Visual Guide: Lambda Sector Trial
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 Lambda Sector (click to enlarge) |
Overview
This guide is intended to help players learn everything they'll need to know to complete the Lambda Sector Trial.
Minimum players needed: 8
Maximum players allowed: 16
Incarnate XP: Physical Incarnate Experience
Obtainable Badges: Lambda Leader, Synchronized, Antacid, Well-Stocked, Lambda Looter, Master of Lambda Sector
Phase I: Penetrate Lambda Sector
- Objective: Defeat 60 IDF
- Time to complete: n/a
- Merit Rewards: n/a
Killing 60 IDF will give your league access to the Lambda Sector Facility. Speed Lambda's will generally skip the streets outside the compound (usually the turrets too) and only defeat the IDF present in the courtyard.
- Leaders should call out assignments for which teams are collecting acids/grenades during this phase.
Phase II: Cripple Lambda Sector
Defeat the Security Guard:
- Objective: Defeat the Security Guard and enter the Interior Facilities
- Time to complete: n/a
- Merit Rewards: n/a
Enter the Facility and you'll fight a Security Guard elite boss. Once the Security Guard is defeated, the 5 minute timer for the next part does not start until someone has entered either the Training Facility or the Munitions Depot. If your league would benefit from a group buffing, this is a good opportunity to do that. The temporary powers used during the showdown with Marauder are randomly dropped on a player who's team has damaged a weapon cache or containment chamber, so it is important that you go to your correct assignment.
Collection Phase:
- Objective: Destroy 10 Weapon Caches & 10 Containment Chambers
- Time to complete: 5 minutes (5 minutes, plus 1 minute for each cache and chamber destroyed)
- Merit Rewards: 3 Astral Merits
- Destroying all 10 Weapon Caches (Astral Merit)
- Destroying all 10 Containment Chambers (Astral Merit)
- Qualifying for Synchronized (Astral Merit)
The goal during this part of phase two is to collect Pacification Grenades and Molecular Acids to use during the final showdown with Marauder. Pacification Grenades are collected by destroying Weapon Caches. Molecular Acids are collected by destroying Containment Chambers.
- The paths marked on the maps are only suggested routes. There are many different routes that can be used to collect all of the temporary powers.
- If you you leave empty spots in your power trays, the temp powers will fill them in. Otherwise, you'll need to find them in your "Powers" menu under "Temp Powers".
| Training Facility (Acid) | Munitions Depot (Grenades) | |
|---|---|---|
| Map | 
|
|
| Target | ||
| Temp Power |
Note: Players can pass the temp powers to other players on the league.
If your league destroys a Weapon Crate and a Containment Chamber at the same time you'll earn the Synchronized badge.
You proved masterful coordination during a raid on Lambda Sector by your league destroying two separate objectives simultaneously.
Once all of the Weapon Caches and Containment Chambers have been destroyed (or if time runs out during the phase) you'll begin the final phase of the trial.
Phase III: Defeat Marauder
- Primary Objective: Defeat Marauder
- Secondary Objective(s): Defeat 30 Reinforcements (optional), Close 10 Reinforcement Doors (optional)
- Time to complete: 20 minutes
- Merit Rewards: 1 Empyrean Merit, 3 Astral Merits (maximum)
- Trial completion (1 Empyrean Merit for the first completion in 20 hours, additional completions within 20 hours award an Astral Merit)
- Defeating 30 Reinforcements (Astral Merit)
- Open league (Astral Merit)
- Qualifying for Antacid (Astral Merit)
- Qualifying for Well-Stocked (Astral Merit)
- Qualifying for Lambda Looter (Astral Merit)
After the cutscene, your league should gather together on the ramp in the courtyard. Marauder isn't a particularly tough archvillain, but you do want to be organized with your attack on him (this is especially true with inexperienced leagues or leagues with few level shifts). First, the leader should direct players to close Reinforcement Doors by using the Molecular Acids. There are 10 doors, they are marked on the map at the top of the article. If you are closing a door, be careful not to aggro anything (this includes you pets too) in Marauder's group or along the way. Once the leader is satisfied with how many doors are closed, the league should quickly buff up and then charge Marauder.
A bonus astral merit can be earned by defeating 30 reinforcements (aka "Adds"). Note: The groups surrounding the weapon drop sites do NOT count toward this. There is no bonus astral merit for closing all 10 reinforcement doors.
To damage Marauder more effectively, you'll need to use the Pacification Grenades on him. Whenever you see "Marauder Enrages! Use a Grenade!" you can use another grenade on him. For every 20% health you work off from Marauder he'll jump to another spot in the courtyard. These spots are also marked on the map at the top of the article. Around 25% health, Marauder will go into his version of Unstoppable and be harder to damage. Marauder has one noteworthy attack, Nova Fist, and you are warned in big, red text before he attacks with it. Nova Fist is a PBAoE attack that deals massive damage. When you see the warning, back away or be prepared to be hit extremely hard. (see illustration below) 
Marauder cannot leave the courtyard or the trial will be failed. There is nothing wrong with opening the front door. Marauder will NOT walk out it unless he is aggro'd by a player and the player leads him outside. He can jump over the wall as well, so keeping the door shut doesn't really make it any harder for him to get out.
