Vindictus Kraken Guide

Vindictus Kraken Guide by z1n3kbulu

First of all, this guide is based on my experience so it’s not perfect. Everyone please feel free to contribute to the guide  Also, it’s aimed more towards first timers so I’ll try to make it as detailed as possible.

1. Kraken’s stats (for lv 70-80 version):

• The head and all of kraken’s tentacles share the same HP bar (5,000,000 HP).
• Head: Att: 12014, Def: 14000, Crit: 30, Crit resist: 64
• Tentacles: Att: 12014, Def: 11000, Crit: 30, Crit resist: 59
• Latching tentacles: Att: 12014, Def: 8000, Crit: 30, Crit resist: 54

Source: http://vindictus.gamepedia.com/Kraken

2. The battle ground:
– At the beginning of the battle you will stand at the raised back of a half-broken boat. This is where the party sets up camp and makes any necessary preparations. Jumping down this raised area will trigger the starting cutscene.
– The table below shows the positions on the battle ground:

3. The battle mechanics:
– During the battle, there will be a number called Boat Durability. At the beginning, it is 100% and if it reaches 0%, the battle will fail.
– The battle can be divided into 4 phases:

a) Phase 1:
This is the first phase of the battle. Only the head, the top and back tentacles will be joining.
– Head: the head will stay stationary most of the time. It will, however, perform an AoE attack every 1-2 minutes. This can be recognised by kraken raising its head upwards and the screen glowing red. A few seconds later it will go down and slam the boat, dealing damage to everyone and the screen will shake when the damage is dealt.
– Tentacles: the tentacles have the following moves:

• Raises upwards slightly while still staying close to the boat then smashes down its tip onto the closest player.
• Top tentacles only: Pulls away from the boat and bends in an arc, then stabs down onto the closest player.
• Back tentacles only: Pulls away from the boat and twist 2 times, then swipes down from right to left onto the closest player.
• If noone is close enough to the tentacle’s base, it will raise upwards in 3 steps then falls down across the deck and deal 2% to the boat durability.

b) Phase 2:
This phase starts when the boss reaches 7 HP bars. All the above moves apply, the 2 grabbers will join the battle and the head will have a new move.
– Head: the kraken will occasionally raise its head and starts inhaling in air and nearby players. The screen will glow red during the whole animation. It will then spray ink across the whole deck and deal damage to all players.
– Grabbers: the grabbers have the following moves:

• Twists around then sweeps across its side of the deck, grabbing any player it encounters. If the grabbed player is not rescued in time, it will throw that player into the kraken’s mouth, resulting in an instant kill.
• Digs its tip into the water then brings up a wooden box. It then throws the box at a player close to it.
• Digs its tip into the water then brings up a siren or a crab. It then throws the mob onto the deck.

c) Phase 3:
This phase starts when the boss reaches 4 HP bars. All the above moves apply and the 2 latchers will join the battle.
– The latchers have the following move: Pulls away from the boat then falls down and wraps around the back of the deck. This will deal 2% to the boat durability. If not knocked out in time, it will start dealing 5% to the boat durability at a time up to about 25% before releasing the boat. It also has a rare move similar to the top tentacles’ stab attack which does not damage the boat.

d) Phase 4:
This phase is the ending phase, and is triggered when the boss reaches 1/2 HP bar. Kraken will stop attacking and the starting area will become accessible again. A player should then climb up this area and step onto the glowing blue circle at the back of the harpoon launcher. This will trigger a cutscene of the explosive harpoon being shot into kraken’s head, finishing the last 1/2 bar and the battle is won.

In this video of mine, I have added annotations to help you identify the above attacks from a back left player’s point of view and how to dodge them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp4Ux68YOT4

4. Assigning positions:
– This is usually done by the party leader before entering the dungeon.
– A kraken party is usually split into head team and tentacle team. The tentacle team consists of 4 players, each assigned to one of the 4 phase 1 tentacles. Players that are experienced with tentacles are highly desired in the team. The head team consists of the 4 other members and their main job is to attack the head, and hence players with high dps are usually preferred.
– In a random party, the positions are assigned by the members’ experience, class and stats:

