how do I into Momiji

The Garapon finally threw me a bone today in the form of this:



I was overjoyed at first, but then I realized: I don't have a sodding clue how to make a Zero. The Skill Tree Carts say what abilities they give you, but not what those abilities do, and it's more than a little frustrating. Cartridge Resets aren't cheap!

So I have to ask you all the following: what are Momiji's Skill Tree abilities in-depth?

The Skill Tree image, for convenience:

P.S.: I'm going the Flare route, naturally.

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EDIT: Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it. I've compiled all the information we've gathered into this first post.

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Flare Skill Tree:

Blitz Skill Tree:

Other Abilities:

Tsukikage Style - Shadow Step (Dash Cartridge): The very first ability Momiji gets, as it's tied to both of the Skill Tree path carts. It is essentially Sway as it comes with the same invulnerability frames, though there are three differences: the first is that it turns Momiji invisible during the dash, and the second is that it will always move you forward a bit, and third - and most important - is that you'll phase through enemies when you use it. Curiously, while back-dashes still work, back-diagonal-dashes do not (you will just start running normally if you try it). Note that as a Dash Cartridge, its distance is affected by the WLK stat, and using other dash cartridges like Short Boost or the actual Sway will override it.

Ninja Run (Run Cartridge): While not a Zero Cartridge, it is still unique to Momiji, so it deserves a mention. With this active, Momiji will turn invisible when she runs, and its duration is the same as if you were using Boost Run - however, remember that it is not Boost Run, so you won't have enhanced running speed. Likewise, this and the actual Boost Run will override each other. (As of 8/30, only being stunned will make you visible during Ninja Run. You can now also charge up attacks without losing the invisibility.)

Possible Bugs:

-The Blitz melee combo does not do as much damage as it says it should. Either the Force is incorrectly labelled, the damage calculation is incorrectly coded, or its damage is distributed along the hits of the combo. I don't know which.

-If someone has locked onto Momiji and she then goes into a Ninja Run, the enemy will maintain the lock even though she is invisible (they have no crosshair, but homing weapons will still track provided nothing else disrupts the targeting).


Tips and tricks for using Momiji (from my own experience, follow these at your own discretion):

Flare:
-Flare Momiji's Scarlet Needle can hit very hard if tuned properly; two Great Force Beta tunes and a maximum charge can give it damage comparable to an E.V.E. Shot, and ~70 is still a lot of ammo for a charge-up weapon.
-If you're feeling bold and don't see a need to blast AIRs from a distance (or you simply don't use Ninja Run for some reason), try using tunes that decrease Scarlet Needle's or Flame Stitch's range. A later lock-on means the enemy will have less time to react to you, and you'll have less of a gap to close before pummeling them with the melee combo.
-Make a habit of throwing a quick kunai at enemies to buff the melee you're about to hit them with. Hell, try to do it in between melee combos so you can maintain the buff. Momiji's frailty means you have to make every hit count.
-Remember that you have a counterattack! This can mean life or death versus the ever-growing masses of melee spammers, and it gives you a good opening to belt them with a melee combo of your own. Practice countering after your own melee combos too, as there is enough of a cooldown on the AM Sub that melee spammers will easily whack you if you try to spam melee.
-Don't forget: all of the Flare route's attacks are STR-based. Don't be afraid to neuter the TEC stat while you tune her. (But at least keep one TEC point for Wonder Bit purposes, of course.)

Blitz:
-Avoid direct melee confrontations if you can. The Blitz route's whole point is to use your weapon's debuffs to soften up the enemy so you can melee them without fear of reprisal.
-Remember that you can counterattack your way out of enemy melees, and try to follow up with your own absurdly-long melee combo to show the enemy why getting close to you is a bad idea.
-The logic for the Flare melee combo applies here too: practice countering after your own combo so you don't get a surprise melee to the face. Windrunner is also helpful here since the counterattack puts you in perfect position to use it to escape.
-Don't skimp on movement carts. She relies on evasion much more than the Flare route does, so go with whatever you can use to make yourself as hard to hit as possible. Consider Boost Run over Ninja Run, and maybe the Short Boost/Windrunner combo.
-I know that this borders on a Violation of Common Sense, but you'd probably be forgiven for leaving the TEC stat right where it is. Most of the Blitz route's ranged attacks don't have high enough Force to require a high TEC stat, and the melee combo hits so many times that it renders raising the stat moot, especially if you're good at timing the mid-combo kunai throws. Though if you still have room after getting everything else where you want it, then by all means...
-Consider putting a debuff tune (like Slow) on the AM for the melee combo, as it is the only Blitz attack that doesn't have an innate debuff of its own. Also consider putting Supply tunes on the AM2 for the Specter Shuriken, as Momiji throws them out like candy and they'll be gone fast if you spam them (which you should be).


