Cosmic Ghost Rider's 4 Key Rotations (Written Guide)
SlayerOfGods
Member, Content Creators Posts: 546 Content Creator
Hello, MCOC Forums!
I'm here to break down Cosmic Ghost Rider's most important Rotations - in written form! This can definitely seem super complicated, so while I'm doing my best to simplify this information to make it as accessible as possible, you're totally welcome to ask any questions and I'll do my best to assist you. If you prefer video guides, my playlist is linked here!
While CGR is capable of many different "Rotations", I personally believe that he has 4 Key Rotations that are the most optimal in terms of damage, control, and how much ground they cover. So I'll be discussing what I believe those are and explaining why they're so powerful and worth learning. Theres no right or wrong way to play CGR, but I'm doing my best to highlight the most optimal ways to play him.
Now, "let's get this over with..."
- End a Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- End a Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- Once you're at 2 Bars of Power, Parry-Stun,
- Charge your Heavy Attack for Aptitude and Cancel it into your Special 2
Make sure not to trigger the Dexterity Mastery before launching your Special 2. If this was done successfully, your Special 2 just hit very hard. Of course afterwards, your Judgements will turn into Armor Breaks, so now you have 10 seconds to deal even more damage.
A big talking point that players often mention with CGR is that you cannot use Dexterity if you're going for the Special 2 Rotation. This is very true, since triggering Dexterity will prematurely grant a Precision, and thus take away the Critical Rating bonus you gain from the Special 2 - BUT, if you use this Rotation quickly and properly, your opponent won't have much time to force you to accidentally trigger Dexterity in most situations.
However, this next Rotation is an entirely different story...
- Parry,
- Land a Heavy Attack,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Immediately launch your Special 2
Like I said, this will essentially remove your chances at Dexing, because in most scenarios, you're most likely to Dex the opponents Special Attacks. So if the opponent cannot use their Specials before you already have your big damage? You have nothing to worry about.
I mentioned CGR needs to be Rank 3 or higher of any Rarity due to how Combat Power Rate functions with Champion Rank in-game. Every Rank a Champion in the game gains, they get additional CBR. So at Rank 3, CGR has enough CBR to reach his Special 2 at the end of his second Combo. And with Rank 1 or higher of Petrify, your opponent will not gain enough Power to have a Special Attack after your first Combo, preventing them from launching that Special, and preventing you from Dexing it. This is why I use this Rotation more than any other.
- Trigger Dexterity,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Reach a Special 3,
- Ensure the opponent is under a Bar of Power,
- Parry-Stun and quickly Heavy Cancel into your Special 3.
- After Special 3, End a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack against the Parry-Stunned opponent for Power Gain,
- After the Judgements reset, Parry-Stun,
- Heavy Cancel into Special 2
Bye bye, opponent. Instead of launching a Special 2 after your Special 3, you can also go for another Special 3 to gain double Fury, and THEN launch your Sp2. This Rotation is the safest way to launch a devastating Special 2, as you only have to do one combo and Parry-Stun before landing it. Why do we trigger Power Gain after the Special 3, rather than use it to reach the Special? It’ll make the Power Gain more potent, and allow you to reach Sp2 at the start of your next cycle! This closes the window where Dexing is a "bad" thing.
Now, do you need absolutely insane damage? I got you.
To explain how this works, CGR cannot inflict any more Judgements while they're resetting (when his Damnation / Power Lock is in place). This means, during the Damnation / Power Lock’s 6 second duration, CGR can repeatedly gain the same Buff, as long as it wasn’t triggered to help him reach those 5 Judgements. This is most effectively applied to CGR's Heavy Attack, which can be spammed while the opponent is Power Locked against the wall. CGR can gain 4 - 6 Aptitude Buffs this way, depending on the spacing and defender cooperation. I showcase how to use the 6x Aptitude Rotation here!
- Trigger Dexterity,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Launch your Special 1,
- Build at least 40% of your Max Power,
- Bait opponents Specials until they’re nearly at 0% Power,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack,
- Parry-Stun the opponent and spam Heavy Attacks until your Judgements reset,
- Launch your Special 3
- Launch Special 2's until your Fury Buff expires
You now have up to 6 Aptitude Buffs! Added up, they increase the potency of your Fury, Precision, Cruelty and Armor Up Buffs by 300% (50% each). I think so, at least. I'm not actually 100% sure how "diminishing returns" affects these Buffs when stacked in this way - but I DO know that it dramatically increases the potency of that Fury Buff!
