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Bundle companions are not invincible!

AuthorMessage
Ensign
Jul 26, 2009
38
Ahoy pirates!

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of talk about how OP the bundle companions are. People are complaining (a lot) that are destroying PvP. The truth of the matter is.... they are not. Nausica and Monkey Cornelius are only as good as the people using them. The reason that many members think they are unfair is because they force you to change your strategy. As long as you adjust your strategy, you can win; just like any other tough fight in the game. I'm getting really tired of hearing the same thing over and over guys. A hidden swashbuckler that knows mighty strike can do a lot of damage to Nausica before her shield goes up. A single strategic burst of fire from Zeena (or a privateer) can make things difficult for Cornelius. Also, space out your companions! If you "Go bananas" on a swashbuckler with a lot of dodge, or a buccaneer with a lot of vengeance strikes (x ahem x El Toro and Hercules) then the fight will become a little more difficult for Cornelius. Now we get to the part a lot of people won't like. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a companion. A lot of the time I'll use one of my stronger melee companions relatively early and rush him/ her in (with a few buffs of course) early on. Let your opponent panic and try to kill him/her while he/she whales away at their characters. All the while, your ranged companions are getting into position to destroy the stragglers.

Now, I'm not going to claim to win every battle that I fight, because I don't, but I have beaten both Nausica and Cornelius (not at the same time though) without having either one of them in my crew. When I lose, it is to superior strategists, not to Nausica or Cornelius. Oh yeah, there's one more thing: mojo reaver (or strike at a high enough level) can destroy a spirit shield in one blow when it criticals. I have done it to others with both my witchdoctor and swashbuckler and had it done to me on my privateer. Just some food for thought

Please post your tips for beating the bundle companions here. Also, the point of this post was to do something constructive, not to single anyone out;I'm sorry if I offended you.

Captain
Oct 26, 2012
524
Lordofwinter35 on Feb 25, 2014 wrote:
Ahoy pirates!

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of talk about how OP the bundle companions are. People are complaining (a lot) that are destroying PvP. The truth of the matter is.... they are not. Nausica and Monkey Cornelius are only as good as the people using them. The reason that many members think they are unfair is because they force you to change your strategy. As long as you adjust your strategy, you can win; just like any other tough fight in the game. I'm getting really tired of hearing the same thing over and over guys. A hidden swashbuckler that knows mighty strike can do a lot of damage to Nausica before her shield goes up. A single strategic burst of fire from Zeena (or a privateer) can make things difficult for Cornelius. Also, space out your companions! If you "Go bananas" on a swashbuckler with a lot of dodge, or a buccaneer with a lot of vengeance strikes (x ahem x El Toro and Hercules) then the fight will become a little more difficult for Cornelius. Now we get to the part a lot of people won't like. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a companion. A lot of the time I'll use one of my stronger melee companions relatively early and rush him/ her in (with a few buffs of course) early on. Let your opponent panic and try to kill him/her while he/she whales away at their characters. All the while, your ranged companions are getting into position to destroy the stragglers.

Now, I'm not going to claim to win every battle that I fight, because I don't, but I have beaten both Nausica and Cornelius (not at the same time though) without having either one of them in my crew. When I lose, it is to superior strategists, not to Nausica or Cornelius. Oh yeah, there's one more thing: mojo reaver (or strike at a high enough level) can destroy a spirit shield in one blow when it criticals. I have done it to others with both my witchdoctor and swashbuckler and had it done to me on my privateer. Just some food for thought

Please post your tips for beating the bundle companions here. Also, the point of this post was to do something constructive, not to single anyone out;I'm sorry if I offended you.
If anyone goes in a phalanx position and puts Nausica behind, then they can double valors fort her (roughly giving her +100% absorbtion), and add a spirit shield. Yes they can do this to any companion or themselves, but it's best used with Nausica. Charging straight away is not the best option, considering Overwatch abilities and such. My recommendation is too have a few debuffers like Subodai and Ratbeard against a Nausica counter, however they don't do so well always... To be honest she is only a nuisance if we buff her with valors armor and forts and stuff like that, otherwise she is not OP. I killed her in round 2 against a max level, in a class house PvP.

