Mastering the Colossal Titan Raid
The introduction of the Colossal Titan Raid is the centerpiece of Update 4. This encounter is split into two distinct phases, demanding both coordination and strategic use of your surroundings.
In the first phase, your primary objective is to defend Eren while stalling the Colossal Titan. The Titan slowly advances toward the wall; notably, it is immune to standard ODM gear attacks during this phase. Instead, you must operate the newly added cannons on top of the wall to whittle its health down to 50%. Community reports suggest this is nearly impossible to complete solo, making it a mandatory team effort.
In the second phase, the strategy shifts to close-quarters combat. You must engage the Colossal Titan directly, with damage exclusively focused on its nape. Success here requires precise mobility, as the boss's sheer scale can easily overwhelm disorganized groups.
Understanding the Colossal Titan Shifter
The Colossal Titan has arrived as a playable Shifter, bringing a unique playstyle focused on high-damage output and area-of-effect (AOE) capabilities.
Shifter Skills & Passives
Basic Abilities
- Footstep (M1): Replaces traditional punching with a stomp mechanic, instantly killing mindless titans.
- Swipe (M2): Standard horizontal attack.
- Eject: Allows you to exit the form; now includes a percentage chance to recover health and gas/blades.
Mastery & Resonance
- The Titan utilizes a unique shifting tree where damage scales significantly with levels.
- Steam Ability: Upgrading resonance allows the Titan to emit damaging steam at the cost of its own health, creating a "high-risk, high-reward" dynamic.
The Colossal Titan is ideal for raids where burst damage is critical. However, be aware of its "run time" limitation—it is not built for extended missions. Its movement speed is intentionally sluggish, making it a heavy-hitter that trades agility for raw power.
The Waves Game Mode: Rogue-like Progression
The new Waves mode offers a refreshing departure from standard raid and mission loops. In this mode, you defend the Trost base from infinitely scaling waves of titans.
- Initial Setup: You start with minimal stats and perks, effectively resetting your power level for the run.
- Resource Management: Earn Gold by killing titans or surviving waves to upgrade your base stats (health, regen) and personal performance.
- The Crate System: Periodically, a crate marked with your avatar icon spawns. Retrieve this to earn random skills, artifacts, or upgrades.
- Currency Exchange: Gold earned during the mode can be converted into "Shards" (20,000 Gold = 1 Shard), which are used for high-tier rewards like Ascendant or Lazurite tickets.
As a piece of community advice, treat this mode as a rogue-like. Prioritize upgrades that boost your gold acquisition early on, as this creates a snowball effect for your base’s longevity in later waves.
Significant Balance and Quality-of-Life Changes
Update 4 brings a sweeping array of adjustments aimed at refining the player experience.
Key Combat Adjustments
- Status Effects: Burn and Stun effects now stack, allowing for more strategic build-crafting.
- Thunder Spears: These now deal 20% increased damage to titan shields, making them a more viable tool for high-difficulty encounters.
- Damage Resistance: The cap has been lowered from 55% to 50% to prevent players from becoming effectively invincible.
- Movement: "Gear Shift" settings now use a flat maximum value (50m/s to 500m/s) rather than a percentage, providing more consistency for high-level players.
QOL Improvements
- Reconnect Feature: You can now rejoin raids if your streak is not in danger, a highly requested fix for disconnections.
- Interface Overhaul: Players can now modify settings during missions and raids. The "Upgrade All" button for weapons is a welcome time-saver.
- Trade Optimization: Item stacks in trading have been increased from 30 to 100, facilitating easier exchanges for high-value materials.
