Skylanders Trap Team Research: Enigma Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

Enigma Base Upgrades

Enigma Chief of Staff

Enigma Invisible Invader

Enigma Attack Damage Numbers

Skylanders Research: Wallop Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Wallop Base Upgrades

Wallop Tantrum Thrower Upgrade Path

Wallop Hammer Handler Upgrade Path

Wallop Attack Damage Numbers

Conclusion

I opted not to write out my usual detailed analysis for several reasons.  First off, I am super tired,  Second, I'm not sure who all takes the time to read them (now is a great time to comment if you do, or if you prefer the write-ups OVER the videos).  And lastly and most importantly, Wallop's upgrades are just really, really straight forward.

I will offer my personal opinion though....Tantrum Thrower is in my opinion the better path.  The damage numbers are better and the fact that they occur in such rapid succession makes it a no brainer.  Toss in (ha, literally toss in) the Soul Gem and how it upgrades the Hammer Toss that is addressed by Hammer Handler and all the stars align to take Tantrum Thrower.  It is simple, plays easy, and will be an asset to both veterans and rookie players.

The only real reason to take Hammer Handler is if you either A-love the Hammer Toss (or equally hate the base hammer attack), or B-prefer long range combat.  Obviously, this path is geared to keeping a long range, at least if you play the path to it's full potential.  However, what I have seen in Trap Team rarely lends you to a true "distance" battle.  You almost always have multiple enemies at varying distances.  The other weakness with this path is that Wallop is simply not quick enough to retreat from said enemies to re-establish the path's benefits.  It seems to always evolve into a scenario where Tantrum Thrower would be your best option.

Skylanders Trap Team Research: Gusto Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

I have never really heard much chatter about Gusto, aside from people saying they don’t like him…I have used him a lot in my blind playthrough and actually really like him.  Then again, I tend to be both a boomerang and weather fan, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Box Stock

Gusto’s primary attack, Traptanium Boomerang, is straight forward and simple.  It deals 80-120 2-3x.  If you tap the primary attack button while it is out, the boomerang will return quicker.  Inhaler is his secondary attack.  It allows you to inhale enemies (16-24 damage) and then spit them out.  Your impact exhale does one instance of 64-96 and if you hold it down, you can deal 16-24 multiple times over about 8 seconds, which is also how long you can hold inhale.  They combine for a good tandem in my opinion and each one has pretty good range.

Base Upgrades

 The Breath of Life seems more like a Soul Gem to me.  It allows you to inhale enemies AND gain HP.  However, it is the amount of HP you gain that strikes me as “soul gem” territory.  I expected 3-8 to the range, and was shocked to see +20!  That means 5 enemies can regen 100 Health!  Nothing to argue about with this being our first base upgrade!  Twistin’ in the Wind is Gusto’s tertiary attack.  You can press, or hold the button and do 2 or 3 counts of 33-49 respectively.  This is a cool move just because of how fun it looks.  Electro-Rang is up next and it really delivers.  This is a progressive, charged attack.  You have three tiers of damage based on the hold time: 1 Second=104-156, 2 Seconds=136-204, and 3 Seconds=200-300!  That is a lot of damage!  Plus, if you have to stop short of a full 3 seconds, you’ll still deal damage greater than the original 80-120.  Lots of Lungpower is hard to document as I saw no change in the inhale damage, exhale damage, or duration of inhale and exhale.  That said, I assume you can simply hold more enemies, which might come in handy when you spit them out.

Air Ace

Gusto’s Air Ace Upgrade Path addresses the Traptanium Boomerang.  Boom-erang is a three-fold enhancement!  The regular boomerang throw goes from 80-120 to 100-150.  The Electro-Rang also sees increases across all three tiers: 1 Second=130-195, 2 Seconds=170-255, 3 Seconds=250-375.  Lastly, and not advertised or mentioned is the fact that our tertiary attack, Twistin’ In the Wind, will now deal 66-99!  This is a really big deal because the 33-49 doesn’t even change on Dizzy Destroyer, a path dedicated to the tertiary attack!  Next up we have Rang Me Like a Hurricane.  Anytime the boomerang hits an enemy, it will spawn a mini hurricane that lasts about 8 seconds and does 15-22 damage.  Boomerang Buddies finishes the path off and allows you to have up to 3 orbiting Boomerangs that act as a shield.  They deal 10-15 damage and run for 25 seconds each if they take no damage.  If you have  3 active and trigger a 4^th, the previous three will shoot out in all directions.  Sadly, there is no “boom” factor, but they will still do the same 10-15 as when they orbit you.

