Limbus Company: [MD8 WIP] How to solo MD Extreme with any IDs with max adversity…

Steam Community guide by Folmore.

Introduction

MD Extreme can be quite daunting and challenging but with the right planning even the hardest content can be cleared with any IDs, even if said ID has quite underwhelming kit. Honestly the ID's skill kit doesn't really matter that much because to clear MD Extreme what matter the most is the EGO gifts you bring and choosing the right theme pack. With this guide, I'll try to break down on which EGO gifts you should bring, which theme packs you should choose, and unfavorable theme packs you should avoid.

Why solo when you can do it with a team?

Consistency. ** The hardest thing in MD Extreme is surviving turn 1. On turn 1, you are still on your lowest point because buffs from EGO gifts like Clear Mirror Calm Water haven't kicked in meanwhile your enemies are still on their peak performances because they haven't get debuffed yet from plethora of EGO gifts like Downpour + Melted Eye + Bell of Truth.
However with only one sinner deployed, the first turn is basically negligible because you already took counter measure with Manor-shaped Music Box to instantly recover from stagger and Unhatched Embers. Not to mention all of your skill slots are permanently buffed with Sundered/Punctured/Crushed Memory.
With all of the benefits being said, I still have to say that objectively speaking running a team in MD Extreme is easier. We can easily run a team with double status IDs now. On top of team status EGO gifts, Project Moon keep adding new EGO gifts that buff specific team like Liu team, Bloodfiends team, etc. So yeah, you will be missing out those very strong EGO gifts if you do solo run.
**
Feel free to use this guide even if you run a team, you can still get some useful information like EGO gifts to get and floor picks recommendation.
Pros:

• Low investment. You literally only need 1 ID with max level and uptie, this is very good for beginner to familiarize with MD in general.
• You wont have to be worried that your strongest damage dealer will die due to bad RNG and targeting on higher floors
• EGO gifts that usually affect 1-2 slots like T4 pierce/blunt/slash gift will affect all of your skill slots
• Big damage 100% of the time
• Flex for clouts when you do it with niche ID
  Cons:
• Missing out buffs from bunch of fusion EGO gifts (i.e. Bloody Mist, Soothe of the Dead, Pocket Watches, etc)
• Early floors are miserable
• It's longer to finish than a team run
  Anyway, if you have 2-3 hours to spare and bored with your usual MD run, you can try to do solo run.

Choosing the solo identity

I'm gonna say this upfront, literally every ID is capable to solo Mirror Dungeon with max adversity, however choosing a good identity will make your run easier, faster, and safer. Here is an example that even FS Heathcliff that has auto retreat once his ammo run out able to finish it with Thrill as his main damage source.


There are several things that make an identity better for solo, mainly it depends on these things:

• Survivability
  This is the most important point. It doesn't matter whether your identity can deal five digit damage but if they are dead with the slightest breeze, your run is over. Mitigating incoming damage is your primary concern. This is why evade is the best defensive skill, you can reuse evade as long as you manage to dodge the attacks and not to mention if you manage to evade said attacks that have debuff such as bleed and rupture, you won't be affected with the debuffs. Meanwhile identity with guard and counter have no option but to tank the attacks. But identity that can generate their own shield like Dieci Rodion or identity that can self heal like Priest Gregor are also amazing option.
• The final power on their skills
  This goes without saying but if your identity has abyssmal final power on their skills like Base Sincalir or Zwei Rodion, you'll be suffering on higher floors because you won't be able to win any clashes.
• Status, sin affiinity on their skill kit, and their faction
  Now we gonna talk about EGO gift planning. Since we are unable to capitalize the benefit from most of fusion gifts, we have to make do with what we have as is. Identity with double or even triple status (Pequod Ishmael and HoS Ryoshu) can gain buffs from wider pool of EGO gifts compared to identity with single status like BL Yi Sang.
  Sin affinity also can trigger certain effects that's not originally exist in an identity skill kit. For example, Firefist Gregor who has wrath in his skill kit can easily maintain bleed potency and bleed count simply with Wound Clerid++. Identity with gloom/AoE also won't have any issue with healing because Grey Coat will take care of their survivability.
  Project Moon also keep releasing EGO gift that benefit certain faction. For example, the Middle IDs are so good for solo now due to the sheer number of EGO gifts that can benefit them. We are talking about Base Power Up, Plus Coin Boost, Coin Power Up, self healing, etc.
  Do note this is just a generalization, there are nuances with each identity. Again, I have to emphasize that each identity is capable to solo however you have to put in extra effort/knowledge if your chosen identity is mediocre
  Honorable Mention
  I have to make a special mention for House of Spider Ryoshu. She is, by design, the solo identity. She even has her own special EGO gift just for her to solo the entire mirror dungeon. There are several things that make her so good:
• Gain extra skill slots by turn 1 depending on how many dead HoS IDs in your loadout.
• Insane buffs from dead HoS IDs and her own EGO gift
• You rarely have to worry about healing because the enemies are usually dead from her sheer damage
• I've personally tested this myself, **you can solo any hidden bosses on F15 without meeting hidden boss on previous floors or using any Durante abilities (Ira/Morositas).**If you want to use her, make sure you don't have revival EGO gift like Unhatched Ember or Investigator Badge before killing everyone in your loadout.

