zOMG Shallow Seas Tips and Tricks

zOMG Shallow Seas Tips and Tricks by CleoSombra

The Endboss section has been updated!

I go into the Shallow Seas quite often and I do endboss runs now and then, both for fun and to stay knowledgable on updates and changes. If you have any questions about the Shallow Seas, any suggestions for me, or if you just liked the guide, please post! I appreciate feedback! Plus it can get kinda lonely here. And when it gets lonely, Marshall gets a little too friendly. ;_;

By the way, I’m also looking for title banners to be used in the thread. Because mine suck. If you’re interested in making them, for free or for pay, send me a message and we can talk.

Legend

highlights something extra useful to know.
denotes that something is a timesaver.
Orange dots symbolize chests or crates on the map.
Red dots or squares symbolize animated or important locations.

Recommended Rings
Defib – Because it’s a pain to have to run back from Gold Beach everytime you die
Diagnose – Heals an area at once – good for when you’re in mobs. Plus, you don’t need to target!
Slash – Great for mobs; hits in a 180 degree area (half a circle).
Solar Rays/Hunter’s Bow/GGGuns – It’s good to have at least ONE long-ranged ring within the crew, especially if you plan on farming robofish.
Teflon Spray/Rock Armor – Two buffs that can protect you from a large amount of damage.

Rings to Avoid
Fire Rain – Not a bad ring, but a lot of people get lagged by it. Check with your crew before using it.
Hornet’s Nest – Don’t #@!$*& use this ring in a crew. It’s like scaredy cat in multiple directions. Nobody appreciates having to chase anchorbugs all over the screen.

Quick Note
Some things in this guide are intentionally left out or exaggerated. For example, with robofishing, you can argue that yes, you can use AoE on rage . . . in certain places. But in order to understand when and in what spots you would be able to use rage, you would have to have a good “feel” for the game, something that no guide can provide. I rather be safe than sorry and tell people NOT to use rage. After they’ve done it enough, they’ll figure the rest out for themselves.

Do’s

• Do be as clear as possible when you’re recrewting for an SS run. When you advertise, state where you are, the CL range you’re looking for, and how many spots are available.
• Do try to be active, even when you’re just recrewting. This is especially true for crew leaders. People are going to get impatient if they want to join your crew but you’re AFK.
• Do use your buff rings – that’s why you have them, isn’t it? Also, try using some rage when you can, even if it’s just RR1 or RR2.
• Do keep an eye on other peoples’ health. Just because you’re all set to move on doesn’t mean the rest of your crew is.
• Do keep your crew updated on what you’re doing. If you need to refresh, let your crewmates know. If you have to leave in 20 minutes, let them know – before you join the crew.
• Do be patient. If someone is lagging or falling behind, maybe you need to slow down a little bit. While there are limits to everything . . . remember, you were once on the slow side, too.
• Do admit to your mistakes! When I’m in a crew and something stupid happens, I sometimes get angry or annoyed. But then once someone says, “Oops! I’m so sorry,” I forgive them in a matter of seconds. What can be an “OMFG, YOU IDIOT!” thing where you trip the switches can turn into a “LOL -headdesk-” moment just by admitting you messed up.

Don’ts

• Don’t spam the shout chat. If nobody’s talking, there’s no need to post your advertisement every five seconds.
• Don’t open chests unless your entire crew is on the screen. They want the drops just as bad as you do. I shouldn’t have to say this.
• Don’t run off and clear multiple screens if others are behind. If four of your crew members are still sitting, waiting for the others, it’s rude to run ahead and wipe out half the map. There’s a difference between lazily picking off a screen while you wait for the others to catch up and running through the map, killing everything in your path while the others are waiting for someone.
• Don’t be a crown-hog. Passing the crown is important, especially if someone is recrewting on another map or you need to go AFK.
• Don’t take your anger out in your crew members, especially if they aren’t doing anything wrong. And if tehy are, let them know (nicely)!

Shallow Seas

Shallow Seas has been made a lot harder as of August 28, 2009. To get through it really requires everyone in your crew staying together until the area is cleared. There are “patrols” in SS, meaning if someone is left behind, they could be stuck fighting off sea spouts and anchor bugs by themselves. Do yourself a favor and stick close to each other.

Marked on the map above are the locations of Queen Lorelei (blue L), the chests (gold C), and “safe” spots for resting (to be added). When you need to rest, go to a safe spot where patrolling animated won’t spot you and aggro.

