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ultrafilter posted:No Angeles This.
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Jun 25, 2021 16:05
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Psycho Knight posted:Both of those are too long, unfortunately. We only have 10 spaces to work with and blank spaces count. My actual proposal was the only one bolded. It doesn't matter because ultrafilter posted:No Angeles 
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Jun 25, 2021 16:24
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ultrafilter posted:No Angeles Yes, this.
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Jun 25, 2021 17:50
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I was going to make a joke about Romulus and Remus and suggest "Reme" but No Angeles is damned good. Also it's interesting to see the Bleak Walker paladins from Pillars of Eternity popping up in this anime land.
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Jun 25, 2021 23:40
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vilkacis posted:The more i see of this game, the more i feel like i'm going to have to play it myself at some point. There's a lot here! It's an enjoyable game. The missions just get increasingly frustrating as it goes on. My original experience with it was that it repeatedly made me want to punch it, but every time I got through a mission I felt like I had accomplished something. Other than that, one of the major stumbling blocks to playing it is that the graphics are extremely outdated by present day standards. The environments still look nice, but the sprite work is very rough (which, to be fair, it's technically still a PS2 game). Good to hear. I was iffy on mentioning it at all because it's not an SA user's channel and I don't want to come off as though I'm hawking those on here, but they aren't exactly one of the mega channels. So I figured I would explain my weird thought process on coming up with that title for the vote. Omobono posted:My actual proposal was the only one bolded. Oh, sorry. I should have noticed that. So we've got: #OurLand Dixonville Crevanvale Ft Kickass No Angeles Clear favourite right now seems to be No Angeles, though. I'll give it another day just in case, but then I need to move on since I need to record the next session. I like all of the suggestions made so far, but I will admit that I initially didn't get why everyone was jumping on board "No Angeles". It took me a shamefully long time to realize what it was referencing.
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Jun 26, 2021 12:20
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When talking to the shop people, you typed box instead of Boss. I... I dont think I've ever used a nectar? I don't have any memories of characters ever dying tbh. Poison is a god send though, half of the super abilities trigger at hp levels, so getting that character poisoned, run around till theyre almost dead, cure it, and then go wild with multishot till you get the next one. I have a completely unreasonable love for ANYTHING that uses those war symbols, it excites me beyond belief somehow. Mines and caves in this series are always confusing. I think the mission you just did is one of the easiest ones tbh.
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Jun 26, 2021 20:07
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ultrafilter posted:No Angeles  One thing I feel the need to clarify is that that Over Reloaded Official Complete Guide is not an artbook; an "official complete guide" is a common way of saying "official strategy guide" in Japan. They're primarily focused on gameplay related things (walkthrough/maps/stats/items/equipment/spells/etc., you get the idea), but many of them have extras sections with things like artwork or dev team interviews (Square Enix is really good about this in general). JP strategy guides also tend to kick the everloving crap out of English guides in terms of usefulness, even if your ability to read Japanese has deteriorated as much as mine has  And as always: Death Wing Captain: 27 Baker: 31 Princess Alicia: 15 Pamela: 27 -- this was actually in the PSP instruction manual and means we do get ages for all the new characters! 
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Jun 26, 2021 21:56
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Wild how Japan has always had a thriving guide book industry for all the games where it matters, but the west's is completely 100% dead and we honestly never matched up. I'd probably like Workshop Ateliers a lot more if I could use the guides in Japan.
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Jun 26, 2021 23:11
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The difference is western strategy guides are generally looked at as a minimum effort quick buck, while Japanese guides give you ALL OF THE INFORMATION you could ever possibly want. Like, imo, the ideal solution (from a gamer's standpoint) would be for a western company to license and translate the JP guide that's already been made. But doing that would cost time and money and clearly, we can't have that.
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Jun 27, 2021 20:54
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Update 12: Road Trip Last time we stopped a Dulkheim invasion of Marquelay and were rewarded with real estate. Before we go scope out our new land and start making some plans, we should chat up the Princess and Baker a little more.  If we had spells at our disposal at the very least I think we’d stand some sort of fighting chance. That is the topic at hand for us. However, given the current problem, it will be necessary to make another request for soldiers from Valkania. We can be humble here, but we can also ask some questions. For now, let’s make ourselves look like noble heroes.  There’s no need to thank us. Forgive me for asking, but we may need your help if something like this were to happen again.I think we’re all okay with kicking more Dulkheim rear end and making them regret ever loving with the Ruin Children. ….. U-Um… What kind of man is Remus? Uhh… in what way exactly? I don’t understand the question. N-No, I suppose you wouldn’t… Never mind. Please forget that I asked, and don’t mention this to him either…Anyway, now that we’ve established ourselves as selfless heroes of the people, let’s poke around a little bit. Why do you hide your face? This? This no longer occurs, but the royal family continues this practice to preserve Marquelay’s proud traditions. About that land… It’s the area in front of Eliza’s villa. I have already dispatched an official to oversee the transfer, so please talk to her for more details.That’s all we can do here for now. As we leave, Princess Alicia will bid us farewell. Are you leaving? Farewell.Remus and Frayne will then join back up with us and we’ll be free to get out of here.  We have some real estate to inspect, so let’s get our asses back over to Eliza’s.   Eliza…? I heard about your adventures in the city. You drove away the Dulkheim Army, it seems? And not only that, I hear you were given some land near here. We’ll be neighbors! Villa buddies! Indeed we will. You must be quite strong to have accomplished what you did. We may not look it, but we used to be mercenaries. Mercenaries? Is that a fact? Hmmm… What is it, Eliza? Oh, nothing in particular… Ah, yes. It seems she wishes to speak with you. “Arrangements”? Ownership of land and a home on it incurs taxes in this kingdom. So, the gift wasn’t as much of a boon as it seemed… Booo! What kind of hustle is Princess Alicia trying to pull here? A few taxes are a small price to pay for your own property, in my opinion. There’s no restriction on how you use the land, either. So, we can do what we want with it?So, could we build a giant golden middle finger pointed directly at Dulkheim? That’s right. This land belongs to you three now. You can divide it amongst yourselves or claim joint ownership. Oh, we don’t have to divvy it up? Our deed law allows for ownership of one parcel of land by multiple names. It can affect the taxes you pay, though, which is why I’m here to make sure everything goes smoothly. If I may make a suggestion-- Hm? Who is this?  Hey! No soliciting![Man]: Pardon me, but are you the owner of this land? I’d like to ask you something. Who are you? Identify yourself, trespasser.[Man]: Ah, pardon me.  Put to use how?[Gordran]: Quality artwork calms the mind. I want to soothe those unfortunates in distress over the war with the fine pieces I’ve gathered. What a wonderful notion![Gordran]: Thing is, I’ve been searching for a good spot to build a museum. I see what you’re getting at.[Gordran]: Ah, you catch on fast! That’s right, I’d like to borrow this land from you. Borrow? No. Lease? Now that we can talk about. This is a little sudden…[Gordran]: Of course, there’s a proper reward in it for you…  *Everyone moves off to the north, out of earshot of Gordran. Crevanille shrugs at Frayne before she leaves*  Incentives? You mean we’d pay less? Yes. The exact amount levied depends on how the land is used. And you don’t seem to have a source of income yet, so…What are you talking about? I’ll have you know that we make solid wages off of killing every creature in a 20km radius.  I gather you have something in mind? I do. First, you let him build his museum and attract patrons. You can pay your taxes with that money and keep whatever remains as profit. How does that sound?I like this lady. She’s very business savvy. My, you certainly seem to have a head for business. I hate to be pushy, but opportunities like this don’t come every day. I, for one, like the idea. If you continue to expand the enterprise with the profits you raise, this could become a prime tourist spot. That sounds interesting… Even if we wanted to build a house here, we don’t have the money. You’re always welcome to stay in my villa. Now we’re talking. Turning our land into a tourist hotspot and living rent free in Villa Mayfield? That’s a solid plan. Well? What do you say? I trust your judgement. Thank you. You can leave the tedious paperwork to me. I’ll make sure things work out in your favor.*Sydney goes off to talk to Gordran* Her name was Sydney, yes? She struck me as being quite skilled. She does seem dependable. You’d have her resign as a public official? Well, it’s up to her whether or not to accept, but what’s the harm in making an offer? I like it. We don’t know anything about business or complicated laws, after all… Hey, Business is my minor I’ll have you know.That said, we have stuff to do that will interfere with our ability to play Sim City, so I’m down for some poaching of talent from the government. Sounds good to me. Then it’s decided. Then I’ll speak to her about it when the time is right.*Sydney and Gordran then return*  [Gordran]: Thanks for your cooperation. I think we’ll get along splendidly. To a prosperous venture for all concerned! But mostly for us! Mr. Gordran and I are due to discuss construction plans for the facility next. What will you three be doing? Are you not tired from your battle? I recommend you take time off. Now that you mention it, I could use a rest. By all means, spend your time as you wish.*Frayne wanders off somewhere while Remus goes down to make a play at Sydney… In the employment sense, I mean. He seems to have grown out of his habit of describing every woman he meets as some variation of “pretty”, so I assume he’s not hitting on her*  It’s nothing urgent. Perhaps you could come visit me when you have a spare moment? I’ll see you then.We’re now free to walk around a little. If we leave the screen and then come back, however…   We entrepreneurs now! I’m glad you accepted. I look forward to working with you, sir. “Sir”? Yes. You’re my employer, and I intend to treat you with respect. I’ll do my best on your behalf, sir.We’re going to get along just fine with you, I can tell. But… uh… listen. Could we make a small suggestion? As your employer?  Maybe think about using some of your first paycheque to purchase that missing piece of your pants? I dig the rest of the outfit, but the half pants thing is weird. Now, about what Mr. Gordran and I decided on… We get a 20% cut of the museum’s profits. That’s all for now. It’s all very official. Ah, and one more thing. We need to be registered as a city for tax purposes. What should it be called?We need a name for our new city. I asked the thread for suggestions and received some solid choices: #OurLand - By user Omobono Dixonville - By user vilkacis Crevanvale - By user Vauron Ft Kickass – By user AltaBrown Reme - By user marshmallow creep But one suggestion was made which the thread seemed to latch on to quickly, to the point that I didn’t really need to do a formal poll. So, our new city shall be named:  ”No Angeles” was suggested by user ultrafilter. Hopefully our city doesn’t go developing the insane smog problem that LA has. Anyway, with our city officially named, we head off to the Mayfield villa to see what Eliza wants. Frayne is blocking the doorway, though, so we’ll need to talk with her first.  