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  • Locked thread
theshim
May 1, 2012

You think you can defeat ME, Ephraimcopter?!?

You couldn't even beat Assassincopter!!!

Dr. Fetus posted:

Alice is... Alice. What's there to say?
:buddy:

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Spielmeister
Mar 31, 2014

Dr. Fetus posted:

Congratulations, everyone! You have somehow managed to achieve the impossible, and make what everyone considers to be a joke boss into a completely agonizing experience! Give yourselves a pat on the back for this momentous accomplishment!

Having a party that is almost entirely composed of classes that are weak, support-focused, or hard-to-use (besides Asteria) will tend to do that. :v:

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
This is why you don't make a party that has absolutely no damage.

Wiffle
Jan 5, 2014
That kind of damage looks like what someone who plays Etrian blind would end up with. Makes you think.

Rawkking
Sep 4, 2011
:getin:

I maintain that if you had Alice attack she would clearly proc instant death in spite of the insane instant death resist most bosses have.

cdyoung
Mar 2, 2012
I take offense to that. Asteria was clearly carrying the entire team along side Smith.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
A small but a fairly important correction to how Kaishauku works. It does not care Instant Death immunities. Making your party members immune to Instant Death will not protect them. Oddly enough, it is the only passive in the entire game to use a body part. If the user's arms are bound, it can never go off. But before you get any funny ideas, this does not work at all on the Abyssal God. Kaishaku is hardcoded to never activate for it. Yes this includes every single form. You have to deal with that entire mess by yourself.

Araxxor fucked around with this message at 11:50 on Dec 23, 2016

InwardChaos
Oct 21, 2010

Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos.
I would like to make a request. When you get a chance, would you be able to show off a damage comparison between your current Breakfire Fist Monk-Bot, and an HP-Cannon Glad-Bot?
When I got a bot during my newbie playthrough, I used a bot with sub Gladiator for HP-Cannon spam. First turn, Berserker Vow to drop HP to 1, second turn, full bind, turn 3+, HP-Cannon.
I'm just curious as to how valid this was, considering I had to devote my Hoplite to constant Bodyguard duty to pull this off (I didn't think of subbing Ninja for another Hoplite for normal guard duty)

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

InwardChaos posted:

I would like to make a request. When you get a chance, would you be able to show off a damage comparison between your current Breakfire Fist Monk-Bot, and an HP-Cannon Glad-Bot?
When I got a bot during my newbie playthrough, I used a bot with sub Gladiator for HP-Cannon spam. First turn, Berserker Vow to drop HP to 1, second turn, full bind, turn 3+, HP-Cannon.
I'm just curious as to how valid this was, considering I had to devote my Hoplite to constant Bodyguard duty to pull this off (I didn't think of subbing Ninja for another Hoplite for normal guard duty)



Assuming you go all in on HP investment (No need to invest in defenses when you're this much of a glass cannon), HP Cannon would be hitting for around 1634 damage in this case, assuming the Yggdroid falls to like 1 HP. Which is decent at this point. The problem is, that's about as high as it gets, period. It's far too high maintenance for what it does, since you also need Overheat at level 10. Also for some stupid reason it counts as a melee attack, so you're forced to keep your Yggdroid in the front to make the most of it. Don't think there's really a need for Berserker Vow in that build, since Overheat already takes off a huge chunk of the Yggdroid's HP each turn. Also HP Cannon is Almighty damage, so unfortunately not many things can buff it.

HP Cannon has a much lower damage ceiling than anything else. And yeah, you have to dedicate a Bodyguard user to one. Unlike in EO2 where you could just immediately revive a Hexer if they die and let them keep firing off high damage Revenges, the penalty for a Yggdroid dying if far greater, since the Yggdroid also has to spend a turn using Core Dump on top of being revived. Not to mention in this case you're dedicating 2 party slots to make use of one skill, and said skill is not worth the cost at all. Might be useful in boss fights, but it takes far too long for random encounters, where Smith can either put a decent dent in everything and hit multiple enemies in the process, or just kill everything outright from turn 1. Even if you're willing to drag a low HP party member around, it still takes until turn 2 for them to get going. Smith doesn't deal too much damage, generally around 80 to 200 damage per hit depending on the enemy, but that's good enough in this case.

I would say the Punch Monk build is better, since that build synergizes with the other classes a lot easier, and doesn't force a Hoplite to babysit them. A Hoplite babysitting a Berserker Vow user gets a much bigger return on that investment since Berserker Vow is ridiculous and supports all sorts of crazy stuff. Where HP Cannon can only benefit from Charge Tactic, Wolf Howl, and Fore Honor (The last one which requires at least 2 playthroughs to get.) I will say HP Cannon has a very specific use later on, but we won't be getting there for a while yet.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Update 78: Shin

It seems I am going to have to talk with Faye about her methods for picking out teams.

I dunno, I thought we did pretty well!



Before I get into the actual update, there's something I want to cover first.



Once you beat the game, the music player unlocks in the options menu, and you can listen to every song in the game. Including ones you haven't heard yet.



Oh I did say that the New Game option is permanently replaced by New Game +, but if you want to undo that, you can just delete your save data through the options menu to start making regular New Games again. Onto the actual update.















This... This is the party that was voted in to fight the next boss along with my Limit setup and...

Let me sum up exactly what's wrong with this party.

There are two damage dealers, one who isn't that great at dealing damage, and one who's starting to fall off.

One of the party members (Fang) has the potential to be a strong support, except the party he's trying to support cannot capitalize on the opportunities he brings.

You people decided to bring Alice to a boss fight.

Susan is fine. There's enough she can do that lets her practically synergize with most party members. Her main problem is that she is trying to support an incredibly terrible party, though that's not really a problem with her so much as democracy being a complete joke. Whatever, let's get this over with.




It can only be the teleportation device which the Abyssal King directed you to find.

There's the teleporter!

Careful, we aren't alone!

However, the moment you attempt to approach it, you detect an aura of intense menace from behind!







Kujura continues to mutter a string of curses as he closes in on you, his katana held threateningly...

Hey! Same to you, jerk!

You are free to leave. But if you persist in advancing... I will hold back no longer.

I've heard better threats. Go on, and bring it!

With battle seeming inevitable, you ready your weapons when a familiar voice sounds from behind you.



Huh? When did you get here?

Who cares about that? It's six versus one now!

The girl moves as if to shield you from Kujura, fearlessly taking an aggressive stance toward him.

The Abyssal King’s directive is to eliminate all in our path.

...I'm a little conflicted on this. On one hand, he did trick us, but on the other hand we did used to work with him...

TEAR HIM TO PIECES, OLYMPIA! ...What? He tricked ya'll into smashing our Gatekeeper. Aren't you a little mad about that?

With these chilling words, Olympia steps forth, as Kujura laughs coldly.

Interesting. You’re no human, I know that much. Let’s see what power you hide in that frame!

With a loud cry, Kujura produces something from his sleeve and throws it at your feet.



A flash of white.



Proof of Kujura’s words arrives in the form of a beast coalescing from the smoke. You have no path forward save for that directly through this legendary beast! Draw your weapons and slay the beast confronting you!



Olympia can handle Kujura, we should focus on dealing with that! Let's go!

