Midgard Serpent Build [v0.29.8]

Overview

Hold the world in your coils, and crush it!

Introduction

EDIT: I think this build is obsolete due to subsequent game updates. You can probably make something similar, but you’d probably want to make some changes from what’s in this guide.

This is a crashing build using the new Leviathan body and several mods from the Ouroboros update. So why is it called the Midgard Serpent build? Behold!

The Midgard Serpent is a monster from Norse mythology that can hold the entire world in its coils. Since this is Nova Drift, we’ll be holding the galaxy or some nondescript region of space in our coils and (of course) killing everything in sight. At endgame you may also end up with zero thrust, meaning you’ll have to roleplay a snake by using Strafe to slither around!

My best run so far reached wave 482 with 3.45M score and experience level 80 (after mods). It’s currently rank 22 on the Wild Metamorphosis leaderboards and I think it could reach a higher score with a little luck and maybe some minor tweaks.

Below you can see my late-game ship stats:

Notice that I have zero thrust here from taking so many Grandeur mods, even with several Rampage and other thrust-increasing mods. It’s still possible to move at a reasonable speed using forward Strafe, which is somewhat inconvenient but not too bad since you can just hold the hotkey down and it will strafe as often as possible.

Pros

Can give the world a hug
Goodest thicc boi
Is the screen
Slithers like a real snake
Kills things before you see them

Cons

Vulnerable to degen damage (lasers, Seraph orbs, etc.)
Slowest thicc boi
Slithers like a real snake
Can’t see the things you’re killing

Gear

Weapon: Flak

Flak is probably the most effective weapon without upgrades, so it’s great for leveling Hidden Power builds. You can choose something else if you prefer, but you don’t want to waste points on weapon upgrades.
When you take Hidden Power, you’ll be refunded this point.

Shield: Standard

You’ll be taking Rapid Reconstruction as soon as possible, so there’s not much point grabbing a different shield.
If you do decide to use a different shield, you’ll be refunded that point when you take Rapid Reconstruction.

Body: Research first, then Leviathan

While it’s possible to start as Leviathan and it will be easier in some ways, you can banish most of the unwanted Wild mods if you start as the Research body, making your build much stronger in the long run. The Station Omega boss is also easier to defeat if you’re not playing Leviathan.
Research body is not good for crashing, so I recommend working toward Corrosion, Rebuke, and Dying Sun for mid-game leveling.
Try to use your rerolls to banish common recursive Wild mods that you don’t want. Banishing standard mods and rare/non-recursive Wild mods is also useful, but lower priority.
Keep in mind that Rapid Reconstruction will banish all non-Wild shield mods and Hidden Power will banish all non-Wild weapon and construct mods, so don’t waste your rerolls on these.
There’s not a specific level that you should switch to Leviathan, but you’ll want to wait until have banished most of the undesirable Wild mods. You should be able to get past wave 100 while playing Research with Dying Star + Hidden Power.

Mods: Standard

Rapid Reconstruction

Most of the crash-related mods are hull mods, so it’s efficient to ditch the shield and just stack hull strength, plating, and regen.
I recommend getting this as soon as possible to banish the shield mods, making it easier to find the mods you want.
Get Adrenal Module when convenient for some extra damage.

Force Armor

You want this whole tree for a stronger hull and better crash stats.

Core Shielding

Necessary for Dying Star, and just good in general.
You want the whole tree. Rebuke is a nice source of ranged damage for mid-game leveling and still increases armor stack duration in the late game.

Skirmish

This is a crashing build, so you want the increased crash damage.
Terminate is not necessary, but it’s pretty useful and especially good before you transition to the Leviathan body. I think it’s worth the point, but feel free to skip it.
Essence Sap is an option, but I think it’s risky. It has higher potential recovery rate than regen (without Hypermetabolism), but your hull will degen from Dying Star when you’re not dealing damage. If I were to take this, it would be in the very late game and I’d still take Rapid Reconstruction for the hull strength and plating.

Purification

You want the whole tree. Corrosion and Dying Star will be crucial for mid-game leveling as the Research body, while Purge is quite powerful once you transition to crashing.

Strafe

Depending on how many Grandeur mods you get, you may end up with zero thrust eventually. Strafe is crucial for being able to move if/when this happens. The thrust bonus is good regardless.
Agility is a nice bonus to maneuverability on the Leviathan.

