Guild Wars 2

So I want to do the last few Arah paths I haven’t done to get dungeon master (and do it legit, not join in and “tip” a group at the last boss) and I’ve seen several LFGs mention the plan of meleeing Lupicus.

How exactly does that work? It’s been a while since I did an Arah explorable, but when we got to him, the strat was pretty much stay as far away from him as you possibly can the entire fight. Is it just for one of the phases, or is it the whole thing, and in either case, what do I need to watch out for?

I recommend Brazil’s guide to solo Lupicus. In the video he shows what Lupicus does on each phase and what you need to watch out and stuff. In a group it should be easier because the boss will die faster, but its still useful to learn about this encounter.

Meleeing Lupi is a pretty common thing these days. There’s less leeway for error, so it pays to know the fight and your class well. It really comes down to knowing his abilities and how to dodge/negate them.

Honestly, it’s not the kind of thing you’ll get right off the bat. It’s multi-phased with lots of abilites, some of the tells for his moves are subtle and fast, and it really takes just doing it over and over to get the hang of it. Practice makes perfect.

As Casmurro mentioned, Brazil’s guide gives you a seriously in-depth overview of the mechanics, so watch it over and over, then go give it a shot. Also, watch some of the solo vids for your specific class on youtube to get an idea of how to handle things with your skill set.

OP, what class do you main? I can work w/ you on soloing him if you want. Just pm me in game, and if I have time/energy, I’ll gladly help you out.

^^ Take that guy up on it, really

And one thing I learned that REALLY helped was to watch his Head movement for the kick tell rather than the feet. He does a small hitch right before the kick, but before that he’ll nod his head down

I can’t solo him yet, but I feel I can not be a drag on a group now. (Solo I’ve gotten about half way through phase2… eventually).

Jerus.4350:

^^ Take that guy up on it, really

And one thing I learned that REALLY helped was to watch his Head movement for the kick tell rather than the feet. He does a small hitch right before the kick, but before that he’ll nod his head down

I can’t solo him yet, but I feel I can not be a drag on a group now. (Solo I’ve gotten about half way through phase2… eventually).

Thanks for this! I get really embarrassed whenever I get hit by the kick. Often times I just base it on rhythm and dodge to avoid kicks but it’s usually just me rolling away. I’ll try to watch for this.

Miaire.5468:

Jerus.4350:

^^ Take that guy up on it, really

And one thing I learned that REALLY helped was to watch his Head movement for the kick tell rather than the feet. He does a small hitch right before the kick, but before that he’ll nod his head down

I can’t solo him yet, but I feel I can not be a drag on a group now. (Solo I’ve gotten about half way through phase2… eventually).

Thanks for this! I get really embarrassed whenever I get hit by the kick. Often times I just base it on rhythm and dodge to avoid kicks but it’s usually just me rolling away. I’ll try to watch for this.

Thank Ivan all he had to say to me was “watch his head” and I suddenly got twice as good at that fight. Basically if his head goes up he’s doing the locust, if his head nods down he’s gonna kick, if his hand starts to wave then you have the grub. I’m far from perfect but at least I feel like I know what to look for and have a chance now.

“melee lupi” is an attempt to find decent players since it seems more reliable than “experienced”.

Thanks for the advice everyone! Especially that video.

So from what I gather, based on the video and what’s been said:

Phase 1: Dodge the grubs (evade when he lifts his hand high above his head) dodge the kick (evade the second he ducks his head down) and kill the swarms (and any grubs that weren’t dodged) as they spawn, and remember the transition grub hits the player or NPC that is closest to him.

Phase 2: Stay in melee to keep him from shadowsteping. Dodge his swipe, and avoid his bolt spam (or bring a reflect to send said bolts back at him)

Phase 3: Don’t jank around to avoid getting bubbled (kinda surprised that the skill is a response to that, and not something he just does at a whim) evade/block away from his lift, life drain and bolts, and be aware that the life drain and bolts tend to happen one after the other.

IvanTheGrey.2941:

OP, what class do you main? I can work w/ you on soloing him if you want. Just pm me in game, and if I have time/energy, I’ll gladly help you out.

I have an Engi and Warrior I do dungeons with, that I tend to go between the two at a whim. Technically, the Engi (who is my main) is better geared, all ascended, although it’s really for high level fractals (i.e. with some Celestial) and not speedruns. Warrior is all zerk armor with asceneded zerker weapons, but it’s mostly exos with I think a couple of karma trinkets (and not the ones you get at temples >_<)

So I’m thinking if I do it Engineer, I should go p/s instead of rifle so I can swap to shield from nades for blocking if/when he does the lift and bubble, as well as maybe reflect some of those reflect-able attacks. Warrior I’d probably do the GS with Axe/sword that was in the video, which just happen to also be all my ascended weapons for that character.

…and I probably won’t take you up on the offer, as I’m not quite hardcore enough to consider soloing him, but thanks anyway

If meleeing as engi don’t forget about the tool kit and the very handy 3s block it offers

Definitely take IvanTheGrey.2941 up on his offer – he’s the King of Arah mentors!

I thought I knew quite a bit about Arah, but everytime I go in there he teaches me something new.

I think you summed up the fight pretty well. There’s just a big difference between a list and actually doing it. It’s a bit like handing someone a list for how to fly a plane and expecting them to do it – there’s no replacing actually sitting in the kittenpit. The fight can be hectic, there’s a lot to remember, and in the heat of the moment, logic can go out the window your first few times. It’s really just a matter of doing it over and over.

Foefaller.1082:

…and I probably won’t take you up on the offer, as I’m not quite hardcore enough to consider soloing him, but thanks anyway

Ivan does a really great Arah tour some weekends, where he and four others go through all the paths. It includes meleeing Lupi as a group (x4, so lots of practice). It’s totally low key and fun, and definitely applicable to beginners. Keep an eye out for the next one to be posted here in the dungeon forums, and come along if you have time!

robertul.3679:

“melee lupi” is an attempt to find decent players since it seems more reliable than “experienced”.

Hardly. 99% of the time it’s just bad players looking for a carry. The remainder is actual experienced players too lazy or unwilling to solo so they’re hoping and praying they don’t get players that suck.

maha.7902:

robertul.3679:

“melee lupi” is an attempt to find decent players since it seems more reliable than “experienced”.

Hardly. 99% of the time it’s just bad players looking for a carry. The remainder is actual experienced players too lazy or unwilling to solo so they’re hoping and praying they don’t get players that suck.

^ This x1000

maha.7902:

robertul.3679:

“melee lupi” is an attempt to find decent players since it seems more reliable than “experienced”.

Hardly. 99% of the time it’s just bad players looking for a carry. The remainder is actual experienced players too lazy or unwilling to solo so they’re hoping and praying they don’t get players that suck.

Pretty much this.

I never join groups if I see an AP requirement, says “need mesmer” or “melee lupi.” It’s always going to be the kind of people that are really clumsy and slow yet act like they’re good. As for the AP requirement… well, self explanatory. People that think farming living story achievements will have any outcome on the skill level of a player are obviously clueless as well.

I also never join tar help LFGs anymore these days either since half of them are neanderthals that skip Lupicus anyways.

I only ever join tar groups just to fight lupi.