Pardon me for the very long lag it took for me to get this final part out. Real life commitment forced me to take a short break from gaming, hence until recently, I was not able to get back to SenBasa3 and finalized the last part of my hero evaluations.
Part 1 (intro)
Part 2 (Saica, Mitsunari, Date, Tsuruhime, Yoshitsugu
Part 3 (Kotaro, Yukimura, Keiji, Kanbe, Yoshihiro, Motochika)
Oichi (RANK A)
Weapon: Demon Hands
Skills: Painful Dream, Forgotten Sins, Hollow Moon, Deep Scars
Specials: Dancing Dead, Ocean Wisp, Lifeless Song
Oichi is the last of the three heroes that made it into my Rank A tier (The other two being Mitsunari and Kotaro). But unlike the other 2, I like to use her so much not because of speed or fast combo, but instead it is her insane crowd control capability and the overall mechanics of her attacks/skills. With Demon Hands as her weapons, she can chain her skills one after another almost instantaneously with little to no delay; some can even be executed while she attacks with her S-string. I usually initiate a combo with Painful Dream (Triangle, hold version) -> Deep Scars (L1+Triangle,), and in between I mixed her S-string attacks, Hollow Moon (R1 hold, followed by air strong attack) and Forgotten Sins (direction+Triangle) every now and then. Each of her attacks has a large reach, enabling her to hit multiple enemies rather easily, on top of being relatively very damaging. Forgotten Sins also allowed Oichi to destroy boxes while still maintaining her dash run, and that is a big plus.
Oichi’s has even better crowd control and survivability with any of her three specials. Dancing Dead made several dark hands appeared, grabbed any enemies around Oichi and as you hold the button, absorbed a large amount of health from the enemies, effectively healing Oichi. At max level and optimum weapon/accessories, Oichi can outright kill more than 20 enemies with a single use of this skill (and of course, healing her). A really great skill when there’s lot of enemies around, and the fact that this skill can heal made Oichi one of the only 2 heroes in Senbasa 3 (besides Keiji) that can heal themselves without using a dark-elemental weapon. Oichi’s second special, Ocean Wisp is somewhat similar to Yoshitsugu’s Mikaboshi Rise in that it sucks enemies in LARGE radius, dealing huge damage. Her third special, Lifeless Songs works like Saica’s Covering Fire – Oichi will summon dark hands that will keep on attacking surrounding enemies for some time, then ended with a super dark beam attack (that is hard to aim, just like Saica’s final cannon attack in Covering Fire). Basically you once you activate the skill, you can sit down and watch as enemies around Oichi pummelled by dark hands that appeared out of nowhere. Imagine a multiplayer of Oichi with Saica, with both Lifeless Song and Covering fire used at the same time….chaotic. Nevertheless, most of the time I favour her 2nd skill Ocean Wisp. Dancing Dead is marvellous for healing, but I find her 4th tier dark elemental weapon(note: dark weapon has chance to kill and heal) enough to heal her, especially since Ocean Wisp sucks in a large number of enemies in, hence has higher chance to kill and heal. The small lag time required to activate the skill is insignificant because once the small circle is formed on the ground, the skill will activate even if Oichi is interrupted. Against bosses, I also love to combo Ocean Wisp with Deep Scars because for some strange reason if you positioned the skills between Oichi and the boss, the boss will keep on charging toward Oichi and ended up caught in the dark pit+hand attack, stunning and damaging them for quite some time.
Her joke weapon is a dark hand with some toy attached (but they’re barely visible when Oichi attacks), while her personal accessory will revive her once per battle. [sarcasm] OMG WHAT AN AWESOME SETS OF ACCESSORIES [/sarcasm]. Anyway to conclude Oichi, I would say that even though she was a bit awkward to use at first, after awhile I found her fun to use primarily because of her long reach attacks and ability to kill mass enemies quickly. Now you might say Yoshitsugu also can control crowd as much as Oichi did, but I’ve already said many times before on why I dislike Yoshitsugu. At least Oichi didn’t sit on some floating sofa.