Barnacle Fluffs

Brain clams no longer freeze you (hooray!), but barnacle fluffs have the ability to root you. Depending on what your crew is like, this will be very easy or very hard. If you’re the type of people that stick together at all times, you’ll be fine. But if you like to spread out on a screen and do your own thing, you’re more or less screwed. STAY TOGETHER – literally. Physically. That way, when you need to use a healing ring like diagnose (and trust me, you’ll need to), EVERYONE within its range will get the affect.

Also, my density gives you weight, preventing from knockback. Animated love to use knockback in the Shallow Seas, which becomes a pain in the arse when a seaspout decides to slap you across the room and a barnacle fluff has you rooted so you can’t run back to your crew. Use protection and prevent this from happening to you! (Remember: Kids in the backseat cause accidents and accidents in the backseat cause kids)

Sea Spouts and Anchor Bugs

When you come across mobs of sea spouts or anchor bugs, a great trick to use is stacking. That is, run into the group of animated and lure them over to a corner on the screen or a nearby one. This pushes most (or all) of the animated into just a very small area – so when you use an AoE ring such as dervish or slash, you’re hitting a LOT of animated at once. Just imagine two or three people using RR4 slash on six or seven sea spouts at once. That’s a lot of damage in a very short period of time. Stacking ends up saving a great deal of time and stamina, making farming so much easier.

Queen Lorelei

Queen Lorelei has been moved up to the top of the map where two sea spout guards used to be. When you enter the screen, go after the two guards and Lorelei. Once the guards are killed, focus on Lorelei. Sea spouts will start coming out to protect the Queen – just ignore them. When you kill the Queen, the rest of the spouts will die, too. Also, make sure your crew stays close together (physically). The sea spouts have very strong knockback and a crewmate could die if they far away from everyone else and not getting healed enough.

Three Chests

Up in the area where Lorelei used to be (right side of the map), there are now three chests. On hard, they give around 750g-1200g each. While it’s a great haul, it comes with a lot of work. On this screen, there are a bunch of clams and anchor bugs. They can be pretty difficult, even for an experienced crew. Try taking out a chunk of them before you go in. Have one crew member enter the screen, just at the edge of it, and then come back out. When the come back, they’ll have a few anchor bugs and clams with them. Kill them and then go in for the rest.

Patrols

Throughout SS, there are pairs of patrols – an anchor bug and a sea spout. They move in circuits, continuously. If you kill a patrol, it will come back. There are never two of the same patrol (that I know of), but you CAN get attacked by multiple patrols if you’re in an area where they overlap. There are patrols on the lower area of SS where the corals are, but also on the upper area. The map above shows three patrol circuits (different colors for different patrols).
Please note: I kept getting confused by the patrols when I was tracing their circuits, so the (entire) map isn’t complete yet, and there may be some inaccuracies. If I’m wrong, let me know so I can update it.

Things to look out for

There are a lot of surprises in Shallow Seas, so keep your eyes peeled. When you open the lone chest in the middle of the coral area, a few barnacle fluffs appear. You’ll need to kill them before you get your reward.

As you’re going up the tail of the seahorse, you will run into a sea spout guard named Thechtereia. She has incredible knockback and summons barnacle fluffs. The barnacle fluffs’ rooting isn’t really a problem here, because the guard really likes to push you around the screen. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to bring fitness or my density. I hate knockback. hatehatehatehatehate.

Ahem.

Lastly, there’s a very funny surprise at the top of the map on the right hand side. There is a giant, mysterious eye – belonging to what? Nobody knows. What’s cute there is there are some barnacle fluffs that sit, gathered in a half-circle around the Eye, worshipping it and praising it. It’s the funniest thing you’ll ever see. They have names like “Pupil” and “Corney Ugh.” They have phrases like “Lens us your wisdom” and if you choose to attack them, they say things like “The Eye is upon us!” and “Protect the Eye!” Personally, I refuse to kill this small group of fluffs. They’re really, really too cute. I end up feeling guilty killing the stray fluffs in the Undersea Ledge.

The Sea Ledge hasn’t really changed much – the only difference is that there are a LOT more of the animated. The major plus here is that there are five chests for you to open. They’re marked on the map.

There are two surprises on this map, though. The first is, as you go through the old ruins that Marshall talks about, there is a group of clams on the second screen. That was really sneaky of Qixter, because it’s in a place where you don’t expect them at all. Just be alert. The other surprise is, at the end of the ledge, the screen changes to the second part of the sea ledge and right there is a group of grunny subs. I recently made the fatal mistake of running ahead of the crew I was in and BLAM, there were 8-10 grunny subs and one Cleo. The others were still on the ledge.

If you really just want to get down to the robofish cave or sea lab, you really don’t need to kill much in the Undersea Ledge. Once you go through the ruins, just run to the ledge. The anchorbugs and grunny subs on the first section of the map cannot go onto the ledge, so once you get there, you’re “safe.” Just go to the second half of the map, kill the grunny subs, open the locker, and go.