It’s a great idea! I knew you’d agree! “Soothing people’s hearts with art”… Just remembering that gives me a little shiver.Right… that. Sorry, my mind was more focused on the potential for profits. By the way, Eliza’s waiting to speak to you. Was there something you needed? Yes, let’s get to that. This may take a while, so hear me out. Why don’t we drop the formalities, since we’re going to be neighbors, eh? Okay… Chris told me that the Dulkheim Army has occupied Fandelcia.In case you missed it: Fort Fandelcia is the place that Lumis wanted to capture with help from Alten Schwart. This means that they succeeded in doing that. I’m heartbroken that my home has been captured, but I’m more worried to know what’s become of my parents… Eliza…*Remus and Frayne enter the room at this point* And so I have a request to make of someone with your talents. How should we proceed, Master? I can’t decide this myself.This is a group decision. Not so much for Frayne, but Remus definitely deserves to have a say in this. We owe him for the prison break. That said, we’re even now. I don’t plan on letting him lord that over us forever. If it’s us you’re worried about, we don’t mind helping Eliza. We haven’t repaid her kindness in saving us yet, after all. Not to mention that there may be ruins in Iglesias to explore. Oh, are you interest in exploring ruins? Yes, we’re trying to get to as many ruins as we can. That would be great! Right, Crevanille? I’d best go prepare myself for the journey. I’ll need you to come shopping with me!But Crevanille hates shopping! …Presumably. At least based on the snarky responses we give him sometimes. We should get ready, as well. Then let us make for Marquelia!Despite sounding like a group excursion, both Frayne and Remus leave the party and go wandering off on their own. This shopping trip is apparently just an Eliza and Crevanille ordeal. Before we go do that, however, we should go back and check in on Carnos.  [Carnos]: Oh, it’s you, Crevanille. I came to not too long ago. Still can’t… move much. Do you want us to roll you over on your back or something, man? I can’t imagine it’s too comfortable being face down on the bed like that. [Carnos]: Levan told me what I missed. You know what that means? It means I have to live… for everyone who didn’t make it… I’m impressed by everyone’s emotional strength here. Carnos and Elena are both immediately like “I feel horrible… but I have to go on for the sake of those who couldn’t.”  If we proceed to talk to Carnos, he’ll give us a little sidequest. Yes.[Carnos]: Thanks. My girlfriend… she works at a spell research facility in Dulkheim. I’ve written her a letter, but I don’t know how to get it to her, now that the war’s broken out. Me, I can’t even stand up right now… Also you’re a fugitive. That would kind of complicate things as far as the border is concerned. [Carnos]: So, it might be impossible, but… could you maybe find some way to get the letter to her? *Carnos’s Letter obtained* We’ll see what we can do, my man. A spell research facility… On that note, what has become of Tricia? I presume news of our desertion has worried her. She’s worried for sure. If only we knew her current location we could forward a letter to her… We should refrain from worrying. Tricia should remain resilient regardless.I’m sure she’s holding up okay. Well, unless she was unlucky enough to get sent to the frontline against Iglesias, where Skeletor is roaming around. Oh well. Nothing we can do about that. We’ll just have to trust that she can survive on her own.  Yes, I am. By the way, I meant to ask… Did you change your recipe for this morning’s breakfast?[Chef]: ….. Was there a problem with it? It didn’t taste bad… It was just… different…[Chef]: In truth, your butler cooked breakfast today. Levan did? Why on earth would he do that? B-But…. why?![Chef]: Er… If you’ll excuse me, ma’am. I have duties to attend to. *The chef then walks past us and into the villa* Curious. I wonder why Levan would be doing that? Anyway, talking to the man himself yields no information. He doesn’t mention it and Eliza doesn’t bring it up with him. Let’s just focus on the shopping trip for now, I guess.  There are still enemies outside of the villa. Eliza is technically a party member and has okay stats, but there’s no point in getting into a battle while she’s with you since she can’t contribute.  To Porak’s shop. When we reach Porak’s, we find that girl from before hounding him about something. [Porak]: I told you already, we don’t carry stuff like that. [Girl]: But I just KNOW my accessories will sell! [Porak]: Sorry, but go try somewhere else. [Girl]: Rrrgh…! What’s the matter, Porak?[Porak]: Ah, Miss Eliza. Thank you for your patronage. What’s the problem? [Girl]: Look, I guarantee they’ll sell! Hmmm… How about this, then…? New business venture? Hell yeah.  Let’s talk to this girl and hash out a deal.  So, there’s a man named Gordran… Huh? Gordran? What’s all this about? An acquaintance of mine has plans to build a museum just east of the city. If you talk to him now, you may be able to convince him to add a gift shop to his blueprints. Seriously?! I promise nothing, but if your work interests him, he may be receptive. Hurry over to the site. You’ll find an art collector named Gordran and a silver-haired woman named Sydney. We get a 20% cut, by the way. Standard rate. That’s a great tip! I’m gonna go over there right away! Thanks!*The girl runs off* [Porak]: Whew, you got me out of a pickle there, Miss Eliza. So, what brings you here today? I’m going to visit Iglesias, so I’m here to outfit myself for the trip.[Porak]: Ah…  [Porak]: Ahhh. Hm? That reminds me, isn’t this the man who drove off Dulkheim…?  Is Eliza facilitating a drug deal right now? What’s going on? [Porak]: I understand completely. Here, take this. *Guild Insignia obtained* [Porak]: Do you know of spellstones? They were developed by a foreign military, but we have ways of getting our hands on them. None of the really powerful ones, mind. The military hasn’t figured out how to make those yet.  Good. He needs to be fully prepared to be able to act as MY bodyguard.[Porak]: Show any merchant in our guild that medal, and he’ll sell you spellstones. I hope you’ll keep shopping with us!  [Porak]: I’ll talk to him. Please be careful, Miss Eliza. Well, done here!Awesome. So, thanks to Eliza’s black market arms dealer connections, we now have the ability to buy spellstones despite no longer being part of a military. Before we can check out what this shop has, though, we have a few other matters to discuss with Porak. *Crevanille asked Porak about the letters sent to Dixon* [Porak]: I never would have guessed that you knew Dixon… Actually, the person who gave me those letters lives in… well, it’s hard to explain. Well try anyway. [Porak]: I have a man in Ordinale who can take you there. I’ll get in touch with him. Oh, what luck! Ordinale is north of here. We’ll pass it on our way to Iglesias. We should stop in! Good idea! You don’t have a pass to enter Valkania, I assume?Riiiight. Visa check. Forgot about that. If you go with me, you can enter Ordinale with mine. You’re acting as my bodyguard for free, so it’s the least I can do. “For free”? Damnit… she’s got us there. Well, I guess we’re not scoring any of that sweet Mayfield cash on this mission. *Crevanille shrugs, since he knows he’s been bested* [Porak]: Is there anything I can help you with? Perhaps you’d be interested in purchasing a spellstone? Yes.There’s something else we need to talk to Porak about, but it will have to wait until we’ve done our spellstone browsing.  Porak’s Marquelia Branch has a lot of the same stuff that was available back at the fort. But there’s also a lot of new stuff. Enemy Magnet is not something I would recommend. Like everything, it has its uses, but I personally find there are very few situations in which you want random battle enemies to aggro you from farther away.  I grab a Poison Attack stone, since that can have its uses. Skill Effect and Skill Lv +1 are also good choices. Skill Effect will increase activation rate based skills by 1.5 while Skill Lv will increase the levels of skills by 1 (up to their max, anyway). Ring Slot Up is also worth grabbing. It doubles the growth rate of Ring Slots. Other than that, the shop also sells more Chemist’s Art, as well as something called Ambush Guard. Ambush Guard is a personal preference. It allows you to act immediately at the start of a battle, even when you get ambushed. I buy one, but it’s going in storage for the time being.  [Porak]: Well, Valkania and Dulkheim are at war, aren’t they? You can’t just cross the border like you might at any other time… But, you are a guest of Miss Eliza… I’ll send word through the guild and see what I can do. *Crevanille gave Carnos’s Letter to Porak* There we are. That takes care of Carnos’s request. Porak is our best option for this right now, since it’s probably going to be a hot minute before we are able to slip back into Dulkheim, let alone one of their spell research facilities.  Now what do we have here? On our way back to No Angeles, we spot Chris leaving the inn with some strange lady.  Oh my god it’s crossdressing Remus.  Life is short. It’d be a waste not to enjoy it. That voice… Is that Chris? Is he with a girl again?  Huh…? O-Oh, it’s you, Eliza! Don’t startle me like that. Hmph. There’s no need to be so tense. Boy, this is a pickle. You seeing me here might give you the wrong idea. Might it? Why don’t you put more thought into your behavior, then? Urk…! U-Um… Oh, sorry. I forgot you don’t have time for this. Go on, and don’t worry about me. Hm…? Oh… yes…*The woman leaves*  Come on, I’m hardly some playboy… That’s not a denial. Well… You know how uptight my younger brother can be. There’d be no balance if I didn’t play around for the both of us! Oh, god! People will look down on Alf because of you, you know! You should give that some thought. Please, my loutish ways only make my brother look better. You’re just making excuses! Yuni! Shh! This is funny to watch. Don’t interrupt.  Wh-What’re you saying!? I’m just… er… Oh, I get it. Don’t worry, Eliza, I love you, too.This fire needs some more gas. “Too”? Yes, her, too. What can I say? I love lots of women. Ugh, enough of his nonsense. Let’s go back home! My, my… That reminds me, I had places to be, as well. Well then, Eliza! May our next meeting be as pleasant.*Chris leaves* Ugh… he’s finally gone. Master, I believe I have seen the woman accompanying Christopher before. Did you think so, too? She did remind me of someone… Well, no matter. Let’s hurry on home.Yes, yes. I’m pretty sure everyone picked up on the resemblance immediately. As entertaining as that diversion was, let’s get back to business.  Oh, heck. I didn’t introduce myself yet, huh? The name’s Mel. As you can see, I’m a merchant! Good meeting you!Sweet. Now we have a gift shop to wring more cash out of suckers. I mean…  “tourists.” Yes, that’s what we’ll go with. Oh… It’s him! Huh? Er… did I do something? We came across someone bearing a strong resemblance to you, Remus.”Strong resemblance” in this case meaning “Literally you, except with a honking pair of tits.” It was a woman, though… A woman? Who looked like me? Indeed. Granted, you do have a pretty face for a man, but… *Remus then hauls rear end out the door* I wonder what that was about… I’m all ready to leave now… We should fetch Remus and depart for Iglesias. Levan? We’ll be leaving now.[Levan]: Have a safe trip, miss. That will be up to my new companions. Protect me with all you’ve got!All I can promise you is that I will put in at least the bare minimum of effort. Let’s go track down Remus.  What happened? My father once told me that I have an older sister… And you thought the girl we saw was she? Yes. I didn’t think I had any family left, so I had to see for myself… ….. I hope that you find her someday. Thank you. Once again, I apologize for running off. Shall we leave for Iglesias?Now that the Remus Family Radar has lost another signal, we are finally ready to set out for Iglesias.  As I noted previously, Eliza is not a fighter. Thankfully for us, she hangs out at the back of the party line and will start to run from enemies as soon as a battle starts.  Now is the time for us to make our way through that cave I mentioned in the last update. This is the path to Ordinale. I will attempt to do my best to navigate us through here. Caves and other small indoor areas in this game can be a confusing mess because of how the camera is positioned. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if we could just zoom the camera out a smidge, but that’s not possible unfortunately. To the upper left of where we start is a dead end, so ignore that and go to the right instead.  If you go south from this next juncture, you’ll stumble on a treasure chest with some cash in it. After that, you’ll want to go back and take the Northern path in the screenshot above.  After transitioning to the next area, you’ll come across this intersection. Keep going north here and then hang a right at the split just above it. The first passage on the right just leads to a dead end. Ditto for the left passage at the second split.  On the next screen, we can take the south path for a treasure chest with Spell Doubling +1 in it. Spell Doubling +1 is a spellstone which teaches the Escape spell (very handy). It also gives the wearer a 15% chance to recast a spell they just cast for x1.5 the original MP. From the screenshot above, we want to go up and to the right in order to continue.  After killing the enemies in here, there will be a path to the upper right and one to the south. Upper right will lead you to a chest with a Buff Coat in it.  The southern path will lead to the next screen and next intersection. Take the southern path again to find a chest with a Secret Vulnerary in it. Secret Vulnerary is a more potent healing item (100-115HP) than Vulnerary. The northern path will eventually allow us to escape from this stupid cave.  Ahhh, fresh air! [Valkania Soldier]: If you want to get into Valkania, I’ll need to see your visa.  Here is my visa. I’m en route to Iglesias with my bodyguards.[Valkania Soldier]:Wait a moment… Lady Mayfield! You may enter. Thank you. Come along now.[Valkania Soldier]: Be careful on your trip! We probably won’t be! Destruction tends to follow us around, apparently.  We’ll be heading straight on this road and then north on the main road toward Iglesias. It’s a long journey, so we should stop in Ordinale for supplies. A “certain mansion”? You’ll understand when we arrive.Cryptic, but whatever. Let’s look around.  Of course those two have a fan club. I still think that’s a very weird, very Japanese thing, that I will never fully understand. Don’t bother with the Inn just yet. We’re going to get a free rest in a little bit. We’ll make sure to drop in on our way out, though. There’s a special someone hanging out in there.  