Nobunaga Oda (RANK B)
Weapon: Gun+Sword
Skills: Highest Heavens, Distant Thunder, Final Rupture, Slumbering Demon
Specials: Evil Strikes, Lamenting Soul, Scorched Earth
Nobunaga is another powerhouse that could probably make into many people’s A-list, but for me something about him seems missing that made me rank him slightly lower. Oh yeah, his basara attack and underwhelming Specials. Let’s put that aside first and review Oda’s good point first. Being a “former” Demon King that was not even supposed to exist in this game, Oda has several features that made him a great pure offensive hero. One prime feature that made him special is the fact that he has 2 sets of offensive modes which change his attack attributes and strength: Shotgun Mode and Sword/Demon Mode. Like Date’s normal mode and Six Claws mode or Saica’s three weapon modes, both of Oda’s modes changes his attack attributes and strength, but IMO Oda is more versatile and fun to use because he can interchange mode in between combos (kinda like Dante in DMC).
At level 1, Oda started out with shotgun Mode – similar to Saica’s Shotgun, except Oda can execute more interesting combos with Highest Heavens, Distant Thunder and Final Rupture while in this mode. Once he levelled up, he will learn the skill that allowed him to switch between the 2 modes anytime: Slumbering Demon. And once Oda can access his Demon mode, part of hell will let loose. To put it bluntly, if you want an easy ride through Hard mode with Oda, just stick with Demon mode. The Skills attacks are noticeably stronger than its Shotgun mode counterpart, while also has the ability to pull off nice combos (eg Distant Thunder’s grabbing attack to Final Rupture’s forward rush attack). Another thing to note about Oda’s attack is that most of his attacks/skills can be charged to give slightly different result/more damage; some like Highest Heaven in Demon mode even give additional hits and damage, coming from the demon inside him.
Now, to the “not-so-nice” things about him. As mentioned above, his Basara attack sucks, pretty much as bad as Honda’s Basara attack where he will stand still and emit dark energy that damages enemies around him. Next, his Specials aren’t really that great in my eyes. Evil Strikes is a simple moves that made numerous spikes to appear on the ground (and as usual, can be charged to make more spikes appear). Nothing impressive about it. Lamenting Soul is like the shotgun version of Distant Thunder, but the damage is determined by Nobunaga’s health. At full health, the damage is somewhat mediocre, but it is a good Special to use if you got Rear Line (always low health) + 5 Gold Mantis (huge damage increase when low health), especially since Oda can’t die while charging the skill. But he definitely need someone like Matsu as ally, or permanently use dark elemental weapon to keep him alive. And his last skill Scorched Earth, probably the strongest special of all, but a bit boring to use. A DMC Devil Trigger mode, Oda summons the demon inside him to attack enemies. Each swings and attack deal fixed but huge damage, but they came at the cost of Oda’s health. Powerful Special because Oda can’t die while in this state (!), but I don’t really like the fact that he can’t run or guard while activating this Special. I personally didn’t have any specific Special that I favour, but if anything, I’d often pick Evil Strikes because it can combo well with his normal skill out of the three, with optimum damage output.
His joke weapon is…hm, I really have no idea what is this wood called. It seems to increase luck. His personal accessories significantly extend the duration of Hero Time. So, longer Hero time + Scorched Earth/Demon mode = gg I guess. I still prefer 4 Gold lions though. So my final word about Oda: strong skillset for a side character, I wish the Basara attack and all his Specials could be made better.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (RANK B)
Weapon: Brass Knuckles
Skills: Providence Punch, Fang Fist, Sun Splitter, Eastern Winds
Specials: Tokugawa Might, Hard Head, Allegiance
Ieyasu is different to other hero in that he specialised in charged attacks. Almost all of his offensive attacks, from the S-string to the skills and specials can be charged. This is especially true for his Fang Fist (dir+Triangle) where you can charge the skill for as long as 2 minutes to yield a massively powerful attack. This of course isn’t really practical with the default button configuration (I doubt players can hold the triangle for so long, while still mashing the square/circle/X for his other combo), so many people agreed that for Ieyasu alone, it is best to switch R1 and Triangle to maximise his damage potential. That way he can do Sun Splitter, his Special and regular S-string attacks while also charging his Fang Fist, and then unleash it by the time he reach the boss. Best used at the end of Ultimate Basara Attack. He is somewhat fun to use (I like his punching skillset to say the least), though so I can’t comment much on his normal Skills, because most player can do fine comboing any of the skill along with his S-string. You can combine straight up mashing and charged up attack (Providence Punch and Fang Fist), toss in midair and do more air and ground combo (Eastern Winds), then add with any of his Specials. On a side note, taunting will make Tokugawa put his hoodie on and this state allowed him to charge his attack quicker.
