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: Echo Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Echo has continued to impress me since I unboxed her.  She looked much better out of the packaging, delivered better damage than we expected (my Nephew helped in her Introduction), and continued that through her Base Upgrades and Upgrade Paths!

Box Stock

Echo’s Siren Scream deals out an impressive 111-166 over 5 Hits, or 8 Seconds.  The Bubble Bombs home in on enemies and deal 40-60, with a max of 2 Active at a time.  This makes a for a very solid, stock pairing!

Base Upgrades

Echo’s base upgrades themselves evolve her into a very formidable Skylander.  Sonic Slam is her tertiary attack and offers up a quick and instantaneous 140-210!  Pitch Control ratchets up both the damage and duration of Siren Scream.  The attack now deals 133-199 and lasts about 13 seconds and sends off 15 instances of damage if you are on target.  4-Beat is straightforward…you can now have 4 Bubble Bombs active at once AND they do more damage at 56-84.  Lastly, Subsonic creates an aftershock after Sonic Slam that covers a nice radius and deals 28-42, sometimes twice.

Bubble Up!

This is a great defensive path.  Bubble Shield lets you hold the secondary attack button for about 2 seconds and enter into a bubble.  While in the bubble, damage is reduced big time!  In testing, I took about 1/3 of an enemy’s actual damage (27 standard vs 9 in the bubble).  That alone is huge!  It also seems that the stock, 1 bubble covers around 24 or so in terms of damage before bursting.  Also of note are a few important details the game and strategy guide leave out.  First, you just hold the secondary attack button long enough to enter the bubble…there is no need to continue holding.  Second, you can stay in this mode indefinitely if you are not getting damaged.  Third, you can both move AND execute both your primary and secondary attacks while IN the bubble.  I was under the impression you would be in pure “defensive” mode and not have access to these attacks.  If you try to do the Sonic Slam you break the bubble at this point in the path…that is what I thought was going to happen if I used Siren Scream or Bubble Bombs.  Power Pop is up next and it makes the Bubble Bombs to max damage at 80-120, which is a pretty big jump and DOUBLE what we had box stock!  Burst My Bubble lets you use the tertiary attack to blow up the bubble.  The result?  140-210!  Also of note, I believe if you collect more bubbles while in the shield you will increase the durability AND explosive force.  You can collect up to 4 Bubbles.  The biggest explosion numbers I saw were 313-469.

Singalong

Singalong is the opposite of Bubble Up; this one is pure offense!  Ultimate Pitch Control lets you spam Siren Scream indefinitely.  The damage stays at 133-199, but it is nice for those who like a steady stream of a solid attack.  Scream Out lets you do a scream attack after any Siren Scream.  I have only seen a critical 199 in testing, but I suppose you might sometimes see 133.  I was a bit disappointed this wasn’t a slightly higher number range to differentiate it from the Siren Scream, but 199 is 199.  Ultrasound is where things really get interesting.  If you charge up Sonic Slam for 3 seconds, Echo goes into a semi-shielded mode where she will deal 28-42 3 times before firing this attack off…Also of note, you can manually fire it off before she automatically does with no loss of damage.  And what is that damage you ask?  How does 700-1050 sound?  Yep, easily one of the highest, non-Soul Gem, non-Wow Pow, not Elite attacks in all of Trap Team!  The three seconds really isn’t that hard to allocate either, especially given the rewards for making the time!

Soul Gem

Echo’s Soul Gem is pretty cool.  If you fire off a Bubble Bomb and hit it with Siren Scream, it turns into this large, blue orb of light and music that causes enemies to become entranced.  They can’t help but stare at the bubble and it deals 28-42 (40-60 Bubble Up!) over time and finishes with an 84-126 (120-180 Bubble Up!) explosion!  It is important to make note of my parentheses there…The Soul Gem is benefitted by Bubble Up’s Power Pop, which accounts for the difference between the damage sets.