Dizzy Destroyer

This path focuses entirely on the tertiary attack Twistin’ In the Wind.  Spin Like the Wind takes the short life cycle of Twistin ‘ in the Wind and ups it to 8 seconds.  Furthermore, when you hit enemies, you now spawn mini hurricanes.  Just like in Air Ace they seem to last about 8 seconds and deal 15-22 damage.  They move very quickly, but also erratically.  Shocking Twist lets you shock enemies.  Shockingly (pun not intended) this seems to not register any additional damage, but looks to slow enemies down a little bit.  Oddly enough, the base attack is still doing 33-49 like when we first got it.  Lightning Ball is really the highlight of this path.  You now instantaneously turn into the Lightning Ball and have a run time of 11 seconds.  In this state you can move very fast!  You do the same 33-49 damage, but the lightning ball will trigger electrocution and hurricanes as you roll thru enemies.

Soul Gem

Boomerang’s 4 Breakfast seemed like it would favor Air Ace, but that was not the case.  Both paths do the same damage with this Soul Gem.  In order to execute it you need to throw the boomerang and then inhale it.  You will know this happens when you don’t see your boomerang and Gusto’s belly is swollen.  Upon exhale, the boomerang registers a hit of 160-240 and then lets you hold exhale for a familiar 8 seconds, but at a greater damage rate of 64-96!

Gusto Attack Damage (Click to Enlarge)

Conclusion

I am not quite sure why more people don’t seem to talk about Gusto, but I suppose that is the fate of a few characters each game.  Dizzy Destroyer is unique and a lot of fun.  You can obliterate groups of weaker enemies and seriously weaken heavier hitting foes.  Once your times is up, you just head back into it.  There is no reason to NOT be in Lightning Ball if you select this path.  The only exception would be if you are critically low on health and need to regen some HP via Inhale.  This is the path for you if you like speed, simplicity, and/or don’t see yourself using the boomerang or inhale much.  Air Ace is the path to take if you are a boomerang fan, or enjoy the spectacle that is inhaling and spitting out your opponents.  I personally prefer Air Ace and not just because I like the boomerang.  Air Ace offers nice damage, a defensive ability, and actually increases the tertiary attack’s damage numbers!  It is mind boggling that Dizzy Destroyer maintains the same 33-49 the entire path for the one attack it is focused on!  I think Lightning Ball is great, but wouldn’t you like it better if you were doing 60-90 damage?  I also find it somewhat odd that the electrocution doesn’t do damage over time to enemies.  I see a lot of potential for Dizzy Destroyer and feel like it was cut short on that front.  I will continue to maintain that you can wreck a lot of enemies with Lightning Ball, but for something the encourages you to use 1 attack exclusively, I would have expected something more in terms of a damage count exceeding the debut numbers in our base upgrades.  That said, I would overall recommend Air Ace, but if you love the look of Lightning Ball, or just don’t like the primary/secondary (or feel that they are good as is), then you will not be disappointed with Dizzy Destroyer.  I can’t stress enough I like the path, but I find it very odd that the 33-49 perpetuated thru all the upgrades and electrocution was so lackluster.  As nit-picky as that sounds, I played around with both Gusto’s after the upgrades and took Dizzy Destroyer up a few levels just rolling thru enemies, lol.  I’d l just prefer to do so at a higher damage number.