To the left of the Inn, we’ll find the Ordinale branch of Porak’s. This one has some new spellstones to offer. You can also buy Secret Vulnerary’s for 200 Ril a piece. Might be a good idea to have at least some of those on hand for quick healing.  Mind Imbuing can teach Protect, which is a good buff spell to have (remember that we can buff ourselves before running into missions). You can also get Holy Imbuing, if you weren’t lucky enough to pick one up while training. There’s also: Wisdom Armor +1 – 1MP to receive -8% damage per hit. +8% damage if not enough MP. MP Cost Down – Spell MP cost reduced by 25%. Also teaches Cure. Meditation +1 – Regain 1MP during battles at regular intervals. Teaches Ice/Wind spells. Magic Shield – 50% chance to nullify an enemy’s spell, but Max MP becomes 0. What you buy depends on your personal playstyle. MP Cost Down is worth heavy consideration regardless, however.  Next to the shop clerk, there’s another clerk that is meant to act as our guide to where the Dixon letters were coming from. Unfortunately, he wants us to wait until his business conference is done. We’ll have to check back with him after we finish in Iglesias. Now, just north of that guy you’ll spot an alleyway.  Through the alley and up the stairs, there will be a hidden person to talk to. This is the Niche Shop, and it’s where you get your hands on the GL Chips Folder. I explained that during the Extra Update. The Niche Shop also sells the GL Chips Sets. We only have access to Chip Set 1 right now, but they are dirt cheap (15 Ril a piece) and they have the same healing ability of Vulnerary. Even if you don’t care about the little collector cards, it’s worth it just to have a second stack of 9 Vulnerary, in case of emergencies.  The shop also sells Fairy Tears. Fairy Tears are very expensive (1,000 each), but they are very useful. If you picked up a ring that you really like, but some of the slots are too low a level to equip a spellstone, then you can just pop one of these and…   There you go! No more needing to grind out ring slot experience points.  Good stuff. Anyway, now that we’re done shopping, let’s go track down this mansion that Eliza was talking about.  The armour shop is currently out of commission, unfortunately. You’ll have to make sure you gear everyone up back in Marquelay before coming here.  To the left of the armour shop is our destination. Huh? That “certain mansion” is ahead… Ah, the one you spoke of previously. Are you aware of Valkania’s order of knights, the Royal Guard? General Ordinale, who lives here, is one of their number. Oh, could this be…? The general we met in Trockmere. That’s right. It has to be him, no? It seems you’ve met him already. This is indeed the house of the famous General Alfonse Ordinale. A very different man than his older brother, who is a womanizer and a cad. Oh, for… Speak of the devil and he appears. Such nastiness! And in my own home! I am the lord of this city, you know. Alf’s the lord, not you! My brother and I are basically one and the same. Don’t worry about the details. I’m sure there must be a reason. And only god himself knows, I’m sure. Don’t get so upset. You’ve come this far, why not drop in? Alf’s home today.Shouldn’t he be busy with, you know, the war? Or is Diana just taking care of that singlehandedly?  Hey there, my favorite brother. Hard at work as usual? Heh, I’m your only brother. I didn’t know you’d returned. Sure enough. I brought some guests with me, too. So it has, Alf. I’m flattered that you remember me. How could I forget you? (Your faces are similar.)Sorry bro, but there’s a big difference between how he addresses a lady and how you do. (Well, we’re twins. But I bet it’s more than just our faces. He’ll probably go girl-crazy at some point, too…)We were being snarky, Chris. We are well aware that you two are twins. That was the jab in our comment.  I miss Magnus… he really gets us. At least I assume, based on the few lines we’ve shared with him. I can hear you, Chris. My sympathies on having a brother like him… By the way, did Eliza tell you? She’s going back to Fandelcia. Real subtle change of subjects… Wait! How did YOU know about that? You’re an open book to me, dear Eliza. Grrr… Fandelcia… I see. What…? Why!? It is difficult for me to say this to you, but Fandelcia has been… Occupied by Dulkheim, yes? Chris told me already. …Then you must understand the risks in going there now. That is why I hired capable bodyguards to escort me! Give us the chance and we’ll find out. On their own, they might be able to escape safely, it’s true. But to do so while protecting you… Are you implying I’d be a burden? I cannot rule it out. And I cannot let you go, knowing you will put yourself in harm’s way. You should wait until you have more information. Try to endure the situation until then. Urgh!*Eliza storms out*  I can understand her feelings. Everyone feels the same about family… Right, Frayne? Huh? Um, I don’t understand… Remus!Remus? Family can be kind of a touchy subject for Ruin Children. No, it’s just… I don’t have any memories of my parents… Oh… I-I’m sorry, I just wasn’t thinking…We forgive you this time, because you became a bit of a badass. What do you mean by that? She’s a Ruin Child. She lost her memories when she awakened… Amnesia… It’s a terrible thing. I hope you remember someday. So do I… If nothing else, you four should stay here for the night. Follow me and I’ll show you to your rooms.*Chris, Frayne, and Remus all leave*  I remember you. We met in Trockmere, yes? You were a Dulkheim soldier then, if I recall. Why are you with Miss Eliza now? It’s like this…Funny/horrifying story, actually. You see… *Crevanille explains everything* So that’s what happened… Even if we were not at war with Dulkheim, their actions are unconscionable. She won’t listen to me or my brother. But if her bodyguard refused to escort her, she may rethink this recklessness. Would you reconsider declining her request? I couldn’t do that.First of all, we’re not cowards. We’re not going to chicken out just because Dulkheim is occupying the city. Second of all… we kind of owe Eliza. Can’t exactly ditch her considering that she dragged our waterlogged carcasses out of the ocean. I see… I had a feeling that would be your answer. Anyway, rest well for tonight.
Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Nov 26, 2021 |
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Jun 27, 2021 20:54
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Note: I'll fix this weird break later. This update ran very slightly over and I couldn't find enough to cut. I'll merge them later for archival purposes. With our little chat over with, we leave the room and—  Are you kidding me with this!? God… hang on a second… Let me see if I can…  Good enough, I suppose. The nerve of them, saying “dangerous” this and “risky” that! I’ve taken great pains to prepare myself for this! I’ll be “a burden,” they say? HAH! If that’s the way they feel, then…!Looks like Eliza is not taking this too well. Also looks like she’s about to do something about it. I hope it’s not something that—    There’s no need to look so ashamed. You did well, Captain.[Captain Marler]: …Pardon, sir? I failed at the task you assigned me. You didn’t think you could take the whole country with such a small force, did you? Futile thought it was, your attack has forced Valkania to lend some of their soldiers to Marquelay. It’s an important revenue source for them, after all.I mean, yeah. Not sure how that helps you though. It’s not like Valkania is going to send soldiers from the frontlines. They’ll probably send some from the central division. Also, we repelled that attack with about 10 people. How many do you think Valkania is going to send? 1,000? 50 jobbers would probably be enough to hold Marquelay. [Captain Marler]: Then… Because of you, our situation has significantly improved. Everything looks like a master stroke when you justify it in hindsight. If only I had Lumis here along with you, Captain, I would want for nothing.[Captain Marler]: Hm? Major Lumis? Lieutenant Colonel Lumis. He’s been promoted. The other day, he succeeded in capturing Fandelcia.[Captain Marler]: I see…  Indeed… But I expect you’re tired. Go get some rest. We need to pray that Commander Dranguss joins us soon.[Captain Marler]: Yes, sir. Please excuse me. *Marler leaves* Then again, when it comes to that pea-brained commander, I doubt he’ll join us anytime soon… You seem to be going through a rough patch. Vester… Things would go much smoother if you gave your soldiers summoning spells… When will you allow me to distribute them? Ignore the ghostly text box in the background. You call yourself a hero with those petty summonings in your arsenal? Hahaha… If you want to be a hero, I can teach you a powerful summoning worthy of the name. Is that so…? I may consider it. This “hero” seems awfully… calculating. Don’t give me that. I can’t stop now. Oh my god, please stop with the visions! I can only mitigate the graphics weirdness so much in one sitting!  Thank you! Um… I can use stronger spells now, right?[Researcher]: Yes, I believe a girl of your talent can harness their powers. Let’s take a break. Afterwards, there’s a technique I’d like to try, so keep yourself ready. You can count on me![Researcher]: So dedicated… Do you enjoy learning spells that much? I do love spells… but I was thinking lately that I could help everyone more if I could use stronger spells. Um… I haven’t contacted them lately, but we promised we’d see each other again…[Researcher]: Is that so…? Well, I hope that you do meet this person again. Me, too!*The Researcher leaves* We will see each other again, right…?Well, at least Tricia seems to be doing well. That’s good to know.  No. No we did not. We kept having stupidly warped visions. Hm…? Miss Eliza doesn’t seem to be here yet. My apologies for the wait. Eliza! Th-Those clothes… I don’t need anyone else protecting me. I’ll protect myself! I’m going to Fandelcia even if I have to go there alone! Hear, hear! No wonder I fell for you. It can only be for half the trip, but I’ll come along, too, if you’ll have me. Chris!? I have my own business in Iglesias, anyway. Though you’ll need to find your own way home. It might be tricky finding a ship over there, so you may have to take the long way through Dulkheim on the return trip. If that’s all right with you, then I’ll take you there. Why… thank you, Chris. I believe I’ll take you up on that offer. I have an idea of how I might return, so don’t worry on that point. Just for my own curiosity… might I know what that idea is? Underground tunnel? You mean those ruins from 2,000 years ago? I’d heard rumors of them, but do they truly exist? I know of several people who have passed safely through, so don’t fret. Is that tunnel the ruins you mentioned? The very same. I promise you we’d visit ruins, so it works out perfectly. Well, if you put this much thought into things, I expect you’ll be fine. If worse comes to worst, I’ll help you out.*Eliza joined the party! And Chris will be accompany us!* New party members, free transport, a visit to some ruins, and the city of No Angeles! Everything’s coming up Crevanille!
Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Jun 27, 2021 |
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Jun 27, 2021 20:56
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I've never noticed it while playing, but man the Boomtown dialogue is bizarrely out of place huh... I love Eliza's stupid outfit so much lol, I'm surprised you didn't comment on it. I'm normally so focused on learning skills, I've never really put much thought into the actual effects of most spellstones, so its interesting seeing you comment on them.
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Jun 29, 2021 09:24
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Psycho Knight posted:Everything’s coming up Crevanille! Now you've got me worried No Angeles was a really good suggestion, i've no shame in admitting it's better than mine. ...Slightly better. Also, quote:between this and those... sword gauntlets??? i'm starting to like Eliza 
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Jun 29, 2021 11:51
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vilkacis posted:No Angeles was a really good suggestion, i've no shame in admitting it's better than mine. ...Slightly better. No Angeles was very creative and not something I expected. That said, all of the suggestions were good. Personally, though, I was kind of pulling for Ft Kickass since it would have been a lot of fun to meme:  MythosDragon posted:I've never noticed it while playing, but man the Boomtown dialogue is bizarrely out of place huh... To me I think it's a little weird because of how fast it happens. Like, Sydney agrees to leave her job and work for us immediately, but she doesn't offer up any reasoning for doing it. You'd expect someone who just ditched a Government job for the private sector to be like "Well, I felt like it was time for a change" or "Working there was too dull." But Sydney just goes "Oh, hey. Thanks for the job. Now, here is everything that we're going to do with this place and also you need to name it." I think it would have been less jarring if they had saved the naming for after the Museum and Town Square were built. Seems more natural to spring that on the player at that point. I didn't have enough space left to comment on Eliza's outfit. I will do that at the start of the next update, once we go over her character (like I did for Vallery and Remus). I also need to cover Frayne still, who I just remembered I didn't give a proper introduction for (I had planned to do that once we did our leveling outside Marquelay, but forgot). My commentary on the spellstones isn't very useful for the reason you said. For the first 60%-70% of the game you want to be swapping spellstones around as quickly as possible and picking up as many inherent skills as you can. I find that you only need to put a lot of thought into spellstone effects during certain missions and in the endgame.
