Beginner's Guide to Exodawn - December 2016

A newer post now exists for Exodawn. Please click here to read the updated information.

December 2016.

Exodawn is a new Battle Camp event that is currently only one hour into existence at the time of first writing this blog post.  Please expect there to be additions and corrections as more knowledge comes to light about the event. :)

Update from BC around 8.30pm EST on the first day of event: event special drop rate has increased


Summary Table (created by Jen BC)



Where is Exodawn?

Exodawn can be found on the upper left of your map screen.  (It is the old location for past global boss events).

Exodawn boss

The exodawn boss is a wind boss that is comprised for 5 different raids, each corresponding to a limb or it's main body section.

The boss has an upper left, lower left, body, lower right and upper right components/raids to consider.

In order to raid each section, your troop must collect and donate 10 event specials to the 5 raid locations.  Each raid location requires a different event special. Each raid location will also have a different active when you battle them. (A special thank you to Jenn W. for sharing this information!)

Upper left - leaf special - Stun

Lower left - rock special - Burst

Body - fire special - Surge

Lower right - water special - Shield

Upper right - wind special - Lacerate

Upper Left - leaf specials    Lower Left - rock specials

 Body - Fire Specials

Lower Right - Water Specials    Upper Right - Wind Specials

The each set of raids will require 10 specials to be donated at each limb/body component of the boss. As each raid is ready, your troop admins can start that raid.  Your troop will need to complete each of the 5 raid components before you can donate to, or run raids, for the defeated components.

Screens admins see to start each raid

All raids are preset to run in Medium difficulty and this cannot be adjusted by the troop admins.  The first raid has 1 million health. The second has 1.5 million health and hits slightly harder.  The third has 2.25 million health and the fourth has 3.375 million. (Special thanks to Bo S. for this information). Each raid will become progressively harder to finish, with a 1.5x difficulty multiplier predicted at this time. 

Damage calculations provided by Bo S. using the 1.5x multiplier

Note: For advanced troops, anticipate that the early raids will be finished incredibly quickly!  Once your troop cannot defeat a raid, you'll need to try it again or decide that your troop can no longer progress any futher.  (Alternatively some players are joining another troop who is still able to raid at an easier level.  You can only leave one troop during an event and will be locked into the next troop you join).  

The boss has a maximum health of 200 billion (200 million trophies), but further raids beyond this will still have increasing actives making the raids more challenging for top troops. (Thank you Kit N. for providing this information so early!)

Battling each component runs the same as a regular raid with one minute to do as much damage as you can. Each component of the boss has a different active, as listed below (and repeated above).

Upper left - leaf special - Stun

Lower left - rock special - Burst

Body - fire special - Surge

Lower right - water special - Shield

Upper right - wind special - Lacerate

Upper left arm with Stun Active

After your troop has completed their raid against a boss component, you will no longer be able to donate specials or raid against that component until you have completed all of the other parts of the raid boss.

Upper left arm can no longer be raided/donated to

Be prepared to farm a lot of event specials! Joseph G. has calculated that it will take 660 event specials until the raids have 128 million health (about the level of the third extreme raid in most events).

Event Specials

Around the event screen you will notice three common monsters that you can also battle.  Each battle will give you a chance for an event special to drop of the same element as the common that you chose to fight against.  Choosing to fight a water common will give you the chance to earn a water special for the lower right arm.  

All water commons will give you a chance to win a water special.

If you choose to fight with multiple energy and a special drops, you will win the same multiple of these specials.

Fighting with 1 energy gives you a chance to win 1 special.

If by chance the element you're needing doesn't appear as one of the three available commons, you can always change rooms to renew the selection.  To do this, click on the 'Me' button to the right of the store button at the bottom of your screen.  Then click the door button on the left.  Select any of the rooms shown to refresh your event screen.

To change rooms, click the Me button, then the door button

Select any room for a chance to refresh your common monster selection

Event Monsters

Event monsters can be spun from the Event Grab in the store or through Lucky Grab opportunities that may randomly pop up while you're playing in the event screen.  Event monsters receive an attack bonus against all raids within Exodawn.  Battle camp has said that event monsters will be reusable in future Exodawn events.

Initial Troop Strategies

Some troops are collecting all specials that are still needed for remaining raids. (For example, if wind and rock specials are still needed, the troop is farming the wind/rock commons).

Other troops are sequentially working on collecting the specials and running the raids.

Other troops are designating five players to collect specials for each element.

Other troops yet are waiting until all of the raids are ready to run before engaging them in turn.