Echo Attack Damage Numbers

Conclusion

Echo was very surprising.  I kind of expected the least from her in terms of what we had in Wave 4 and I would say she has over delivered at every interval (unboxing, stock, base upgrades, and paths).  She has two great paths and is very formidable on either.  If you like to play defensive, or prefer a more challenging path, Bubble Up is what you will want to take.  If you are more into big, “wow” type numbers and simplicity, you can’t go wrong with Singalong.  I think Bubble Up is the more balanced path, plus it does a bit extra for the Soul Gem and you still have the same 133-199 for Siren Scream via Pitch Control in the base upgrades.  The Bubble Shield is not to  be underestimated!  Burst My Bubble’s damage output really helps validate the offensive side of this defense oriented path.  However, Ultrasound is not your run of the mill upgrade and has to be regarded in that light.  The ability to infinitely spam Siren Scream coupled with a killer upgrade to Sonic Slam make that path just as formidable.  Oh, and I don’t believe I’ve mentioned Ultrasound has a HUGE radius!  Overall, you can’t go wrong with either one…If you like offense and big numbers, go with Singalong.  If you prefer defense and a more unique/challenging path, take Bubble Up.  If funds allow it, Echo would be a great Skylander to have one for each path!

Skylanders Trap Team: Bat Spin Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Bat Spin has a nice combination of box stock attacks.  Bat Attack works two fold in that you shoot out a bat that does 39-58 on impact and then deals an additional 8-12 damage with subsequent bites.  The life span is roughly 8 seconds at this point in time.  The only weakness here is that a maximum number of “additional hits” are hard to come by since the bats are somewhat relaxed and won’t always seek out the enemy with great effort.  Bat Swarm summons bats and sends them in a swirl that quickly shrinks down.  If you stand at a point blank range, the bats will do 60-90 on impact for roughly 6 hits.

Base Attacks

Bat Spin boasts some very balanced base upgrades.  Healing Bite offers up the classic Undead Element way of gaining health.  If Bat Spin shoots out a bat with Bat Attack they do 39-58 as mentioned above.  At this point in time, they can not grant you health.  However, once they have “bit” an enemy (see the 8-12 additional damage) they grant you +3 Health.  As best I can tell, each subsequent bite delivers an additional +3.  It is very unlikely to get more than +6 from a single bat at this point in time given how lax they are around enemies.  Nonetheless, you can’t  argue with what is essentially a semi-automatic health regeneration!  Next up is Brawny Bats.  This upgrade is multifaceted.  First off, the life cycle of a bat from Bat Attack doubles from 8 to 16 seconds.  The 39-58 impact remains the same, but now the 8-12 after the hit bite clocks in at 16-24, which again is double the previous output.  Another key aspect here is that Bat Swarm bumps up from 60-90 to 78-117.  In this form you can see your +3 move on to +12s and even +15 if you get lucky.  I do believe this remains proportional to the number of times the bat has attacked and dealt damage..Case in point, grab a bat right after the first bite and you’ll get +3.  Go Batty! Is up next and it is a very unique upgrade, and quite formidable!  This is Bat Spin’s tertiary attack and it transforms her ghoulish self into a large, flying bat.  She can stay in this form indefinitely.  If you execute a primary attack in Go Batty, she will bite.  This deals a devastating 150-225!  A hit of the secondary attack button while in Go Batty and you deliver 56-84 3x via Screech.  Lastly, A Colony of Bats seems to let you have 8 or so bats active at once…obviously, this is advantageous in any situation.

Pet Purveyor

This path strikes me as more of a “hands off” approach.  If you are of the mindset that you’d rather sit back and only contest enemies when you must, or like to play very defensively, this path is for you.  I found it extremely hard to document, and thus fully appreciate.  The vague descriptions and lack of first hand scenarios matching them do not do much to bolster this path.  Essentially you add 3 special bats which are always active.  Mr. Dizzy stuns and confuses enemies.  I never really saw this happen in my limited attempts, but that also means it would be just as hard to appreciate over a longer interval.  I have faith it works, but I didn’t see any glaring instances where I found myself cheering for Mr. Dizzy.  Mr. Blocky is said to protect you by deflecting projectiles.  I saw the armor icon a few times, but nothing to get excited about.  Mr. Bitey was actually quantitative.  If you see a 75-112 on screen you can trace down Mr. Bitey and watch him rip off further instances of the numbers.  I think, despite how hard it is to tell what the path is really doing, and how well it is working, that you would have a pretty solid character with this path.  I’m also fairly certain there are certain locations this path would show much better than it did in the video.  However, I do haveideas to make this path significantly better.  I am fine with the bats being present as it is unique and reflective of the level of upgrades your Bat Spin has.  However, let’s make Mr. Dizzy generate +x Critical Hit.  Mr. Blocky would, of course, grant +40 Armor.  Mr. Bitey could maintain his 75-112, but what if that also applied (in the same, or a lesser degree) to your Bat Attack bats?  Maybe making the 39-58 a 45-67 and then additional damage coming by way of 32-48 bites and intervals of +4 Health.  That sounds really good to me…quantitative and functional!

