Tabitha FAQ 1.21
January 2008
Copyright 2008 Christmas C. Gonzales (
[email protected])
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Table of Contents
=================
1. Version History
2. Introduction
3. Introduction to Tabitha/Larissa
4. Statistics
5. Tabitha's Abilities In-Depth
6. Factors to Strategy
7. General Strategies
8. Countering Tabitha/Larissa
9. Tabitha/Larissa vs Other COs
10. Opinions on Tabitha/Larissa
11. Legal Information
12. Credits
13. Email Information
==================
1. Version History
==================
1.0 First version submitted to GFAQs (1/24/08)
1.10 Little fixes in typos and corrections (1/24/08)
1.15 More fixes and tidbits upon joining units and Sarcasteak's
suggestions. (1/25/08)
1.21 More fixes and Added EU data. (1/25/08)
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2. Introduction
===============
This guide is an FAQ made to inform players about Tabitha. She is known as
Larissa in the EU version or Advance Wars: Dark Conflict. This guide is about
her powers, usefulness and vain self. It'll explain why she's a deadly force
to be reckoned with. Basics of the new formulae would be beneficial to your
understanding as the Advance Wars game has changed dramatically in terms
of damage and unit usage.
Bear with me if there are some mistakes or if things look a bit odd. I'm
still working out on finding every bit of data that is unavailable as of now
for this character guide.
***Spoilers*** are possible within the guide as she's not introduced until
late in the game, and thus, I recommend you know who this character is before
reading the introduction of her character.
==================================
3. Introduction to Tabitha/Larissa
==================================
Who is Tabitha? She is CO that is a clone of her father's DNA,
Caulder/Stolos(EU). Tabitha is very conceited in nature and finds herself to be
powerful with the CO power to back it up. She rivals her father by being near
broken in terms of powers and day-to-day abilities. She has a gothic style of
fashion mixed with girlish youth by mixing clothing and hairstyle with ribbons
and pigtails. She acts childish at times but isn't afraid to enslave someone
to her will. She obviously loves to see herself above others but only
has machines to do so. Although, she does attempt to bend Will/Ed(EU) to her
will as well.
Name: Tabitha/Larissa(EU)
Faction: Intelligent Research Systems
Skills:
CO Effect=
CO Zone: 0
Boosts: All units
Effect: Attack Up *****
Defense Up *****
CO Power: Firestorm
Damages units over a wide area.
-She launches a purple fireball attack that does 8 damage to any units hit.
The impact range is 2 from the impact point. The = sign is where the
Firestorm impacts and the Xs are the range it also hits. The target of the
Firestorm appears to be random, but it likely goes after the most damage
in terms of Funds. In other words, it is more likely to hit more expensive
units. I've done multiple tests and it always went for the most funds damage.
This bomb of course, doesn't destroy units, it'll only lower them to 1 hp.
OOXOO
OXXXO
XX=XX
OXXXO
OOXOO
Tabitha is nearly unique with comparisons to a past character like Sturm.
She does have a similar power to him from the old games. Enough of the
comparisons though, no other CO has a power with a missile in this Advance
Wars planet. Unfortuntely, her CO Zone and boosts are basically just attack
defense bonuses which most COs have only that hers is very high but with no
extended range to start. This results in it being fairly difficult to
raise her COP to max.
Unlocking Tabitha/Larissa:
Unlocking Tabitha/Larissa is fairly easy, just requiring that you complete
Mission 25 of the Campaign mode. Afterwards, you can wreck havoc upon people
in wi-fi and computers with a conceited Gothic dressing girl.
=============
4. Statistics
=============
Tabitha is 180/180 in her unit, then 160/160% in her CO Zone:
The reason for this is because normal CO Zones always give a 10/10% bonus.
Then her normal COZ is 50/50%
Then we have Veteran boosts which is known as 20/20%. Other units can reach
Veteran status, but you'll have to get 3 kills with that unit and keep it
alive to maintain the benefit.
In past games, Defense worked differently and was known as being "absolute."
In Days of Ruin, Defense bonuses work different and have been nerfed to
give 5% per defense * terrain.
Infantry with Tabita or her CO Zone(COZ):
Roads:
Infantry w/Tabitha(99%) v Infantry
Result: 10 v Destoyed
Infantry(30%) v Infantry w/Tabitha
Result: 4 v 7
Infantry w/COZ(88%) v Infantry
Result: 10 v 2
Infantry(34%) v Infantry w/COZ
Result: 4 v 7
In normal conditions, Infantry have 55% against others.With a result of 5 to
8, or 4 to 8.
War Tank w/Tabitha(99%) v War Tank
Result: 10 v Destroyed
War Tank(30%) v War Tank w/Tabitha
Result: 4 v 7
War Tank w/COZ(88%) v War Tank
Result: 10 v 1
War Tank(34%) v War Tank w/COZ
Result: 4 v 7
Normally, It is 55%. With a result of 5 to 8, or 4 to 8.
According to this data, 80% more attack makes sense.
80% of 55% is 44%, so 55%+44% = 99%
Then we have COZ: 60% of 55% is 33%, and thus 55%+33%= 88%
Although % exists on Defense, it is much lower since the difference was 4%
between the COZ and Tabitha boosts.
34% from 55% is a difference of 21%.
However, the result is a 7 left from the hit. So the effectiveness is
about nearly cutting the damage in half or 40%. We can assume 200% is 50%
off, and still absolute but just not as game-breaking as previous titles.
The defense formulae has changed drastically, but any less damage you take
is still beneficial.
Another factor to note is that Tabitha in a unit isn't unique to herself. It
is just a unit that's been auto-promoted to Veteran (Ace in EU) level. Other
units can be promoted to Veteran level, but only if they destroy 3 units.