Skylanders Trap Team Research: Thunderbolt Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Thunderbolt Base Upgrades

Thunderbolt Power Conductor Upgrade Path

Thunderbolt I of the Storm Upgrade Path

Thunderbolt Attack Damage

(Click to Enlarge)

SkylanderClub.com Link (Click)

Head Rush & Nitro Head Rush Upgrade Paths & Attack Damage Numbers

Head Rush is an Earth Element Trap Master who looks like a Viking version of Stealth Elf.  With her Nitro counterpart, we are able to explore both paths freely.  My initial impressions from Head Rush was that it was a rather unique way to bring another female Skylander into the mix, and given her name and Traptanium Horns, I had high hopes she would bring an element of speed AND the classic, brute strength to the Earth Element.

I feel like before we begin, I need to disclose some information.  Nitro Head Rush does have a stat boost, but not where you would want it.  Nitro Head Rush has an Armor Rating of 72, which is +24 over her standard counterpart.  This, however, comes at a price…a price to the tune of -40 in Health.  Yep, you read right.  NHR sports a Health rating of 300, while Head Rush boasts 340!  The key element I was hoping to have increased, Speed, is sitting at 60 for both characters.  Critical Hit is also shared at 10.  I love the Armor Boost, but I feel like the Health offsets it considerably…it basically takes what would be a great advantage, and almost levels it out.  If I had to pick, I would still take +24 Armor over +40 Health, but it is a trade off I’d rather not be forced to take.  I’m not sure why we couldn’t have had a Nitro Head Rush with perhaps +12 Armor and +12 Speed.  The Speed, being a “Nitro” variant, just seems mandatory.  That said, it is what it is…let’s take a look at the attacks.

Head Rush’s Traptanium Horns are a simple, straight forward force.  She can head bash (tap), or dash (hold).  The damage numbers are respectable at 65-97 and 30-45 while dashing (the dash lasts roughly 5 seconds).  Stomp does great damage and is just really cool to me personally.  I really like the impression of the crater she creates while stomping.  Stomp has no “jump” attack at this point, but you can execute the head slam…sadly, it does no additional damage (now or fully upgraded).

Head Rush Base Upgrades

Head Rush has very nice base upgrades.  Mega Stomp offers up a 1-2-3 combo that finishes off with a 200-300 devastater.  Yodel is her tertiary attack and adds a nice, uniqueness to her move set.  “Stomping on Air” allows us to jump and pound the ground for a 100-150 dealing of damage…I found myself using this quite frequently while playing with Head Rush.  Charge Control effectively doubles the length of the charge from 5 to 10 seconds.  It  also bumps the Head Slam damage from 65-97 all the way up to 92-138, which I thought was very impressive for not being path specific.  The charge damage also goes up, but it can do so incrementally depending on how many times you cut and turn….It will max out at 86 (129 Critical).  Please note in the spreadsheet I just include the standard attack damage number as Critical Hits from her are abysmally low (guess that 10% rating is optimistic, lol).

Head Rush Lungs of Steel Upgrade Path

I chose this path for regular Head Rush because I wanted Nitro to have a chance at speeding up a bit down Stomp Harder.  I will also concede that I thought “Forget Breaking Glass” was going to be a killer, screen cleaning upgrade.  We start off with “High Note” that takes the Yodel (40-60) and elevates it to 52-78.  “Modulate Yodel” offers you the ability to change the pitch of the Yodel and more importantly sends the attack damage up to 68-102.  “Forget Breaking Glass” takes damage from the Yodel to a max of 85-127 and finishes off with a few 136-204 bursts.  My main interest was the ground breaking, boulders flying up, and smashing down on things.  This does happen, but very slowly and I never saw damage surpass what the yodel does…I was honestly hoping for some torrent of boulders to cascade down upon enemies all over the screen WITH extra damage.  Maybe I over hyped it.  The attack is good enough with just the base increase, but I feel it could have been really great with my desired additions.

Nitro Head Rush Stomp Harder Upgrade Path

I took Nitro down this path because the strat guide mentioned increased speed and I was really optimistic.  You do speed up, but it is only when cutting and dashing…there is no majestic +8 or +12 to add to the base stat of 60.  That said, this is a pretty cool path in my opinion.  “A Stomp to Remember” bumps the standard stomp all the way to 108-162!  Similarly, the combo deals 108-108-280 with a critical ensemble being 162-162-420!  Power Steering had me worried because I’ve seen attacks before that mirror a base upgrade and they usually disappoint.  This one offered the same escalating damage, but up a bit.  You take the charge from 43-53-64-75-86 up to 43-61-80-99-118!  Both sets have critical numbers, but you just don’t see them often.  “Omega Stomp” finishes things off with a really nice 140-210 and 140-140-364 Combo (210-210-546 Critical).  You can also take advantage of damage while jumping.

