Caliginous Caper (mission)

Caliginous Caper
Basic Information
Name:	Caliginous Caper
File name:	mvm_ghost_town
Developer(s):	Valve
Map:	Coaltown Event
Mission type:	Unknown
Waves:	1 wave, 8 subwaves
Difficulty:	Nightmare
Starting credits:	5000
Maximum possible credits:	Unknown
Minimum respawn wave time:	Unknown
Maximum respawn wave time:	Unknown
Fixed respawn time:	Unknown
Tour:	Unknown
Sentry Buster spawn time:	Unknown
Sentry Buster respawn time:	Unknown

Caliginous Caper is a nightmare endurance mission available on the Coaltown Event map. This mission has only one incredibly long wave, Wave 666, consisting of 911 enemies (not counting support-only enemies) and 9 Tanks with no checkpoints whatsoever. All robots in this mission, with the exception of Sentry Busters, are reskinned to look like zombies, though this is purely cosmetic.

As an endurance mission, Caliginous Caper features a timer that will appear over the bomb when it is not being carried, similar to the timer that appears over the briefcase in Capture the Flag or Special Delivery. When the timer runs out, the bomb is reset back to the robot spawn area.

Waves

Sub-wave	Class			Count			Delay(s)		Credits
Wave 666
1		Hard	100% crit chance	10	10	30	0	0	300
		Easy	Fires continuously	8	8	32	3	7	200
		Expert	100% crit chance	4	4	12	5	5	200
2		Normal	—	4	20	20	5	2	400
	Über Medic	Normal	Spawns with full Über  +400% ÜberCharge rate  -90% heal rate  -3 seconds Über duration
3		Easy	—	5	10	40	8	2	300
		Easy	—	5	10	40	8	2	300
		Expert	—	1	2	5	8	30	200
		Expert	—	1	2	5	8	30	200
4		Easy	100% crit chance Spawns from all three sides	5	10	80	10	8	600
		35,000	—	1	—	3	0	50	600
5	Type 2	Expert	—	5	10	40	10	10	500
		Hard	100% crit chance	5	5	40	30	8	500
		40,000	—	—	—	1	55	0	600
6A		Expert	The Direct Hit The Buff Banner  Spawns with full rage  +800%  +100% damage dealt Spawns from all three sides	10	20	40	15	2	300
6B		Expert	100% crit chance	2	8	8	0	30	400
		Expert	—
7		42,000	—	1	—	4	10	30	1100
		Expert	—	8	16	96	40	5	200
8A		Expert	100% crit chance  +50% damage dealt  +80% faster reload rate Spawns from all three sides	5	20	75	10	1	300
8B		Expert	100% crit chance  +100% damage dealt  +180% faster reload rate  +40% fire rate bonus Spawns from all three sides	5	20	75	10	1	300
8C		Expert	100% crit chance  +100% damage dealt  +180% faster reload rate  +100% projectile speed Spawns from all three sides	5	20	75	5	1	200
8D		Expert	100% crit chance  +100% damage dealt  +50% movement speed Spawns from all three sides	5	20	75	10	1	200
8E		Expert	100% crit chance Spawns from all three sides	5	20	75	5	1	200
8F		Expert	100% crit chance  +50% damage dealt Spawns from all three sides	4	22	48	5	1	200
	Über Medic	Normal	Spawns with full Über  +400% ÜberCharge rate  -90% heal rate  -3 seconds Über duration
8G		60,000	—	—	—	1	20	0	0
Support		Hard	Vision range 3000	2	—	—	120	210	—
		Expert	—	2	—	—	180	180	—

General Strategy

Caliginous Caper doesn't have its own difficulty for no reason. Beating this mission requires the right team composition, knowing what to expect in each sub-wave, and good teamwork.