Then, if these units are within Tabitha's COZ. You can virtually have a
mini army of Tabithas!
*Defense is a complicated formula still, as Waylon can push 400% defense,
but this bonus only cuts damage to a fourth of their original strength.
===============================
5. Tabitha's Abilities In-Depth
===============================
Tabitha's COZ and Power is amazing.
Her COZ only affects her own unit for a while but can be raised to a max
range of 2 after doing 60 hp of damage with her unit or other units.
This can easily become a wall of 14 units around her with 160/160+ boosts.
It is difficult to take on an army that is very healthy and has huge bonuses.
Even Anti-airs will have trouble stopping Bombers since the boosts can
1 shot many anti-airs with ease.
During her COP, a Firestorm hits a group of enemy units that can cripple
them to uselessness. Also, all her units get the boosts of her COZ for that
turn and her opponent's next turn. So, if some enemy units aren't hit
by the Firestorm, you can still used your beefed up units to maul.
======================
6. Factors to Strategy
======================
The main problem with Tabitha is her non-existant CO Zone (COZ). Starting
with 0 and maxing out at 2. This can take a while depending on what unit
Tabitha is put in and how many targets you'll be able to hit to charge it.
After you get a COZ of 1, you have greater chances to raise the power to max.
It is problematic though, that position is a key element in being able to
charge, and in most situations your opponent will not like to help you
charge your power. Against a veteran opponent it will be unlikely you'll
find many chances to charge your power.
After you max it out though, you almost have victory in your hands as you'll
have a strong force and a chance to wipe out a force of your enemy's.
If your opponent disperses, it is likely you'll have a stronger chance of
winning normally. As a dispersed force will have trouble stopping your
wall of strength.
Veteran units play a role since they are set apart from fresh units as being
strong and can be as strong as Tabitha when near her for her COZ. Quantity
is a preferred thing to have over your opponent, but quality is also essential
as a strong unit can easily hold off many fresh units. A Tabitha or Tabitha
-like unit can handle counter attacks with ease and nearly shrug off the
damage when in a city.
=====================
7. General Strategies
=====================
The first thing is to decide what unit to put Tabitha in. In small maps, her
being in an infantry based unit, or Bike can be a huge advantage. It'll
make your opponent struggle to stop her infantry from capturing, even if
they attack first, and infantry are likely to be the most common unit.
If it is bigger, a tank may be a better choice, or anti-air.
If its a large map, with air or naval capabilities the other options would
be to select a Sub/Battleship/Seaplane, or Duster/fighter/Bomber. The reason
for this is ease of movement and destruction to raise her power faster.
I personally like Duster for having many targets to attack, but you're stuck
to destroying only fighters, bombers, copters and infantry units.
In some situations, I like to use indirects or an anti-tank.
Remember that it takes 60 hp damage to charge a COZ to full, while it takes
30 hp damage to fill the first bar. After you do 30, you can position her
for better chances to charge.
Next, positioning. In small maps, it is nearly impossible to get enough
charge to worry about this, but in bigger maps, surrounding her unit to
protect it is fairly easy, as infantry or anything can block another unit
from moving closer to attempt to destroy her.
Although leading the charge with her is best at some situations, it isn't
always great to do when running into the dark. As she can still be killed
if given two strong hits.
If you prefer to use indirects, you can easily charge her up as long as
you can position her carefully. Turtling will likely be the main strategy
you use, though.
It is either a fast game with Tabitha or a slow and steady game.
You either take advntange of her infantry strength to get a critical
chokepoint, or you turtle her and her units towards the enemy's camp to win.
In Predeploys, I personally say it is nearly impossible to use her, but her
in any unit can be a great help, especially for the same strategies.
A weakened CO unit is asking for trouble, unless you love taking risks or
have many units left over to shield Tabitha. However, it is usually beneficial
to Join her with another unit to keep her at max health. A healthy Tabitha
results in an annoyed opponent that wishes to kill her and higher chances
of raising her CO bar to max.
Also, be sure to keep any other vet units healthy, as they have potential to
be as strong as Tabitha herself.
=============================
8. Countering Tabitha/Larissa
=============================
Best way to Counter Tabitha is to ensure she's never used. Keep the enemy
low on funds and keep on pressure or to ensure you have two heavy hitters
available to move on her specified unit after you expose her.
There isn't much else to say as it is difficult to counter her unit after
it gets onto the field w/o busting out more units or boxing her in to
destroy it.
It is virtully impossible to box her in though unless it is an infantry.
Although if you do block her in far away from other units and it can't get
out, keep her there rather than destroying it!
===============================
9. Tabitha/Larissa vs Other COs
===============================
Tabitha has a huge advantage over many COs as she gets virtually everyone's
Normal attack/defense boosts from their respective COZs except for Caulder.
She's effective against every other CO and can rival, if not surpass their
advantages. However, the start with a COZ of 0 can be a huge detriment if
your opponent is very good at bringing out their own CO to counter yours.
===============================
10. Opinions on Tabitha/Larissa
===============================
Tabitha is a great CO with near broken-ness advantages but still balanced
by the fact she can only affect 1 unit for a majority of the time. She is
similar to a Queen unit in Chess: extremely powerful, but only if used
properly.
She is also a character that many will like simply for her wardrobe and
snooty attitude, if not just for her near-broken prowess.
=====================
11. Legal Information
=====================
This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission from me only. Use of
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the Author, or any site hosting this document is liable for any damage you
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connection arising from the use of informationprovided in this document.
You can find the latest version of this FAQ at GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com).
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
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12. Credits
===========
GameFAQs- for their site to host this.
Intelligent Systems- for releasing this game and for changing the mechanics
to a more balanced form.
Sarcasteak- For his helpful criticism, opinion, and helping with corrections.
=====================
13. Email Information
=====================
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