[BPQ] The Balrog PQ Guide ~ Stop The Revival of Evil Balrog!

What is the Balrog?
This Balrog is nothing like the Junior or the Crimson Balrog. It is THE Balrog.
Not much is known about him, but he has had some experiences with some Maple heroes such as Manji, Tristan (A legendary Maple hero), and the previous Dark Lord.
Seeking help, Tristan found the Dark Lord. Together, they went to take on the fierce Balrog.
Having turned the Dark Lord into a monster, Tristan was killed by the Balrog.
Manji was defeated as well, but he managed to seal the Balrog away.
After many years of being sealed, Balrog is breaking free of his seal, and it's up to the world of Maplestory to seal him again!
However, if you think this is a walk in the park, then you are sadly mistaken.

First of all, let me show you how this balrog expedition PQ works http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-The-Balrog-PQ-Guide-262.html All the infos up there but reading on will tell you the important parts. WELL THEN. Alek and I were talking about this pq and why no one ever does it and  among other things, so that led me to do a bunch of research on the subject and I think it's possible. First, I'll explain why we would want to do it and why it's possible. WHY WE WOULD WANT TO DO IT 520k XP (THIS IS PRACTICALLY EQUAL TO A LEVEL), AMAZING BALROG  WEAPONS, CHAOS SCROLL, WHITE SCROLL, BALROG BOOTS,  EVERYONE WANTS TO DO IT AT LEAST ONCE WHY ITS POSSIBLE Minimum requirement is 6 people. Up to 15 can do it. However, you can easily do the pq with 4 people by exploiting a glitch in nexon's interface since as long as a person is in the expedition team, they could be in Ludibrium for all that matters. Damage dealt from balrog - I did a pq with some random people and I believe it got nerfed a lot... I pretty much healed by using drain but i needed to occasionally use an unagi. At any rate, it wasn't very bad. THE STUPID FUCKING RIBCAGES THAT LOWER YOUR HEALTH TO 1 ARE GAY-ASS THOUGH. This can be avoided by hitting the head from the upper-left. Damage dealt from us - In the pq, a level 70 is actually the best. Just about anyone from 71 - 200 is about the same damage-wise. Things like attack speed, passive skills, etc. can affect it but theres no groundbreakingly different damage. THE BASICS It's located at the bottom of the temple in the sleepywood cave area. You can go there by talking to Manji in Perion and paying 10k. We have 30:00 minutes to complete the pq, and there are roughly three stages. The balrog has a head and two arms. Ranged character attack the head and close-combat  characters attack the arms. No one can use any third job skills unless they're passive. In other words, you're restricted to only using 2nd job skills (why 4th jobbers = 3rd jobbers). Also, everyone who is above 70 gets their damage nerfed in the pq. Mine was reduced by about 75%. A heros gladius in your inventory increases your att and mg att by 30. STAGE 1 This lasts for the first ten minutes, til 19:59. No damage will actually be dealt to the balrog. However, the damage is taken into account. Within the first ten minutes, a minimum of 120,000 damage must be  dealt to the balrog (i'm not sure if this is still correct after BB). STAGE 2 This will last until the balrog has lost 50% of its HP. Damage will now be dealt to the balrog. Tombstones  will start glowing during this time and they must be hit with a regular attack pretty much as soon as they  start or else the balrog will  regain almost all of its HP. STAGE 3 This is the hard part and lasts until all its HP is gone. Balrog will start using damage reflect. DAMAGE REFLECT This will start after the balrog says somethinig about "silly greenhorns", a little after both hands get chained  down and 50% of its health is gone. Damage reflect will roughly start a little after the 50% mark is reached, around 55% or 60% taken out. The effect is characterized by orange chains running in front of the balrog and a glowing axe-like aura thing in front of it. The horns will have a striped white-red glow with cracks running along it. There will be a purple  sword on the top to indicate damage reflect. The best method to fight it off, as I've experienced, is to only attack the balrog while hes doing an attack unrelated to damage reflect until he does the first damage reflect. After the first one, the balrog will not cast  it for another minute, so it's important to time it. I will attempt to tell us the "safe time" for attacking the balrog.  Note that when the altar has "hit" and his head and horns turn purple, this may disbalance the time of the damage reflect, though from what I've seen, just makes the damage  reflect  happen one minute later than when it was supposed to. ZOMBIFY Around the latter portion, the balrog will start using zombify which will make our pots 1/2 as effective. This really isn't that big of a deal. MY EXPERIENCE WITH PQS In the pq, my damage was roughly 184000 a minute, but we still didnt get past first stage because we didnt hit minimum (I don't know how. This is why I think the minimum is wrong. Still worth trying though).  I spent my time attacking the head (which was not what I was supposed to) and took very little damage.  My party members had no idea what they were doing and just kind of hitting whatever. As for pot intake, I spent about 100 mana elixirs and 10 unagis (used drain mostly) over the first 10 minutes. Overall, it was pretty fun. Second pq, I decided to try soloing it, so I recruited random people to the expedition that didnt need to go in. I got past the first stage and got to around 60% health left after 30 minutes. THE PLAN EVERYONE GETS HEROS GLADIUSES FOR THE EXTRA 30 ATT AND MG ATT. RANGED  CHARS ATTACK HEAD. CLOSE-RANGE CHARS ATTACK ARMS UNTIL THEY GET CHAINED. *UPDATE* Well, first I solo'd it and got to about 45% health before I got kicked out (badass) Then, Angie and Dylan came over but I kept dying so we didn't get to the third stage. I think that if we got  alek or lars (or both), we could probably beat it. The xp is actually 520k x and there is a chance for chaos  or white scrolls (if thats any incentive). Also, the new strategy is not to enter the expedition till about 5 minutes since its a waste of pots. Here are some solo screens.

