One of the new additions with the Cataclysm Update to Anthem (Patch 1.3.0) are the Anomalies in Freeplay and the resulting from them Conjunctions – instanced horde-mode events. They reward you with three Loot Chests and a ton of enemies defeated for your Weekly Challenges count. This guide will help you learn what a Conjunction is, how to find one when you spawn in Bastion for a Freeplay session and how to survive/beat the encounter and its final boss – a new creature, called Bristleback!
The Cataclysm started about two weeks earlier, in Freeplay. First, we got some Crystal-related Freeplay events. Then, in Patch 1.3.0 the Conjunctions appeared! This guide will help you learn more about these weird yellow spheres in the sky, how to find one, track its progress and then enter the instance once it opens up. But this is just the beginning. Inside you will encounter Anthem’s very own “Horde Mode”, where waves of creatures will try to take you and your team down as you attempt to complete the objectives and defeat whatever moves.
All of the things I will tell you about in the following few paragraphs, you can see for yourself in the video walkthrough attached at the bottom of this guide.
HOW TO FIND AND TRACK A CONJUNCTION IN FREEPLAY
After you load into a Freeplay session, open up your map and look for a purple icon on it with a symbol that looks a little bit like the Eiffel tower… or… an antenna of some sort. I like to see the Tower in it!
Click on the purple icon, then Track it (press SPACE on PC). When you get back into Freeplay, you will see the mission in your top right corner. The timer tells you how long you have to wait until the Conjunction starts and the portal opens up. You can sit and wait near it or roam around, complete random Freeplay events and defeat some target-spawn creatures for loot and… glory?
The location will have an orange spheres in the sky, sitting above a large crystal formation, Many elemental creatures will likely be roaming around in the area.
When the timer runs out, the Sphere will open a portal and you will have a very short amount of time to enter. The Portal opens up regardless if you are there or not and closes in less than a minute no matter who is inside.
WHAT TO DO INSIDE THE CONJUNCTION TO CONTAIN IT
Once inside, a few random enemies might continue to spawn until the timer expires and the portal closes up, locking you and whoever managed to enter it for the duration of the event.
The environments inside might be different based on which conjunction you are doing. The enemies inside also may vary from Scars to Outlaws to Dominion.
The one constant is the boss in the end, but more about it later on.
The Conjunction itself is split into three waves. At the beginning of each one two or three large crystal formations will spawn. They are usually around the corners of the arena. You must focus on the Crystals and destroy them quickly.If you fail to do that before the timer expires, you will fail the whole Conjunction and not be allowed to continue forward.
The waves are called Tiers and each one offers bigger challenge in terms of enemies spawning to clear out. Here’s a quick overview of each wave/tier:
- TIER 1 offers small enemies, usually weaker and easier to defeat.
- TIER 2 usually starts with an Apex creature – Fury, Luminari, Titan.
- TIER 3 is when the boss spawns.
The Boss is a new Apex creature, called Bristleback. It is big and ugly (or cute, depends on the view point!). Its special attacks include throwing crystals in one direction or in a wide area all around itself. When that happens, you would want to dodge, hide, fly around or away for a moment.
The weak spot of the Bristleback is its belly. You want to hit the giant yellow belly, because its weak spot is also its only spot where you can do damage. Combos and Ultimates hurt the creature regardless of where you aim with them, but remember to always try to hit the belly for maximum effect.
The problem is that this creature likes to stay on the ground, so if you want to hit the weak spot, you also have to stay relatively close to the ground. While doing so, you will be often surrounded by all kinds of adds. The final wave (Tier 3) is not just the boss. It also spawns various other creatures and elementals.
Pro tip: If the boss is focusing on you, do not turn it with its back towards the group, thus blocking their access to the weak spot. Make sure the boss is not facing a wall or another large obstacle.
The Tier 3 encounter is also limited in time. You have about 3 minutes and 40 seconds to defeat the boss. Once the Bristleback is down, all other mobs run away and de-spawn.
THE REWARDS FROM THE CONJUNCTION
The most obvious are the random loot that drops from the creatures and the three chests that open one at a time after each Tier completed. The first chest is the weakest in terms of contents, the final one is the richest.
You also get minor Crystals from the loot chests. The conjunctions are also required for a Challenge (Weekly: Darkness Falls), listed in the Cataclysm Challenges category, involving other activities. You need 10 Conjunctions for it.
The Conjunctions are also a great source of enemies defeated for the Weekly and Monthly challenges involving the three factions – Dominion, Outlaws and Scar.
None of the new Legendary 80 or Masterwork 66 items drop in Conjunctions, but you can use the Crystals you earn and trade them at the Seasonal Store for cosmetics or new gear.