His first special, Tokugawa Might made emblem appear above his feet and damages enemies around him. Much better to use when charged, making the emblem grow larger and deal more damage. Insanely strong attack at max level charged, this Special made Tokugawa one of the best hero to clear enemies in Sekigahara Intrusion stage. His second Special, Hard Head is even more overpowered. It’s a simple headbutt (mashing S-string will make him do more headbutt), but the damage output is so massive that you can easily defeat a base captain with a single use of this skill. My Special of choice in most occasion, unless I’m playing Sekigahara Intrusion. His third Special, Allegiance allowed him to summon Honda’s Drill lance, throw it at some distance in front of him, creating a hole that will sucks surrounding enemies in. Not so bad for a Special, but could easily be forgotten compared to his other two Specials.
His joke weapon: drill fist. A drill on each hand, really. And how did he actually grab and throw Honda’s lance for Allegiance special, I don’t know. His personal accessory will put his hoodie on his head permanently without ever falling off. Obviously it means Ieyasu can charge his skills faster with these accessories on, but then, the usual question remain – 4 accessory slots for that?
Tadakatsu Honda (RANK C)
Weapon: DRILL spear
Skills: Support Mode, Dash Mode, Artilery Mode, Shock Mode
Specials: Heavy Mode, Flight Mode, Electromagnetic Mode
I had a big LOL the first time I saw Tadakatsu Hondam in SenBasa1 anime, and it was not until SenBasa3 that I finally had a chance to use him in battle. Since the Sengoku Musou era he has been depicted as a big, powerful physical fighter and he still is in SenBasa, with the addition of those ridiculous Gundam armories. His physical attack/S-string is nasty and strong, each swing can easily scatters normal soldiers around. Unfortunately, he was a bit on the boring side to use especially on Hard mode, when his physical attacks won’t kill enemies easily (and he didn’t have any flashy combo either). All his Skills are a kind of offensive modes that offer offensive support to his attacks. Support mode made Tadakatsu summons small flying drones that can provide support fire, but the damage is so weak you could barely rely on it on Hard mode. A nice mode to have to say the least, since you can activate the skill anytime even when Honda is in another mode. In Dash mode, Honda sweeps enemies in front and combined with Support Mode+charging, Honda will dash forward with increased range and damage. This skill is also usable when Honda is in other combined modes to yield different effects. In Artilery mode, Honda will fire missiles from cannon from his back. Good AOE damage, but Honda is immobile if you execute the mode on ground, hence this mode is much better to be used while Honda is in Flight mode (faster startup, steerable aiming, mobility). Shock mode is an alternative offensive if you got bored with his S-string, where Honda will charge his spear and emit electromagnetic wave that damages nearby enemies. In a way you could say that this mode is the weaker version of his Basara attack, and while the damage it dealt is barely passable on Hard, this skill can nets you massive hits with a single use. In fact, I actually got my 99,999 combo hits Achievement with him and spamming Shock Mode over and over again in Sekigahara Intrusion.
His three Specials are another sets of Modes that can compliment with this skillset modes. Heavy Mode, as the name implies, turned Honda into a heavy physical attacker. His S-string and Triangle skill changed slightly, with each sweep of his weapon dealing massive damage. The only downside of this mode is that like Oda’s Scorched Earth, Honda cannot run or guard. But since Honda’s damage output is massively amplified in this mode, it is not a bad idea to stick with this mode on Hard, when his S-string and other skills aren’t as effective as in lower difficulties. That being said, I favour his second Special, Flight mode much more than anything else. Flight mode allowed Honda to fly (duh), and made his Heavy mode more usable. At least he can catch Date in his Oshu’s horce race without even needing to ride a horce (well he can’t ride a horse in the first place). And lastly, Electromagnetic Mode. I personally only used this mode once, and then reverted back to Flight mode because while the EM shock that this mode generate while being active is great, it also slowly drains Honda’s health on top of slowing his speed. I’d rather stick to his boring S-string attack and Flight/Support/Heavy mode combo.
Joke weapon: a big spinning pine tree (LOL). It was so big that it was funny when Honda hold it and you see it spinning around. Personal accessories will put his Support mode permanently active. Barely useful since Support Mode itself is no longer overpowered like it used to be, and you can easily activate it whenever the duration is over. So in the end, while Honda has some great arsenal of offensive tools, most of them are not as effective as you'd think on Hard mode, which is a bit of a letdown.
