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Monday, November 3, 2025

Absolum - Speedrunner info (continually updated)

Aipsh, one of the first guys I found: 


Bragdras, one of First guys I found (looking up Jaroba stuff):  


Mikwuyma, seems very technically capable, hates thorn daggers (OP),  but doesn't take it toooo seriously during these runs, which makes it better for learning how the game works. Also he states a lot of tidbits during play:  

  • Things I learned from our friend here
    • Timing on Clash is wildly different between the 4 heroes. I mean I kinda already knew, but he pointed it out during his runs... such that the final final boss Absolum the monster has weird clash things to worry about like
      • when falling from sky, BROME has it easier b/c his Skill hits up high
      • Noticed he did vs falling from sky using Karl yesterday so can be done… harder eh?
      • when the final final boss charges you with water waves you have to time it sort of precisely, not really, but when switching between heroes it'll mess you up
        • the waves on that class will count as many clashes
    • You can Clash the annoying fire from the undead giant dwarf king, underKing. It will do gobs of damage to him if you do it right.
      • He did it while jumping fairly closely in front of the boss, with Galandra. I've done it a couple of times, but when you miss, it SUCKS. I think doing it earlier does more dmg to him. 
    • Cant OTG (off the ground) skeletons… at least vs galandra they don’t bouce up enough for the usual combo. 
    • Spectral dragon fight seems to be one of hardest. Then again north all the way Grandery can be hardest w the super chicks, especially if red versions (armor version s). 
    • The giant green goblin miniboss at the end of Grandery is easier to beat then his brother/son the giant red goblin miniboss. 
    • I think The other route Grandery endboss, the goofy guy with the shield... is super rarely (maybe once only) sometimes replaced with either a giant undead guy or a creepy Lovecraft tentacle guy. But is that right or was that somewhere/something else? 
  • Galandra, fresh file https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4iYd1m45fs&pp=0gcJCQMKAYcqIYzv
  • Karl fresh file generic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSdMKwHmlAU&list=LL&index=12  
  • Cider. His 200/50 handicap low dmg given hi-dmg-taken run with Cider
  • Brome, same 200/50 handicap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKs-Ievb8gM&list=LL&index=11
  • BTW, he did Streets of Rage 4, which is considered the precursor to Absolum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNsCSzrRTM0


Ben Auton - World record for the moment apparently guy: 
  • Brome world record https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StYKsPqHiU8
    • Brief comments as I scan through it... need to watch for real tho. 
    • 4 twister super arcana, OK nice, i suspected it was important/good. 
      • Oh, very important for the north shield guy miniboss. With ULTRA triple Brome. 
    • he's doing a lot of dash/run combos early on... i suspected that was also important for Brome. Let's see if it stays that way. 

Absolum - Combos (attack strings, think SF4+ style)

General

Combo damage guide, how it works, etc.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac06QlbcAyM&pp=ygUXYWJzb2x1bSBnYWxhbmRyYSBjb21ib3M%3D

What I noticed:

Seems like you don't want to do the "ender" on your typical hit hit hit hit combos. Instead, hit 1 to 3 times then switch to another type of hit, maybe a Skill hit, or a vertical dash away/dash back to them, or an air attack, or a dash/run into Tiger Knee (in the case of Galandra). 

Speaking of her dash(?)run into tiger knee, or Brome's run -> into combos... I often find myself constantly double tapping towards and getting a couple of hits in, then getting halfway through the combo, then continuing a run into new combo with them. With Brome, he scoops them up off the ground well doesn't he, when he run attacks? Gets them in the air, slows down when his tongue comes out... but seems like you can repeat pretty easily then get an OTG (off the ground) or off the wall bounce with at Skill Mana(?) Burst move (his big green energy bubble with Skill button). 

In general, the attack string combos are super forgiving and infinitely creative. You can almost do anything. The trick is how to accomplish certain things, you have choices to make if you think about it:

    • Looking for damage output?
    • Looking for safety, so you don't get hit from behind? Timing and positioning awareness needed. 
    • Staying in the air for safety? Sometimes this is the best route. 
    • Want a longer combo so 
      • you get more mana back or  
      • higher chance of crit/chain lightning/whatever
    • Get that wind gale applied so they are up in the air longer (forever?). Seems like when they have the yellow spinnies around them from wind powers, you are much more open for longer combos AND safety. Don't underestimate those wind powers against hard monsters/bosses. 

