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V2.2 Guide: Astral Expedition - Mechanics & Build

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The Old Ones whisper forbidden coordinates; the astral dust calls for an expedition...

Since the 2.2 update, Inheritors have been continuously pushing high scores in the Astral Expedition mode, proving their strength. At the same time, many have noticed that the boss Darkvein Adiposer is far from a simple punching bag—Inheritors often find themselves dishing out damage but barely making a dent.

To achieve a high score, it's crucial to thoroughly understand the boss’s combat mechanics and precisely time your damage strategy.

In this guide, Audhum will break things down from two angles: boss mechanics and character build. Hopefully, Inheritors will be able to glimpse a sliver of hope amid Darkvein Adiposer's relentless onslaught...

BOSS Mechanics

I. Time Mechanics

(1) Upon entering the battle, you have a total of 300 seconds to fight. As time progresses, the boss becomes increasingly powerful. Every 10 seconds, the boss's Attack, All Elemental Resistances, Physical Damage Reduction, Critical Resistance, and Critical Damage Reduction will gradually increase, reaching their maximum values at 240 seconds into the battle.

(2) After 120 seconds, characters will begin to suffer from a stage debuff, visually indicated by small blood droplets orbiting around the character. This debuff continuously drains a portion of both HP and Stamina per second, and it intensifies every 30 seconds, reaching maximum strength at 240 seconds.

(3) Every 60 seconds, the boss will transform, changing its appearance and releasing a shockwave that spreads across the entire screen. This shockwave deals true damage based on a percentage of its max HP.

II. BOSS HP Mechanics

(1) The BOSS increases its resistance to all elements and reduces critical damage taken every time it loses 5% of its HP. (2) When the BOSS's HP reaches the thresholds X99359, X98799, X97199, X93959, and X92559, it triggers a damage-lock mechanism, unleashes a high-damage full-screen skill, and then changes part of its attack pattern.

III. BOSS Skill

Claw strike on the ground in front, dealing Thunder DMG.

Threat: ⭐

Strategy: Stick close to the boss.

Smashes and sweeps the ground, dealing Ice DMG and applying a large amount of Ice status.

Threat: ⭐

Strategy: Stick close to the boss.

Double ground pound, dealing Poisonous DMG and status.

Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: Dodge or reposition to avoid it. If your HP is enough, you can also tank it using a skill with super armor.

The boss throws a poison orb, dealing Poisonous DMG and status.

Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: When the boss pulls his left hand back, dodge. If your HP is healthy, you can also use a super armor skill to tank it.

The boss throws 3 Thunder orbs, dealing Thunder DMG.

Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: Get right up close to the boss — the Thunder orbs won't hit you.

The boss claps his hands, dealing Ice DMG and status.

Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: Dodge or reposition to avoid. It's best not to tank this: once Ice accumulation maxes out, you'll be frozen, which forcibly interrupts your skill casting and breaks your attack rhythm.

The boss summons two walls of fire in front. Characters who run into them receive Fire damage and status. When the boss’s HP falls below 98,800, the fire walls begin moving sideways.

Threat: ⭐

Strategy: Attack the boss normally; don’t blindly charge in.

The boss performs a large frontal breath attack, dealing Fire damage and status. Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: Dodge or reposition to avoid. If your HP is healthy, you can also use a super armor skill to tank it.

The boss punching the ground with fists, dealing Ice damage and status.

Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: There are six hits total. The first one has an irregular hitbox — when the boss raises its hand, it may graze you. It's recommended to dodge the first hit. For the remaining ones, just stay close to the boss and you won’t get hit.

Two thunder vortexes appear in the boss’s palms, converging toward the center. Once combined, they explode, releasing mini-vortexes outward. Characters touching the vortexes take damage.

Threat: ⭐⭐

Strategy: Avoid the path of the tornado's movement.

Two Thunder vortexes appear in the boss’s palms, converging toward the center. Once combined, they explode, releasing mini-vortexes outward. Characters touching the vortexes take damage.

Threat: ⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: Watch where the energy orbs land and dodge or reposition accordingly.

Continuous lightning strikes from the sky, dealing Thunder DMG, and leaving damage zones on the ground.

Threat: ⭐

Strategy: Deal damage to the boss normally — this one can’t be avoided.

Triple chain explosion, similar to bouncing projectiles, causing Fire damage and status.