• If a player is experienced with a certain tentacle, they’re assigned to that position.
• Players with higher stats are usually assigned to the head team and players with lower stats are often assigned to a tentacle
• Lann: both sword Lanns and spear Lanns are capable of taking any position. They should be assigned to any position that’s missing. Also sword Lann’s Fanning Slash can hit both the top tentacle and the head due to its range, and spear Lann’s Moonsplitter can reach the back left latcher and when combined with transformation, can attack tentacles as if they’re stationary.
• Fiona: Fionas can also take any position. They can block all of the tentacles’ attacks with their shield. Due to their attacks’ high knockdown rate they can do the back tentacles positions easily. Also hammer Fiona’s fully charged Stigma can easily stun lock a tentacle and cancel the head’s AoEs.
• Evie: scythe Evies are usually assigned to a top tentacle or to the head team due to their high dps and the fact they can attack both the head and the top left tentacle at the same time with Bloody Thread. Their SP should be used to keep Insane Reaper up as much as possible. Staff Evies are usually on tentacles as they have long range so can hit the tentacles more often. With a good rotation of spells, staff Evies can stunlock a tentacle. Their SP should be used on Regeneration as the tentacle team doesn’t have much free time to use HP potions. Also, a mana pistol can be used to attract the mobs away from the players. SP: Reverse Gravity has very little use in this raid so it’s not recommended (unless you’re a GM )
• Karok: due to their ability to clash the Kraken’s AoE move and cestus Karoks’ high dps, Karoks are usually assigned to the head team. Hulking Fury’s high knockdown rate also makes cestus Karoks good candidates for back tentacles. Pillar Karoks are usually assigned to tentacles.
• Kai: bow Kai’s Magnum Shot’s very high knockdown rate makes them ideal for stopping the AoE moves and therefore they are usually assigned to the head team. Crossgun Kais on the other hand are the best candidates for tentacles, especially back tentacles.
• Vella: sword Vellas can easily cross cut the top tentacles’ stab move and cancel the head’s AoEs with SP: Tempest so are usually assigned to this position. Dual blade Vellas however can do any position due to high dps for head and long range for tentacles.

5. Battle tactics and tips:
– Before entering the boat, everyone should first make sure that they have transformation ready and spear/fine spear equipped as their secondary weapon.
– Transformation should be saved until phase 3 (4 HP bars) is reached. Once this phase is reached, everyone should use transformation then rush through the last 3.5 HP bars as fast as possible.
– Note: transformation is not necessary for many parties nowadays due to the increased overall dps and the fact that more players are familiar with the raid.
– Important: if the host assigns you a position that you can do, you should do it. And if you have never done that position before, please say so. Many party members will be willing to explain it to you or the host can assign you to another position that you can do.

a) Head team:
The head team’s main job is to deal as much damage as possible to the head. However head team members also have the following tasks:

• Cancel the AoE attack if possible. This can be done by a bow Kai using Magnum Shot, a Karok clashing, a hammer Fiona using a fully charged Stigma, or everyone in the head team using their attacks with highest knockdown rate. If the AoE attack isn’t cancelled, everyone should use jump and use mid-air attack, XE move or dodge (if their dodge has invincibility frame) to avoid being hit.
• Assist the tentacle team if they’re in trouble. This includes replacing any fallen tentacle team members, resurrecting them and clearing the mobs that appear starting from phase 2 should they prove to be a problem. If there are more than 1 fallen players, it is recommended to use a party feather instead of running to the bodies and using phoenix feather.
• Rescue grabbed players. When a player is grabbed, a system message will appear and the grabbed player will spam a quick message such as F1 or F3. The rescue is usually done by throwing spears at the tip of the grabber that wraps around the player or at the grabber’s suckers. It can also be done by a Lann’s Furious Seven, a Fiona’s Shield Charge, a cestus Karok’s Hulking Fury, a bow Kai’s Magnum Shot or a crossbow Kai’s Hand Bomb or Massive Impact.
• If the party fails to rush through phase 3 before the transformation ends, 2 members of the head team should help the back tentacle team with the latchers if they prove to be a problem.
• If the party has bow Kais, it may also worth doing the break-offs, which are kraken’s 6 glowing red eyes.

b) Tentacle team:

– Phase 1: 
All members of the tentacle team’s task is to prevent their assigned tentacle from damaging the boat and survive its attacks:

• Both tentacles’ smash attack and the back tentacles’ swipe attack: these attacks can be avoided easily by dodging, or even by just walking, to their left (away from the head if they’re on the left side or towards the head if they’re on the right side).
• The top tentacles’ stab: this can be avoided by running to the middle of the boat, out of reach of the tentacle then returning to the tentacle before it pulls out. Leaving a tentacle when it’s in the middle of an attack does not trigger the boat-damaging move as long as its assigned player returns to their post before it starts a new animation so this method of dodging works well against this attack.
• The AoE move: after the screen glows red for a few seconds, everyone should use jump, XE move or use dodge as mentioned above to avoid being hit by this attack.