 


Character attack combos

Galandra:

Start area https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mulyHC4K0Pk

Practical vs. regular enemies (speedrunner guys does a lot of these, like dash/run tiger knee into Skill): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIJfnYVqHbU&pp=ygUXYWJzb2x1bSBnYWxhbmRyYSBjb21ib3M%3D


Brome:

Note how his beginning Orb super is great for bouncing them up for longer combos, a la  Ed's slow ball super/ultra in SF5/6: https://youtu.be/QCTf9bV-QOE?t=63

Of course Brom also has Urien's mirror in SF3+ for those juggle bounce combos. 


Others to come:

 

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Absolum - Ken’s 3rd kick sf3, speedrunner???

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHEs3uyuzdw&t=147s

Around time 2:00 he mentions Galandra has a move from Street fighter 3 third arrike.  The 3rd kick of Ken? Not sure which one he means, but I need to find out and add this to my big list. 

Wait i think i kind of see it.  Her regular standing hit hit hit… she does a roundhouse type kick with back turned to camera.  Looks a lot like Ken's HK (standing Roundhouse) in SF3... or maybe his standing far MK (medium kick) in SSF2T or SF3. 

So looking closer, it's probably more of a standard karate or Muy Thai type kick. Look at Ken's fingers splayed and arm fully extended. I don't think her arm ever fully extends. 

Conclusion: Close but no cigar. I definitely can see many influences from various versions of Street Fighter, but maybe this particular one is just coincidence and not quite and homage. 

See her move here at time 2:52 - https://youtu.be/CYXl1TKQTN8?t=232



See Ken's SF3 version of MK here: https://www.justnopoint.com/zweifuss/ken/ken.htm



Friday, October 31, 2025

Chainsaw Man the movie (2025) - some really popular anime movie... action horror romance???

 Well I loved both of the old Vampire Hunter D movies. Could this be a modern movie that is somewhat like that? A ton of high reviews. I dunno, it feels hard to trust it's not just some teen movie... I guess I should check the critics (damn I hate to put faith in them, but if they rate it highly, there could be something to it). 

IMDB likes it:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30472557/reviews/?ref_=tt_ururv_sm

Holy crap, Rotten Tom.'s likes it, too. That is flipping rare to agree with IMDB, isn't it? Is this for real... 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chainsaw_man_the_movie_reze_arc


I see the guy who is directing is (I think) an animator in Japan who worked on an episode of OnePunchMan and some other well known things. Hmmmm. 


WORRIES: sounds like it's one of those gorefest movies, so... meh. I dunno. 

BUT I LIKE: well damn, just watched a 10 second clip of some crazy action in the air, and wow, it looks pretty insanely incredible. See trailer. Man, saw more in the trailer... that is some good animation, my God. 



Absolum - The Map

 Thank you person who put it here


Might as well have the map handy. It's a pretty good looking map, though a little cartoonish like the game is. I kinda like the Angler Fish up top, in place of one of those ancient whale-inspired monsters on ancient sea maps. 

Bosses (and secret bosses) are mostly shown on this map. But... I don't think it shows the secret boss on the north shore of the beginning area, in Grandery. See my secrets post for details, but basically look for a giant dragon skeleton, then do emotes on the controller. You'll get an upgrade if you beat him. 

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Ancient 13th century doodles by a young dude... looks like stuff you'd see today

 https://www.popsci.com/science/birch-bark-grafitti-weirdest-thing/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onfim



So those were drawn the 1200s, huh? Crazy and kinda funny. Epic battles and even maybe a monster?

"Onfim's illustrations include pictures of knights, horses, arrows, and slain enemies. One image, "a portrait of himself, disguised as a fantastic animal [[[the one I put above here]]],"[11] is found on item 199 (pictured; it was originally the bottom of a basket made of birch bark), which contains a picture of a beast with a long neck, pointy ears, and a curly tail. The beast either has an arrow with feathers in its mouth or is spewing fire; one of the accompanying texts says "I am a wild beast". Another text says "Greetings from Onfim to Danilo," most likely a friend or classmate of Onfim.[12] The number of fingers on the pictured people's hands varies from three to eight; Onfim had yet to learn how to count.[13]"

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Brome - a reanalysis of that post

 See my original analysis here, of Brome mostly based on that post

One comment on his Ultimate before we continue: He gets shadow versions of himself... 3 total froggers that can do 3 of the same thing all at the same time. That's not just regular attacks and Skill hits... if you do supers err Arcanas, you'll get three of them. This is pretty awesome, widening the area they hit and probably tripling the damage (I need to find a way to test the dmg). 