:flaccid:Video: Shin:flaccid:







Shin
Level: 51
HP: 12420
STR: 45
VIT: 46
AGI: 42
LUC: 45
TEC: 50
Attack Type: Slash
Exp: 34800
Item Drops:
-Normal: Coral Shell - 100% Drop Rate. Unlocks the Gorm Glas (Rapier.)
--Tenacious shell quite capable of protecting its host.
-Gold: Fullmoon Crown - Kill while Head is bound. 100% Drop Rate. Prevents normal drops. Unlocks the Ameno Makagoyumi (Ultimate Crossbow. Must be restocked.)
--Crown tinged with magic power flowing from the moon.
Description: A legendary clam beast Kujura retrieved from an eastern land. Its mirages confuse and befuddle.
Damage Resistances: Slash: 100% Strike: 100% Pierce: 100% Fire: 100% Ice: 100% Volt: 100%
Ailment Resistances: Sleep: 20% Confusion: 10% Plague: 10% Poison: 10% Blind: 50% Curse: 10% Paralysis: 30%
Bind Resistances: Head: 50% Arm: 50% Leg: 50%
Other Resistances: Death: LR - 25% Petrification: LR - 25% Stun: 20%

Skills:

Devilish Smile: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Confusion on the entire party with a 10% success rate. Has an action speed of +0.
Misfortune: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Plague on the entire party with a 20% success rate. The Plague ticks for 20 damage. Has an action speed of +0.
Breath of Envy: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Curse on the entire party with a 10% success rate. Has an action speed of +0.
Mist Robe: Uses the Head. Increases Shin's physical defenses by 50% for 4 turns. Has an action speed of +0.
Cold Stare: Uses the Head. Deals 80% Ice damage to the entire party. Has an action speed of +0. Has an accuracy of 120.

Shin is quite frankly a massive joke compared to Kirin. Her gimmick is that she tries to inflict ailments on the party. She will never attack (Until she falls below 51%) while the party has no ailments. So for a good chunk of the fight, having 2 Prevent Order users completely walls her. Note that all of Kirin's skills aside from Imperial Pride dealt damage on top of inflicting binds. Shin only has 2 actual attacks. As long as you make sure to block and clear off any ailments, Shin really shouldn't be an issue, and this should be a fairly short fight.

Of course that's if you're not using one of the worst parties ever like I am. Mere words cannot get across just how terrible this party is, so I'll just show you.




I'll have Susan put Prevent Order on a row to stop Shin from getting out of control.



I'm mainly gonna use Rocket Jump to activate Sleep Mode safely, rather than a means to avoid something.



If you're curious as to what a Farmer can do in a boss fight, it's nothing. Most other classes can already do whatever they could better. Alice is slightly more useful than an empty slot, but for the most part, she's just gonna be there throwing out items because she is not a real party member and you people decided to saddle me with Susan as my only real support.

Anyways, because I have absolutely no form of elemental defense or actual healing, I was forced to stock up on a bunch of Ice Mists to lower the damage from Cold Stare. So I'll just have Alice throw one out.




Asteria is just gonna be alternating between charging and dealing damage.



Might as well try to stop Shin from doing anything.



Boom! There I goooooooo!



Frost, protect us!

I'm not really a fan of using Mists after they got nerfed really hard in EO3, but you all forced me to take some desperate measures. Of course thanks to Rocket Jump, the Mist has no effect on Smith. Though he's fairly durable so it's not that much of an issue.



Don't worry my new subject, I shall protect- ahem, never mind.

Prevent Order also missed Smith, but honestly he has Virus Scanner, so I'm not too worried.





Um... Okay.

Great job Shin, you Cursed someone who rarely makes direct attacks.





Here birdie!





Didn't land the head bind. Oh well.



You'll be in for quite the shock...



Now that Smith is done with setting up, it's time for him to deal some damage.



While Fang doesn't really care about being Cursed, I still want to dispel that to stop Shin from spamming Cold Stare.



Okay, time to let her have it!



Fang will increase Smith's damage while his bird tries to head bind her.



There you go, Fang!

Thanks... I think.





Ow! What're you doing!?

Cold Stare deals a decent amount of damage on its own which is why I brought the Ice Mists.



Watt's up?



...Not much, I see.

That is not a large amount of damage.



And the Goshawk's attack just missed entirely.



Boo!



I'll give her the old one-two!



One, two? Hmm, gonna have to work on that some more.

Yep. This is the party I have to work with. This team has absolutely no damage.



Take a good long look at that HP bar, because outside of Limit skills, that's as much damage as I can deal! I am dealing about an average of 500 damage per turn, while Shin has 12420 HP! This is going to be a long, and I mean long fight.



All I can really do to speed up the process is to have Susan amplify Smith's damage through the use of Attack Order and Eagle Eye. Unfortunately, casting those means that she can't make use of Prevent Order. But screw it, I don't want to be in this fight for any longer than I have to, I'm willing to take that risk.



Because I lack an actual healer, Alice is just going to be spamming Madoras when she's not refreshing the Ice Mists.





Thanks for the free turn, Shin.



I order you to PUNCH HER HARDER!



Oh, thanks for that uhhh, Susie?

It's Susa- I mean MEGAQUEEN! The name is MEGAQUEEN!

Ah, gotcha.

Okay that's a bit better, but not by much.



And now I'll use Eagle Eye to increase Smith's damage output further.





...Everyone, cover your ears.





MOTHER OF $#!%!

Well my damage per turn just dropped significantly. On the bright side, Shin can't cast Cold Stare on the next turn.





Hey! Leave Asteria alone!

There's Blood Return taking effect.



May I suggest striking there?





Uhh, maybe you should suggest a spot that isn't so mobile.

I think we need to install something to help his aim.

The other problem with Yggdroids is that since they have low TEC, LUC, and AGI stats, their accuracy and evasion are terrible. However, they do have a passive that can offset that, but said passive kind of requires you to go into the Labyrinth at night to take advantage of it.



Better revive Asteria.



Asteria? It's time to wake up!

Ahhh, thanks a lot.



I don't think so, clam lady!

Oh and you know how Kirin used an attack every 5 turns that scaled in power as he lost health? Shin just casts Mist Robe every 5 turns, which just increases her physical defense. :geno: I mean I guess it's annoying if you don't have a way to deal with it, but there are plenty of ways to do that at this point.



Woo! Caw caw!

Oh yeah! That head bind just bought me a few free turns.



Okay, that's much better, but unfortunately, that's as much as Smith can deal since all those buffs are up.



Now just in case the head bind wears off, I'll have an elephant wail on Shin for a while in the hopes of landing Confusion.

Here boy!



Aww, you did your best!

Though it's really lacking in terms of damage.



Now that Susan has her Limit Gauge filled up, I'll have her cast Regroup Tactic, which will pretty much make Shin harmless for the time being. It'll let her do other stuff, such as placing attack buffs on Smith.



Ugh, this is the thing with disables in this game. There's absolutely no control over their duration. The head bind fell off immediately after one turn, so I'm gonna have to switch back to the bird.



Your dirty tricks mean nothing to us! NOTHING!





See?

Shin's skills don't have a particularly high infliction rate, so it's possible for her to waste a turn completely. I mean the same was true for some of Kirin's skills, except those also did damage, so he didn't give out free turns nearly as often.



Oh, that's nice.



Eight turns in, and we've only taken off about a quarter of her HP. :sigh:



People are already starting to run low on TP, so I'm just gonna have Alice toss out Amritas because... What else can she do? I mean as funny as it would be to see her proc Kubikiri or Izuna on a boss, that's completely impossible since their 1% resistance would reduce those chances to 0%, and that's not even getting into their Lethal Resistance multipliers which would reduce that even further. Assuming if there was anything left.



Good boy!

Oh hey, now Shin is even more helpless.



