Svartr Balmung/Advanced Information

Battle Information
Blade Attacking Tips:  Short Blade

Recommended Burst Arts:  Long Blade
 * This weapon is one of the best options for movement and agility, however it isn’t the best option for damage.
 * Spect with a freeze weapon can compensate for the lack of weakpoints to exploit on Svartr Balmung while grounded due to it's bonus for elemental damage.
 * Rising Shock with a freeze weapon is a solid choice to quickly deal damage and reach the boosters with a follow up.
 * Schwalbe allows you to approach the boosters from the distance and sets up for aerial attacks.
 * Licht Kreuz is a solid option for dealing damage while evading Balmung’s attacks at the same time.
 * Lightning Scourge with a freeze weapon can inflict good damage to the boosters from above and bonus damage when Svartr Balmung is knocked down. Works well with Rising Shock for quick bursts of damage.

Recommended Burst Arts:
 * This weapon is the best option for breaking all 3 bonds of Svartr Balmung, even though the recommended Burst Art selections are limited.


 * Flame of Purgatory’s downed hits can make a short work of Svartr Balmung, due to the fact that you can break its legs with it easily and that the legs are also vulnerable to Oracle Crush. Note that you need to pay attention to the OP bar since this Burst Art consumes OP.


 * Sacred Edge is an excellent choice due to its big damage output. Note that the most effective use of this Burst Art will require a freeze Element Long Blade.


 * Whirlwind Sword is a great option due to its big OP Absorption capabilities. This makes the usage of Flame of Purgatory easier as this Burst Art requires OP to be used.
 * Aspara Wings can be a great help in transitioning to an aerial attack to land more hits on the boosters, as well as dealing a good amount of damage when Balmung’s legs are broken.

 Buster Blade


 * Buster is a really good option for damage, however this weapon encourages you to guard more due to its attacking speed.

Recommended Burst Arts: 


 * Anathema is a great choice due to its armor piercing capabilities, as well as its excellent damage output. Using Tower Shield along with this Burst Art is HP saving due to parrying not consuming HP, however make sure to look at the stamina bar.


 * Overkill can be effective in huge openings, mainly when Svartr Balmung is preparing itself for its devour attack. However, you’ll risk yourself to having to Perfect Guard Balmung’s devour at a point blank range, making Perfect Guard practices necessary if this Burst Art is to be used.


 * Sky Cleaver is a solid option for aerial attacks due to the fact that it swings rather quickly for a Buster Burst Art and that it deals really good damage to Svartr Balmung due to how most of the Sky Cleaver hits can hit the boosters, which is weak to crush.


 * Nemesis can make a short work of Svartr Balmung, due to its high damage output. The damage output from Nemesis can stagger Svartr Balmung easily.


 * Dividing Edge ‘s downed hits decimate Svartr Balmung, if all of the hits connect the boosters.

 Boost Hammer


 * The most powerful option for Melee Combat due to it dealing full Crush damage, a type of damage Svartr Balmung is most vulnerable to.

Recommended Burst Arts:


 * Grand Finale's downed hits deal massive damage to Svartr Balmung, making it an excellent option.
 * Unstoppable is a strong punish to Svartr Balmung's boost charge if positioned correctly, dealing armour piercing damage to Blamung's legs.
 * Heat Drive can decimate Svartr Balmung, dealing incredible amount of damage per hit.
 * Chaos Impact can quickly destroy Balmung’s boosters, as well as shifting the battle to your favor due to its great damage output. Note that using a freeze Element Hammer can unleash this Burst Art’s true power.
 * Breakthrough can make a short work of Svartr Balmung due to its huge damage output, especially when Svartr Balmung is on the ground vulnerable (downed).
 * Calamity Nova has niche use against Burst Svartr Balmung as it has several attacks with very long openings (Flaming Breath and Fire Snipe), especially if you are not the target. It can also deal very high damage against a downed Svartr Balmung.