Bat Betterment

This path upgrade the previously untouched bat form attacks that came with Go Batty!.  Bat-tle Cry takes the Screech from 56-84 all the way up to 84-126!  Furthermore, if you screech at bats from bat attack they know deal 32-48 when they bit enemies.  Ultimate Bat Squad, as best I can tell lets 8 bats fly with you…If you get in good space, this actually looks really cool.  Plus, if you are about to enter a hot bed of enemies, you can simply bring in a full arsenal of bats, screech at them, and then fly into battle!  Chiropteran Call keeps the bat form bite at 150-225, but shoots out 3 bats at once!  This is a big deal because these are the same bats you get from Bat Attack.  So essentially you do 150-225 from the bite and then immediately have 39-58 3x for the bats AND after that they are free to fly around biting enemies to deal 16-24, or 32-48 if you screech at them.  That damage adds up very quickly!  The biggest advantage though is that you can now stay in bat mode and get bats…previously we had to switch back to regular form and fire them off via Bat Attack.

Soul Gem

Great Balls of Bats!  Looks like the greatest upgrade of all time in the training grounds.  It deals 156-234 damage.  However, if you hold it (charges roughly 2-3 seconds) you can keep it active and deal 156-234 endlessly at extremely fast intervals.  Sadly, this only works at the training grounds…in a gameplay situation, Bat Spin can hold it, but the ball shoots of quickly.  It does pass through enemies so it can sometimes dish out a few counts of 156-234, but more often than not it will only do so one time.  That said, I fully recommend you try it out at the training grounds!

Bat Spin Attack Damage Numbers

Conclusion

Bat Spin is a very solid character.  I think you can do well with either path, but I find it difficult to fully appreciate the Pet Purveyor path, especially when I can see and document exactly what Bat Betterment offers.  Clearly, these paths are both unique, but are spectrums apart in terms of style.  If you hate her bat form via Go Batty!, you will want to stay away from it.  In my opinion, Bat Betterment is more  of a “get in there and fight” type of a path while Pet Purveyor rewards you more for standing back and letting the bats do more of the grunt work.  You could easily argue that Go Batty!, is strong enough on its’ own merits to warrant taking Pet Purveyor.   You could also argue that the gains from Bat Betterment outweigh Pet Purveyor’s vague nature.  I think most will select the path based on their play style.  Despite not seeing much from Pet Purveyor, I still think it has potential, but for me personally I would pick Bat Betterment and I fully recommend it.

Sklanders Trap Team Research: High Five Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

High Five was a split character for me.  On one hand I was looking forward to him because he was a dragonfly and I thought that could bring a lot to the table and his aesthetics are unique and colorful.  Then, on the other side, he was the Frito Lay promo Skylander…and I’m not a fan of their promotions, lol.  That said, the more I have played with High Five the more he has grown on me!

Box Stock he isn’t the most impressive character, but often these are the very ones who wind up with great upgrade paths.  His primary attack, which sadly never gets directly addressed, deals 23-34, but it is spammable and he maintains mobility…That makes it offset a bit, but a slight increase would have been appreciated.  Buzz Dash is a typical quick dash move and attack combo.  High Five quickly darts away, or into an enemy and deals 44-66.

Base Upgrades

Poison Cloud is an offspring of the primary attack.  After your Poison Pellet hits at 23-34 the Poison Cloud forms and lasts roughly 8 seconds.  It seems to deal both 8-12 and 16-24.  I am thinking it does this based on proximity or a series of hits, but in the given time there was no definitive answer.  Fly Slam is High Five’s tertiary attack and it really sets the table for what is to come!  You essentially jump up and do 20-30 damage and then slam down to deal 90-135.  Buzz Charge takes Buzz Dash up a level.  If you tap your secondary attack, you dash at 44-66, but if you hold it for roughly 1.5 seconds, High Five darts forward and delivers a much more menacing 136-204.  The best thing is he auto deploys.  You don’t have to look for a shimmer, glisten, or change in appearance…he just goes when the time is up!  Buzzerker Overdrive is where things get interesting…If you hold your tertiary attack button down, you begin to spin rapidly around your targets.  In this time ,a full charge will deal 20-30 10 times AND THEN smash down a devastating 334-501!  The catch here is that you lose HP while charging this up.  You can stop before the 10 hits and 334 and the damage seems to be somewhat scaled back, as is your health loss.  This is a catch 2-2 attack.  You can dominate your opponents, but you do so at the cost of your own well being.