Tips and tricks for combating Momiji (again, my own opinions, make of them what you will):

-Her entire gimmick is to be anti-melee, so only resort to melee if you can get the drop on her; otherwise, keep your distance and used ranged attacks. Momiji's melee will destroy you faster than her fireballs or shurikens will, especially if she has access to the counterattack.
-Always keep your lock-on. Any Momiji that doesn't have Boost Run will likely have Ninja Run, and having a lock-on before she disappears will let you keep tracking her. Beware of Stealth System.
-Use attacks that cause high amounts stun. Momiji's weakness is her horrible TGH, and exploiting this is the easiest way to destroy her. (Smart players will use Crimson Veil tunes on Momiji to get around this; if it procs, RUN LIKE HELL until it goes away.)
-I know this should be standard procedure for any situation, but Momiji gets a special mention: if you get locked onto, move first and then fire in the direction of that lock-on. If there's a Ninja Run Momiji coming at you, you'll reveal her before she even hits you if you're good. Be especially wary if she comes from behind! Remember that Momiji will have to lock onto you when she targets you, as she always has a Main weapon and has no Sniper Sight cartridge.
-If you can manage it without making yourself too vulnerable, use weapons that are good at breaking off parts. Destroying both of Momiji's arms will leave her completely defenseless to your ranged attacks.

I hear Blitz is better. Papapapaa!

Right, i'll tell you what i know.

Choosing a Zero tree means you are specializing her in a specific way, according to the techniques she has or new ones she may learn.

The bad news is that the last ZERO's first trees choice would lock the robot onto that tree side permanently, even if you reset her cartridges.

The good news is that junking the ZEROs would normally reset the first tree choice, although you'd had to lvl up from the start. You can use that instead of cartridge reset.

My tip is lvl up to lvl 8 for the reward first choosing a side. At the end of the lvling up campaign, you can junk her and choose different sides.

As for the abilities, i haven't encountered the new ZEROS yet due to my vacation limits. So i can't tell much about it.

From what I've heard so far the Flare tree basically gives her traps of which a few actually cause the effect of Melt! (basically an enhaced Burning). I'd always choose a stealth run over a trap (as long as they remain visible from the other end of the map that is).

wont like... i rather like wind. all kinds of fun.

Gerrion wrote:

The bad news is that the last ZERO's first trees choice would lock the robot onto that tree side permanently, even if you reset her cartridges.

The good news is that junking the ZEROs would normally reset the first tree choice, although you'd had to lvl up from the start. You can use that instead of cartridge reset.

No. All ZERO's could be junked to reset to level 0 and be able to rechoose their path. No ZERO's can be cart reset to choose a different path.

Fire path is str-oriented for all attacks and centers on slowing down opponents with main weapons so you can melee them (and actually rewards you with extra damage for doing so).

Wind path is tec-oriented and focuses more on debuffing and harassment, with a longer, faster tec-based melee combo for self-defense.

Zwiebel Force wrote:

From what I've heard so far the Flare tree basically gives her traps of which a few actually cause the effect of Melt! (basically an enhaced Burning). I'd always choose a stealth run over a trap (as long as they remain visible from the other end of the map that is).

I'm... guessing that's the "Flame Stitch" ability, because I can't see anything else that would hint at a trap-laying ability. Taking it with a grain of salt though.

Trill wrote:

No. All ZERO's could be junked to reset to level 0 and be able to rechoose their path. No ZERO's can be cart reset to choose a different path.

