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The thing to remember is that basically EVERYTHING is optional at this point. The boss refights getting you down? Stop refighting the bosses and just awaken the Crystals or whatever. Offer not valid if you're LPing this game for Something Awful.
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Jul 12, 2018 03:10
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Patter Song posted:The thing to remember is that basically EVERYTHING is optional at this point. The boss refights getting you down? Stop refighting the bosses and just awaken the Crystals or whatever. I can't believe Airy posts on SomethingAwful.
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Jul 12, 2018 03:16
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I actually quite enjoyed flying around and beating everyone up again.
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Jul 12, 2018 05:45
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Hobgoblin2099 posted:I can't believe Airy posts on SomethingAwful. I can completely believe that.
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Jul 12, 2018 08:20
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Well yes - in theory you can just ignore the Asterisk bearer refights. But in praxis those are side-quests in an RPG. And years of playing RPGs have trained me to know those are more important than the main quest... They can suddenly disappear while the plot always waits for you!
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Jul 12, 2018 08:31
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Greyarc also may possibly be overlevelled, since the boss refights are each meant to (as I understand from other players) each meant to add to their gimmicks and do something wacky with the mechanics of their class. Killing them in only a couple of turns doesn't really show that.
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Jul 12, 2018 09:50
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bewilderment posted:Greyarc also may possibly be overlevelled, since the boss refights are each meant to (as I understand from other players) each meant to add to their gimmicks and do something wacky with the mechanics of their class. Killing them in only a couple of turns doesn't really show that. This may not be a gameplay-focused LP, but rest assured, if there are fights with significant tactical changes from what you've already seen here, I'll show them off.
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Jul 12, 2018 10:31
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bewilderment posted:Greyarc also may possibly be overlevelled, since the boss refights are each meant to (as I understand from other players) each meant to add to their gimmicks and do something wacky with the mechanics of their class. Killing them in only a couple of turns doesn't really show that. Having played through this recently the boss fights may have taken a bit more time then what Greyarc is showing but at no point did I ever feel threatened.
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Jul 12, 2018 11:23
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Oh no I'm not complaining, it's just what I've heard from other people. I assume stuff like 'Profiteur does his big damage attack in a different pattern from his first fight' doesn't really register and isn't exactly memorable and figure that's true for most of it.
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Jul 12, 2018 12:21
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bewilderment posted:Oh no I'm not complaining, it's just what I've heard from other people. I assume stuff like 'Profiteur does his big damage attack in a different pattern from his first fight' doesn't really register and isn't exactly memorable and figure that's true for most of it. Yeah, at this point players have access to the full job lost and lots of synergies. Jobs aren't likely to be maxed out yet, but it doesn't take a whole lot of grinding to get most of them up to 7 or so. As long as a fight is against a single boss enemy, there's really not much that can stand up to even a mildly synergistic team.
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Jul 12, 2018 16:10
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The real point of doing most of the refights at this point is the JP really. The costs for abilities skyrocket after level 9, and getting the rewards from the Asterisk refights is far and away the fastest means if you want to start mastering multiple jobs (which... ultimately you do want to do, even if it doesn't seem necessary just yet.) Though really aside form kicking off encounters entirely this part of the game I liked just fine? The subtle changes and getting the Eternians to stand there agape that we already knew their evil plans was fun.
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Jul 12, 2018 22:42
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Nah the boss refights right now are tame even if you haven't done any grinding. You have access to stupid poo poo like Valk/Spell Fencer which means you're landing for 9999 every other round easy. The bosses aren't really built for that.
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Jul 12, 2018 23:18
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We haven’t fought Artemia yet right? I’m pretty sure I did every sidequest first, then did the crystals thing. At the end.