Pollen Prince

If the thought of giving up health to deal damage doesn’t set well with you, or you just really like the Poison Cloud then Pollen Prince is the path for you!  This is a tough path to document because you have to be “in game” vs real enemies.  Cloud Control lets you have 5 Poison Clouds active at once…they also move faster and seek enemies.  The damage increase is minimal.  Most instances of damage remained at the 8-12 and 16-24 range, but a few hits were a new 18-27.  Buzz ‘Em Up combines the Buzz Dash and Poison Clouds.  When you dash thru a cloud you extend it’s life and up the damage, although not significantly.  Power Clouds makes the Poison Cloud extra big.  You can use Buzz ‘Em Up to extend the life cycle, but I found that they deal more damage 27-40 naturally than if you buzz through them as that actually drops the output back down to 24-36.  In theory, you would think that buzzing through a Power Cloud would result in 30-45, but that is not the case.  Overall, I think this is actually a good path, but it doesn’t deliver the same impressive grandeur you find with Speed Slammer.  This path also has a few issues.  First, as mentioned, buzzing a Power Cloud results in them doing less damage…and since all clouds are now Power Clouds, you kind of get shafted on that front.  There are also two things that I think would have made the path much better.  First, if the primary attack itself was directly upgraded from 23-34 to anything higher, it would have made a substantial improvement.  Second, I think that the Power Clouds could have been greatly enhanced if they either detonated on expiration, or you could dash thru them twice (or something like that) to trigger a radial explosion with a larger damage number, say even 60-90.  Despite the shortcomings, I still think this would be a solid path, it just feels a little under developed and doesn’t quite match up with Speedy Slammer.

Speedy Slammer

If you weren’t scared off at the thought of losing health toe execute the Fly Slam, you’ve come to the right place!  We get started with Spin Cycle which seems to pull enemies in and add 2 hits to the charge time, dealing the same 20-30 12 times instead of 10.  Buzz Buzz Buzz lets you dash up to 5 times by holding the secondary attack button.  The standard dash stays at 44-66 and the chained dashes remain at 136-204.  There were some instances of 68 and 92 that came off broken chains and singular Buzz Dashes, but they didn’t occur at a marked frequency.  Slam Apples sees the Fly Slam extend from 10 to 12 to 18 counts of 20-30 damage.  If you are sad that didn’t increase by now, fear not…the final slam, which has remained at 334-501 since Buzzerker Overdrive now does an insane 734-1101!  That is in OP Wow Pow, or Elite territory!  However, you do loose more health than you regenerate, despite the Slam Apples dealing out +5 Health.  That said, you should, at this pace, destroy your opponents before your own health is truly jeopardized.  If you are concerned, just wait for Organic Slam Apples.

Soul Gem

Organic Slam Apples is an upgrade that might make you take Speed Slammer, with or without research.  Many of you, myself included, likely preview the upgrades in game and then see Slam Apples tied in with Speed Slammer.  There is NO mention of apples with Pollen Prince.  So, you might say, “Ok, this is one of those paths I need to take to utilize the Soul Gem.”  The good news is, this does function with Pollen Prince and it delivers the same +10 Health from the apples…however, there aren’t as many of them.  Essentially it is a nice boost each time you elect to use your tertiary attack (which has no further upgrades via Pollen Prince).  If you couple this with Speed Slammer, however, you are very well served.  Where we were putting down a ridiculous 734-1101 from Slam Apples, we were also doing so at the expense of our own well being.  Organic Slam Apples seems to deliver 10 Apples around a fully charged slam that each regenerate +10 Health.  Similarly, this is what you lose when executing a slam.  So, in theory, as long as you didn’t take damage from the enemy horde you are attacking, you can start the slam, fully charge it, and finish it at the exact same health if you collect all the apples.  In a clutter free environment with little lateral movement from the attack, you automatically pickup all the apples.  If you migrate towards more, or different enemies you will get most of the apples, but might miss a few.  You have a few seconds to collect the remainder.  Either way, this Soul Gem clearly favors the Speed Slammer Path, but does at least work with Pollen Prince.

