[SIZE=12pt]PLEASE READ[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]This is a guide I wrote some time ago on the old forums, a lot of changes were made to the game since the latest revision so there's still a lot of information to be added or edited. However, if you're having trouble beating Doctor Lash then this guide is for you. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Feel free to point out any errors, share your strats (if viable and legitimate, they will be added and credit will be given).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]08/13/15 – Release of 0.5.55 build, Lavel cap was increased to 8, Concussive shot was hit with the nerf bat. In the balls. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]08/09/15 – Release of 0.5.54 build, some special abilities of Smuggler and Tech specialist were improved.
07/21/15 - Release of 0.5.51 build, Lash is now immune to disarm and Concussive Shot was nerfed.[/SIZE]
07/16/15 - Added Smuggler normal victory strategy
07/15/15 – Added some Lust Victory strategies
[Enemy]
Doctor Lash
Level: 15
Shields: 725
Health: 400
Starting lust: 1
Armor: 25
Resistances:
Drugs: 80%
Tease: 85% (although teases practically don’t work)
Weapons:
6 Plasma pistols:
Damage: (*)
1 Electric
30 Burning
Accuracy: -1 (Lash hits you about 95% of the time normally, a bit less if your character is a Smuggler)
Critical bonus: +5 (Doesn’t matter – enemies don’t crit)
These have a chance of inflicting burn damage over time (1 hp per turn for 4 turns)
*Taken from wiki. The actual damage Lash does to you seems heavily dependent on your Electric as well as Burning resistance, so these values might be inaccurate.
[Reward]
999999 credits + maxes out your XP
[Things that help]
Goozooka – created by Anno for giving her the MK.VII Goovolver and 1000 credits (or giving 1000 + <Goovolver’s price> credits) – works as a free special ability (consumes Gray Goo vials instead of energy); haven’t missed with it yet, does 5 lust damage per use, great as a finisher.
Lightning Duster – can be bought from Ellie on New Texas – grants 100% resistance to Electric damage, which greatly reduces damage taken from plasma pistols, should they hit you. (Damage test results: Smuggler character with Duster/Goo Armor (special inactive)/Thermal Underpants/Crystal Coated status = 14 health damage per hit; same without Duster = 26 health damage per hit).
Myr bow – can be bought from Anarrie and at the Survival Shop in Kressia on Myrellion – pretty much the only viable weapon for defeating Lash with lust damage (unless you're a Smuggler with Quickdraw). Does 5 lust damage and low physical damage. You’re going to hit Lash about 80% of the time with it but don’t be surprised if you get a long streak of misses.
[SIZE=12pt]Royal Shard Bow [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] [/SIZE]- obtainable from the Queen of the Deep Lake after you defeat her – direct upgrade from the Myr bow, it sometimes deals 6 lust damage instead of 5 to Lash.
Suit of Gray Goo Armor – obtainable after completing Anno’s quest on Tarkus by agreeing to create new bodies for Nova crew; talk to Anno about “Nova Update” then go to Deck 13, go to the north and you should get an option to create goo – +6 armor and +25% burning damage resistance are the main reasons for picking up this armor, it also gives you a special ability to create a small goo girl which will deal 1 lust damage to Lash per turn, speeding up the fight a bit. However, using this ability will also lower your armor rating which, even with the rest of the gear, will make it possible for Lash to kill Tech Specialists in one turn (same Smuggler character, Duster /Thermal Underpants/Active Goo Armor/Crystal Coated status = 19 health damage). The choise is yours. Since the addidtion of the Myrellion dungeon you can upgrade this armor by defeating the Goo Incubator while wearing your Gray Goo Armor.
Thermal Underwear - can be purchased from Anarrie at the Survival Shop in Kressia on Myrellion - +25% burning damage resistance, pretty straightforward (same Smuggler character, Duster/NO Thermal Underpants/inactive Goo Armor/Crystal Coated status = 24 health damage).
Vial of Gray Microbots – can be purchased from Anno or acquired from Gray Goo Girls if your intelligence is high enough or if your character is a Tech specialist - works as ammo for the Goozooka, can also be used once per fight to restore 40 hp, it’s good to have a full stack of them, more of them are probably a waste of space unless you’re going to try to use Goozooka instead of normal Myr bow attacks.
Zil Honey - can be collected, with consent (or not), from female zil in the jungles of Mhen'ga – restores 35 energy per use and can be used as much as you want, you can use these if you happen to have some but Gold Myr Nectar is better.
