Dueling Diego - A Gameplay Guide

The highlight of January was definitely the addition of Pirate101 codes into Dueling Diego, a game on KingsIsle’s Free Games site. It seems clear, however, that this game isn’t exactly easy; trying to defeat Roberto and save Francesca won’t be so simple without knowing some tips and tricks on how to succeed.

Wave 1

Diego starts out in the hold of his ship - as it turns out, it’s flooded with Gobblers and Bloodbats, which you’ll have to clear out before moving on.

Gobblers have 3 health, and the best way to defeat them is simply by walking up to them and quickly tapping any attack button (a, s, or d). Make sure you hit them immediately, because, if you stay too close to them, they’ll attack you first! They’re a fairly straightforward and basic enemy, and you’ll see them appearing quite a number of times - make sure you know how to take them on.

Bloodbats aren’t so fun to come across - they’ll always fly right up to you, so you’ll have to react quickly! They can appear either high, low, or in the middle, so make sure you use the corresponding attack so that you hit them. For example, if a Bloodbat comes towards the top, you’ll want to use a high attack (by pressing the a key). Be ready at all times for a Bloodbat to come, because they can slowly cause your health to fall if you aren’t prepared.

Finally, as a general tip, be aware of barrels! You will generally either find several single barrels or a single barrel followed by two barrels right next to each other. For both, you’ll have to jump over each set of barrels (by pressing the spacebar). Two barrels directly next to each other is likely the harder of these possibilities, as you’ll have to time your jump precisely right. When you’re very close to the barrels, jump and continue to move right - a precise jump is more likely to get you over the obstacles without taking damage.

A boss? Yes, there’s a boss! We’ll get more into the Gobbler Pirate later on, but he’s not too much of a threat.

Wave 2

You’ll likely find the waves getting progressively more difficult. In this one, the Gobblers are able to protect themselves and Fire Elves are added in - no Bloodbats in this one, though! However, you’ll still have to deal with those pesky barrels.

These Gobblers aren’t too different from the ones in the first wave, except they have shields which can block your attacks. Because of this, you will have to attack them where they’re shield currently isn’t - if their shield is held higher up, use a low hit. If it’s lower down, use a high hit. A middle hit works when the shield is high, although it’s best to just use up and down attacks (a and d keys) to remain consistent. Keep in mind, however, that the Gobblers change positions of their shields fairly often.

A helpful tip here is to look at where their shield is when you first see them appear. By the time you walk up to the Gobbler to hit him, he will almost always change the position of it. Therefore, it’s best to be ready to attack him where you see the shield - by the time you attack, it’ll likely be moved so you can land a hit. For example, in the picture above, the shield was held low when the Gobbler was first encountered. Being prepared to use a low hit would be a good idea here. After you land one hit, alternate between up and down so you can take into account the shield’s position being changed, and the Gobbler should go down pretty quickly.

Fire Elves aren’t too bad - they only have one health, so the hard part is just reaching them. They’ll shoot one or two arrows at you while you’re walking up to them, so just keep moving to the right and jump over the arrows as they appear. Be alert, and they should be simple!

And, of course, more barrels! Same procedure with these as in the first wave - timing is everything!

Once again, you’ll meet the Gobbler Pirate as a boss, which will be discussed further later on.

Wave 3

The third wave is a bit harder, mainly because you will encounter new types of enemies. Some of them aren’t too bad, but others can cause some difficulties.

Watch out for this guy! He will throw his spear at you consistently, just like a Fire Elf, except that he has more health and his spear is thrown a bit higher than a Fire Elf’s arrows. Just jump over them and keep moving close to him - when you finally reach him, attack him immediately before he can throw another spear.

What should happen at this point is that he will be pushed backwards. By the time he recovers, you should be able to walk up to him again and attack once more. Just repeat this process for a third time and you should be able to defeat him. The hardest part is making your way to him when he’s first encountered.

However, there is also a possibility that, when he is knocked back after you attack him, for him to immediately recover and throw another spear right away. Just be prepared to jump if he lifts his spear so that you can avoid the attack and strike back as soon as possible.

More Fire Elves! Follow the same procedure as in the second wave.

Another new type of enemy… snakes! They will rush towards you, like Bloodbats, but give you a moment to attack before they strike. As soon as one comes near you, use the down attack (the d key) to hit it first. This will push it backwards, but it will quickly run up to you again. Repeat this process two more times and they shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat.

The boss in this wave can be a bit difficult. More coverage on him in the “Bosses” section.