Threat: ⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: Move or dodge toward the boss’s rear to avoid the first hit. For the next two, observe the trajectory of the falling shards and look for gaps to dodge or move through. Note: after each explosion, Fire damage will briefly remain on the ground — don’t step into it right away.

The boss pounds the ground repeatedly, each strike generating an ice spike field in front, dealing Ice damage and status.

Threat: ⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: There are six hits total. The first one has an irregular hitbox — when the boss raises its hand, it may graze you. It's recommended to dodge the first hit. For the rest, stay close to the boss and you won’t be hit. Also be aware that stepping on the icicles before they disappear will cause damage and increase debuff buildup.

The boss releases a shockwave that expands to full screen, dealing true damage based on a percentage of the character’s max HP. This is triggered every minute, following an on-screen boss dialogue.

Threat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: Watch the warning — when the red ring expands to the outer edge, dodge or use your ULTRA to avoid it. The damage is very high; don’t try to tank it.

The boss performs two consecutive ground slams, each dealing screen-wide true damage based on max HP and dealing Ice status. HP Lock Mechanism: Triggered when the boss’s HP hits X99359, X98799, X97199, X93959, and X92559.

Threat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: Watch the boss’s movement — when it slams down with both fists, dodge or use your ULTRA. The damage is extremely high and causes freezing; taking it head-on can easily get you killed. Note: during this move, the boss is in a locked-HP state. Your damage will be recorded in the stats, but the boss won’t lose HP, nor will you earn points — so just focus on dodging.

Build Suggestions

Because the BOSS's various resistances gradually increase over time and as its HP decreases, once its resistance reaches 100%, it becomes immune to damage—any skill used on it will be completely negated. Therefore, reducing the BOSS's resistance in Astral Expedition is essential for extending the damage duration.

I. Soul Core Build

(1) The third Soul Skill of Amorphous Eyes reduces the enemy’s all-elemental resistance by 10% at level 1, and up to 30% at max level, making it highly versatile across all elemental builds. Each elemental build also has its own suitable Soul Cor; like Frostwurm Cthylla (Ice)、Solemn Brynhild (Fire)、Lezard. The God of The Moon (Poisionous)、Thor the God of Thunder (Thunder)。

(2) As mentioned in the Time Mechanic, characters will begin to suffer from continuous environmental damage after 120 seconds of battle. Therefore, it's recommended to bring Moderator Audhum to ensure some degree of sustain. Its AOE healing benefits the entire team, significantly increasing overall survivability.

Besides Audhum, other Soul Cores like The Saint (Fire), Ymir the Origin (Thunder), The Goddess of Youth (Poisonous), and Chaos can also provide sustained healing, so you can choose the right combination based on your setup.

II. Gear Build

(1) In addition to traditional resistance-reducing Soul Cores, new gear affixes have been added that reduce enemy resistance. In Version 2.2, the newly introduced Myriad Casket feature allows Mythic gear to be upgraded into Immortal gear with set bonuses (upgrade materials can be obtained via the Astral Expedition mode). Notably, the Teal Goldscale Helm Set grants a 2-piece bonus that reduces enemy all-elemental resistance by 18% upon entering combat.

Tips: If your gear has an Ancient Affix like “Required set pieces for XX set bonus -1”, then you only need one piece of the set to activate the 2-piece effect.

(2) The set mentioned above can be relatively difficult to obtain in the early stages of the version due to material shortages. For players lacking resources, consider this newly added Immortal accessory from Orisols I Shop: the Molten Worldscorch Ring. This piece comes with a built-in affix that reduces the enemy’s all-elemental resistance by 8%. It only costs 50,000 Co-op Badges.

III. Controlling

Since environmental damage reduces both HP and stamina, careless actions may result in stamina not recovering properly. It’s recommended to get into the habit of frequently using Soul Shard.

(1) Soul Shard System

When a character uses a skill, it consumes stamina and leaves behind a red Soul Shard gauge in the stamina bar. If the character avoids taking damage during this time, a yellow Soul Shard recovery bar will appear.
While the yellow bar is still visible, performing actions like weapon switch or dodge will trigger a Soul Shard, instantly restoring stamina equal to the yellow portion of the bar.

(2) Affix

In addition to quickly restoring stamina, Soul Shard can also be enhanced with equipment affixes such as “Restore HP when Soul Shard is triggered”, further improving sustain.