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Jun 29, 2021 14:03
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Character Profiles: Entry 1 – Prologue to Marquelay Here is a list of characters we have met, and what we know about them, as of Update 10. If you haven’t finished Update 10 yet, then be aware that there could be minor spoilers here. Name: Determined by player (Default/LP Name: Crevanille) Age: Vague. Intended to be around 17-20. Profile: Our hero. The thread wanted him to be a heroic good boy with the capacity for a bit of snark when appropriate. A Ruin Child. He was entrusted to Dixon about 15 years ago and is supposedly the key to saving the world from the Angels.  Name: Regina Age: 20 Profile: Dixon’s daughter and Crevanille’s “sister”, since Crevanille was essentially adopted by Dixon. She uses a big boomerang as her Ring Weapon. A member of the Alten Schwart mercenary group led by her father. Name: Remus Age: 15 Profile: A young man who Regina and Crevanille find passed out in a forest at the start of the game. His family was apparently attacked by bandits. He is welcomed into the Alten Schwart mercenary group, where he wields a bow as his Ring Weapon.  Name: Bauer Age: 25 Profile: Second-in-command of the Alten Schwart mercenary group. He wields a giant axe as his Ring Weapon. He seems to have watched over Crevanille during the early days of our hero’s mercenary career.  Name: Pamela Age: 27 Profile: A medic/researcher/supply coordinator for Alten Schwart. She is a new character, created for the Over Reloaded (PSP) version of Growlanser IV.  Name: Dixon Age: 42 Profile: The leader of the Alten Schwart mercenary brigade. Regina’s father and Crevanille’s guardian. His weapon appears to be a broadsword, although it’s unclear if it is a standard sword or a Ring Weapon. Name: Eliza Mayfield Age: 18 Profile: An Iglesian noble sent by her parents to live in Marquelay during the war in her home country.  Name: Magnus Age: 23 Profile: A strange man repeatedly met in Trockmere. He is looking for someone named Otto. A new character added in the Over Reloaded (PSP) version of Growlanser IV.  Name: Diana Silverneil Age: 25 Profile: A member of Valkania’s Royal Guard. Seems to know Dixon. Name: Vester Age: 30 Profile: A mysterious man that confronted Dixon and Crevanille outside the Ruins of Hope. Appears to be working with the Dulkheim army. Seems to use his bare hands in battle. Name: Ludwig Age: 35 Profile: Major (later Major General) in the Dulkheim army. He recruits Crevanille and Remus into the Dulkheim military in exchange for allowing them access to Dulkheim’s ruins. Known as a hero in Dulkheim for turning the tables in their war against Iglesias.  Name: Bryntir Age: 30 Profile: Officer in the Dulkheim army, training at the same fort as Crevanille and Remus. Not much is known about him, but many soldiers at the fort look up to him. Name: Tricia Age: 16 Profile: A Dulkheim soldier training at the same fort as Crevanille and Remus. Loves spells. Her Ring Weapon is a Wand. A new character created for the Over Reloaded (PSP) version of Growlanser IV.  Name: Vallery Age: 19 Profile: A soldier in the Dulkheim army. Was transferred to the same fort that Crevanille and Remus were training at and was made part of their team. Uses a double-bladed throwing sword as his Ring Weapon.  Name: Yuni Age: Less than 1 year Profile: Crevanille’s Familiar, who hatched from an egg he discovered in the Ruins of Hope. Her Type is D-MD, a new Familiar type added for the Over Reloaded (PSP) version of Growlanser IV. Has a psychic link with Crevanille that allows her limited access to his memories and details about his physical condition. Name: Frayne Age: 16 Profile: Ruin Child. Found in the ruins northeast of Saudrick by Crevanille/Remus/Vallery/Lumis. Due to the awakening procedure needing to be aborted early, she is missing many of her memories. Seems to know Crevanille, but doesn’t know how or why.  Name: President Deringer Age: 49 Profile: President of Dulkheim. Currently campaigning for re-election.  Name: King Valkania Age: 59 Profile: The King of Valkania and commander of Valkania’s Royal Guard.  Name: Lumis Lichtmann Age: 30 Profile: A ruins researcher in the Dulkheim army. Later the instructor at the fort where Crevanille and Remus are training.  Name: Muntzer Age: 31 Profile: A member of Valkania’s Royal Guard. His weapon is a sword. Name: Alphonse Ordinale Age: 25 Profile: A member of Valkania’s Royal Guard. His weapon is a double-bladed sword. Younger brother of Christopher Ordinale. Name: Christopher Ordinale Age: 25 Profile: Older brother of Alphonse Ordinale. Seems to be a bit of a womanizer. Does not appear to be a member of the Valkania Royal Guard.  Name: Simmons Age: 32 Profile: A member of the Valkanian army. Currently under the command of Diana Silverneil and does not appear to be happy about it. Looks up to Muntzer.  Name: Cargill Age: 28 Profile: Captain in the Dulkheim army. Seems to be difficult to get a hold of, as even Major Ludwig needed to make a request through President Deringer in order to meet with him.   Name: Meline and Cynthia Ages: ?? (according to the game manual), 12 (according to the Character & Scenario Collection book) Profile: Twin sisters met in Trockmere. Meline is very childish and rude, while Cynthia is very mature and level-headed.
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Jun 29, 2021 15:14
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I don't think that's actually what's happening here, but a little voice in my head is whispering that Alphonse and Christopher are pulling a Gred and Forge here, as in Alphonse is always the responsible one and Christopher the irresponsible one because the twins swap every so often who is who. (The two are twins right?) Probably not what's happening but putting it out there just in case. For some "water may be wet" category speculations, Christopher is playing up his sleaze to be underestimated by people, as shown by the fact that "totally not Princess Alicia and Remus's big sister" Alice trusts him; meanwhile Alice is Princess Alicia and Remus's big sister. Also the sky is blue during the day and fire is hot.
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Jun 30, 2021 09:21
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Just remembered, there's actually a 30 minute OVA of the game. I've tried in vain for years to find it, but never have so I have no clue what it covers. Now that I typed that up, I actually found it on an anime site and I thank this LP even more for existing.
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Jun 30, 2021 11:07
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Omobono posted:For some "water may be wet" category speculations, Christopher is playing up his sleaze to be underestimated by people, as shown by the fact that "totally not Princess Alicia and Remus's big sister" Alice trusts him; meanwhile Alice is Princess Alicia and Remus's big sister. I don't recall the exact details of Chris/Alphonse's plotline, but I can say that Chris is definitely more capable than his laid-back attitude would suggest. It's not really a spoiler, because he just joined us as a guest party member, but at the very start of the next update we'll see that his stats are far above our characters' at this stage of the game. MythosDragon posted:Just remembered, there's actually a 30 minute OVA of the game. I've tried in vain for years to find it, but never have so I have no clue what it covers. Yeah, I watched that long ago. I believe it was a promotional tie-in for the release of Wayfarer of Time - Return. I probably won't be covering it in this LP like I did with the Conception PLUS Anime, because overall it's just okay. It's a lot of shady conversations, geopolitics, and characters being introspective. I believe it's also set after the events of the game, so there's spoilers to worry about. If I did cover it, I would have to make it the final update of this LP (assuming I don't do the alternate route).
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Jun 30, 2021 11:31
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Psycho Knight posted:I don't recall the exact details of Chris/Alphonse's plotline, but I can say that Chris is definitely more capable than his laid-back attitude would suggest. It's not really a spoiler, because he just joined us as a guest party member, but at the very start of the next update we'll see that his stats are far above our characters' at this stage of the game. Good to know, I'll save it for after then since youre rushing through this. The Valkanian Royal Guard(and Chris) are all amazing characters, Between the 4 of them they actually do some tropes I don't like much well.
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Jun 30, 2021 11:49
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Psycho Knight posted:I don't recall the exact details of Chris/Alphonse's plotline, but I can say that Chris is definitely more capable than his laid-back attitude would suggest. It's not really a spoiler, because he just joined us as a guest party member, but at the very start of the next update we'll see that his stats are far above our characters' at this stage of the game. So he can solo Disgaea's Baal while smooching his girlfriend on the side? This is anime, guys and gals so laid back they're horizontal start hypercompetent and go up from there.
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Jun 30, 2021 12:22
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Psycho Knight posted:I don't recall the exact details of Chris/Alphonse's plotline, but I can say that Chris is definitely more capable than his laid-back attitude would suggest. It's not really a spoiler, because he just joined us as a guest party member, but at the very start of the next update we'll see that his stats are far above our characters' at this stage of the game. Yeah, I watched it when it first came out. It's definitely post-game spoiler territory, since, iirc, Crevanille's hanging around with a character that, from where we are in the LP, he really should not be able to. P.S.: Sydney: 20 Mel: 16
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Jun 30, 2021 17:44
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Update 13: On the road to Fandelcia City. Meet my friends along the way. When we left off, Eliza had a big girl power moment where she basically told Alfonse “I’m going to Iglesias and I will tear my way through anyone that tries to stop me.” She then joined the party in an official capacity while Chris immediately decided to take her previous spot as a guest member. Worry not! I’ll be with them! We can set out whenever you’re ready!At this point everyone just kind of stands around awkwardly. Some random guy has also appeared near the doorway and has a little speech bubble over him. I guess we should check that out before we do anything else.  [Butler]: Lord Christopher? It is true that he seems to be a devoted idler, but it’s because of an unfortunate incident in the past… Don’t bore our guests with those stories.[Butler]: F-Forgive me, sir. I spoke out of turn. Please pay no mind to what I said just now, Mr. Crevanille. Interesting. There’s some backstory there, it seems. Oh well, we’ll have to drop it for now. We’re not going to get any juicy details out of the butler with Chris hanging around in earshot. Let’s focus on our new party members instead. Before getting to Eliza, we need to talk about Frayne. I had intended to introduce her properly once we reached Marquelay and the story gave us a breather from everything that happened. As you can see, I forgot to do it. Let’s rectify that.  You’ve already seen some shots of Frayne’s stats. She’s mainly meant to be a dedicated spellcaster. Her physical attack isn’t great and her HP is low, but she has better INT than Remus. Unlike Remus, she also has the MP to actually cast the spells she has. Frayne’s Ring Weapon is a pair of magic orbs. She isn’t depicted with them in her artwork and you only see them very briefly during her attack or victory animations. She kind of throws them during physical attacks, which is why her attack range is better than Crevanille’s, but not as good as Remus’s or Vallery’s. Her initial outfit is called an Ancient Suit. So I guess we can infer that what she’s wearing was the fashion of 2,000 years ago.  Speaking of fashion, we’ve got this. According to Eliza’s default armour, “Short Dress”, this is supposedly the same dress that she was just wearing, but with some modifications by her. The reason I say supposedly is because what she’s wearing right now looks like completely different material from the dress we saw her in not too long ago. I’d also like to know what part of her old dress was used to make those sweet stockings with the fang things going down them. Anyway, Eliza’s Ring Weapon is technically listed as Spear, which I guess is mostly true. They look more like swords since both appear to be bladed along the entire length, but in battle Eliza mostly stabs with them. I suppose you could call them punching swords. I believe the gauntlets are meant to act sort of like bucklers for defence, as they are shown broken and badly cracked in her “Injured/Death” portrait.  Like every character that joins our party, Eliza starts off underleveled. Once she’s been trained up a bit, she will be another frontline fighter. Her physical stats are better than Remus/Frayne, but she isn’t as tanky as Crevanille. She comes equipped with Fire Arrow Lv. 3 and Fierce Strike, as well as some Critical Up and Aim Up support knacks. Her limit ability is the same as Frayne’s (Hasten). Unlike Frayne, Eliza’s has an actual chance of triggering since she’s going to be up in the faces of enemies more often. It’s more likely that you’ll use a spell with Eliza than it is for Frayne to take a weapon hit while casting way in the back. Finally, make sure you equip her with some spellstones and maybe a new ring. I give her Stun, Critical Strike, and MP Cost Down (I want as many people as possible to have access to Cure).  With that out of the way, we can hit the road once more. Chris is joining us as a guest party member and Alfonse is telling the truth about his brother’s capability.  