Wave 4

The best (and likely the hardest!) for last! Be sure to watch out for the stalactites falling from the ceiling. If you see one coming down when right when you walk under it, move backwards. Don’t take the risk of running through when you can be damaged. If you’re already almost past it, just keep on walking, and you should be able to dodge it when it falls.

More snakes! Follow the same procedure with them as in the third wave.

Yes, more Bloodbats - just be alert and they shouldn’t be too bad.

Here’s where the new enemies come in! The Ghouls are exactly like Snakes - they charge up to you immediately and will strike if you don’t react quickly. Hit them with any attack you choose, as long as you hit them fast. Keep in mind that they have four health, as opposed to the usually three. One extra hit will be enough to finish them off!

These Skeletons are really no different from the Spearmen in the third wave. Jump over the bombs they throw and hit them immediately. Usually you will just be able to walk right up to them after that and attack again before they can throw another one, though be aware that sometimes they will recover right away. Be ready to jump as needed!

And last but not least… Roberto! This final epic battle will be covered soon.

Bosses

The bosses in the first two waves are exactly the same - Gobbler Pirates with five health.

The best method for taking these guys on would be to run right up to them and continuously to attack over and over. Any type of attack will work, as long as you are, indeed, attacking. If you don’t, the Gobbler Pirate will notice an opening and strike. As you have more experience with this boss, you can use that to your advantage - wait on attacking and they will hit fairly quickly. Before they can, strike them first when they raise their sword.

And yes, that’s the only way to defeat them - wait for them to attack, where they will raise their sword, and then attack them first. The good part about continuously attacking him is that you won’t have to react quickly, as you will already be attacking him when he raises his sword. Every fifth hit will usually damage him, as that’s when he will raise his sword to strike. Keep attacking him over and over until he’s defeated.

This boss is very difficult. A good strategy against him is to wait until he throws his spear, then run up to him and attack. If you don’t wait, there’s a very good chance he will catch you unprepared and attack you first. As soon as you attack him once, back up, then repeat the same process. It will take a bit of practice, but, soon enough, this boss will definitely be much easier for you to take on.

You can also try a full-out offensive strategy on him. Charge towards him, and, when he raises him spear, jump and keep moving towards him. As soon as you’re right next to him, attack, then charge towards him again. There is likely a higher risk factor for this strategy, but it may be beneficial to try it out and see how well it works for you.

It is also worth noting that, at the end of the third wave when this boss is defeated, you can wait on entering the cave until some of your health regenerates. Be sure to keep this in mind!

And, finally, Roberto! Before you engage in the fight with him, look for the beginning of the path leading towards him. The stalactites will stop falling when you are at this point, so wait here to recover before walking up to Roberto. You should never start a fight with him with one health left - two is generally a safe bet, though having three is a safe precaution. When you’re ready, walk closer to the path to finally take on Roberto.

Yes, the picture is correct - Roberto does have one health! However, it won’t be too easy to land a hit on him. In fact, it’s impossible to strike him with your sword, so you will have to find another way to defeat him. Those falling stalactites are perfect for the job.

First, as soon as you walk up to him, do not attempt a defensive strategy. It just won’t work. Roberto is completely offensive, so you will have to counter that with an offensive strategy yourself. Try to change up your attacks, as well - starting with an up attack, then a couple middle ones, a low one, etc. will make it so that you can attack him easier. Striking him pushes him back, and you will want to keep him as far back as possible until you see a stalactite about to fall. As soon as you see it shake, start backing up slightly while still attacking Roberto. As soon as it begins to fall, run all the way backwards until you are right behind the falling stalactite. Roberto will run towards you to try to attack you, and, if you position yourself in the right area, he will be right under it when he falls. See the picture above as an example.

Fighting Roberto takes some practice, but you will be able to defeat him and save Francesca soon enough! After he is defeated, run towards Francesca immediately, as the stalactites will continue to fall.

After that, you will complete the fourth and final wave! You’ll be sent back to the first wave, but will keep your score. The more times you defeat Roberto in a single game, the higher your overall score will be, and the higher tier your reward will be!

As a side note, keep in mind that your health regenerates slower and slower as you progress through the game. Be sure you are especially careful as you come closer to those higher tiers!

This was my highest score in Dueling Diego (yes, it certainly took a while!). What about yours? Do you have any tips or tricks for the game? Let us know in the comments!

And, finally, be sure to try out Dueling Diego and have fun with it! It’s certainly worth your time if you are interested in winning some codes for Pirate101.

Here is a Tier 7 code to let you take a look at some of the cool prizes you can possibly win. Redeem it quickly before it’s used!

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Edit: This code has been redeemed! Congratulations to whoever took it!