Author: Dreamslayer
Editor: Shadovv
Fair credit attribution: This is an expanded, written version of the video guide made by LucidDream, aka Licod Games.
Dreamslayer has written this text to provided additional information and analysis.
Gifs were a collaborative effort between Dreamslayer and Litewarior.
Original video can be found at the following link:
Starstone Mines
The Volkami, a werewolf-like creature, has kidnapped locals and forced them to do slavery within their mines.
Relatively short, there is only one miniboss before the main boss. The miniboss is trivial as well, and is a simple DPS check. Kill the adds that the miniboss spawns, and defeat it; there are no detailed mechanics.
Final Boss: Volberus
Normal HP: 127,480,000
Hard HP: 318,700,000
Enrage: 8:00
Phases: 95%, 75%, 50%, 30%, 10%
Roles:
Flame Buffers (Preferably Ranged: 1 or 3 players needed)
Markers (Preferably Melee: 2 for Normal, 3 for Hard Mode)
This ice-elemental boss will perform several attacks which inflict the Freeze debuff. If you have Freeze, you must use an escape skill (ss/q/e) or clear it with a debuff removal skill. If you are hit with Freeze again while you already have it, it will change into Frost Prison, which will immobilize you for 15 seconds and instantly kill you if it expires. This can only be removed by a Flame Buffer, which will be explained under mechanics.
Normal Rotation:
2x Linear Pounds + AoE Slam (Knockdown on last hit) → Linear Frontal Uppercut (Unblockable, Launch) + Linear Frontal Slam (Unblockable, Knockdown) → Double 180 Degree Frontal Swipes → Linear Frontal Freezing Breath (Unblockable, applies Freeze) or 180 Degree Frontal Sweep angled toward the boss’s front right (Knockback and Knockdown) → Linear Frontal Kick (Knockback and Knockdown) → Double 180 Degree Frontal Swipes
If the tank is too far from the boss, it will do an unblockable charge tackle that knocks back and down. If the tank doesn’t remove knockdown, the boss will grapple them and gnaw at them. This can be grab countered or removed by Second Wind.
Mechanic Phases:
There are seven adds scattered around the outside of the arena. The phases start with the boss awakening a particular add, or a set of adds for the final phase.
95,75,50,30,10%
All of these phases are similar. During the start of the phase, a message warns “Volberus awakens the Greywolves” and the appropriate add will come to life and charge toward the closest person to the boss, and the boss will do a room-wide roar that stuns. One of the Flame Buffers needs to be the one to last-hit the add to receive the Flame buff. This buff is crucial to mechanics and can transfer to other players on touching them, but during this time the Flame Buffer must avoid prematurely transferring the buff. At the same time, the Markers should position themselves as close to the boss as possible while on opposite sides from each other
After several more attacks from his normal rotation, a message warns “Volberus searches for prey” and the boss will choose a number of Markers; in Normal Mode he will choose the 2 closest players, while in Hard Mode he will choose the 3 closest players. They will be connected by a beam of ice energy, which will constantly inflict and refresh a 5 second Freeze debuff on them. If the markers get 30 meters from each other, then the link will snap and inflict Frost Prison for 15 seconds on each markers. If any Marker is carrying the Flame buff when they receive the Marker or when the link snaps and applies Frost Prison, the Flame buff will be removed. The Markers need to make the link snap happen as fast as possible by SSing away from the middle; in Hard the Markers should break off one-by-one so that there is enough time for all of them to receive the Flame buff.
The Flame Buffer who has the Flame buff now needs to touch one of the frozen Markers. This will defrost them and transfer the Flame buff to them. The Flame buff can transfer to people who aren’t frozen, so avoid running into them or they have to carry on the role. If Frost Prison just naturally times out, the person will take massive damage in Normal Mode, or instantly die in Hard mode. The first marker then unfreezes the second marker, who will then unfreeze the third marker. After transferring the Flame buff, you receive the Burnout debuff, which prevents you from re-acquiring Flame for 20 seconds.
After marking the boss will do the following rotation:
Freezing Breath (at farthest) → 2x (Normal)/3x (Hard) Frost Wave → Freezing Breath (at farthest) → 2x/3x Frost Wave → Permafrost → Absorption
Freezing Breath (Linear AoE, unblockable, inflicts Freeze/Frost Prison)
The boss spits a linear frost breath at the direction of the farthest person, just sidestep it. Getting hit by this will remove the Flame buff.
Frost Wave(room wide, unblockable, inflicts Freeze/Frost Prison)
The boss charges frost energy, then leaps into the air and slams the ground two times in Normal or three times in Hard. Each jump is aimed at random spots around the room except for the final jump which will be in the middle of the room. Each landing impact deals damage and emits a room-wide Frost Wave that must be iframed, jumped over, or dashed through. Getting hit by the wave will remove the Flame buff.
