Drill Class Guide for Frosthaven

[@danschwarz]

Pretty certain push/pull are negative abilities. So any 'Pull, target all' would only target enemies. FAQ: "Can I Push or Pull allies? Because Forced Movement is a ‘negative ability’ you can only do so if the specific ability specifies you can."

[@phoenicksgaming]

Ah! Good call - I think this is an example where I really wanted the theme to do something specific and I let it override my rules knowledge. Thanks for pointing this out

[@danschwarz]

@@ptzapple You're confusing "all" for "all figures". From the rulebook: "In general, negative abilities can only target enemies, and positive abilities can only target allies or the acting figure themselves. Some abilities have specific targeting information that contradicts this rule. An ability specifying its targets as “all” follows these restrictions, but an ability specifying its targets as “all figures” targets both allies and enemies."

[@danschwarz]

Beam axe is interesting. The "Heal target all allies" means it doesn't affect yourself, whereas "Heal target all" would include yourself

[@ptzapple]

​@danschwarz yup! I realized afterwards and deleted my comment but I guess it still sends to you.

[@BrendanCS]

I don't know anything about you, this game, or this class, the algorithm brought me here. But I listened to all of this just because its interesting to hear someone speak in depth about game mechanics in a complicated game.

[@phoenicksgaming]

Praise be the algorithm. I do this with a lot of different games - welcome to the channel!

[@blubblubwhat]

Hahah so good.. if u dont know gloomhaven or frosthaven and have a group to play with.. which enjoys long games and game nights i highly recommend this game or gloomhaven.. our group got addicted real hard and havent touched our other games anymore^^

[@blubblubwhat]

If u know the original descent into darkness is close to that with its dungeon crawler style but without dungeon maste but also u have more to do in town other than just buying things. It also has a legacy component to it so u unlock more and more heroes items and town parts(now in frosthaven u build up your settlement between quests).

[@t3cchan]

This was my favorite class after Blinkblade. I'm excited that you're getting back into frosthaven videos, i always love hearing your take on the classes since your approach to the game is quite different from mine!

[@phoenicksgaming]

Im yet to play blinkblade myself but I watched my brother do so for a few scenarios and it was just dirty. Would love to hear about your approach sometime!

[@t3cchan]

@@phoenicksgaming Without spoiling cards, my playstyle with Blinkblade revolved around burning twice as bright, and half as long. I would exhaust on more than half of scenarios after dealing insane amounts of damage to every enemy in the scenario, looting key tiles, etc. This feels pretty antithetical to your approach, which is more focused on value over time, card/stamina management, etc. So if you get a chance, I'd love to see how you approach Blinkblade sometime. I have a feeling like your card choices would be VERY different from my own.

[@phoenicksgaming]

@@t3cchan makes sense! I wonder what group size you play with? I do think my style of play has developed in part because of my 2p focus over time. But admittedly, it's also just how I play...

[@t3cchan]

@@phoenicksgaming I played both GH and FH two-handed with 1 friend, so 4 characters between 2 players. That is certainly coloring the way I evaluate cards. Coordination inevitably becomes easier when you control multiple characters per person, and the monster density in 4p vs 2p is night and day

[@harubeoulve4989]

The way the lvl9 unstable cores bottom is written, you can always avoid the suffer 5. Frosthaven rules allows you to discard permanents at any time. So you can discard unstable core before the suffer triggers 😂

[@phoenicksgaming]

Good point! I think you'd probably miss out on the last trigger use of this card, and to get value out of the ability you still want to yo yo, but I appreciate you naming how easy it is to avoid the downside.

[@blubblubwhat]

I wanted to say that i watch all the guiedes even if i havent played them yet because like this i know which i feel more hype for to play next. So keep them coming ill watch all the unlockeble ones:)

[@phoenicksgaming]

Right on! What's at the top of your priority list as it stands?