Motonari Mori (RANK C)
Weapon: Ringblade
Skills: Bowmen, Whirlwind, Barrier, Decoy
Specials: Brainwash, Ray, Trap
Finally the last hero to be covered. Motonari Mori is not a world beater. Far from it. But he has something really interesting that I didn’t find in any other character – great chemistry and synchronization between his skills. Individually they're rather bad skills, but Bowmen, Barrier and Decoy skills work so well with each other that it's hard to play Motonari efficiently in any other way. The most common combo would be setting up Decoy (which will guaranteed ANY kind of enemies and bosses to attack it instead of Motonari), followed by Bowmen which will fire away at the incoming enemies who try to hit the decoy. He can then add to the combo with Barrier which can deflect the bowmen's arrow, and also can be used to trap enemies between 2 Barriers (hard to position them, but it can be done). His other Skill, Whirlwind is a basic spin (Shining Fang!) that nicely complement his s-string combo, in fact it’s much better to end his attack with Whirlwind to prevent the overwhelmingly long delay after his full combo (where Motonari would spin his weapon needlessly).
Talk about his Special, I would only consider to use either Ray or Trap, because Brainwash is a rather stupid and useless special. This special allowed Motonari took control of a few enemies (not General or Boss), which will fight for him. Tell me again, which soldier are worth taking control? Maybe the big fan-wielding giants... Ray made him spin his ringblade and emit ray of light that damages enemies. Good damage and the fact that the light can be deflected via Barrier made it even better, but with enemies moving around (and Motonari standing still while channeling this skill), it's hard to position the skill and the barrier at the same time to yield maximum damage. And lastly, Trap (my pick most of the time) made him generate a ring that can trap and damages enemies. Can be charged, a great skill to add if you can throw it right at a Barrier that you set up, which will make the Trap last longer.
Joke weapon: I don’t know what the hell it is. It was like some sort of a frilly shield or something? Personal accessory: Made him invincible while setting up Trap. You know, when he was charging, spinning his blade above his head…Trap in itself is a very cool skill, but trading 4 accessory slots for the invincibility is not really a good deal, considering he already has the likes of Decoy to distract the attention of enemies. Overall, while Motonari was a bland hero to use (you will likely use the same combo over and over again), he was also one of the best hero that can go through Hard mode while taking minimal damage thanks to Decoy.
Weapon: Demon Hands
Skills: Painful Dream, Forgotten Sins, Hollow Moon, Deep Scars
Specials: Dancing Dead, Ocean Wisp, Lifeless Song
Oichi is the last of the three heroes that made it into my Rank A tier (The other two being Mitsunari and Kotaro). But unlike the other 2, I like to use her so much not because of speed or fast combo, but instead it is her insane crowd control capability and the overall mechanics of her attacks/skills. With Demon Hands as her weapons, she can chain her skills one after another almost instantaneously with little to no delay; some can even be executed while she attacks with her S-string. I usually initiate a combo with Painful Dream (Triangle, hold version) -> Deep Scars (L1+Triangle,), and in between I mixed her S-string attacks, Hollow Moon (R1 hold, followed by air strong attack) and Forgotten Sins (direction+Triangle) every now and then. Each of her attacks has a large reach, enabling her to hit multiple enemies rather easily, on top of being relatively very damaging. Forgotten Sins also allowed Oichi to destroy boxes while still maintaining her dash run, and that is a big plus.