Though by the time turn 12 comes around, both of those have worn off and... Okay, here's the biggest problem with Fang. Even ignoring that bosses are fairly resistant to ailments, his biggest problem is that he has an expiration date. If the fight goes on too long, he becomes as useful as Alice, which is to say not very. At this point, I am effectively fighting with a 3 man party. In order to capitalize on the openings Fang gives us, we need a party capable of ending fights fast. Which you did not give me. In later games, this isn't nearly as much of an issue since Accumulative Resistance is not permanent, but it is in this one. At this point, all he can do is spam Primal Drums and stab things. Which only Smith can really take advantage of.



EWWW! That's just disgusting!

...That was something I wish not to experience again.

Don't let Charlotte hear that.

Who's Charlie?

Once Shin drops below 76% of her HP, she breaks out this skill.

Demon's Kiss: Uses the Head. Randomly hits the party with Pierce damage 2 to 6 times, and deals 50% damage per hit. Shin is then healed for twice the damage she dealt. If the targets are Confused, Cursed, or infected with Plague, the damage they take is quintupled. Has an action speed of +3. Has an accuracy of 99.

Oddly enough, Demon's Kiss doesn't check for any other ailments. Which only matters if a Confused party member happens to infect someone else through their ailment forges. Anyways, once Shin falls below 51% of her maximum HP, she will occasionally break this out even if no one has any status effects, but that happens very rarely.



I notice that Asteria's Limit Gauge is almost full, so I have Asteria cast Meteor to ensure that it fills up completely.





OH GOODNESS THIS PAIN IS UNBEARABLE!

Make it stop! Make it stop!

Nice try, but my firewalls are just too good for you!

Virus Scanner is a really good passive since it's effectively a free ailment resistance accessory.



Here's your constellation prize!

Meteor does about the same damage as an Etheric Charged Star skill. The problem is, if I have Asteria keep casting it, she'll run out of TP really fast, and then I would be fighting with a 2 man party after a few turns. So spamming it isn't an option.



Fortunately, Regroup Tactic is back up, and that will dispel the Plague.





YES! I can finally deal actual damage!



Are you sure this'll work?

I'm positive!



1303 points of damage. Whatever, at least it's more than I was doing before.



And it did knock off a good chunk of Shin's health.



...Never mind. Most of that damage ended up getting undone. Though once Shin drops below 26%, she no longer bothers casting Mist Robe and starts using Demon's Kiss way more often.

...A giant naked clam monster was not who I had in mind at all for my first kiss! Pleh!

Somewhere, Charlotte is screaming in agony.



This battle is just going to go on forever, isn't it? :suicide:







In the case of Poison or Plague, Regroup Tactic dispels the ailment before they can deal damage, so effectively, Misfortune is a free turn for my team.



I have to deal with dealing so little damage when Shin is capable of healing itself. My hatred for everyone responsible for this abomination of a party knows no bounds.







Ohm my goodness, finally!

Eventually, Shin finally goes down. Remember that Kiring took 9 turns to take down, and he's considered the tougher of the two bosses!





Congratulations. You people have turned what is considered to be an absolute joke of a boss for nearly every player into an agonizing experience. I hope you're proud of yourselves.





From behind you, however, you can hear ragged breathing from the two master combatants.





Kujura glances towards you. His eyes betray his realization of his precarious situation.

I stand to gain nothing here...

With this, Kujura takes a quick leap back, fleeing the room...

Hey, he's getting away again!



Olympia slowly approaches you. Her chassis is shattered and she seems to have difficulty moving.

With this in hand, we are capable of infiltrating the royal forest in the depths of Armoroad. You must inform the Abyssal King. Do what he asks.... Help him. I will catch up... later.

The girl mutters to herself before handing you a key.

You might consider this... a token of my gratitude for cooperating with the Abyssal King.



No matter which path you take, you'll always get the Moon Key after the fight with the boss of the 4th Stratum.

I am finished speaking. Do not concern yourself with me. Make your report to the Abyssal King.

You can obey Olympia’s directive and report to the Celestial Palace or check the teleportation device.



We can talk with her again.

Um, are you sure you're alright?



You can obey Olympia’s directive and report to the Celestial Palace or check the teleportation device.

She'll be fine. Nothing that can't be fixed with a quick tune up and some part replacements! Probably gonna be expensive as hell, though.





And now onto the 5th Stratum!



Hoowee! Just take a good look at this place! Really pristine and all that! No wonder it's called the royal forest!

Indeed it is. OW!



When you touch it, you receive a mild shock and jump back. There seems to be no way past...

Oh, sorry. Probably should have told you about that. Lemme just get the... Oh no. The seal's gone!

Then how are we getting past this?

If we were still on Flowdia's side, she would help us. But we aren't really on good terms with her anymore, so...

Eh, don't worry! I think the Abyssal King also might know. He did used to live in Armoroad after all. And besides, he wouldn't send us here without a plan of his own!

Perhaps the Abyssal King would have some idea as to how to pass this strange barrier.

Oh, and you also lose the seal as a key item on a NG+. So you're forced to go back to town to hand in your respective mission.

Anyways, I'm going to end the update off here. I was planning to show off more and let you all vote on the party for the Deep City route's final boss, but after that poking contest, I am not in the mood for being stuck with a second terrible party right now.

Araxxor fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Jan 8, 2017

Talow
Dec 26, 2012


Yeah.... after that fight, I can understand why you're not leaving it up to a vote.

Sorry about giving you Alice thought a boss fight, but I was expecting Scott, Rose, or Sidney, or basically any of the damage dealers to get in as well. instead of what happened.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Any particular reason that Kujura has a pocket Yukionna?

Efe
Feb 2, 2016

I make alive things dead and sometimes the other way around.
Funny thing is, since my team was so poorly optimized, I always figured that 25+ turns was just standard for boss fights. It wasn't until I started reading the EO LPs here that I realized how horribly wrong I was.

is that good
Apr 14, 2012
All I wanted was to watch a robot punch I'm so sorry

W.T. Fits
Apr 21, 2010

Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.
Don't blame me; I voted for Kodos Rose. :colbert:

theshim
May 1, 2012

You think you can defeat ME, Ephraimcopter?!?

You couldn't even beat Assassincopter!!!
So many levels of :unsmigghh:

Miacis
Oct 9, 2012

Get off my lawn!!
Better to have the "what is synergy" team on the joke boss than on the postgame superboss, if you ask me. It was long, inefficient and a good demonstration of the import of DPS, but at least it didn't seem really difficult.

Besides, what the hell is the point of a Farmer if not to be sprung on the LPer when they least expect it? :v:

cdyoung
Mar 2, 2012

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Any particular reason that Kujura has a pocket Yukionna?

He lives a lonely, solitary life...

RegalStar
Jul 17, 2016
This reminds me of when I was trying to kill Queen of Hearts/FOEs in You in Wonderland in persona Q before realizing the potential of poison or multi-hit attacks :suicide:

Sudaj
May 30, 2013
I know the animal friends are more for their binds and ailments than the damage they do, but would putting Alice in the back have made them a bit more useful since they'd have spawned in the front? Or would they still have been useless once they caused the accumulative resistance to build up?

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Sudaj posted:

I know the animal friends are more for their binds and ailments than the damage they do, but would putting Alice in the back have made them a bit more useful since they'd have spawned in the front? Or would they still have been useless once they caused the accumulative resistance to build up?

Back row just halves STR based damage, so Fang's elephant would have been hitting for 130 instead of 65. So basically not much of a difference. I might have been able to deal more if I thought to bring out Smith's robot and had Asteria cast Fire attacks instead of Volt.