[@blubblubwhat]

I think ill play blinkblade if nobody else of my group snatches it befor me.. but maybe they will go for the unlockables. They retire faster then me i like to explore the class to higher levls and i more a fan of my class then the others atm. Other then that what ever is unlocked we havent so many unlocked yet..we dont have the drill^^ the 2 lobsters look fun as well, meteor aswell. So blink blade then coral id say. But atm my group is on brake so i think it will be a while.. but we will get there we also played trough gloomhaven and some part of forgotten circles even:)

[@rhealchartier5407]

With the 3-checkmark perk, you wouldn't die from getting hit by enemies while having the cards discarded because it makes you invisible as well as the stun. So while you are doing the long rest and getting your 3 cards back in hand, you get a free turn healing 2. Also, the level 9 card has the non-recoverable icon on it specifically so that you cannot get it back after you have played it due to the perk (which I just noticed someone else also mentioned).

[@phoenicksgaming]

I have been properly schooled! Have you tried this out yourself? If so, how'd it go?

[@blakecurry3880]

But is it actually worth 3 perks? That's a huge investment and it seems super situational as the plan is generally never to die (and it takes a hundred thousand years to get to level 9 I've never had a character get past 6-7 so far so I'm not factoring that in lol)

[@groose_streams9115]

I enjoy the content Nick! Haven't unlocked the drill so I'm not going to watch the video, sorry if it's addressed there. I was wondering if you plan on doing more guides for the other locked classes? I enjoy putting your videos on for the classes my group's unlocked. Frosthaven content is sorely lacking on KZbin so I was glad you powered out these three guides over the holidays.

[@phoenicksgaming]

That is the long term goal, I would like to make guides for all the characters. Is there one in particular you're hoping to see?

[@groose_streams9115]

@@phoenicksgaming Your class preferences remind me of a certain player in my group, and they very much enjoyed the Trap. I'd also recommend the Meteor who plays well with them. I like the videos more as a discussion of the character's possibilities and you do a great job with that so I'm sure I'll watch whichever video you put out, just maybe later down the line; I try not to spoil myself too much.

[@heathermays80]

Love all of your Frosthaven character guides! great content! Just wanted to say thanks! Looking forward to playing drill next!!

[@phoenicksgaming]

Thank you so much! Have a great time with it

[@Chrollo_ooo]

Love the video! Seen the one on Prism as well, it was really good! Just now started playing with Drill, only one scenario in and already loving the character. Much more easy to manage compared to Prism. Will put this video to good use when choosing my cards for next scenario!

[@phoenicksgaming]

Thanks for the kind words! Get at them, beep boop!

[@XenithMusic]

I ended up using Processing quite a bit more than I had anticipated... I liked using it on odd-hand rest cycles to play all my cards and it was very nice having a super turn where I could more easily manage my pressure or play a non-move bottom card and still be able to move with the other. Then on even-hand cycles I'd just use it to mop up the loot left over. Otherwise, it's a good candidate to use first cycle then just lose it if I felt my other cards were more important.

[@phoenicksgaming]

Very nice - that does sound like the ideal use of it, and your point about using it cycle 1 and then just forgetting it immediately is VERY well taken. Thanks for the insight on better Processing tactics

[@eduardrindt3376]