Chris is far above our current party in terms of levels and stats. The only drawback to him that you might notice is that his ATW is absolutely pathetic. He will wreck anything we encounter on the road, but it’s going to take him a hell of a long time to get around to doing it.  One last thing: Now that we finally have a full battle party, I would recommend adjusting your formation. Formation is the order in which your party members will walk and therefore it is usually the order in which they enter battle. You want tankier characters (like Crevanille and Eliza) in the front so that they will be closer to enemies at the start of battle. Likewise, you want your ranged characters to be further back so that they start the battle more out of harm’s way.  For example. It won’t always work out like this, of course. Enemies may sneak up behind you or you might turn around to avoid a group of enemies and wind up getting pulled into a fight just as your rear members are turning to follow. Generally though, most of your fights are going to be triggered when your lead character runs headfirst into a group.  Before we leave Ordinale, we should stop at the inn. Shortly after entering, our old buddy Santos will appear from the back. You guys remember Santos, right? He was… *referencing notes* the guy that wanted to be a baker! Good old memorable Santos. [Innkeeper]: Good. Thanks.  Santos![Santos]: I’m training here in Ordinale to become a baker! The chef’s almost ready to sign off on me. I’ll keep trying! Hey, I don’t see Pamela, Miss Regina, or the boss with you. Where are they? Yeah… about that… Well…*Remus explains* [Santos]: No… I was going to visit them once I was confident my bread was up to snuff… You two take care not to end up dead, too! We sure will, Santos. Oh… right. Did you happen to know Jackson? I think that was his name. Anyway, he died too. Just FYI.  Anyway, we leave Ordinale behind and head south from the border checkpoint.  This is what Eliza was referring to earlier in regards to the road. It immediately curves back towards the north. Well, let’s start heading for Riesel, I guess. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.  The enemy selection is still largely the same. Level 16 to 19 and composed of bears, slimes, Garugas, Will-o-wisps, and Vipers. The gargoyle things from the Ordinale cave are here, too.  Even if you are a little under leveled, there’s not much reason to be concerned. Chris takes a while to act, but when he does he will erase whatever he comes into contact with. He also has a maxed out counter, so if he does get attacked then he’ll most likely dodge it and then immediately counter for the kind of damage you see above. When you first trigger a battle, he’ll tell you that he’s not a monster fighting kind of guy and not to rely on him, but that’s a load of bull. He will chase down enemies any time he has a turn available. There’s not much harm in just turtling up and letting him destroy everything in your path (as long as you can put up with how slow he is to get turns).  A little further north, we’ll come across our first road sign. We can’t go to Rebrant at the moment, because some Valkania soldiers will be blocking the path. Apparently there’s some kind of powerful monster ahead that is causing havoc. That means our only option is to head for Klasdahl. On the next screen, we—   Oh lord, no! It’s the Diamond Dogs! I’m not sure if there’s a way to reliably trigger this or if it’s just up to RNG, but occasionally you’ll be accosted by a pack of wolves in this field screen. The whole pack can end up being worth around 230 exp. Not bad.  As you continue on the road, you’ll eventually come along a little pond just off to the left. As you approach it, you’ll run into these jackasses. [Bounty Hunter #1]: Hey, bro, I found ‘em! It’s them for sure!  [Bounty Hunter #3]: Well, we did take out most of the escaped soldiers in Dulkheim! You… what!? Who are you?[Bounty Hunter #3]: Heheh! No use playing dumb.  [Bounty Hunter #1]: We’ve got to the point where we can sniff out anyone with a bounty on their heads now. No… You killed the ones who escaped from that prison!?[Bounty Hunter #2]: Talk about an easy job. We got a fat payday going after guys who could barely stand! [Bounty Hunter #1]: That Cargill guy’s a real piece of work… Nah… He’s a real generous guy, right, bro? You bastards…! [Bounty Hunter #2]: Yeah! [Bounty Hunter #3]: Let’s do this! It’s common, even expected, to pursue escapees to prevent them from talking… But to make sport of it as if you were hunting an animal is nothing admirable. It’s scarcely even human! Let the hunter become the hunted. This isn’t a difficult battle. It doesn’t even count as a mission. The thugs are only Level 16 and most of them start a good distance away from the party. That said…  [Bounty Hunter #4]: Hey, you schmucks! There’s big money to be had here! Let’s mop them up and collect! Once you’ve dealt with one or two of them, a second group of Bounty Hunters will suddenly appear from behind you. Now you’ve been caught off guard and need to quickly—   Nah, I’m just kidding. Chris is most likely going to be at the back, so he’ll just turn around and fight the entire group of new Bounty Hunters singlehandedly. That dude who was all “Let’s mop them up and collect!” was killed literally seconds after he finished talking.  Once the group in the north has been whittled down to about 3 members, this guy will realize that today was the wrong day to get out of bed. He’ll run for the hills and leave you facing the last two guys (he does a “cutscene escape” rather than a battle escape, so you can’t stop him from getting away).  This line from Remus, as well as the fact that one guy escaped, are important. Bounty Hunters will occasionally come after our heroes in some areas. If we leave and come back to this screen a little later, for example…  A fresh group of exp pinatas will be waiting to ambush us. The group of them are worth about 150 exp, which isn’t too bad. Not enough to be worth repeatedly coming back to this one spot, though. We’re better off grinding packs of regular enemies closer to a town where we can rest.  As we step over the bloody corpses of overzealous bounty hunters and continue on our way, I pick up a new spellstone. Venom is more severe than Poison, so I slap this one on Crevanille to have him start leveling Venom Attack. Being able to randomly stick an enemy with Venom is great.  After a few more uneventful screens of random encounters, we come across our next road sign. This is a much bigger crossroads than we’re accustomed to. Northeast leads to Riesel, which is our current goal. Southeast heads back to Ordinale. Northwest leads to Klasdahl, which we’ve heard mentioned by a certain someone before. Southwest leads to Aida Bridge, which is 100% out of the question for us considering that’s the frontline for the war between Dulkheim and Valkania. With that said, let’s go check out Klasdahl. We could use a pitstop after all that battling and bounty hunter killing.  Hello there, Diana! Fancy running into you here. Well, if it isn’t Chris. What are you doing here? I can only say that it must be the goddess of fate, drawing us together. If you’ve come from Klasdahl, does that mean you’re heading to the Dulkheim border? Yes, I… Hm? ”Hey there!” Come on, with such handsomeness staring you in the face, you’re looking at another man? ….. You there… We met in Trockmere. Is Dixon well? Dixon is dead. What…!? A man of his skill is gone…? I knew him personally. I pray that his soul finds rest. Thank you.Who haven’t we told about Dixon yet? Can we stop being reminded of gruff anime dad’s untimely demise? Well, I’ll be going now. Where are the rest of you headed? We’re planning on going north to Riesel. We’ve noticed. You may want to send a cleanup crew towards Ordinale. Just a suggestion. Bounty hunters? Many of them are outlaws. We’ve been sending out more patrols lately. If you do happen across them, be careful. Though you seem capable of handling yourself, so perhaps there’s nothing to worry about.*Diana and the soldiers with her then head south towards Aida Bridge* As for us: we continue west, towards Klasdahl.  Goodness… what a large tree… It’s the tree of Klava. Klasdahl’s very well known for it. It’s like the trees and the people live in harmony here…There are no major events here in Klasdahl, but there are a few minor ones. First, though, we’re going to take a look at the local wares.  Attack Range Up is new and very tempting. Strapping this on Remus can make him capable of hitting things nearly anywhere (so long as you have a sightline, that is). Not as useful when it comes to indoor environments, however. Still, I grab one just in case since it’s cheap.  There’s also new armour, although all of it is absurdly expensive. I do recommend grabbing the Apron Dress for Eliza, since she is likely still wearing her default armour at this point. She’s also going to be one of your frontline fighters, so you want her to have the best defence you can get. Outside of that, it’s up to you. The other armours only give minor increases for Frayne/Remus/Crevanille. Also, as is typical for this game, there’s another shop coming up soon that will have even better and even more expensive armour. You may just want to save the money.  After shopping, we hit up the inn.  As soon as we try to rest at the end, this little girl will wander out front to greet us. …Do we know you, weird little girl? [Landlady]: Latika works pretty hard for her age. I’m sure she’s dying to go out and play, though.  Awesome! I was looking for a reason to be depressed today. Thanks, Landlady. I sure am having a better day after hearing about that. Oh, no…[Landlady]: But we haven’t lost hope here. Adopting war orphans has been encouraged by the King. Latika here was adopted, too. They didn’t tell me who the foster father was, but he seems important. I’m glad to hear that. It’s a common gesture for royalty.[Landlady]: I’m relieved to know she’s okay, anyway…  [Latika]: But my new daddy won’t talk to me. Maybe he’s just nervous around me…? Anyway, my new daddy said I can continue to work here, so I am! He rarely comes home because he’s busy with work… but he always stays with me when he does. He still doesn’t talk a lot. Maybe he’s still feeling awkward. Even the other day… *Flashback time!*  [Latika]: Welcome home, Daddy! R-Right…[Valkania Soldier]: I’ll be leaving, sir! Thank you.*The soldier salutes and then leaves*  Poor Muntzer. He doesn’t seem to know how he’s supposed to act around his adopted daughter. [Latika]: What’s the matter, Daddy? Dinner’s ready. You have to sit. Uh, right…[Latika]: Or have you eaten already? Oh, well, no…[Latika]: *sigh* Aren’t you supposed to be important? Be clearer, Daddy! R-Right…*End of flashback* [Latika]: Isn’t he cute?  [Latika]: He might be awkward, but it’s only ‘cause he cares about me. I love Daddy! Aww, how adorable. …Listen kid. Make sure you don’t wander off anywhere alone, okay? Also don’t talk to Remus. Bad things happen whenever Remus meets a potential surrogate family member.  When we leave the Inn and head to the right side of the village, we’ll be spotted by a familiar face. [Mortis]: Hey, you guys! Master, someone requests our attention. Well, if it isn’t Mortis! [Mortis]: How’ve you been? A lot has happened.[Mortis]: Well, yeah, it’s been half a year. Everybody’s been busy out there. No, you don’t understand Mortis. The poo poo we’ve been through is not the same as your days working on the farm or Santos baking bread. [Mortis]: Oh, that reminds me, weren’t you guys with the boss? How’s he doing? He’s…*Remus explains*  [Mortis]: We’ve all gotta be careful. You guys especially. So… are you going to introduce us? Oh, Eliza, I’m sorry. This is Mortis. He’s a friend of ours from the old mercenary days.[Mortis]: Pleased to meet you! Now where’d you boys find such a pretty young lady? I like how Frayne is seemingly left completely out of this comment by Mortis. We’re guarding her on the way to Iglesias.[Mortis]: Iglesias? You boys have got a journey ahead of you! Well, I shouldn’t keep you. Come by when you’ve finished the job. Sure thing!Assuming we don’t end up imprisoned for months at a time again. Welp, time to hit the road.  *A little pink heart floats over the lady’s head*  Looks like there’s a different pretty young lady that wants some attention, eh Mortis?Anyway, there’s a barrel next to this lady’s house that has a Ring Slot Up spellstone for us if inspected. After that, Klasdahl is cleared out and there’s nothing left for us to do here. We leave the town and head back to the crossroads just outside, then proceed north towards Riesel.  As soon as we try to go towards Riesel, however, we’ll be spotted by this lady. She seems to know one of us from somewhere. My, so many chance encounters today. It’s been a while, milady.[Woman]: It’s like a dream come true to see you again, Christopher. Won’t you stop by my house? There’s so much I’d like to say! You honor me, milady, but I’m very sorry. I’m on an urgent journey.[Woman]: Huh…? B-But… I haven’t seen you in so long…  I have never forgotten the beautiful flowers you grew. I promise I will come see you.[Woman]: All right… *The woman starts to head back towards Klasdahl* You really are a terrible person. *scoff* And why’s that? Because I love so deeply that I cannot contain it? Is that so wrong? I pity any woman who falls for such a shallow idea of love. Anyway, let’s keep going. I’d like to prevent any more such displays. At least for a FEW minutes.*Everyone leaves*  She’s going to follow us, isn’t she? Ugh… damnit, Chris. Can’t you just be happy with—   Oh god, the wolves! Why are there so many wolf packs around here? Seriously… Well, at least they make for good experience. Saves me from having to engage every little pocket of 1 or 2 enemies on the field one battle at a time.  When we try and head through the next screen, Chris will keel over for some reason. What’s wrong, Chris? No harlots around to ogle? Hah, how harsh. How… Eliza. No, it looks like my shoelaces snapped. We’ll wait for you to fix them. Crevanille, he’ll just start taking advantage if you keep up that kindness.But we’re a good boy hero! It’s what we do.  