Also I don't know much about the Mojo Monkey. I saw him yesterday in a PvP fight. I asked a fellow privateer whom I know, that if the monkey is OP or not. He said no (and he doesn't have him), because he seems balanced out for most classes. He did say it is OP if you are a privateer though, since reckless frezny with something like +100% accuracy is OP. Anyways I can't base too much of Mojo Monkey yet, I am just pretty much quoting what this guy said. So mojo monkey is probably easy if you don't bunch guys close together, and that is probably his only threat.

Gunner's Mate
Jun 27, 2013
222
Here is a tip for all the classes. I haven't played all the classes yet, but, I watch the higher levels.

- Mournsong the bundle companion first and then stack your buffs. Wait for it to get in range first and let your companions strike like cobras, including you. I recommend using guaranteed strikes on the companion. If you want to go the other way, charm the companion and hope he uses his or her power on their team. IDK if he can Go Bananas on his own or if she can Centaur Charge though. Its possible that you can kill the bundle companions in one round with this class.=what I said about the one round thing. = not sure about one round

- I don't know much of the swash powers, but I have a strategy. Use those add critical chances on you as well as hide your companions with shadow power (use only if the other team doesn't have aoe). Wait (my main strategy) for the opposing companion to come. Strike with assassin strike and make your companions attack as well. Also

- All I can say is to wait. I barely know this class' powers.

- First, barrage, artillery, or big guns the team before attacking. Then discipline your team and wait. Attack like there's no tomorrow. Wait, Espirit de Corps the team and kill the bundle companions in one round.

- Set as much traps as you can around those companions. The knock them back if there are powers with knockback . So, finish them by letting your companions attack.

I am only sure about the witchdoctor part though

Golden Chris Silver lvl43

Captain
May 13, 2011
564
i agree. i dont see the big deal. i have beaten nausica without a lot of trouble before

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
No offence here. We need more kind of posts like yours. Instead of just whining about how hard it is, here is a poster that is actually teaching you how to get through this. You couldn't be more correct in stating that it is the brains and strategy that wins the fights. There is some luck involved in having cards not show up in time but a superior strategist will always have a plan B for when that happens.
Brilliant post and my hat is off to you for taking the time to teach others HOW to think and play their game well. Well done.

Petty Officer
Jul 25, 2013
88
first of all, Nausica is a musketeer, what i would do is have a buccaneer or swashbuckler on your team, including your companions
cornelius, is a bit difficult, make sure to have a privateer with you, so they can increase dodge and a musketeer is your choice( they help a lot though) this is all from my own experience
Stormy Blake Hawkins 65

Admiral
Jul 07, 2013
1124
Now your thinking! But don't give away too much...

Virtuous Dante Ramsey

Captain
Oct 26, 2012
524
Chrissy Th'Blesser on Feb 25, 2014 wrote:
No offence here. We need more kind of posts like yours. Instead of just whining about how hard it is, here is a poster that is actually teaching you how to get through this. You couldn't be more correct in stating that it is the brains and strategy that wins the fights. There is some luck involved in having cards not show up in time but a superior strategist will always have a plan B for when that happens.
Brilliant post and my hat is off to you for taking the time to teach others HOW to think and play their game well. Well done.
You can clear unessacary cards by right clicking them, yet another tip I discovered at level 65

Lieutenant
Jul 09, 2009
151
Chrissy Th'Blesser on Feb 25, 2014 wrote:
No offence here. We need more kind of posts like yours. Instead of just whining about how hard it is, here is a poster that is actually teaching you how to get through this. You couldn't be more correct in stating that it is the brains and strategy that wins the fights. There is some luck involved in having cards not show up in time but a superior strategist will always have a plan B for when that happens.
Brilliant post and my hat is off to you for taking the time to teach others HOW to think and play their game well. Well done.
Whether you didn't mean to offend others or not, you did. If someone does have a complaint, that doesn't mean they don't know how to think and play the game well. Facing Nausica isn't exactly something that's easy for every class. Outside of Central rules or for players lacking Crowns, Musketeers have very little chance of surviving against Nausica. A Musketeer with no Crowns only has Ratbeard's 3 round debuff to make an attempt of dodging Nausica's attacks. Not to mention the stacked protection on her, should you play outside of Central rules.