 Charge Spear


 * One of the more powerful options against Svartr Balmung, mainly when Fang Deployment is active. It is also useful for attack evasions due to having Charge Glide used as a way of evading attacks other than just attacking.

Recommended Burst Arts: 


 * Hit and Run is a great pick for dealing damage while evading attacks at the same time due to having Backflip as an extra move provided from the Burst Art itself. You can also do some aerial attacks right after, making it easier to focus on its Boosters.
 * Stardust Rain can make a short work of Svartr Balmung, especially in Fang Deployment Mode. It deals great damage even without the downed damage bonus, making it one of the strongest picks for Aerial Burst Arts.
 * Akashic Breaker is a useful pick for evasions while dealing damage at the same time. It is still a strong options since the aerial hits will most likely hit the boosters if positioned right.
 * Fallen Tear can also deal a significant amount of damage against the boosters, especially when Svartr Balmung is down since the Burst Art hits are easier to land on when Svartr Balmung is in its downed position.
 * Deathbringer is also a good pick for both attacking and evading attacks due to the distance covered by the Burst Art as well as its ability to be steered freely.

 Variant Scythe


 * A great weapon for long ranged melee attacks capable of dealing damage as well as keeping your distance from Svartr Balmung. It also has a powerful selection of Burst Arts.

Recommended Burst Arts: 


 * Inferno Rush can decimate Svartr Balmung, destroying all the breakable parts easily as well as dealing an incredible amount of damage.
 * Heaven or Hell can make a short work of Svartr Balmung due to its high damage output as well as its armor piercing capabilities, making bond breaks with it easier.
 * Soul Eater and Bloody Claw can be a good pick for survivability due to its HP absorption.
 * Mercy Spiral’s repeated hits can help a lot in destroying Svartr Balmung’s legs, making it easier to fight it later on. However, note that this Burst Art consumes stamina on use.
 * Dystopia is another strong option that deals great damage, especially when Svartr Balmung is downed.
 * Fanatic’s Scythe is another strong but short ranged that allows you to hit the boosters more consecutively.
 * Hell’s Gate is a great choice due to its high damage output.

 Biting Edge

Recommended Burst Arts:
 * It's short range is compensated for by it's immense damage potential and burst arts that can help in chasing down Svartr Balmung relatively easily.
 * Stinging storm can be used to exploit it's added elemental damage bonus when using a freeze weapon to compensate for the lack of weakpoints Biting edge has against Svartr Balmung.
 * Halo assault can be used to great effect when Svartr Balmung is stationary or downed and it's high OP absorption can swiftly allow you to transition into ranged combat when Blamung starts moving again.
 * Chaotic Drive and Biting thrust are great at closing distance with Svartr Balmung after attacks like lion pounce and boost charge while maintaining glaive mode.
 * Mirage edge is a solid chaser as well that costs no stamina to use and can chase Svartr Balmung's lion pounce fairly well.
 * Cosmic Bolt gives glaive mode an armour piercing option that can also strike the boosters if aimed right.
 * Soaring Sky and Seraphim Edge both allow for easy aerial setup and work best in combination with biting edges aerial burst arts to strike at the boosters.
 * Phantom pain is a strong option for striking the boosters from the air and Dive from the Blue trades a bit of that damage for speed.
 * Dual Shock can deal a big amount of DPS when Svartr Balmung is downed, mainly when it’s in a downed position where the boosters can be hit on the ground.

 Heavy Moon

Recommended Burst Arts:
 * A solid option for dealing damage due to its power output and fast-enough speed, as well as its low complexity in terms of usage. This weapon also pack some powerful Burst Arts capable enough to defeat Svartr Balmung more easily.