• Your team requires multiple heavy damage-dealers in order to destroy the Tanks fast enough. As a rule of thumb, at least 2 Soldiers or Demomen are required, but 3 are recommended. You will also require an Engineer and a Pyro to reset the bomb. This leaves one more class to choose. A Scout is recommended, but other classes can work under certain conditions.
  •  Scout is an excellent support class. Besides his money-collecting skills, his Mad Milk greatly increases your team's survivability, and his Sandman can mark Giants, softening them up. He can also upgrade his Primary to contribute extra damage or upgrade his resistances to tank damage and draw enemy fire.
  •  Soldier provides a combination of high damage and team support. By maxing out the damage of his rockets, the Soldier can deal heavy damage to Tanks, Giants, or waves of zombies altogether, and his Buff Banner provides him and his allies increased damage with no damage fall-off. The Battalion's Backup can be useful in later stages of the mission against crit-boosted enemies, however, it is often unnecessary, as by that time, most players should have maximum crit resistance upgraded, whereas the Buff Banner is continuously useful in dealing with the large numbers of enemies, which do get increasingly difficult. Also try using high damage output weapons to increase the rate of your Buff Banner. Since the Two Cities Update, the Soldier can update his Rocket Specialist ability to allow his rockets to stun giant robots temporarily, as well as increasing their blast radius to allow him to deal massive damage to larger groups of small robots.
  •  Pyro is an essential class, capable of dealing high damage and resetting the bomb. Pushing the bomb carrier into the pit whenever the opportunity presents gives his team a much greater chance in winning the mission, and the damage boost upgrade to his Flamethrower means he can provide lots of damage. Maximizing resistances and movement speed helps the Pyro accomplish these tasks. Using an Übercharge Canteen allows you to distract zombies for your teammates to get a clean shot, while dealing high damage yourself.
  •  Demoman provides raw damage, like the Soldier. The Demoman can use his Stickybomb Launcher to clear a wave of zombies and deal concentrated damage against Giants and Tanks, and eliminate those pesky Über Medics before they can even do anything. On the other hand, the Demoman can also equip a Chargin' Targe and upgrade resistances to tank loads of damage and use his Grenade Launcher as his primary source of damage.
  •  Heavy provides constant damage against zombies and Giants. If he has readily available sources of mini-crits or crits, he can deal high damage from long distances, where he's safe, and his sustained damage works well with Mad Milk, dealing damage while healing with little gaps. If he has the Natascha equipped, he can slow down zombies to a crawl, giving your team a bigger window of opportunity to deal damage. However, his lack of a damage boost upgrade on his Primary means that he won't be dealing as much raw damage as the Soldier or Demoman.
    • Alternatively, the Heavy can pair upgraded resistances with Fists of Steel. Combining this with the Heavy's naturally high health allows him to "tank" incoming fire like no other.
  •  Engineer, like in any other mission, is an essential asset. His Sentry Gun is great at eliminating waves of zombies without letting any slip away, and can draw fire to it. His Teleporter allows his teammates to get in the front lines ASAP, and his Dispenser provides health and ammo when needed. More than one Engineer is not required, and even not recommended.
  •  Medic does not provide much direct firepower, but boosts his allies' instead. With the Kritzkrieg, the Medic keeps his teammates alive, and Übercharge provides a ton of damage in crit boosts. The Medic's ability to share canteens is also vital. He can combine his Übercharge Canteen with his teammate's crit boost Canteen to safely and quickly take out a group of Giants. With the addition of reviving and projectile shields, a skilled Medic can be the deciding point during a wave.
  •  Sniper excels against Giants. With the Machina and damage boost upgrade maxed out, a fully-charged headshot deals over 1000 damage. With Explosive Headshots, the Sniper can also simply headshot a slow target and deal heavy damage to every other zombie around it. His Jarate keeps him useful by providing mini-crits and a slowing effect. However, the Sniper's biggest flaw is that he often provides little damage against Tanks. However, equipping the Bushwacka with maximum fire rate, coupled with a Soldier's Buff Banner, the Sniper can inflict large amounts of damage against the tanks. The Hitman's Heatmaker can be very effective against giants, as its 'focus' mode allows for a fast rate of headshotting giants, made even more powerful through damage, projectile penetration and explosive headshots upgrades.