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Jul 14, 2018 06:55
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Entry 87: Exposition? What's That? (feat. Vampire DeRosso) So by this point, it's pretty clear we're not going to get any major changes in the Eternians.   Halt!Of course, you can skip these sidequests, allowing the Eternians to continue to torture themselves and the world.  Artemia hunt. Hunt many orochi. At Einheria's orders? Artemia obey. Only obey. Sister's orders only truth. I see... You haven't changed. You could not stop Einheria... There are no really good choices here; so far, with the exception of Qada, the game's open-world doesn't extend to offering third options. Artemia not tell Sister how to think. How Sister think tell how Artemia live. Only Sister tell how Artemia live! I understand. I've heard enough... Artemia hunt. Hunt all prey... All in range Artemia's prey... I said enough... Nothing runs. Nothing escapes... As long as prey has pulse... Keep firing... Never miss...Edea's exasperation mimics how the player probably feels by this point. Which leads to one question:  Why put the player through this? Grrrrrrar... You... Edea...prey... Prey...chase...hunt... Artemia...run...catch...Whatever the game's leading towards, is it worth all this? We can't know until we get there, but the stakes are raising higher and higher with each refight.  Between repeating tragedy and ignoring it, at least one option gives some gameplay benefit. Hunt...is...on! The party kills the boss and collects their 999 JP.  Sister...The party returns to town, warning them of Eternia's toxic plot so the last of the chemicals can be disposed. After clearing Eternia out of the region, the party takes a well-deserved break.   Now, will you please take back what you said!? Never! This is one matter in which I refuse to give an inch! This is a clear-cut issue! Black and white, with no room for gray! Wow, Agnès and Edea are really going at it. Don't see that too often. I wonder what happened. Any ideas, Tiz? *sigh* Why don't you ask them yourself? Heh, I see you're in fine form, too. What's eating you? How can you even say that's the best, Agnès? I mean, your explanation doesn't make any sense! And what of you, Edea!? Everything is always black or white with you. Never have I seen such obstinance! I still don't understand. Would you mind filling me in, Tiz? I told you, ask them yourself. *sigh* Baked custard with strawberry whipped cream! No! Sweet bean filled wafers! ...... Huh? Those are both desserts. Are you telling me this argument is about which dessert is the best!? That about sums it up. *munch munch* Hm? What're you eating there? Strawberry whipped cream custard with sweet bean filled wafers. You make 'em yourself? Yes, but it was really just a matter of combining the two. Rather tasty if I say so myself. Rgh! You're simply infuriating! Me!? It is you who is utterly vexing! I feel sorry for them...and you, too, Tiz.Ha ha, the party's bickering over sweets. They just killed a kid, insane woman, and Edea's childhood friend!  With the ocean cleared, we can finally go see how this version of Grandship's holding up.   I can't...can't see... *hic* What IS that thing? ...Eh? What is it?A single drunk guy notices the flying twin Grandship. Not so unusual when you consider everyone else is busy stumbling and staring down at the water:  It won't be long before this Grandship stops functioning. Without a double of the party delivering orichalcum, it's doomed to sink.  More importantly, the tavern's gone bad. It's no longer the proprietress's Drunken Pig -- now it's the Sea Slug, run by some new guy. Let's go check it out.  Oh, put a plug in it, old woman. We ain't open yet! What business is it of yours, you old hag!? Oh, well excuse me for disturbing you when you're clearly so busy. I shan't bother coming back! Datz, Zatz, we're leaving! She exits the tavern just as the party enters. What's going on? The proprietress wanted to find out what the Drunken Pig was like in this world... "I'd take my Drunken Pig over this any day," were her words. Seeing the guy running the place, I don't fancy slaking my thirst in there either. Too right.Datz and Zatz follow after the proprietress, leaving the party to wander around on their own.  What happened to the proprietress in this version of events? Who knows. At least the party ended up with her and not this guy.  