Kemix
Dec 1, 2013

Because change

W.T. Fits posted:

Don't blame me; I voted for Kodos Rose. :colbert:

I didn't even vote :v: so yea, I knew how those votes would have gone. I'm not stupid.

McDragon
Sep 11, 2007

See, you say the Abyssal King doesn't punish you for messing up the guardian, but then he gives you Yggdroids. :v:

MightyPretenders
Feb 21, 2014

McDragon posted:

See, you say the Abyssal King doesn't punish you for messing up the guardian, but then he gives you Yggdroids. :v:

And this is why siding with Armoroad is the objectively best decision. Compromised leader or not, they're still much more capable of defeating the true final boss.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Class Showcase: Arbalist



Arbalists, or Ballistas as they were known in Japan, are a ranged attacking class. In that sense, they're comparable to Survivalists. Though in all honesty, they play very differently.

Unlike Survivalists, who could play all sorts of roles and fit into any party very well in the first game (In the second game, they are pretty much terrible supports and are equivalent to the Farmer in terms of usefulness) Arbalists are pretty much limited to dealing damage as that's pretty much all they're good for. They have very little in the way of supporting parties and not much in the way of utility. But despite dealing damage being the only thing they can really do, they are very good at that job.

Arbalitsts are my favorite class in the game since they are one of the best damage dealers out there. They are good at their jobs, and stay relevant all game. They can't fit into every party since they are kind of glass cannons and can only deal damage. In fact, if you aim to use one of their most rewarding, but also most risky skills, they will need some good defensive support. Though that's not the only way to use an Arbalist, as it can also function as a bit of a support unit, dishing out some crowd control with some of their skills.

Equipment:
Weapons: Crossbows, Daggers, and Books.
Armor: Light Armor and Clothes.

Stats



Arbalists pretty much have the most skewed stat spread in the game. They have the 2nd worst HP pool out of all the classes (being outdone by the Ninja on that front), 2nd worst TP pool (the worst if you discount the Yggdroid), 2nd worst VIT stat out of all the classes (Once again, being outdone by the Ninja there.), and the 3rd worst TEC stat in the game, so they're not durable at all. They flat out have the worst AGI stat, so they're the slowest class in the game as well as one of the most inaccurate classes out there. Their LUC is fairly decent for what it is. However, their STR stat is the 2nd highest out of all the classes (The Yggdroid is the one that has the highest.) So stat wise, Arbalists are glass cannons. They are one of the hardest hitting classes in the game, at the cost of being one of the most fragile ones. Generally they should be kept on the back row so they don't get taken out so easily. However, one of their skills heavily reward putting them on the front row, so that may be a risk you may want to take...

Giant Kill
Skill Type: Class Skill
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

This Class Skill passively increases the Arbalist's damage out against any enemies whose HP pools are greater than twice the Arbalist's current HP pool. Increasing the skill level increases the damage boost.



Notes:
  • Affects all damage types, including Almighty.
  • Checks the user's and the target's current HP totals every time the Arbalist takes an action.
  • This means that a skill that hits all enemies can deal less damage to certain ones because their HP total is lower than the threshold, or skills that cause multiple actions to take place, such as Double Action can suddenly deal less damage because the previous hits lowered the target's HP below the threshold. Multi-hit skills are not affected by this.
Giant Kill is one of the best class skills in the game. The damage boost it provides is fantastic, and honestly the “penalty” it has is pretty much completely insignificant. The Arbalist's HP pool is so low that the damage boost wearing off is never going to be a factor. And even if it is, it'll pretty much signal that the end of the fight is in sight, at which you probably won't need the damage boost anymore.

In fact, Giant Kill is so good that it should be the very first skill that gets maxed out. The Arbalist's TP pool at the beginning is so tiny that they won't be able to cast a level 1 Heavy Shot that often, and a regular attack boosted by a level 10 Giant Kill deals only slightly less damage (and can crit) than a level 10 Heavy Shot. After which, the Arbalist can take other skills once they have a big enough TP pool.

Bolt Mastery
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

This weapon mastery skill increases the damage output of regular attacks when using a Crossbow. Higher levels increase the damage output.

If the user cannot equip Crossbows normally, this skill enables them to do so.



Notes:
  • Does not affect skills.
Same deal as always, don't invest any more skill points in this than you have to. Front Mortar users don't even need to max out this skill.

Proper Form
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 5
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

Passively increases the Arbalist's hit rate. Higher skill levels increase the boost to the Arbalist's hit rate.



Notes:
  • Stacks additively with any other accuracy boosts.
  • Assuming that the user and target have no accuracy and evasion modifiers in effect, and they're using a weapon with a base accuracy of 98, any skill that has a hit rate modifier of at least +27/+22/+17/+12/-3 will always hit the enemy, no matter what their AGI, LUC, and TEC stats are.
  • If the user is Blind, this skill effectively increases the user's hit rate by 1/3/5/6/11.
An accuracy boost may not seem like the best use of skill points, but this skill is absolutely vital for an Arbalist. Their stat spread pretty much means they're the most inaccurate class in the game, but this skill can completely offset that. And when you've seen a lot of Double Action Front Mortars whiff, this skill will seem very attractive. It probably shouldn't be maxed out right away, but it definitely should not be one of the last things you spend your skill points on either.

Night Vision
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: LUC
Prerequisites: Pop Flares – Level 3, Smoke Grenade – Level 3

Increases the Arbalist's critical hit rate, but only at night. Increasing the skill level increases the critical hit rate boost.



Notes:
  • 6 PM to 6 AM is considered to be nighttime.
  • Stacks additively with Lady Luck or Data Mining.
  • Without taking other critical hit rate skills into account or the user's LUC stat, this increases the average damage output with regular attacks by 7.5%/8.5%/9.5%/11%/12.5%/14%/15.5%/17%/18.5%/20%.
Given that critical hits aren't that great and there a bunch of other skills the Arbalist wants first, skip this.

Extend
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: Proper Form – Level 3

Whenever the Arbalist lands the killing blow on an enemy, they will recover some HP. Higher skill levels increase the amount of HP restored.



Notes:
  • Killing multiple enemies at once will cause the user to recover HP for each enemy they've killed.
  • This skill is bugged in that if an enemy is killed with a critical hit, the amount healed is multiplied by the critical damage multiplier, which is 1.5 in most cases.
  • As a result, Data Mining can decrease or increase the amount healed, depending on what level that skill is at.
It's a nice passive that could add some survivability to the Arbalist. They'll be killing things fairly often, though depending on your party composition and how much healing they have, this skill may be unnecessary.

Double Action
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: Front Mortar – Level 5, Armor Piercer – Level 4

When the Arbalist casts a single target attack skill, there is a chance for them to cast it again. Increasing the skill level increases the activation rate.



Notes:
  • Does not work with regular attacks.
  • Is hardcoded to only work with single target attacks. Random target skills or AOE skills that only end up hitting one target will not activate again.
  • Only works with attack skills. Double Action cannot work for skills such as a single target debuff.
  • In the case of single target multi-hit skills, Double Action only adds one more hit.
  • If the user knows Wide Effect, Double Action activates before Wide Effect does.
  • Works for single target Limit skills.
  • If Charge or Etheric Charge was used on the previous turn, the damage boost is applied for both attacks.
Double Action is a really good passive, especially if you're making heavy use of Front Mortar. It's effectively a 30% boost to the Arbalist's overall damage output, so you really should put skill points into this. Though I wouldn't say it's something you should max out right away.