While attacking a tentacles, the player will occasionally flinch it. This can be recognised by the tentacle snapping out of its previous animation and wavering lazily. It is safe to drink HP potions during this animation.

– Phase 2:
When phase 2 starts, the grabbers will join the battle. Tentacle team members should always keep an eye on their side’s grabber:

• The grabbers’ first move is usually the grabbing move. Back tentacle players should always avoid being grabbed throughout the battle by dodging towards the back of the boat. Top tentacle players however should let the grabber get them. If the head team successfully rescues a grabbed player, the top tentacle on that side will go away for a long period of time and the player assigned to that tentacle can join the head team. They should still keep an eye on their previous position however, as the tentacle may return. If the head team is unable to rescue the grabbed player, it is recommended to avoid being grabbed again due to a bug that makes it impossible for the grabbed player to be saved.
• The grabber’s box-throwing move will always aim at a player close to its side. A player can recognise whether the box is about to be thrown at them if the grabber’s sucker side turns towards them during the animation. If the top tentacle player is successfully rescued and joins the head team, it will almost always aim at the back tentacle player. The box can be dodged/guarded like a normal attack. It is also possible for a tentacle player to align themselves so that their tentacle blocks the box for them.
• During this phase, there may be times when a tentacle player is overwhelmed by a number of mobs. Should this be the case, they should spam a quick message to get the head team’s attention.

– Phase 3:
As mentioned above, once this phase is reached, everyone should use transformation.

• Top tentacle players should join head team regardless of their assigned tentacles’ status. It is possible to attack the head and prevent the tentacle from hitting the boat at the same time by running to the tentacle when it’s about to finish an attack and return to the head when the tentacle starts a new attack. If the party fails to rush through phase 3 before transformation ends, they should immediately return to their originally assigned tentacle and avoid being grabbed.
• Back tentacle players will have to deal with the newly joined latchers. If their character’s range is long enough to reach the latchers as they appear, it is recommended to attack them as much as possible as it will make the task of knocking them off the boat significantly easier. However if their range is not long enough, they should stick with your originally assigned tentacle but keep a close eye on the latchers.
• Once the latchers wrap onto the boat, back tentacle players must immediately try to knock them off by using their 4 bar SP skills or XE move and their strongest smashes. It is also possible to get “inside” the latcher and this makes it very easy for any character to knock off the latchers. Once this is done, they should immediately return to their originally assigned tentacle.
• Also, a dark knight’s Slowdown skill will make this task much easier as all the tentacles will become much slower than usual. This skill is also capable of flinching other tentacles.

– Phase 4:
If you managed to reach phase 4 then you have won the battle and deserve a big congratulations!

6. Known bugs:
– If you press Esc during the cutscene, the raid might start in slow-motion. Should this bug happen, it’s recommended to remake the party.
– After the cutscene, you might appear on a different boat instead of the boat where the battle is fought (which is, in fact, the boat used for the cutscene). I have not experienced this myself but I think the command /escape should fix it.
– If a player is grabbed but not rescued in time, that grabber might be bugged and it will be impossible to rescue any player that’s grabbed by it afterwards. It is recommended to completely avoid being grabbed should this happen.
– The grabber might be bugged and after grabbing a player, it will drop the player outside of the boat. The player can still attack the tentacle. To return to the boat, you can use the /escape command or run away from the boat until you start sinking. You’ll then be automatically teleported back to the boat.

I hope you find this guide useful  If you feel like practising, you should try looking for DarkAshelin’s “Kraken practise run” boats, which I find very useful for inexperienced players. Or if you’re able to host a boat for 8 players, you can try hosting yourself. However you may have trouble getting a full boat if you happen to have low stats so if this is your case, I’d recommend hosting at around 9pm or late night. Also you should tag along a friend with high stats if possible.
You can also try the recently added Practice Mode as well.

The following links are some videos that you may find useful:
Vindictus NA’s Kraken guide part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGbzQnnqSCA
Vindictus NA’s Kraken guide part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pafqFS2wKZ4
Crossgun Kai on back left tentacle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature…&v=e4vluVBS4EY
4 crossgun Kais vs Kraken: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature…&v=-Jy2WNKiWbM
Spear Lann on back left tentacle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp4Ux68YOT4

Thanks everyone for spending your time reading this. Have fun slaying kraken (and good luck with fang too)