Well, she is rather attached to the ol' Drunken Pig, you know. Must've been a shock for her to see her beloved tavern being run like that. What would possess anyone to name a tavern the Sea Slug? Who knows? But it could be one of those places popular with the local crowd. The type with a cantankerous proprietor, die-hard patrons, and a stubborn refusal to serve strangers. No, I think not. The only clean area there was around the proprietor. The knives, cutting boards, even the barstools...they were all covered in dust. And the menu should have been filled with the sea's bounty, but all I could see were some dried nuts and dried meats. You two sure have some sharp eyes. Hee hee, well, I guess I just notice things that you don't, Tiz. You mean food, right? Ooh! What did you just say, Ringabel!?The party returns to the Sea Slug at night to see if it magically transforms into a better tavern.  Nope.  Not only is the proprietress not around, there's no sign of another Datz or Zatz, either. Nobody's recruiting for the Shieldbearers.  Before going to the last continent, let's see if we can get some answers from the most likely source.  In a small favor, the party can reuse the front door keys from last time, though if you want to refight the dragons you can. The battles are the same as in Chapter 4.  If, on the other hand, the party hadn't done Vampire Castle in Chapter 4:   Who are you who disturbs my serenity? Lord DeRosso... May we have a moment of your time? Ah, you know my name. Very well, then. If you wish to pass this gate, seek you the six keystones throughout the lands.  From there, everything before and during Vampire Castle would progress identically to Chapter 4.  Back to our regular party. They've already been through here once and heard all of DeRosso's old war stories. It is the same protrait as before. And just as big. Right, and what a beauty his mother was. Same description, too. "Lester, eldest son of the House of DeRosso, future clergyman of the Crystal Adventists and cardinal of the Crystal Orthodoxy... ...born in the land of Eternia on a cold winter's day." It seems a struggle between the Old Faith and the Orthodoxy arose here in this world, too. DeRosso, of course, has been watching the party since they arrived.  Some things may have changed, but DeRosso still loves his appear/disappear-in-a-puff-of-smoke trick.  Lord DeRosso! Ah, you know me, then. You must be... Yes, I see. And it seems there is much you already know. Yes, yes, I see...DeRosso magics himself away, leaving the party to start climbing.  Next floor up: Lord DeRosso's ordainment portrait... From the Old Faith to the Orthodoxy--an era of great change that sealed DeRosso's fate... The meaningless power struggle took place in this world as well, it appears. You know much. How uncanny. Almost disturbing, which is perhaps ironic coming from me.*poof*  Heh heh heh, I see. My fate has already...He magics away without bothering to finish his sentence. Okay, then.  Lord DeRosso's castle seige painting... This is where his never-ending struggle began. And his never-ending sorrow. So, you feel pity for me? Well, I suppose stranger things have happened.*poof* Lord DeRosso... Y'know DeRosso, if you stuck around longer than a couple seconds, maybe we could figure out what's-- Too late, already gone.  Lord DeRosso's portrait of Immortality... "Accept me and I shall grant life everlasting. Though it shall be filled with grief, thou shalt have all eternity to wreak vengeance upon thine enemies." Who or what was talking to him...and why? Even I know not. Just as I know not how you came to know those words.*poof* Lord DeRosso... Getting the impression this version of DeRosso spent a little too much time being castle-bound.  Lord DeRosso's war landscape... The war that changed the very land we walk upon... I shudder when I think of the manner in which it was waged. Heh heh heh. Care for a taste of my power? The power to fell mountains and tear the earth asunder...*poof* Lord DeRosso! Then again, you people might... Well, we would simply have to try it to find out what would happen, no?Next floor:  Lord DeRosso's portrait of the archbishop... So, Yulyana was responsible for cutting off the vestals and temples from the corrupt Orthodoxy... But the description for this portrait only tells of the time he was hatching his plot. Precisely. The actual events therein shall be told in other paintings.*poof* Lord DeRosso... Or perhaps you have already... Yes, 'tis in the realm of possiblity for those such as you.DeRosso stares hard at Agnès, who flinches away.  Finally, we reach the top floor. Lord DeRosso's asterisk painting... There are asterisks in this world, too? It seems the sage here in this world also wanted to reduce the Orthodoxy's authority. I've always wondered what they were made of. They have such a warm, bewitching glow. Truth be told, he never shared the secret of their making with me, either.Ringabel's statement about asterisks in this world makes less sense if you've collected job asterisks in Chapter 5. DeRosso *poof*s in as usual.  