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Oh, speaking of the Divine Blade, I just thought of something neat. Before the fight with Cassius, if Renne is in the party, she comments that she cannot get a read on Cassius's actual strength. Now remember that at the end of the fight, how the party is on their knees, but Cassius is still standing, looking like he can still go strong? That doesn't necessarily MEAN that he can actually go another round. These copies are completely unable to hold back. Cassius still standing demonstrates his ability to hide his strength. Estelle can kinda do that too, sort-of, albeit nowhere nearly as good as her father. At the end of Chapter 2 of SC, after Walter flattens the party, she gets back up, as if she's still capable of fighting, even though she isn't (and Walter can tell).
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Sep 7, 2017 03:40
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:1) Your four lowest-ranking people, so... Josette, Olivert, Agate, and Anelace. I actually ran the Abyss like four times partway, only until everyone in my party was up to level 135. Once they were all that high, I switched them out. (I was guessing that with 16 people, it was unlikely that I'd only have to use a single party of 4.) I like this plan.
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Sep 7, 2017 04:58
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Abyss: Agate, Josette, Olivier and Anelace Thing: Anelace, Richard, Renne, Joshua Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I'd tend to go with the best in specific fields. So... Caster - Renne, Physical Damage - Agate, and Healer - Kevin. Um, best physical is Richard and best healer is Renne. 
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Sep 7, 2017 05:47
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Abyss: agreed that you should use the lowest lvl people. Although it grinding all characters an option in this lp? After: Analace, Renne, Richard, Zin
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Sep 7, 2017 08:47
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Billzasilver, there's probably nothing stopping Pants from getting them up to level 135 or so off-screen, but there's no reason to show more than one run.Some Numbers posted:Abyss: Agate, Josette, Olivier and Anelace I was going by raw STR, and Agate comes out on top. Richard has the fastest crafts, but no way to recover his CP. I think I have a fair argument here. Renne has Grail Sphere and Sacred Breath now?Also when is the next video coming? Stabbey_the_Clown fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Sep 7, 2017 |
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Sep 7, 2017 13:09
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I was going by raw STR, and Agate comes out on top. Richard has the fastest crafts, quote:but no way to recover his CP. quote:
quote:Also when is the next video coming?
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Sep 7, 2017 16:03
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Obviously Richard is there for single target damage and Agate is there for his attack-all s-craft And may Aidios bless us with super gladiator belts for everyone
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Sep 7, 2017 18:43
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I wasn't even gonna vote, but I have to for the Thing since everyone is obviously picking the wrong team. Thing: Anelace, Renne, Tita, Ries Cuteness is Justice!
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Sep 8, 2017 08:30
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Whoever you're gonna take down into the Abyss, you'd best either include Kloe or someone with high strength and a good S-craft.
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Sep 8, 2017 08:49
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Lynkericious posted:I wasn't even gonna vote, but I have to for the Thing since everyone is obviously picking the wrong team. Oh my god, you're absolutely right. I don't know how I missed this.
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Sep 8, 2017 16:07
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I've heard there's one team that gets a special remark from the Cheerful Host. Is that the one? e: looks like it isn't, unless I'm doing something wrong Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Sep 8, 2017 |
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Sep 8, 2017 16:23
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No, the combination you're thinking of is Team Harem.
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Sep 8, 2017 18:26
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So Joshua, Estelle, Josette, and Kloe? I guess it could also be Olivier, Meuller, Schera, and whoever Olivier wants.
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Sep 8, 2017 18:33
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havenwaters posted:I guess it could also be Olivier, Meuller, Schera, and whoever Olivier wants. I don't think the game will let you take everyone.
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Sep 8, 2017 21:03
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Sep 9, 2017 14:42
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I personally went with Tita, the cutest destroyer of worlds.
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Sep 9, 2017 15:04
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- Actually I still find Zigma spiders in the Abyss scary. Their absorb health move is so powerful that it can practically one-shot weaker members of the party while healing the spider for 10k+, so I had to be careful when engaging them. You can use Josette or Schera to steal Gold Gems off of them, though, and they also drop other good gems. In theory. The drop rate for items in this game SUCKS. The game didn't seem to take into account that each enemy can now drop up to 8 types of items, not just two. - The armor guys from the second Abyss boss can inflict deathblow from their regular attacks, which seems to bypass resistance to deathblow. So my strategy for that fight is to immediately burn ALL my S-Crafts. If I can't keep my CP, I might as well use it. - The third Abyss fiend was much easier than the second one. You can even impede and AT Delay him, which seems backwards for what is supposed to be a series of progressively tougher bosses. - The weapons I made were Photon Sword (Reis), Sphere Soleil (Estelle), Dino Fossil (Agate), and Houkiboshi (Richard). I don't have much opinion on who the LP should give them to though.