 * You can do follow ups with aerial attacks through Fatal Upper, making combos easier to utilize.
 * Apocalypse Axe can decimate Svartr Balmung when it's downed since every hit to the boosters deals massive damage.
 * A Stage 3 Moonlit Dawn is an extremely powerful asset against Svartr Balmung as it pierces armor while dealing a lot of damage, making leg bond breaks much easier. However, take note that this Burst Art can only be used in big openings due to its charge time. It is best equipping the HMC 19mm BCU to make the use of this Burst Art more efficient.
 * Lunar Orbit is a great choice due to its high damage output combined with its fast speed. It works best with any freeze Heavy Moon or the Raging Blizzard engage.
 * Twilight Moon works well against Svartr Balmung since it pierces its defenses, making bond breaks easier with it.
 * Step Burst Arts such as Supermoon and Tempest Step can aid in closing in the distance between you and Svartr Balmung, aiding in mobility while dealing extra damage to Svartr Balmung.

Gun Attacking Tips:

General

Assault
 * Crush Bullets are by far the preferred option against Svartr Balmung as the majority of it's parts are weaker to crush bullets than pierce. They are a great asset for melee weapons without crush damage.
 * Pierce bullets have a slight advantage on Svartr Balmung's boosters but only until they are broken. afterwards, crush bullets become more effective.
 * Crush bullets work best on the head, broken boosters and front legs whereas pierce bullets do the most damage on the unbroken booster, torso and broken hind legs.
 * Custom bullets designed to attack the boosters or act as mines as Svartr Balmung readies boost charge or it's devour attacks can be effective.
 * Gun form attacks will help line up shots against the boosters form melee combos or guards. Works best with Shotguns buckshot bullets and Radials from Rayguns.


 * A good choice for safe bursts of damage and the ability to safely retreat thanks to Drawback shot.
 * Chain Blasts are a solid pick for dealing with Svartr Balmung as they are the only standard source of Crush damage Assault has.
 * Homing bullets from the front will generally hit Svartr Balmung's head. On base Svartr Balmung this hits for decent damage but is undesirable since pierce bullets are better aimed at the booster or broken hind legs. Homing Bullets do shine against Burst Svartr Balmung as they will fairly reliably hit the core when shot from the front.

Sniper


 * While still a solid pick due to their range and powerful bullets, Snipers don't have any unique advantages against Svartr Balmung. Sniper bombs are the best option for damaging Svartr Balmung's bonds due to the mix of pierce and crush damage they provide.
 * Standard sniper shots are best aimed at the Boosters since they are more vulnerable to pierce until broken.
 * Svartr Balmung has no pierce bullet weak-points outside of it's core in burst mode which can be quite difficult to hit so Sniper criticals are not recommended.

Shotgun

Raygun
 * A great choice as buckshot bullets provide strong bursts of crush damage and the ability to close distance quickly with rush fire.
 * As the legs are both the most grounded targets and more vulnerable to crush bullets, Tracker torpedoes can work well against Svartr Balmung.
 * Works well with gun form attacks to easily line up buckshots against the boosters.


 * Can deal good damage on Balmungs larger openings, especially burst Svartr Balmung which has even more openings during it's ranged attacks. However Svartr Balmung's Mobility can make it difficult to maintain continuous fire if you are the target.
 * Beams are best aimed at the boosters until broken and the rear legs once they are broken.
 * Radials provide a strong source of crush damage, which Svartr Balmung is more vulnerable to as a whole and as such, can be used fairly reliably on any of Svartr Balmung's bonds.

Elemental
 * Svartr Balmung Is weak to freeze exclusively and resists blaze.

Status Resistances:

Enraged Effects

Rage Indicator


 * When enraged, Svartr Balmung moves more quickly and deals slightly more damage. It will also attempt Devour Attacks
 * Like the other Ashborns, Svartr Balmung will be surrounded by tiny ash particles when enraged

Unbounding Tips: It is in every players best interest to break every possible bond in order to guarantee as many bond break rewards as possible. Even if the mission ends due to a timeout, these rewards will still be earned. As such building to break as many bonds as possible helps greatly in doing this.

Boosters


 * This is Svartr Balmung’s most fragile body part. To break it, you need to wait for Svartr Balmung to stay in a good position for aerial hits, preferably with Crush attacks. Pierce bullets can help soften it up if you find yourself at a distance.