Heh heh heh... The next time we meet, I shall have him explain it to me.At DeRosso's throne, he presents the same challenge as in chapter 4, with a slight change:  You're referring to the angel painting. Precisely. You know much that has yet to happen, my friends. This battle is exactly the same as chapter 4, not even any raised stats.  Still, there must be something we can gain for coming all the way up here, aside from JP.  Something aside from DeRosso giggling to himself... Lord DeRosso's angel painting... It's as he said. She looks just like Agnès. You can say that again. Yes, they could be twins. Is there really such a resemblance? Oh, Lord DeRosso. I don't recall if you truly said that. We know he did, because despite it not being mentioned in any cutscene, Ringabel wrote it down in D's Journal. Confirmation that Bravely Default's cutscenes are abbreviated versions of what the party actually experiences, the story equivalent of how every RPG city is made up of a dozen buildings max. Well, no matter. The truth is, there is a striking resemblance.And with that apathetic line, DeRosso's done speaking to us.  That's right: we're done with Vampire's Castle. No new info aside from learning this version of DeRosso is not really all there.  But as Airy said, only one crystal left to go, and one continent left to save. Let's move on.  On the way to Eisenberg, the party takes advantage of inflight shopping, with products straight from the black market capital of the world, Neo-Norende!  The Tale of the Heike is an epic recounting the bloodied history between two ancient  This weapon's available in some Final Fantasy games, but more interestingly...  ...it also has an anthropomorphized sexy-man version (not the swordsmith, the sword) who wields...guns.  Anyway, the party completes their shopping just as Grandship reaches Eisenberg.  On arrival they attempt to rest in Hartschild, but it's closed off until they clear themselves with the Shieldbearers.  Ehn... Screw it, let's just go take care of the crystal first. Hard to relax with Airy yelling like that.  Strangely, the mythril mines are unguarded, and the way to the temple's open, but they don't see a soul.  The legions of demons surrounding the crystal must've been enough of a deterrent.  The Eternians may be a disappointment, and DeRosso may have been a dud, but at least with the crystals, we know we're getting somewhere. ...Right? Next: Ha ha, whoops! -- Event Viewer Sub-Scenario: How Artemia Lives Drunken Pig and Sea Slug The Sealed Gate Family Portrait - C Ordainment Portrait - C Castle Siege Painting - C Immortal Portrait - C War Landscape - C Archbishop Portrait - C Asterisk Painting - C Angel Painting - C Party Chat: Agnès vs. Edea The Sea Slug D's Journal: Artemia the Ranger posted:In the world beyond the Holy Pillar, Artemia once again hunted woodland orochi in the twisted treetops of the woods to the east. It was impossible to talk sense into her, so we were forced to defeat her in combat. 
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Jul 17, 2018 02:52
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boy that sure was a lot of explainations about what's going on yep, sure was
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Jul 17, 2018 03:09
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Pureauthor posted:boy that sure was a lot of explainations about what's going on Yes. We learned lots. Like how the writers could have put actual explanations here, but didn’t. Which is lame.
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Jul 17, 2018 03:21
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DeRosso's been waiting hundreds of years to exposit to someone and then you all come in with your fancy alternate dimension knowledge and leave him unable to say anything. Kids today, I swear. 
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Jul 17, 2018 03:33
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The Tale of the Heike is the story of the Minamoto Clan's war to overthrow the hegemony of the Taira Clan, ending in a major naval victory for the Minamoto that send the Taira to the bottom of the ocean, along with, allegedly, the original version of one of the three Imperial Japanese crown treasures, the sacred sword Kusanagi (which Susano-o used to kill the Orochi according to Shinto myth).
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Jul 17, 2018 06:57
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Hobgoblin2099 posted:DeRosso's been waiting hundreds of years to exposit to someone He painted pictures and everything. Maybe he even wrote scripts for his little speeches to be just the right amount of vague - and those are now useless. After centuries of being alone in his castle he probably isn't the most spontaneous person around so all he has left is some chuckling and half sentences. Poor vampire.
