Ratbeard... It seems most people love or hate him and his playstyle. Granted, when Ratbeard is first recruited and even after his promotion immediately after, Ratbeard seems like an average buccaneer at best. So what makes this rodent revel rouser so interesting? His last 2 promotions allow him to be used to slow or halt enemy advancement. So let's take a look at this peg legged protector's abilities and see how he can go from being a throw- away buccaneer to a one rodent defense squad.
Powers: When Ratbeard is first recruited, his powers are rather lackluster. Here are the powers he starts with:
Title: Rat Officer
- Hold the Line (Auto-Trained)
- Epic Strike
- Talent: Pirate
- Talent: Turn The Tide (Auto-Trained)
As you can see, there is nothing special here. However he promotes at level 10, which is around the time he's recruited. This moves him up to his next set of powers.
Title: Rat Commander
- Mega Strike
- Cheap Shot
- Blade Storm
- First Strike
- Repel Boarders
As you can see, he has more of a defensive line of powers, to stop enemies and hit them first or prevent them from reaching squishier companions. At level 18 he gets only a couple more skills.
Title: Rat Captain
- Buccaneer Strike
- Super Strike
Now let's look at his last (as of writing this) promotion at level 55.
Title: Rat Admiral
- Clear the Decks
- Triton's Song
- Buccaneer Smash
Again, nothing that seems to fit the aggressive nature of the buccaneer. What is the deal? Remember how Ratbeard was during the beginning of the game? He constantly ran away, and even was willing to give up all of Gunn's Gold is you saved his skin. His personality does not fit the charging buccaneer style. So how can Ratbeard be effective? By being a good defensive fighter.
Playstyle: Ratbeard is all about slowing down or stopping foes. His role in the battle should be to protect your less resilient fighters, including pirates. Foe buccaneers, swashbucklers, and possibly privateers, this means having him hang back to cover the ranged fighters and anyone that can provide buffs or heals while you and the tougher buccaneers go in for the kills as Ratbeards hold the enemy in place. For witchdoctors, musketeers, and again privateers, this means using Ratbeard as a barrier between you and those heavy hitting melee fighters. Remember to always use Triton Song immediately so Ratbeard can soak up the extra damage. If you want to use him as protector for squishier characters, using a mix of Hold the Line, Repel Boarders, and Cheap Shot will help defeat enemies coming and going. Using Hold the Line, Repel Boarders, and First Strike allow him to possibly hit one enemy multiple times in one turn. Try out some different combinations of epics and maybe Ratbeard will surprise you.
Pirates.... UNITE!
Bloody Wesley Xavier
Excellent advice here. Ratbeard is underused a lot cause so many think he is not a heavy hitter. He isn't designed to be. He is a tank and protector of your beloved, hard hitting squishies. :D Players would do well do heed your wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI agree, ratbeard isn't designed to be a heavy hitter but he has such a great commitment to a players strategy if he is used in it of course. I use ratbeard all the time in my strategies and when I want to just fight some weak sharks.
ReplyDeleteif you get a chance, you should be using all your companions every time you log in and arrange them so every companion gets a chance to fight. its what I do and so I am the only one I know who does it. i'm the anonymous guy above btw. my game name is golden Jacob nelson captain of the bloody Spartans crew. I help those I care about online and I must say I have been busy.
ReplyDeletelook me up on the game and you'll see that I am the nicest captain you will ever know. I get told this by my fellow crewmembers nearly everyday and its great to know that I always will protect those I care about.
ReplyDelete