The Skullblade doesn’t seem to hit two enemies all the time. Even when there are only two enemies left. And sometimes, even though it says ‘first two enemies’ it will hit the first enemy and the last enemy. So it doesn’t even match that part of the description some times.
I’m on PS4 version.
Still doesn’t work properly even after the patch.
This is probably a dumb question, but when it hits the troops in the first and fourth spot, are there other troops in the second and third slot, or are they empty? If there are no other troops in those spots, it would default to the first two troops on the list, that is, the first and fourth.
Yes there are troops in between them. The more annoying thing is when the last two enemies are below a certain health level it doesn’t hit both, only one.
Hm. I was afraid of that. Have you submitted a ticket to Customer Support?
You can do that here: https://support.505games.com/support/solutions/folders/6000149221
They usually respond pretty quickly, and are especially good at solving inexplicable technical issues.
This is a bug that has always existed on console. I submitted a ticket for it long ago with a YouTube video. I’ll edit with the video clips later.
The same bug plagues the Reaver troop as well.
Here is what is happening: when the ability is cast, if the damage would kill the first target, the second set of damage skips the next troop and applies it to the one after.
So, if the damage is supposed to apply to troop N and N+1 but will be lethal for troop N, the damage is applied to troop N and N+2 instead. If the damage is not lethal for troop N, the damage is applied as expected to N and N+1.
Another issue with this bug is if there is not an N+2 troop to apply damage to (in the lethal N case), damage is only applied to N.
EDIT: @Nex Here are four examples of the bug from early December. As far as I’ve seen, it still acts this way today.
I’ve also created a ticket a long time ago, haven’t heard anything new though. Any news on the topic concerning a fix?
After a bit more digging, it seems that this isn’t a bug.
Here’s how it works, in handy bullet list format:
Skullblade has a description which reads, “Deal [0+Magic] damage to the first 2 enemies, and remove all Skulls to boost the effect.”
Effectively, this means that Skullblade applies damage to the first and second troops on your enemy’s team.
If that first troop doesn’t die, things work out as you’d assume: The first two troops in the list receive damage.
However, if that first troop dies it immediately alters the order of the list. Suddenly, the second troop on the list is the troop that was previously the third troop for purposes of added damage.
This is why Skullblade’s additional damage hits the troop in the third slot after it kills the troop in the first slot, but not if that first troop remains alive.
Thanks for the reply, Nex. This actually makes sense. But how come the weapon doesn’t always strike 2 opponents. Even if the first in line won’t die, Skullblade sometimes will only hit that one enemy instead of 2. Granted, I haven’t used Skullblade for some time now (at least not since the new 1.08 console patch), so I’ll check it out tonight and give a feedback.
You need to think like a programmer. Skullblade’s ability is:
So if there are only two troops, and step 1 kill the first troop, the second ability will say “There is no second troop for me to hit!” and fizzle. Similarly, if there are 3 troops left when cast and the first step kills the first troop, then the second ability will look at the board and hit the “second” troop - which was originally the third.
The point is that the weapon selects which troop is “second” only after dealing the first piece of damage. This is the same reason Druid / Hobgoblin can hit the same troop twice, and why Knight Coronet hits the same troop twice. It’s also the root of the frenzy / split damage bug. In GoW things happen one at a time. That’s how the system processes spells.
At least on consoles, anyways.
The PC/Mobile version actually processes spells like Skullblade and Reaver’s before activating them.
But this sort of mindset would probably be something to keep in mind while playing on PS4/XB1.
Thanks for the reply, Mr. Strange. After testing around yesterday I came to the same conclusion, but it’s good to have it confirmed. As long as the first enemy being hit doesn’t die, the enemy just under it will be hit as well. I also tested this with the first 2 enemies already dead. It hits the 3rd, they don’t die, the 4th will be hit as well. If the 3rd enemy dies, the 4th will not be attacked.
This makes sense, but means that the weapon description is not 100% accurate. Would be cool to adapt (the description lets you think it always hits 2 enemies).