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Sep 9, 2017 16:31
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:- The weapons I made were Photon Sword (Reis), Sphere Soleil (Estelle), Dino Fossil (Agate), and Houkiboshi (Richard). I don't have much opinion on who the LP should give them to though. I now have all sixteen(fifteen? seventeen?) so not to worry
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Sep 9, 2017 16:33
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Really Pants posted:I now have all sixteen(fifteen? seventeen?) so not to worry  You played through the game three times in preparation for this LP?!
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Sep 9, 2017 16:40
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Not just for an LP, no.
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Sep 9, 2017 16:50
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The only character I had capable of breaking through the poms was Richard, so you can imagine the fun it was having to spam Sakura Morning Moon 8 times in one battle.  Man hard to believe we're already near the end. Just a couple more fun Star/Sun doors to get through and we're at my favorite endgame from all the Trails games I've played so far.
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Sep 9, 2017 17:35
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I've been lurking, but I've also been enjoying reading this lp.
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Sep 9, 2017 18:58
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I like how weapons made of the ultimate material all have a common drawback to them, so they're not universally the best. They're just another meaningful option.
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Sep 10, 2017 00:35
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Only Kevin and Ries' ultimates have anything like a drawback(less ATS). Except for Anelace, everyone else's Zemurian Ore weapon is unequivocally their best. If you only ever use arts or items with certain characters then they can get by just fine without them, although e.g. Schera and Kloe will still get the most possible ATS from their Zemurian weapons.
Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Sep 10, 2017 |
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Sep 10, 2017 00:40
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 This sidestory contains references to sexual abuse. If you have any reason to want to avoid such a subject, consider skipping this update.
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Sep 10, 2017 11:21
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To add to that, I'm pretty sure nobody who knows that update is actually reading it. It's very well written but I'm damned if I'm reading it again.
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Sep 10, 2017 13:00
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It seems like you missed a picture in your last update. Was that intentional or an oversight? Does it violate the file hosts TOS? The console versions censor this door by cutting out everything before Loewe and Joshua bust in, in other words, close to 80% of the whole door. They didn't want to deal with the increased age-rating. Anyway, this door's probably the reason the ,  and  emoticons were invented. No other reactions do it justice. This is one part that was really, really easy to mess up and devolve into mindless shock value. Instead, the fact that it's so chilling is because it's just subtle enough to make a lot of allusions without immediately showing. (until THAT picture pops up on the screen just to kill any denial the player might still be clinging onto) This door, messed up as it is, is a real tribute to the writing team at Falcom and the localization team at XSeed. Since Renne mentioned in SC that there were other children, it actually took me a while to grasp that Cross and the other three weren't real children, but alternate personalities that Renne used as coping mechanisms to avoid going insane, before her self-made barriers eventually crumbled. (as such I initially missed the connection between "Cross" and the shape of those cuts in the closeup)Even the reward has an unsettling name. (I usually put it on Tita myself due to her AOE normals) It also confirms that, yes, there are worse assholes than Ouroboros in Zemuria and after Weissmann, that bar was pretty frigging high already. Erpy fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Sep 10, 2017 |
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Sep 10, 2017 13:10
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Renne was the character from SC whose story intrigued me the most, and this door horrified me. I'm not sure if they ever continue her story past Phantasma, but I hope she gets a happy ending. Trails has a reputation for being fairly light, but it delves into dark drat well. In fact, the reason I got into this series was because I saw a picture of Cassius from the first game saying "Papa is sad!" and it made me giggle. I was incredibly surprised at the experience that waited for me. But I never expected this.
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Sep 10, 2017 13:39
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:Renne was the character from SC whose story intrigued me the most, and this door horrified me. I'm not sure if they ever continue her story past Phantasma, but I hope she gets a happy ending. Trails has a reputation for being fairly light, but it delves into dark drat well. In fact, the reason I got into this series was because I saw a picture of Cassius from the first game saying "Papa is sad!" and it made me giggle. I was incredibly surprised at the experience that waited for me. But I never expected this. Well she's going to crossbell and Zero and Ao involve Crossbell. Hope XSeed managed to put them out/if not that those fan translations that are slowly progressing are good.
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Sep 10, 2017 13:43
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Yes, she's in the Crossbell games
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Sep 10, 2017 14:19
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Renne's subplot is continued in the Crossbell games, which is one more reason to hope it'll make state-side eventually.