Heavy Shot (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: +6
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 1

The Arbalist fires off a shot from their crossbow, dealing Pierce damage to one enemy. Higher levels increase the damage output and hit rate.



A very basic damage skill. I wouldn't sink any points into this just yet until after maxing out Giant Kill. The Arbalist's tiny TP pool makes this hard to spam, and maxing out Giant Kill is better in the long term, as well as having much better short term effects. You'll have to invest in this to unlock Front Mortar, which in turn unlocks Double Action. So if you're using it or not, it's something all Arbalists should invest in eventually. Though ones that aren't using Front Mortar can probably hold off on this for a while.

Front Mortar (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Heavy Shot – Level 5

A short ranged explosive shot that deals a very small amount of Pierce damage to one enemy if used in the back row. If used in the front row, the damage dealt is heavily increased. Higher levels increase the damage output and hit rate.



Notes:
  • When used in the front row, a bonus multiplier is applied to the base damage output of the skill to increase its damage.
  • As a result, Keburi no Sue has absolutely no effect on this skill (unless a Second Sword user is using this with a melee ranged weapon in their primary slot) since the damage output is not actually being reduced when used in the back row. It's actually being increased when used in the front row.
It actually deals less damage than a regular attack from the back, so there is really no reason to ever use this skill there. However, when used in the front, it is by far the Arbalist's best damage skill, and the reason why placing an Arbalist in the front row is a thing, as absurd as such a thing may sound. Yes, the Arbalist has some of the worst defenses in the entire game, and won't survive for long on the front lines. But the damage output is really high and can be worth it, making this a high risk, high reward skill. Unless you have a Hoplite with Bodyguard, at which point, all the risk that comes with using this skill gets thrown out the window.

With that said, it is not a skill you want to max out right away (or at all.) Look at that TP cost. Not only does Front Mortar force you to place your Arbalist in a risky position, it's also one of the most expensive attacking skills in the entire game. The damage to TP ratio becomes incredibly inefficient as you max out the skill. Level up the skill once you start getting some TP support through methods such as Dark Ether or Amrita farming. If you're using a back row or a supportive Arbalist, there is no reason to invest in this aside from unlocking Double Action.

Snipe/Sharpshooter
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Chaser
Action Speed: +200, End of the turn
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 2

When activated, the Arbalist prepares to perform an attack on any enemies that are suffering under any ailments/binds at the end of the turn. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and accuracy.



Notes:
  • Chases do not count as separate actions.
  • The Chases take place at the very end of the turn. The game checks to see if any enemies have the respective disables on them before the attacks take place, meaning that inflicting Sleep on one enemy and waking them up before the attack can take place will cause them to not take damage from Snipe.
  • Charge and Etheric Charge only affect the initial setup, which deals no damage. This means that they have absolutely no effect on the damage output.
  • The properties of the weapon in the primary weapon slot, such as the weapon type in the case of Second Sword users, Elemental forges, and imbues are taken into account when using Chasers. As such, the damage type can change if this skill is used with a Shogun. Forges such as ailment forges and passives that only affect regular attacks do not affect this skill.
  • Because the initial setup isn't considered a damage skill, these skills cannot activate Trickster.
A situational skill, but a very cost efficient one. Ailments and binds aren't really too good in this game, but if it's working out for you, these are actually some of the strongest and most cost efficient skills for an Arbalist. Unfortunately, the fact that the damage can't be boosted by Charge due to engine limitations kind of puts a damper on them. I suppose these could be alright on a back row Arbalist, but if you aren't making use of disables, there is absolutely no reason to take them.

Now if you're making use of a Front Mortar Arbalist, why aren't you using that instead?

Strafe (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Multi
Action Speed: -9
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 3

The Arbalist randomly attacks multiple enemies at once, dealing Pierce damage to their targets. Each enemy can only be attacked once. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and number of hits.



This skill is terrible and completely outclassed by the next few skills. If it wasn't for the hit rate being so utterly terrible, the only real thing it would have going for it in comparison to them is that it does more damage per hit at level 1 and is cheaper by 1 TP at that point. The hit rate being so terrible is the real death knell for this skill, just ignore it entirely.

Fire Barrage/Ice Barrage/Volt Barrage (Fire Barrage Animation, Ice Barrage Animation, Volt Barrage Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arms
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 5

Deals Fire/Ice/Volt + Pierce damage to all enemies. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output.



Notes:
  • Works with both Charge and Etheric Charge.
These skills are nice to give your Arbalist some extra coverage in battles. At the very least, no matter what build your Arbalist is using, they should invest at least one point into all of them. Though they'll definitely want at least one of these skills in time for the first boss fight to deal with its gimmick.

Front Mortar Arbalists can feel free to leave these skills at level 1. Back row Arbalists, especially ones that are playing more of a support role, will want at least one of these skills maxed out since they're really good at clearing out random encounters so your Arbalist can do some crowd control. Especially when combined with some other skills from another class, such as Etheric Charge and Singularity.

Armor Piercer (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 7

An armor-piercing shot that deals Pierce damage to one enemy and ignores any buffs they have. Higher levels increase the damage output and hit rate.



Notes:
  • Ignores all positive buffs on the target. This includes damage reduction buffs, evasion buffs, and resistance buffs.
  • The target's debuffs, as well as their base resistances and stats are not ignored.
  • Does not ignore the Arbalist's own buffs and debuffs.
Aside from Front Mortar, this is the strongest single target skill they have. It does have some interesting properties on top of that, like being able to outright ignore enemy buffs, which is nice. Since all buffs on the target are ignored, that means you can make use of Stab Mists without any penalty. Depending on your opinions on the next skill, this is probably a must have. Arbalists that are looking to take a Zodiac subclass can probably forgo this skill.

A Front Mortar Arbalist will have to invest in this in order to unlock Double Action, but otherwise, this skill isn't really useful for those builds.

Cloudbuster (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: -100, End of the turn
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 10

The Arbalist fires off a shot into the air. At the end of the next turn, bolts rain down upon all enemies, dealing Pierce damage to everyone. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and hit rate.



Notes:
  • Even if the user gets incapacitated or killed, the attack will still go off as long as they managed to get off the initial cast.
  • Anyone who joins in on the battle on the turn the bolts come down will be hit by this, even though they weren't targeted on the initial cast.
  • Buffs and the like are only checked for when the skill actually deals damage, not when the user initially casts it.
  • Charge works with this skill, but only if it's used on the turn the bolts come down, as the charge occurs before the bolts fall. This means that the charge will be used up on Cloudbuster, and will not affect the next attack they make.
  • This skill can be cast repeatedly with no penalty, as it does not have a cooldown like the equivalent skill, Apollon, in the first two games.
Cloudbuster is the strongest damage skill the Arbalist has (that isn't Front Mortar.) If you played the first two games and used a Survivalist, this is pretty much Apollon. Though unlike Apollon, which came down 2 turns later, Cloudbuster just does so on the next turn. Now despite being one of the strongest damaging skills the Arbalist has, it does have some drawbacks. Since it only deals damage on the 2nd turn, it's not that efficient for clearing out random encounters. And since it's an AOE attack, it can't get any Double Action procs, so that's something to keep in mind. Still, it's a decently strong skill, though whether you should take it depends on the skill build you're using. Front Mortar Arbalists have no need for this skill, and Arbalists with Zodiac Subclasses will want to make use of the Barrages instead.

Pop Flares
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: Arms
Stats Used: N/A
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: +6
Prerequisites: N/A

Increases the party's hit rate for 4 turns. Higher levels increases the accuracy boost.