Head Rush Attack Damage Numbers

(Click to Enlarge)

Soul Gem

Head Rush’s Soul Gem offers up an upgrade to her Primary Attack that hasn’t been addressed since “Charge Control” in the base upgrades.  The head slam moves from 92-138 all the way up to 130-195!  This is  a huge boost for either path!  The charge also sees increased damage, but it is much greater if you already have the increases from “Power Steering.”  Just to compare,

Lungs of Steel + Soul Gem = a dash string of 60-75-90-105-120

Stomp Harder + Soul Gem=a dash string of 60-86-112-138-165

Conclusion

Head Rush is a unique Trap Master and one worth owning.  The base upgrades are very well rounded and leave her with a solid 1-2 punch and unique 3^rd attack.  If you are a fan of the yodel, or opera type stuff, Lungs of Steel is for you.  The yodel winds up doing decent damage and in a respectable radius.  I would not consider it “long range” but it would certainly be justified as a good midrange option.   If you hate the yodel, or prefer dash attacks, I would go with Stomp Harder.  The path just delivers good increases at each upgrade interval.

There is also a significant variance in paths here.  Yodel is more of a remote attack.  I don’t want to say defensive because you are frozen while yodeling and enemies can survive the damage on higher difficulty settings, or if they are hardy enough.  If you are a timid player, or like safety over risk, Lungs of Steel is the way to go.  If you are more of the aggressive type who just likes to get in, smash buttons, and see what happens, Stomp Harder is the way to go.

Personally, I prefer Stomp Harder.  I’m a fan of speed, the incrementally increasing damage is a cool twist, and I just love the craters generated from stomp.  I also still hold a little animosity for overhyping “Forget Breaking Glass.”  Either way, Head Rush offers two relatively diverse paths that turn out to be quite contrasting.  I just feel that the Stomp attacks, head bash, speed from the dashes and that sweet boost from the Soul Gem favor Stomp Harder…plus, I don’t really get into opera stuff…That said, Lungs of Steel remains her most unique outlet.  Those craters from stomp though…so cool!

Bushwhack & Legendary Bushwhack Upgrade Paths & Attack Damage Numbers

Bushwhack Introduction

Bushwhack was a Trap Master I wasn’t sure what to expect…He looked great, but the presence of the Axe made me wonder if he would be a slow and heavy hitter, or if he’d have some sort of a Stink Bomb like quality to him.  With the unknown in sights, things slowly revealed themselves and the stars aligned to make Bushwhack a must own in my book.

Bushwhack’s Primary Attack, “Traptanium Axe” is classic and straight forward.  He has a big axe, swings it, and deals nice damage.  The presence of a box-stock combo is a nice throw in imo.  “Mystic Acorn” may not seem that great to many folks, but to me it is the perfect compliment to the axe attack.  It doesn’t deal much damage, but it stuns enemies AND has great range.  The axe swing is honestly fairly quick, but this combo of moves sets up for a very formidable 1-2 punch.  Looking past that to the often overlooked and new for Trap Team “Jump Attack” you can find my personal favorite move of Bushwhack’s!  You can jump and throw the mystic acorns, or swing the axe.  If you swing the axe he does a powerful ground pound with it.  I find myself using this more frequently than his standard attack!

