A Closer Look At My Favorite Guardian From the Guild of Guardian Regional Playtest
In this Article:
Introduction
Hi Folks! Welcome to another post on GameFi Nexus.
We’re a month away from the official launch of Guild of Guardians! If you’re looking to earn from the game, then this is your last chance to fine-tune your inventory of NFTs.
That’s easier said than done for those who aren’t able to access the regional playtest. Anyone outside of Canada, Australia, and the Philippines is missing a lot of intel.
For the next four weeks, I’ll be focused on bringing you more content on the game’s systems, characters, and strategies to help you along.
While I’m at it, why not start with my favorite DPS Core 1 Legendary Guardian? Atticus.
In this article, I’ll cover his stats and abilities, how I’ve used him in the game, and some closing thoughts on how good he is.
If you’ve been anxiously waiting on the sidelines wondering how to get started, you won’t want to miss this and future articles.
Let’s get started!
About Atticus
Atticus’ past is shrouded in mystery. All we know from the game so far is that this prodigal inventor built a lot of deadly weapons for the empire.
Based on his banter with Tybor in the main storyline, he has a lot of blood on his hands — something which he seems to have come to terms with.
Atticus is a ranger class which means he uses the agility gear set and his main purpose is dealing damage. Rangers have the highest attack rating in the game but aren’t the most durable.
His element is cinder, so he’s effective against Terra Guardians and suffers penalties against Hydris.
What sets Atticus apart is without a doubt his ultimate skill.
When activated, Atticus runs to the center of the screen and unleashes 5 bombs that deal physical damage to almost the entire field.
His kit also includes an ability that places a landmine behind each enemy that deals up to 380% of his attack when triggered. This gives him some synergy with other Guardians that have knockback abilities.
His active skill creates a smoke screen that increases evasion by 50 for up to 10 seconds. Unfortunately, he tends to throw it towards frontline characters that don’t typically stack a lot of evade.
His passive skill increases his basic attack by up to 170%, which just solidifies his role as a main DPS.
In theory, Gambit can also knock enemies back into his landmines, but with a 5% chance to trigger, only 1 out of 20 attacks will work on average — meaning the enemy is probably out of position at that point.
How I Use Atticus
Atticus is somewhat of a one-trick pony. His active and passive skills add a bit of DPS and buffs to evade, but mainly he’s there to spam Bombs Away on the enemy formation.
But that’s okay! Bombs Away is a devastating skill.
It has one of the largest areas of effect in the game, does 500% physical damage, and is effective against dodge since it hits five times.
Only a handful of Guardians can match that damage output, but not on the entire enemy formation.
Before you get too excited though, consider that the skill has a significant weakness. Bombs Away’s area of effect doesn’t reach enemies that are directly in front of Atticus.
He’s a bit like Tom Brady in that sense. Deadly from the pocket, but things fall apart once the opposition gets close.
I usually keep two tanks up front to keep the enemy formation on their side of the field while Atticus lobs bombs at them. I also use Tursgog for his ability to apply stun to all enemies and clog the front line with his wolves.
To get the most out of him, you’ll want to maximize his damage output by:
- Prioritizing weapon and boot gear upgrades to max his attack
- Stack secondary gear stats like armor penetration, crit chance and damage, and accuracy
- Choose runes that increase his damage output like Imperials, Insight, Scorching Cinder, Perspective, Full Bellied, Paper Skin and Brute Force
- Choose runes that increase his combat energy like Prodigy, Stamina, and Well Rested
- Reroll his unique item — Atticus’ Goggles — until you get an Attack primary stat and the ability that gives Bombs Away a 50% chance to add burn.
His best pairing is by far with Griselle, who can instantly recharge his ultimate skill. That lets him throw 10 bombs in a very short amount of time.
Pro Tip: In Endless Mode, avoid rooms with the effect that reflects 10% of the damage a Guardian deals. Atticus will absolutely die after using his ultimate.
How Good Is Atticus?
I’ve had a lot of success with Atticus in extreme content and Master-level Endless mode throughout most of the regional test. Here are some of his pros and cons.
Great For Clearing Easier Fights
He makes for a great DPS carry provided you’re willing to build around him.
My favorite thing about Atticus is just how fast he clears out rooms.
He can wipe out weaker enemy formations in one ultimate attack, and killing all five enemies instantly recharges it so he can do it all over again in the next room.
That helps shorten lengthy dungeon runs in Endless mode and farming easier dungeons in the regional playtest.
Great Bang For Your Buck
Atticus offers great value for your money because of how accessible he is on the market and in the game.
He’s one of the cheapest legendary Guardians on Token Trove at the moment, Web2 copies of him sold for 25 CAD during the regional playtest, and he was available on both the Freemium and Premium banners.
That makes him much cheaper to own and upgrade than other comparable AoE damage dealers like Lia (around 450 USD on secondary markets only) and Tian Long (140 USD on the market or Premium banner).
Needs Specific Guardians To Be Effective
The main downside to Atticus is that he becomes very dependent on Griselle in late-game content, which can limit your formation-building options.
You need two characters up front who can soak up damage and keep the enemies away from him.
That means you need a dedicated healer to keep your front-line characters alive in the third rear slot instead of another DPS character or an assassin.
As a result, your squad becomes too dependent on him for damage-dealing, making it extremely vulnerable to ranged units and assassins who will one-shot him in harder stages.
Cyrus’ arrival to the game mitigates that somewhat. He’s also an imperial cinder character who can synergize with Atticus and is powerful enough to solo tank through any of the game’s content.
That frees up your second forward slot for another tanky DPS character like Tian Long or Kriez.
Conclusion: Great DPS At A Reasonable Price
So, is Atticus perfect? No.
He’s useless at close range and you can ignore most of his skills aside from his ultimate.
But when it comes to dealing extreme amounts of damage to the entire enemy formation, few Guardians compare.
Before Founder Guardians showed up, his 500% dmg multiplier (100% per hit at level 5) was only matched by a handful of other guardians like Kreiz, Ashwyn (if you go on a streak), Morana, and Dorro.
None of them, however, deal that damage reliably to every enemy on the screen. Even Lia, arguably the best DPS in the game, has a smaller AoE that’s only effective when enemies are close together.
Now, using him does limit your formation options, but his relatively low cost and high availability make up for that.
He provides great value and will make for a more affordable alternative to other legendary DPS like Tian Long, Phoenicia, and Lia.
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If you use Atticus in your squad? Drop a response and let us know who you pair him with.
