(3.4) Shaper Strongholds by Karvarousku

SHAPER STRONGHOLDS (SS)

This is a written version of a video guide -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbVVGyfa47Q&feature=youtu.be


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Basic mechanics:

SS are maps with multiple Shaper influences (Vortexes, Extra Monsters, and Shaper spawning to shoot balls)
SS are on your Atlas on the map it spawned on for as long as you remove it by running it by killing the map boss
-> As a reward you get;
* league specific uniques (including hh)
* sextants
* horizon/harbringer orbs
* chisels
* Shaper items (itemlevel is the same as the map, not +2 because it's a bonus drop, not from the boss)
	- If it was +2, every person with Zana 8 could bruteforce i85 Shaper items by running the maps Elder'd, devaluing them drastically
- You can only obtain Shaper items from SS maps by completing the map (killing boss), much like Elder Guardian / Elder maps.
	- You could farm high level Shaper items endlessly by having a SS spawn in a high map, without needing to use Zana mods

When Elder Influence initially spawns (when completing your T6 Shaper Influenced map for your first memory fragment)

- 4 SS randomly spawn in T6-T10 maps, one in each quadrant of the Atlas
- After completing each of these, the SS will immediately move a T11-T15 map of the same quadrant
-> After completing the above 8, then SS can spawn randomly whenever Shaper Influence is created
	- Limited to 2 SS at a time
	- SS can ONLY spawn on RANDOM Shaper Influence generation, it will never happen when you swap Elder Influence to Shaper Influence by running that map
	- Same way when completing a SS adjacent to Elder Influence, the SS will not turn in to Elder Influence

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So how to use SS to your advantage?

- Unlike Elder Guardian/Elder occupied maps, SS maps do have extra monsters that can drop extra items (no shaper items)
	-> keeping a SS on a map with a horrible map boss might be beneficial for map sustain
- You can use SS to lock Elder's influence from spreading, making it easier to setup a flip-flop for farming maps (example Underground Sea)
- By having more 7+ maps under Elder's influence, shaper influenced maps only spawn near Elder's influence.
	-> Easier to spawn SS near the area you're farming Shaped maps for example
- You can drastically increase the chance of spawning a SS in a specific map by surrounding it with Elder Influence, and then running that map to remove Elder Influence
	-> As the map did not have Shaper Influence adjacent to it, it will turn in to "no-inluence"
		-> Shaper ALWAYS creates Shaper Influenced maps adjacent to EVERY Elder Influenced map eventually (usually within 1-2 maps)
			-> This allows you to "force" spawn _random_ Shape Influenced maps, which have a chance to be a SS
- You can use a SS as an "anchor" map by planting it adjacent to a map you want to flip-flop between Shaper and Elder Influence, as SS is Shaper Influenced map.
	-> By doing this you also remove a case where Elder's influence spread 2 maps at a time, making your map that you're farming surrounded by Elder Influence
		-> This leads to a situation where running that map will turn it to no-influence until you run another map
			-> Making you either run a no-influenced version of that map or a different map entirely

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BUGS:

(CONFIRMED BUG) When you kill Uber Elder, all SS are removed
	- I don't know if this will allow you to skip the initial 8 SS part and get straight to having only 2 that can spawn anywhere
(CONFIRMED BUG) If a SS is in T6-T10 maps, it can (quite often) move straight to a red map of the same quadrant (game thinks it's the "initial yellow SS?")
	- Has not happened once when running a white or red tier SS. (It counts the base map level, so running Shaper/Elder variant won't help)
(NOT confirmed, but VERY likely a bug) SS isn't considered Shaper Influence for the purpose of flip-flopping influence, but can still take influence from Elder randomly

No ETA on fixes