BUILDS as I find 'em:

  • Azra can't touch Brome - Is it a build or more a Combo that protects Brome and nukes the boss? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTf9bV-QOE
    • Reminds me. How important is the Cloak for Evad vs. the bosses and when you want to do certain combos? B/c taking little damage is one thing, but if you can Evade, seems like even the Azra Clash is going to miss you, right? Kinda nice.


ReANALYSIS

Have I changed my mind from my first analysis, now that'd I've played a fair bit more? Highlights and (((comments))) in this color. 


Brome
Available from the start:
-Channelling
Make Arcana stronger by holding down the Arcana button. I am unsure how much this boosts your damage, but I'll guess it's +50% like Karl's Take Aim. Because
Brome's Arcanas are mostly amazing at dealing damage already, this can melt lifebars in a split second. Finding the time to charge your Arcana in the middle of a combo or in a tight situation is also a lot of fun.

-Controlled Grab
Brome can move the enemy around during a Grab. Strike slams the enemy into the ground. The slam deals more damage than simply throwing your enemy away, and being able to move your victim around before the throw/slam is handy to throw it into a hole or into a group of enemies. Still, this isn't Brome's strongest or most exciting Inspiration.

-Mana Burst
Skill can be charged to increase its power. Not only does it deal more damage, it also covers a bigger area. Charging it in the air allows you to stall in the air too. This is handy to time your Clashes manually as well. Basic but well worth a slot. (((Is it really called Mana Burst? Anyway, yeah this is fun and useful. I've mentioned you can position yourself above/below enemies and hit them safely very often. Also that air stall is super important and can be a way to jump into a huge group at the side of the screen then hit them... maybe the upgrade doesn't matter, just the skill in general. But bigger is often better. )))

-Infused Staff
For every full Mana chunk, ground Strikes gain an improved energy burst. This improves not only your basic Strikes' range, but their damage (((one of my favorites))) as well. The bonus caps out at NINE Mana chunks, I believe, so you can get a lot of mileage out of this Inspiration if you couple it with ways to get extra chunks and to recover Mana quickly.

-Battle Rage
Increase Mana gained on hit in accordance with your Combo meter level. This rewards aggressive and skilled play by allowing you to use Brome's powerful Arcanas often.
Keep in mind you can maintain your Combo throughout most of the individual screens of the game, thanks to strategically placed breakable items that let you refresh it in between enemy waves (((weird idea, cool idea))), but your combo will always be cashed out at the end of an individual screen.
Unfortunately, some bosses do have phases where they can't be hit for a little while, which will cash out your combo - but these are usually tanky enough bosses that you'll be able to build it back up and enjoy the flow of Mana. (((in general, Brome seems pretty easy to get a lot of high hit combos with. I do a lot of dash, combo, get 'em in the air a little, dash, repeat... I think it goes like that. It definitely feels that way, but I dont have the game in front  of me. Seems like you can juggle a nice long time. I guess doing the "break nearby objects" in between could be done, but seems like a lot of trouble for me.)))

-Arcana Overload
Arcana cost double but deal triple damage. This is great when you have extra Mana chunks to spare, but thankfully you can still use an Arcana if you only have one chunk of Mana filled. This terrifying Inspiration can destroy just about any enemy in the game if used properly. (((I would say... if you want to use, use it with either the tornados or ... his Barrage one.)))

-Projectile Dispel
Clash a projectile to spawn a homing missile. Clashing a projectile can be a daunting task, but the returns are worth it. Some boss attacks generate a lot of projectiles that you can Clash all at once, like the Underking's flamethrower or the Lizard King's belly slam...

-Resonance Field
Enemy hit by Skill increases the next Arcana damage by 20% (can be accumulated to 10 times). Another great Inspiration for outputting craploads of damage. Boosting your Arcana by up to 200% and unleasing hell on a boss is extremely satisfying, especially against big targets like the Underking or the Beast. (((super duper crazy damage, especially if you stack on some other big options.)))

