State of Fangbreaker Island and Some Guides

Today it’s time to talk a bit about the dungeon Fangbreaker Island (FBI) again. Players have been able to enter the dungeon for a few weeks now and this post is meant to summarize what’s known so far. But first we give credit where credit is due and share the impressive run of Sharpedge (who also contributed to this article) and company:

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It goes without saying that this is not your common Fangbreaker run. The group uses a very specific setup and the buffing legacy sets like High Vizier and High Prophet. Their best attempt at the time of this writing is close to 17 minutes, which probably most players have trouble completing Castle Never in. While they just steamroll the dungeon and ignore most of the mechanics, everyone else needs to strategize a tad more. As start I absolutely recommend going through the guide of the Holy Crusaders. Their write-up is very detailed and full of valuable information.

So you wanted challenge?

Well, players wanted challenge and here it is! FBI is not your ordinary dungeon and cannot be completed by everyone. The trouble already starts with finding an appropriate group. Few players even meet the requirements and only because they do doesn’t mean they can complete it. There’s no “tagging along” or “looking how it goes”. You need 100% from every group member and can’t have a weak spot. Even within the pleasantly inclusive atmosphere that has developed within the community, I wouldn’t be hesitant to reject players if they don’t meet your requirements. It’s worth talking to people, ask them for their builds and look into their stats.

There’s nothing to be ashamed of. As group leader you are responsible for a successful run, so not taking someone might save time for all parties involved. This is no longer a matter of speed like in other dungeons, but a matter of being able to complete it. For now people shouldn’t expect to be able to master the dungeon when they barely meet the required item level. It’s going to be interesting how the community handles this new type of dungeon, which breaks with the overall casual approach of the game.

Compositions

Generally most groups seem to roll with OP/GF/DC and two DPS. It’s more convenient having an additional tank on the party so the GF can use Into the Fray. Especially on the first boss it can be hard to get skills off because Hati is definitely on crack. If you’re running a traditional setup I’d definitely recommend a MoF CW, but SWs can also be reliable buffers these days.

No matter how you roll though, you need at least one very potent damage dealer to beat the dungeon. I’ve run with “DPS” that had trouble doubling a MoF Rene in damage. That won’t cut it. Also your DPS should feature a solid amount of Life Steal. The  DoT of the first boss is lethal and might need to be outhealed alone. I’ve had funny moments with 4k GWFs not having enough Life Steal and dying frequently in that fight. A DC with Cleanse absolutely helps, but I’d go as far as saying that the Life Steal boon from Stronghold is indeed mandatory here.

The infamous Dragon Turtle fight

Even with a subpar composition you might be able to pull through to the Dragon Turtle, but then most runs end. It doesn’t seem like anybody has found a reliable way to completely stop the boss from doing its Slam Attacks. It sometimes just feels random to be honest. Asterdahl confirmed Wild Slam is currently not working as intended and sometimes applied even if the primary target is in reach of Hull Snap and Steam Blast.

I could also verify that dodging away from the boss increases the occurrences of Wild Slams. As ranged DPS you always want to dodge towards the boss and make sure it still does the attack. Dodging too early cancels Steam Blast and leads to Wild Slams. The boss does not only need a primary target in range, is also does actually need to perform and finish the attack. It needs a bit of timing to stay in the red long enough and then dodge the Blast, but I found it to be the most reliable way of not getting too many Slam stacks.

As you can see in the videos, groups often just try to stay attached to the boss so it always has a target. But that of course warrants sufficient protection from the DC and your tanks, which not every group might feature. Generally though, the best strategy here seems to bring enough DPS and not care about the stacks at all.

The dungeon is profitable… for now

If you are able to complete the dungeon it can be profitable. Opening both chests means you are getting 20 Supplies per run, which translates into a Everfrost Armor Kit every two runs. Prices are going down fast, but at currently 90,000 value that’s still a solid income. And after that you can also go for Borax or Dragon Shell Oil.

I personally can maintain exactly one piece of the Storm Kings Thunder empowered sets, so this is what I’m wearing. I don’t see how more Everfrost Resistance is going to help groups that struggle anyway. So the viability of the dungeon is solely based on the market for the campaign store rewards. We’ve said this before: Nobody is going to run the dungeon only to get the armor set.


So far I admittedly had more frustrating than fun times on FBI. You have to be very picky as group leader and know what compositions and roles work. But by the time you realize what it takes to succeed, the dungeon can be completed reliably.

What’s your take on Fangbreaker Island? Have you been there, beat it? Share your thoughts in the comments below or visit the corresponding thread on our message board.

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j0Shi

j0Shi plays the Neverwinter MMORPG since the open BETA in 2013 and is a regular contributor to the blog and the whole UN:Project. Originally a Guardian Fighter, he has built up ALTs of all classes and plays on BIS/near-BIS level.

2 thoughts on “State of Fangbreaker Island and Some Guides

  • September 11, 2016 at 3:55 pm
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    Just for funzies we took a full party of Paladins into FBI today. Two Devotion/Justice and three Protection/Justice. The uphill climb went smoothly if slowly and the first boss posed no significant challenge except that my companion decided to go cliff jumping for some reason so I was forced to swap to the armor pen boon.

    We progressed through the troll tunnels all with relentless avenger slotted (for the lulz) and I’m convinced ‘Troll Tossing’ needs to be an Olympic sport.

    It was at the Dragon Turtle where our lack of DPS finally caused us to have to give up on the run (and one of our members had to go sleepytime). It wasn’t a serious run or anything, just a fun-run and we all had a great time.

    Cheers

  • September 24, 2017 at 1:48 am
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    As a TR still to do FBI, what would you be looking for build wise in a TR to include him in your group?

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