Quick Facts

• There are two main level ranges for this boss - Level 50-70 and 50-200.
• Normal Level can be played only on channels 6,7.
• Once you enter, the boss will already be summoned.
• All skills will be canceled upon entering (such as buffs and effects from USE items).
• Time limit is 30 minutes per group.
• This boss has 3 stages.
• The Barlog has 24,600,000 HP (Body/Head, Hands and Soul Form).
• You may only use 1st and 2nd job skills inside the map. (Passive skills are working)
• The Barlog does not drop any items, instead there is a bonus stage.
• Arans level 70 or above who have spent any skill points in Full Swing and/or Over Swing will be unable to use Double/Triple swing, as Fuil and Over swing replace these with hidden skills to provide the extra hits. The animations will appear to play and damage will appear to be done, but only the first hit will actually register and double/triple swings will have no actual effect, nor will they increase your combo meter.

The Basics of BPQ

How do I get to the BPQ area?
BPQ is located at a map called Dungeon: Bottom of the Shrine.

Maplestory- How to get to the Balrog PQ

You can access to the map by either following methods.


1. Talk to Manji in Perion, he will teleport you to the room for 10,000 mesos.
2. Walk down the ant tunnel in Sleepywood. In “The Cave That Lost Light 2”,
head to the bottom right of the map, and locate the hidden portal.
Go through the portal, and jump down to the bottom portal on the next map. Proceed down the staircase, and enter the map.

BPQ Lingo
There may be some words/acronyms you see in the PQ that you may not understand.

• DR / Refl- Damage Reflect.
• Timer - Someone who able to Predict Balrog's damage reflection.
• BPQ - Balrog Party Quest/Balrog Expedition Quest.
• Zombify - An anti-buff that causes your HP potions' effectiveness reduced by 50%. That Unagi will now heal 500 HP instead of the 1,000 HP it usually does. Clerics/Priests/Bishops can actually kill you by healing.
• Split / Share - This is what most parties do during the bonus stage. Everyone gets to choose what they get (if it drops). All uncalled things are usually picked up by whoever gets them.
• FFA - Free For All. This means that in the bonus stage, whoever gets an item keeps it. There is no fair splitting or anything. It's just whoever gets the items first.
• Card - The Balrog Card.
• Bain Weapons - A series of "Epic" weapons dropped on the normal BPQ. These weapons are very, VERY rare, but incredibly good.

Is BPQ Worth it?
Yes! Even if you are doing easy or normal BPQ (Which I will explain later), every part of this PQ is definitely worth it!
How much EXP, you ask? This varies on what difficulty you do.
If you are doing easy mode, then you will get 260,000 EXP! That is a humongous amount for levels 50-70.
Well for normal mode, you will get 520,000 EXP which is twice of easy mode!
Easy takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, while normal takes 20-30 minutes to complete.