Attack Damage Numbers (Click to Enlarge)

Conclusion

I personally prefer Speed Slammer.  I would recommend it for rookie players, younger players, and those who just like simple to master paths and/or paths that deal insane damage.  That said, Pollen Prince is a unique path and one that I would not hesitate to stick with…It isn’t as impressive, but when mastered, you can essentially keep 2-3 of the 5 clouds on screen and alive.  This means they deal roughly 20-40 while you dash, or fire off the primary Poison Pellets.  I do fell my earlier suggestions would make this path more formidable, but it certainly does stand on its’ own merits.  That said, my vote would go to Speed Slammer for uniqueness and devastating damage.  The Soul Gem pretty much eliminates the downside to fully charging the Fly Slam.

Skylanders Trap Team: Spotlight Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

Spotlight has two solid base attacks.  Eye Beams clocks in at 60-90, but can be shot perpetually.  She also has freedom of movement while you spam the attack, but it is of course a bit slower than usual.  Halo Rings deal 50-75 on Impact and collision with enemies if used as a shield.  You can also reflect Eye Beams off of them, but the damage stays the same at 60-90.

Base Upgrades

Bright Eyes moves Eye Beams from 60-90 all the way up to 85-127, a very significant jump in my opinion.  Heavenly Aura is her tertiary attack and it creates an effective spectacle.  While shooting one out is cool to look at it, it lasts roughly 8 seconds and deals 45-67 10x if it is shot spot on an enemy.  The Halo Effect offers no damage increase, but when an enemy is hit with a halo and survives the attack they will wind up sporting it and moving a lot slower.  Hello Halo finishes off the base upgrades allowing you to have 4 Halos active at once, which comes in handy with both paths.

Visionary

This is a great path that is focused primarily on Spotlight’s Eye Beams attack.  Aura Charge couples the tertiary and primary and produces lethal attack damage numbers to the tune of 180-270 when the Heavenly Aura is shot with Eye Beams.  Light it Up knocks the base attack up even higher on the damage scale moving it from 85-127 all the way up to 120-180!  Bling is perhaps the least productive on the path, but it allows you to throw 2 Halos at once, thus quickly taking advantage of Hello Halo.  The cool part of this is that the damage moves from 50-75 to 60-90, nowhere near our other upgrades, but still significant enough to note.

The Ringer

This is also a good path.  I would consider it a bit defensive as the combined effect of Heavy Halo and Ring Shot allow you to take it easy and really orchestrate your offensive.  Heavy Halo is a significant upgrade to Halo Rings effectively doubling the damage output from 50-75 to 100-150!  You have to remember that in addition to doing damage on impact, enemies who pursue you and run into the Halos will take the same damage!  Ring Shot lets the Halos shoot their own lasers.  I was banking on this being good and not some cheesy 5-8, or 10-15; I was not disappointed.  While I expected a solid laser like Eye Beams, the Halos essentially fire off singular pulses as they rotate.  The best part isn’t the 360 degree attack pattern, but rather the fact they do 127-190 damage!  Uplifting Experience wraps the path up and allows you to capture bad guys via The Halo Effect and then get them in a Heavenly Aura for a skycapade.  The enemies are moved upward until they hit the peak and take 60-90 damage!  It isn’t as effective overall as the other upgrades on this path, but it definitely looks the coolest!

Soul Gem

Spotlight’s Soul Gem is dare I say, super effective!  When you have a Heavenly Aura going you simply shoot your Eye Beams into it (just like Aura Charge on the Visionary Path) and if you go for a fully cycle you will generate 4 Light Dragons that dash into enemies dealing 200-300 damage!

Spotlight Attack Damage (Click to Enlarge)

Conclusion

Once again, Spotlight has two solid upgrade paths…this really does come down to what you as an individual player prefers.  IF funds allow it, I would suggest you sport 2 Spotlights in your collection.  The Ringer really shines in the inherit defensive capabilities it offers.  If you set up 4 Halos and move to the middle of them, or behind a wall of Halos you will have 100-150 from each Halo exploding on enemies IF an enemy can get to you while the Halos deal 127-190 from their lasers.  The downside here is two fold…First, Spotlight can hit a Halo with Eye Beams and instead of decking your desired enemy cropping, you might wind up locked on to the Halo.  It is a minor inconvenience, but must be noted.  Lastly, while the damage the Halos deal with their lasers is great (and even higher than Eye Beams full upgraded down Visionary) they do shoot at random…If they homed in on enemies we’d be bragging about that, so this has to be cited as well.  Regardless of these two issues, The Ringer delivers and offers a totally unique move with Uplifting Experience.