Oichi’s has even better crowd control and survivability with any of her three specials. Dancing Dead made several dark hands appeared, grabbed any enemies around Oichi and as you hold the button, absorbed a large amount of health from the enemies, effectively healing Oichi. At max level and optimum weapon/accessories, Oichi can outright kill more than 20 enemies with a single use of this skill (and of course, healing her). A really great skill when there’s lot of enemies around, and the fact that this skill can heal made Oichi one of the only 2 heroes in Senbasa 3 (besides Keiji) that can heal themselves without using a dark-elemental weapon. Oichi’s second special, Ocean Wisp is somewhat similar to Yoshitsugu’s Mikaboshi Rise in that it sucks enemies in LARGE radius, dealing huge damage. Her third special, Lifeless Songs works like Saica’s Covering Fire – Oichi will summon dark hands that will keep on attacking surrounding enemies for some time, then ended with a super dark beam attack (that is hard to aim, just like Saica’s final cannon attack in Covering Fire). Basically you once you activate the skill, you can sit down and watch as enemies around Oichi pummelled by dark hands that appeared out of nowhere. Imagine a multiplayer of Oichi with Saica, with both Lifeless Song and Covering fire used at the same time….chaotic. Nevertheless, most of the time I favour her 2nd skill Ocean Wisp. Dancing Dead is marvellous for healing, but I find her 4th tier dark elemental weapon(note: dark weapon has chance to kill and heal) enough to heal her, especially since Ocean Wisp sucks in a large number of enemies in, hence has higher chance to kill and heal. The small lag time required to activate the skill is insignificant because once the small circle is formed on the ground, the skill will activate even if Oichi is interrupted. Against bosses, I also love to combo Ocean Wisp with Deep Scars because for some strange reason if you positioned the skills between Oichi and the boss, the boss will keep on charging toward Oichi and ended up caught in the dark pit+hand attack, stunning and damaging them for quite some time.
Her joke weapon is a dark hand with some toy attached (but they’re barely visible when Oichi attacks), while her personal accessory will revive her once per battle. [sarcasm] OMG WHAT AN AWESOME SETS OF ACCESSORIES [/sarcasm]. Anyway to conclude Oichi, I would say that even though she was a bit awkward to use at first, after awhile I found her fun to use primarily because of her long reach attacks and ability to kill mass enemies quickly. Now you might say Yoshitsugu also can control crowd as much as Oichi did, but I’ve already said many times before on why I dislike Yoshitsugu. At least Oichi didn’t sit on some floating sofa.
Nobunaga Oda (RANK B)
Weapon: Gun+Sword
Skills: Highest Heavens, Distant Thunder, Final Rupture, Slumbering Demon
Specials: Evil Strikes, Lamenting Soul, Scorched Earth
Nobunaga is another powerhouse that could probably make into many people’s A-list, but for me something about him seems missing that made me rank him slightly lower. Oh yeah, his basara attack and underwhelming Specials. Let’s put that aside first and review Oda’s good point first. Being a “former” Demon King that was not even supposed to exist in this game, Oda has several features that made him a great pure offensive hero. One prime feature that made him special is the fact that he has 2 sets of offensive modes which change his attack attributes and strength: Shotgun Mode and Sword/Demon Mode. Like Date’s normal mode and Six Claws mode or Saica’s three weapon modes, both of Oda’s modes changes his attack attributes and strength, but IMO Oda is more versatile and fun to use because he can interchange mode in between combos (kinda like Dante in DMC).
At level 1, Oda started out with shotgun Mode – similar to Saica’s Shotgun, except Oda can execute more interesting combos with Highest Heavens, Distant Thunder and Final Rupture while in this mode. Once he levelled up, he will learn the skill that allowed him to switch between the 2 modes anytime: Slumbering Demon. And once Oda can access his Demon mode, part of hell will let loose. To put it bluntly, if you want an easy ride through Hard mode with Oda, just stick with Demon mode. The Skills attacks are noticeably stronger than its Shotgun mode counterpart, while also has the ability to pull off nice combos (eg Distant Thunder’s grabbing attack to Final Rupture’s forward rush attack). Another thing to note about Oda’s attack is that most of his attacks/skills can be charged to give slightly different result/more damage; some like Highest Heaven in Demon mode even give additional hits and damage, coming from the demon inside him.
Now, to the “not-so-nice” things about him. As mentioned above, his Basara attack sucks, pretty much as bad as Honda’s Basara attack where he will stand still and emit dark energy that damages enemies around him. Next, his Specials aren’t really that great in my eyes. Evil Strikes is a simple moves that made numerous spikes to appear on the ground (and as usual, can be charged to make more spikes appear). Nothing impressive about it. Lamenting Soul is like the shotgun version of Distant Thunder, but the damage is determined by Nobunaga’s health. At full health, the damage is somewhat mediocre, but it is a good Special to use if you got Rear Line (always low health) + 5 Gold Mantis (huge damage increase when low health), especially since Oda can’t die while charging the skill. But he definitely need someone like Matsu as ally, or permanently use dark elemental weapon to keep him alive. And his last skill Scorched Earth, probably the strongest special of all, but a bit boring to use. A DMC Devil Trigger mode, Oda summons the demon inside him to attack enemies. Each swings and attack deal fixed but huge damage, but they came at the cost of Oda’s health. Powerful Special because Oda can’t die while in this state (!), but I don’t really like the fact that he can’t run or guard while activating this Special. I personally didn’t have any specific Special that I favour, but if anything, I’d often pick Evil Strikes because it can combo well with his normal skill out of the three, with optimum damage output.