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Jul 17, 2018 09:20
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So, was this time travel schtick kneecapped from what the game designers initially intended for the game, or did they always intend for you to have this sort of frustrating deja vu?
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Jul 17, 2018 12:22
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They really are dropping the ball on this 2nd world thing, aren't they. It's sad to see even Dorkula is reduced to meaningless babbling.
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Jul 17, 2018 22:38
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GimmickMan posted:They really are dropping the ball on this 2nd world thing, aren't they. It's sad to see even Dorkula is reduced to meaningless babbling. I think they could have gone in a neat direction with the whole "gibbering insanity brought on by immortality" thing, but they didn't go all the way. They just made this version of him into this weird dude that never finishes a sentence, and the party just repeats everything we already heard the first time through. The second world thing could be really neat if they used it to show the characters in a different light or twisted their personalities appreciably, but so far it's just been a repeat of the first world on curbstomp mode.
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Jul 17, 2018 22:51
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If it's any consolation, Chapter 5 is easily the weakest part of the game and I honestly wish they'd cut it.
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Jul 18, 2018 03:17
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There are definitely some things they could’ve condensed with the later or earlier stuff, but we’ll wait for the LP before discussing it. At any rate, it does get better. There are some things in the plot I refuse to forgive though. We’ve already seen two of them. Edea doesn’t know what Alternis looks like, or the game never mentions it. Even as a side “Ringabel you look like someone I know.” And the second one is how people refuse to explain much. Or back down.
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Jul 18, 2018 09:32
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Are we still picking up asterisks, or just letting them rot where they've fallen?
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Jul 18, 2018 16:25
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Glazius posted:Are we still picking up asterisks, or just letting them rot where they've fallen? We're creating local job opportunities. Leaving the asterisk where it falls while simultaneously opening up a slot for "local villain". We're great!
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Jul 18, 2018 17:19
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RandomMagus posted:We're creating local job opportunities. Leaving the asterisk where it falls while simultaneously opening up a slot for "local villain". We're great! Villain? No...every town needs a White Mage, or a Ranger, or a...um...Valkyrie?
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Jul 18, 2018 19:28
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The honorable local job opportunities of Pirate and Vampire.
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Jul 18, 2018 19:59
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The huge influx of vampires are bleeding the economy dry.
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Jul 18, 2018 20:05
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Well, we don't kill DeRosso, so I assume he's still hanging on to his! How many of the Eternians survived the party, anyway? Braev, Yulyana, DeRosso, Alternis(?), and Praline?
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Jul 18, 2018 20:59
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It doesn’t matter what world we’re in, there is no way Tiz did not claim this blood-stained prize upon a well-deserved
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Jul 18, 2018 21:25
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Entry 88: Ruining the Good Times The final crystal.  Seven times now Agnès has undergone the ceremony. The eighth shouldn't be any different.  What will happen after this? Will the Holy Pillar appear again?  And after the Holy Pillar... What then? If only we knew what went wrong last time...  I told you, this is dangerous! Hello!? Can you even hear me? This will work, right? I mean, it has to work. I've been doing this LP for a year and a half now... ......!! Stop...please. You have to stop, Agnès. Why are you doing this!? ......!! What's the matter, Agnès? Should we...do something? Do we stop her? Agnès... Stop, stop, stop! Before the whole world is destroyed! ...Just a little longer, right? Then it'll be done... Don't you care about your friends? Aren't I your friend, too? So, please, listen to me! Listen to me! ...No. Can't give up yet. Agnès, stop praying.   ... ...Nngh... ... ... ... ... ...Wha-what's gotten into you, Agnès? Why... Why did you...? ... ... I...I do not know. My mind drifted... I was in a haze. Everything beyond that... Well, the crystal was this close to being destroyed! ...Was it? I needed only pray a little longer, and... And it would have shattered! The people would have lost its blessing forever! The whole world would be thrown into chaos. Who knows what terrible calamities could occur!? ...Yeah. Yeah, we know...  ...Enough about that. The crystal wasn't destroyed, so-- Agnès! No, it's alright. You did your best. You need to get some rest now. ...... When would we have the opportunity? ......The room suddenly fills with a pure white light.  The same place as last time? It must be! Let us head there again, Agnès. This time, we must ensure we seal the Great Chasm and cleanse evil from the world! Yes, I know. We cannot fail again! Nothing big, but there's a separate cutscene here if you didn't mess around waking the last crystal: You did it! You awakened the crystal! That's all four of them now! What is this light? The Holy Pillar? It must be! Let us head there again, Agnès. This time, we must ensure we seal the Great Chasm and cleanse evil from the world! Yes, I know. We cannot fail again!Either way, we've got our goal.  But before then, we've got a war to win.  There are new enemies around the fire temple which the party skipped on their rush inside.  You'd think the monster population would calm down with all four crystals awakened, but I guess the fix isn't thorough until the Holy Pillar step is complete.  In the meantime, these monsters are at least tough enough to keep soldiers away from the temple itself, even though the secret pathway is open.  At least, that's the assumption... We'll have to ask Commander Goodman what's going on with the mines. Come to think, we should also ask where the canary boys are, or whether they were ever here.  This'll be a confusing discussion. To the bridge!   I must apologize on behalf of my soldiers. They did not know who you were when they stopped you. No need to apologize. After all, you were kind enough to grant us the audience we sought. I am happy to accommodate you. Now, what is it I can help you with? We have come to these lands to journey to the Temple of Fire and awaken the crystal there. The Temple of Fire... I am afraid that-- Imagine the looks on the faces of the Black Blades/Swordbearers once they find out.  What!? But the way there was blocked by lava... That is right. We entered the temple through a passage deep within the mythril mine. You should dispatch soldiers to the mythril mine swiftly to ensure it is not taken by the Swordbearers. Understood... You have outdone yourself, Wind Vestal. I am impressed. Oh, would you be able to grant us permission to stay in Hartschild? Of course. The Shieldbearers welcome the vestal and her companions. Feel free to rest your travel-weary bones in town. Someone show the vestal and her companions the way.The party assures Goodman they can find the town themselves and stick around. Let's rewind: If the party visits Goodman before going to the fire crystal, the scene is changed, resulting in something less satisfying but more informative: We have come to these lands to journey to the Temple of Fire and awaken the crystal there. The Temple of Fire... I am afraid that-- Yes, we are aware the way there has been buried in lava. What is the current status of the mythril mine? Currently it is not held by either side. I see. Thank you very much.What happened to the canary boys? Hard to say. Maybe without the mines the canary boys were never kidnapped by the Swordbearers in the first place. That's the optimistic thought, at least. Now back to our main party:  We've got one more thing to take care of before we leave the bridge.  The party confronts Praline with Shieldbearers prepped and baton at the ready.  This scene has a few minute dialogue differences from the Chapter 1-4 version.  For the most part, though, everything goes down the same. The battle once again ends with Praline running away in tears, leaving her fanbase behind.  Such a carefree voice and super cute moves. And her songs made you want to get up and dance. Perhaps it is because of my long years at the temple, but I do not particularly fancy such noisy music... Oh, you thought it was noisy, Agnès? Y-yes... It makes my head go all fuzzy... Agnès, you simply must loosen up a bit! You're far too serious! But is it not strange to surrender your body to a beat and...prance about like everybody else? Strange? ...Ha ha ha, no! It's fun to dance around without a care in the world. Besides, didn't someone once say, "The most important thing is to have fun"? You'll miss out on what's important if you're always so serious. Ah! I forgot something important! I was so into her music, I forgot to go over and talk to her! ...Of course, in his case, it's a matter of having too much fun.Luckily for Ringabel, this is the one Eternian we can in fact go see afterwards...  Performing nightly at the Sea Slug. The reception from patrons is mixed. Seems the tavernkeep's picked up some strange girl. I prefer it quiet, myself.  