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Guide to Monster Specific and Enhanced Skills
Intro
As you go about fighting monsters in Mabi, you’ll realize that there are some skills that humans, elves, and giants cannot posses, or even beefed up versions of human/elf/giant skills. The general purpose of this guide is to inform about them, and what counter measures should be taken against them.
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Monster Specifics Skills
1. Chain Casting
Description: The skill Chain Casting gives the monster the ability to chain together 5 charges of a magic spell for the cost, and charge time of a single charge. Players can posses the ability as well in the upgrades of wands and the power of an Ego Wand, but to a much lesser degree then the actual monster skill. Where as monster can chain together advanced magic and bolts, a player’s upgraded wand or Ego cannot.
Counter Measures: Most monsters who posses the ability to Chain Cast will use it for advanced magic. (There are a few monsters that will chain bolts though) The downside to casting this advanced magic, even with the chain is that there’s a long casting time to it. While charging, monsters that have the passive defenses of Heavy Stander and Mana Refractor, (and possibly Natural Shield) will not be able to activate their respective passive defenses on the first hit that they receive. This allows for one to get a smash or an N+WM combo on the monster charging. Monsters that string together bolts, will usually run around before unleashing their bolts. A long ranged skill that knocks back is recommended, as they will drop their charges when knocked back.
Monsters Observed to Use: Ghosts, Ghouls, Giant Sprites, Incubus, Banshee, Demi Lich, Arch Lich, and Siren.
2. Teleportation
Description: The name is pretty much self explanatory. Allows the monster to move from one point to another without covering the distance between the two point by running. This skill is triggered only when the monster in possession of the skill is knocked back. The only exception to this rule is when they are knocked back using the skill windmill. When knocked back, without windmill, they will teleport right back to you.
Counter Measures: Counter measures to this skill are different for said monster, and can be even used to a players advantage. Siren, for example, can be smashed, then this sets her up for a teleport. If one loads windmill right away, they can windmill her right as she teleports back! Also, for siren, a critical smash will knock her mask off, and she will lose the skill along with a few other choice skills. Ghosts in Peaca are another example of where the skill can work against them. Players usually combat ghosts via mass windmill in the corner of a wall. Every once and a while, they can get knocked behind the group. If a person has firebolt pre-loaded, they can force it to teleport back the them, and back into the group that is windmilling. Another way to exploit the skill, in the cases of the Dark Lord (during G1 mainstream, and G3) is to have players huddle up together, and have counter loaded. Since the Dark Lord has a splash range, when he’s knocked back and teleports back to you, he will immediately get countered by one of the players in the group, and the others will take no damage at all.
Monsters Observed to Use: Ghosts, Demi Lich, Dark Lord, Mini-Golem (Ciar Adv.), Siren, Arc Lich, Prison Flying Sword, Banshee.
3. Summon Monster
Description: Again, pretty self explanatory. The monster employing the skill can summon a wave of other lesser monsters to aid it.
Counter Measures: Depending on what monster is summoned, use the appropriate tactics to dispatch them. Or, of course, you can just run far away before you’re noticed by any of the summoned monsters and lure the main boss over to you away from the smaller monsters and resume the fight. Be aware though, if so you choose to kill all of the summoned monsters, the boss can and will spawn another wave of them. Some instances require you to dispatch the summoned monsters however. One case of this is Glas in the G1 Finale. Another instance, (though not so much required as much as it is a tactic) is to lure bomb steeds summoned by the Arch Lich around him, and play dead. The others will aggro as well. Then attack it with a pet while you’re still playing dead. Hopefully, it will explode, causing a chain reaction to the others, effectively damaging the Lich (as well as yourself…)
Monsters Observed to Use: Glas, Esras, Demi Lich, Siren, Mini-Golem (Ciar Adv.), Arc Lich, Prison Zombie, Ifrit, Guardian of Ruins.
4. Instinctive Reaction (Intuition)
Description: Basically, this is a passive skill that will allow the monster to automatically retaliate to a smash with it’s normal attack. This, however only applies to when the monster has no skill loaded. Also, be warned that it’s irrelevant if the monster has aggro or not, they will still be able to employ the passive skill.