His joke weapon is…hm, I really have no idea what is this wood called. It seems to increase luck. His personal accessories significantly extend the duration of Hero Time. So, longer Hero time + Scorched Earth/Demon mode = gg I guess. I still prefer 4 Gold lions though. So my final word about Oda: strong skillset for a side character, I wish the Basara attack and all his Specials could be made better.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (RANK B)
Weapon: Brass Knuckles
Skills: Providence Punch, Fang Fist, Sun Splitter, Eastern Winds
Specials: Tokugawa Might, Hard Head, Allegiance
Ieyasu is different to other hero in that he specialised in charged attacks. Almost all of his offensive attacks, from the S-string to the skills and specials can be charged. This is especially true for his Fang Fist (dir+Triangle) where you can charge the skill for as long as 2 minutes to yield a massively powerful attack. This of course isn’t really practical with the default button configuration (I doubt players can hold the triangle for so long, while still mashing the square/circle/X for his other combo), so many people agreed that for Ieyasu alone, it is best to switch R1 and Triangle to maximise his damage potential. That way he can do Sun Splitter, his Special and regular S-string attacks while also charging his Fang Fist, and then unleash it by the time he reach the boss. Best used at the end of Ultimate Basara Attack. He is somewhat fun to use (I like his punching skillset to say the least), though so I can’t comment much on his normal Skills, because most player can do fine comboing any of the skill along with his S-string. You can combine straight up mashing and charged up attack (Providence Punch and Fang Fist), toss in midair and do more air and ground combo (Eastern Winds), then add with any of his Specials. On a side note, taunting will make Tokugawa put his hoodie on and this state allowed him to charge his attack quicker.
His first special, Tokugawa Might made emblem appear above his feet and damages enemies around him. Much better to use when charged, making the emblem grow larger and deal more damage. Insanely strong attack at max level charged, this Special made Tokugawa one of the best hero to clear enemies in Sekigahara Intrusion stage. His second Special, Hard Head is even more overpowered. It’s a simple headbutt (mashing S-string will make him do more headbutt), but the damage output is so massive that you can easily defeat a base captain with a single use of this skill. My Special of choice in most occasion, unless I’m playing Sekigahara Intrusion. His third Special, Allegiance allowed him to summon Honda’s Drill lance, throw it at some distance in front of him, creating a hole that will sucks surrounding enemies in. Not so bad for a Special, but could easily be forgotten compared to his other two Specials.
His joke weapon: drill fist. A drill on each hand, really. And how did he actually grab and throw Honda’s lance for Allegiance special, I don’t know. His personal accessory will put his hoodie on his head permanently without ever falling off. Obviously it means Ieyasu can charge his skills faster with these accessories on, but then, the usual question remain – 4 accessory slots for that?
Tadakatsu Honda (RANK C)
Weapon: DRILL spear
Skills: Support Mode, Dash Mode, Artilery Mode, Shock Mode
Specials: Heavy Mode, Flight Mode, Electromagnetic Mode
I had a big LOL the first time I saw Tadakatsu Hondam in SenBasa1 anime, and it was not until SenBasa3 that I finally had a chance to use him in battle. Since the Sengoku Musou era he has been depicted as a big, powerful physical fighter and he still is in SenBasa, with the addition of those ridiculous Gundam armories. His physical attack/S-string is nasty and strong, each swing can easily scatters normal soldiers around. Unfortunately, he was a bit on the boring side to use especially on Hard mode, when his physical attacks won’t kill enemies easily (and he didn’t have any flashy combo either). All his Skills are a kind of offensive modes that offer offensive support to his attacks. Support mode made Tadakatsu summons small flying drones that can provide support fire, but the damage is so weak you could barely rely on it on Hard mode. A nice mode to have to say the least, since you can activate the skill anytime even when Honda is in another mode. In Dash mode, Honda sweeps enemies in front and combined with Support Mode+charging, Honda will dash forward with increased range and damage. This skill is also usable when Honda is in other combined modes to yield different effects. In Artilery mode, Honda will fire missiles from cannon from his back. Good AOE damage, but Honda is immobile if you execute the mode on ground, hence this mode is much better to be used while Honda is in Flight mode (faster startup, steerable aiming, mobility). Shock mode is an alternative offensive if you got bored with his S-string, where Honda will charge his spear and emit electromagnetic wave that damages nearby enemies. In a way you could say that this mode is the weaker version of his Basara attack, and while the damage it dealt is barely passable on Hard, this skill can nets you massive hits with a single use. In fact, I actually got my 99,999 combo hits Achievement with him and spamming Shock Mode over and over again in Sekigahara Intrusion.