But I'll follow her to the end of the world, if that's what it comes to!Was this a fate worse than death? That's for Praline to decide.  Next, we're going after Barbarossa. Back on shore, the party stops at the House by the Sea.  This scene is an alternative to the one from Chapter 3 where Datz and Zatz tell you about the ghost ship. After Datz and Zatz join you on Grandship, this scene replaces it. Oh, pardon me! Did you see something? Yes, a strange ship has been appearing in this harbor ever since the start of the war... It's a decrepit old sailing ship, and it always shows up on foggy nights! Has it tried to harm you? No, it's just an eerie sight, though you can hear screams coming from it.This version of the scene is shorter than normal since the party's already heard about the ghost ship.  There's one prerequisite for triggering the ghost ship scene: the Water Crystal. Not surprisingly, no one's out here spying on ghost ships while the ocean's rotted.  Three guys are in the House by the Sea, none of them Datz or Zatz.  After triggering the House by the Sea scene, the ghost ship appears out in the central ocean.  The scenes boarding the ghost ship are shortened but otherwise the same.  Still gets me that the only time the game ever registers who's party leader is in single, completely inconsequential pieces of dialogue like this.  Barbarossa always seems so delighted to have guests, so Agnès starts off with polite small talk.  Hmm? What do you know of this? So you can read the hearts of men, Wind Vestal? Amazing! You have a second sight! Welcome to our pirate ship, the SS Funky Francisca!  This version of the conversation is kind of a mess. You must be the wind vestal and her companions. A pleasure to meet you! I am a ranking member of the Black Blades! Of course I am kept abreast of your comings and goings, vestal.The dialogue's pieced together from the previous version of the conversation, but without the party's responses and questions since they've already done this before.  The end result makes Barbarossa seem even more eager to talk than before and very, very lonely. But who can blame him? His post involves being stuck out here alone, and his entire crew, his friends, are now nothing more than ghosts. I have looked forward to meeting you in battle one day! Heh heh hah! I leave the helm to you, me matey! We'll make this a fair fight! Yar!!Barbarossa leaps forward, crunching his leg through the floor. From here the conversation's unchanged from last time.  I sail this ship in search of a certain something, prized by the commander and myself! You might call it "adventure." Surely you don't have to be a man of the sea to know that!? I know what you speak of! A man's soul craves nothing more than the romance of adventure! Well aren't you two getting on famously, Ringabel!? Perhaps it is something women and children can never understand! If you think about it rationally, it does seem absurd... But absurd or not, it is adventure I seek. And the years I have spent wandering the seas in folly have shown me many truths! That's it! The truth!As friendly as Barbarossa is, he's still duty-bound.  With his mind warped by loneliness and the death of his best friend, he now has little else to live for.  For all his bravado, the pursuit of adventure has become more to him than romantic fun.  It's become an all-consuming obsession, one that when complete would justify all the sacrifices made so far. Forgive me... I was not able to find the Susano-o... If it was the Susano-o you sought, we found it. It exists... Your quest was not in vain.On Barbarossa's body, the party once again finds the Captain's Log. This time, it contains a page that had been missing last time: D's Journal: Captain's Log posted:Day 1 of the search: So all this was to gain Einheria's favor so Mephilia and Suleiman could marry. Thing is, even if Suleiman had found Susano-o's servant, demonic bird-friend would've never let him get hold of the summon. This was a mission only Mephilia could accomplish.  Is that so? But Tiz, weren't you raised in the mountains? That explains it right there. You know, the grass is always greener? ...In any case, I gave it up. How come? It's hard to be a sailor if you can't swim, and I can't.[img]https://lpix.org/2703269/agnes_happy.png[img][/img] Well, that is to be expected, considering you lived so far from the sea. Tsk, abandoning your dream for such a trivial matter! What a shame! I don't think swimming is so trivial if you're at sea all the time... Listen, Tiz, and listen good. Ringabel over there and all the duchy's officers pilot airships! But not one of them is able to fly on his own! ......Not sure that's a perfect analogy, but it's good Tiz is getting a pep talk. Sounds like it was long overdue.  Stealing from Barbarossa netted a fine new axe, perfect for any seafaring marauder.  Gah hah hah hah hah!Barbarossa, meanwhile, is in a better place.  He's back with his crew now, chasing adventure for all eternity.  