Recommended Rings
Defibrillate
Diagnose
Iron Will
An AoE ring such as Slash or Dervish

The robofish cave has gotten significantly easier since its last update. Now, assuming you don’t die during the endboss, the robofish will only spawn once, meaning you only have to kill them once and be done with it.

I do NOT suggest you attempt to have you entire crew run through robofish cave unless they are buffed up heavily and have a speed ring on. Chances are, someone will get stuck somewhere. The robofish will kill them. If you are several screens ahead of them, this means you have to run back through the robofish (they are still aggroing), and defib your friend. It’s better to advance through the robofish cave all together, taking it screen by screen.

There are several ways you can attempt to clear the robofish screen. “Running through the cave” no longer works because it does not permanently deaggro them. The first option (and the slowest, but safest), is to take the robofish cave one screen at a time. Have someone be the “bait.” That is, they go into the screen. The robofish attack them. They die. Your crew walks in and defibs them. You can either fight the fish or go on to the next screen.

The second way to take them on takes longer, but it can seriously pay off in the end. You take all the robofish on at once. Now, for an experienced crew, this can be very easy. Experience + Buffs = Piece of cake.

If you are doing the endboss, I HIGHLY suggest you clear the cave of robofish. Why? If someone gets disconnected, or for whatever reason needs to go to the null chamber, they have to run through the robofish cave to get back to the sea lab. If there are robofish in the cave, they WILL aggro on the person in there. Again, running through the cave is only really going to be successful if someone has turtle or rock on (and a speed ring).

Experienced Crew – Clearing the cave
Whoever was rocked last (meaning they have the newest rock) goes into the screen first. The fish automatically go after that person at first. A split second after they enter the screen, the rest of the crew follows to fight the fish. Rest, heal up, and repeat. Diagnose is going to be a really useful ring here – multiple fish are going to be biting on multiple people, so you might as well use a ring that heals multiple people.

Inexperienced Crew – Clearing the cave
If your crew is inexperienced, I highly recommend that you use the first strategy listed above (using bait and defibbing). I’d rather take it slow and defib one person repeatedly than have to juggle six people needing to get defibbed.

The robofish are easy to kill; the problem for inexperienced players usually is keeping the robofish coming one at a time. Each “lamp” you see floating on the wall means there are two robofish there – they stack on top of each other. That means if you accidentally aggro a section of them, you’ll be fighting two instead of one (and imagine if you aggro several at a time!)

To prevent (re)aggroing, designate one person as the lurer – they’ll use a long ranged ring to bring the robofish over to the crew one at a time. Solar Rays and Hunter’s Bow are probably the best rings for the job because they are very long ranged and they are not AoE.

Secondly, remember to keep a distance from the robofish. Huddle close together on the other side of the screen or as far away from the groups as possible.

Above all, do not use AoE rings on rage. AoE (Area of Effect) rings are any rings that affect an area, meaning they can hit more than one target at a time. Slash, dervish, and fire rain are examples of AoE rings, but there are others. When you use rage on an AoE ring, it increases the radius in which the ring will affect. If a robofish is in the area of effect, it will aggro and attack.

One more thing: Near the end of the robofish tunnel will be a screen with two robofish lamps and two grunny subs. DO NOT HIT THE GRUNNY SUBS until all the robofish on that screen are cleared. Why? Aggro a grunny sub and it aggros everything on the screen.

Some people like to farm the compound; others prefer only to do it when doing an endboss run. I personally don’t like the sea compound. It feels so big and I feel so small – plus, animated often like to hide in little corners.
This is a good time to use your “Go” key (G). It will allow you to run to the animated you can’t see but know are there. You can also use the Go button on crew members – an excellent way to follow the leader (thanks, keito melfina)!

The main task to the compound is clearing out the switches (they’re listed on your map with green arrows. Ignore the map above – it’s outdated). Because of animated being all over the place, you’ll need to go through the map together and clear the screens, then split up to do the switches.

In the top, righthand corner where one of the switches are, Labtech 123 will be standing there. He’ll ramble on for a long, long time. Once he’s finished talking, he’ll unleash two waves of labtechs and seacycles. They shouldn’t be too difficult, but I just thought I would give you a heads up.
You don’t have to fight the waves, though – there’s a way to get around it. Have one person in your crew go on the screen and go through the dialogue. Everyone else sit on a different screen nearby. Once the dialogue is over, the animated will come out. Have your crew member sit down and die. The animated will run off. No, I don’t know where. They just go away. If they run past you, don’t aggro them. Once they’re gone, go up and defib your crewmate.