Bushwhack Base Upgrdes

“Headbash” gets things off to a rocking start with Bushwhack’s Tertiary Attack in place.  I’m not a huge fan of this move, but it is effective.  “Nut Grenade” is up next and I am a huge fan of this one.  Cosmetically the Mystic Acorns now glow an acid/nuclear green and do sizably more damage!  “In A Nut Shell” is something I was ridiculously excited about…it promised “new armor” and “reduced damage.”  I assumed this would be taking Bushwhack’s Armor Stat from 18 to 24, maybe even 18 to 30 (I didn’t expect the SSA Glory Days of +40).  I was left in a flurry of disappointment as there is no measurable increase in Armor.  I know this will work “in game” but I’ve found these types of upgrade (Armor and Critical Hit) are quite disappointing if you sit down and try to evaluate it in game…The tangible +6 or +12 is much more predictable and of greater value.  The good news is that we end on a positive note with “Thorn Trail.”  This upgrade has the axe swing’s leave a quick trail of thorns that do nice residual damage…This will work great against large groups of enemies!

Bushwhack Axe Avenger Upgrade Path

If you are fan of the Traptanium Axe attacks, this is the path for you.  It turns Bushwhack into a super formidable Trap Master.  “An Axe to Grind” just comes in and ups damage from 70-105 to 98-147…that alone is a very significant jump!  “Combo Attacks” offer both “Spin and Slash which deals 186-279 and “Head First” which drops an astounding 245-367 with a follow up of 147-220!  “Go Nuts” finishes the path off by allowing you to hold down “Attack 2” after “Spin and Slash” to spam Nut Grenades!  Overall, this is a straight forward path with great increases and 2 more unique attacks.

Legendary Bushwhack Armor Awesomeness Upgrade Path

This path had me really excited…After getting “In a Nut Shell” in the base upgrades and seeing it had no measurable impact on Armor, I greatly tempered my expectations…I am glad I did.  “Bush’s Shack” kicks things off and it is, in my opinion, the best thing about the path.  By holding “Attack 1” you execute the standard attack and then see Buswhack kneel to the ground with a slam that ushers in a teepee of Life Element goodness (thanks Arbo!).  Roughly every 4 seconds you gain +25 Health!  I can only imagine that this will be even more useful in a Life Element Zone!  You are susceptible to damage, but it seems to be cut roughly in half while in this state.  That means that unless you are in Nightmare Mode, or Hard vs formidable minions, you should have health regen outweigh damage taken.  “Primal Warrior” is up next and it came up flat.  You get “new armor” but it once again fails to add the statistical rating and during my research I found it to be insignificant in terms of it’s functionality.  The saving grace is that the move also includes an upgrade to Headbash damage that takes the attack from 75-112 to 100-150.  “Spring Forward” finishes things off and offers a quick dash and Super Headbash.   The dash can deal 40-60, but the Headbash stayed at 100-150.  In my opinion, the best thing here is the increased speed in the short dash to potentially evade danger.

The Soul Gem “Timber” is a really nice addition to either path!  This reminds me of Villager’s attacks in Super Smash Bros.  You jump and hold down “Attack 1” and Bushwhack plants a tree, and cuts it down.  IF you are thinking, “Oh great, I have to wait for the tree, then go back to it and spend a few hits to cut it down” you are wrong!  I also figured it would be a cumbersome Soul Gem and was pleasantly wrong!  The tree grows instantly (provided you didn’t just do the attack and there are limbs on the ground) and Bushwhack automatically fells the tree.  It is a big tree and subsequently covers a nice area upon impact.  The most important thing though is that it deals 440-660 damage!!

Bushwhack Attack Damage Numbers

(Click to Enlarge)

Conclusion

Bushwhack is a great addition to any collection and will provide a formidable ally when taken down the Axe Avenger Path!  This is an old school, straight forward approach that simply  delivers measurable damage and assets at each turn.  It is my preferred path and what I would recommend to everyone, including rookie players.  Armor Awesomeness is not a bad path, but it really fails in comparison to the epicness that is Axe Avenger.  If this was the traditional +40 Armor from SSA, I’d say Bushwhack is a shoe-in for “get the Legendary figure and take both paths,” but since it fails to really deliver on the Armor front, you are left with the dash, increased headbash damage, and admittedly cool Bush’s Shack.  If you like the headbash, or prefer dash attacks, this is well worth taking.  Bush’s Shack might seem enticing, but keep in mind…in toughbattles, or nightmare mode you won’t be able to just retreat into it and fully regen with enemies on screen.   You can, however, defeat them and then take a few seconds to fully regen if that type of play interests you.  For me personally, Axe Avenger is just too proficient to pass up.  That said, I’m glad I have Legendary to be able to enjoy Armor Awesomeness along the way!

