NiM Apex Vanguard
NiM Apex Vanguard
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Recommended Composition
3 Tanks
2 Tanks for Apex/Battery
1 Tank for Adds
3 DPS
Sage
Sentinel (2 Sentinels great)
2 Healers
1 Designated Flare healer
**SET UP ORDER FOR PLAYERS TO GRAB STIMS**
Our Stim order as an example:
ME (Tank 1) - Collected 3 stims as soon as I activate the console. I call our non-flare healer over, they get 8-10 stims.
Next was a sentinel, then our adds tank.
Tank 2 collects theirs on their way up to make flares
Next is other sentinel, lastly the range dps.
NiM (Master Mode) Apex has 1000 moving parts and as such 1000 strategies for this fight will arise. As my team progressed through this fight, I captured what notes I thought would be useful to groups starting out and developing their own strategies.
Our early prog with this fight focused on getting our STIM pick up order just right to get everyone set and good to roll.
Our next bit of prog was figuring out the adds tank role and keeping the battery runners from getting pulled and getting enough charge puddles dropped for them.
Of course, the main prog was tanks memorizing the route for their battery running, and handling their defensives/stim use for tanking APEX.
Iconography for the guide
Iconography for the guide
Wash
Vent
Disrupt
Stim
Refill Flares
Collect flares
Battery
-Leave
-Take
Drop Battery
Collect Stims
Charge in Puddle
Drop Zone
Acid Blast
Puts a large circle on Apex's Target, grows in size. Adds stacks to players inside of it gain stacks of a debuff, likely reducing armor rating.
Venom
One of Apex's Main Mechanics requiring use of the Vent Console to clear it. Will increase in stacks the longer its in the room (pink mist).
Deluge
Fires off around 30% and will have to be delt with at least twice in most encounters. Gives Apex 4 charges of Acid Blast.
Contagion
Same mechanic as hard mode. Clean it off, do not spread it.
Mass Trget Lock
Bombard
Apex's mechanic requiring use of the disruptor to clear it.
Blood Lust
For 12" apex's damage is increased by 300%. Tank MUST STIM to counter this. Watch the beginning and end of this debuff, if your stim falls off early it's going to hurt, likewise if you stim to late, you can easily get one shot. I time my stim right as the channel ends. Adds 1 stack of Darkness.
Rocket Salvo
In NiM, this now adds a stacking bleed. Players MUST spread out. Only DPS are hit.
Blind
Voltinator
Blind comes out before voltinator and ends a hair before voltinator does. Tank swaps aren't possible while blind. 2 Stims counter this.
Ultra Violence
Largely the same as bloodlust. Ultra will replace blood lust at sub 30% around the same timing of Deluge. Adds 5 stacks of Darkness.
Photogen
Darkness Override
Same process as story mode up. Boss heals in the light gets stronger in the dark.
Zone Defense
A match game, players on the yellow side get a yellow debuff and need to move to the purple side. We have the tank turn the boss around.
Last Ditch
Happens at 5% HP signaling the final phase of the fight. Apex Enrages.
"Phase 1"
"Phase 1"
Position 1 - Boss is pulled, initial acid blast baited here.
Position 2 - Right after acid blast, tank 1 guides the boss beside of the battery door.
Contagion!!!
Boss Enters Potogenesis
Tank 2 proceeds "toward" position 3, and taunts after 5 auto attacks.
Position 3 - Tank 2 is hit with Acid Blast, and manuvers the boss to position 4
Position 4 - Boss enters Darkness override as the battery is pulled by tank 1.
Position 5 - As the boss exits Darkness override, Tank 2 heads back into the acid to bait the next acid blast into the existing puddle, then back to position 4.
Contagion!!!
Position 6 - Moved to after acid blast, boss will channel blood rage and red venom at this location. (FLARE COLLECTION TIME)
Position 7 - Tank swap will be happening between 6 & 7, as tank 1 washes the floor. A faster run will result in tank 1 taking the boss at position 6 and moving it to 7, slower runs will have tank 2 moving the boss to position 7.
Contagion!!! - This ends the first sequence. Contagion is placed beside of the wash console and the team begins moving back the way they came.
As the fight is pulled, The flare healer collects the first batch of Flares
Contagion will hit the group before the boss enters Photogenesis. We stack these at the north/south center of the room.
Apex Enters Photogenesis. If it does a second Acid Blast before Photogenesis, its a raid wipe (1st DPS check).
After Photogenesis ends, on the 5th auto attack the off tank taunts, acid blast channels, which should go on the off tank waiting at Position 3.
Blue
Battery Sequence 1
Leave this battery
Collect 8 Stims
Get New Battery
Collect 2 Charges
Flare Collection Timing
The flare healer should be collecting Flares as the boss channels "Red Venom". The usually cross paths with the battery runner as they head to vent, so when the lights go back out a second time, it's time to go.
Best Zap Puddle Drop Locations for this sequence
Drop a Minimum of 4 Charges near Location Gamma
"Phase 2"
"Phase 2"
Position 1 - Hold boss here until Acid Blast
Position 2 - Hold boss here until Acid Blast (will get mass target and blood rage, helpful to call out, as well as when you get hit with acid blast, as tank 2 will need to wait to "disrupt" until after this second acid blast.
Position 3 - Zone Defense will come out here. Tank 2 will taunt (during zone defense) off of tank 1 and rotate the boss 180 degrees, so that any damage from zone defense is kept to a minimal.