Unlocked with Seeds at Ederig the Stalwart:
-Telekinesis
Automatically lifts nearby Throwables. Use your Skill to turn them into deadly projectiles. This is kind of a stinker Inspiration in my opinion - picking them up and throwing them manually is usually more practical. Besides, the projectiles do not have tracking and as such it's difficult to aim with them. They also disappear upon transitioning to a new screen, so you can't really stack a million of them.
Some Throwables won't be picked up by this Inspiration as they would be too chaotic to deal with. (((meh)))

-Drill Rush
NEW MOVE: Run + Skill. Also works in the air with Forward, Forward + Skill. This Inspiration is very, very dumb. Though only the start of it has a Clash window, it starts up so fast (((well, double tapping is never fast, so... not sure I agree here b/c the inputs definitely matter. I guess if you are straight running first... yeah maybe that makes it good, but as a raw move, not so fast))) that you can do it at the very last moment against an enemy's attack. Because it is a Running attack, you can also do it after any Strike or after your regular Skill too (((yeah this is the spammyness of it. But that is kinda how this game is designed... you can get complicated if you want, you can spam if you want, all good.))). It's good offense, and great defense. Amazing to plow through a crowd of non-armoured enemies as well. (((Very good. I do drill, skill, drill the other way, skill... and often the skill is by accident, yet it still works out fine.)))

Unlocked from Brome's personal quest:
-Arcana Mastery
Give brand new properties to your equipped Arcanas.
Wrath beam deals more hits and more damage.
Doom orb grows bigger and inflicts more damage.
Sigil of hate cover a bigger area (((is helpful))) and inflicts more damage.
Wall of contempt turns into three walls (((sounds fun, need to try))) that last an extra 2 seconds.
Spiteful tempest spawns four extra tornadoes (((seems very good so far))) that spin around the first four in the opposite direction.
Rage barrage fires its projectiles quicker (((no extra dmg? Hmm.))).

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Fairies were always big like ppl, till Victorian era; folklore historian

 See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i61jkjPtMuw

See time 14:30 in video.

Scots and Irish fairies are still big. And fairies used to always be human sized or bigger… also were beautiful. 

The English in the Victorian era made them smaller.  Victorians were interested in nature and insects… dragonflies and stuff. 

Irish Aos Sí, Irish fairies (pretty much fairies,), from wikipedia - Riders of the Sidhe (1911), painting by John Duncan . 

Check out this site

More from that Irish folklore site

"While we now see the word Sidhe (pronounced Shee) as meaning an Irish Fairy being, the word in older Irish generally referred to a place associated with the Otherworld, the actual mounds themselves that were said to be connecting places between the worlds."

That's interesting to me, b/c it is just like the torii gates in Japan... crossing over into the Other World... the world where something like spirits/magical beasts/fairies can live basically in both cultures.  

-=-=-=

Toothfairoes used to be mice. Kinda. 

… commenter veryscarydragon says: mice and rodents eat antlers and bones and teeth in the wilderness.  Seems to be true https://iere.org/why-do-rodents-eat-antlers/

See Pianotm’s comment. Lord Byron did initial ghost story contest, that’s why ppl contestants wrote him as a vamp. And GRIM REAPER. Based in Greek… the titan Kronos lord of time w his scythe, …. Being Charon the boatman…then associated w the Black Plague as roaming the streets of Europe really solodified him personified as dearh. 

Absolum - more analysis on Cider

 From: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3590526648


My (((comments))) or emphasis in this color. 

Cider
Available from the start:
-Turbo Rotor
Arm blade rotates faster and longer during attacks. This makes Cider deal more hits and damage to enemies
on the third and fourth Strike, [the] first jumping Strike, and [her] Running attack. This synergizes very well with Rituals that grant you effects on Strikes, and as it gives you more opportunities for Critical Hits (((yes yes yes, this is what I noticed. You will crit like crazy. Go Crit build or Crit + Luck, Luck which increases crit chances, build with it.))) as well, it synergizes well with Rituals, Trinkets, and Inspirations that have an effect on Crits. It's not exactly the flashiest Inspiration but it's quite solid.

-Critical Toolbox
Spawns a random Throwable on Criticals. Any build that boosts the power of Throwables will appreciate this Inspiration, and Throwable are very powerful in general. Be careful though: you may cover the ground in Throwables and have a hard time actually throwing the ones you have equipped, as the game prioritizes picking up items on the ground over throwing the ones equipped. Hopefully this gets addressed.

-Pneumatic Heels
Gain 2 additional Dashes and allows to Air Dash. A great Inspiration defensively, as it allows you to defend during Cider's lengthy air combos, it also allows you to become more mobile and chain attacks in creative ways. Synergizes well with Rituals that have an effect on Dashes and Deflects, naturally. Very fun to use!

-Gyro Drop
NEW MOVE: Up + Skill while Grabbing or in the air. Landing spot can be controlled. This is a versatile move that can help keep you safe during intense situations as you become invincible when you execute it and you can relocate to a safer spot on the screen, or slam your victim against a group of enemies to scatter them. It's a great way to finish your combo when you reach Overpressure as it deals a lot of damage, which gets boosted by the Overpressure hit. Plus, it just looks so cool.