Well, that's good to know so I don't have to waste my Star Coins... if not a bit of a pain in the ass if I find out I like Flare better. I'll make sure to try both anyway though.

Suguri wrote:

Fire path is str-oriented for all attacks and centers on slowing down opponents with main weapons so you can melee them (and actually rewards you with extra damage for doing so).

Wind path is tec-oriented and focuses more on debuffing and harassment, with a longer, faster tec-based melee combo for self-defense.

I like this. Only needing to buff one attack stat makes tuning much easier (though I'll wait on that since apparently tuning for the new Zeroes is broken???).

though I'll wait on that since apparently tuning for the new Zeroes is broken???

Not broken. The default weapon stats showing up at the pot when you tune one of their weapons is simply a visual glitch. The tunes are applied to their final, powered, values.

Alright, thanks to some help from Hashi, I've worked out the odds and ends of the Flare route:

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Blade Arts - Flare (AM Sub): The Flare Route gets a three-hit combo that tracks. Looks to pale in comparison to the Blitz combo at first, but here's the equalizer: each attack is a 360 spin starting with horizontal, then a jumping vertical that launches enemies, followed by a downwards vertical to knock them back down. Moreover, the attacks can have their damage multiplied by 1.5x and their AOE extended by double through successful kunai throws to enemies.

Kunai Arts - Flame Stitch (AM Main): A spread-fire attack that launches up to 5 kunai in unison depending on how long it's charged. As said before, its main purpose is to buff the melee combo - note that it will only activate the buff when you hit an actual enemy, it can't be scenery or Wonder Bits. The more that hit the enemy, the longer the buff lasts, and periodic hits on enemies with the kunai will maintain the buff.

Shuriken Arts - Scarlet Needle (AM2 Main): Summons a large fireball, the size and damage dependent on how long you charge it. The projectile is pretty big at max charge, making it a great way to knock annoying AIRs out of the sky, and it also has a large splash hitbox if you want to throw it at a gaggle of enemies (like a healing group). Everything hit by a max charge is given the "Melt" status effect, which is a combination of Slow and Burn; it only lasts one second though, so you only get one damage tick from the Burn. The smaller version of the attack is also a good spam-projectile, provided you don't mash the left mouse button too fast and make the game think you're charging. Important to note is that this attack does part Shell and part Melee damage (not all of one type); no it is not Blast, despite how it looks.

Secret Art - Mirage (LG Sub): This is a counterattack initiated by using Shadow Step (the LG move) into an oncoming melee attack; Mirage triggers automatically when hit. Momiji will teleport above the target, nullifying any damage she would've taken while setting off an explosion where she was once standing. The damage the enemy takes depends on the force of the melee attack, at an apparent minimum of 30 due to me testing it with Cheer Pom-Poms. (Curiously, those pom-poms still damage me during the counter when nothing else would. Bug?) The ammo on the LG is actually the Mirage ammo, you can still Shadow Step through enemies like normal even after the ammo is depleted.

Remember that all of the Flare route's attacks derive their power from the STR stat.

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I'll post the abilities for the Blitz route when I get that done, probably tomorrow.

SL the Pyro wrote:

Kunai Arts - Flame Stitch (AM Main): Summons a large fireball, the size and damage dependent on how long you charge it. The projectile is pretty big at max charge, making it a great way to knock annoying AIRs out of the sky, and it also has a large splash hitbox if you want to throw it at a gaggle of enemies (like a healing group). The smaller version is also a good spam-projectile, provided you don't mash the left mouse button too fast and make the game think you're charging. (Despite how much sense it would make, this is not a Blast-based attack. Don't hurl it at AIRs expecting extra damage.)

At full charge it also inflicts Melt.

/dev/random wrote:

At full charge it also inflicts Melt.

Ugh, I keep hearing this mentioned, but I don't know what Melt does. I know it isn't what Zwiebel Force suggested, because I've tested it on practice bots and I don't see them running around with their asses on fire, much less taking damage from it. Does anyone know how Melt works?

SL the Pyro wrote:

Does anyone know how Melt works?

It's slow with an added -5% MaxHP/sec effect.