If for any reason (a player disconnects, or someone doesn't know how to find/use their temp powers) you need an extra Pacification Grenade or Molecular Acid you can destroy a Weapon Cache or Containment Chamber in the courtyard. These are replenished every 2 minutes.
Marauder's health and enragement status, as well as the number of reinforcements defeated, reinforcement doors closed, and timer information are displayed on the event window.
Upon completion of the trial you will be awarded the Lambda Leader badge and receive your reward pool window.
You have completed the Incarnate Trial: Lambda Sector.
Master of Lambda Sector
To earn the Master of Lambda Sector badge, you must earn each of the following 4 badges. The master's badge cannot be earned in fewer than 3 successful trials.
You mocked the Top Dog himself by refusing to use any of the collected Molecular Acids to stop Marauder's reinforcements during a Lambda Sector raid.
Demonstrating a dogged persistence, you wore Marauder down in Lambda Sector without using a single Pacification Grenade despite having a full set.
Perhaps you didn't know this, but the items collected in Lambda Sector can be used in the fight versus Marauder to make it easier. Your league, however, decided to collect a full set of both items and not use a single one. Kudos to you.
The most effective way to get the master's badge is to assemble a group of powerful characters to run the trial three times in succession going for...
- Antacid (all 10 acids, no grenades, no temps used)
- Well-Stocked (all grenades, no acids, no temps used)
- Lambda Looter (all acids, all grenades, no temps used)
The more powerful your league is, the quicker you will be able to take Marauder down. Synchronized is generally easy enough to get without the need to form a master's team.
In addition to not being able to use the temp powers during the Marauder fight, you also cannot destroy any of the Containment Chambers or Weapon Caches that are dropped off in the courtyard. Doing so will disqualify your league from Antacid, Well-Stocked, or Lambda Looter. So be particularly careful when Marauder retreats to the northwest section of the courtyard. It works well to pull him back toward the middle so pets and stray judgement attacks do not put the badge in jeopardy.
The best game plan for this is to have your league gather together, summon only Lore pets that do not do psionic damage, buff up and then start piling on Marauder. Everyone should be focusing on Marauder to maximize your league's DPS. The battle will last long enough to earn the extra astral from defeating 30 reinforcements just from splash damage. When Marauder has around 30% health left, have the players that have Lore pets that deal psionic damage summon them. Marauder is weaker against psionic damage than other types and timing it at this point helps mitigate his unstoppable buff. Also, if anyone has any attacks that deal psionic damage they should focus on that for the time being. Since this fight can be particularly long, it helps to cut corners wherever you can to save time (skipping the street mobs). Taking out the turrets is helpful too, in case people die and are trying to make their way back to the battle.
When you have collected all four badges, you will earn the Master of Lambda Sector badge and be awarded a random rare incarnate component.
You have mastered the Incarnate Trial: Lambda Sector.
Notes, Tips, & Strategy
- Tips for Leaders
- Communicate clearly how you wish the trial to be run. Call out assignments ahead of time. Remind them again right before the moment arrives.
- Take time to assess the capabilities of your league. If the group has a lot of inexperienced players or players new to the trial, you'll probably want to spend a little time catching them up so they are not lost and end up holding temp powers. Also, if you are leading a group that is light on the level shifts, you should take that into account when determining what your plan of attack will be.
- On standard trials, acids are more critical to the success of the trial. Marauder being too strong isn't how this trial gets failed. It's usually because the reinforcements have built up to a level that could not be handled. Make sure you have enough players you trust assigned to the acids team so the doors get closed in a timely manner and your league doesn't get overrun.
- Spiking Marauder and the 30 Reinforcements
- On a full league (16 players) if you wait 90 seconds and then close 6 doors, there should be enough reinforcements around Marauder by that time to get the bonus astral by spiking him and his mob. Buff the league quickly with destiny/etc and charge Marauder. It works best to send someone in a hair early to use a grenade on him (so he is pacified and feels the full effect of all those incoming attacks) and have the rest of the league right behind targeting Marauder with judgement. This should take care of the 30 reinforcements and probably have Marauder headed to his next retreat point. Get the rest of the doors closed if you need to and then focus on finishing off Marauder.
- If the league is smaller in size, you'll want to increase the wait time to get closer to 30 reinforcements.
- If the league is weaker (has few level shifts/incarnate abilities), you'll want to decrease the wait time, if any is used at all.
- Miscellaneous
- Sometimes Marauder is enraged, but the bar in the Event Window does not show it. Just toss another grenade at him if that happens.