Thank you for that guide, really helped me when I was starting with this character. I love good tanks and I'm really enjoying the Stress Vents build. Currently, I'm level 6 and I must say that going down for Magnetic Field at level 5 was probably the best decision I've made so far. I don't think any of the level 5 cards synergize that well with the build, and Magnetic Field top is just a fantastic loot option. Attack and then loot is so good. Tanking is very item-dependent role, so I want to loot a lot and bottom of Processing is pretty lame loot card to have on a 9-card hand class that can't move half of the time. But even when I don't need to loot, the bottom of Magnetic Field synergizes so well with the tanking build. Pulling enemy archers into range of Stress Vents is incredible option while Bronze Plating is up. Getting the extra shield at Over-pressure without actually losing any of that pressure is just a cherry on top. I think the bottom is at least as good as the top of Heat Conduction for this build. Similarly, I took Steam Core at level 6 and I'm definitelly going down for Scalding Blast at level 7 rather than picking lvl 7 card. I'm betting that the multi-target attack will benefit me more than the shields from Cryogenic Hybernation top by utilizing the amazing perk deck this class has. While hitting 3 times, there's a good chance I get more shields, retaliate, heal or get the spent pressure back. Even more so when I manage to put Strenghten enhancement to the top of Steam Core and play it beforehand (which I want to have done by level 7 - I'm rich thanks to utilizing that amazing loot and I plan to make the most out of it). For similar reason, I plan to take Piston Barage at level 8 for more focus-fire option. I will not be able to do a lot of attack actions, so I want to utilize those that attack several times to get the most of all those amazing perk deck effects. I hope that this combination will create a solid tank that can dish out some damage when needed, while still being almost unkillable, giving also my teammate the space and time to shine. As for the masteries - I think it's important even for the tank build to get the "Never attack" mastery at early lvls. I completed it at level 4 (Stress Vents top + Energy Conversion bottom helps a lot), but I think if I didn't, it would be far more difficult later. When we've reached higher scenario levels, the enemies just start hitting a lot harder and taking out glass cannon enemies like archers ASAP becomes essential part of tanking. But at level 4, it was pretty easy. The other mastery though - that is a tough cookie. The main problem I see with it is that I have a 9-card hand and need at least 8 to get the mastery (9 if you include top of Processing). It usually takes a very specific combination of cards plus a Stamina potion or short rest - and even then I needed a bit of luck. I went for it 3 times, the first time I lost essential card to the short rest (I took damage to keep Stress Vents only to lose Super Heat Transfer - the problem really is that with 9 cards, the probability of some combo-breaking loss is pretty high), the second time I'd got everything setup and on the final round, while surrounded by like 5 enemies, all of them decided to not attack at all, so I couldn't utilize Stress Vents to pressure down. So even when I got it done in the end, I'm not even proud that I completed it, simply because I had to commit so much each time and it was still luck-dependent as hell. I don't think it's worth the try unless you play some really easy scenario.

[@phoenicksgaming]

S tier comment right here, thanks for weighing in on some of the more mysterious levels for me. This build is just so fun! Well done with the masteries even if it was an arduous journey - impressive stuff!

[@eduardrindt3376]

Just posting an update - I've retired this guy recently at lvl 8 and he was a monster. The strengthen + multiple attack combos really kept me pressured up even with those mandatory pressure downs, I had another +1 shield for the turn for most of the turns, and the damage output was actually pretty decent. I've played Scalding Blast more for it's bottom (attack + pressure up is amazing) while Piston Barrage did it's job at eliminating dangerous enemies quickly - but in the end, the only really nasty enemy was the Lurker Clawcrusher with the true damage based on my shield value. Other than that, there was no enemy I had issue with. Shields? Don't care. Retaliates? I laugh at that. Heavy hitters? I had like 3 passive shields most of the time and a lot of heals. He was super fun and his arsenal was just super versatile. In my last scenario, I was babysitting my partner's new character and she had problem keeping up the pace just looting everything in my wake. Oh well, now it's Kelp for me now and I guess it will be my last character - with the retirement of my Drill, we've reached lvl 9 prosperity, opened last envelope, we've unlocked all classes recently, so there's really no point in retiring a character anymore. I played most of the campaign with tanky characters, so switching my mindset into the pure assassin role will be a challenge.

[@phoenicksgaming]

@eduardrindt3376 wow amazing follow up thanks for sharing. Kelp is one of the nuttiest classes when you set up the attack modifier deck so as a high level start you'll be a shred machine!!