[SIZE=12pt]Thermos of Gold Myr nectar [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]– can be bought from from Asennia in Gildenmere, Myrellion – better version of Zil Honey, it restores 55 points of energy per use and can be used as many times as you want in combat, you’ll want to have a stack of it in case the fight is too long.
Crystal Shard[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] - can be bought from Seifyn at the Trading Post in the Deep Caverns, Myrellion – Can be used before the fight to increase your armor by 4 by giving you “Crystal Coated” status for 20 hours. This effect cannot be stacked.
Tanis’ Bow – can be acquired from Tanis on Mhen'ga when you train with him enough times – easily the best weapon for dealing with Doctor Lash the hard way. My Smuggler deals 35 shield damage or 17 health damage per normal hit, however these values increase greatly when you have Aimed Shot and Concussive Arrows perks (43/31 with Aimed shot x1; 54/41 with Aimed shot x1 while using Concussive Arrow; That was before the Aimed Shot buff).
Royal Nectar status – gained from Queen Irellia in Gildenmere, Myrellion by using “Treat” option, available after completing her quest – increases your max energy to 140, makes Mercenary’s Second Wind regenerate 70 points of energy, instead of 50. At level 8 this status gives you 173 max energy total.
[Things that don’t help] (too much)
Means of regenerating shields or shields in general – The plasma shots are so powerful against shields that they go down very fast no matter what, so don’t waste turns or energy trying to regenerate them. Still, if you want to take a bit less health damage from the first shot, get a Reaper Armaments Mk I shield from the Myrellion dungeon by defeating the Nyrean princess or by killing Queen Taivra.
Piercing weaponry – You might think that with Doctor’s 25 armor it might be a good idea to use these, however the Hammer Holdout Pistol, which possesses the “piercing” damage tag, does laughable 3 health damage per normal hit when used by my Smuggler (17 with Aimed shot x1; pre-buff).
Vanae Milk Squirt – I’ve tried a lot but I couldn’t get one hit with it.
[Untested stuff]
Transparent Zipsuit (could be better than inactive Goo Armor, nice resistances), Mimbranes, I also have no idea if Royal Nectar improves Smuggler’s Burst of Energy since I use the Smuggled Stimulant. SecureMP on Merc with Rapid Fire for a normal victory strat.
[Tactics and perk selection]
The only things Lash does during combat is try to obliterate you with his pistols and say “goodbye”. Following sections contain tips for all classes that will help minimize the risk of him doing at least one of these things (when I’m done writing them).
[Lust Victory]
There's one tactic that every class can utilize. There’s not much to it, you need the Myr bow/Royal Shard Bow, Concussive Arrows perk, about a stack of Zil Honey/Gold Myr Nectar, some Gray Goo and as much defense and resistances as you can get.
Before fighting Lash, get Royal Nectar status from Irellia and use a Crystal Shard.
Start the fight with Concussive Arrow, if it stuns, you can activate Goo Armor’s special ability and fire normal arrows or Goozooka. The stun effect of concussive arrows lasts for 2-4 turns including the one used for firing them. When Lash recovers, just stun him again and fire away.
Repeat until victory. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]When your Energy is down to 60-70 and Lash is stunned and still in good state, use Zil Honey or Energy regenerating abilities, if you have them. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That was the case before the nerfs to the Concussive Shot, now it has a smaller chance of stunning vs Lash and only stuns for 1-2 turns which means that even if you do stun him, you may have to fire a Concussive Shot again if you don’t want to get hit. On the plus side, you can pick the Second Shot perk at level 8 and get a chance to hit him twice with a normal attack in a single turn. It’s still possible to beat Lash using this method but it has become even more luck and energy dependant.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][Mercenaries] can use Take Cover instead of Concussive Arrows, so they don’t have to rely on their accuracy with the bow, it is the easiest way to beat Lash right now. You could use both abilities so that at least one of their effects is in play all the time. That would be the safest method, however, it’s very energy-consuming, so you’d need to have more Zil Honey stacks. Using Rapid Fire on stunned Lash may be a viable option but I have not tested its accuracy yet as my Mercenary doesn’t have it. Headbutt has a high chance of connecting, but low chance of stunning. Riposte doesn’t work with ranged weapons and grants less evasion chance than Take Cover. Concentrate Fire doesn’t seem to work with with lust damage from the Myr bow (but it’s a way better perk than Cleave IMO). Finally, Second Wind is a great special to use when both your Health and Energy is low.