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tl;dr If you can't be bothered to read allat, here some identity that can easily win rate mirror dungeon:

• House of Spider Ryoshu
• Dieci Rodion
• Middle IDs
• **IDs with anti stagger passive ** : Thumbsault, Rien Sang, Callistolu, etc.
• ** IDs with AoE/gloom damage/blunt damage** : They will always have full health thanks to Grey Coat. You need Boombox of Dramatic Entrances from Nocturnal Sweeping BokGak for blunt IDs.

Passive support/benched IDs

Depending on your solo ID, the benched IDs will be different. Pictured above is a general build that can work for any ID, you still need to fine tune the details yourself tho (for example, if you use Dieci Rodion, you should use Dieci Yi Sang and Dieci Meursault as her support)
I will list some notable passive for each sinners that can work on any ID.
Yi Sang

• Wu Branch Adept - 5 defense level up and 50 HP heal if your HP drop below 50%
• Seven - +1 clash power (need gluttony res)
  Faust
• Regret - enemies have -1 clash power if they have 3 negative status
• LCB - 25% chance to inflict 2 offense down
• **Lob Corp ** - defensive skill has +2 power (need 2 lust res)
• Dawn Office - 3 offense and defense level up
  Don Quixote
• Shi - +10% slash damage
• **LCB ** - +10% pierce damage
• **Lobotomy ** - 4 HP when you hit enemies (only if your ID has aggro)
• T Corp - -10% damage from enemies with tremor
  Ryoshu
• **Butler **- 3 poise count and 1 haste on clash win
• **Mao **- 2 haste on turn end
• Chef - 15 HP heal when enemy is killed (once per turn)
• Drifter- 10 shield every turn
  Meusault
• **LCB **- -10% damage taken
  Hong Lu
• **Ting Tang **- +20% damage with head coins
• **S Corp **- +10% damage against enemy with binds
  Heathcliff
• **LCB ** - +10% blunt damage
• **Rabbit ** - +10% pierce damage
  Ishmael
• **Zwei **- 2 defense level up
• **Reindeer **- +10% blunt damage
• **Middle **- +1 clash power and +10% damage (need 3 envy res)
• **LCD **- +10% slash damage, +15% if you have haste (need 3 pride res)
  Rodion
• **LCB **- +20% damage with head coins
• **Kurokumo **- +10% slash damage
• **Dieci **- 3 blunt damage up when getting hit
  Sinclair
• Zwei West- 1 haste and 3 defense level up
• Zwei South- -10% damage taken
• **Mariachi **- +10% damage
• **Cinq **- on evade, gain up to 5 haste
• **Middle **- 2 defense level up
  Outis
• **LCB **- +30% damage to enemies below 0 SP
• Seven- +10% damage against enemies with weak/fatal resistance (need Lunar Memory for it to trigger all the time)
• G Corp - randomly gain 1 attack power up, 1 defense power up, or 1 protection
• Barber - 10 HP heal when enemies are killed (2 times per turn)
• Udjat - 1 protection every turn (need 3 gloom res)
  Gregor
• G Corp - heal 5 HP per clash win
• **Zwei **- 3 defense level up