Leader and Vice Leader Bonuses

Exodawn and Sanctiflyer have been designed such that the leader and vice bonus runs differently than most other events.  If either/both of these bonuses are running when the last hit of a raid takes place, these bonuses are applied to every hit made during the entire raid. 

It's rumored that you can also run these bonuses for during the raid for their 15 minute effect, but the majority of troops are choosing to wait with clever timing for the very end of the raid. This takes teamwork to coordinate though!

Troops 1/2 - How to change troops?

Finding a good troop to fit you can be challenging, but well worth the effort when you find the right one.  The teamwork and friendships add an extra level of fun to the game, and playing BC with a group of friends is part of the magic that keeps us more experienced players in the game for so long. For high achievers and event spenders, being around players who are also playing at your level can reap the rewards of better event troop tiers and completing the lost temple crystal raids faster.

This first post is mostly going to be directed at players below 250k in power rating.  The second post will be able how to make a decision on which troop might be good for you, considering practicalities and personalities.  (The very experienced will have already found a troop they love, or know how to find one when they want to.)

At the start of playing BC, you'll be encouraged to join a troop, and a troop search function will become available for you to scroll through and select a troop.  The reasons why players choose their first troop is extremely variable and often random. However, the reasons why players leave their first troop tends to be consistent: other players are less active than you; the troop may not talk to each other; admins may not be starting events or raids; your power rating becomes much higher than the other players; or you're looking for the next stage in the game.  It's these players that I'm aiming my post at: you've already tried one (or more troops) and it didn't work out for you, and now you'd like to find a better fit for yourself.


How to find a troop?

There are three main ways to find yourself a new troop and they'll be discussed here in turn: running a troop search; asking a player/troop in game directly; being directly invited to join a troop; or posting/looking on various facebook groups for a troop.  Once you've found a troop you can either join directly, or if that troop has placed limitations you can place a request to join. (It's usually best to send a private message to an admin if you do this so that they know that you're genuinely interested in joining them).

Troop Search

To run a troop search, you'll need to quit your current troop. Be aware that you can only leave one troop during an event, and will be stuck in the next troop you join until all event prizes are distributed. (Open your troop screen and click the setting button at the top right of the screen - it looks like a gear.  Then click the "quit troop" button. It's harder to find if you're an admin - click the settings button and then "edit troop" and then the "quit troop" button will appear next to the "done editing" button).

Open your troop screen and click the gear shaped button in the top right corner of the screen to open Settings. If you're not an admin, you'll see a "Quit Troop" button listed on the pop-up. If you are an admin, click "Edit Troop", scroll to the bottom of your troop description and click the "Quit Troop" button there.

You'll then be returned back to a map area and you'll no longer see your old troop flag as a button at the base of the screen, only a blank flag with the word "Troop" below it.

When you're not in a troop, the troop flag button is blank and when clicked will open up a troop finding opportunity.

Click where this used to be and the troop search will open up.  From here you can either search for a troop name that you know of (make sure to have all the correct capitalization and any symbols they use), or you can browse through the list of available troops. Click on a listed troop to have a look at their troop description and the players in the troop to see if it's a good fit for you.  Note that a troop can only have 25 players, and troops that are full won't be able to be clicked on in this list for more information.

Clicking on the Troop button will bring up the screen on the left.  From here you can start your own troop, click on the search bar to search for a specific troop (as per the right screen shot), or scroll through available troops.

The advantage to this method is that you can search through a lot of troops quickly. The disadvantage is that it can feel overwhelming to find and pick the right one for you.   (See post 2 on finding a good troop to fit you)

Asking a troop/player in game
Access to each map area in the game is granted as you move along the storyline in the game, until you reach the final Lost Temple area.  This means that the players that you see around you in each map area are either close to your progress, or beyond your progress but returning to that area for a different reason.  Clicking on a player in the map will bring you up information about that player, and you'll be able to see the troop they're in as well as their Ranger badge indicating where they're up to in the game.  Click on their troop flag and you'll be able to read the troop description and look at their player list.

If someone was to click on my avatar in game, they'd see the information pop up as per the right image above.  If they are an admin, they can invite me to join their group (I'll receive a troop request), or they can click "View Troop" to have a look at the troop I'm in (as shown on the right).


The advantage to this method is that a good troop fit is one that's at a similar place to where you are in the game (especially if you're still opening map areas through the storyline), and searching in this manner may help you find one.  The disadvantage is that it's likely to be entirely random who you come across in the game!

