Talk:Archydra/@comment-12.130.180.88-20150505152411

I used to climb and slash at these guys and regular Hydras when playing any yellow or red vocation(MK included). As a Ranger I now actually prefer to use Tenflurry + Fire Affinity, and I bring a couple Liquid Vims for stamina. 3-4 hits to a head will sever and cauterize a head. One Vim is enough to decatpitate all four heads & inflict big damage while it's down. Even a low level(40-50) Ranger can kill it in 2 "downings". Regular Hydras only take 2-3 hits/head this way. This can be expedited even further if you wanna use Conqueror's Periapts and/or blast arrows, but I personally don't find them necessary here if you have a pawn with Fire Afffinity in the group. If you don't have the BBI Special Augments Opportunism/Adhesion, then this way is better imo.

For MK, and this applies to any voc without a bow/non-spellcasters, I think waiting for them to strike and then grabbing the head is the way to go. Climbing, even with the right augments/Gloves of Might, is a stamina consuming process. Plus there's that damn neck smash that knocks you off the neck  when trying to climb a neck, and they OFTEN do that when trying to climb them I've found. Grabbing the head after a strike attempt has never prompted a neck smash in my xp with it, and attacking the head itself/high up on the neck is the fastest way to decapitate it. This method guarantees you start out in the right spot after grabbing a head. No climbing required, and that means no neck smashing lol. For MK specifically, once you cut all the heads Stone Forest does BIG damage to an incapacitated Hydra.