These will be a little difficult to repair quickly, anyhow. *sigh*All right, fine. We all know you’re lying through your teeth, but we’ll pretend like we believe you.  We’ve lost our crutch character for the moment, but we’re right outside Riesel, so it should be fine.  He’s one of the Royal Guard… The one who invaded Fort Leinfaltz. How rare to see someone with a Familiar… I recall your face, young man.Yeah, and we remember you. What have you done to Vallery? Ah, yes… you’re the young man from then… Worry not, Vallery is safe, but… Tell me, what is a soldier of Dulkheim doing here? Choose your words carefully… I have nothing to say to you. I don’t care if you adopted a war orphan. You took Vallery away. You will get no friendly treatment from us until we see him again.Also, we’re not intimidated by you. I kicked your rear end before, I can do it again. There is no need for words, then… Please wait, Sir Muntzer. …And you are? It is an honor to make your acquaintance. My name is Eliza, daughter of the lord of Fandelcia in Iglesias. But… why are you protecting these Dulkheim soldiers? No, sincerely, they are part of that army no more. They escaped from them into Marquelay. Please… lower your sword. Consider them guests, and treat them as you would me. Escaped into Marquelay…?Yeah, we’re firmly on the “gently caress Dulkheim” bandwagon now. But we’re not exactly friendly with Valkania either. You nearly killed Yuni and you took away a super cool party member right as we got him.  Oh, great. It’s that loser that escaped earlier. He rounded up some friends, I see. [Bounty Hunter #3]: It’s time for some payback! Those men…! I’ve received reports about you… You must be those bounty hunters that have been appearing recently. Those little white drop things are sweat pouring off their heads. They are scared shitless of Muntzer. [Bounty Hunter #3]: Get a grip of yourselves! He’s still only human, and there are more of us! *Three of the Bounty Hunters surround Muntzer* You underestimate me… [Bounty Hunter #3]: N-No way… This is the real power of the Royal Guard…! Can we take a moment to appreciate the balls on this guy? He sees 6 or 7 other bounty hunters get slaughtered by Crevanille and the gang and runs off crying like a baby. He goes and rounds up his homies to get revenge. He not only finds this group that wiped the floor with his friends earlier, but also discovers that a member of the Royal Guard is now with them, and his immediate response is to stand at the back of the group and shout “Don’t be pussies! We’re not afraid of them!” If what I’ve heard about you is true, then you’ve been harassing innocent civilians. I cannot let that pass.[Bounty Hunter #3]: N-No!  [Woman]: Ah! P-Please, stop… H-Help! drat it, that’s the woman who was following Chris. She was supposed to go back to her village!That figures. She must’ve been trailing us. *sigh* Chris’s magnetism strikes again. Tch, he has a talent for getting us in trouble.[Bounty Hunter #4]: Hey, hey, come any closer and she dies! I’ll do it! Hngh…[Bounty Hunter #3]: Hehehe, nice work! Even the almighty Royal Guard wouldn’t dare try anything now.   Eh, personally I’d be okay with it. Hostage is only any good if they’re alive, so the hostage taker is just as unlikely to try anything funny if they’ve only got the one. I’m willing to flip the coin on that stalemate for some random woman we’ve never met. After all, it’s not like we were responsible for her getting caught.[Bounty Hunter #3]: Amazing how one simple woman can bring you to your knees! Hey, I know… You, there! Royal Guard! What?[Bounty Hunter #3]: You want to save this woman, yeah? Kill those escapees and we’ll let her go free! Wait, what?![Bounty Hunter #3]: They’re not even Valkanians! They’re just Dulkheimers, and you hate them. Would you really protect them over your own countrywoman? …You’re right. S-Sir Muntzer!?[Bounty Hunter #3]: Hee hee, this’ll be fun!  [Bounty Hunter #3]: It’s unlikely, but hey, why not? Everyone knows that this situation isn’t resolved until everyone is dead, right? The Bounty Hunters are just going to attack whatever side wins while they are injured and tired. Muntzer would kill all of them if the woman was released, and we’d do the same. In other words, I say just kill everyone in our path and be done with this. This is a difficult situation. Master, what should we do? But no… you people have to be all like “Crevanille should be a good heroic boy! He can be a snarker, but he always does the right thing in the end!” So let’s do this the non-bloodbath way, I guess.  This mission is very easy. I think it’s meant to be a little bit of a primer on how to use the field to your advantage. Huh? Prepare to meet your end, villainous Dulkheimers! Master, it seems like Muntzer has a plan in mind. We should head behind that boulder, as instructed.  Despite Muntzer’s planned trickery, he will still try and put on a convincing show by attacking you. We’re a higher level now compared to the assault on the Fort, but he still deals a significant amount of damage. If you start moving behind the boulder right away, however, he will likely only get 1 attack in. [Bounty Hunter #3]: Come on, is that the best the Royal Guard can do? Go at them for real or we’ll kill her! We should stay on the defensive for now. Our chance to attack will avail itself. (Yes, that’s it. Have everyone hide behind the boulder…) (Once that happens, we can strike safely and decisively.) In case you’re curious, you can’t be a smartass about this and simply kill the Bounty Hunter guarding the woman with a spell. Despite Crevanille ripping this dude to shreds with a Level 5 Wind Edge, he still has time to smugly lament how little we care about this lady’s life before killing her and handing us a Game Over. This game is usually pretty good about programming alternate win conditions that are very difficult, but totally possible (like beating Abram, or beating Muntzer at the fort). Unfortunately, there are still times like these where we have no choice but to follow script, even if it’s stupid.  Make sure you keep moving your party down the side of the boulder until this dialog pops up. Muntzer won’t stop attacking you until the Bounty Hunters mention that they can’t see anything. That’s right… Now come on closer…At this point some of the Bounty Hunters will start heading towards Muntzer. You should have all of your characters charging attack spells once this happens. Alternatively, you can also have Frayne apply Attack Up to Crevanille. Even when the spell is charged to its max level, do not fire it until the next event happens. Remember that you can tell characters to “Hold” a spell once it’s charged.  You’re the one who’s going to die! *Farewell to Bounty Hunter #4. We hardly knew ye* This is it! Come with me![Woman]: Christopher! Oh, thank you! *Christopher and Diana escape to the south with the woman*  Oh, I’d worry about yourselves if I were you.[Bounty Hunter #3]: Ahhhhh! Time to repent for your sins!Now is the time to go ham on the bounty hunters. Muntzer will likely kill one of them immediately. If you have some Level 3 spells charged, then you should be able to one-shot a few of the others. At least 2 will start heading for your group, so have Crevanille meet them. Don’t bother sending Eliza, because the path behind the boulder is very narrow and she likely won’t be able to get around Crevanille to join in the attack (unless you gave her a Sonic Blade spellstone).  You? You’re ours. I’m not letting Muntzer get this particular kill.In case you don’t know what I’m talking about (since everyone is named the same): This specific Bounty Hunter is the rear end in a top hat that escaped during the first encounter. He’s the only Level 17 Bounty Hunter on the field (the rest are Level 16).  A very easy Mission Complete. I still had +33 left on the Bonus Gauge by mission end.  When we go back to talk to Muntzer, Diana and Chris will return. Not at all, the plan worked to perfection. And the woman? I’m having my men escort her to Klasdahl. …It was a pain getting her away from Chris, though. Don’t look at me like that. I convinced her in the end, right? You would be correct. But in any case, the woman is safe and no harm was done. I’m glad to hear that. I received a report that bandits were wreaking havoc nearby. I never imagined YOU’D be dealing with them. *sigh* At least it all worked out. I know it was only a distraction, but part of me died when I saw you turn your sword against them, Sir Muntzer. Ah, so they were with you, Christopher. If you had wantonly attacked them, she surely would have paid the price.Bah. Who would ever do something as reckless and callous as that? Certainly not us. Me, on the other hand… I’m glad she’s safe, too. Indeed, and it’s thanks to you. So, Sir Muntzer? Have your doubts been addressed in regard to my friends? They have. I’ve never been more glad of being wrong about someone. You will face similar dangers in the future, though, as wanted men. Be careful on your journey. I suspect they’ll be just fine. Any group that stands up to you is sure to last a long while, Sir Muntzer. Their skills may be unrefined, but they show much promise.Whatever. I could take both of you right now if you allowed us to. What ho, it’s rare to see you praise others like that, Diana. I give praise where it’s earned. As it should be. When praise is given too freely, it means little. With that, we should take our leave. Agreed. If you’ll excuse me.*Diana leaves to the south while Muntzer leaves to the north* Well, that was fun, eh!? Let’s get going ourselves.Shut up, Chris. I normally find you entertaining, but what just happened was entirely your fault.  On the next screen north, we spot a new type of enemy. These are called Stowe. They are Level 20 shadow creatures that are nothing to write home about. They like to try and cast Sand Shot spells. We continue north for another screen, at which point we are greeted with…  Some very new and very depressing scenery. The remains of 2,000-year-old dreams… Must you be such a drama queen? They’re ruins. Ruins! Call them that! Would you really begrudge me this bit of romanticism? A city used to be here… Yes. These are the remains of a civilization over 2,000 years old. It’s when I was born… They’ve all been… completely melted… Which tells you just how dreadful the destruction 2,000 years ago was. If a people that advanced could be brought to heel in such a manner, what would become of us? A power that could cause this much damage… The Angels, perhaps? Could the Angels really have done this? Destroyed people’s lives? Who knows. We really only have legends to go on. I’ve no clue how a real Angel might act.I mean, we’ve seen them do it a few times now. I’d say there’s a good probability. Let’s take a break here, shall we?*Everyone breaks up to have a rest* Let’s see what they have to say about this place. I don’t know anything about these Angels, but I know I’m worried sick about my parents in Fandelcia. I wonder what state the city’s in. I wonder where I lived before I was put to sleep in the ruins. Maybe my hometown was like this. …Maybe this WAS my hometown. If Angels could destroy all this, how can we fight them? I can’t help but think of what happened here all those millenia [sic] ago. I mean… What if something similar took place today? Would we stand a chance against such a force?After talking, we have two oddities to investigate.  These two things, to be specific. First, let’s grab the blue sparkly. What could this be? There is some form of blue light here.*Blue Resonator obtained* This appears to be the tool necessary to strengthen Familiars. Will you hold on to it, Master?Cool. We found one piece of the homunculus steroids we heard about. That didn’t take very long. Now we just have to hope that we didn’t somehow already miss the other piece.   *”Girl with a tail” then runs off* Wh-What… was that…? It… it looked like she had a tail. Was that just my imagination?I think it’s best if we all just pretend we didn’t see a cat girl. How about that? Let’s move on.  Follow the road all the way to Riesel. There’s a path to the right just before you enter the town, but there’s nothing for us over there right now. Just some large stone blocks that look like they are part of ruins, but don’t appear to have an entrance.   How was it? Check out this Teacher’s Pet looking dude. I wouldn’t expect people to have intricate knowledge of the area’s ruins, underground as they are. Don’t Ruin Children have special abilities to detect such things? If they did, we wouldn’t be in the trouble we’re in. Hm… Is that…? What’s wrong? Out of breath? Are you worried about me? I’m touched. I just… pushed a little too hard there… …Seriously, are you okay? You’re not acting like yourself. No, really, I’m fine. I’ll have the ship prepared. We’ll meet at the pier over there in a little while. Let’s split up ill then! Something is clearly wrong with Chris, but he doesn’t seem like he’s going to tell us about it. So let’s just eavesdrop!  Ah, Sir Muntzer. Thanks for your help back there. There is no need to thank me. …But what of yourself? You do not seem well. I just… overexerted myself a bit. Forgive me, I’m in a hurry.*Chris slowly leaves* Who was that? He’s the older twin brother of Lord Ordinale. Oh. The resemblance is uncanny. I’ve heard rumors that he started getting lazy after his younger brother surpassed him, though. Yes, sir! Anyway, I’d like you to prepare something for me… Of course, right away!*Muntzer tells Norman something* Yes, sir!*Norman leaves*  He seemed to be in pain…I’m sure we’ll learn the shocking or mundane truth eventually. We’ll stop there for today. Next time, we set sail for Fandelcia. And remember…  ”If the women don’t find ya handsome, they should at least find ya handy.” Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Jul 1, 2021 |
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Jun 30, 2021 22:09
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Psycho Knight posted:Update 13: On the road to Fandelcia City. Meet my friends along the way. Maybe this is why the Angels went all Armaggedon on them.