How do I join a BPQ run?
You must be level 50 or above to do a BPQ run.
Normal mode can only be done in channels 5 and 10, while Easy mode can be done in other channels.
Easy mode level limit is Lv50-Lv70 while Normal mode is Lv50-Lv200.
Easy mode players limit is 3-6 while Normal mode is 6-15.

Before You Join...
If you want to join a Balrog run, there are a few things to consider:
1. Most people will be talking to their buddies during the PQ.
2. Something VERY important is organization. A random, unorganized party will get you nowhere.
3. Trust is key. If no one trusts you, it is very unlikely that you will be able to join a run.
4. If you are level 50-70, most people will tell you to do easy. I recommend you try to do Normal when you are level 60+.

Joining a party/batch
The way of joining for both Easy mode and Normal mode is a bit different.
For Easy mode, you will probably going to channels 1,5,10 to find a party by saying like L>Easy.
For Normal mode, just go to channels 5,10 and wait for a open batch.
For 1st timer, I'll suggest trying Easy mode first since it's easier to do and organize because of less players.

Signing Up
For easy mode, after your party is formed, move to an empty channel.
The party leader shall talk to the NPC Mu Young and apply as squad leader.
The rest of party members shall immediately register themselves within the time limit.
Now this is the important part.
After everyone has registered, the squad leader should form the squad and enter immediately.
The leader will be transported into a map called Balrog's Tomb where the boss fight located
Then, the squad leader should talk to the Mu Young in map and get out of the boss map.
The rest of party shall wait outside. Everyone should wait outside.
When the timer reach 0:30 which is 30 seconds left, everyone should talk to Mu Young again and enter the map.

Why?
The first phase of the balrog is just testing of your damage.
The balrog's HP bar is still hidden and no actual damage is dealt.
You'll only need to deal certain damage to pass the test and normally it'll be easy to pass.
If you enter early and fight inside you'll just ended up with wasting potions.

How hard does The Balrog hit?

There are several attacks that Balrog is able to inflict on you.
1. Lightning Strike. This attack hits only the bottom level of the tomb, striking for around 2.4k damage on normal or 800 damage on easy.
2. Bone Crusher. This attack also hits only the bottom level. A glowing rib-cage looking thing will fall from the ceiling. This will reduce your HP and MP to 1. Same effect on easy and normal. This can be avoided by evading the falling bone.
3. Dispel. This attack hits anywhere inside the Balrog’s Tomb. This attack is used by the head and the left arm. If being used by the head, Balrog's necklace will flash purple. If being used by the left arm, Balrog will cast a purple circle. No matter which body part is using the attack, a purple jaw will appear around you and promptly snap down. This attack deals around 250-600 damage, easy and normal.
4. Rock Drop. Another attack striking everywhere inside the tomb. A rock will drop on your head. 300-600 damage, easy and normal.
5. Inferno. The Balrog’s horns will turn red, and fire will engulf his jaw. Up to 6 people anywhere in the tomb will be hit with a fire-based attack for about 300-600 damage, easy and normal.
7. Iceberg. This attack is used by Balrog's right hand. He shows a blue circle and strikes you with a mini-iceberg. This can hit 800 on easy and 2.8k on normal.

Update: New damage

Balrog Level: 60 HP: 7503000 Physical Attack: [478 --> 717] Magical Attack: [483 --> 725] Knockback: 1 WDEF: 25% MDEF: 25% Avoid: 25 Accuracy: 36 Auto-Aggro Boss

Easy Mode: Lv50 - Lv70

About Easy Mode
Like I have stated above, easy mode is for levels 50-70 ONLY.
Easy mode has a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 6.
The whole thing lasts for 20 minutes, but most parties finish in 15.
Easy mode is split into three phases.