Notes:
  • Stacks additively with any other accuracy boosts.
  • Assuming that the user and target have no accuracy and evasion modifiers in effect, and they're using a weapon with a base accuracy of 98, any skill that has a hit rate modifier of at least +27/+22/+17/+2/-18 will always hit the enemy, no matter what their AGI, LUC, and TEC stats are.
  • If the user is Blind, this skill effectively increases the user's hit rate by 1/3/5/10/16.
Okay, even if you're using your Arbalist as a support, I have a very hard time justifying the use of this skill. Unless you are trying to have someone else make use of Nine Smashes, accuracy buffs really aren't worth it. There is one fight in the entire game where this skill is good, but you can just get away with having only one point in it in that case. And if you want this skill to increase your Arbalist's accuracy, why aren't you maxing out Proper Form instead?

Now despite all that griping about the skill, that really applies for using it in battle, and for the main game. If you're doing the post-game and intend to grind all the way up to level 99, this skill is a must have and should be maxed out if you plan on grinding on Pasarans to do such a thing. But until you get to that point, don't spend your skill points on it just yet.

Smoke Grenade (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: Arms
Stats Used: TEC, LUC
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: +3
Prerequisites: N/A

The Arbalist detonates a smoke bomb, attempting to Blind all enemies. Higher levels increases the infliction rate.



It's one of the few ailment inflicting skills that doesn't deal damage. I suppose that's notable in a sense. It might seem like a good setup for Snipe, but the Arbalist's low TEC stat really makes inflicting this unlikely, and Blind (as well as other ailments) really isn't that good in this game. Not really that useful.

Ambush
Skill Type: Active, Field Skill
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: N/A
Stats Used: N/A
Target Type: N/A
Action Speed: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

The Arbalist makes it easier to get preemptive attacks for a certain number of steps. Increasing the skill level increases the preemptive strike chance, and the number of steps the skill lasts for.



Notes:
  • Increases the maximum chance of getting a preemptive attack to 64%/69%/74%/79%/89%.
I guess this is okay? The problem is this uses up quite a bit of TP from the Arbalist's small TP pool, and while preemptive attacks are nice, they aren't so great that I find this skill to be a must have. Personally, I would skip it.

Subclasses:

Prince/ss:

The Arbalist's terrible TP pool makes them terrible at making use of this class' skills. There really isn't much that this class can do for one.

Gladiator:

On the other hand, the Gladiator is one the best subclasses for an Arbalist, and is a fairly popular choice for one. Berserker Vow and Charge brings their damage output to ridiculous levels, especially with Front Mortar users. Even if you're making use of Cloudbuster and Armor Piercer instead, the damage they deal with those boosts are still fairly respectable.

Hoplite:

The Parry skills can add some survivability to them. That's about it.

Buccaneer:

Limit Boost is a nice passive for them to have, and Eagle Eye is nice for extra support. Arbalists can also hit very hard with the Chasers if you're willing to put up with their shortcomings and try to build a team around them. If you're a fan of massive grinding, you can farm up a ridiculous amount of AGI books, as Pincushion can be very powerful coming off of Giant Kill and their huge amount of STR.But honestly your time can be better spent elsewhere in that case.

Ninja:

Aside from Bunshin, which is inferior to Berserker Vow and Charge, Ninjas don't have much to offer this class. The Arbalist's AGI stat is so low that they aren't that good at evading attacks, so they can't really benefit from Karuwaza.

Monk:

There really isn't much a Monk has to offer an Arbalist. I suppose Ascetic Deeds may be nice for survivability?

Zodiac:

Now this is the other popular choice for a subclass, and is mainly used for a supporting Arbalist. Instead of making use of Front Mortar, Cloudbuster, or Armor Piercer, an Arbalist with a Zodiac subclass wants to make use of the Barrages to deal damage. This subclass is far better for dealing with random encounters, as Singularity is free damage if they strike a weakness. Etheric Return is also a nice passive for them to have, because unlike Zodiacs, Arbalists will be frequently picking up kills as they travel through the Labyrinth.

Now if you're up for doing some silly stuff, something to keep in mind is that Giant Kill affects all forms of damage. So you could farm up a ton of TEC books and turn your Arbalist into a wizard if you want to clown around. It'll require a lot of grinding though, and isn't something I seriously recommend.

Wildling:

There's Primal Drums if you want to give your Arbalist some utility. Alertness could also pair nicely with Ambush if you wanted to take that skill.

Farmer:

Brave Heart can be nice to handle their TP woes, especially since their low HP makes them unlikely to be targeted. However, this passive doesn't work as well with a Front Mortar user, since being on the front row makes them more likely to be targeted. Though Extend can combo nicely with it to keep the Arbalist's HP and TP pools up.

Shogun:

Now this class can be taken if you want to make your Shogun into a Warrior Might user, as the Arbalist can be used as one. Warrior Might doesn't care about the weapon the user wields, so your Arbalist can safely fire off chases from the back row. Not only that, Cloudbuster can be used on the previous turn to add an extra chase. Aside from that, Endure is a great passive for them to take, as they are a pretty fragile class. And they can join in on attacking with Fusillade if you have a lot of ranged attackers on the team.

Arbalists are glass cannons in every sense of the word. Despite the fact that they're only really good at dealing damage, they're good at that job, and can be played in different roles to make use of that capability.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Update 79: The Final Trek... Again





I told you I saw Princess Gutrune the other day, right?

Yes, you did...

Well, later I heard that some bad guys went into the royal forest looking for her! They said they seemed like explorers... They weren’t talking about you, were they?

You... probably shouldn't believe everything you hear.



Edie has nothing new to say on this route, but let's see what Shin's drop unlocks.



The Gorm Glas is a decent Rapier, but don't bother with trying to inflict Plague with it. It only has a 9% inflicting rate, and the Plague only ticks for 56 damage. Yeah, even the spread chance is higher, though not by much since the base chance of that is 10%.

While I was grinding everyone back up to their proper levels, I unlocked another item.




The Velocity Choker is a nice accessory, since it increases someone's action speed by 10.





In fact, she was particular in saying not to tell Tidehunt. You’ll have to come back later.

...I see.

Hmph, course haggy couldn't make this easy.

Not that it will help, ho ho!





Nope! We're fine!

No? Whew... I heard you got through to the Deep Ones’ stronghold, so I was worried. Fixing up wounds I can do, but if you die, you’re beyond my help. There’s no harm in taking a day off from the grind to rest here, is there?

Angie actually has new dialogue in the Deep City route instead of being stuck saying the same thing for a few floors, so I'll show hers off again.





And lets hand in the mission that we didn't fail this time.





With this, we enter the terminal phase of the plot to exterminate the Deep Ones. You may accept the new mission when you are ready.



I have here another reward for you as well, in honor of your work. Use it to prepare yourselves.







MAXIMUM POWER! WOO!

We get the same rewards as the equivalent mission on the Deep City route.



Now they shall feel the wrath of a queen several times over!

Susan now knows Swashbuckling. It should let her fill up her Limit gauge a bit faster.



As for Smith, I decided to increase Overheat to level 8. This increases his damage output by 30%, at the cost of forcing him to lose 67 HP per turn. At this point, he is definitely a respectable physical attacker, and a force to be reckoned with. He's no Scott or Sidney, but he can definitely hold his own now.



But to offset the HP loss, I decided to level up Ascetic Deeds to 8, which now restores 70 HP to Smith every time he uses a skill.