This is most useful for very long fights, with large Health Pools, like Abyss of Legends, Eternity of Pain, Grandmaster's Gauntlet, Act 8, etc. I have personally landed a Medium Attack that did 302k damage, so the ceiling can be quite high.
- Trigger Dexterity,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Build to a Special 3 (without using Power Gain),
- Ensure the opponent is under a Bar of Power,
- Parry, Charge your Heavy and Launch your Special 3,
- After your Special 3, immediately end a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- After your Judgements reset, Trigger Dexterity, End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance, then Parry, Charge your Heavy Attack and launch your Special 3.
- After your Special 3, end a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- Repeat the last 2 steps and you’ll have a Special 3 Loop!
You can repeat this over and over until your opponent is dead, or you can finish them off with a gnarly Sp2! I love this Rotation. Its very situational, but I can always rely on it when I need to. I've used it to solo some Abyss fights, like Hyperion, and even to absolutely destroy Eternity of Pain Havok! The level of control with this Rotation is absolutely insane. The opponent doesn't gain much Power at all, they cannot Heal, and they cannot keep or gain any Buffs.
Have an absolutely outstanding day!
I'm here to break down Cosmic Ghost Rider's most important Rotations - in written form! This can definitely seem super complicated, so while I'm doing my best to simplify this information to make it as accessible as possible, you're totally welcome to ask any questions and I'll do my best to assist you. If you prefer video guides, my playlist is linked here!
While CGR is capable of many different "Rotations", I personally believe that he has 4 Key Rotations that are the most optimal in terms of damage, control, and how much ground they cover. So I'll be discussing what I believe those are and explaining why they're so powerful and worth learning. Theres no right or wrong way to play CGR, but I'm doing my best to highlight the most optimal ways to play him.
Now, "let's get this over with..."
BASIC SPECIAL 2 ROTATION
The Basic Special 2 Rotation is the secondary "Quick" style Rotation. It was the first Sp2 Rotation shown to the community, and a lot of players still use it. Personally, I would only suggest using this Rotation if you do not have a Rank 3 or higher CGR of any Rarity, due to Combat Power Rate and how it functions per Champion Rank. This is mainly for faster fights, focusing on the Big Yellow Numbers from the Special 2, and making sure you don't activate the Dexterity Mastery before you launch the Special. The damage from your Combos after this Special Attack is often enough to close out many fights, so, let’s show how to use it.- End a Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- End a Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- Once you're at 2 Bars of Power, Parry-Stun,
- Charge your Heavy Attack for Aptitude and Cancel it into your Special 2
Make sure not to trigger the Dexterity Mastery before launching your Special 2. If this was done successfully, your Special 2 just hit very hard. Of course afterwards, your Judgements will turn into Armor Breaks, so now you have 10 seconds to deal even more damage.
A big talking point that players often mention with CGR is that you cannot use Dexterity if you're going for the Special 2 Rotation. This is very true, since triggering Dexterity will prematurely grant a Precision, and thus take away the Critical Rating bonus you gain from the Special 2 - BUT, if you use this Rotation quickly and properly, your opponent won't have much time to force you to accidentally trigger Dexterity in most situations.
However, this next Rotation is an entirely different story...
QUICK SPECIAL 2 ROTATION
If you have a Rank 3 or higher CGR of any Rarity, and at least 1 point in the Petrify Mastery, I believe this Rotation is CGR’s best for quick fights like Battlegrounds. Wanna know why? Because it allows you to launch a Special 2 before the opponent has a chance to launch their own Special Attack, virtually removing the fear of using Dexterity on accident. Here's a video guide, or you can refer to to the following text!- Parry,
- Land a Heavy Attack,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Immediately launch your Special 2
Like I said, this will essentially remove your chances at Dexing, because in most scenarios, you're most likely to Dex the opponents Special Attacks. So if the opponent cannot use their Specials before you already have your big damage? You have nothing to worry about.
I mentioned CGR needs to be Rank 3 or higher of any Rarity due to how Combat Power Rate functions with Champion Rank in-game. Every Rank a Champion in the game gains, they get additional CBR. So at Rank 3, CGR has enough CBR to reach his Special 2 at the end of his second Combo. And with Rank 1 or higher of Petrify, your opponent will not gain enough Power to have a Special Attack after your first Combo, preventing them from launching that Special, and preventing you from Dexing it. This is why I use this Rotation more than any other.