Jawbreaker Upgrade Paths & Attack Damage Numbers

Jawbreaker Base Upgrades

Jawbreaker has a very nice primary attack.  While it doesn’t offer earth shattering damage numbers on face value, it has that rare “rapid fire” quality that makes veteran players giddy with excitement.  Spark Shock is a unique and fun upgrade…it even offers a spin move when you are in Robo Rage.  Heavy Hands comes in as the final base upgrade and improves the already functional Traptanium Punch attack.

Jawbreaker High Voltage Upgrade Path

This path strikes me (ha, get it?) as a bit defensive.  You don’t have armor boosts or anything, but the upgrades each offer some nice residual damage.

Static Cling is very cool in that you get roughly 16 rounds of damage (at 10-15 each) after your initial attack damage.  Hands Off! Is automatic!  Anytime Jawbreaker is hit, he cranks out the larger, rogue sparks that deal 20-30 damage!  Sparking Interest is similar to both, but automatically deals the larger, rogue sparks when you are simply in Robo Rage Mode.

Legendary Jawbreaker Out-RAGE-ous Upgrade Path

This path is designed for those who  really like Robo Rage Mode.  The best feature, in my opinion, comes from “Punch for Power” which basically allows you to perpetually remain in Robo Rage Mode, provided you are landing punches.  This would be easy to do in Kaos Doom Challenge, or Nightmare Mode playthrus.  You keep the speed, armor, and damage boosts in full force.

Jolting Jab is an attack that makes sense, but I never really “saw it work” to obtain an attack damage number.  Defense Firmware would have been a great addition under the old format of “+X Armor,” but it is the vague “take less damage while in Robo Rage Mode.”  Those upgrades don’t usually impress me and that was the case here. 

Jawbreaker Attack Damage Numbers

Conclusion

Jawbreaker is very easy to overlook if you go on box-stock ability.  He doesn’t really do much to stand out and not many will even appreciate the rapid fire punches he packs.  However, both of his paths are quite good.  I personally prefer High Voltage as it seems more practical to my play style.  Hypercharged Haymaker is a great Soul Gem.  It and the Spark Shock attacks from High Voltage wind up giving Jawbreaker some much needed “ranged attacks.”  I’m not huge on Robo Rage mode, especially when High Voltage works so well on its own.  That said, I can see where some of you would like the increased damage and other perks (speed etc) and thus prefer Out-RAGE-ous.  My official nod goes to High Voltage.

Skylanders Trap Team: Blastermind Unboxing, Introduction, and Upgrades

What: Blastermind, Magic Element, Trap Master
Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery
What Does It Cost: $14.99 plus tax
What is Included: Blastermind, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Blastermind

Magic Element, Trap Master

Card Stats
Power: 170/250
Armor: 60/250
Agility: 160/250
Luck: 150/250
Totals: 540/1000

Game Stats:
Health: 240
Armor: 30
Speed: 70
Critical Hit: 50
Elemental Power: 25
Totals: 415

Introduction #42: Blastermind

Blastermind Upgrades

-Coming Soon

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing DarkElement Expansion Pack MidnightMuseum with Knight Mare

What: Dark Element Expansion Pack: Midnight Museum
Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery
What Does It Cost: $29.99 plus tax
What is Included: Midnight Museum Location Piece, Knight Mare, Shadowy Spider Trap, Stat Cards, Sticker Sheets, and Light AND Dark Stickers for Poster and Traps

Unboxing Dark Element Expansion Pack

Notes of Interest:

-There are 3 Dark Element Traps
--Shadow Spider
--Dark Dagger
--Ghastly Grimmace

-The Midnight Museum
--Lights up on the Portal
--Does not function as a Magic Item in the game

-There are Light and Dark Turrets in KAOS Mode

Knight Mare: Dark Element, Trap Master
Slogan: "Nowhere to Hide!"