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Sep 10, 2017 14:20
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Cryohazard posted:To add to that, I'm pretty sure nobody who knows that update is actually reading it. It's very well written but I'm damned if I'm reading it again. Yeah. I might read the LP update, but I'd have to work up the courage to do it. Erpy posted:Anyway, this door's probably the reason the Yep. Sky SC alluded to this pretty strongly in Renne's scene in Chapter 7, and this game doesn't go into any specifics, thankfully, but it's still horrifying. It's very well written. quote:Since Renne mentioned in SC that there were other children, it actually took me a while to grasp that Cross and the other three weren't real children, but alternate personalities that Renne used as coping mechanisms to avoid going insane, before her self-made barriers eventually crumbled. (as such I initially missed the connection between "Cross" and the shape of those cuts in the closeup) I got a little sense of it when Cross said that there never were any others, but I didn't come to the full realization until a bit farther. quote:It also confirms that, yes, there are worse assholes than Ouroboros in Zemuria and after Weissmann, that bar was pretty frigging high already. Joshua has mentioned doing some terrible things in his capacity working for Ouroboros that he wants to atone for. This is probably not one of them.
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Sep 10, 2017 14:51
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On top of all the rest of it, Renne's Enforcer title, number, and outfit are apparently remnants of her former life. The society is forcing her to remember it every day.
Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Sep 10, 2017 |
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Sep 10, 2017 15:11
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Looking at the original/alternate version is pretty enlightening. That one was clearly done in the same style as all the other doors dealing with various backstories and it highlights how entirely toothless that approach is for this particular one. Assuming this is what it was supposed to be originally, it's really good that they figured out it needed to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch. If nothing else it serves as a clear contrast that illustrates how much actual direction matters. The first version is a cold, dry retelling of events that doesn't really go anywhere and in fact comes off as just creepy and offputting because it's describing horrific events but with no weight or meaning behind it besides "Please feel sorry for this tragic character." Heck, Renne herself barely features in the story despite it ostensibly being about her! The in-game version, on the other hand, is incarnate. It's shocking, it's direct, and it isn't just a summary of what happened but a deep, visceral look into the psyche of a broken individual and how she copes with the terrible things happening to her. It's devastatingly effective at evoking the empathy needed to really recoil at what's going on rather than just look on disapprovingly.But it's more than even all that. It's not shocking and horrifying just for the sake of itself, unlike the original version which didn't go anywhere and would indeed qualify as just that. There's a clear buildup, from Renne detaching herself from the world as a coping mechanism, to deluding herself into believing she's in full control of herself as a member of Ouroboros, to Estelle trying to get through to her by jarring her back into reality. The door itself goes full circle as Renne reflects on Estelle's words on the Liber Ark even as she tried to tell herself that everything is peachy keen. We're seeing the signs, even discounting her experiences with the party in the game proper, that despite everything that's happened, despite all the damage she's endured and has been trying to deny for so long, that Estelle really has changed her. Yes, even with how horrible her backstory is, ultimately this door ends on a hopeful note, as has become the trend in these games especially when Estelle is involved. This is good storytelling and another example of why people like these games so much. And to think it almost didn't happen this way.
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Sep 10, 2017 15:42
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This door is one of those things that actually seem more hosed up than it currently is once you play Zero and Ao, once you realize who was behind it, why it happened and who the sick patrons who visited the place were. Just like Star Door 8 was huge setup for Cold Steel, this door is huge setup for Crossbell. Hopefully you'll get to experience it in some form or another, through official or fan-translated means.
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Sep 10, 2017 17:07
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- Okay... - That's the same party I brought to that Star door. I know that the game doesn't give an answer about what those who enter a door see, if anything, but that felt like the right party. - I missed it the first time, but the monster 'Renne' draws, the one keeping them locked up... golden eyes, black scales, white stomach... she's describing herself. - "You wasted no time in killing all the others. Why are you letting me live for so long?" - That's when I clued in that the others weren't real. - Okay the dummied-out version was dummied out for a good reason. The clinical, detached tone, like the one used in the 'official report' style doors... just does not work. - I never bothered with Nothingness, the sepith values were so small that it made a poor choice for a caster compared to better ones.
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Sep 10, 2017 17:27
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I missed it the first time, but the monster 'Renne' draws, the one keeping them locked up... golden eyes, black scales, white stomach... she's describing herself. Oh wow, I actually missed this too.
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Sep 10, 2017 17:36
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I... what... just... the... gently caress? I mean, I heard a little about Renne's backstory from Zero/Ao, but... drat, Renne needs a hug.
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Sep 10, 2017 18:04
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Erpy posted:Anyway, this door's probably the reason the Yeeeep. That was certainly a star door. I don't think I can really add much to the analysis, but goddamn - no wonder she's so messed in the head.
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Sep 10, 2017 18:12
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I will say, Falcom sticking this door at the very bottom of what is supposed to be a literal representation of hell is a bit on-the-nose. Also it worth noting Joshua's (and Loewe's somewhat) involvement in all this. It's easy to miss since in our experience following Joshua he's, by all accounts, had a pretty swell life since he became a member of the Bright household, but between Hamel, saving Renne, and who knows how many other incidents he's been party to, Joshua has seen some really messed up stuff and all at a super young age as well. It becomes easier over time to see why he made some of the questionable decisions he made during the story proper.
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Sep 10, 2017 18:38
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