Buildcraft systems
Encounters
Encounter factors and the loadout demands they create.
INFO | FACTORS | ANALYSIS | |||||||||||||
# | Activity | Encounter | Strats | # | Gating | # | Depth | # | Fun | # | Consistency | # | Description | Score | Tier |
51 | Desert Perpetual - Epic | Agraios | 2-3 fast dunk, force align, minotaur delay, chronon carryover | 3 | doesn't feel nearly as slow-paced as normal | 4 | entire team can be involved in different roles based on chronon spread | 4 | everyone is moving and talking for most of the encounter | 4 | very few unexpected outcomes besides minotaurs misbehaving | 4 | the GOAT? | 19 | S |
25 | Vow of the Disciple | Exhibition | early 2nd/3rd, early relic trading, skips to 4th | 4 | not really waiting on anything besides revives | 4 | lots of practice benefit and rewarded planning | 4 | relic/hampered encounters aren't for everyone but pretty dynamic | 3 | annoying slow glyph spawns but solid otherwise | 3 | one of the best team coordination/routing encounters | 18 | S |
39 | Crota's End | Bridge | lots of unique movement/routing, crossing over bridge gap | 4 | slow burner buildup at the start, very dynamic and player-gated later | 3 | most intricate individual role routing in any encounter | 4 | boring at the beginning, very fun for everyone later on | 3 | if planned around, Swordbearer spawn RNG is minimal | 4 | very different in speeds compared to typical LFG experience | 18 | S |
42 | Salvation's Edge | Substratum | skip to 2nd, early 2nd tormentor rooms, close from mid, death warp | 3 | hand frame, but still feels mostly player-based | 4 | lot of practice benefit and room mapping | 4 | all roles pretty involved | 4 | room RNG has notable impact on hand frame potential | 3 | very unique encounter space, fun to optimize | 18 | S |
45 | Salvation's Edge | Verity | skip to 5th, duo outside, early out, early dunk, synced dunks | 4 | some downtime between rounds but almost nothing | 4 | lots of opportunity for timeloss if not done well | 4 | very fun to execute regardless of role, not for everyone though | 3 | some 3-5 RNG | 3 | some of the coolest and most clever in-encounter strategy | 18 | S |
2 | Last Wish | Shuro Chi | preplating, early adds, and 1.5 skips | 2 | just add spawns and between floors | 4 | one of the highest practice yield encounters ever | 4 | fluid and satisfying execution once practiced | 4 | plates can be annoying | 3 | famous practice jail but intricate encounter | 17 | A |
9 | Garden of Salvation | Consecrated Mind | full duo, 1 spit, split | 3 | waiting for boss to come to relay | 4 | once practiced, hard to lose time | 2 | almost no downtime for either player | 4 | relay RNG doesn't matter | 4 | fun to execute even though generally doesn't affect time | 17 | A |
31 | King's Fall | Daughters | dynamic plate floating, semi-unique damage | 3 | nothing but knight animations | 4 | situational routing and practice for sure | 3 | most roles moving a lot | 3 | not much RNG in strategy | 4 | pretty interesting setup with alive rejoins off solo skip | 17 | A |
34 | Root of Nightmares | Scission | 6 man running, skating across floors, early floors | 1 | all player-based | 4 | add clear a lot more annoying/sensitive than Cataclysm | 4 | every role nonstop moving if encounter is fast | 4 | random back spawns can be annoying but mostly preventable | 4 | one of the best mechanics encounters | 17 | A |
43 | Salvation's Edge | Herald | resonance carryover, solo start, solo stun | 2 | gated mostly to one player, but still tight for most roles | 4 | practice needed but not nearly as detailed as 4 scorers | 3 | not much downtime and decently engaging mechanics | 4 | basically no RNG if played correctly | 4 | one of the best boss encounters in speedrunning | 17 | A |
33 | Root of Nightmares | Cataclysm | staggered base buff entry, 6 man running, preshooting | 2 | waiting a small amount to avoid softlock but almost unnoticeable | 4 | benefits from practice but execution isn't too hard | 3 | all roles constantly moving, no special movement tech | 3 | 6 man means no more 4th set bad RNG situations | 4 | overall pretty fun encounter that involves everyone equally | 16 | A |
27 | King's Fall | Relics | hit rotation, tombships | 3 | basically all player-gated | 4 | benefits a lot from practice and fine-tuning | 3 | fun for the whole team when it goes right | 3 | lining inconsistency problems | 2 | fun to watch and fun to do, just typical launching issues | 15 | B |