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Jun 30, 2021 22:31
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If you meet a bounty hunter on the road, kill them.
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Jun 30, 2021 22:48
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Well as long as he's not coughing, i'm sure he'll be fine.Space Kablooey posted:Maybe this is why the Angels went all Armaggedon on them. Come on, it's not that b... uh... actually now that you mention it is actually that bad.
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Jun 30, 2021 23:12
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vilkacis posted:Come on, it's not that b... uh... actually now that you mention it is actually that bad. It would still be pretty bad if it were just a breastplate instead, but it's the pasties that get me, every time.
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Jul 1, 2021 01:46
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I can confirm that everything wrong in Growlanser is caused by sci-fi body suits. Power hungry dictators, Sun going out, angels and demons, endless armies of slug monsters, all sci-fi body suits.
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Jul 1, 2021 02:39
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I figured out what it is that strikes me about these character designs. All the women's heads are almost as wide as their shoulders. They all look like bobble-heads.
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Jul 1, 2021 02:48
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Psycho Knight posted:
Since PK's doing this by my request in the first place, I plan to help him show off the game a bit, though my updates will be of severely less quality. First and biggest change would be what fairy I get, so I'll let you guys choose that.
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Jul 1, 2021 03:08
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Psycho Knight posted:I don't recall the exact details of Chris/Alphonse's plotline, but I can say that Chris is definitely more capable than his laid-back attitude would suggest. It's not really a spoiler, because he just joined us as a guest party member, but at the very start of the next update we'll see that his stats are far above our characters' at this stage of the game. "Lazy womanizer is actually a total badass" is such an overused trope that I just assume that is always the case (as it seems to be here). Especially in Chris's case since when a town got invaded he runs over to help (even if he was too late) and he also just wanders between cities without guards and manages to not get eaten by monsters in the process. From the looks of his stats he's clearly been at it for awhile too.
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Jul 1, 2021 05:58
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MythosDragon posted:Since PK's doing this by my request in the first place, I plan to help him show off the game a bit, though my updates will be of severely less quality. D-PT, since she's the one I got. Also, pretty sure the Muntzer fight is a reference to Growlanser 2: early in the game, the main character and his subordinates are falsely accused of a crime and need to clear their names. The only witness to their innocence gets kidnapped, you team up with her brother to save her, but her kidnappers demand you kill each other or she dies. Much the same as this fight, you need to "play fight" until the hostage gets freed. This is actually easier on NG+, since you can slap on endgame armor and wail on each other to zero damage until then.
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Jul 1, 2021 07:01
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MythosDragon posted:Since PK's doing this by my request in the first place, I plan to help him show off the game a bit, though my updates will be of severely less quality. I can't in good conscience vote for DRM  Go D-PT, for contrast.
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Jul 1, 2021 10:54
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Melomane Mallet posted:Also, pretty sure the Muntzer fight is a reference to Growlanser 2: early in the game, the main character and his subordinates are falsely accused of a crime and need to clear their names. The only witness to their innocence gets kidnapped, you team up with her brother to save her, but her kidnappers demand you kill each other or she dies. Much the same as this fight, you need to "play fight" until the hostage gets freed. This is actually easier on NG+, since you can slap on endgame armor and wail on each other to zero damage until then. It's very likely. The Growlanser series does do a lot of callbacks to previous games in everything from character designs and names to missions and locales. If it was a bigger series, it would probably catch a lot of flack for recycling stuff. mastersord posted:I figured out what it is that strikes me about these character designs. All the women's heads are almost as wide as their shoulders. They all look like bobble-heads. To be fair, I think part of what makes their heads seem so big is the combination of Urushihara's love of slender frames, huge poofy hairstyles, and weirdly prominent shoulder pads.  Eliza is the best example of this, because her shoulders are clearly visible and she's looking mostly straight ahead. If you imagined the curvature of where her head is and ignore her hairline, then her head is pretty normal. The sides would fall within the area of the inner clavicle, much as it does in people. But Urushihara's love of massive heads of hair makes everything look a bit unbalanced. vilkacis posted:Well as long as he's not coughing, i'm sure he'll be fine. That is true. You're only truly in danger when you contract the dreaded "incurable anime cough of death". MythosDragon posted:Since PK's doing this by my request in the first place, I plan to help him show off the game a bit, though my updates will be of severely less quality. D-YN, purely because I went with D-PT and therefore already know how she acts and stuff she says. Also: vilkacis posted:I can't in good conscience vote for DRM Evil Fluffy posted:"Lazy womanizer is actually a total badass" is such an overused trope that I just assume that is always the case (as it seems to be here). Especially in Chris's case since when a town got invaded he runs over to help (even if he was too late) and he also just wanders between cities without guards and manages to not get eaten by monsters in the process. From the looks of his stats he's clearly been at it for awhile too. Yeah, it's obvious that he's stronger than he lets on. The game is very unsubtle about that, especially with everyone else (like Simmons and Norman) openly talking about how he got lazy or is a disgrace. Meanwhile, the people that know him better (Eliza, Al, Muntzer, Diana) never talk about him being weak or unskilled. They just complain about his penchant for womanizing. It is a common trope, but I'm willing to let it slide since Chris is generally a good dude. Usually with the "lazy person is actually incredibly strong" characters, they tend to not get involved or be very helpful until pushed into it. Chris is totally willing to help, he apparently just can't keep it up for very long. Space Kablooey posted:Maybe this is why the Angels went all Armaggedon on them. I think we can all agree that fashion crimes are worthy of immediate and total destruction. You need to nip those in the bud before they catch on and become the new crocs or harem pants. That said, I've been eagerly awaiting the day that the cloak returns to vogue. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Jul 1, 2021 |
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Jul 1, 2021 14:21
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My read on Chris from my playthrough (which stopped two or three free-ish roam periods from here) was spymaster. It's probably incorrect but speculation is fun.
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Jul 1, 2021 14:46
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Omobono posted:My read on Chris from my playthrough (which stopped two or three free-ish roam periods from here) was spymaster. It's probably incorrect but speculation is fun. Like I said, I can't recall all the details about him now since it's been so long. Spymaster is a good theory, though. He does seem to freely roam wherever he feels like and he was even spotted wandering through Dulkheim territory shortly after we found Frayne. Now he's on his way to Iglesias for some as-of-yet unknown reason. It's a little weird that he can move so freely around, though. The Ordinale brothers seem to be pretty famous, so you'd think he'd be quickly recognized no matter where he went. Also, I missed your previous comment. I will make sure we engage in Bounty Hunter genocide whenever the opportunity presents itself.
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Jul 1, 2021 14:54
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I'm getting antsy about wanting to play, so I think I'll call it with PT. PT'd be my vote anyway since I haven't seen her since my first playthrough a decade ago and I've done one with all 4 fairies. EDIT: drat I GOT THE WEIRD VISUAL EFFECT TOO. Someone on a forum said using PPSSPP 9.7 makes it work correctly if you're interested in testing that. Double Edit: Tested it, works, but you probably have to commit to using it since you cant trade save states. 
MythosDragon fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Jul 2, 2021 |
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Jul 2, 2021 20:01
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Update 14: Just like old times Last time: We arrived in Riesel after dealing with a hostage situation caused by one of the poor misguided women that Chris has been leading on. Speaking of Chris, we also discovered that he pushed himself too hard and is now… injured, maybe? Sick? We don’t know for sure what it is, but something is definitely not right with him. Everyone else has broken off to wander about town while Chris prepares the ship. Since we have a free moment and he’s standing right over there, let’s nag Muntzer some more and see if he’ll tell us where Vallery is.  You have proven yourself to me, but acting oddly may prove troublesome for Lord Ordinale’s brother and Miss Eliza. Be mindful of your actions.Stop dodging the question, Muntzer. How’s Vallery? He is well, there is no need for concern. You will meet up with him someday, I promise you.Someday better happen to be the day we get back from Iglesias, because I want Vallery back. I don’t even care if the thread benches him, I just want him around to talk to. Is there anything else? About those spellstones you took… As you can see, we’ve been using them strategically in the army. Kind of feels like strategic usage would result in them not getting on to the black market, but whatever. That’s all we can wring out of Muntzer. The rest of Riesel is pretty empty at the moment. There’s no items to find and the General Store is currently closed because the shopkeeper came down with a cold. In order to progress, we need to enter the Inn and then leave.  …I could tell from watching you. It was pretty obvious, I guess. I must thank you. Wasn’t this difficult to acquire? This is hard to find even for me. Never mind that. Take it and be well. I’ll trust your judgement in this matter. That is all for now. I will return to my post.*Muntzer then leaves the village* All we can do is head over and talk to Chris. Eliza’s line has changed to “Is Chris all right…?”, but Remus and Frayne still say the same generic things as before.  Anyway, I’m almost ready. Can you go get everyone for me?*We run around and talk to each party member individually in order to get them to rejoin* Have everything you need?The game is giving us a choice of response here, as if this is some point of no return, but it’s not as though there is anything we can do around Riesel at the moment. We can’t even shop. Yes, let’s depart. Then we’re Iglesias-bound. Hop on in!*We all board the boat and set sail for Iglesias*  And we’re then immediately interrupted by a scene* [???]: Vester…  Now, normally this would irk me a little, but in this specific case the graphics issue made me laugh. [Innkeeper]: Holy mother of the Goddess, where the f*** am I?! Charlotte! Charlotte, get out here! We got sucked into the Nightmare dimension! I told you we shouldn’t have turned away that old gypsy woman! [???]: It concerns the battle between Iglesias and Dulkheim… It’s going as planned. Though it is difficult to remain one step ahead of those Angels…[???]: It sounds difficult, but I believe in you, Master. I will take my leave. Now…   Forget me. Are you okay? Screencapping this because it’s one of the rare moments where Yuni has emoted beyond “Neutral” and “Dull concern”. But to know that he can end our foresight like that… Yeah, he saw us. Affirmative… He was saying something about “summoning spells” and “Angels”… Who could he be?Good question. Villain? Hero? Neutral actor? We don’t have enough information to make that call yet. Sure, he killed Dixon, Regina, and Haruto, but he also appears to be antagonistic to the Angels, who are definitely out there to cause widespread destruction.  You’re quite welcome. We’re past all the checkpoints, so you can head straight to the city. Coming back will be a bigger issue, though. Not at all! Remember? Just leave that to me. Who could doubt that face? Well, I leave the rest to you, then! Good luck!*Chris then sails away, to go do whatever the hell he came to Iglesias to do* Wow, it’s so cold… You think so? We’re in a southern area of Iglesias, so it’s actually warmer than it will be… It’ll be colder in Fandelcia?Take me there, please. Winter is definitely more my season. Sure, you’ll hear me curse up a storm as I stand around trying to shovel 10 inches of snow off my car in the morning to get to school, but I’d much rather be curled up under a blanket after a cold day than sweating my balls off all day and all night. It’s not that far, so it won’t be too different, don’t worry. The city’s entrance is north-west of here. Weather aside, do we truly have a secure return route, Eliza? Noo problem! So, let’s sally forth, shall we? To Fandelcia! Yay. As soon as we head to the next screen, we’re stopped again. If they’re stationed here in Fandelcia for whatever reason, won’t you be in trouble? The rank-and-file army is different from internal affairs, and I think it’s they who are after us. Actually… if they do find us, wouldn’t you be in more trouble than we, Eliza? Hrgh… Ahem! Perhaps, but then that’s why you’re here, is it not!?Got us there. Personally, I’m kind of hoping we get caught at some point. Gives us an excuse to kick some Dulkheim rear end and let the higher ups know that we’re alive and we’re pissed. Send a message, ya know?  