An Epic that's meant to provide us an offensive-defense against non-player Musketeers has quickly become the bane of our class. I can't untrain Quick Draw x2 and I shouldn't be forced to not train my main class talents so I don't get pummeled by Nausica or other True Grit companions. Now I have bought the Crowns companions I need so I can actually stand a chance against her, but as for the Musketeer players that cannot get crowns, they won't get that chance.

Let's see: Tempest of Torpedos lost its knockback effect for who knows how long, Reckless Frenzy, Quick Draw x2 and anti-Musketeer companions, Hoodoo Cornelius with "Go Bananas," low dodge (decent with Elusive 3), and no defensive stats. Ratbeard, please tell me you've got something that'll really help Musketeers out.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
Lucas Walker on Feb 27, 2014 wrote:
Whether you didn't mean to offend others or not, you did. If someone does have a complaint, that doesn't mean they don't know how to think and play the game well. Facing Nausica isn't exactly something that's easy for every class. Outside of Central rules or for players lacking Crowns, Musketeers have very little chance of surviving against Nausica. A Musketeer with no Crowns only has Ratbeard's 3 round debuff to make an attempt of dodging Nausica's attacks. Not to mention the stacked protection on her, should you play outside of Central rules.

An Epic that's meant to provide us an offensive-defense against non-player Musketeers has quickly become the bane of our class. I can't untrain Quick Draw x2 and I shouldn't be forced to not train my main class talents so I don't get pummeled by Nausica or other True Grit companions. Now I have bought the Crowns companions I need so I can actually stand a chance against her, but as for the Musketeer players that cannot get crowns, they won't get that chance.

Let's see: Tempest of Torpedos lost its knockback effect for who knows how long, Reckless Frenzy, Quick Draw x2 and anti-Musketeer companions, Hoodoo Cornelius with "Go Bananas," low dodge (decent with Elusive 3), and no defensive stats. Ratbeard, please tell me you've got something that'll really help Musketeers out.
My humblest and sincerest apologies for causing you offence. It was truly not intended in any way. I did not mean to imply you do not think. I never said it was easy, most problems are not easy. I only mean we can all learn to think MORE and to thing DIFFERENTLY. Just because you think one way does not make it wrong, it is only different. If a way you are thinking and acting does not achieve the results you need then it is time to do some more thinking and thinking along different paths and new ideas. There are many geniuses that came up with wonderful ideas to solve a problem. This does not mean they were less of a genius before they thought of the solution. They just thought around the problem and figured it out. That is what I mean. Instead of complaining and asking the problem to go away or reduced, a better path is to start to think differently and figure out how to solve the problem.
I never meant to imply a low level of intelligence here. I only was nudging to get the known intelligence to turn the other way and think outside the box and solve the currently hard puzzle and then feel that wonderful "Ah Ha" or "Eureka" moment of 'Problem solved'.

Ensign
Jul 26, 2009
38
Lucas Walker on Feb 27, 2014 wrote:
Whether you didn't mean to offend others or not, you did. If someone does have a complaint, that doesn't mean they don't know how to think and play the game well. Facing Nausica isn't exactly something that's easy for every class. Outside of Central rules or for players lacking Crowns, Musketeers have very little chance of surviving against Nausica. A Musketeer with no Crowns only has Ratbeard's 3 round debuff to make an attempt of dodging Nausica's attacks. Not to mention the stacked protection on her, should you play outside of Central rules.