-Cashback
When no Throwable is equipped, use gold to throw a damaging coin. The coin will disappear if it hits an enemy, but you'll be able to pick it back up if it lands on the ground. Keep in mind that your co-op partner can also pick up the coins you throw. This can be annoying, but you can also use that to give them extra gold if they need it to buy a Trinket. If you have Throwable Replicator, you'll throw three coins for the price of one...

-Recycle
Gadget-based Arcanas spawn Mana orbs when disappearing. This applies to Clockwork marionette, Spider mine, and Flying shredder, and allows you to spam these a lot, especially if you have Arcana Mastery. It unfortunately does nothing for the other three Arcanas.

-Throwable Replicator
Throwables are multiplied when thrown. You throw three of every throwable (save for Thorn Daggers) for the price of one! This deals awesome amounts of damage and is also practical for crowd control. Throwable builds are stong on anyone, and stronger still on Cider.

-Magnetic Jump
Wall Jump is possible. Press Strike to follow with a diving blade attack. This is Cider's stinker Inspiration... For how cool it is in concept, Wall Jumps are way too infrequent to implement easily in your gameplan. It's a shame, because it looks very cool, and the follow up attack is rad too! I'd advise against picking it up in a serious run, but hey, it's a lot of fun to mess with.

Unlocked with Seeds at Ederig the Stalwart:
-Vortex Grip
NEW MOVE: Hold Skill to Grab and throw an enemy. You spin the enemy around before throwing them, which hits surrounding enemies as well. You can hold forward or back to decide in which direction to throw the enemy, too. You can't do it in the air though.
NOTE: this does NOT remove your ability to pull enemies towards you with your base Skill: if you tap Skill, release the button, and then hold it again, you'll be able to do your basic pull Skill with your grappling arm. The timing is a little tight, so it may take some practice to pull it off.

-Slice and Dice
Attacks from behind deal +50% damage. Forward Dash passes through enemies and deals damage. This is another fun combo tool that opens up your options, especially coupled with Pneumatic Heels, and it heavily boosts your damage when you use it properly. Cider has all the cool-looking stuff!

Unlocked from Cider's personal quest:
-Arcana Mastery
Give brand new properties to your equipped Arcanas.
Kinetic gear hits six times instead of three.
Spider mine turns into three mines that track enemies automatically.
Tinker blade fires five kunai instead of three. By the way, did you know you can aim them up and down when using the Arcana in the air?
Clockwork marionette Clashes enemy attacks instead of Deflecting them.
Flying shredder launches an additional drone that spins around the first one.
Rising drill hits and Clashes in a significantly bigger area of effect, lasts longer and hits more.


From the other post, Skree says this is overpowered, and I think it is extremely powerful myself:

"Raise luck and critical chance, and get the power that paralizes enemies in crono stasis when hit with critical hits.

WIth THOSE Cider is invincible. If you add to those the power up that makes her rotating blade hit more times then it's almost a cheat code."

And another guy (same post) said something about the gold coins as projectiles there also... with triple shot. And from the youtuber I saw, it is brokenly too good.

Absolum - more analysis (plus build) - Karl the Dwarf

Her Original via: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3590526648


BUILDS as I find em: 

  • Mega bullets + shells. Silly, broken, one-shot-almost, pretty cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TFSLgXyNjY
    • Quote "I might make a video on it, but its basically time ritual and chaos twin ritual which spawns clones, and these clones bullets get multiplied, and their heat seeking bullet shells. therefore you get insane damage. And then there is the telescope, and arcane inspiration that boost spell efficiency which also boost damage even further."


Emphasis and (((My comments))) in other color, b/c red kinda hurts me eyes on their blue-black background.


Karl
Available from the start:
-Ironhead Rush
NEW MOVE: Run + Skill to perform a powerful
headbutt. This attack can Clash and starts up quickly, and you can perform it after a normal Skill, which gives you another chance to Clash the enemy if you performed the normal Skill too early. This deals a lot of damage as well, and I believe counts as both a Skill and a Running Attack for Trinket and Ritual effects. (((no real comment, but it seems good at a glance when the kid was using it. I tried it a little and thought it fine, but always ended up doing something else for some reason. Could it be as good as the DRILL on the BROMELIAD FROG?)))

-Extra Magazines
Gain 2 Mana chunks but decrease Arcana damage by 30%. Don't sleep on this, the damage debuff may look significant but having more Mana makes you better on offense and defense. This is great if you're unsure about the timing to Clash with your Skill, as you can Arcana afterwards to be safer. Besides, coupled with Infused Shells, this actually buffs your damage output. (((yep, with infused shells, it's great. But with powered up summoned skeletonesses, it is just badass and broken with Reload. I've preached this before.)))