Still no Datz or Zatz. Considering the rough lives the two have had, they may not have made it this time around...  Anyway, the party heads inland for a well deserved rest in Hartschild, battling legions of the undead along the way.  What raised up these armies after all these years? Was it the crystals being taken by darkness, or the raging of the Shieldbearer/Swordbearer war?  Whichever, their origin has been lost to history, and so shall they be once again within a few seconds of meeting the party.  The party is greeted by the Shieldbearer at Hartschild's gates. Mrs. Goodman has been informed of your arrival, vestal. The residents here are about the same as before. Unlike other locations which are static, a couple lines of dialogue here change depending on how much the party has done. I'm not 100% certain, but the variable may be whether you've defeated Praline or not.  For example, earlier, this mother would've worried about her son being kidnapped by the Swordbearers. It's always a nice touch to have the player's progress be acknowledged, even in small ways.  The local armory has a new weapon for us. Interestingly, it is not newly smithed, but a refurbished older weapon. With the mythril mines being so hotly contested, the Shieldbearers must have been desperate enough to turn to scavenging weaponry. Next: Finishing off the Black Blades and wrapping up loose ends. -- Event Viewer Main Scenario: Airy's Simmering Anger The Holy Pillar Appears All Crystals Awakened Sub-Scenario: An Audience with the Commander - B An Audience with the Commander - A The Prowling Vessel Truth in Folly Pirate Skirmish - B The Same Old Hartschild Party Chat: Straight-Laced Agnès Tiz's Dream D's Journal: Shieldbearer Cdr Daniel Goodman posted:Commander Goodman graciously granted us an audience with him. In every world, he seemed the epitome of humbleness and good manners, nothing like a typical military commander. He was happy to let us stay in Hartschild. 
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Jul 23, 2018 23:54
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Well, he could have always taken Mephilia out there. Assuming that Einheria wasn't a stubborn jerk abo- Oh.
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Jul 24, 2018 00:20
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The Eisen Asterisk holders always felt the least interesting to me. Maybe it's because their doing is so much more in the open - leading a war instead of controlling water in a dessert or flooding a city with drugs. Maybe it's because some of them just feel so random. A pirate is cool and all but he is only drifting around in his wall of mist, vaguely threatening ships. Meanwhile an idol class is just stupid. I know idols are big in Japan but Praline sticks out like a sore thumb when everything else is vaguely medievil themed. And even our party doesn't seem to care much about them - while they tried to prevent fights with prior Asterisk holders or expressed some regret that they had to fight again for those two it's just the same as in the last world. Basically kill and move on.
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Jul 25, 2018 12:17
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Interesting that the "don't try that again" line only fires if you try to break the last crystal. At least I'm assuming that's the deal. It might be a generic line for all of them and they forgot to take it out if that crystal's the last, but given the attention to detail in conditional dialogue elsewhere that would be uncharacteristic.
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Jul 25, 2018 13:33
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werbear posted:Meanwhile an idol class is just stupid. I know idols are big in Japan but Praline sticks out like a sore thumb when everything else is vaguely medievil themed. The aesthetic is out of place, but it's basically a combination of Bard and Dancer (or just Songstress from X-2).
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Jul 25, 2018 13:46
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Which makes it even wierder that their mind went "music = idol" - there were plenty of bards and similar classes in FF which this game draws so heavily from. The Walther von der Vogelweide look would totally fit into Bravely Default's assortement of silly hats.  
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Jul 25, 2018 14:26
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I'm not sure an idol class is any more silly than a vampire class, but I'm willing to forgive a lot in order to have Elvis Ringabel.
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Jul 25, 2018 14:48
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Well, the very first Final Fantasy had a vampire.
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Jul 25, 2018 18:02
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Hobgoblin2099 posted:Well, the very first Final Fantasy had a vampire.
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Jul 25, 2018 18:06
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