Check your troop invites
Just as you can look for a troop by clicking on players in your map area as you play, those players can also do the same to your avatar. If they like what they see, and they're an admin in their troop, you may find that you receive a troop invitation.

These can be found by looking in your notifications in the game. Click on "Social", then "News Feed", then choose the "Requests" tab.  At the top of this page will be Troop Request, if you currently have any waiting for you. Clicking on a troop request will bring up their troop description, and you can also look at their Ranger list to see more information about the players (power rating, last online, etc). If you like the sound of any of these troops, you can click to "accept invite" if they have room (and after you've left your current troop). If you'd prefer to turn down the opportunity to join them, you can click decline.  You're also able to click on the back "<" button in the top left corner and leave the request waiting for a later time.

Troop requests appear at the top of your "Requests" tab in your news feed (left)

Clicking on any troop request will bring up their troop description and ranger tab (right).

Posts on Facebook
The largest group you can post to for finding a troop is the official game group "Battle Camp Global", however there are others like "Battle Camp Troop Recruitment" as well that are run by players themselves.

Official BC groups and player run groups are available on Facebook to help you to connect with other players in your search for a troop.

You can find posts from troops who are looking for new players, and also make a post about yourself and what you're looking for.  It's best to include pertinent information about yourself: your in game name (so players can look up your event history on bcrank.us), your power rating, your timezone and the team you play with (plus any event teams/monsters you may have).

The advantage to this method is that you'll be connected to a player/troop who is active on facebook and likely to know all of the recent announcements and knowledge about the game. The disadvantage is that you may be turned down from troops you'd like to join, and unfortunately sometimes you'll face what feels like criticism about your team/progress from players who are (hopefully!) only trying to help you become stronger.

What to look for in a Troop?

There are many considerations to take into account when choosing a troop, such as:

• which language is spoken?
• which timezone are they in?
• how active are they?
• do they play all events?
• how successful are they?
• how strong are the players?
• what is their focus?
• are there requirements to join?
• are their rules to meet so you're not kicked?
• will you enjoy playing with them?

These topics will be considered in the second post that will be coming soon!

Beginner's Guide to Crystal Siege Event

Crystal Siege is a new Battle Camp event this August (2016) and it takes place in the Event Zone location on the main map.

Location of Crystal Siege

How does Crystal Siege work?

The premise behind Crystal Siege is more straight forward than most events.  Every four hours you'll compete against another troop during a 1 hour match.  Each troop will be presented with two crystal guardians and a crystal to progressively battle against during that hour.

The crystal guardians are randomly selected from the five game elements, and each troop is likely to face a different combination.  The final crystal will take the same element as the second guardian.

Your troop will begin battling against the first guardian (30 million health) for 1x trophies (1 trophy per 1000 attack damage).  If you have time remaining, you'll then progress to battling the second guardian (100 million health) for 1.5x trophies and lastly the crystal itself (unlimited health) for 2x trophies.

A special thank you to Nickakins for the above health calculations.

An overview of the event screen, showing the first guardians and crystal but incorrectly not showing the second guardian in the middle sections.

Each troop will work through their guardians and crystal on one side of the event screen, designated by your opponents troop flag.  As each guardian is defeated, it will disappear from the event screen.

Our first guardian is water, second is wind, crystal will also be wind

As we defeat each guardian, they disappear from view.

You can click on the Ranger that is standing between the two troop flags at the base of the event screen to see how many trophies each troop has at any given time during the match.

The current trophies of both troops can be seen by clicking on Wild Child.

After the hour ends, the troop with the highest amount of trophies earned will receive twice this number of troop trophies, and the losing troop will receive a 25% reduction of this number as their troop trophies.  Every match you'll be assigned to play against either the troop next to yours on the tier charts of troop trophies (they'll either be one troop ahead or behind your troop trophy tally).

Note that if you click on a guardian/crystal that your troop hasn't unlocked access to, or belongs to the opponent troop, you'll see the message in the screenshot below.

Message pops up if you click the wrong guardian/crystal

How do I tell which element the guardian is?

Over time, you'll come to recognise the appearance of the five guardians.  Mostly they look like the element they're representing in either colour or style (wind guardian has wings and is yellow, for example).  Screenshots of the five guardians are shown below.

Fire Guardian (left) and Leaf Guardian (Right)

Water Guardian

Rock Guardian (left) and Wind Guardian (Right)

How do I tell which element the crystal is?

If you're coming into a match late and your troop is working on the crystal, you may need to ask your troop which element the second guardian was as the crystal will take on the same element.  (Our troop posts a message in troop chat detailing the elements we're facing each match. We do the same in troop wars as the troop flag is also the same element as the troop pet, which disappears after you defeat it).