Visionary would be the path I would consider best for my play style and that is primarily due to the fact I have more control with Aura Charge and Light It Up than I do with Ring Shot.  I really like the aesthetics of Aura Charge and coupled with Light it Up you’ve got rapid fire 300 damage over no time at all!  However, that same sequence (shooting the Heavenly Aura) also triggers the Soul Gem.  So, when you take Visionary and throw down  a Heavenly Aura and beging shooting it, you will deal 180-120-200 (500!) in no time flat…then of course, you consider that you can make that happen 2-4 times in most cases (provided enemies are left) and the damage is astronomical!

You really can’t go wrong with either path, but for my play style I think Visionary narrowly edges out The Ringer.

Skylanders Trap Team: Blackout Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

Blackout’s base upgrades are actually very solid, provided you research them in a chapter, against real enemies as opposed to at the Training Grounds.  Wing Whip offers up 56-84 and the Jump Attack deals 52-78.  Shadow Orbs seem disappointing with only 16-24 3x, BUT when you fire the orbs against real enemies and not the dummies, you are rewarded with a 44-66 initial hit, which makes for a 92-138 cumulative dealing of damage…and that is much more in line with expectations!

Base Upgrades

Blackout’s Base Upgrades get started with his tertiary attack, Black Hole.  It lasts roughly 16 seconds and you can have 2 active at once…The Black Holes hold enemies in and deal 20-30 on an initial hit…You can also teleport in and do a blade attack that deals the same 20-30 damage.  If you shoot Shadow Orbs at a Black Hole you get 22-33 with Darkness Overload.  I’m not a huge fan of this and I never really saw an advantage over just using Shadow Orbs alone for their higher damage toll.  I could be missing something as the numbers fire off quickly and are hard to catch, especially at 4 AM when I do most of this stuff.  Shadow Blade at first seemed just like our jump attack, but after trial-and-error you can get the Shadow Blade rolling where it does 20-30 damage on contact and allots you roughly 12 seconds of rolling time.  Take It Back finishes things off and bumps the damage Blackholes do from 20-30 to 30-45.

Wing Warrior Upgrade Path

Wing Warrior exclusively addressees Blackout’s primary attack, Wing Whip.  A Spinning Finish lets you execute a ground pound of 60-90 with a good radius after a 3 hit combo and if you extend that you can get a blade dash that does the same 60-90.  I like the ground pound, but found the 4^th hit combo hard to execute and control…it will be a move I only use when it is done incidentally.  The Wing Whip and function of the ground pound is just too effective and efficient to really bother with “going for” the 4^th hit combo.  You can also tailor your landing spot mid air with the 3 hit combo…a very nice bonus!  Warp Speed is the last upgrade on the path, but I feel should have been second, especially since the middle upgrade addresses this move despite you not having it.  Anyway, Warp Speed does nothing at the Academy, but in a combat situation it needs about a 3-4 seconds charge of the primary attack button before it reels off a lighting quick teleport that does 78-117 4 times!  Whip it Up increases the damage on Wing Whip, Shadow Blade, and Warp Speed.  Warp Speed jumps from 78-117 to 102-153, Shadow Blade moves from 20-30 to 26-39, and wing Whip gets a nice boost from 56-84 to 73-109!

Prince of Darkness Upgrade Path

Prince of Darkness addresses Blackout’s secondary attack, Shadow Orbs.  This is a great path in my opinion.  Dark Energy Clouds upgrades Shadow Orbs from 44-66 on impact to 66-99.  Similarly, the 16-24 damage from 3 Swirls is now 24-36, but for 8 counts!  That is almost 3x the duration!  That is an even bigger accolade when you consider that Under the Cover of Darkness turns out to cut damage from enemies roughly in half!  That is like the old SSA +40 Armor essentially. If you were getting decked in Nightmare Mode by a troll who dealt 150 damage, he will now register 75 when you are within the Dark Energy Cloud!  Most people won’t even talk about this upgrade, or consider it a waste…I consider It absolute gold!  Cloud Gravity takes about 5 seconds to charge, runs about 10 seconds, and does 40-60 damage around 16x, or for the 10 seecond cycle.  You can move about while doing this too…However, the big thing about Cloud Gravity is the spectacle.  This is just a really cool attack to witness.  It is totally unique and will definitely be something players remember.

