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 blaze weapon can compensate for the lack of weakpoints to exploit on balmung while grounded due to it's bonus for elemental damage.
 * Rising Shock with a blaze 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 blaze weapon can inflict good damage to the boosters from above and bonus damage when 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 Balmung, even though the recommended Burst Art selections are limited.


 * Flame of Purgatory’s downed hits can make a short work of 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 Blaze 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 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 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 Balmung, due to its high damage output. The damage output from Nemesis can stagger Balmung easily.


 * Dividing Edge ‘s downed hits decimate 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 Balmung is most vulnerable to.

Recommended Burst Arts:


 * Grand Finale's downed hits deal massive damage to Balmung, making it an excellent option.
 * Unstoppable is a strong punish to Balmung's boost charge if positioned correctly, dealing armour piercing damage to Blamung's legs.
 * Heat Drive can decimate 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 Blaze Element Hammer can unleash this Burst Art’s true power.
 * Breakthrough can make a short work of Balmung due to its huge damage output, especially when Balmung is on the ground vulnerable (downed).
 * Calamity Nova has niche use against Burst Balmung as it has several attacks with very long openings (Lightning breath and Lightning Snipe), especially if you are not the target. It can also deal very high damage against a downed Balmung.

 Charge Spear


 * One of the more powerful options against 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 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 Balmung is down since the Burst Art hits are easier to land on when 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 Balmung. It also has a powerful selection of Burst Arts.

Recommended Burst Arts: 


 * Inferno Rush can decimate 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 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 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 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


 * WIP
 * Recommended Burst Arts:

 Heavy Moon

Gun Attacking Tips:
 * WIP
 * Reccomended Burst Arts

General

Assault
 * Crush Bullets are by far the preferred option against 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 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.


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 * Homing bullets from the front will generally hit Balmung's head. On base 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 Balmung as they will fairly reliably hit the core when shot from the front.

Sniper


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 * 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
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 * As the legs are both the most grounded targets and more vulnerable to crush bullets, Tracker torpedoes can work well against Balmung.


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Elemental
 * Balmung Is weak to Blaze exclusively and resists spark.

Status Resistances:

Enraged Effects

Rage Indicator


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

Unbounding Tips:

Boosters


 * This is Balmung’s most fragile body part. To break it, you need to wait for 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 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: Balmung pounces onto its enemies with its claws and head 4 times.
 * Lightning Blades: Balmung creates lightning blades from its front legs, swiping enemies with them seconds after.
 * Steam Dome: Balmung lets out a roar while it surrounds itself with steam, damaging its enemies nearby
 * Charged Slam: Balmung leaps towards its enemies, slamming its left front leg to the ground, causing the ground surrounding it to be electrified.
 * Boost Charge: Balmung activates its boosters then charges towards its enemies 3 times.
 * Spark Orbs: Balmung leaps backwards while spitting out spark orbs towards the ground.
 * Corpse Light: Balmung summons corpse lights that home towards its enemies.
 * Tail Slash: (Low health attack) - Balmung surrounds its tail with spark energy, doing a backflip to hit its enemies with the energized tail. Those unfortunate enough to get hit by the spark energy will be stunned.

Devour Attack:
 * Devouring Charges: 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 Balmung's attacks are faster and deadlier in Burst Mode. Steam Dome and Charged Slam now inflict stun upon hit. Blue and red lightning effects are visible for most of its attacks. Balmung will now also prioritize God Eaters with lower health. Alongside these enhancements, 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 trails of electricity behind.


 * Electrifying Breath: Balmung releases a stream of lightning, starting from around 90 degrees from its right side and slowly rotating 180 degrees towards its left side. Inflicts stun.


 * Lightning Slam: 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.


 * Lightning Snipe: Balmung marks its target with a blue target mark, charging up its attack as the mark shrinks. As the mark turns orange, Balmung unleashes a deadly lightning strike from the sky towards its target. Inflicts stun.

Other Useful Tips:
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 * WIP

Aragami Materials
The following is a list of all the materials that are available a rewards when this aragami is present in a standard mission. These can all be devoured from the appropriately ranked aragami and any material with the "Complete with 6+ endurance" acquisition condition are also available as bond break rewards. Rank 4={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable" ! width="50%" |Material Name ! width="17%" |Reward Rate ! width="33%" |Condition ! width="50%" |Material Name ! width="17%" |Reward Rate ! width="33%" |Condition ! width="50%" |Material Name ! width="17%" |Reward Rate ! width="33%" |Condition ! width="50%" |Material Name ! width="17%" |Reward Rate ! width="33%" |Condition
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Automatic
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete with 6+ endurance
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * -|Rank 5={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * -|Rank 5={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * -|Rank 5={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Automatic
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete with 6+ endurance
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * -|Rank 6={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * -|Rank 6={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * -|Rank 6={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Automatic
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete with 6+ endurance
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * -|Rank 7={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * -|Rank 7={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * -|Rank 7={| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Automatic
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete with 6+ endurance
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites
 * style="text-align: left; "  |WIP
 * style="text-align: center; " |WIP%
 * style="text-align: center; " |Complete within 10 minuites