28 | King's Fall | Totems | four mid dunkers, two solo resets | 3 | add clear-gated but lots of room for speedups | 3 | consistency depends on team | 3 | fun for like 2.5 people, not much to do for the others | 2 | basically 100% consistent if done right | 4 | cool concept and strategy, just not fun for everyone | 15 | B |
52 | Desert Perpetual - Epic | Epoptes | basically normal but faster, definitely looks more challenging | 1 | small animations | 4 | practice definitely required for consistency's sake | 4 | way more involved than normal but still not particularly enjoyable | 2 | takes effort but is consistent if players are | 4 | if strategy was more unique, would score a lot higher | 15 | B |
54 | Desert Perpetual - Epic | Koregos | 4-2 wall split, auto banish | 3 | starting animation, phase transitions | 3 | learning process for role priority, not crazy once learned | 3 | most roles pretty dynamic for most of the encounter | 3 | 1st portal RNG loses a bit of time | 3 | completely different strats from normal, cool in its own way | 15 | B |
11 | Deep Stone Crypt | Desolation | half OoB route, slipskating and sparrow skates, craziest raid movement | 4 | completely gated to player routing | 4 | huge practice yields in speed and consistency | 4 | becomes very dull in fulls | 1 | despite player dependence, still many consistency issues | 1 | very cool to watch, very tedious to play repeatedly | 14 | B |
23 | Vow of the Disciple | Acquisition | spread knight coverage, runner system, skips to 2nd | 2 | waiting between knights and post-resonate | 3 | round times mostly player execution | 3 | mostly dynamic for most roles | 3 | fairly consistent, some RNG with final rooms | 3 | pretty solid teamplay encounter | 14 | B |
50 | Desert Perpetual | Koregos | full team staggered pickups, two trios doing top mechs | 2 | starting animation | 3 | not very complicated once initial strategy is learned | 2 | strat isn't crazy but everyone is participating in a dynamic way | 3 | small variance in chronon locations but not much | 4 | solid final encounter, new chronon strategy definitely interesting | 14 | B |
7 | Garden of Salvation | Evade | DSM into early rooms, area denial boxes, skips to 2nd | 3 | long wait at field but nothing else | 2 | some practice needed but execution threshold not high | 2 | constant leapfrogging and well-spread roles | 3 | tether RNG | 3 | not crazy interesting but pretty solid starting encounter | 13 | B |
38 | Crota's End | Abyss | backwards routing, single enlighten, spread add clear, tangle movement | 3 | fixed waiting period during bridge build, otherwise nothing | 3 | definitely a lot to learn in terms of reacting to preserve RNG | 3 | some downtime for some roles, also mechanically not the most interesting | 2 | preserve RNG can impact time drastically depending on strats | 2 | unique solutions to an otherwise drab experience | 13 | B |
44 | Salvation's Edge | Repository | skip to 5th, skips to 4th, room transitions, instant tormentor kills | 2 | waiting on plate bounces but doesn't feel slow | 4 | definitely benefits from practice but skill ceiling from hand frame | 2 | fairly engaging but not as exciting as some other encounters | 3 | softlock and hand frame | 2 | pretty fun overall but softlock holds it back | 13 | B |
35 | Root of Nightmares | Explicator | early psions, lining planets, saving colossus, 2 plate, skip to 4th | 1 | boss animations and planets move | 3 | medium skill floor but low skill ceiling | 2 | most roles doing something constantly but not that interesting | 3 | boss can behave weirdly and planet triangle RNG exists but not bad | 3 | middle-of-the-road boss encounter, not the worst | 12 | C |
36 | Root of Nightmares | Nezarec | death warp start, 6 man running, midair clone | 1 | almost nothing besides voice line | 4 | really not much to practice | 1 | less interesting than Explicator, mechanics are just standard nodes | 2 | generally fine if boss is aggro'd correctly | 4 | very straightforward, not much to love or hate | 12 | C |
53 | Desert Perpetual - Epic | Iatros | also pretty similar to normal, execution threshold is higher | 1 | minotaur dunk phase feels significantly slower than normal | 3 | similar room for improvement vs. normal once learned | 1 | more thinking involved than normal | 3 | 100% consistent mechanics, minotaur spawn RNG can lose a bit | 4 | normal Iatros but with more fun mechanics for involved roles | 12 | C |
