Lusca

Lusca

Overview

Lusca is a Giant Monster that terrorizes Independence Port.

Description

This giant octopus threatens the waters of Independence Port. No one is certain how the beast got so large, though some have placed the blame on the polluting tendencies of Crey Technologies.

Strategy

Lusca presents one of the biggest challenges to any Giant Monster hunter. One 8 man team may simply not be enough and depending on team composition some times even three teams fail to defeat the GM.

• Coordinate teams so that each has a combination of damage (Scrappers/Blasters), Buff/deBuff/Healers (Defenders/Controllers) and (if available) a Tanker for Aggro. Masterminds with a large number of summons can also be helpful.

• Communicate in Local chat or Broadcast so all teams get the same instructions.

• Send in the Tank(s) first to hold aggro and have the scrapper follow right behind.

• Blasters should stay at a safe distance but close enough so they don't lose some of their shorter ranged attacks (don't even bother with any melee attacks or all you'll do is wind up dead).

• Defenders and Controllers stay a safe distance away and concentrate efforts on protecting the damage dealers. Use your attacks because every bit of fire power helps but your buffs and heals are much more important and the team will NOT survive without them.

• Masterminds should also stay a safe distance away and prioritize using such powers as Twilight Grasp or Share Pain to heal their summons, so that the Mastermind has enough Endurance to replace the ones who are defeated.

• Make sure everyone attacks the same Tentacle. Easiest way to accomplish this is FOLLOW the tank and attack whatever he/she is attacking. Dividing attacks between two or more tentacles will get a lot of heroes a trip to the hospital without ever doing significant damage to any tentacle. If possible this is even easier if everyone clicks on the lead tanker, if there is more than one, and targets all attacks through him/her.

• Start with the tentacles near the back of Lusca's head and take those out first before attacking the cluster of them in front.

• Use any Temporary power available that will assist. Shivan, Snow Beasts, War Wolf Whistles, and even Amy's Ward (adding another healer) can all provide additional attacks and help defeat the GM

• DO NOT attempt to attack the head until at least 6 tentacles are gone; the head will be unaffected by all attacks. Once 6 tentacles are defeated, the head will be vulnerable; keep everybody out of range from the remaining tentacles. If it's impossible to attack the head without drawing aggro from the remaining tentacles, it is much preferable to defeat them first.

EXPECT to end up in debt, at least a bit, after tangling with LUSCA. Each tentacle is sort of a GM in itself and you will receive XP, INF, and Prestige each time one is defeated. Between 8 tentacles and the head all it takes is being in the wrong place once or missing out on team buffs because they got a bit too close and you will watch your health bar drop quickly. If you survive an encounter with Lusca and walk away debt free you got very lucky or had several fantastic teams.

Rewards

Defeating each of Lusca's tentacles will award 2 Reward Merits.

Defeating Lusca will award 6 Reward Merits as well as 3 Monstrous Aether.

Defeating Lusca for the first time will also reward the Devilfish Badge.

Devilfish

You have helped defeat the giant octopus, Lusca, from terrorizing Independence Port.

Notes

• To defeat Lusca, you must first defeat at least six tentacles before you can take down the head. After each successful defeat of a tentacle, Lusca will submerge and surface nearby.

• Defeating Lusca will earn heroes the Devilfish Badge. As defeating Lusca is treated as a zone event, not a giant monster defeat, all heroes in the area when Lusca is defeated will be awarded the badge, whether they actively participated in the defeat or not.

• As of Issue 8, Lusca now spawns in single instances. Prior to Issue 8, up to three instances of Lusca could be found at one time in Independence Port.

See Also

• Lusca's Independents profile for a list of its powers
• Giant Monster Guide

External Links

• Wikipedia entry on Lusca (Octopus giganteus).
• Paragon Times Article "Giant Monster" in Independence Port?