A Guide to Time Attack

[Zynetic]

Note: I won't run through any specific quests in this guide, simply because I can't explain any of them (except Towards the Future, but lol.) This also applies to Ultimate Difficulty

Wrote this a while ago. Thought I'd share.

Introduction

So, you've made level 200 on numerous characters. You've obtained all your gear that there's nothing worth hunting anymore. You feel as if there's nothing to do on PSO now.

Wrong.

Have you ever thought of becoming better at the game? Being an exceptional player at PSO? Or maybe you are a very good PSO player, and one way to show this is to Time Attack.

Getting Started

Time Attack has strict rules, and to get the best times possible, you need to follow them. If you don't, you'll find yourself hindered in some way or other.

1. Only a few select classes are used in Time Attack. This is because these classes outclass others in terms of sheer damage, and another classes' ability would not contribute to Time Attack. These classes are:

• • RAcast -- Easily the best class in PSO. Plays as a Primary Attacker
  • HUcast -- Though not as versatile as RAcast, HUcast can kill certain things faster than a RAcast due to his insane ATP
  • RAmarl -- The best support in PSO. Since RAmarl gets access to ranger weapons and good support weapons, she can contribute very well

2. Four-way Photon Blast combos are used before the quest is begun. This is to give each character their maximum potential. If you manage to outlast your Blast during a Time Attack -- you are doing something wrong. No quest except Realms of War requires you to recast Shifta.

3. Exceptional gear is required, sphered and such. I guess the 'sphering' aspect can be thrown out in Ultima, since it's not easy to obtain an exceptional amount of drops here. (At least, to my knowledge)

4. Avoid damage cancel as much as you can (if two attacks hit an enemy at the same time, one attack will be cancelled. This isn't seen at all). This means every person is to attack their own targets. You're not playing for experience or drops, you're playing to get the fastest time possible. If there are only a couple of targets left, position yourself for another spawn / room, to attack them as soon as possible.

5. Max ATP/ATA/LCK. Get max MST as well on RAmarl.

The Classes

RAcast

Say hello to the best class in PSO, period. Sure you think FOmarl is better, or maybe HUnewearl, or your RAmarl, but once a RAcast is properly geared and is supplied Shifta and Deband, he can outclass every other class in terms of damage -- and in PSO, that's the most important thing. His HU ATP, access to RAnger weaponry and RA-like ATA makes his damage potential the highest. (In a Damage:Time Ratio. Though HUcast can score higher numbers, he can't kill as quick.)

Gears

• • Charge Vulcans 50H+ -- Single Target damage weapon (generally). Always NSS. If Heaven Striker can combo kill and avoid targetting anything else with its auto-aim, use that over C. Vulcs. Charge Mechguns are also decent for attacking things in lines if S can kill. For example, 2 Melqueeks one after the other, NS kills the first, S kills the second.
  • Charge Arms 50H+ / Baranz Launcher -- Multi Target weapon. This will be your main group killer if the group is spread out, or the first room spawn has enemies that aren't near the door. Baranz Launcher should be sphered in Machine and Dark and have 50H, and is used on certain Machine/Dark spawns.
  • Berserk Needle -- Multi Target weapon. Use this if your spawn is grouped quite well and you're able to position yourself as it spawns. ALWAYS freeze the spawn with a Freeze Trap before you NSS, as RAcast ATA blows.
  • Zalure Gun -- Anything with Falz/Olga and you are using 4 CASTs.
  • Demon's Mechgun -- For Girtablulus / Epsilon if you are using 4 CASTs.
  • Hell Needle -- Used in Episode 2 against low-EDK enemies. Make sure you have a V502.
  • Hit Heaven Striker Set -- Single Target weapon. Get two of these with hit, the four other percents between them. With high %s, this thing is destructive on single targets.
  • High Hit Spread Needle -- Used in Episode 4 to Paralyze Goran Detonators and Dorphons. This *may* not be needed if you can kill fast enough, though.
  • Native/30+ Hit Excalibur -- Self explanatory.
  • 30H+ Snow Queen -- No need for Frozen Shooter, with enough hit this weapon is good enough for everything.
  • Power Maser -- Used for scaring rappies if there is no RAmarl/FOnewm present, or if the FOnewm is Gifoie'ing.
  • Twin Blaze -- Used for stopping inital Dorphon and Delbiter charges, even with a FOnewm, for it's better for many Dorphons/Delbiters to be packed with a low level Gifoie so you can Paralyze/Freeze (respectively) them all.
  • V101 and V502 are the only units needed. The rest is situational and up to you.
  • Red Ring / RAw

Playing

Your role in the party is to kill everything you can. And fast. Your party will leave whole mobs for you to single-handedly kill, since you combo kill many enemies. When you move into a room, start attacking as soon as possible with most useful weapon at the time. When a new spawn is coming, position yourself so you can hit as many targets as possible in the spawn -- provided another player has not positioned themselves where you are.

USE YOUR TRAPS IF NEEDED. I cannot stress this enough. The times I've seen CAST players not using traps in games (I understand it wouldn't be a TA game, but...) is amazing, as being a CAST and not using traps is like being a FO and not using Resta. Oh, also learn how to trap shoot. To do this, lay a trap and then press normal attack instantly. There is NO need to move at all. Also, very tiny HUcaseals cannot do this. I think RAcaseals are the same. Handguns are the best weapons to use for this -- so use Heaven Striker if you need to trap shoot.

And most importantly -- use the right weapons for the right situation. Playing a quest enough will learn you this.