4 | Last Wish | Vault | 3rd captain early out, skips to Riven | 2 | lots of waiting but not passive downtime | 2 | practice needed for rotations and consistent 3rd room | 2 | not super interesting but engaging enough | 2 | annoying stair 3rd room | 3 | pretty straightforward overall, just add clear and boops | 11 | C |
6 | Last Wish | Queenswalk | almost completely out of bounds, crazy hitting spots | 4 | small waiting period for dunk timeout on first drop | 3 | launches and super line need practice | 2 | very annoying to deal with at the end of run | 1 | very sensitive to connection and other lining issues | 1 | completely different from standard strats, very cool to watch | 11 | C |
8 | Garden of Salvation | Summon | zero sub, flex roles, early mid, skips | 2 | lots of waiting between subs | 2 | most practice needed in the raid but not an insane amount | 3 | can drag on for sure | 1 | fairly consistent outside angelic order | 3 | bulk of the weight in GoS but not that great overall | 11 | C |
12 | Deep Stone Crypt | Crypt Security | OoB start, op breach, scanless buttons, OoB transition | 2 | waiting on op then fuse calls | 4 | besides op, not much variance | 1 | very short, not very interesting | 2 | button RNG is still a problem despite fuse RNG not really mattering now | 2 | alright encounter overall, too fast to complain really | 11 | C |
24 | Vow of the Disciple | Caretaker | fast running setup and one floor | 1 | not much perceptible waiting given joining timer | 3 | pick up symbols then don't mess up damage | 1 | over pretty fast and damage isn't the most boring | 2 | final symbol run can be annoying but player-based regardless | 4 | classic fast boss encounter | 11 | C |
26 | Vow of the Disciple | Rhulk | full team mechs, glaive deaths | 2 | beam animations and top dashes | 2 | not much besides not being slow | 1 | mechanically sort of unique but execution not exciting | 2 | fairly consistent overall | 4 | alright boss encounter, cool mechanics visually but wait times | 11 | C |
40 | Crota's End | Ir Yût | early mid breach, chalice blink, early wizards | 3 | slow add clear start, wizard movement | 2 | needs some practice, but strategy isn't that hard | 2 | strategy not that interesting to execute | 2 | wizard RNG probably the most annoying thing in raid | 2 | decent encounter strategy but RNG is annoying | 11 | C |
47 | Desert Perpetual | Agraios | slightly more coordinated dunks | 1 | some slow add spawn animations, boss TP | 3 | not much to practice besides some timing things | 1 | roles are relatively even but mechanics aren't that interesting | 2 | nothing but player input | 4 | very straightforward encounter strategy | 11 | C |
49 | Desert Perpetual | Iatros | basically just normal execution except boosting to pick up every cycle | 0 | Diastole pulses | 4 | very minimal room for improvement | 1 | more of the team involved than Epoptes at least | 2 | nothing but player input | 4 | very fast encounter, can't complain too much | 11 | C |
1 | Last Wish | Kalli | skip + instant kill | 1 | essentially nothing | 4 | just shooting Nighthawk | 0 | very short and simple | 1 | zero variance, only killing or not killing | 4 | simplest LW encounter by far | 10 | D |
10 | Garden of Salvation | Sanctified Mind | Goldie out of portals, EM, split | 3 | boss animations and portal reopen | 1 | not much of a skill ceiling | 1 | boring to play for the most part | 1 | ground motes but not much else | 4 | probably the worst GoS encounter | 10 | D |
48 | Desert Perpetual | Epoptes | basically just normal execution except 4 eye shooters | 0 | small animations | 4 | don't shoot the wrong eye | 1 | pretty boring for most roles | 1 | nothing but player input | 4 | over pretty fast but half the team is doing nothing | 10 | D |
5 | Last Wish | Riven | insta send, fast ascendant, OoB final | 2 | a lot of unskippable animations | 1 | very little can go wrong | 1 | basically a kill and then a couple people fly up | 1 | no variance | 4 | iconic setting but boring execution | 9 | D |
17 | Vault of Glass | Confluxes | Squall breach and OoB add clear, through-door trapping | 3 | long stretches of timegated segments | 1 | consistency definitely builds with practice | 2 | very tedious in fulls | 0 | mostly consistent with good add clear | 3 | overly long but still rewards practice at least | 9 | D |
