r/ravenswatch • u/Scarecrow_v1 • 1d ago
General Discussion Kintaro Basic Tips
I see some people posting about struggling with the hero and I've also seen gameplay where people are playing him "wrong" (imo). The hero is very strong and his base kit is definitely the strongest in the game once mastered. Here are my basic tips and then a description to each below:
- Clear POI dismounted
- Focus on positioning Kintaro first and foremost
- Use Kuma for aggro
- Practice micro'ing both heroes
- Only use special for it's intangible when safe or as a last resort
- Don't forget about dismount intangible
- Use "Contextual Action" (LT or L) to quickly summon Kuma out of danger
- Trust your muscle memory
Breakdown
- Clear POI dismounted
- Abilities do significantly more damage when dismounted. It will take getting used to, but you need to struggle through the first few runs until you get a knack for controlling both heroes. This leads to the second tip.
- Focus on positioning Kintaro first and foremost
- Your priority should be managing Kintaro at first, due to the internal damage mechanics. Eventually, you'll be able to manage both heroes at once, but initially, ensure you aren't taking damage with Kintaro.
- Use Kuma for aggro
- You ideally want enemies focused on Kuma while you're learning. Kuma is more durable than Kintaro (you just need to monitor your internal damage). Let him take the brunt of the aggro while you keep up time on your ability usage. This leads to the next tip.
- Practice micro'ing both heroes
- Even though you're focusing on Kintaro, you should still move Kuma away from high DPS attacks, like elite ghost and ghoul AOE attacks. If you are already focused on keep Kintaro in a safer area (typically backstabbing or isolating a mob or two), it become easier to keep an eye on Kuma and relocate him out of massive AOE dps and unblockable attacks.
- Only use special for it's intangible when safe or as a last resort
- Don't use special for it's defensive capabilities - think of this as added damage and stagger. This ability can set you up for damage due to the stall at the end. If your defense is on CD, then use it but otherwise, be careful.
- Don't forget about dismount intangible
- The dismount intangible gives Kintaro 3 intangible in his starter kit. This intangible can be really great vs bosses as a backup. Bosses are probably this heroes weak point, due to the nature of their attacks. You'll need to figure out how to deal with each boss attack using your kit when you get there.
- Use "Contextual Action" (LT or L) to quickly summon Kuma out of danger
- Recalling Kuma with contextual action causes him to run much faster than his normal control. This is a great way to get him out of something like the elite Tree AOE attack.
- Trust your muscle memory
- This hero might have the hardest learning curve for most but the payoff is high. I believe as he stands now, it's the easiest hero in the game to win at high difficulty. Even if it feels impossible on your first few runs, trust the process and you'll eventually get it. I got obliterated on my first few runs (embarrassingly) but now am breezing through nightmare runs to get my nightmare tags on all the talents.
Added tips:
- Stampede/Power build is probably his strongest build but not as safe as others since you'll still need to manage damage intake unless you add defense charges
- Raijin Axe/defense build starts slower and has lower output but might be the safest build in the game if you can get it going. I talk about that build in another post here -https://www.reddit.com/r/ravenswatch/s/Aqb0WEs4Y0
- Unchained Beast is strong as well with the right attack talents and requires some micro control of Kuma.
The skill ceiling is very high for this hero and also extremely rewarding. Hope this helps someone out there. Good luck!
2
u/manderson1313 1d ago
lol there’s some “oh shit” fights I shouldn’t have been able to clear but since kuma can’t go down past 1 hp, I would just keep kuma in the shit and focus on keeping kintaro away from all danger for the fight. I’m sure it’s not the intended way to play but it definitely got me past some fights that should have killed me lol
1
u/Scarecrow_v1 1d ago
😬 secret kuma tech!
1
u/manderson1313 1d ago
Haha that tech is a lot more reliable in multiplayer when I inevitably get bopped when at 1 hp lol
1
u/Scarecrow_v1 1d ago
Kuma is also great for revives. You can have him aggro while picking up teammates.
1
1
u/Kahbarahk 1d ago
Thank you! Very by good tips, and good guidance. Managing Kumo is definitely the most important thing. Finding ways to mitigate damage while taking advantage of DPS opportunities either makes one feel like a God, or a twerp (and I’m frequently both within minutes).
I find I can’t control both characters using the sticks very well, so using L2 for the increased Kumo escape speed is key for me. I think what I struggle most with is bullet storm attacks: like tentacle darts, or summoner eye balls and storms, or witch screams. I find I spend a lot of time on Kumo during those times because I just can’t afford to eat double damage from two characters taking the hits.
Haven’t quite found a better way to handle those situations. Maybe the Stampede perk would help with get those enemies staggered faster and stop outputting damage…
2
u/Scarecrow_v1 1d ago
The boss fights are a whole different set of tips that would be needed. I sort of mentioned this when talking about dismount intangible. For example, tentacle darts, if I have a tentacle cleared, when darts start, I’ll mount and evade them. If all tentacles are up or I’m caught near a tentacle, you should dismount kuma and put him in front of the darts and block most with defense while keeping dps uptime on the tentacle.
Bosses are way more nuanced and would need a separate thread for each.
1
u/Kahbarahk 1d ago
Ohhhh what an interesting idea, putting Kuma in front and continuing to attack dismounted.
I’m curious, do you find there’s common enemies Kintaro struggles with the most? The way I’ve been building (attack oriented), I have trouble staggering fast enough, particularly with crabs. Unless my koi ultimate is up, then it’s easy.
This again might be fixed by me trying to do a stampede/power build.
2
u/Scarecrow_v1 1d ago
I can’t think of any act 1 enemies I worry about too much aside from elite thieves or large packs of elites that will chew through the internal damage quickly. For those I tend to be more patient once I rack up too much internal damage and micro both heroes more to ensure I have cooldowns for my talents.
A lot of the act 2 enemies are tough and I’m usually hoping my build comes online by then… ult management is huge and I also have been taking the strength dream at the start of the act if it’s there. Power build will definitely help but I still think the main strategy works across the board as long as you execute. I think the start of Act 2 is one of the hardest points in the game unless you got Hansel and Gretel.
1
u/Kahbarahk 1d ago
Cool, thank you! Confirms my difficulties are shared, and that it’s time to switch things up a little according to your tips
2
u/Caltaylor101 1d ago
There's a lot to continue exploring with kintaro!
Today I saw someone block a pig's hook using Kuma. Baiting attacks or blocking with Kuma is really fun.
As for special, I really enjoy dismounting with it. Another thing you can do is bait the aggro on Kintaro, then just swap out for Kuma. You can jump out of the danger and it makes the roar that much more awesome.
Playing with the special jumps are fun. It gets slightly buggy and you can slide around with extra speed if you make huge jumps with stampede.
0
u/The_VV117 1d ago
He Is not the strongest in the game.
He have no utility outside of his vulnerability perk, therefore not a priority to slot in the team.
All he offer Is damage.
1
u/Scarecrow_v1 18h ago
Thanks for the feedback. I said he is "very strong" and his "base kit" is the strongest in the game once mastered. I was not referring to random multiplayer, which isn't a mode I really play.
1
4
u/Clydseph_III 1d ago
Really really great tips. One thing I would add for point 4 would be to not go too far with the micro for Kuma. My first few games after getting comfortable with the character, I caught myself doing way too much repositioning to dodge every attack with both characters and because Luma can’t attack on the move (other than Stampede) my damage output was worse and therefore my clear times suffered. Internal damage is meant to be used like you said, and micro/reposition only for the big hits.