Grace of the Stars preferences

Assuming you are lacking in starlight, this is the bare minimum for the grace buffs. It is advisable to maxed them out if you have the resources. You can still maxed out all of them still gain net positive if you do floor 15 with max adversity.
**
Star of the Beginning ++**
2 free rerolls every shop is good and the price is cheap
**
Cumulating Starcloud++**
you'll get a lot of excess fusion only gifts due to duplicate EGO gifts, so you'll sell at least one of them every shop anyway
**
Interstellar Travel++**
only choose the enhanced version of this grace if you already have 45+ theme packs unlocked in the compendium. it will give you extra 2 clash power which is always welcome.
**
Star-shower**
level 1 is enough imo, the extra starting cost might be useful to get your desired EGO early in the shop
**
Binary Star-shop++**
you want it maxed for the extra +40% encounter reward
**
Moon Star-shop++**
2 free keyword refresh, three free tier 1 on floor 1, +25% bonus chance for mega shop. insane value for its cost
**
Favor of the Nebulae++**
you'll need the bonus levels from it because you'll encounter enemy at level 100+
**
Starlight Guidance++**
another insane value for its buffs. +3 speed, 2 clash power, 2 damage up, and 2 protection
**
Chance Comet++**
you'll get a lot of free EGO gifts from this, including tier 4
**
Perfected Possibility**
they buffed this grace compared to MD6. it was abslotuely ass and now it's kinda okay (still expensive af tho). only choose this if you have excess starlights.

EGO search and EGO list to get

When you use the EGO search function, prioritize getting a theme exclusive gift and/or keywordless one. The priority of the choices is:
**
The EGO Search Pick:**

• Ashen Constellation's Blessing: always pick, no other gifts in this game has the ability to negate one of your weakness
• Emergency Investigator Badge : even if you run a tremor ID and gonna pick TKT BokGak theme, it's better to get the badge from EGO search. the badge is keywordless so you can't fusion it and personally i dont want to risk missing revive EGO gift, there's only three of them throughout the game. Enhance this gift twice so it will affect your first deployed sinner as well
• Sharp Needle & Thread : the third pick of EGO search. even if you manage to get the event node in Hell's Chicken theme pack, the event node only have 50% chance to give it to you, not to mention said event node is also shared with guaranteed Tango Marinade
• Manor-shaped Music Box : only choose this as your third pick if your ID is not strong enough to solo Dregs of the Manor. Dregs of the Manor is the hardest theme pack among floor 1
  **
  Theme pack exclusive EGO gift you must/should get:**
• **Bridle **: after MD7 update, this pack no longer tied to floor 4. you will need the max HP bonus otherwise your ID will only have around under 200 HP on floor 13 onward which is just about 2-3 hits. you can also get Metronome from Line 2 but it's not mandatory
• Unhatched Embers : free revive, only obtainable from Line 3 theme pack
• Contempt of the Gaze of Contempt : also exclusive from Line 3, nice to have but not mandatory
• ** False Halo and Snake Slough** : exclusive from Line 1, the damage up from False Halo stacks quite easily. Snake Slough isn't mandatory but nice to have
• Gift Sack/Jolly Plushie: exclusive from Miracle in District 20, you might consider to get Jolly Plushie for the extra damage while you are at it but Sad Plushie is keywordless
• Darkflame Smoking Pipe and Gear Sharpnel: exclusive from Full-Stopped By Bullet, prioritize getting smoking pipe because it gives you +2 Final Power. Gear Sharpnel is also good especially when you use evade IDs
• Shatterbound Cannon: this is personal preference. the Delicateness debuff build up is slow but the payoff from Firepower buff is huge. with this gift, you either see big numbers popping off or die. only pick this up if you know what you are doing and confident in your run. ** dont be surprised that your sinner will be obliterated when you hit tail even once lmao
  Healing, EGO resources, and cost related EGO gifts
  This goes without saying, but any EGO resources, healing, cost related are always good especially if you get them early. Hence I won't put them in any list, you are already expected to get at least some of them. Also don't forget to craft Lunar Memory.**
  Honorable mention
  Get Non-Disclosure Agreement. It gives you 50% shield of your max HP, with this gift it is possible to not activate your Unhatched Embers on turn 1. Not to mention, the shield gained from this gift doesn't decay on turn end. This mean if you still have leftover shield from NDA, it will still persist until it's fully depleted.
  Normal EGO gifts combination cheat sheet:
  These EGO gifts will work regardless of your ID's skill sin and their main status. The EGO gifts on this list are not tied to any specific packs.
  For priority, I suggest to complete them as following
  Tremor = Poise > Sinking > Charge > Bleed > Rupture >>>>> Burn
  
  Attack type EGO gifts that work for #1 deployed ID
  A lot of attack type (slash/blunt/pierce) EGO gifts are tied to deployment order, usually their enhanced version extend their reach, so sinners on specific deployed order can also benefit from them. Here's the list for attack type EGO gifts that work for solo however I won't list the one that boost only skill 1 and 2 (something like Cloudpattern Gourd Bottle boosts Slash type skill 1 only, because you probably already converted all skill 1 to skill 2 or 3 anyway). The tier 4 of each attack type also boost specific defensive skill which often overlook.
  