His three Specials are another sets of Modes that can compliment with this skillset modes. Heavy Mode, as the name implies, turned Honda into a heavy physical attacker. His S-string and Triangle skill changed slightly, with each sweep of his weapon dealing massive damage. The only downside of this mode is that like Oda’s Scorched Earth, Honda cannot run or guard. But since Honda’s damage output is massively amplified in this mode, it is not a bad idea to stick with this mode on Hard, when his S-string and other skills aren’t as effective as in lower difficulties. That being said, I favour his second Special, Flight mode much more than anything else. Flight mode allowed Honda to fly (duh), and made his Heavy mode more usable. At least he can catch Date in his Oshu’s horce race without even needing to ride a horce (well he can’t ride a horse in the first place). And lastly, Electromagnetic Mode. I personally only used this mode once, and then reverted back to Flight mode because while the EM shock that this mode generate while being active is great, it also slowly drains Honda’s health on top of slowing his speed. I’d rather stick to his boring S-string attack and Flight/Support/Heavy mode combo.
Joke weapon: a big spinning pine tree (LOL). It was so big that it was funny when Honda hold it and you see it spinning around. Personal accessories will put his Support mode permanently active. Barely useful since Support Mode itself is no longer overpowered like it used to be, and you can easily activate it whenever the duration is over. So in the end, while Honda has some great arsenal of offensive tools, most of them are not as effective as you'd think on Hard mode, which is a bit of a letdown.
Motonari Mori (RANK C)
Weapon: Ringblade
Skills: Bowmen, Whirlwind, Barrier, Decoy
Specials: Brainwash, Ray, Trap
Finally the last hero to be covered. Motonari Mori is not a world beater. Far from it. But he has something really interesting that I didn’t find in any other character – great chemistry and synchronization between his skills. Individually they're rather bad skills, but Bowmen, Barrier and Decoy skills work so well with each other that it's hard to play Motonari efficiently in any other way. The most common combo would be setting up Decoy (which will guaranteed ANY kind of enemies and bosses to attack it instead of Motonari), followed by Bowmen which will fire away at the incoming enemies who try to hit the decoy. He can then add to the combo with Barrier which can deflect the bowmen's arrow, and also can be used to trap enemies between 2 Barriers (hard to position them, but it can be done). His other Skill, Whirlwind is a basic spin (Shining Fang!) that nicely complement his s-string combo, in fact it’s much better to end his attack with Whirlwind to prevent the overwhelmingly long delay after his full combo (where Motonari would spin his weapon needlessly).
Talk about his Special, I would only consider to use either Ray or Trap, because Brainwash is a rather stupid and useless special. This special allowed Motonari took control of a few enemies (not General or Boss), which will fight for him. Tell me again, which soldier are worth taking control? Maybe the big fan-wielding giants... Ray made him spin his ringblade and emit ray of light that damages enemies. Good damage and the fact that the light can be deflected via Barrier made it even better, but with enemies moving around (and Motonari standing still while channeling this skill), it's hard to position the skill and the barrier at the same time to yield maximum damage. And lastly, Trap (my pick most of the time) made him generate a ring that can trap and damages enemies. Can be charged, a great skill to add if you can throw it right at a Barrier that you set up, which will make the Trap last longer.
Joke weapon: I don’t know what the hell it is. It was like some sort of a frilly shield or something? Personal accessory: Made him invincible while setting up Trap. You know, when he was charging, spinning his blade above his head…Trap in itself is a very cool skill, but trading 4 accessory slots for the invincibility is not really a good deal, considering he already has the likes of Decoy to distract the attention of enemies. Overall, while Motonari was a bland hero to use (you will likely use the same combo over and over again), he was also one of the best hero that can go through Hard mode while taking minimal damage thanks to Decoy.
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