Alternatively, once you commence battling the crystal, the colour of the health bar will indicate the element type.

Crystals of different elements: fire (left) and leaf (right)

What happens when I battle?

As per most Battle Camp raids, clicking on the boss your troop is working on will give you a information screen. This shows the percentage of the boss that your troop has completed and gives you an energy slider to choose how much energy you want to use at one time.

Battle Information Screen

The three zodiacs shown will receive a 25% additive bonus to their base attack state.

Note the warning message that you must make sure you have more than 60 seconds remaining in the match (plus loading time at the start and end of the battle) otherwise you risk losing your energy with no damage done.

Inside the battle, you'll have 60 seconds to do as much damage against that boss as you can.  The boss will do a small amount of damage each turn but their is no danger bar to be concerned with.

Battling the rock guardian (left) and water guardian (right)

How do I use Event Monsters?

Event monsters can be spun for 50 gold through either the event grab in the main store, or by randomly being chosen for a lucky grab (with 3x increased drop rates) after battling within the event.  Note that both options may only win you a special or a regular monster of any rarity, including rares.

Event monsters only receive their attack bonus against the element of guardian/crystal that they are strongest against.  Clicking on any event monster in your inventory will let you know which boss they have their bonus against - it's written in small writing in the blue section below your monster's image.

Water event monster (left) has bonus against Fire boss

Rock event monster (right) has bonus against Wind boss

Water Boss - use leaf event monsters

Leaf Boss - use fire event monsters

Fire Boss - use water event monsters

Rock Boss - use wind event monsters

Wind Boss - use rock event monsters

The event bonus applies to the base attack stat of your event monster and is additive to other bonuses.  For example, if you have an event super with +500% bonus against your current guardian, and it has lethal as a passive for +55% bonus, and your have a zodiac match on a guardian for +25%, the total bonus that your monster has is +580%.

End of Match Individual Trophy announcement

After the match ends, you'll soon be presented with an individual results screen that looks like the screenshot below.  (Your troop result is shown at the top as the Victory image for a troop win, or Defeat for a troop loss).

End of Match results screens
(Right screenshot from Nickakins)

The top line shows you how many trophies you personally are being awarded in total for the match that has just finished.

The next three lines list out the actual damage that you did against the first guardian, the second guardian and the crystal.  To convert this damage into trophies: first divide each number by 1000 (or ignore the last 3 digits); then multiply that number by the trophy bonus (1x for first guardian, 1.5x for second guardian, and 2x for the crystal damage).  The sum of these numbers should add up to the total trophies shown in the top line.

If by chance you earned the most trophies in your troop during that match, you'll receive an additional 20% bonus trophies, as indicated by the number in the last line. (To calculate this, take the sum of the three sets of trophies you calculated in the above paragraph and divide by 20 to get the number shown on this line. Add this number to your original trophies calculated and it will now match the total trophies shown in the top line).

Another thank you to Nickakins for correction my maths for the bonus trophies, and for providing the second screenshot on the right above.

How to win crystals?

The daily event goals can be seen by clicking on the goals button on the upper right hand side of your screen.  Each day of the event (counted as 24 hours from the event starting time) will reward you for either the number of guardians that your troop defeats or the number of matches that your troop wins.  In the August 2016 event, completing this requirement 1 or 2 times will grant you VIP points, 4 times gives your troop 10 gold each, and 6 times will earn your troop a crystal each (appears in your inventory).

Complete the 6 Daily Event Goals to win a crystal

Crystals can also be won through reaching certain trophy levels ('benchmarks").  These can be seen by clicking on the event "E" in the top right corner of your regular screen and scroll down to the section titled "Trophy Rewards".

Crystals can also be won by reaching different amounts of trophies

Troop Strategy

This is an event that does rely on an unusual element of team work within each troop.  With the graduated trophy bonus, it may be tempting for players to try waiting until their troop mates defeat the earlier guardians so that they can gain the maximum bonus against the crystal.  However, for the remaining troops, keep in mind that if your entire troop is waiting for the higher bonus, you may be caught not achieving that level if players aren't willing to hit early.  This may however be a useful strategy for troops with specialised element event monster teams, or big spenders.

If your troop has a strategy they're willing to share, please feel free to add it in the comment section below.

What does the future hold for Crystal Siege?

Battle camp has indicated on their facebook page that they're intending for crystal siege to join the regular rotation of events. Indications are that the event monsters will be recurring in the same manner as Dominion.