Card Stats
Power: 150/250
Armor: 110/250
Agility: 250/250
Luck: 40/250
Totals: 550/1000

Introduction #35 Knight Mare and the Midnight Museum

Game Stats:
Max Health: 350
Armor: 36
Speed: 85
Critical Hit: 40
Elemental Power: 25
Total: 536

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Tuff Luck

What:  Tuff Luck, Life Element, Trap Master

Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery

What Does It Cost: $14.99 plus tax

What Is Included: Tuff Luck, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Tuff Luck

Tuff Luck

Life Element, Trap Master

Slogan: “It’s Your Lucky Day!”

Card Stats

 Power: 90/250

Armor: 100/250

Agility: 100/250

Luck: 250/250

Total: 540/1000

In-Game Stats

Health: 310

Speed: 85

Armor: 48

Critical Hit: 80

Elemental Power: 25

Total: 548

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Ka-Boom

What: Ka-Boom, Fire Element Trap Master

Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery

What Does It Cost: $14.99 plus tax

What is Included: Ka-Boom, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Ka-Boom

Ka-Boom

Fire Element, Trap Master

Slogan: “Boom Time!”

Card Stats

 Power: 240/250

Armor: 50/250

Agility: 90/250

Luck: 160/250

Totals: 540/1000

In-Game Stats

Maximum Health: 250

Speed: 60

Armor: 12

Critical Hit: 80

Elemental Power: 25

Total: 427

Skylanders Trap Team: Lob-Star Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage

Lob-Star Base Upgrades

Lob-Star Shooting Star Upgrade Path

Winterfest Lob-Star Hard Boiled Upgrade Path

Attack Damage Numbers

-Click to Enlarge-

Lob-Star Upgrade Path Analysis 

Lob-Star is another fairly complex character to document.  This is because so many of his attacks have dual damage outputs hinging upon his "Boiled" state.

I really like the box-stock aesthetics of Lob-Star, but when he is "boiled" he turns red.  As such, I thought it would be cool to take Winterfet down the Hard Boiled Path.  For better or worse, Winterfest has a unique attribute.  Instead of maintaining the red, or having a tone change, Winterfest turns gold when boiled.  Some will love this, everyone can appreciate it, but others, like myself, will not be huge fans of the "golden" boiled state.  That said, let's take a look at things.

Starshooter is a nice base attack that offers a singular star with quick fire capabilities.  It deals out 25-37 damage.  However, the stars will do 30-45 when he is boiled.  To achieve this state, Lob-Star has to let off steam by holding Attack 2 for roughly 7 seconds.  He can do 3x of 10-15 at the start, and then sits vulnerable while charging.  Once boiled, he can stay in that state seemingly forever as long as you are idle...it also lasts a LONG time if you are just running around (he is significantly quicker while boiled).  When you execute Attack 2 while boiled you can jump the damage from 10-15 to 40-60 3x.

The base upgrades are pretty straight forward.  Interestingly, Sharp Shot not only increases the throwing stars damage, but it also takes the "steam" release from 40-60 to 52-78.  I prefer to call it a "Star Clap" since it seems to be more noticeable than the steam it shoots out.  Boiling Over provides some defense while charging up to boil, but offers no other benefit.  Lob-Star Express takes Lob-Star Roll from 50-75 to 65-97 in standard mode, or offers an increase from 61-91 to 79-118 while boiled.  Executing Lob-Star Express also deals some steam damage at the end of the charge, but it appears to be minimal.

Shooting Star

This is my preferred path for Lob-Star.  It is more simplistic and easy to execute.  Twice the Starpower takes roughly 4-5 seconds to charge and then deals 231-446 2x!!  This was thoroughly unexpected.  Star Defense activates right before Twice the Starpower and runs 20-25 seconds with 3 Stars that deal 33-49 damage each!  I have gotten it up to 27 hits before it terminates.  Oddly enough, Super Stars, the first upgrade down the path, grants increased damage to the base throwing star attack (40-60, 49-73), but only while boiled.  Twice the Starpower and Star Defense do not require being in the boiled state and they do not offer increased damage when boiled.  If you are not "boiled" the throwing stars are capped at 33-49 from Sharp Shot.