Stages There are three main stages to this boss. After each stage The Barlog gets stronger and uses a wider range of skills. These stages or phases of the barlog don't require you to change maps. Stage One: Proving Your Strength The Balrog believes he is the strongest monster in the Maple World. His plan is to take over the world all his balrog minions. in order to fight him, you must first prove your strength to him, otherwise you are immediately sent out of the map, because he does not believe you are a worthy FOE. The first stage is the first 10 minutes since you've entered. During these 10 minutes you must deal a certain amount of damage to the head or left arm of The Barlog (Doesn't matter which you hit). You must deal at least 2.5 Million Damage for easy and 5 Million for normal difficulty. Stage Two: Balrog Minions Now The Balrog thinks you are a worthy enemy. Now his only goal is to kill you and your party. Prepare for a harder fight! In the second stage, The Balrog begins to Summon, weaker balrogs to try to kill you off. He will summon Jr. Balrog, Crimson Balrog and Baby Balrog. During this stage, you will also need to stay near the statues inside the map. There should be three statues: *Leftest, Rightest and Bottom. Every 15% HP or so that The Balrog loses. A notice will appear, telling you to attack the statues. you will have about 30 seconds to hit the statue. If this is not completed The Balrog will recover to full HP and you will basically have lost. Strategy To survive through this stage, you should have everyone attacking the head of the balrog, except for two or three experts. These experienced players who have done this boss before should kill the mobs which are summoned on the bottom and right, also, they should be responsible for those two statues. Usually these bottom-mobbers should have High HP and have Mobbing Skills. They also have to be careful since The Balrog casts 1/1 (HP/MP) and Dispel (Takes away your buffs).  Stage Three: The Last Stand This is the last stage of The Balrog, it is now at full strength and has access to all its skills. This stage begins around 40% HP and is shown by the Balrog's Hands getting chained to the ground. During this stage the Balrog will become blue. The main threat during this stage is its Damage Reflection. Strategy Damage Reflection is a skill that The Balrog will cast and lasts around 15-30 seconds, during this buff, Do not attack The Balrog. If you attack during this buff, you will be dealt damage after hitting the balrog. It will deal about 500% of your damage back to you!, so a warrior dealing 1,000 damage will recieve 5,000 damage aproximately. The way to see if the buff is being casted or not is currently on is if the horns are white. There should be a small circular skill infront of The Balrog's mouth. During the 3rd stage, the skills and summons from the 2nd stage will still be casted. Only more often and more mobs. during this stage, once the hp reaches to 0, The Balrog should be dead. Bonus: Reap The Rewards After The Balrog is killed, you will be send to a bonus map. In this bonus map, There will be an orb, hit it and your rewards will drop. After leaving the bonus stage and finishing the run. each member will be rewareded a Balrog Leather which can be traded in for scrolls. These specials scrolls are only for Bain and Balrog items. To trade in these leathers, speak to Strange Guy located at The Scorching Desert. You can find him inThe Scorching Desert. WARNING - x2 and x4 drop do not affect the drops from the orb.

Phase One Phase one lasts from 20:00 - 14:59. During this time, no damage to Balrog is dealt. So it would be a waste of pots to attack, right? Wrong. During this time, you MUST deal about 120,000 damage to Balrog or else you will get kicked out of this PQ. Most parties I have PQed with do the following during the first phase: 1. Start the expedition 2. Leader enter the expedition and out. 3. Stay outside 4. Go in at 0:30 In case you did not understand that, most parties, after starting the expedition, stay outside until the timer on the top of the map (Bottom of the Shrine) reaches 0:30. Why? Most parties do this in order to save their potions. No one wants to waste potions, right? Some parties might go in earlier. Sometimes a bit too early. Try to avoid parties that do not know what to do at all. The only parts you are able to hit are the head and the hand to the right. Long ranged classes should always stay at upper left platform and attack the head. While close ranged classes should take the hands. Note that in Easy mode you must have at least 1.5k HP to survive at bottom. If this differs, this could mean one of three things; 1. The party is likely due to fail due to poor organization. 2. Some people, like Arans, like attacking the head instead of the arms, which is NOT recommended until the third phase. 3. A close ranged person cannot survive on the floor, which is very rare except bandit. Phase Two Phase two lasts from 14:59 to about 50% of the Balrog's health. During this time, you are now dealing damage to the Barlog. However, unlike the first phase, tombstones with the word 'hit' on them will pop up, either on the top left, the middle or the top-right. The Balrog's head will also turn purple. All attacks to the head will miss. It is ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT to hit the tombstone ASAP. If you don't the Balrog WILL regenerate almost ALL of his health, resulting in a fail party. Make sure to hit these when they pop up. Balrog's right hand (Or the hand to the left) will also be freed from its chains and be left open to attack. Brawlers/Marauders will find this hand more convenient to hit since the hand to the right forces them to jump in order to hit it. Phase Three This is where most parties perish and fail. This is the dreaded phase three, where Balrog uses his damage reflect. This starts when Balrog shows a message saying "Silly Greenhorns, trying to seal me with such ameturish strength..." However, damage reflect does not start immediately. On easy mode, damage reflect starts approximately when the HP bar reaches the Letter M in "Time."