FURY SPECIAL 2 ROTATION
If you need more damage than the Quick Rotations, and/or you need to Dex safely, here is the Fury Special 2 Rotation - it allows you to easily reach a Special 2 directly after your Special 3. This combines your Fury with your Precision and Armor Breaks to deal massive damage, and, again, allows you to freely Dex. Here's another video guide, or you can refer to to the following text!- Trigger Dexterity,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Reach a Special 3,
- Ensure the opponent is under a Bar of Power,
- Parry-Stun and quickly Heavy Cancel into your Special 3.
- After Special 3, End a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack against the Parry-Stunned opponent for Power Gain,
- After the Judgements reset, Parry-Stun,
- Heavy Cancel into Special 2
Bye bye, opponent. Instead of launching a Special 2 after your Special 3, you can also go for another Special 3 to gain double Fury, and THEN launch your Sp2. This Rotation is the safest way to launch a devastating Special 2, as you only have to do one combo and Parry-Stun before landing it. Why do we trigger Power Gain after the Special 3, rather than use it to reach the Special? It’ll make the Power Gain more potent, and allow you to reach Sp2 at the start of your next cycle! This closes the window where Dexing is a "bad" thing.
Now, do you need absolutely insane damage? I got you.
APTITUDE STACKING ROTATION
This Rotation and its possible applications and interactions have been confirmed by Cosmic Ghost Rider’s own Kabam developer to not be bugged, everything listed under this Subsection is 100% intentional by design. That disclaimer is important - because the damage would seem broken at first glance.To explain how this works, CGR cannot inflict any more Judgements while they're resetting (when his Damnation / Power Lock is in place). This means, during the Damnation / Power Lock’s 6 second duration, CGR can repeatedly gain the same Buff, as long as it wasn’t triggered to help him reach those 5 Judgements. This is most effectively applied to CGR's Heavy Attack, which can be spammed while the opponent is Power Locked against the wall. CGR can gain 4 - 6 Aptitude Buffs this way, depending on the spacing and defender cooperation. I showcase how to use the 6x Aptitude Rotation here!
- Trigger Dexterity,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Launch your Special 1,
- Build at least 40% of your Max Power,
- Bait opponents Specials until they’re nearly at 0% Power,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack,
- Parry-Stun the opponent and spam Heavy Attacks until your Judgements reset,
- Launch your Special 3
- Launch Special 2's until your Fury Buff expires
You now have up to 6 Aptitude Buffs! Added up, they increase the potency of your Fury, Precision, Cruelty and Armor Up Buffs by 300% (50% each). I think so, at least. I'm not actually 100% sure how "diminishing returns" affects these Buffs when stacked in this way - but I DO know that it dramatically increases the potency of that Fury Buff!
This is most useful for very long fights, with large Health Pools, like Abyss of Legends, Eternity of Pain, Grandmaster's Gauntlet, Act 8, etc. I have personally landed a Medium Attack that did 302k damage, so the ceiling can be quite high.
INFINITE SPECIAL 3 SPAM ROTATION
As the name of this Rotation states, it allows you to spam Special 3’s. It has a longer setup, like the Fury Special 2 Rotation, but once it’s locked in, you have a LOT of control over your opponent and their Power, since they’ll be stuck in your loop and Power Locked, and if your CGR is Awakened, constantly Fate Sealed and Heal Blocked, too. Here’s my (rather old) video guide on Sp3 Spam, which I will be updating soon.- Trigger Dexterity,
- End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance,
- Build to a Special 3 (without using Power Gain),
- Ensure the opponent is under a Bar of Power,
- Parry, Charge your Heavy and Launch your Special 3,
- After your Special 3, immediately end a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- After your Judgements reset, Trigger Dexterity, End a 5 Hit Combo with a Medium Attack for Vigilance, then Parry, Charge your Heavy Attack and launch your Special 3.
- After your Special 3, end a 5 Hit Combo with a Light Attack for Power Gain,
- Repeat the last 2 steps and you’ll have a Special 3 Loop!
You can repeat this over and over until your opponent is dead, or you can finish them off with a gnarly Sp2! I love this Rotation. Its very situational, but I can always rely on it when I need to. I've used it to solo some Abyss fights, like Hyperion, and even to absolutely destroy Eternity of Pain Havok! The level of control with this Rotation is absolutely insane. The opponent doesn't gain much Power at all, they cannot Heal, and they cannot keep or gain any Buffs.
CONCLUSION
So that's Cosmic Ghost Rider's 4 Key Rotations, including 2 different variations of his Sp2 cycles. I hope this was helpful! Again, feel free to ask any questions, I'm here to help. I don't know if you can tell, but I love discussing CGRHave an absolutely outstanding day!
8
Comments
excellent write up!