Soul Gem

Supernova Blackhole is usually easy to execute, although sometimes you can fire off two blackholes in succession, from the same spot, only to see them wind up not overlapping.  However, once they do they create a powerful suction, colorwash the screen, and then proceed to erupt for a staggering 4450-675 damage!

Attack Damage Numbers (Click to Enlarge)

Conclusion

Overall, Blackout has two solid upgrade paths.  If you are a fan of the Primary Attack Wing Whip, take Wing Warrior.  If you like the Shadow Orbs, go with Prince of Darkness.  If you feel one of those is fine as is and the other is weak, proceed accordingly.  If you use the primary attack almost exclusively you will benefit the most from Wing Warrior.  If you are on the fence, I would have to give the edge to Prince of Darkness.  While most people will rave about Cloud Gravity, I would argue it is the least important upgrade on the path.  Dark Energy Clouds is just purely effective AND that plays in to utilizing Under the Cover or Darkness to seriously nerf your opponents.  Taking 250 damage can kill you quick in Nightmare Mode, making that 125 can double your life span and be the difference between loosing a Skylander and getting a weak one off the Portal to swap for another Champion; You can not under estimate what this upgrade can do.  Toss in the bonus of Cloud Gravity and you have a memorable spectacle to associate with the path as well.  The good news is, regardless of your preference you get a fantastic Soul Gem!  I will likely reset this Blackout to return to Prince of Darkness.  Wing Warrior is very solid, but Under the Cover of Darkness is calling my name!

Rocky Roll Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers in Skylanders Trap Team

Rocky Roll was one of my most anticipated Skylanders in Trap Team and someone who I think holds the mining light well for my beloved Earth Element.  Speaking of which, do you not agree he would be a good candidate for a Light Element figure should they return?  Anyway, further enhancing my interest in this character is the fact that we have a 2-for-1 with Rocky AND Roll teaming up to become one evil crushing tandem!

Base Upgrades

Rocky Roll’s Base Attacks are very nice.  Spit Ball delivers a really promising 82-123 and the Boulder Dash offers up a quick bit of speed and 25-37.  Also of note, just moving about Rocky Roll will do 5-7 effortlessly…I guess that is the perk of being a giant boulder!  Boulder Barrier is a killer upgrade that allows you to pursue 1 of 3 actions: You can utilize the boulders as a shield, launch them as projectiles, or consume them to deal more damage in Bouncy Attack Mode.  Bouncy Attack Mode is playful, yet devastating…unique and practical.  I feel it is good enough at this point to completely forgo the Rolling Rumbler Path.  Rock On delivers increases to Spit Ball and Boulder Barrier while Moh Boulders allows you to have 6 boulders instead of 3 in Boulder Barrier, and that of course translates to the same previously cited options.

Rolling Rumbler Upgrade Path

This path is geared for the player who loves Bouncy Attack Mode.  I think BAM is solid, but I can live with it in standard form due to that solid state.  Let’s Roll makes the dash last a few seconds longer and ups the damage, but not to a significant level and it remains a bit hard to control.  I personally feel that using the standard Boulder Dash would allow me to escape, or hit and run just as effectively.  “Roll with the Punches” let’s you execute a spinning fist combo, but it only deals 19-28 damage.  “Rocky Boxing” does the same with a quick 4 hit ground pound from Roll, but it delivers 57-85, which is a nice increase.  Neither of these attacks breaks the bank, but they are very nice additions to the already happening “BAM.”

Geological Grandmaster

This is the path for me!  Rocky Roll is already sufficient for me on the secondary and tertiary sides and Geological Grandmaster’s upgrades to the Primary Spit Ball are super solid!  Super Spit Ball only requires a 2-3 second charge, during which we are still mobile, and rewards us with a rock solid 166-249!  Rock Hardest is a key component to this path as it increases the damage on all of the boulder attacks, including the Boulder Barrier!  This moves the base Spit Ball from 98-147 to 118-177!  Furthermore, the Super Spit Ball graduates from 166-249 to an earth shattering 200-300!  The unsung hero though is that the Boulder Barrier that was ding 32-48 on impact and 82-123 on launch is now delivering 46-69 TWICE on impact and 118-177 on launch.  Let me elaborate on that for you…Where the Boulder Barrier spawned 3 orbiting boulders that dealt 32-48 ONCE, Rock On took that to 38-57 ONCE, but Rock Hardest bumps the damage to 46-69 TWICE.  Essentially what I am saying is that instead of the 3 boulders colliding with a tough enemy and going 38-38-38 and being gone, this lets Boulder 1 do 46, then Boulder 2 do 46, and then Boulder 3 do 46…However, none of them crumbled, so right after Boulder 3 deals damage, Boulder 1 is back to carve off another 46 before dissipating!  That is effectively doubling a 3x attack!  Each orbiting boulder, in effect, is not doing 46-69 but rather 92-138!  Lastly, Triple Spit Balls lets Rocky Roll use his standard attack to triple the damage and increase the coverage!