[Smuggler]’s Stealth Field Generator isn’t nearly as good as Take Cover in this fight because it only lasts 2 turns (3 since ver.0.5.54; now a viable option),a much better way to stop Lash’s attacks is to use Disarming Shot, a perk of the same level. If successful, it completely disarms Lash for 4 turns, again, including the turn it’s used. The only advantage the Concussive Arrow has over this is that it applies the lust damage from Myr bow, while Disarming shot doesn’t (No longer viable since Lash has become immune to disarms). Quickdraw enables you to change weapons without spending a turn, which means you could use Concussive Arrow to stun Lash, switch to the Goovolver if you find it to be more accurate (I didn’t test its accuracy) and switch back to the bow to stun Lash again. Both level 7 perks are good for regenerating your energy. Aimed Shot does not provide a bonus to Lust damage from the Myr bow. Gas grenades are not tested out yet. Shoot First perk does not work when Concussive Arrow is used on the first turn but you should use CA first anyway.
[Tech Specialist] is the hardest class to fight Lash with, I think. Even the best shield will go down in one or two hits, depending on your level two perk and Tech’s low max HP value makes it possible for Doctor to kill him/her in one turn if you activate the Goo Armor’s ability.(No longer the case in ver.0.5.55 and later - level cap was increased to 8 and Tech's can now survive more than 6 hits in that scenario)Another big disadvantage for Techs is that their Weapon Hack ability doesn’t work with plasma pistols for whatever reason (that was a bug, but Lash was given immunity to disarm anyway). They do have a little bit more accuracy thanks to their level 7 perk, though. Paralyzing Shock can paralyze Lash for a few turns, but it’s success rate against Lash is very low.
[Normal Victory]
For now, the only class I’ve managed to get a normal victory with is Smuggler. I might try to find ways for other classes later.
[Smuggler]
The strategy involves stunlocking Doctor Lash with Concussive Arrows from Tanis' bow and using normal arrow shots while he's stunned. Both of these attacks' damage is boosted by Aimed Shot perk. The damage will be further improved if you also blind Lash with your starter ability - Pocket Sand, however, the chance of it working against him is very low and it's very hard to keep both statuses up, so I wouldn't bother. The effectiveness of Flashbangs (which can be bought from Anno if she is fired from Steele Tech) or Grenades is untested at this moment. Tips about defense and the rest of Smuggler's perks also apply here.
[Final tips]
Make sure that Lash is stunned or you’re taking cover as a Mercenary before attacking, unless you’re certain that you can take him out this turn.
The 1 Lust damage per turn from Goo Armor’s special ability is applied AFTER Doctor Lash’s actions.
Keep in mind that, at least in current version of TiTS, even if you are as prepared as you can be, it can take a lot of tries to defeat Lash, so stay strong and don’t give up! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]This is a guide I wrote some time ago on the old forums, a lot of changes were made to the game since the latest revision so there's still a lot of information to be added or edited. However, if you're having trouble beating Doctor Lash then this guide is for you. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Feel free to point out any errors, share your strats (if viable and legitimate, they will be added and credit will be given).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]08/13/15 – Release of 0.5.55 build, Lavel cap was increased to 8, Concussive shot was hit with the nerf bat. In the balls. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]08/09/15 – Release of 0.5.54 build, some special abilities of Smuggler and Tech specialist were improved.
07/21/15 - Release of 0.5.51 build, Lash is now immune to disarm and Concussive Shot was nerfed.[/SIZE]
07/16/15 - Added Smuggler normal victory strategy
07/15/15 – Added some Lust Victory strategies
[Enemy]
Doctor Lash
Level: 15
Shields: 725
Health: 400
Starting lust: 1
Armor: 25
Resistances:
Drugs: 80%
Tease: 85% (although teases practically don’t work)
Weapons:
6 Plasma pistols:
Damage: (*)
1 Electric
30 Burning
Accuracy: -1 (Lash hits you about 95% of the time normally, a bit less if your character is a Smuggler)
Critical bonus: +5 (Doesn’t matter – enemies don’t crit)
These have a chance of inflicting burn damage over time (1 hp per turn for 4 turns)
*Taken from wiki. The actual damage Lash does to you seems heavily dependent on your Electric as well as Burning resistance, so these values might be inaccurate.