The switch rooms (I call them screens) have been made a little harder. Even after clearing the switches, patrols of sealab jumpers will come out. So, most importantly, don’t go AFK while you’re waiting for your crewmates to get to their spots. Stay alert and stay buffed. I also suggest that if you’re in a six person crew, go to the switches in pairs (pick someone to actually click the switch beforehand). That way, when patrols come, you won’t be completely SOL if your buffs just up and die.

“Doing” the switches is easy . . . as long as everyone in the crew is on the same page. Each of the three switches must be pulled at the exact same time. If one person goes too soon or doesn’t go at all, there will be a security breach and masses of animated will come out. If this happens, run back to the entrance screen of the compound. The animated can’t follow you there. Wait until the breach has passed (about a minute), and then go back in. Be very careful, because now, mass amounts of enemies will be lurking.
The best way to do the switches is, after all the switch areas have been cleared of enemies, three people each go to a switch. Someone counts down (3, 2, 1), and on ONE, they click the switches.

The last step for the Sea Lab is to enter the endboss room in the center of the map. Just flip on the switch by the gate and in you go!

When you first enter the Endboss room, you’ll meet up with Labtech X. Like any good supervillain, he goes into a monologue before the final battle. A really, really, really long monologue. About four or five minutes in total. Because of the length of it, don’t start buffing each other up until the monologue nears the end (after he talks about how his father never loved him and blahblahblah) – otherwise the buffs are going to wear out shortly after the battle starts.

Buffs are the key to success, kid. Remember that. Ideally, everyone should bring at least two buffs. Why? Because of rage. Rage is extremely useful now that the rings have been updated, but we can only gain rage so fast. If one or two people are the only ones with buffs, they’re going to have a hard time fully buffing everyone. Spread the buff/defense rings out amongst players and ALWAYS keep on eye on the crew panel for who needs buffs.
Because rage is so useful now, I’ve made a list of the buffs in order of how you should prioritize raging them.

RR4: Divinity, Improbability Sphere, Rock Armor, Healing Halo
Try to RR4; at least RR3: Teflon Spray, Iron Will (for EB)
Try to RR4; at least RR2: Ghost, Potlid
At least RR1: My Density, Coyote Spirit, Keen Aye

If people in your crew just flat out suck at buffing other people (it happens), try to have most people carry at least one buff, but designate one (or preferably) two people to be focus on buffs and healing. Wish is a very good healing ring that I’ve fallen in love with. On rage, it acts like diagnose, and does a LOT of healing. However, it is ally-only, so if you are a buffer/healer, bring bandage, too. Someone with buffs can bring attack rings, but their main focus should be supporting others.

Tail

The key to ALL parts of the endboss are to do attack it together. That means all members of the crew are hitting the sections at the same time. Not one or two people standing around, doing nothing. Everyone goes in to attack and everyone goes out to rest. I’ve found that the tail and body especially do less damage when everyone is hitting it at once.

There is now a safespot you can hang out in when fighting the tail. Stay to the far left corner and the tail cannot hit you.

As the tail’s health lowers, grunny subs will occasionally be released. Slash will come in handy and another AoE ring such as Devish can’t hurt to have. It appears that grunny subs come out on either a timed basis or depending on how much damage you’ve done to the tail – I’m not sure which. Either way, the amount of grunny subs can build up if you haven’t defeated the ones currently on the screen by the time the next “wave” comes up. Ignore the tail and go to the corner. Kill the grunny subs there.

After you kill the tail, be ready. Almost as soon as it’s gone, missiles will start following. This is your cue to run around in circles, panicking.

Body
If you kill the body without killing the arms, both the arms and body will die. I asked Qixter about this in his profile. Here’s what he said (2/23/09:

What makes this part of the endboss so hard is that it is really unpredictable. The lasers fire every now and then, especially if people are within the body’s aggro range.

One of the biggest challenges is fighting AT THE SAME TIME. I noticed that if the body is repeatedly getting hit, it doesn’t fire its laser as often. This is five or six people hitting the body *at all times,” not three or four whacking at it while the others sit out. It really irritates me when some people just sit there or take a few swings and then run off. When stamina starts to get low, try doing the “staggering” method.

There is also a safe spot for the body. Go to the top right hand corner and huddle there.

Head
Much like the tail, this is really just a “hit, slash, run from deathmines” routine. Deathmines occasionally fall from the sky and often . . . follow you around. Best strategy for the head? Run around. Anywhere and everywhere. When the head comes over, beat the crap out of it for a few seconds and then run away.The head . . . didn’t fire its laser at all the last time we did this. It just kinda sat there, ranting and raving.