Front Legs and Rear Legs


 * Dealing oracle and melee Crush damage is the best option to break its legs. Try shooting them as much as you can or land downed Flame of Purgatory hits if you’re using Long Blade. Armor Piercing Burst Arts may also contribute in destroying the legs more quickly.

Attacks: Normal Attacks


 * Lion Pounce: Svartr Balmung pounces onto its enemies with its claws and head 4 times.
 * Flaming Blades: Svartr Balmung creates Fiery blades from its front legs, swiping enemies twice with them seconds after.
 * Steam Dome: Svartr Balmung lets out a roar while it surrounds itself with steam, damaging its enemies nearby
 * Flaming Slam: Svartr Balmung leaps towards its enemies, slamming its left front leg to the ground, causing the ground surrounding it to be electrified.
 * Boost Charge: Svartr Balmung activates its boosters then charges towards its enemies 3 times.
 * Flaming Orbs: Svartr Balmung leaps backwards while spitting out spark orbs towards the ground.
 * Corpse Flares: Svartr Balmung summons homing orange flares that home towards its enemies.
 * Tail Slash: (Low health attack) - Svartr Balmung surrounds its tail with Fire, doing a backflip to hit its enemies with the energized tail.
 * Scattering Flames: Svartr Svartr Balmung will summon a floating flaming orb in front of it. it will then leap towards it and scatter it in 4 directions. The orb itself can hit you.

Devour Attack:
 * Devouring Charges: Svartr Balmung positions itself, its boosters bouncing 4 times as it prepares a devour charge. During the 2nd bounce, a red line indicates the route it will go as it carries its devour attack. Once the boosters bounce for the 4th time, it will charge towards its enemies in an attempt to devour them. It will charge 5 times, doing one final charge shortly after. It will stop once it successfully devours its enemies or when a Perfect Guard happens.

Burst Mode Attacks:

All of Svartr Balmung's attacks are faster and deadlier in Burst Mode. Orange fire effects are visible for most of its attacks. Svartr Balmung will now also prioritize God Eaters with lower health. Alongside these enhancements, Svartr Balmung gains access to several new attacks:


 * Warped Boost Charges: A deadlier version of its normal Boosted Charges. It will charge twice as often while warping towards its destined path, leaving patches of fire behind.


 * Flaming Breath: Svartr Balmung breathes fire, starting from around 90 degrees from its right side and slowly rotating 180 degrees towards its left side.


 * Warping Flame Slam: Svartr Balmung readies its boosters but instead of charging towards its enemies, it disappears and slams the ground with its entire body like a lightning strike.


 * Fire Snipe: Svartr Balmung marks its target with a blue target mark, charging up its attack as the mark shrinks. As the mark turns orange, Svartr Balmung unleashes a deadly flame from the sky towards its target.

Handling Attacks:

Lion Pounce:
 * This is Svartr Balmung's fastest attack and us also quite common at close range. Properly defending against it requires you to be able to roughly anticipate it. It's range is short so if Svartr Balmung is right next to you, be prepared to get out of the way or block the first swipe.
 * If the attack does hit you, be careful with how you recover since following swipes can still hit you if you rush back in or try to block the next swipe with slower shields. Wait for it to pass you before you recover.

Flaming Blades: Steam Dome:
 * This attack can be evaded by being behind Svartr Balmung or simply retreating during the start up.
 * Perfect guarding the swipes is a solid approach as well once you get the timing down. Be aware that this attack is significantly faster when Svartr Balmung is in Burst so this is a much riskier prospect.
 * Svartr Balmung charges for roughly a second before roaring so adjust your guard timing accordingly.
 * Mastering the timing will allow you to exploit the openings the attack provides.
 * Alternatively, retreating and shooting Svartr Balmung outside of the attack's range is a valid approach as well.

Charged Slam:
 * This attack can be evaded by diving away when Svartr Balmung starts to jump.
 * Guarding the slam may be the best option if Svartr Balmung has you pinned.