Damage reflect starts when Balrog's Horns flash red-white and he shows a circle with an axe in the middle.
DAMAGE REFLECT is explained at below.

When the HP bar 10%, that is when Balrog is going to cast zombify. Don't worry if your time seems off by more than 20 seconds; it's just zombify.

Go and tell the Balrog "Good game sir!"

Bonus stage
Congrats! You have reached the bonus stage!
Just hit that thing in the middle, split the drops evenly.
Where's the EXP? Just step on the portal to transport out and you'll receive the exp.
You'll get an extra Balrog's Leather as well.

Confirmed drops for easy mode:





In details:
Balrog's Weapon series (Has 8 slots instead of 7)
(Too long to be listed out all weapons. Use Hidden-Street.)
Balrog Leather Shoe
Balrog Furry Leather Shoe
Twilight Scroll 5%

NORMAL MODE : Lv50 - Lv200
About Normal Mode
Normal mode is not that different from easy, but a LOT harder.
For the most part, the procedures are the same. However, there are some major differences.
Some are that instead of a max of six people, you have a maximum of 15 people at a time.
This mode lasts for 30 minutes, unlike the 20 minutes on easy.
So what makes this so hard? Keep reading and find out.
Since Easy and Normal are so alike, I will only point out the differences in this section.


Phase One
This Phase lasts from 30:00 - 19:59 in Normal Mode. Note, Balrog's attack and HP are buffed up drastically.
Another thing: anyone over level 71 will get their damage reduced by a ton.
Everyone who is a ranged attacker (Bowmen, Sins, Slingers, etc.) should NOT touch the head.
It hits a DEADLY 1,800 Damage, which would probably kill anyone who is ranged and level 70- instantly.
Everything else is the same.

Phase Two
This phase lasts from 19 59 till about 50% of Balrog's HP.
The head and hands have more defense, so you will deal less damage here. Again, this phase is pretty much the same as easy.

Phase Three
This is where most parties fail.
Unlike easy, damage reflect is casted MUCH sooner. It's casted around 45% HP.
In fact, damage reflect is casted when the HP is somewhere between the minutes and seconds.(With Minimap fully opened)


Have your ranged people stop attacking and your unranged (Warriors, Brawlers, Dits, etc.) attack when the Balrog himself attacks.
This is the safest way to attack.
Everything else is the same, too.

This point is where Damage Reflect about to start.


Bonus Stage
Congrats! You have beat the Balrog on Normal mode!
Normal mode has the same drops as easy, but not only is there more.
There are also the "epic" Bain Weapons and The Balrog Chair.
Here's a list:
The Balrog Chair
Bain Shooter
Bain Biter
Bain Long Bow
Bain Pole Arm
Bain Sword
Bain Wings
Chaos Scroll
Clean Slate Scroll 3%
White Scroll
Eternal Bullet
Balrog's Seal Stone (For Dragon Rider PQ)

List of Rewards from MapleWiki Balrog Weapons (Level 70-90 weapons except 7 slots, untradable and karmable) Bain Wings (Staff) Bain Sword (Two-Handed Sword) Bain Biter (Claw) Bain Polearm (Pretty Obvious) Bain Long Shooter (Gun) Bain Long Bow (Bow) Balrog Items Balrog's Furry Leather Shoes Balrog's Leather Shoes ETC and USE Chaos Scroll 60% White Scroll Sunset Balrog Scroll 5% Balrog Leather Eternal Bullet And many potions and ores

In more detail:

• Balrog’s Pheonix Wand
• Balrog’s Magicodar
• Balrog’s Varkit
• Balrog’s Cursayer
• Dragon’s Tail of Balrog
• Balrog’s Angelic Betrayal
• Balrog’s Leomite
• Balrog’s Morningstar
• Balrog’s Vifennis
• Balrog’s Gaea
• Balrog’s Fraute
• Balrogs Khan
• Balrog’s Kage
• Balrog’s Blue Marine
• Balrog’s Omega Spear
• Balrog’s Fairfrozen
• Balrog’s Helios
• Balrog’s Colonian Axe
• Balrog’s Blue Screamer
• Heaven’s Gate of Balrog
• Balrog’s Berzerker
• Devil’s Sunrise of Balrog
• Balrog’s Eclipse
• Balrog’s Hellslayer
• Balrog’s Marine Raven
• Balrog’s Fire Raven
• Balrog’s Golden Raven
• Balrog’s Dark Raven
• Balrog’s Casa Crow
• Balrog’s Marine Arund
• Balrog’s Fire Arund
• Balrog’s Golden Arund
• Balrog’s Dark Arund
• Balrog’s Metus
• Balrog’s Steel Renault
• Balrog’s White Evil
• Balrog’s Black Mamba
• Balrog’s Casters
• Balrog’s Leather Shoes
• Balrog’s Fur Shoes
• Balrog’s Infinity
• Balrog’s Peacemaker
• Balrog's Twilight Scroll 5%

Bain Weapons

Bain Weapons are special weapons dropped in the balrog boss bonus stage,
They have the stats of a level 80 weapons but only require level 58 to wield.
They have 7 slots as usual but can be leveled up like reverse and timeless items.
They also cannot be traded after being equiped. These are some of the rarer drops from The Balrog Boss.
They also have no stat requirement so they are good for Dexless Sins and Lukless Mages.
 
Warning about Skills

Players level 50-69 will have no problems with attacking or using their skills. However, people with third job might have some problems with this.
First of all, any third job skills that are NOT passive will not work here. Skills like Burst Fire or Meso Explosion cannot be used here.
There is one skill in particular that WILL doom you here. The skill I am talking about is called Full Swing (Yes, an Aran skill).
This skill, although will increase your damage outside the PQ, will NOT let you use double swing OR triple swing in BPQ.
So if you wanna continue doing this PQ while still being an okay 71+ attacker in here, DO NOT add SP to Full Swing until you think you have had enough leveling with this PQ.

About Level 71+
People level 71+ get their power cut down drastically.
If you're a 15X Buccaneer with a damage range of 4096 ~ 5142, your damage range will be reduced to a fixed one of about 650 ~ 1024.
The same thing applies if you are a level 71 Marauder, a level 86 Chief bandit, or a 200 Night Lord.
Although each class gets their damage reduced to a certain range, I am only aware of the damage reduction for Pirates.
I'm pretty sure each class hits around 600 - 1800 each hit.

Damage Reflection
Another big thing in this PQ is the infamous Damage Reflect.
You might be saying "What is damage reflect?"
Well, as the name implies, damage reflect is a mob buff that will return a high amount of damage back to you if you manage to hit that mob during damage reflect.
For example, if you hit the Balrog during damage reflect, the damage inflicted will show up as 1 and you can get around 8,000-11,000 damage returned to you.
However, Damage Reflection can still be estimated and avoided by timing. This will be explained below.

Timing of Balrog PQ (Timer)
Most people think of timing as "too hard."
It's the exact opposite. There are two timing methods for Easy and Normal.
QUICK NOTE: You will need to stop BEFORE the time given.
If you stop At or after the time, chances are that your party will hit Balrog during damage reflect, and die out.
I stop 3 - 5 seconds before the given time. Also, please note that server lag also plays a crucial part in your timing.
This may cause your time to be too early or too late.
Sometimes, a person's clock is different than someone else's, so be aware of that. (Thanks Poison Control for reminding the info.)

1. Safe Method
This method is not only safer, but allows time to have all your Expedition members to stop about 5 seconds early.
How do you do this? Simple.
Let's say that Balrog has casted damage reflect at 8 53 and finished the animation at 8 50.
Instead of using the casting time, use the time when the animation finishes, which is 8 50.
Get that time, subtract it by 1 minute, and you got your safe timing.
In this example, that would be 8 50 - 1 00, which is 7 50.
I prefer this method when I am on Normal Mode.

2. More Damage Method
This method can be a bit dangerous, but is safe for the most part.
This allows your party members to stop one second before the damage reflect is about to happen.
Let's use the example from above.
Using the time the animation finishes, 8 50, subtract 1 minute 3 seconds.
That would be 8 50 - 1 03, which is 7 47.
I prefer this timing method on easy.
On normal, however, this can pose danger and may kill your party if you are not careful.