Things that can potentially brick your solo run

I was going to write up about one of the cursed EGO gift that can brick your solo but it was too short so I'll just write other things as well while I'm at it.
Cursed EGO Gift - Record Logs of That Day
Currently there are three cursed/blessed EGO gifts, honestly all of them are pretty good in a normal run but one of them will absolutely ruin your solo run.

If you see this in an event node and chose the top option, you will get a cursed EGO gift that will permanent stagger your only sinner. It's reasonable to use a team for the next 6 encounter to turn this cursed gift into a blessed gift to complete your compendium and hidden achievement because this event (or any cursed EGO event tbh) is quiet rare.
Enemies/Bosses
Here is a list of enemies/bosses and a brief explanation on why they can brick your run:

• **Dongbaek **- can inflict Blooming, can be dodged
• Farmwatch Dongrang - can inflict Seeds, can be dodged
• Jia Mu - Precious Jade's Cradle gimmick on phase 2, can be skipped if you deal enough damage
• Lust/Gluttony node from Canto 7 - Budding Bloodbag/Blossomed Bloodfiends have a passive that will deal 5% of max HP to a random sinner on turn start. Because we only use 1 sinner and there are 6 of them, you will lose 30% of HP at turn start. You can also get staggered at turn start from this passive.
• Hohenheim - his damage reflect can easily kill you if you don't have gloom/AoE with grey coat to outheal his damage
• Hidden Bosses on F13+ - Doesn't matter who, it's not worth it to fight them on higher floors. You can easily win MDE60 without any hidden bosses gift. Only fight them on lower floors (unless you use HoS Ryoshu)

Mounting Trials to avoid

This section is pretty straight forward and if you do MD frequently, the choice priority between team and solo run is pretty much the same. Also, pay attention to the enemy's level up tied to those mounting trial as well.
**

1. Coin Power Up (a.k.a. Brutality)**
   unless this mounting trial is tied to something you definitely need and it's exclusive EGO gift (something like Bridle or Unhatched Embers), never ever take this mounting trial.
   **
2. Final Power/Base Power Up**
   basically equivalent to Attack Power Up. this mounting trial affect one sided attack from the enemies (good luck dodging if you stack these up)
   3. Clash Power Up
   unlike Final Power/Base Power, this won't affect one sided attack from enemies
   **
3. Offense Level**
   the most often mounting trial you'll see, just pick offense level with the least amount
   **
4. Defense Level and Max HP**
   the best option. stacking Max HP meaning your EGO gift that triggered based on enemy's HP like Contract and Carmilla will be indirectly buffed as well.

How to tackle floor 11+ and their exclusive theme packs

Congratulation! The boring part is over, now you can play what you were waiting for.
From floor 11 onward, you can no longer use the search pack function. I only include theme packs exclusive on extreme mode (red border) on this list because this guide will give you brief explanation on what you gonna deal with on these exclusive packs and hopefully not wasting your run because you choose the bad pack on later floors. There will be no introduction on any RR packs, RR packs are readily available on floor 10 and below so I'm gonna assume that you are already familiar with them.
Update: With the addition of 10 new packs for Extreme floors, the way you approach F11+ is different from before. Unlike the old packs, the new packs give you free exclusive gifts. Not to mention these floors are generally easier compared to the old ones. The old strat was picking hard packs early and saving the easier packs for higher floors, but with the addition of the new packs, you want to pick theme pack that will benefit you.
Here is the 10 new packs and their exclusive gift and also which kind of IDs that will benefit from them. I won't list what each gift's effect is, just check it on the wiki or the steam guide down below.

For example, let's say we use Zwei Ishmael in a solo run. The packs that will benefit her is:

• Code Purple
• Fairy Tale
• Complete & Total Extermination
• Bloodtinged Ichthyic Odor
  "Why only 4? Doesn't A Mids