Efficiency

This gives a nice bonus to regen and will always be active once you take Hidden Power.

Kinetic Boost

You may or may not be moving fast in the late game, depending on which Wild mods you get, but this is a nice damage bonus with no downside.

Improved Thrusters

This is necessary to counteract the reduced thrust from Juggernaut.
Deadly Wake and Blink are decent options, but not really important. I probably wouldn’t take them unless I were out of rerolls in the late game.

Mods: Super

Dying Star

This allows you to kill things at a decent pace with the Research body and remains strong for destroying mines/debris and just dealing some extra area damage in the late game.
Ideally, you want to get Hidden Power and Purification shortly after this, to keep the degen under control.
I recommend getting this by mid-20s level. You need Rapid Reconstruction, hull strength mods, and maybe Efficiency to maintain this safely.

Hidden Power

Provides awesome benefits once you don’t need your weapon anymore, ideally after getting Rebuke and Dying Star.

Ataraxia

There’s a decent chance you’ll run out of rerolls in the late game and still have some points remaining. Rather than waste the points on some random garbage mods, you can sit on them and get decent bonuses from Ataraxia.
I recommend getting this around level 30 while level-ups are still fairly frequent. The increased pull for experience orbs is also handy.
I ended up with about 15 unspent points, but that’s due to having lots of extra levels from mods and getting stuck on The Void after taking Quantum Decoherence. The average run isn’t going to have quite so many unspent points, but you’ll likely have some.

Mods: Wild

Obsession

You can get huge value from Obsession in this build. In the late game, you’ll just ideally just be taking recursive Wild mods.
For optimal value, I recommend not taking any recursive mods except Grandeur until you get Obsession.

Grandeur

This provides a lot of benefit to the Leviathan body and I recommend taking it basically anytime it’s available. Unfortunately, it can lead to extreme slowness as well.
If you’re concerned about losing too much thrust, you could just get 4-6 instances and then focus on other things. You might lose the ability to hold the world in your coils though!

Bravado

This provides nice bonuses and (I believe) more experience from the upgraded enemies. Be careful about taking it too soon though. The build is weak in the early levels.

Discord

This build is designed to use tons of Wild mods, so you’ll get a lot of mileage from Discord. I recommend getting it early if possible, since it’s an extra source of damage for the Research body.

Phantom Strike

I’m usually not a big fan of this mod, but it has great synergy with the Leviathan body. You don’t need to grab it immediately as the Research body, but you will want it eventually.

Chaotic Ambition

Since we want lots of Wild mods, you should try to get 2-4 instances of this eventually.
If you get it while using the Research body, the extra rerolls are very useful for banishing.

Defiance

This provides great durability while also reducing the damage we take from Dying Star. While not the highest priority, it’s one of the best recursive mods and you should try to get at least 6 instances.

Evolutionary Niche

It’s not entirely clear to me which stats this affects for the Leviathan body, but in general it should increase hull strength and damage. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it’s a strong option. You’ll probably want 4+ instances eventually.
Be careful not to stack these up too early or you’ll end up seeing a lot of Void mods on level-up. On my run, I eventually had to stop taking mods because all I got were Voids and I had already taken Quantum Decoherence.

Rampage

This is a staple recursive mod for the late game. It improves everything you do and the “downside” is actually helpful for a crashing build.
Once you have enough Chaotic Ambition and Evolutionary Niche, you’ll generally want to take this whenever you’re not offered Grandeur or Defiance in the late game.

Honorable Mention
Transmogrification

Don’t take this if you have more than a few rerolls (or maybe any with the Research body), but this is a strong option if it shows up at the right time in the late game.
Getting a free level-up means you’re not wasting a mod and this gives you a high chance of getting some useful recursive mods after you’ve done your Research banishing.

Quantum Decoherence

This can be a strong option since Leviathan benefits so much from extra levels, but it also has the potential to sabotage your level-up options. I would only take this in late game after getting Ataraxia and having all the important mods covered.

Winnow

The size reduction is normally a bonus, but it’s actually a downside for a Leviathan build. This can still be worth taking if it’s offered with a bunch of mods you don’t need, ideally while using the Research body so you can make optimal use of the rerolls.

Hypermetabolism

I didn’t take this on my run, but I think it would be reasonable to grab one early before you get Obsession. It might be okay to take it after you get Obsession, but that would be significantly riskier.

Nova Drift Guide