Hoo wee! What a battle, huh? What you all say we take a little break?

I think I'll take you up on that.

Yeah, I'm sleepy. I'm going to take a nap.

Hey, you all got that mission done?

Oh, Faye. There's something I wanted to take to you about. Let me see, how do I put this...? What were you thinking sending a team like that down there!?

...Didn't go that well, huh?

I tried to tell her, but she didn't listen.

Do you have any idea what you put us through!? We barely made it through that mess because-

AHEM! So, about that Moon Key Olympia gave us. What do you say we check out what it opens, huh? I bet there's lot of treasures to be found, and crap like that. Just please stop yelling, you're overloading my audio sensors here.

Y-Yes, I agree! We should all take a leisurely stroll in the Labyrinth and see what we can use it for.

Snrk. Leisurely stroll, sure. Besides, there's not much we can even use that for.

Actually, there's one place I wanted to check out again.





Faaaaaye, this was not my idea of a leisurely. strooooollllllll ♪

You can stop singing now, there's no more lava here.

Why are we here again?

Dunno, I just went my gut feeling.

Was it... really worth... exhausting my lungs... for...?

I dunno, checking up on the prisoner here is always good for a laugh! As long as he doesn't try to sic his personal army on you anyway. Made cleaning this place a pain!



The outwardly human, yet utterly alien, creature is there, staring at you as before.



The Eldest One’s rasp grates on your ears, as his mocking manner grates at your pride.

I’m surprised you had the stomach to return. Was it your whim to speak with me? How comical...

The Eldest One laughs, but its expression suddenly darkens as if remembering something...





...I'm sorry, what!?

I met a Girl... once. She spoke to me without Fear--I, the Eldest One of the Deep Ones... I ask you this, Children of Man. Do you believe it possible for our two Races to live in Harmony?

The question from this cracked, hoarse voice that seems to echo from the depths surprises you. You are taken aback and honestly unsure of how to answer...



...Considering that every member of your kind has tried to kill us on sight, you included if I may add, and hasn't even made any attempts at diplomacy... I'm going to have to say no.

AHAHAHAHAHA! Hoo hoo... Told you checking up on him was good for a laugh! Ha ha... Hoo...

The Eldest One gives a wry smile on hearing your answer, followed by a heavy sigh.

I see. I thought you might have been different... I was a Fool to believe that. Our home lies across the void-black, starry Sea. You are Seeds of the Earth. Our Enmity is eternal...

You think you see a flicker of sadness in those scarlet eyes, but... You aren’t entirely satisfied, but the Eldest One has already closed its eyes and lips decisively. You decide to act in deference to the unnerving creature and leave this place.

Uhh, I think you went a bit too far there, Smithy. He looked like he meant it.

Nah trust me, you can't make friends with any of them. If we could, we wouldn't be in this whole mess in the first place. He was probably faking it or something to get out of here. Don't worry about it.



Uhhh, sure? I mean hey, the power of friendship makes anything possible. I guess.

The Eldest One gives a wry smile on hearing your answer, followed by a heavy sigh.

That was the Answer I expected. Perhaps I asked the Question in Hopes of hearing it... But this Answer is a Skeleton, lacking the Flesh of Deeds. You carry no Proof of your Claim.

Um, what?

I think he saw through you.

You aren’t entirely satisfied, but the Eldest One has already closed its eyes and lips decisively. You decide to act in deference to the unnerving creature and leave this place.





If we talk with him again...



The outwardly human, yet utterly alien, creature is there, staring at you as before.



You aren’t entirely satisfied, but the Eldest One has already closed its eyes and lips decisively. You decide to act in deference to the unnerving creature and leave this place.

Sorry. Guess that was a waste of time. Again. I mean he didn't say all of that last time for some reason, but...

Maybe he wanted something other than the answer you gave.

Whatever he wanted, I think we missed the boat on that.

Eh, don't worry about it! I think he was just trying to use you to get out of that place! Anyways, we really should get back to the King, he can't wait on us forever, you know!







We accept!



First, you’ll need this.





The Porcelain Forest is the royal family’s sanctuary; few may enter. That will hold true for you, too. That crest will prove useful in gaining entry. It holds the power to nullify the forest’s barrier. Once you enter, the task I put to you is to subjugate the Deep One lurking deep within the forest. It is a crafty villain... It wears human form and adopts human manners. Let not its form deceive you! Slay the Princess possessed by the Deep One to save Armoroad! Afterward... You may do as you wish. You have done much to aid our mission. I thank you.

Let's see what he has to say normally.



...Tidehunt. I expect great things.

We won't let you down, sir!





Deep within that vast space, you spot a figure watching you.



Oh, we dare!

The young man gives a shrill whistle before you lose sight of him in the forest.



The choice is yours whether to subdue it by force or attempt to maneuver around it.

Pfft, this again?





Why me!?

Just be thankful it decided not to cut off your head.

I dunno, that was a good look for you back then.

Maybe you should let it cut yours off if you think it's so fashionable!

No thanks.



Thanks MEGAQUEEN!

Um, Smith? Her name's Susan.

ROSE!

Oh, is MEGAQUEEN like a nickname or something?

...You could say that.

Okay, MEGAQUEEN! Lets-

I just said it wasn't her real name!

Oh, I like to call people by their nicknames. Makes things much less stuffy and formal, you get what I'm saying?

Uggghhhhh... :bang:



Could ya spend less time arguing, and more time killing this thing...?

Oops. Sorry about that, Sidney.



SHORYUKEN!





Here's a bit of a damage comparison between Smith and 2 other physical attackers. Note that Scott and Rose used Charge beforehand, so Smith is on fairly even standing with Rose. Scott is far stronger, though.



Also managed to kill the Mortal Hunter on turn 4. It's amazing what a team with actual damage can do, right?



Hey, what's that gold thing over there?

Something good! After it!



But first, I decided to change Scott's equipment around a bit, since I want a lot of firepower to deal with this.



This one looks... different from the others.

Were they always that blue?

I don't think so, but let's take it down anyway!






Blue Pasaran
Level: 58
HP: 650
STR: 38
VIT: 49
AGI: 58
LUC: 59
TEC: 49
Attack Type: Strike
Exp: 2500
Item Drops: N/A
Description: A friendly, blue fluff monster. When many gather, they all explode at once in excitement.
Damage Resistances: Slash: 25% Strike: 25% Pierce: 25% Fire: 25% Ice: 25% Volt: 25% Almighty: 25%
Ailment Resistances: Sleep: 1% Confusion: 1% Plague: 1% Poison: 1% Blind: 1% Curse: 1% Paralysis: 1%
Bind Resistances: Head: 100% Arm: 100% Leg: 100%
Other Resistances: Death: LR - 25% Petrification: LR - 50% Stun: 10%

Skills:

Self-Destruct: Uses the Head. The Pasaran explodes, dealing 140% Strike damage to the whole party, disappearing from the map and denies them exp. Has an action speed of +0. Has an accuracy of 99.
Multiply: ???

Blue Pasarans are the final kind of Pasaran you can encounter, and they're a bit easier to take down than the previous ones. For one thing, they can't lower their arms or run away, so the only thing you have to worry about is them blowing up. On the other hand, they're pretty much nearly impossible to hit with status effects if you don't have a Wildling.





Unfortunately, I didn't have time to charge up my party's Limit gauges, so I'm just gonna have to come out swinging. I don't have enough time to charge up with these two since Blue Pasarans are very fast.



However, Scott is fast enough to get off a Pincushion before the Blue Pasaran can act.