An Epic that's meant to provide us an offensive-defense against non-player Musketeers has quickly become the bane of our class. I can't untrain Quick Draw x2 and I shouldn't be forced to not train my main class talents so I don't get pummeled by Nausica or other True Grit companions. Now I have bought the Crowns companions I need so I can actually stand a chance against her, but as for the Musketeer players that cannot get crowns, they won't get that chance.

Let's see: Tempest of Torpedos lost its knockback effect for who knows how long, Reckless Frenzy, Quick Draw x2 and anti-Musketeer companions, Hoodoo Cornelius with "Go Bananas," low dodge (decent with Elusive 3), and no defensive stats. Ratbeard, please tell me you've got something that'll really help Musketeers out.
I'm sorry you feel that way Lucas, and I apologize for offending you. However, the purpose of this thread is to compile a list of tips towards facing these companions in battle, and so I've added this little bit for musketeers.

While it's true that Musketeers have a tough time against Nausica, she is still vulnerable to getting pummeled by melee companions. Also, you'd be amazed at how effective traps are against both Nausica and Cornelius. If they try to go around, they're wasting time that could be spent attacking, but if they go through then they risk getting hit by a big critical damage. I'm not very experienced with the musketeer class, but when facing them in the spar chamber the traps are what seem to make or break the game. It is my understanding that musketeer attacks that cover a large area may not be subject to quick draw by the targets, so that's also something to keep in mind. As for the musketeer power Quick Draw 2, while it may be inconvenient when facing Nausica, as a musketeer you have the ability to shoot over a greater range. If you place some companions with hold the line, like the seldom used Ratbeard, between you and Nausica, that can keep you from getting charged.

I hope that this helped at least a little bit.

Lieutenant
Jul 09, 2009
151
Lordofwinter35 on Feb 27, 2014 wrote:
I'm sorry you feel that way Lucas, and I apologize for offending you. However, the purpose of this thread is to compile a list of tips towards facing these companions in battle, and so I've added this little bit for musketeers.

While it's true that Musketeers have a tough time against Nausica, she is still vulnerable to getting pummeled by melee companions. Also, you'd be amazed at how effective traps are against both Nausica and Cornelius. If they try to go around, they're wasting time that could be spent attacking, but if they go through then they risk getting hit by a big critical damage. I'm not very experienced with the musketeer class, but when facing them in the spar chamber the traps are what seem to make or break the game. It is my understanding that musketeer attacks that cover a large area may not be subject to quick draw by the targets, so that's also something to keep in mind. As for the musketeer power Quick Draw 2, while it may be inconvenient when facing Nausica, as a musketeer you have the ability to shoot over a greater range. If you place some companions with hold the line, like the seldom used Ratbeard, between you and Nausica, that can keep you from getting charged.

I hope that this helped at least a little bit.
No, no I'm not saying you offended me, I really enjoyed your post and I do think a lot of people can learn from it. :)

Lieutenant
Jul 09, 2009
151
Chrissy Th'Blesser on Feb 27, 2014 wrote:
My humblest and sincerest apologies for causing you offence. It was truly not intended in any way. I did not mean to imply you do not think. I never said it was easy, most problems are not easy. I only mean we can all learn to think MORE and to thing DIFFERENTLY. Just because you think one way does not make it wrong, it is only different. If a way you are thinking and acting does not achieve the results you need then it is time to do some more thinking and thinking along different paths and new ideas. There are many geniuses that came up with wonderful ideas to solve a problem. This does not mean they were less of a genius before they thought of the solution. They just thought around the problem and figured it out. That is what I mean. Instead of complaining and asking the problem to go away or reduced, a better path is to start to think differently and figure out how to solve the problem.
I never meant to imply a low level of intelligence here. I only was nudging to get the known intelligence to turn the other way and think outside the box and solve the currently hard puzzle and then feel that wonderful "Ah Ha" or "Eureka" moment of 'Problem solved'.
It's fine.

It is important to remember that there are times and certain situations where nerfing will be inevitable. While no one likes having something they used weakened, sometimes it has to happen and we have to live with that change.