-Hammer Swing
Finisher hits multiple times and can be controlled. This deals more damage than your regular Finisher, as well as having a bigger area of effect. This is great for combos and you can position yourself better during it in case you spot danger. Keep in mind you can cancel it at any time with a Run, a Skill or an Arcana, like your regular Finisher. (((Scuber duber duper good. Zee kiddo's fave thing in the game lately.)))

-Reload
NEW MOVE: Skill with no directional input, spins weapon and reloads 2 Mana chunks. Works in air.
This is the mother of all cheese strats - couple this with an Arcana that can keep your enemies at bay (((yeah, I'm saying the harpoony Javeline one is key. Not to mention skellie summoning from Arcana. Did I say that before?))), and you'll be able to kite them from the other end of the screen safely, even more so if you have Infused Shells.
The attack itself deals a lot of hits when it connects with an enemy, which is great for Rituals that have an effect on your Skill. Reload's Clash window also appears faster than your regular Skill's Clash window, so you can do it rather late and still Clash.
Keep in mind you still have access to your regular headbutt Skill and gun butt Skill in the air if you hold forward/back while pressing Skill.

-Earthbreaker
NEW MOVE: Skill while grabbing an enemy to smash him on the ground. This deals a LOT of damage in a big area, and you are invincible during the first part of the animation, so this move is great for crowd control. You cannot Clash attacks with it though. If you have Throw Mastery, you can do some insanely damaging combos by doing the Throw Mastery dash in the air to regrab the enemy and do Earthbreaker over and over.

-Take Aim
Arcana can be charged to deal 50% more damage. I think this is the stinker in Karl's otherwise amazing line up of Inspirations, and even then it's not bad at all. More damage is great, and charging your Arcana means you can time your Clash (or invincibility) window manually. It just pales in comparison to the other choices.

-Throw Mastery
NEW MOVE: Up + Y, dash and grab the enemy. Works in the air. In addition, Throws do more damage and launch further. This move is a LOT of fun (((how??? lemme read))), as it opens up Karl's combo game significantly!
The dash itself has Deflect properties that can keep you safe against non-red attacks and power through your enemies' blows. Don't hesitate to use it against anything that can be grabbed. It unfortunately isn't much use against enemies that cannot be grabbed in combos like Gazorg, but doing it during a combo can grab enemies that normally break out of your grabs, like Rudolf or the blue Goblin Champion (((the little armored helmet dude eh? with the wide swinging sword?))).

-Bouncing Bash
Strikes 3 times in the air, bouncing off enemies. Another addition to open up Karl's air game, this deals a lot of damage and can be followed up by an air Skill. The final hit also counts as a Finisher for Rituals that affect them. (((Dude, this thing is as broken good as the Galandra Dive Kick... ok maybe not that powerful, but it is super duper safe and easy to take out scary monsters with b/c you are so safe and like cannot miss once you start. Feels slightly boring maybe.)))

Unlocked with Seeds at Ederig the Stalwart:
-Rocket Dwarf
NEW MOVE: Dash in the air to boost in a chosen direction, up to 3 times. This is another AMAZING Inspiration! Not only can you perform the boost in all 8 directions, this also can hit enemies! It counts as a Skill for Rituals that affect them, AND it can Clash against enemy attacks instantly. You can move at very high speed thanks to this Inspiration. It's amazing offensively and defensively. I hotly recommend messing with it. (((yeah seems fun and kinda nutty good. Just the fast movement is pretty wild. Did I ever mention how I like fast stuff?)))

-Infused Shells
Shells produced by Arcana can damage enemies and auto-target them. This Inspiration is not amazing with single-shot Arcanas (Blast, Grenade, and Javelin), but works extremely well with Rifle, Dragonbreath (it's almost mandatory with Dragonbreath, b/c you cannot turn around or cancel Dragonbreath. Still I say Dragonbreath is awesome, b/c in Co-op it helps lock down half the screen, and your buddy can combo up the place))), and Firestorm. You can pelt your foes with half a dozen tracking shells that'll keep you safe even from baddies that sneak up behind you. Couple this with Reload and you have an extremely powerful and cheesy build. Just make sure these don't get Clashed by enemies who can Clash your attacks, like the Lizard King and Azra (((I was wondering about that... on Azra specifically b/c he's pretty annoying with it in general))), or you'll get a taste of your own medicine...