[Reward]
999999 credits + maxes out your XP
[Things that help]
Goozooka – created by Anno for giving her the MK.VII Goovolver and 1000 credits (or giving 1000 + <Goovolver’s price> credits) – works as a free special ability (consumes Gray Goo vials instead of energy); haven’t missed with it yet, does 5 lust damage per use, great as a finisher.
Lightning Duster – can be bought from Ellie on New Texas – grants 100% resistance to Electric damage, which greatly reduces damage taken from plasma pistols, should they hit you. (Damage test results: Smuggler character with Duster/Goo Armor (special inactive)/Thermal Underpants/Crystal Coated status = 14 health damage per hit; same without Duster = 26 health damage per hit).
Myr bow – can be bought from Anarrie and at the Survival Shop in Kressia on Myrellion – pretty much the only viable weapon for defeating Lash with lust damage (unless you're a Smuggler with Quickdraw). Does 5 lust damage and low physical damage. You’re going to hit Lash about 80% of the time with it but don’t be surprised if you get a long streak of misses.
[SIZE=12pt]Royal Shard Bow [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] [/SIZE]- obtainable from the Queen of the Deep Lake after you defeat her – direct upgrade from the Myr bow, it sometimes deals 6 lust damage instead of 5 to Lash.
Suit of Gray Goo Armor – obtainable after completing Anno’s quest on Tarkus by agreeing to create new bodies for Nova crew; talk to Anno about “Nova Update” then go to Deck 13, go to the north and you should get an option to create goo – +6 armor and +25% burning damage resistance are the main reasons for picking up this armor, it also gives you a special ability to create a small goo girl which will deal 1 lust damage to Lash per turn, speeding up the fight a bit. However, using this ability will also lower your armor rating which, even with the rest of the gear, will make it possible for Lash to kill Tech Specialists in one turn (same Smuggler character, Duster /Thermal Underpants/Active Goo Armor/Crystal Coated status = 19 health damage). The choise is yours. Since the addidtion of the Myrellion dungeon you can upgrade this armor by defeating the Goo Incubator while wearing your Gray Goo Armor.
Thermal Underwear - can be purchased from Anarrie at the Survival Shop in Kressia on Myrellion - +25% burning damage resistance, pretty straightforward (same Smuggler character, Duster/NO Thermal Underpants/inactive Goo Armor/Crystal Coated status = 24 health damage).
Vial of Gray Microbots – can be purchased from Anno or acquired from Gray Goo Girls if your intelligence is high enough or if your character is a Tech specialist - works as ammo for the Goozooka, can also be used once per fight to restore 40 hp, it’s good to have a full stack of them, more of them are probably a waste of space unless you’re going to try to use Goozooka instead of normal Myr bow attacks.
Zil Honey - can be collected, with consent (or not), from female zil in the jungles of Mhen'ga – restores 35 energy per use and can be used as much as you want, you can use these if you happen to have some but Gold Myr Nectar is better.
[SIZE=12pt]Thermos of Gold Myr nectar [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]– can be bought from from Asennia in Gildenmere, Myrellion – better version of Zil Honey, it restores 55 points of energy per use and can be used as many times as you want in combat, you’ll want to have a stack of it in case the fight is too long.
Crystal Shard[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] - can be bought from Seifyn at the Trading Post in the Deep Caverns, Myrellion – Can be used before the fight to increase your armor by 4 by giving you “Crystal Coated” status for 20 hours. This effect cannot be stacked.
Tanis’ Bow – can be acquired from Tanis on Mhen'ga when you train with him enough times – easily the best weapon for dealing with Doctor Lash the hard way. My Smuggler deals 35 shield damage or 17 health damage per normal hit, however these values increase greatly when you have Aimed Shot and Concussive Arrows perks (43/31 with Aimed shot x1; 54/41 with Aimed shot x1 while using Concussive Arrow; That was before the Aimed Shot buff).
Royal Nectar status – gained from Queen Irellia in Gildenmere, Myrellion by using “Treat” option, available after completing her quest – increases your max energy to 140, makes Mercenary’s Second Wind regenerate 70 points of energy, instead of 50. At level 8 this status gives you 173 max energy total.
[Things that don’t help] (too much)
Means of regenerating shields or shields in general – The plasma shots are so powerful against shields that they go down very fast no matter what, so don’t waste turns or energy trying to regenerate them. Still, if you want to take a bit less health damage from the first shot, get a Reaper Armaments Mk I shield from the Myrellion dungeon by defeating the Nyrean princess or by killing Queen Taivra.