Permafrost(Room wide, unblockable, inflicts Frost Prison; must iframe, not sheathe)
This attack is performed after the sixth Frost Wave during mechanic phases and must be iframed. Using Force Master’s or Destroyer’s Frost Sheath or Iron Plating respectively will cause the Flame Buff to be lost, do not use it.
At the end of the phase, the boss will absorb all Frost Prison/Flame stacks. If he absorbs at least 1 Flame buff, he will receive the “Internal Flame Damage” debuff. This debuff ticks for 20 seconds, then inflicts 10% of the boss’s maximum HP upon expiration. For every Frost Prison debuff absorbed, including those from dead players, the boss will heal 3%.
Skipping the final phase is possible if he reaches 10% before Internal Flame expires.
Note: The marking is purely time-based and is separate from the HP-based add summon, making it possible for the boss to apply Markers before he has summoned adds. As such it is crucial that you do not fail mechanics by losing Flame.
Rewards:
Hellion Earring
The Hellion Earring is a legendary earring that can be upgraded to the PvP Skypearl Earring or PvE Apex Earring. Hard Mode also has an extremely rare chance to drop the Shrinestone Chest, a tradeable chest containing this Earring and uses a key from Cold Storage to open. You can also buy the earring from Coin Exchange Merchant Junsorei in most towns for 200 Hellion Cores, which also requires the Volberus 10-kill achievement.
The PvP Skypearl:
- Receiving damage has a chance to grant the “Skypearl” buff for 30 seconds, increasing Attack Power by 20, Debuff Damage by 100, and Max HP by 2,000, stacks up to 10 times.
- All attacks during the Skypearl buff inflicts 500/1,000/1,500/2,000 life drain at Stage 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10 respectively.
- Passively increases maximum Prestige Point cap by 100% at Stage 10.
The PvE Apex:
- Causes all attacks to have a chance to grant the “Apex” buff for 6 seconds, increasing Boss Attack Power by 5/7/10/15 and Additional Damage by 75/100/125/200 at Stage 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10, stacks up to 3 times.
- Passively increases Attack Power by 3 and Critical Damage by 350 on all Stages.
Starstone Gloves
An uncommon drop with overall higher stats than the Hollow’s Gloves, and a breakthrough material for the King Gloves from Hollow’s Heart. It can be upgraded to Awakened with 100 Soulstone Crystals and 30 Sacred Crystals, which has a chance for attacks to inflict 2,000 Additional Damage. However, the Awakened form cannot be used for the King Gloves breakthrough.
Blackstone
These stones are fairly common, and are used for evolving Raven weapon stage 7-9, Hellion Ring or Earring breakthroughs, and Awakened Skybreak Spire accessories, as well as using 25 to buy a Khanda Vihar Elemental Prism from Coin Exchange Merchant Junsorei in most towns along with 250 Hellion Cores and 100 Gold to upgrade a Faded Raven Accessory into a Skybreak Spire accessory. The daily for this dungeon give fragments, 10 of which can be combined into a single Blackstone.
Hellion Core
The final boss drops a chest containing this item. On Normal, the chest contains 1 with a chance for an additional 5; on Hard the chest contains 2 with a chance for an additional 10.
200 Hellion Cores can be traded to Coin Exchange Merchant Junsorei in most towns. The accessory also requires having the 10-kill achievement of its respective boss.
250 Hellion Cores along with 25 Blackstones and 100 Gold can be used to purchase a Khanda Vihar Elemental Prism from Junsorei to upgrade a Faded Raven Accessory into a Skybreak Spire accessory.
The same amount of items but with 25 Silver Scales instead of Blackstones can be used to purchase an Aransu Prism to upgrade a Faded Aransu Necklace into a Temple of Eluvium/Scion’s Keep Necklace.
Forgotten Raven King’s Soul Shield Chest
Hard Mode can drop this chest which contains a random piece of the Skybreak Spire Soul Shield.
Faded Raven Ring:
Hard Mode can drop this ring, and can be traded between players. It can be upgraded along with a Khanda Vihar Elemental Prism sold by Coin Exchange Merchant Junsorei in most towns for 250 Hellion Cores, 25 Blackstones, and 100 Gold to upgrade this ring into a Skybreak Spire Ring of the prism’s element.
Merchant of Wonders
Hard difficulty has a chance to spawn the Merchant of Wonders Shin Gihye, who sells 8 items that range from common drops (e.g. Blood Pearls, Silver Scale Fragments) to cosmetics to extremely rare and/or hard to acquire upgrade materials (e.g. Premium Transformation Stones, Sacred Vials, Heptagonal/Octagonal Gems, Divine Grace Stone), often at generous gold prices. Only one item can be bought from her shop, and her wares always randomize with each appearance.