Unlocked from Karl's personal quest:
-Arcana Mastery
Give brand new properties to your equipped Arcanas.
Blast bullet has a significantly bigger hitbox and generates more Shells.
Grenade bullet turns into a fragmentation grenade, covering more of the screen in explosions.
Firestorm bullet lasts longer.
Rifle bullet fires significantly faster, generating more Shells as well.
Dragonbreath bullet cover a a bigger area in front of you.
Javelin bullet, uh, deals more damage? No idea what other effects it has.

Absolum - more analysis on Galandra

Via  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3590526648



Galandra

Red = my emphasis. I'll be (((commenting))) shortly. 

-Blood Harvest
Gain 10% damage and 10% Move speed for 10 seconds when killing an enemy. This bonus stacks when killing multiple enemies, meaning killing a second enemy before the 10 seconds are up grants you an additional 10% damage and 10% Move speed for the next 10 seconds. (((so I was wondering, and apparently in this writeup she [just noticed it's a chick writing this up, BTW thx to you original poster] says that they stack/overlap... meaning if you kill 3 dudes in 1 second you get like 9 or 10 seconds of 30% extra damage & move-speed. I think that sounds about right. ))) 
Extra Move speed should also buff the damage of your running attack.

REMINDS ME, when you get the thing on SKILL that gives you Spectral Armor... I noticed if you spam it against the same monster, it doesn't keep stacking. Maybe it is ONCE per COMBO or something. Noticed it when using BROM and the upgraded SKILL + the give spectral armor on Skill hit, b/c I was bouncing them off the wall a gazillion times and my Spectral armor would only appear to upgrade one time during that combo. THIS HAS IMPLECATIONS that all things tied to SKILL will only trigger once per combo, I guess. Go double check me on all this. 

-Blade Spin
Replace Skill in the air with a multi-hit spinning attack. This attack deals more damage than the base Skill and has a slightly larger Clash window. However, against armoured enemies, this can leave you open to counterattacks because of how long the animation takes, so use it with care. Important[l]y, this hits and Clashes behind you as well. (((SheeeEEEeeet. This thing is broken in many cases. Safely, easily hit multi monsters from the air. I guess watch out for Armored enemies, so that's good it has a weakness. Then again... that is interesting, b/c do you want it easy against the mobs of monsters or against just the super duper armored jackholes? Choices are fun.)))

-Charged Sword
Hold Skill to perform a Charged Sword attack that deals 300% damage to Armoured enemies. This is amazing to take out an enemy's shield, or deal massive damage against Elites and most Bosses. This also allows you to time your Clashes with more care. You can turn around as well after charging the attack to strike behind you!
If you have Sword Flurry, you can chain your Charged Sword into the 3 hit sword combo.


-Spirit Claw
Replace your Finisher, the end of your Strike combo, with a multi-hit spirit claw attack. Not only does it deal more damage than your normal finisher, it also launches the enemy up in the air, and you can jump out of it to easily follow with an air combo. It can also be done in the air as a Finisher at the end of your air Strike combo. This synergizes very well with Rituals that have an effect on your Finisher, as every hit will trigger the effect.

-Dive Kick
NEW MOVE: Down + Strike in the air to perform a dive kick. You will dive diagonally towards the ground and bounce off enemies, allowing you to air combo them afterwards. Be careful though: against Armoured enemies, you will bounce farther and recover slower. (((my comment: sheeeet. There are some bosses that get nuked by this thing. Well, am I dreaming that? I'll say for sure against the doppelganger, it worked all too easy... uh... easily, to almost quote Vader. I could swear some other bosses, if you just spam it, get thrown into the corner and get stunned and crumpled or whatever. Am I nuts? Thinking Giant Goblin boss. Surely some others, huh?)))
You can peform this out of your running attack as well. It counts as a Finisher (((this mattters a lot for synergy))) for the sake of Rituals.

-Duellist
Greatly increase all damage by 40% at the cost of splitting damage among all targets hit. This is an amazing Inspiration for fighting bosses, as most of them are single target fights. The downside can be annoying when dealing with big groups of enemies, but Trinkets and Rituals can more than make up for that damage debuff.

-Sword Flurry
Perform 3 consecutive sword attacks with Skill. This allows you to deal more damage in combos, of course, but is also amazing for Clashing - if you do your first hit too early, you can do the second and hopefully catch your enemy's attack!
You can run cancel or dodge cancel the first two attacks, but not the third one. However, if you have Charged Sword, you can cancel ANY hit with Charged Sword by holding your Skill button, AND you can then continue into another 3 hit combo (((smells like cheese, but the cheese in this game is always called for and tastes great))) with the sword.