Piercing weaponry – You might think that with Doctor’s 25 armor it might be a good idea to use these, however the Hammer Holdout Pistol, which possesses the “piercing” damage tag, does laughable 3 health damage per normal hit when used by my Smuggler (17 with Aimed shot x1; pre-buff).
Vanae Milk Squirt – I’ve tried a lot but I couldn’t get one hit with it.
[Untested stuff]
Transparent Zipsuit (could be better than inactive Goo Armor, nice resistances), Mimbranes, I also have no idea if Royal Nectar improves Smuggler’s Burst of Energy since I use the Smuggled Stimulant. SecureMP on Merc with Rapid Fire for a normal victory strat.
[Tactics and perk selection]
The only things Lash does during combat is try to obliterate you with his pistols and say “goodbye”. Following sections contain tips for all classes that will help minimize the risk of him doing at least one of these things (when I’m done writing them).
[Lust Victory]
There's one tactic that every class can utilize. There’s not much to it, you need the Myr bow/Royal Shard Bow, Concussive Arrows perk, about a stack of Zil Honey/Gold Myr Nectar, some Gray Goo and as much defense and resistances as you can get.
Before fighting Lash, get Royal Nectar status from Irellia and use a Crystal Shard.
Start the fight with Concussive Arrow, if it stuns, you can activate Goo Armor’s special ability and fire normal arrows or Goozooka. The stun effect of concussive arrows lasts for 2-4 turns including the one used for firing them. When Lash recovers, just stun him again and fire away.
Repeat until victory. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]When your Energy is down to 60-70 and Lash is stunned and still in good state, use Zil Honey or Energy regenerating abilities, if you have them. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That was the case before the nerfs to the Concussive Shot, now it has a smaller chance of stunning vs Lash and only stuns for 1-2 turns which means that even if you do stun him, you may have to fire a Concussive Shot again if you don’t want to get hit. On the plus side, you can pick the Second Shot perk at level 8 and get a chance to hit him twice with a normal attack in a single turn. It’s still possible to beat Lash using this method but it has become even more luck and energy dependant.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][Mercenaries] can use Take Cover instead of Concussive Arrows, so they don’t have to rely on their accuracy with the bow, it is the easiest way to beat Lash right now. You could use both abilities so that at least one of their effects is in play all the time. That would be the safest method, however, it’s very energy-consuming, so you’d need to have more Zil Honey stacks. Using Rapid Fire on stunned Lash may be a viable option but I have not tested its accuracy yet as my Mercenary doesn’t have it. Headbutt has a high chance of connecting, but low chance of stunning. Riposte doesn’t work with ranged weapons and grants less evasion chance than Take Cover. Concentrate Fire doesn’t seem to work with with lust damage from the Myr bow (but it’s a way better perk than Cleave IMO). Finally, Second Wind is a great special to use when both your Health and Energy is low.
[Smuggler]’s Stealth Field Generator isn’t nearly as good as Take Cover in this fight because it only lasts 2 turns (3 since ver.0.5.54; now a viable option),
[Tech Specialist] is the hardest class to fight Lash with, I think. Even the best shield will go down in one or two hits, depending on your level two perk and Tech’s low max HP value makes it possible for Doctor to kill him/her in one turn if you activate the Goo Armor’s ability.(No longer the case in ver.0.5.55 and later - level cap was increased to 8 and Tech's can now survive more than 6 hits in that scenario)
[Normal Victory]
For now, the only class I’ve managed to get a normal victory with is Smuggler. I might try to find ways for other classes later.
[Smuggler]
The strategy involves stunlocking Doctor Lash with Concussive Arrows from Tanis' bow and using normal arrow shots while he's stunned. Both of these attacks' damage is boosted by Aimed Shot perk. The damage will be further improved if you also blind Lash with your starter ability - Pocket Sand, however, the chance of it working against him is very low and it's very hard to keep both statuses up, so I wouldn't bother. The effectiveness of Flashbangs (which can be bought from Anno if she is fired from Steele Tech) or Grenades is untested at this moment. Tips about defense and the rest of Smuggler's perks also apply here.
[Final tips]
Make sure that Lash is stunned or you’re taking cover as a Mercenary before attacking, unless you’re certain that you can take him out this turn.
The 1 Lust damage per turn from Goo Armor’s special ability is applied AFTER Doctor Lash’s actions.
Keep in mind that, at least in current version of TiTS, even if you are as prepared as you can be, it can take a lot of tries to defeat Lash, so stay strong and don’t give up! [/SIZE]