[@daviddavidsson6243]

I know I’m late but the funniest thing about this class is that the level 1 cards are named after the Gloomhaven ancient technology items. (Rocket boots, power core etc)

[@phoenicksgaming]

There are quite a lot of clever throwbacks

[@chrislinneman4302]

This is a really cool class my partner is currently playing that I'd like to play myself someday. I'm not saying the triple check perk is good, but it does make you invisible while you long rest, so I think the idea is you recover some HP, select a fast initiative card or two to recover and then have one or two more turns afterwards to go out with a bang. It might actually be worthwhile if you're doing a so-called prickle build and don't need the AMD modifiers so much, but we haven't tested it as we're playing 2p and the damage builds tend to be better at that player count.

[@phoenicksgaming]

Agreed that the damage build seems like the wiser choice in a 2p parry! And fair point about the triple perk. It really is a neat class and I think there are a few different fun ways to play it

[@jeremyfrentz9506]

Cool to hear how playing the steam vents tank worked out. I played drill 2-3 player with deathwalker - sometimes shards and found the tank style to be too low tempo for the party (death walker loves having proactive control over things dying). Ended up swapping to pressure yo-yo attacks and felt like the class was practically soloing rooms at times but every level up I was dreaming of the synergy potential of the cards I wasn't taking haha

[@phoenicksgaming]

This robot packs a wallop! Not too surprised to hear you were plowing through rooms going the aggro route, and makes sense with Deathwalker combo

[@levaithan9]

I took Cryogenic Hibernation for the bottom, but was surprised just how great the top action ended up being after trying it out. The brittle debuff very rarely mattered and I continued to use the top action frequently. I actually stopped bringing the level 6 card scalding blast at some point because I was more useful not attacking as the tank/retaliate build.

[@phoenicksgaming]

That's pretty cool, I'm glad to hear the cryogenic worked out so well! Seems like a fun way to play.

[@tolperi48]

And i actually took the shutdown perk. And it helped to win a scenario once. I focused several (probably a half) enemies on me, that allowed other guy to take the object in his last turn. Returning your burn action cards is superb, especially with multiple stun. And nevertheless, it's too expensive to learn.

[@phoenicksgaming]

But perhaps worth the one incredible story!

[@tolperi48]

Curious gear with trapper in party is magnificent. Fast ini is another benefit

[@phoenicksgaming]

The combo potential with Trapper is indeed quite high!

[@shuttlecrossing1433]

Unstable Core has a "you can't get this back" because its final perk allows you to avoid exhaustion a single time and get four cards back. So right when you're about to go out of cards, you fire Unstable Core, play a huge turn, and then get a few hands back before you're out for real.

[@phoenicksgaming]

Ah! Amazing catch, that absolutely makes sense. Thank you :)

[@blubblubwhat]

​@@phoenicksgaming^^

[@christopherroddis8923]

Starting this class next game night but more of a dps class as we already have a tank (the big monster guy), i will let you know how it goes

[@phoenicksgaming]

Nice! I was just chatting with someone who did that and they were big fans! Good luck :)

[@adavies425]

I played this character as a wrecking ball where I hit a lot and hit hard. But level 7’s 2 shield brittle self. The brittle ain’t that bad. Brittle is calculated after shield values so if you’re using this with other shield cards it’s possible it never triggers or if it does you only take like 2 damage.

[@phoenicksgaming]

Good call! Stacking those shields really shrugs off the icy tendrils

[@blubblubwhat]

I wonder if u werent persuaded of the bannerspeer quarter of your brain to pick the mouve an enemy or push an enemy card so she could perfect her formations?

[@phoenicksgaming]

Very good point! I often had the BS work around the Drill but the occasional manipulation was a nice addition

[@blubblubwhat]

Drill baby drill

[@abigailleavitt5839]

A+ Thumbnail

[@adavies425]

I feel like they really want you to play this character with trapper

[@phoenicksgaming]

Fun shoving times!