From recollection of testing with Orin, it's not actually per second, as the ticks of damage happen faster than once a second. That said, Orin's version lasts barely 3 ticks if you're not dumb enough to stand in the wall for a full 4 ticks. Not sure how many ticks you get with the versions from these two.

I should note that I've never actually tested if water puts it out like it does for fire. I will just add that Anti Burning doesn't have any effect against the mobility loss.

JadeCicada wrote:

Not sure how many ticks you get with the versions from these two.

One. Possibly zero with Fast Recovery.

Tested Kagura's Melt on a Fast Recovery bot - it does one tick immediately on contact, then actually still lasts long enough for a second tick (but the ailment goes away immediately after it).

Comparatively, as long as you're not stupid enough to sit in the Firewall, Orin's Melt expires after a single tick.

Given that Melt always makes an immediate tick of damage the moment it afflicts you, I would assume that shortened by Fast Recovery, Momiji's Melt won't do more than that initial tick. I don't have a Momiji to test, but given it's a large area projectile, it lasting longer would be ridiculous and I think we'd see more of her (at least among people who realize what the status does, but hey, almost no one bothered to learn Orin...)

NOTE: Apparently I got the stuff backwards: Flame Stitch is the kunai art and Scarlet Needle is the fireball thing. I know this makes no sense, but that's how it is, and it's been corrected in the Flare post.

Anyway, Hashi and I did more testing and confirmed that Melt only lasts once second and is a combination of Slow and Burn, but the Burn damage is definitely not 5% of the victim's HP. Unless Hashi's Brigand Axe bot only has 160 HP (it didn't). It's better burn damage, yes, but not to the extreme we thought.

Anyway anyway, here's the stuff for Blitz Momiji:

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Blade Arts - Blitz (AM Sub): This is an 11-hit combo that is compose of 5 attacks. It works like Ouka's katana attacks; delaying your right clicks gives you a backwards dodge that puts you airborne if you're on the ground at the time. At Lv2, these back-dashes are enhanced with three kunai thrown each time you do one. Note that only the physical attacks will track enemies, the kunai will not. (As of 8/30, the backstep and kunai throws have been quickened.)

Kunai Arts - Shadow Bind (AM Main): A charge-up attack that throws a spread of up to 9 kunai. Successful hits will inflict a form of Boost Drain on the victim; the more you hit him with, the longer it lasts, and repeated hits will maintain the debuff.

Shuriken Arts - Specter Shuriken (AM2 Main): This essentially turns Momiji's AM2 into a super Shuriken Gun. Comes with 700 ammo and has a max of 30 ammo per clip. Successful hits inflict a unique debuff that heavily slows the victim's turning speed, and repeated hits will maintain and refresh the debuff. (As of 8/30, the Slow Turn debuff will last longer.)

Secret Art - Phantom (LG Sub): This is a counterattack initiated by using Shadow Step (the LG move) into an oncoming melee attack; Phantom triggers automatically when hit. Momiji will teleport above the target, nullifying any damage she would've taken while setting off a cloud of poisonous smoke beneath her that inflicts same slow-turning debuff that the shurikens do. Damage from the actual counterattack is only one or two though. The ammo on the LG is actually the Phantom ammo, you can still Shadow Step through enemies like normal even after the ammo is depleted.

Tsukikage Style - Windrunner (Air Dash): Exactly what is says on the tin, this is a basic double-tap variety Air Dash; its distance depends on your FLY stat as usual. The only new feature is that Momiji turns invisible when she uses it. Very important to note is that unlike other Air Dash-type cartridges, this one can be comboed into from Short Boost, though you'll have to be willing to lose Shadow Step to do this. (As of the 8/30 update, this ability now relies on the WLK stat instead of the FLY stat.)

Remember that all of the Blitz route's attacks derive their power from the TEC stat.

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...And it's done. I believe that's all the ins and outs of Tsukikage Momiji. If anyone has anything to add, go right ahead. I'll put the descriptions for both her Skill Tree routes in the first post. Anything anyone wants to post about Kagura's abilities is also welcome.

It is me or does Blitz give you one more ZERO cartridge as compared to Flare?