I personally would have loved to see Super Stars damage increase apply without having to be boiled.  I also think it would have been nice to possibly just replace Super Stars with 2 standard throwing stars.  I also would have been happy with +40 Armor somewhere down this path.  As is, Star Defense is a very capable defense system.

Hard Boiled

This path is a MUST if you have a strong affinity toward using the Lob-Star Express.  Full Steam Ahead will leave a trail of steam that deals 40-60 damage.  More importantly, this doesn't just impact enemies you are retreating from, but rather you can time the dashes and set up defensive walls to either throw stars behind, set up another dash, or provide a slight barrier to Boiling Over.  Getting Steamed automatically releases steam to damage enemies that hit you, but I could NEVER get a solid damage number from it.  Whatever it is, I don't think it is proportional, and I am inclined to believe it would be minimal at best.  That said, Self-E Steam makes up for it offering increases to the throwing stars (49-73, Clap (78-117), and gives an initial increase to letting off steam and boiling over (10-15 vs 20-30).  Perhaps most importantly, this consumes less boiling power.

If you do not like the throwing stars, prefer the Lob-Star Express take Hard Boiled.  If you are indifferent between the primary and tertiary, be weary that you will want to be boiled at all times with Hard Boiled. If you have a hard time getting boiled without taking damage, I would consider taking Shooting Star.

The Boiler, Lob-Star's Soul Gem can basically go down every time you boil...just hold it for another second and he will jump off screen and then slam down a devastating 400-600!

Conclusion

Personally, for me, Shooting Star just makes more sense.  It is mind boggling why you don't get a non-boiled increase to the throwing star damage with Super Stars, but Twice the Starpower's massive damage output and the sheer (ha, punny!) functionality of Star Defense makes it a moot point.  The way I view Super Stars at that point is simply an added benefit to taking advantage of the speed increase that comes with being boiled.  I will, once again, say that if you like Lob-Star Express, or just find yourself using it the most, take Hard Boiled.  I really would have liked to see an Armor Increase on one of the paths and I truly think Super Stars would be better off not involving the boiled state, or simply granting 2 throwing stars.  That said, either path should make for a solid experience and they are quite different.  Rookies would definitely be better off with Shooting Star and Hard Boiled won't be hard to master...just stay boiled and dash a lot.

Winterfest Lob-Star: Unboxing and Review

What: Winterfest Lob-Star
Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery
What Did It Cost: $14.99
What is Included: Winterfest Lob-Star, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing and Review of Winterfest Lob-Star

Slogan: "Star Bright, Star Fight!"

Card Stats

Power 110/250 (+10 vs Lob-Star)
Armor 90/250 (+10 vs Lob-Star)
Agility 240/250 (+40 vs Lob-Star)
Luck 180/250 (+40 vs Lob-Star)
Totals 620/1000 (+100 vs Lob-Star)

In-Game Stats
Health 270 (+30 vs Lob-Star)
Armor 42 (+12 vs Lob-Star)
Speed 70 (+10 vs Lob-Star)
Critical Hit 60 (+20 vs Lob-Star)
Totals +72 over Lob-Star

Pictures
-Coming Soon

Upgrades
-Coming Soon

SkylanderClub Link: http://www.skylanderclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=229

Skylanders Trap Team New Character Reveals: Head Rush, Bushwhack, Kaboom and More

Thanks to Gamescom we are getting a look at several new characters in Skylanders Trap Team.

Skylanders Trap Team New Character Reveals:

Head Rush, Bushwhack, Kaboom, Gill Grunt, Brawl & Chain, Brawlrus, & Masker Mind

On the Trap Master side we have:

Head Rush (aka That Viking Chick), Earth Element
Bushwhack (aka That Acorn Guy), Life Element
Kaboom, Fire Element

Somewhere in the middle we have Series 4 Gill Grunt.

Series 4 Tidal Wave Gill Grunt Gameplay with Wow Pow

On the opposite side we have a few new villains:

Brawl & Chain, Water
Brawlrus, Tech
Masker Mind, Undead

I will get the gameplay clips up after work...

If you are looking for information on the new Skylanders Minis, check this link out:
http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014/08/skylanders-minis-revealed-full-roster.html