22 | Vow of the Disciple | Barge | respawn and optimized pickup routing, skips to 1st | 2 | extended waiting periods between stops | 0 | needs a little practice but nothing crazy | 2 | good for banter but objectively boring | 1 | pretty consistent overall | 4 | overhated but still not very engaging | 9 | D |
41 | Crota's End | Crota | early knight CP, one sword | 1 | chalice fill and add spawns | 2 | really not much to this encounter | 1 | lot of sitting around and just clearing adds | 1 | not much can go wrong, no RNG | 4 | sword damage is cool but mechanics are nonexistent | 9 | D |
46 | Salvation's Edge | Witness | pre-break | 0 | not waiting for basically anything | 4 | kill the boss | 0 | shoot the boss | 1 | no variance | 4 | as close to a "just damage" encounter as you might get | 9 | D |
13 | Deep Stone Crypt | Atraks | early start and airlock + skip | 1 | elevators then final stand wait | 2 | basically just top adds | 1 | gets boring very quickly | 1 | fairly consistent besides occasional random late extinct | 3 | very unfulfilling to play, basically just LFG Atraks | 8 | E |
18 | Vault of Glass | Oracles | basically just alternating fast shooting with skip | 1 | huge waiting periods between rounds | 0 | definitely a practice encounter for consistency | 3 | not very interesting to watch or play | 1 | pretty consistent outside of fast break desync | 3 | a little stressful for two people and boring for everyone else | 8 | E |
21 | Vault of Glass | Atheon | triple instant break | 1 | extremely long delay before mechanics | 1 | almost nothing to practice | 1 | very boring mechanics and huge downtime | 1 | zero variance | 4 | pretty boring boss encounter | 8 | E |
30 | King's Fall | Golgoroth | rejoins, skip to 4th, gaze leaves | 1 | timelocked add clear segments | 2 | zero skill expression | 0 | basically just Warpriest 2 | 1 | same as Warpriest | 4 | trap doors then shoot boss | 8 | E |
14 | Deep Stone Crypt | Descent | floater system and revives | 1 | waiting period surprisingly short if encounter is fast | 2 | very team-dependent but skill is pretty one-dimensional | 3 | pretty monotone | 1 | early adds are random and rounds can feel punishingly slow | 0 | wrestling with unexplained timeloss | 7 | E |
15 | Deep Stone Crypt | Taniks | basically just fast add clear and one detain | 0 | boss move and add spawns | 2 | very little sklil expression besides making things consistent | 1 | all roles doing something but not much overall | 2 | inconsistent early start and teleporting early adds | 2 | run-of-the-mill boss encounter | 7 | E |
19 | Vault of Glass | Templar | "instant" start and fast kill | 1 | waiting for relic super | 1 | kill the boss | 1 | shoot the boss | 0 | basically no issues | 4 | boss kill difficulty way down post-relic changes | 7 | E |
29 | King's Fall | Warpriest | basically just do the encounter normally | 0 | waiting for add spawns but besides that just damage | 2 | zero skill expression | 0 | weapon-based damage on a tankier boss, boring add clear though | 1 | boring but very consistent time-wise | 4 | trap doors then shoot boss | 7 | E |
32 | King's Fall | Oryx | floater system and faster jump routing | 0 | lots of boss animations | 2 | pay attention and don't be slow | 1 | have to be attentive but actual execution is not interesting | 2 | +10s on final encounter sucks | 2 | uninteresting final boss for runs, RNG sucks too | 7 | E |
3 | Last Wish | Morgeth | basically just skip and trio | 1 | entire encounter is timelocked except some easy add clear | 1 | very little room for improvement | 1 | boring add clear then instant kill | 1 | RNG add spawns at start | 2 | nothingburger bridge between Shuro and Vault | 6 | F |
16 | Vault of Glass | Waking Ruins | plate lines, multiple skips, solo end | 2 | completely timegated | 0 | no variance once plates done | 0 | extremely boring | 0 | 100% consistent | 4 | waste of time | 6 | F |
37 | Crota's End | Hellmouth | fast adds, skips to 1st, duo plate, early drop CP | 1 | waiting for chalice fill | 0 | very little variance if done properly | 0 | either add clear or skip then tab out | 0 | very little variance between runs | 4 | similar to Waking Ruins but better time-wise | 5 | F |
20 | Vault of Glass | Gatekeepers | essentially nothing | 0 | waiting for the encounter to spawn adds | 0 | perhaps the least optimizable encounter in D2 | 0 | tab out and play Geometry Dash | 0 | if you lose time you go to hell | 4 | this is the worst one | 4 | F |