Ensign
Jul 26, 2009
38
Lucas Walker on Feb 28, 2014 wrote:
No, no I'm not saying you offended me, I really enjoyed your post and I do think a lot of people can learn from it. :)
Oh! Thanks for the sentiment! I hope that everyone who reads this will get a little something from it.
I encourage you and any other pirate to join in and write up some more tips for beating the sinister bundle companions!

Attention Pirates: Please write your advice for beating Nausica and Cornelius in this thread, as it will make everyone's lives much easier.

Dark Orion Ire
Merciless Octavio Ire
Fiery Blaze Ire

Gunner's Mate
Aug 08, 2010
288
Lordofwinter35 on Feb 25, 2014 wrote:
Ahoy pirates!

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of talk about how OP the bundle companions are. People are complaining (a lot) that are destroying PvP. The truth of the matter is.... they are not. Nausica and Monkey Cornelius are only as good as the people using them. The reason that many members think they are unfair is because they force you to change your strategy. As long as you adjust your strategy, you can win; just like any other tough fight in the game. I'm getting really tired of hearing the same thing over and over guys. A hidden swashbuckler that knows mighty strike can do a lot of damage to Nausica before her shield goes up. A single strategic burst of fire from Zeena (or a privateer) can make things difficult for Cornelius. Also, space out your companions! If you "Go bananas" on a swashbuckler with a lot of dodge, or a buccaneer with a lot of vengeance strikes (x ahem x El Toro and Hercules) then the fight will become a little more difficult for Cornelius. Now we get to the part a lot of people won't like. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a companion. A lot of the time I'll use one of my stronger melee companions relatively early and rush him/ her in (with a few buffs of course) early on. Let your opponent panic and try to kill him/her while he/she whales away at their characters. All the while, your ranged companions are getting into position to destroy the stragglers.

Now, I'm not going to claim to win every battle that I fight, because I don't, but I have beaten both Nausica and Cornelius (not at the same time though) without having either one of them in my crew. When I lose, it is to superior strategists, not to Nausica or Cornelius. Oh yeah, there's one more thing: mojo reaver (or strike at a high enough level) can destroy a spirit shield in one blow when it criticals. I have done it to others with both my witchdoctor and swashbuckler and had it done to me on my privateer. Just some food for thought

Please post your tips for beating the bundle companions here. Also, the point of this post was to do something constructive, not to single anyone out;I'm sorry if I offended you.
Whilst i agree they're not invinsible, the fight is completely over with the Nausica-Fort-Absorb strategy, as well as having her rush in.
I've tried:
1. Ignoring nausica and heading for the pirate, which trust me does not work as the rest of their companions and the 6 range nausica will hunt you down.
2.Running away from nausica. This also fails as with her powers, she easily corners me and my companions whilst taking little to no damage.
3. Attack Nausica. This never works especially as with a Fortress and Armor she'll take tickle damage whilst demolishing your musketeers with true grit.
4. Shielding myself or a specific companion. This also fails as as soon as you put a shield on one companion, she'll hunt the other ones down. Plus if she kills you then it's all over, and most people only have one type of shield through gear.
5. Purge her. This is honestly the worst thing you could do. Sure, it'd make her go down super quickly, but the next turn you're dead if you've buffed, since it affects the whole team.
So what effective ways are there to counter this strategy? None.(well i think i'm being too harsh, there are some like shielding yourself but then your companions will die, reducing her accuracy- with CROWN companions- which doesn't really work against anyone but a privy or swash, etc.) Especially for those musketeers out there with quick draw 2
The hoodo cornelius is different, most swashbucklers will always dodge his frenzy and you can always seperate your companions.
However, i really see no appropriate counters to the evil centaur queen, Nausica. Maybe a nerf is the best answer.

Gunner's Mate
May 08, 2010
270
Whats the problem with this? Most people are stupid with it and usethe charge thing. Well hoodoo monkey has like 1400 health at 68, so he will die to easy. there not op.