-Dark Grip
Grabbing an enemy does damage over time and generates Mana. Every hit dealt charges one entire chunk of Mana, so this is great to recover Mana and use many Arcanas. The damage dealt is significant as well, and you can still throw your enemy afterwards! (((Well, I liked it for a moment... but since you are usually swarmed midmap, you need to really keep focused and save it for the last monster on each screen. Do you always know what the last monster is on each screen, b/c I can tell you I am not going to stay focused that long. So i can't really use this correctly. Maybe with a TON of practice + conditioning, but never bothered yet b/c this game is fun b/c I do not have to purposely condition myself all the time, that is not so fun, yo.)))

Unlocked with Seeds at Ederig the Stalwart:
-Burial Smash
After a Run Attack, Strike to extend it into a grab and slam. Unfortunately, this attack does not benefit from Rituals that have an effect on throws. (((it still seems super solid to me vs. large groups of monsters. Hits surrounding foes and knocks them to the ground, right... like major crowd control? Doesn't it also do it in the air, or am I thinking of the other one, the claw ender dooflicky?)))

-Ghost Blade
Conjure a permanent floating sword Companion that attacks nearby enemies. This can be a boon when you're low on health and need to play defensively. The sword can also interrupt some enemy attacks, which can save you from getting combo'd. Be aware that the sword will NOT attract the enemy's attention, and so cannot act as a decoy. (((lazy easy mode extra dmg. Sometimes it attacks when you don't want it to or vice versa. It's basically pretty great though.)))

Unlocked from Galandra's personal quest:
-Arcana Mastery
Give brand new properties to your equipped Arcanas.
Draconic ascent will hit more often and deal more damage.
Necrotic wave will fire three energy waves instead of a single one.
Phantom impale will deal more hits and damage.
Revenge claw will hit the enemy twice upon a succesful Clash.
Reaper cyclone will last longer, and grant you Armour after the Clash window is over, preventing you from being knocked out of it. (((you don't say. Prevents you from being knocked out of it. Yeah, when that happens to me using whatever super move, it grates on my nerves every single time. )))
Dark helix will bounce once on the ground, doubling the length of it as well as its damage. (((yep, whoops. Realized this last night. I have a mistake somewhere assuming this was something you could do before the Acana Mastery thing.))))

Absolum - OK, what is this slightly off language this Absolum guide site is using?

https://absolum.online/builds/brome-chain-lightning

https://absolum.online/builds/karl-parry-tank-stagger#overview


 I'm reading through... I do like the shorthand for things so I can skim through it faster. And it almost all makes sense. Except... the person(?) writing this is using some established Roguelike [I still don't really love classifying games into these names, BTW] language or something funky I'm guessing. Because, what is "Frost"? What is "Mana/CD"? What is... "blink"? Some of these things do not exist in the game at face value. Is this site for real? 

quote: 

  • Best partners: Frost partners let chains land fully
quote: 

  • Unlock first: Mana/CD relief first
quote:
  • Counterplay: Add hard CC or pivot to single-target
Guessing CC = CrowdControl. 

quote, about Trinkets: 
  • Alternates: Shield/blink
Guessing: ... Well I know what the shield trinket it. Blink? More D&D references, wtf gives here?


Quote: Common Mistakes & Debug
Guessing Debug means... well it means whoever wrote this guy likes computer programming for sure. But what does it actually mean... I guess it means corrections from your common mistakes. This is fun trying to translate this I guess, isn't it.  

Quote: Q4. When should I pivot from “safe” to “burst”?
A. After you stabilize mana and hit density.
Guessing the DENSITY means... eh, enough mana to do what you need to do? Heh. 


OK, this bit is even weirder. Are they using D&D lingo? Frost Ward? Misty step? Is this whole site ai-generated and 25% just wrong? It's bugging me a lot. 

1980's vibe video games (from that time or related to); Halloween Scary Maybe

Rampage, ah Rampage: https://moviesandmania.com/2013/10/10/rampage-video-game-1986-overview/


Horror pinball machines: https://moviesandmania.com/2014/03/13/horror-pinball-machines/

Splatterhouse - one of the many Friday the 13th inspired themes: https://moviesandmania.com/2014/03/03/splatterhouse-1988-arcade-game/

Is this not the Godzilla game we have? I think it's different somehow: https://moviesandmania.com/2015/04/21/godzilla-playstation-game/