they come in sets of 5 waves

first set prize are usually blue/purple (usually 3-4 lvls lower than your current lvl)
2nd set prize are possessed weapons or blues of same level(possessed come out more often)
3rd set prize are are purples (same lvl)
4th set not sure. i finished the 4th and he didnt give me shit. empty chest

Crucible is easy. :|

Just need a weapon that converts damage to health.

Damn, I forgot about the Void Walker pads in the Nook.

this crucible.. still haven't attempted it myself, is there a wave you can leave at and it saves your spot? or do you have to complete all of it? I'm guessing each ticket has 25 waves

I'm pretty sure at the end of the stages you can.

that's after 25 waves?

after ever 25
but you have to unlock the rest in order to start at the checkpoint obviously

This. After every 25th wave there will be a "break" just like there are every so often. You can also tell because he will give you an item right at the end of every 25th wave if I remember correctly. I think you have to move to the next wave in order to start from there or whichever stage.

my bro sucks at this game

i had to help him 4times already on the puzzles

Lol. There were a few things that got me like I didn't know you can play catch with yourself in Soul-Splitter mode. One part that pissed me off was the fire elevator.