Is Ninja Run similar to Boost Run?
As in is it based on WLK/FLY as well?

>ninja
>sniper sight not on cartridge list

Please tell me she has innate sniper sight like fapjacks moving burst.

Spoiler:

I don't see Ninja Run in the list. This causes Momiji to become invisible when running and consumes boost gauge. Most usable for assassination type tactics.

Phantom, on the other hand is helpful for extra runs/escapes, countering melee. Unfortunately, from some tests, this does not guarantee that you won't get hit by incoming melee. The slow turn buff also isn't a guaranteed hit on the melee target especially those with lag melee animations (ex. Eris, Kuten). I'll need to have this confirmed further due to my connection not being that good.

Wind Runner, seems to be only good if you have Short Boost. This pretty much can mess up anyone aiming at you. Not sure about auto-aiming though.

Kunai Arts is a stronger version of Boost Drain. If I'm not mistaken, it takes 2-3 secs to drain a full boost gauge from an air unit.

Just sharing to what I've experienced so far.

Quote :

No. All ZERO's could be junked to reset to level 0 and be able to rechoose their path. No ZERO's can be cart reset to choose a different path.

Trill, i did say that, check it better.

"The good news is that junking the ZEROs would normally reset the first tree choice" - What i meant is that by going back to lvl 0 with the process of junking, the ZERO path choice would be cancelled and you could choose a different one. The first tree choice is what locks the path, if you remember.

resireth wrote:

It is me or does Blitz give you one more ZERO cartridge as compared to Flare?

Is Ninja Run similar to Boost Run?
As in is it based on WLK/FLY as well?

Blitz Momiji still only has four Zero carts; one of them actually enables three abilities. Don't let the five carts in CosmiCalc fool you.

And yes, Ninja Run uses boost just like Boost Run - in fact the cartridges will override each other if you use on after the other. You can't have both.

nzlk wrote:

>ninja
>sniper sight not on cartridge list

Please tell me she has innate sniper sight like fapjacks moving burst.

That struck me as odd too. No, she doesn't get innate Sniper Sight, although you'd have to agree that innate Sniper Sight would be all sorts of overpowered. You'll just have practice extreme hit-and-run tactics since Momiji is frail, but as they say: no guts, no glory.

Kuzuha wrote:

I don't see Ninja Run in the list. This causes Momiji to become invisible when running and consumes boost gauge. Most usable for assassination type tactics.

Phantom, on the other hand is helpful for extra runs/escapes, countering melee. Unfortunately, from some tests, this does not guarantee that you won't get hit by incoming melee. The slow turn buff also isn't a guaranteed hit on the melee target especially those with lag melee animations (ex. Eris, Kuten). I'll need to have this confirmed further due to my connection not being that good.

Wind Runner, seems to be only good if you have Short Boost. This pretty much can mess up anyone aiming at you. Not sure about auto-aiming though.

Kunai Arts is a stronger version of Boost Drain. If I'm not mistaken, it takes 2-3 secs to drain a full boost gauge from an air unit.

Just sharing to what I've experienced so far.

I didn't think Ninja Run was worth listing since it actually SAYS what it does in the cartridge description, though I guess people who don't have Momiji wouldn't be aware of it. I'll fix that.

Also, a note on Short Boost for Momiji: it will override her Shadow Step. Keep this in mind.

SL the Pyro wrote:

resireth wrote:

It is me or does Blitz give you one more ZERO cartridge as compared to Flare?

Is Ninja Run similar to Boost Run?
As in is it based on WLK/FLY as well?

Blitz Momiji still only has four Zero carts; one of them actually enables three abilities. Don't let the five carts in CosmiCalc fool you.

And yes, Ninja Run uses boost just like Boost Run - in fact the cartridges will override each other if you use on after the other. You can't have both.

That doesn't exactly answer my question, but still it's informative.

I think Ninja Run is your regular running speed, except that you turn invisible.

Yeah, sorry I didn't clarify, resireth: it does indeed use the regular run speed. I've added this to the first post.

ALSO: I've added the 8/30 update jargon to the first post. Look for the bold text in brackets.