. Your HP allows you to easily survive HT as long as your use Dark Sight when climbing up the ropes to the platforms by Head A and Head C. Wings will hit you for 9k damage, hence the 9.1k HP threshold. However, you should know that you must be careful when attacking Head A. If you're too far forward on the platform, when wings fly up, they'll touch you. So stand back a little, just in front of the falling rock. You won't ever be sed mule unless people leave the map by dcing or dying and respawning after 10 minutes. So you shouldn't have to worry about getting to base 100% speed (e.g. turning off Haste) during preheads. Speed and jump isn't an issue in main body.
I forgot to factor in the additional +100 from the dep star (that would get replaced by HTP) but I don't think that changes much. Thanks for your help!
@Shiyui does that mean that as long as I have 5.6k HP and turn off haste + use dark sight when climbing ropes, I should be perfectly fine as a NL for HT?
No, you need 7.6k HP to be perfectly fine as a NL for HT using the Dark Sight workaround for avoiding wings' 9k damage. You have 5.6k HP, so you'll die to legs and tail. While legs and tail are alive, you'll have to stay at Head A. But staying at Head A like this is very, very difficult. It requires extreme focus on character positioning. You can't be too far forward on the platform or else wings will kill you when they fly up, and you can't be too far backwards on the platform or else the falling rock will hit you, making you fall to the bottom where legs and tail damage will kill you. If you fall, you have to IMMEDIATELY get off the ground, but it's very risky. You don't have to turn off Haste at any point unless you're sed mule. Which should never happen. And if you are... rip. XD
I read somewhere that the falling rocks isn't affected by the invincibility frame, and that a magic attack + falling rock could hit at the same time, hence the 9k threshold; is this not the case? So as long as I dark sight the wings and say back at the head so the wings can't hit me, 7.6k is enough to survive comfortably?
I don't remember if the falling rocks still hit me when my character was in invincibility frames, but even if they do deal damage, being hit by rocks and a magic attack is very, very unlikely. The 9.1k HP figure comes from wings' damage. Yup! That's correct!
Ok thanks! Does that mean other ranged classes (bm and corsair) would need 9k to climb up and survive the run comfortably?
That's correct! Non-thief, non-mage classes would need 9.1k HP to go up to the platforms by Head A and Head C since they can't use Dark Sight to avoid being touched by wings and they don't have MG to just tank the damage.
I think Shiyui covered it pretty well, but I'll add my 2 cents as someone who's in a similar situation. My NL is currently level 171 and has around 8100 HP. I HT quite often and I've never died except due to lag (and ironically I started at Head A for that run). Like you mentioned, 8000+ HP is enough to start legs/tail. Dark Sight lets you dodge wing's touch damage. You should survive the whole run simply by paying attention and having good positioning. Now there's two parts where it gets uncomfortable: Attacking Head A. You have very little margin for error. Can't stand too close or the wings will kill you. Can't stand too far back or you'll get knocked off (having to climb up = loss of DPS). Mass Seduce. You have to stand in the middle and jump attack when arms dip below 30%. If you stand on the typical platform, even with haste off, there's a chance rocks will kill you if you get seduced to the near corner. It's extremely scary because you're praying that random factors (seduce direction, shadow shifter, avoid) all fall in your favour. Also, when you jump attack in the middle, you lose a good chunk of DPS. Personally, I would advise washing out the 40 INT. The INT holds back your damage by quite a bit, and damage is pretty much 100% of the value you add to an HT run as a NL. You can replace the 40 INT by upgrading your INT equips, so it won't hinder you too much in the end.