Susan will buff them.



While Smith does nothing.



RAH, RAH, SIS BOOM BAH!



Slice and oh come on!



Wish I packed more gunpowder for this thing.



Okay, if Scott can roll at least 2 hits on Pincushion, I think I can kill it.





Gotcha!

YES! :woop: These things are really tricky to chase down, especially in the 5th Stratum. But the reward is...





...That's it?

What a waste of time!

I feel like I got ripped off.

Not worth it! Blue Pasarans give out less exp than the ones in the 1st Stratum! :argh:



Anyways, new floor. Let's see what the town has to say now.





Most likely, I’d say she went to protect the Princess.

We're... not gonna have to kill an old lady, are we?

Hey, not a fan of the idea either, but if the hag puts up a fight... well, we could probably just knock her down unless she's some sort of master of the Kung Fu ninja arts or something.

Let's just hope knocking down Flowdia is as bad as it gets.





It's a pretty busy city. A lot of people sail here from different places for business or to explore the Labyrinth.

Huh... people come by ship from all over the world? No wonder it’s known as the ocean city.

Yep! But it had a bit of trouble since the Calamity. We had to sail out to find good sea routes to other cities.

So you also set sail now and then to restore the sea lanes... It must keep you very busy.

Oh, indeed! But our private ship makes that so much easier.

...Wait, what!? You have your own ship!?

Yep! The Senatus gave it to us when we completed the first mission!

The Senatus gave it to you...? W-Wow, that was generous of them...





It’s a dreadful forest that plays havoc with your sense of direction and position. But if you give in, Armoroad will fall into the hands of the Deep Ones. You must not succumb!







Sorry, but we can't back down now!

However, Kujura seems to realize from your reaction that the point of no return is long past.

An idle question, I suppose... Then perish, like the dew of the forest!



Your mind races over the question of whether to dodge the fiends or force your way through.

How do they even control those things anyway?

Perhaps they're trained. Ooh, I would like a pet mantis someday!

Only if it's smaller than those. Like, much smaller.



I didn't elaborate on what this gate says on the Armoroad path, as it was fairly irrelevant at the time. However, now that we found out a bit more about what's going on, I'll tell you now. It's a referring to the Ningyo. (Apparently the gate itself is missing a character for some reason if it doesn't read that way.) It's a reference to an old Japanese myth where a girl ate an unusual fish called a Ningyo and attained immortality. (Thanks to fellow goon BlondRobin for clarifying what the gate said.)



Yeah, I'm just gonna go ahead and say that the Porcelain Forest is kind of a pain to play through on a NG+. So I'm gonna take a bit of a break and talk with the townspeople again.





Listen... A lot of people say a lot of things about the princess... But she’s a good person. Remember that.

We'll uh, see about that.





She’s taken the initiative to protect the Princess from some suspicious characters there. She may be old, but she’s still got spirit...

Hey... You think Charlotte knew about all this? You know, with the whole princess being a Deep One and all that?

I don't think she was that close to Flowdia and the princess, so maybe not. You can ask her yourself if she comes back.

I sure hope she does...





Olympia told me you’re venturing into the Porcelain Forest to defeat the Deep Ones. It sounds dangerous... but it’s probably necessary to keep the world safe. So hang in there! I’ll be rooting for you from here.





That forest is part of my homeland. Even now, I carry many fond memories of it with me. I cannot believe the forest of my memories has fallen into the hands of the Deep Ones... I have high hopes that you will be the one to reclaim it!



Nothing interesting happened on the 19th floor, so back to town again!





Reckless idiots keep flocking to register here because they want to be just like you folks. I got my hands full taking care of them so they live even one day longer. But that’s my lot in life. You guys need to focus on your own duty right now. Even if no one else understands... If there’s something you believe in, see it through to the end.

Easier said than done.





She said that she and Kujura will keep the enemy there from harming the Princess.

She really isn't gonna make this easy.





Olympia told me so, anyway. If that’s so, you should be sure to rest here before taking on something like that. After all, if you win, that’ll be a huge burden lifted from the Abyssal King...





Our target is in the depths of the Porcelain Forest... the Princess ridden by a Deep One. I trust that you will not be swayed by its appearance or pleas. Slay the demon swiftly.





There was actually an event I failed to show off in my last playthrough, so I'll do it now.

Look at all those clovers!

I bet we could lay in them! They almost look like a bed!

A large patch of earth is entirely covered in clover. The cluster of white buds looks just like a bed... The sight tempts you to lie down on the soft clovers and take a brief rest. While you do have much to accomplish here, you'd hate to pass up such a chance to rest...



Let's take a little break here. We're probably gonna need it.

Each of you quickly scans the area to ensure no monsters are nearby before laying on the clover bed. The patch of clover is quite comfortable and its cool softness does much to soothe your fatigue.



Nice bit of recovery, and this is how you're supposed to know where the clovers are for that quest. If you decide to look in the Porcelain Forest anyway, since finding the clover on the first floor and giving it to the boy nets you greater rewards.



You may seize this opportunity to challenge the Deep One-possessed Princess, or withdraw and rest.

Flowdia, Kujura, and the princess are waiting for us, huh?

Perhaps we should rest up before we confront them.

Like the last time we arrived here, there's one thing left to do. Voting for the team that will take on the final boss.

I won't say too much, but I'll just warn you right now, bring lots of supplies. The final confrontation is actually considered to be easier than the Armoroad path's final fight, but it will take a bit longer.



Speaking of Shoguns, if you happen to have one for this fight, it should be a cakewalk for you. And bringing one will break the space time continuum, and we wouldn't want that, would we? To prevent such a thing from happening, Charlotte is banned. Don't try voting her in.























Like before, vote for up to 5 characters to handle the final confrontation. Votes must be in bold.

Araxxor fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Jan 7, 2017

Argent Cinereus
Feb 25, 2013
Cassandra, Sidney, Smith

BlackPersona
Oct 21, 2012


Fang, Sidney, Scott

May as well show how good Fang is with a good damage dealing party after that last fight, right?

Zore
Sep 21, 2010
willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d’etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things
Fang, Rose, Smith

is that good
Apr 14, 2012
Smith, 2x Dr's orders (LPer's choice)

Omobono
Feb 19, 2013

That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

[b ]Same party as last time :unsmigghh:[/b ]

Actual vote: let's go with Megaqueen, Asteria and Scott

Talow
Dec 26, 2012


3x Dr. Fetus's choice.

I mean the votes so far are looking like what happened last time won't happen again, but just in case.

Grashbar
Aug 17, 2014
LPer's choice x3. Let's make sure things go well compared to previously.

8_Escape
Dec 26, 2013
Faye, Lper's choice X 2. Pretty much echoing Grashbar here.

W.T. Fits
Apr 21, 2010

Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.
Rose, Cassandra, Faye

theshim
May 1, 2012

You think you can defeat ME, Ephraimcopter?!?

You couldn't even beat Assassincopter!!!
Cassanda, Smith, Alice

Mr. Vile
Nov 25, 2009

And, where there is treasure, there will be Air Pirates.
Smith, LPer's choice, LPer's choice

shadowofshinra
Apr 12, 2014
Faye, Cassandra, Scott

Level Seven
Feb 14, 2013

Wubba dubba dubba
that blew.



Megamarm
Anti-vote Smith, LPer's Choice x2

Is that okay to say? I just think it'd be better to save Smith for the last path for a team up with Charlotte.

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RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012




Megaqueen, Asteria and 2 votes for FayeXCassandra Dr.Fetus' choice and Scott

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