Soul Gem

Boulder Posse takes the already formidable Boulder Barrier, enhanced with Moh Boulders from 3 to 6 to 9.  3x the carnage, 3x the fun!  This plays in well for the Bounce Attack, launching the boulders, and of course just having them orbit.

Rocky Roll Attack Damage Numbers

(Click to Enlarge)

Conclusion

For my play style, Geological Grandmaster reigns supreme!  I am a fan of Armor and the way Rock Hardest doubles the life span of the orbiting boulders while increasing their damage is about as close as we can get to the old school Earth Element +40 Armor.  While you can launch the boulders or consume them for the Bouncy Attack Mode, my inkling is to let them orbit (3,6, or even 9 via the Soul Gem) and use it as a literal shield.  While dealing great damage to enemies in any direction of me, I am able to shoot out Triple Spit Balls, or charge up a Super Spit Ball.  It fits my play style perfectly because of this!  If you are not of the same mindset and don’t like the thought of relying on the boulder barrier to protect you, you might prefer Rolling Rumbler.  The increased roll time is nice and you get some cool moves for Roll.  In the end, Geological Grandmaster is just rock solid for my personal play style and reminds me of the glory days of SSA with Dino-Rang, Bash, Prism Break, and Terrafin!

Skylanders Trap Team Poll Battle: Spotlight vs Blackout

With the epic release of both Light and Dark Newlanders Spotlight and Blackout respectively, it is time for a fresh poll battle!  This one is pretty simple...

Going on aesthetics only (ie how they look, NOT how they play) which do you like better?  To phrase it again, "Based on looks alone, do you like Spotlight or Blackout better?"

I will have the poll here on my site thru 4/30/2015 at 11:59 PM CST.

I will also have the poll up on the Skylander Club Forum...To vote, you just have to create an account...it is quick, easy, and safe (I run the forum).

Once this poll closes, I will likely run another where it is a PvP type poll battle.

So have at it!  Cast your vote and tell your friends!  The poll is on the RH Side of my site, just below the Twitter Feed!

 VS

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)

Skylanders Trap Team Wave 4 Unboxings

Well, Wave 4 came with a bang!  I got a surprise delivery on St. Patrick's Day (made it one of the best in my opinion) and the insanity began: Thunderbolt, Shortcut, Rocky Roll, High Five, Bat Spin, Echo, and the Easter Skylanders (Easter Bunny Earth Trap, Power Punch Pet Vac, and of course Eggsellent Weeruptor).  I got their unboxings cranked out and began work on the Introductions and Upgrades...

Then, Mario Party 10 hit with a new line of Super Mario Amiibo AND I was able to land Blackout and Spotlight.  Needless to say, things have been VERY busy.  As such, I am going to just compile all the recent Skylander Unboxing vids here for your convenience.  You can also find stand alone posts on the Skylander Club Forum, or by taking the link at the top of each description box.

I hope to eventually update them with my usual format (FAQ and Card Stats etc).  For now, I'm quite busy and content running thru Introductions and Upgrades for all thsese great new Skylanders!

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Blackout

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Spotlight

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Thunderbolt

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Shortcut

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Rocky Roll

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Bat Spin

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing High Five

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Echo

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Power Punch Pet Vac

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Eggsellent Weeruptor

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Easter Bunny Earth  Trap

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!

Deja Vu & Legendary Deja Vu Upgrade Paths & Attack Damage Numbers

So, this set of vids was actually recorded December 3rd, 2014...I honestly thought I had long since released them.  Nonethless, here they are and I suppose on the bright side they sync nicely with the recent release of Bades, Bushwhack, and Jawbreaker...all of which join Deja Vu with "Legendary Status" in Trap Team.

Deja Vu Base Upgrades

Legendary Deja Vu Remember to Live

Deja Vu Live to Remember

Deja Vu Attack Damage Numbers

(Click to Enlarge)

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!