Position 4 - Boss is reversed, contagion will come out.
Position 5 - First voltinator, Blood Rage right after, time your stims for 100% uptime during the boss's buff.
Position 6 - Tank 1 will be washing the room between your movement from 5 > 6. Position the boss next to the disruptor console and be ready to put your contagion here. Move to 7 as soon as you drop contagion.
Position 9 - You will see the next blood rage, be ready with stims again.
Position 10 - Next tank swap, you will be unplugging the battery from the central console.
Purple Battery Sequence 2
Collect 2 charges
Collect 12 stims
Make 3 Flares
Blue
Battery Sequence 3
Empty in Disruptor
Collect 6 Charges
Make 3 Flares
Collect 3 Charges
Tank 2 moving #6
LOTS of Stims
Follow Path A or B Depends on which goes first.
Path A - Venom
Path A - Venom
Collect Full Charges
Make 3 Flares
Plug Back in Center
Path B - Target
Path B - Target
Collect Full Charges
Make 3 Flares
Plug Back in Center
Flare Collection Timing
The flare healer should be collecting Flares as the boss channels voltinator at position 5. If Tank 1 has to wait a moment, they should. It is more important here to keep tank 2 healthy until voltinator starts. The next set of flares can be picked up any time the tank is under stims. You will have roughly 10-12 seconds where they are taking very little damage.
Best Zap Puddle Drop Locations for this sequence
Drop a Minimum of 6 Charges near Location Alpha (complete battery recharge).
After initial charges are collected, focus dropping more at Beta
"Phase 3"
"Phase 3"
Position 1 - After the tank swap, we will not be here long
Position 2 - Volt or Venom is coming soon, we want to try to move the boss as fast as possible from position to position. If the timing leads to volt being in an acid pool, the battery tank needs to wash immediately, as such they need to be ready to wash as soon as they see volt. If volt is not in acid, wait until after volt ends to wash (it acid blast soon after).
Position 3 - We should be here when the room is washed, or soon after to begin the trek back.
Position 4-7 - pretty much business as usual. Be watching Apex's HP. Sub 32.5% acid Deluge will begin. This can be highly variable for your group. Ours lined up near position 8. Wash one the first and third acid blast once Acid Deluge is channeled (gives him 4 charges). If the battery runner is not at the wash console ready to wash, you will need to get "creative".
Tank swap at the end of the sequence lines up with the next Zone Defense.
Purple Battery Sequence 4
Note that Volt/Venom can swap spots. I usually wash the room first regardless of which goes first. Just be sure that the boss is taken all the way down to #2 before you do.
Near Stims
LOTs of Stims
Full charges
Make 3 Flares
Leave Battery
Stim Battery
ReCharge Battery
Detonate!!!
On Mass Target Lock
Best Zap Puddle Drop Locations for this sequence
The battery tank will be heading up to make flares once we have finished with wash/vent. putting charges in beta location will be right in our path.
Purple Battery Sequence 4 cont...
Flare Console
Full Charge
Make 3 Flares
Full/4 Charges
Acid Deluge
At first acid Blast
At 3rd Acid Blast
Have at least 2 Charges
Have 1 charge
Assigned DPS Battery Support
After the tank detonates the battery, a droid will be bringing a new one to the console. An assigned DPS (typically ranged) will need to pull and drop the battery when it is fully charged.
Best Zap Puddle Drop Locations for this sequence
The battery tank will be detonating the battery, then making flares. 6 Charges.
After flares, washes are coming, drop zap puddles at beta so that the tank can pick them up on their way down. 4-6 charges.
"Phase 4"
"Phase 4"
Blue
Battery Sequence 5
Battery dropped by DPS
Make 3 Flares
Pick up and recharge battery in disruptor
(Leave it)
Grab Flare Battery
Collect 6 Charges
Assigned DPS Battery Support
Pull battery when charged
Overload the battery for Target Lock
Flare Collection Timing
Notes here - Last Set of Flares being made in this sequence, Apex will need to stay in a flare for last Ditch Effort.
Best Zap Puddle Drop Locations for this sequence
The DPS clearing mass target will need 1 charge. Drop it near the battery charge station.
Drop Zone Beta enables us to recharge as we head down to wash (from flare station). As well as top off as we vent.
Purple Battery Sequence 6
The boss will continue to do Mass Target then red Venom until it pushes into Last Ditch effort (5%). Keep Collecting charges to keep up with clearing venom and disrupting. Ignore anything else.
"Phase 5 - Last Ditch Effort"
"Phase 5 - Last Ditch Effort"
All or nothing here. The battery runner will need to have deactivated anything that can wipe the team in the few seconds it takes to kill Apex here. So be sure that bombardment isn't going to go off as you start last ditch for example. Pushing to Last ditch effort should not be a surprise and should be a coordinated push.
The Tank on Apex needs to be able to run their stims. So if the active tank has a debuff stopping them from doing this, swap before Last Ditch.
As Last Ditch starts, the active tank needs to have stimmed or they will die. As soon as Tank "A"'s stims are wearing off, tank "B" should be ready to go. Remember to STIM first, then pick up Apex. DO not cleave the raid or range the boss, both will lead to wipes.
The tank with the adds can help push here, but shouldn't be putting the team in danger of cleaving adds/causing zap puddles under them as they handle last ditch.
It is a quick burn.
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