The Avatar and Trophy Collectors' Guide to the BD

Let’s assume that you’ve read the xnletokynes’ guide and know the basics. But what next? Being an avatar collector myself, I know that most will be eyeing the ever-so-debonair Black Pteri or the deliciously snotty Meuka, in hopes of netting that eleventy hundredth avatar; trophy enthusiasts, similarly, might wish to beat the dashing Commander Garoo or Tekkitu the Creepy Witch Doctor for the next shiny Defenders of Neopia trophy. Here, I’ll hopefully nudge you slightly further on your journey through the Battledome.

Down to business, then...

Icons? Stat boosts? Huh?

Firstly, what wasn’t mentioned: icons and stat boosts! All Battledome weapons do a certain number of icons, and (of course) all pets have a certain set of stats. But how do these relate to defeating your opponent?

Obviously, you defeat your opponent by reducing his (or her) HP to zero. Each icon “dealt” to your opponent when you use your weapon against him will reduce his HP by a certain amount; that amount will depend on your stat boost. Based on research by some battle-hardy Neopians (such as, but definitely not limited to, sirhatter and garet_jaxx) it is now common knowledge that:

For pet strengths 1 to 7, 0.5HP damage is dealt per icon.

For pet strengths 8 to 12, 0.75HP damage is dealt per icon.

For pet strengths 13 to 19, 1.0HP damage is dealt per icon.

For pet strengths 20 to 34, 1.25HP damage is dealt per icon.

For pet strengths 35 to 54, 1.5HP damage is dealt per icon.

For pet strengths 55 to 84, 2.0HP damage is dealt per icon.

Take this into careful consideration when training your pet, because (for example) training your pet’s strength from 35 to 55 will only result in a damage increase of 20% - I found that, for me, it was more worthwhile upgrading my main weapons from ones that dealt six icons (Scarab Ring) to ones that did ten icons and therefore increasing my damage by 67%.

[The short version: For Tekkitu and the Black Pteri, I only trained up to Strength and Defense 35, then spent my remaining NP on Endurance and weapons. Unless you have a reaaaaaally amazing set of Battledome weapons, though - unlikely if you’re reading this - the Meerca Henchmen will need an “85 boost” pet, so decide for yourself what you want. Remember, you can always borrow or buy-then-resell weapons, but not your pet! :o]

A Disclaimer...

One thing to be careful of - some weapons suffer from evil things called fractional icons. For each type of icon (water, fire, earth etc.) the last icon might (depending on that weapon) only deal “half” an icon of damage. This means that certain weapons may look more impressive than they actually are. Before committing your hard-earned NP to a big purchase, you may wish to venture into the (admittedly dark and scary) Battledome Neoboards and ask for some advice there – despite being a dark and scary place, many of the “BDers” can actually be quite friendly. Having said that, I cannot be held liable for any missing limbs (et cetera) that might result from a trip to said dark and scary place.

Wait! You’ve only talked about Strength! What’s Defense and Movement? And HP? What’s the difference between HP and Endurance?

I’m glad you asked. Defense is like Strength – some shields will do what I like to call “anti-icons,” which reduce the amount of damage your opponent’s weapon would otherwise have dealt on that turn. However, shields will only defend against certain icon types.

Movement, as far as you’re concerned, isn’t important! As for HP and Endurance: they’re one and the same. And the more the better (ask any Meepit). Unlike Strength and Defense, there are no “boost” levels – just get it up as much as your bank account can afford!

Eww, enough theory! What should I do?

Sorry! But first, train your pet up to Strength and Defense 35 (and Endurance to a reasonably high number).

Then, get a Battledome set. If you’ve read xnletokynes’ guide (which I assume you have) you’ll already have:

2 x Scarab Rings (use this a lot)

Greater Healing Scroll (use when you’re low on HP)

Downsize! (use with the Greater Healing Scroll!)

Leaf Shield (you may want to use this against Meuka and Commander Garoo)

Since we’re dealing exclusively with one-player battles, which you can *cough* withdraw from without violating Battledome etiquette, I would personally recommend, in addition, the “chance freezer” Snowglobe Staff. It only freezes once in four or five turns (if it doesn’t work, consider starting the battle again) - but once it does, your opponent cannot do anything next turn, which means you are free to attack as fiercely as possible, with no fear of retribution!

Another weapon I’d add to the lineup, depending on the opponent, is the Purple Sticky Hand. Similar to the Snowglobe Staff, it is random - but if successful, it will steal a weapon from your opponent. Use it against the Black Pteri (you steal Thyora’s Tear, which protects you from all attacks for one turn) and Meuka (you steal Downsize Power Plus, which has the same effect as Thyora’s Tear) on the first turn. Try freezing with the Snowglobe Staff on your first turn as well; if it doesn’t turn out right, you can always give up... (*cough* - I didn’t just say that!)

We now have one or two weapon slots (depending on if you want to steal something from your opponent) left, and I would recommend for that the one-use weapon, the almighty Sticky Snowball. At the time of writing, it costs 500NP a snowball – a bit expensive, but it does mean you can do about ten or eleven icons (it varies) of damage, which can be double what you do with the Scarab Rings! Save it for when your opponent is frozen, then hit them as hard as possible. Whoever said pink things were always harmless?

In conclusion...

So now, you know how hard to train your pet, and what weapons to get for the time being. I hope it helps! There’s a lot more to Battledoming than this, but by all means, try experimenting within the Battledome - what you have on hand might just be enough already, you never know! Desperately need help? Feel free to Neomail me!

...and one more thing. Good luck! (=