Counter Measures: Basically, do not use smash… Apply knowledge of the monster’s aggro and take it out accordingly with correct tactics. Just don’t use smash…
Monsters Observed to Use: Gorgon, Heavy Gargoyle, Skeleton Ghost, Skeleton Laghodessa, Giant Black Spider, and Bisque Doll.
5. Night Change
Description: Allows the user to change it’s passive defenses, and can result in 5 different results.
Red = Melee PD
Blue = Magic PD
Yellow = Ranged PD
White = All PD (invincible)
Black = No PD
Counter Measures: Pretty much use any attack that it’s PD is not immune to. Using different types of attacks may edge the user to change use night change to conform to the attack that was just used (or not). If the White state is triggered, there’s pretty much nothing you can do, just keep yourself alive, and eventually, it will revert to Black, and you can take it out with any methods in your disposal.
Monsters Known to Use: Exclusively Nightmare Humanoid.
6. Self Destruct
Description: The monster using this skill basically blows itself up, and can cause little, to massive damage. Of course, the monster itself is killed in the process. This is the only thing windmill will not save you from.
Counter Measures: It’s best to use a skill with knock back like magnum shot or fire bolt, so when the monster blows itself up, you won’t take damage. If you’re lucky, you can get other suicide monsters in the explosion to blow up and hurt other monsters in the room.
Monsters Known to Use: Lost Sahuagin, Skeleton Squad, Sprites (Castle Dungeon), Bomb Steed.
7. Dragon Specific Skills
Description: Dragons have a wide variety of skills that are unique to them. Most of them really have no counter measures aside from a well timed windmill to avoid them by using the windmill invincibility frames, so I will not really be going into depth about them that much.
Dragon Fireball: A very powerful version of a normal fireball. Not only is it very strong, it also has a huge blast radius. Best counter measure, run out of the radius on a horse, or, alternatively in the future (G7), use fire magic shield to keep yourself alive.
Tail Attack: Pretty much a swipe of the tail in a circle. Counter measures are use of the windmill invincibility frames to avoid damage.
Petrification: The dragon will breath out a breath of steam, and if you touch this, you will be paralyzed for 10 seconds. To avoid getting hit by this, attacking the dragon from behind or from the side is recommended. The Banshee is also apparently able to use this as well, but since the skill mostly applies to dragons, I have it in the dragons section. In addition to the Banshee, Prison Ghosts and Prison Zombies possess a similar ability to petrify, but, they use melee attacks to petrify, not a breath of gas.
Other Skills: In addition to these dragon skills above, there are others in future generations used by the Red Dragon. Since I know nothing about these as of the time I am writing this, I will come back and update this guide when I’ve experienced them first hand, and have more details on them.
Monster Enhanced Skills
1. Stomp [Quake]
Description: Similar to the giant version of the skill, but oh so much more deadly. The monster employing the skill will lift up some part of it’s body, or weapon, then smash it down on to the ground, causing a quake that will knock back anything within it’s range. The monster is also able to load the skill very quickly, and the range of this skill compared to a giant’s is larger, and the damage is a lot greater.
Counter Measures: To avoid the skill, if you are walking or standing far enough away, you cannot be hit by the skill. It’s advised to keep your distance from any monster that can employ this skill. Also, this isn’t so much a counter measure as it is a warning. Using play dead while in range of the monster will not keep you from getting hit, as a matter of fact, it makes you a sitting target…
Monsters Observed to Use: Ogre, Ogre Warrior, Golem, Mammoth, Yeti, Ifrit, Giant Headless, Argus, Small Argus, Cyclops, Gargoyles (?), and Dragons (?)
2. Passive Defenses
Description: Passive defenses are defenses against a certain type of attack. There are 3 different types of passive defenses, each defending against either, Melee, Magic, or Ranged attack. Names of the skills and what they defend against are as follows.
Heavy Stander = Melee Passive Defense
Mana Refractor = Magic Passive Defense
Natural Shield = Ranged Passive Defense
Each PD also has a Lvl that will grant them a superior grade of PD.