How do I lead a Balrog run? Leading Balrog runs is not for everyone. Leaders must be patient, patient, patient, and patient. People WILL be late for runs, people WILL screw up on runs, people WILL ask stupid questions, and there’s nothing you can do. Leading a Balrog run comes down to three parts. 1. Assembling. If you’ve pre-organized and scheduled a run with people, be sure to show up well in advance of the run time, and party people as they arrive. If not, sit in channel 1 recruiting people. As you recruit people, send them to an “organizational channel” . This allows you to get away from the spam while you are briefing your crew. Assemble the runners into 3 parties of 5 people, (or as even a split as you can get with however many people you have) and proceed to step 2. 2. Briefing. Give your runners a quick rundown of how the run is going to work. Appoint “Altar” players (People who stay at the altar during the second phase and who get the altar during the third phase) and Damage Reflection timers, and make sure everyone knows who they are. Make sure to mention how you want to work the drops (free-for-all, split, etc) and whether you want them to attack the hands or head for the first ten minutes. If they are a totally new, refer them to this guide. You, as the expedition leader, should start the expedition and tell your team when to go in. 3. Timing. During the third phase, Balrog will start to damage reflect. You will need your timers to be on-guard and ready to time. If you cannot do this, chances are that your party will fail. It would be best if you, as a leader, can time. Why? Sometimes, your timers WILL screw up and not time, so it would be best if you can time yourself.

Quest
If you decide to obtain the Hero's Gladius through the quest, you are able to do a series of quests.
Unfortunately, Hidden Street does not have the quests on their database.
However, I am able to provide some information about them.
After the following quest (http://global.hidden-street.net/ques...nji-and-balrog),
Mu Young tells you to kill one Balrog, regardless of difficulty. You get around 100,000 EXP from the quest.
After that, he tells you to find a suspicious man, who can be found by walking down the Ant Tunnel until you reach a map called "The Cave That Lost Light II."
Go to the bottom portal, and then go to the other bottom portal (The one with the figures I can't describe).
Just walk down, and you'll see him. He will ask for 20 balrog leathers.
I haven't completed this quest, but I'm assuming he gives you a pair of leather shoes.

The Suspicious Man also gives scrolls for leathers. These are all the scrolls you can get.
• Balrog's STR Scroll 30%: Improves STR on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, STR +2
• Balrog's INT Scroll 30%: Improves INT on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, INT +2
• Balrog's DEX Scroll 30%: Improves DEX on Balrog Leather Shoes. Sucess rate: 30%, DEX +2
• Balrog's LUK Scroll 30%: Improves LUK on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, LUK +2
• Balrog's HP Scroll 30%: Improves HP on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, MaxHP +30
• Balrog's MP Scroll 30%: Improves MP on Balrog Leather Shoess. Success rate: 30%. MaxMP +30
• Balrog's Speed Scroll 30%: Improves Speed on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, Speed +3
• Balrog's Jump Scroll 30%: Improves Jump on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, Jump +3
• Balrog's Accuracy Scroll 30%: Improves Accuracy on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, Accuracy +5
• Balrog's Avoidability Scroll 30%: Improves Avoidability on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, Avoidability +5
• Balrog's Defense Scroll 30%: Improves Defense on Balrog Leather Shoes. Success rate: 30%, Weapons Defense +10, Magic Defense +10
• Balrog's Twilight Scroll 5%: Improves the function of Balrog Leather Shoes: STR +4, INT +4, DEX +4, LUK +4, Speed +4, Jump +4, Avoidability +4, Accuracy +4, Weapons Defense +14, Magic Defense +14, MaxHP +40, MaxMP +40.

The Hero's Gladius
There is only one known trick inside the Balrog PQ. This is the Hero's Gladius.
All you have to do is obtain the Gladius through the FM, Quest, or MTS.
What does it do? It gives a buff that gives you 30 weapon attack and 30 magic attack.
However, this buff CAN be nullified by party buffs such as Rage and Meditation.
NX buffs have no effect on your Gladius, however.
The quest can be started by finishing "Maya and the Weird Medicine" first.

CREDITS given to:
Thanks PieRockSocks for this guide in BasilMarket.

Quote:

Thanks Happywilly15 for helping me clear something up. Thanks KazeKishi for correcting a part in my guide. Thanks BlazeLeo for giving me some additional info. Thanks MSforlife for spotting a really stupid error I made. Thanks Alalme for A TON of things.

Original guide: MapleStory The Balrog PQ Guide