HUcast

PSO's highest ATP class. Not surprising he's used, eh? With Dark Flow, Charge Vulcans and Charge Diska, HUcast is a force to be reckoned with. Not much to say about him, really.

Gears

• • Charge Vulcans 50H+ -- Use on targets with considerable HP. Sinows in Mines are a start, as are CCA Sinows. Anything stronger should also be killed with Charge Vulcans.
  • Charge Diska 50H+ -- Used on spawns where the enemies are spread out slightly after a freeze. Also used on Canune spawns.
  • Charge Handgun 50H+ -- Used for single targets that are far away and out of mechgun range.
  • Dark Flow -- Grouped Spawns and Single Targets (that you are right next to). Why Single Targets? Well, Dark Flow has a special ability that fires out 5 beams at angles to the character. The special thing with these beams is that they can all hit an enemy at once, causing you to do 5x Hard damage on a single enemy, which is generally enough to kill them with a sphered Dark Flow. Try to get two of these for all enemies.
  • Tsumikiri J-Sword -- If there are grouped spawns which you need to freeze in the middle, Tsumikiri J-Sword's special is what you should use. Through Dark Flow usage on spawns, you should be able to build up enough PB to let off a shockwave combo. After freezing said spawn, let off the combo. Try to obtain two, so you can get all four percents. This is also useful for the start of Gal Gryphon, and when dragons fly (though they shouldn't, as you should special flow their feet when they try)
  • Vjaya -- The strongest weapon in the game (even stronger than Dark Flow on groups). The special has hard attack accuracy, and has a 5X damage modifier, and a 40Hit one can be obtained from a government quest, so this is easy to obtain. Costly, though, so don't use it too much.
  • Twin Blaze -- Used for stopping inital Dorphon and Delbiter charges, even with a RAmarl, for it's better for many Dorphons/Delbiters to be packed with a low level Gifoie so you can Paralyze/Freeze (respectively) them all.
  • Hit Excalibur set -- Used for certain spawns, where you have 2/3 enemies packed extremely closely together. Due to Excalibur having berserk and a faster animation than Dark Flow, this will kill certain spawns better. You should attempt to get two with hit on them and all four attributes.
  • V101
  • Red Ring

Playing

Your job is to simply get single targets if there's mobs for RAs to kill, or to get clustered mobs if there's 2 or 3 single targets (such as the last spawn in the second room of MA4 E1.). Or, well, just kill everything you can see. You need to attack enemies that others are not, though.

Also, trap shooting is still something you should do.

RAmarl

PSO's best support class in a Time Attack game. Clio allows her to increase her Zalure range, Resta Merge and PGP allow her to get enough range to Resta her party, and her access to Ranger weapons allow her to still dish-out a shedload of damage. Her equipment is the same as RAcast (minus Power Maser), apart from the following:

Gears

• • Galatine -- This weapon is the best weapon to kill Vol Opt with at the right beat times. Gizonde-lock his screens with L20 and V801, and he will die very quickly. Also, get machine on this thing too, if you can.
  • Clio -- Use this to Zalure spawns when they... spawn. Sometimes you won't need to Zalure, but bosses need it.
  • Principal's Gift Parasol -- If you need a Resta range increase, use this when you Resta.
  • Resta Merge -- Used alot of the time. RAmarl has enough ATA anyway.
  • Ranger Wall / Ranger Wall -- If your party does not require healing at any point, switch
  • V101
  • V502
  • V801

Playing

The first thing to remember as RAmarl is that you are not a primary attacker. Attacking should be done after you fulfill Zalure and Resta. Resta should also be used in the fray if it's needed (note: do not spam Resta because a character has low HP. This is not good. Usually, Resta is only needed in heat/poison rooms / before spawns... spawn. If you're time attacking, the other people should know what they're doing.)

Note: Jellen is IGNORED, as it wastes time and causes Damage Cancel.

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In the end, just try. You'll be able to get times if you try.

Watch TA videos too; you can find many on Youtube.

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I'm in a rush here, I'll clean this up when I get home.

Edited February 5, 2011 by Zynetic

[davell]

i neva thought about it but your right about da racast jus because the rangers get the most effective (snow queen,needle etc.)and damaging/accurate(mainly mechs heaven striker etc.) weapons in da game. hu weps jus have hi atp. rangers are all around way more effective than jus hackin n slashin PLUS racast get every stat higher than the hucassy cept evp(who cares bout evp anyway) way more hp, more dfp an even more atp AND ata than a hucassy. n wit available weps like excal, its ashame how he can easily outclass every hunter(not so much hucast tho) hell i use a hucassy n ramarl but i recognize game wen i c it. in most teams game RAcast is overall best pso class. shout out to vypor! lawl

[Larva]

Well i have use lvl 200 players with good gear , good stats and even tho i have problems in some places of the game , and this is cuz im not as good i want, i want to be EXTREAMLU good myabe one day i

quit as a admin and focus on playing only xD

[davell]

LOL hopefully you can retire soon larva u do work hard for us

[chuk]

yeah i know the thread is kinda old but ain't you forgetting Dark Meteor?

Charge Arms 50H+ / Baranz Launcher -- Multi Target weapon. This will be your main group killer if the group is spread out, or the first room spawn has enemies that aren't near the door. Baranz Launcher should be sphered in Machine and Dark and have 50H, and is used on certain Machine/Dark spawns.

[Shoutgu]

nice, the only thing i would consider is, using diska of braveman instead of charge diska on HUcast. Multiple reasons including making it faster to special on DF