Boost Charge:
 * You can avoid Svartr Balmung's charges by running in a circle.
 * For style points, you can try doing perfect guards whenever Svartr Balmung performs its charges. Dive or normal perfect guards works the same way so either way would still work out.

Flaming Orbs:
 * You can avoid this attack by simply doing a sidestep to either the left or the right, then dive towards Svartr Balmung to close off the distance between yourself and Svartr Balmung.
 * Perfect Guarding is also another solution to deal with this attack. However, Dive Perfect Guards are more recommended since you can close the distance between yourself and Svartr Balmung without wasting another move.

Corpse Flare:
 * Standing behind Svartr Balmung is the safest way to avoid this attack and since its rear legs are open, you can use that moment to punish it with attacks to make breaking its rear legs easier.
 * If you are still far away from Svartr Balmung, perfect guarding is the best solution to deal with this attack since the flares home towards you.

Tail Slash:
 * You can avoid this attack by keeping yourself airborne beside it.
 * Perfect Guarding the attack is also another great choice for dealing with this attack.

Devouring Charges (Devour Attack):
 * Standing on a ledge or below a platform Svartr Balmung stands on works in avoiding Balmung’s devour attack overall.
 * Balmung’s devour attack is indicated by red lines. You can predict where Svartr Balmung is going through the red lines, your main goal being to avoid standing on the red lines. Running perpendicular to them without backtracking should work reliably.
 * You can do Phantom Dodges every time Svartr Balmung dashes with the Phantom Accel Trigger. Note that you should time the dodges well or you’ll get devoured.
 * Perfect Guarding is an effective way to deal with its devour attack since perfect guards will completely stop Svartr Balmung from continuing any further. This way you’ll greatly reduce the risks of allies getting devoured, mainly when you perfect guard it at point blank range. (see attack gallery for reference of Perfect Guard timings)

Warped Boost Charges:
 * Standing on a ledge is the safest way to complete avoid the attack.
 * If you see your allies getting caught in the middle of the attack’s proximity, get your gun out and prepare for some healing bullet shooting spree.
 * For the daring, you can do perfect dive guards to counter the attack. Normal perfect guards are more risky since the trails that Svartr Balmung left can still inflict damage on you.

Flaming Breath:
 * Since Svartr Balmung is wide open when you are behind or beside it, you can punish it as much as you can with devastating attacks. Just try not to let yourself go within the attack’s proximity.
 * If you dare, you can perfect dive your way across the attack and continue your assault with the best of your attacks. Perfect Guarding can also work in this case.

 Warping Flame Slam: 
 * This attack takes time to charge, meaning that you can attack Svartr Balmung as much as you can before it warps away.
 * If you don’t manage to stagger it, your main focus is to deal with the upcoming slam, which can be done in different ways, such as diving away or perfect guarding it.

Fire Snipe:


 * If Svartr Balmung is after you, try your best not to get too close to your allies since they may risk getting hit by a deadly, which can result in a bad position for not only you allies but also yourself since you’ll eventually have to sacrifice your time for attacking to keeping your stunned teammates alive.
 * You can dive away once the blue mark turns orange.
 * You can also perfect guard this attack if you managed to get the timing right.
 * Parrying upper has a low chance of working against this attack unless you have the Fortification install skill. Another option for parrying that will still work would be Soulsplitter.

Other Useful Tips:
 * If you don't have an elemental weapon, using the Raging Blizzard Engage can help in boosting damage, making quicker work of Svartr Balmung.
 * The Clear Mind BCU or can reduce the chance of getting hit with the defence down effect from several of Svartr Balmung's attacks
 * While not ideal, burst Svartr Balmung has a lot more large openings than normal so take advantage of that wherever possible to either inflict more damage or devour to decrease it's burst time.

Aragami Materials
The following is a list of all the materials that are available on the first of Svartr Balmung's two assault missions: "Operation Raging Lion". "Operation Black Lion" Shortens the drop list to only the Rank 6-7 Drops, making it more effective if you can reliably complete it for the higher rank versions of the Adaptive Gear.