Heavy Stander
Lvl 1: No damage reduction. The monster will retaliate immediately and break a player’s attack cycle, if their AI allows them. Activates 10~50% of the time. Using final hit against this level of PD is somewhat safe, if you are using a fast weapon, such as daggers, though, you can get hit.
Lvl 2: 10~6% damage reduction. The monster will retaliate immediately and break a player’s attack cycle, if their AI allows them. Activates 50~75% of the time. Final hit from this level and level 3 are not safe, and will probably end up getting you killed quicker.
Lvl 3: 100% damage reduction. All attacks will do 1 damage regardless of what attack is used. The monster will retaliate immediately and break a player’s attack cycle, if their AI allows them. Activates 90% of the time, though, regardless of activation or not, all attacks will still deal 1 damage.
Mana Refractor
Lvl 1: No damage reduction. The monster becomes extremely hard to knock down with charges of ice and lightning bolt, they will however be stunned. Activates 100% of the time.
Lvl 2: 10~70% damage reduction. Ice and lightning bolt will only stun for a fraction of a second, and the monster can basically charge right at you, and through subsequent magic attacks with ice bolt, lightning bolt, ice spear, and thunder. Using ice spear, the monster will not be frozen, but, the explosion will knock the monster back if it can be knocked back. And for thunder, the first hit will not knock back, but the thunderbolts will. Activates 100% of the time.
Lvl 3: 100% damage Reduction. Ice and lightning bolt will not stun at all. the monster can basically charge right at you, and through subsequent magic attacks with ice bolt, lightning bolt, ice spear, and thunder. Using ice spear, the monster will not be frozen, but, the explosion will knock the monster back if it can be knocked back. And for thunder, the first hit will not knock back, but the thunderbolts will. Activates 100% of the time.
Natural Shield
Lvl 1:No damage reduction. The monster just becomes harder to knock down with basic ranged attacks. Activates 100% of the time.
Lvl 2: 10~70% damage reduction. The monster becomes able to shrug off any basic ranged attacks. They will be able to run strait through to attack you. Can be knocked back by magnum shot. Activates 100% of the time.
Lvl 3: 100% damage reduction. The monster becomes able to shrug off any basic ranged attacks. They will be able to run strait through to attack you. Can be knocked back by magnum shot. Activates 100% of the time.
Counter Measures: When going up against an enemy with a passive defense, the best option is to avoid using what their passive defense defends against. For heavy stander Lvl1~2, a common technique used is fire-counter. For enemies that possess all 3 types, but to varied degrees, the solution is to use an attack against whatever passive defense is weakest. For monsters with all 3 types at lvl 3, you only have 2 options. 1) Force a monster to use windmill a lot, effectively cutting it’s hp. Or, 2) use a ghost sword (available via handicraft) since the only monsters with all 3 PDs at Lvl3 are very powerful ghost type monsters. For natural shield Lvl1~3, the use of mirage missile will negate their passive defenses. Some Passive Defenses can be exploited to a degree. For example, monsters who have Mana refractor and Natural Shield Lvl1, will just remain stationary when you shoot them with basic attacks, this allows you to spam a single attack, a lot, and possibly deal more damage faster then you would if a monster would be knocked back.
Monsters Observed to Use: Many monsters can use these passive defenses, and can be identified if you hear a metallic “ping†when attacking.
3. Advanced Heavy Stander
Description: Similar to the giant skill windbreaker, and the ability of humans with final hit in use, this passive defense grants the monster the ability to never be knocked back by any attack. Of course, they will still take damage. Most monsters who possess this are coupled with other passive defenses as well, making the monster that much harder to take down.
Counter Measures: There really is no counter measure to this, aside from the fact that most monsters employing this are big, and vulnerable to a large amount of people fighting at once. Best advice is to stay behind the monster, and let the people in the front get killed.
Monsters Observed to Use: Dragons, Sandworms, Ifrit, Mammoth, and Yeti.
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This Guide will be updated as the generations go by, with new tactics, and new skills. Please, if you have any info that I missed, or see some information that’s not necessarily true, please inform me, and I’ll be sure to give you credit in the guide, or change the info to make the guide more accurate.
Credit for what monsters use what skills and info on passive defense goes to the Mabinogi World Wiki, as they had plenty of info that I missed along the way writing this guide.