  •  Spy is extremely risky to play, due to the constant barrage of fire and how naturally fragile he is. On the plus side, his Sapper is extremely potent at disabling and slowing, and with attack speed and armor penetration maxed out, although risky, he can deal heavy damage to Giants, or even kill one by himself. The Spy is terrible when it comes to dealing with Tanks, however.
• Each subwave on Caliginous Caper can be split into three categories: Giants (Subwaves 1-3, 5, 6B), Tanks (Subwaves 4, 5, 7, 8G), and crit-boosted zombies (Subwaves 6A, 8A-G). Each parts require different strategies.
  • Giant waves: The closer you let them get to the spawn, the less chance you have winning. At that point, Giants will "spawn camp" you, preventing you from getting into a favorable position to attack them. As a Soldier, Demoman, or Heavy, keep your distance so that your Pyro or the Sentry Gun can draw fire towards them. Apply mini-crits and Mad Milk whenever possible. Use crit boost Canteens if you need to take them out fast, or an Übercharge canteen if you're cornered by them or to tank their attacks.
    • On Subwave 2 (Super Charged Soldiers & Über Medics), there are a few ways to one-shot the Über Medics. A crit-boosted sticky bomb carpet, a reflected crit rocket, or Jarate + Explosive Headshot are a few ways to kill the medics fast. You can also delay killing the bomb carrier in the first subwave so that by the time the Giant Soldiers spawn, the bomb is reset, preventing it from appearing until the next subwave.
    • On Subwave 6B (Giant Deflector Heavy & Giant Medic), be sure to take out the Giant Medic first, since it heals at such a fast rate. One tactic is to hide, then ambush the Giant Medic from behind while the Giant Heavy is distracted.
  • Tank waves: Your Tank busters (Soldiers, Demomen, and Pyros) should focus on dealing enough damage before moving onto the zombies. As for Pyros, be sure to keep track of the bomb, so that you can leave, reset the bomb, and come back. Be sure to stock up on crit boost Canteens for these waves.
    • On Subwave 5 (Giant Rapid Fire Demoman & Tanks), make sure to concentrate on the Giant Demomen as well, since if they get too close to the spawn, it can become very problematic. Push the bomb carrier into the pit whenever possible.
    • On Subwave 7 (Spies & Tanks), your Pyro should aim so that they're both dealing damage to the Tank and Spy-checking at the same time. Don't let the Spies backstab you while your Crit boost canteen is active! Also, Soldiers, Demomen and Heavies should consider keeping their backs onto a wall while attacking tanks. Spies will attempt to stab you in the front, but will be much easier to dispose of.
  • Crit-boosted zombie wave: Without little or no resistances upgraded, they will be able to kill you in a single shot. At this point, you should invest some money into upgrading resistances. Maximizing crit resistance will let most classes survive at least one hit. Buy Übercharge canteens whenever you can.
    • If you upgraded your resistances considerably, one strategy is to maximize your Health on kill upgrade and use your Übercharge canteen when you're about to die. Since the zombies are at least fragile, you should be at full health by the time your Übercharge wears out.
    • If the crit-boosted zombies are too much for you, as a Pyro or Heavy, you can take cover behind the walls on either side of the map between the middle building and the side buildings and constantly fire to the sides, creating a "wall of death". This gives the zombies less time to react, depending on how fast you kill them.
    • The crit-boosted Soldier zombies are the most frustrating enemies in the entire wave, as their constant barrage of super-powered rockets can throw off your aim, even with an Übercharge activated. Be sure to have someone distract them for Soldiers, Heavies, or Demomen to take out from afar. The same goes for crit-boosted Demoman zombies, but at a lesser extent.
    • As a Soldier, be careful against the zombie Pyros. They are very skilled at reflecting rockets, and one reflected rocket can end up killing you or an ally.
    • The final stretch (final Tank & Heavy-Medic combos): Split your force between the Tank and the Heavy-Medic combos. The player(s) dealing with the Heavy and Medics are to distract them long enough to keep your Tank busters away from them. If you don't have a convenient way to dispatch the Medics, your best bet is to let them trigger their ÜberCharges and activate your own Übercharge canteens long enough to outlast the Medic's Übercharge and kill them.
• When to buy, what to buy and when to use your Canteens can mean victory or defeat. Critical Hit canteens are essential in taking out Tanks on time and Giants when in a pinch, and Übercharge canteens are almost necessary in order to survive the onslaught of crit-boosted zombies halfway through the wave. Don't be afraid to switch canteens if you have to.
• While you start the wave with a ton of money, don't forget to collect the money whenever possible. You need all the money you can get for upgrades, buybacks and canteens.
• Most Giants will have a hard time tracking you if you circle-strafe them with enough movement speed. Use this to distract enemy Giants.

See also

• Coaltown Event