Anyway, we’ll deal with that when or if it happens. For now, we have new monsters to contend with. Kester are a nuisance. Their basic physical attack doesn’t hurt much, but it has a chance of inflicting Paralysis. Paralysis wears off over time, but it doesn’t automatically heal after battle. In battle, it prevents the afflicted character from acting. Outside of battle, it stops that character from using field spells and skills. Other than that, Kesters are technically floating enemies, so they won’t be affected by Earth spells. Keep that in mind if you like to use Sand Shot.  If we head to the right on this screen, we’ll find the entrance to our return route. What can we expect inside? Well, ancient-era architecture, a nice, convenient passage through the ocean… Other than that, I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never been through there myself. Come on. Let’s just get to Fandelcia and make sure my father’s okay.Can do. Back to the left we go.  It’s funny to see a character paralyzed on the field screen because their legs don’t move. I like to think Crevanille is dragging Eliza behind him. Like, he wrapped those hair ribbons around her and is pulling her like a sleigh through the snow.  Another new enemy in this area is Werecat. Werecats are kind of like Imps, in that they can steal things from you with their basic attacks. Unfortunately, Werecats are a little more annoying than Imps because they have the ability quickly cast Cure spells on other monsters. Other than these two, this area also has Stowes. There’s not exactly a wide variety of fauna up here in Fandelcia. If you are lucky, you might pick up a Stealth spellstone as an enemy drop. Stealth is a good one to have on hand, because it decreases the chance of enemies detecting you. It’s helpful when you are caught outside of town or in a dungeon and want to get back without being hassled too much.  We follow Eliza’s directions and keep traveling north-west. We don’t have far to go before we run into Fandelcia. Just south of the gate, we can spot some Dulkheim soldiers blocking the path.  We’re finally here… So this is Fandelcia, the southern city of Iglesias. I’m, uh… I’m seeing a lot of Dulkheim soldiers… How dare they do this to Father’s city! Eliza, please. You mustn’t start any trouble here… Ngh… I know that. I won’t do anything… too reckless. In any case, I’ll follow you. I won’t get ahead of myself that way.Smart move. Now that we have control, let’s take a cautious look around the city. If we check out that snowman near the entrance, we can find an item called Vito Nostrum. This will reduce a character’s wait time to 0. It’s a situational item. You could pop it if you needed someone to act again immediately after using a high cost skill, or you can use it on someone who is getting ganged up on and is having difficulty getting their next turn.  Over at the Inn (where you should drop a save and rest), there’s a kid here that offers to tell us a little story. Yes. I want to hear this.[Rando Kid that thinks he’s older and wiser]: Yeah, life was simple back then, and I was still a dreamer… Just kidding. Don’t worry, this won’t be long. It’s not one of THOSE stories. But yeah, a long time ago, I picked up a pretty rock in front of a dark hole on the east side of town. I hid it. Somewhere. I forget where, exactly. Probably by the Mayfield mansion. And that’s just one of my beautiful childhood memories. Did you like the part where I found the rock?  Good stuff. We now have a hint as to where to find a rock. Should we ever need one of those.  Elsewhere in town, it sounds like the Dulkheim Army has been respecting the rules of warfare and not intimidating or attacking civilians. None of the townspeople really have much of a problem with them being here, so long as it means less fighting.  I wonder what year of the Iglesias Calendar we’re in now? Would be curious to know how long it took for people to rebuild after the last Angel Crusades. The big doors off to the right are currently locked. They lead to the harbour, but the Dulkheim Army obviously has that under heavy guard.  If we head back to the main square and then up the stairs, we can find the armour shop just to the left at the top.  It’s all extremely expensive, but it’s also all very good. Now, normally I would point out to you that we’ll soon come across another armour shop that has even better and more expensive stuff. This time is a little different, though. Here’s the thing about Fandelcia: I would recommend doing quite a bit of grinding here and in the nearby ruins (that we’ll be going to soon). If you can manage it, I think you should be looking to try and outfit your party with some better armour. At the very least, you should try and get updated armour for anyone that is still rocking very outdated stuff (like Remus in our case). We’re about to get pulled into some annoying and hectic battles where we will be eating a lot of hits.  Around the corner on the upper level, this dude will offer us a little tip. This tip will be helpful in the near future, so make sure you figure out which button makes you walk if you haven’t already (it was Triangle, for me ). Head back to the stairs and then go up the next set to the right. Up here, there’s an item shop to visit, although it has all the same items we’re used to.  Spellstone wise, there are two major ones to check out. Holy Imbuing (which will teach the Holy spell), and Revival Art. Revival Art is one I recommend getting, as it’s kind of a better version of Chemist’s Art. It will teach Remedy and Cure at the same time. Instead of boosting item healing effectiveness in battle, it gives a 30% chance of a full auto-revive for the wearer. They can also be stacked, which is just hilarious. Slap a few of them on at once and then watch as your zombie character runs around with a 60% to 90% chance of auto-reviving with full health.  On the way to the next set of stairs (Iglesians must have amazing asses from taking so many stairs every day), you’ll spot some boxes under a little roof. If you check them out, you’ll find a Crystal. Crystal is a key item for some reason and is presumably the pretty rock that that kid told us about. Well, I’m sure we’ll find some use for it eventually. NOTE: Get this loving Crystal before you go. This is a major dick move on the part of the game that could make the next dungeon far more frustrating for you, assuming you aren't just going to listen to me explain it before playing through it yourself.  Is that your family’s? It… seems to have been seized by the Dulkheim Army… Ngh! Stay calm, it’ll be all right. I am calm!That is not the way someone who is calm would say that. I can forget the mansion, though. What about my parents? I’m going to ask the townspeople if they know anything!*Eliza then runs off on her own* Eliza! *Frayne goes after Eliza* This has gotta be tough… Affirmative… Oh, look who it is! …Should we maybe hide or something? Hello there! I never got the chance to thank you! Ah, it seems you were able to rescue everyone, then, eh? So that’s how Remus managed to find us. Inside help. You still need to be quiet about that. I’ll be in trouble if that ever gets out. Yes, of course, I’m sorry. I was shocked when I heard about what was going on. Gathering up Ruin Children and experimenting on them? Tch. It’s true Ruin Children have abilities we don’t have, but to think they’d be used as test subjects… I can’t even begin to imagine how many lives were lost…You’re all right, Lumis. We’ll make sure to spare you once our blood vengeance rampage on Dulkheim begins in earnest.  More familiar faces! We haven’t seen Bauer (face to face anyway) since Trockmere. Huh? That voice… You guys! Bauer! You three know each other? We were a part of the same mercenary brigade. So, is the boss doing well? Er…Well… you could say that he’s very much at peace now. Does that count? There’s no need to stand outside chatting like this. Come on, it’s been a while; we should talk more inside the mansion. And that’s not all. Boss’s wife and Pamela…Yeah, we’re sort of really really bad at protecting people. My god… I would’ve never imagined such horrors… I’m sorry. We tried to get in contact with you, but we had no idea where you were. I didn’t know where you all went, either. Couldn’t be helped. I’m glad you two are safe, though. I’m invincible! Haha! Same as always!drat right! That means you joined the Dulkheim Army after Dixon died. Um, Lumis. About us… Heh, I noticed you were sending letters out to somewhere, but to think you were a part of a jailbreak… You’re one hell of a colonel!*Our loud announcing of Lumis’ traitorous activities is interrupted by everything starting to shake* What was that!? Let’s check it out! [Dulkheim Soldier]: Yes, sir! An Angel appeared near Fort Rheoslock and both armies have been critically damaged. Ugh, I warned them about using summoning spells… Look! An Angel! Did those assholes summon one of those or something? Why the hell is this lady angel constantly showing up around us? We haven’t seen the dude Angel do anything in ages. Huh? What? Where!? The Angel… Er, right there? Can’t you see it flying? Where are you looking? Angels are the same as Familiars in that some people can’t see them.Which you think Remus would know all too well considering that he was one of those people for quite some time. *The screen then goes black and starts doing the weird ripple effect. Crevanille collapses again* Master! Are you well?   Indeed, I can get a view of the city from here. I would never tired of watching humans this way. I agree. Their positive spirit and tenacity is truly remarkable. I pray this peace will continue. Our wings are meant to protect, after all…Well, something certainly changed along the way, didn’t it?  Master! You’ve awakened… You gave us a real surprise back there! If you’re up to it, we should hurry to the inn. It’s morning already, so Eliza will probably be angry…*Bauer comes in* Hm? Oh, you’re up. Sorry for worrying everyone. No problem. When you’ve been through what you have, it’s no surprise you’re worn out. Um, Bauer? Someone’s waiting for us, so we should really be going. Takin’ off? Well… Hey, so… You know… Mmm? Bauer?What’s up, big guy?  Joining up again…? You mean like a reformation of Alten Schwart? I know I can’t promise you guys’ safety… And then Colonel Lichtmann would never issue an order that would put us in any real danger. Well? What do ya think? Sound good? What should we do?As awesome as it would be to get back together with the gang, we still have a promise to keep to gruff anime dad. I’m sorry, Bauer, we can’t. I thought you might say that… It’s a tempting offer! Don’t get us wrong. But we made a promise to the boss. We have to keep that. I’m sorry. Once we’ve finished, though… Nah, don’t worry on it! I know you all have your own thing. If anything comes up, though, remember you can count on me. And I won’t forget what you said! We’ll talk about this later. Take care. Please give Lumis our regards!You stay safe, Bauer! And hey, if you ever need a place to relax for a bit, consider stopping by the city of No Angeles. We sort of own a resort town, now.  Once we leave the bedroom, we’re immediately taken outside the mansion. Let’s just get back to the inn before Eliza blows a gasket at us having disappeared for the entire night without explanation.  Geez, noisy soldiers, Frayne collapsing, your tardiness, I swear I don’t— Whoa, what!? Frayne collapsed, too? Yes… I suddenly lost consciousness. Master collapsed, as well… That’s why we were late. Well… I’m glad you’re here now. I was admittedly a tad worried you might have just taken off. We’re sorry about that… Hmmm… I mean, while I was unconscious, I saw a dream. It was about the Angels… Angels? Yes. There were Angels who were watching over humans, caring for them. Tch… now that IS a dream. Remus’ hate boner status: Still raging. Is that really the case…? Master, this dream… I saw the same thing. What!? Is that true? Could this be some special ability of Ruin Children? It’s possible. I have to tell my butler, Levan, about Father… How did that go, anyway? Did you find where he is? No, but that’s good news, in truth. Seems like he escaped. And he knows where I am… He’ll be in touch if I just wait. So! Let’s get out of here! We’re returning via that tunnel you spoke of, yes?Unfortunately, yes…  For what it’s worth, they didn’t mess around with it or anything. We spent the night there and it all— nevermind. Probably not the right moment to mention this. I can barely believe any of this. What am I supposed to do? Frayne…? What do you think? Huh…? Um, I… *sniff**Frayne starts crying* Wha…? Hey, what’s the matter? I-I’m sorry… I can’t…*Frayne runs off* Hey, what’s the matter? Come on, what’d I say?Okay, we really need to put a ban on party members running off by themselves all the time. That poo poo is going to get somebody kidnapped one day. It already happened to Vallery, although he was acting on orders instead of being an emotional fool. Eliza, there’s something you should know about her… I would posit that we should look for Frayne, Master. The explanations can be left to Remus. Thankfully, Frayne didn’t manage to get very far. She’s just over on the stairs leading up towards the armour shop/Mayfield Mansion. We just want you to be okay. Th-Thank you… But that was still extremely impolite of me. I didn’t know how to answer her question. I didn’t know what else to do, or what to say… Humans use experience to help make their decisions. Frayne appears to be at a loss because she currently has no memories, and is in turn missing any such life experience.Thank you, Dr. Yuni. You can talk to people about this. I realize that talking is supposed to help… but…Listen, either you talk about your problems like a well-adjusted adult, or you bottle them up like the rest of us. I don’t care which one you do, so long as you don’t loving run off on your own like you just did. I’m… I’m afraid that I will just end up being a burden. …I apologize for losing my composure, both now and before. Let us return to the group, okay? I need to tell Eliza that I’m sorry, too.*We return to the entrance of town*  I’m legitimately surprised that nobody got captured as a result of that. Hey, forget it, all right? If anything, I’m sorry to you for asking things so carelessly. Well, I should have explained my situation to you sooner, too. Sounds like we’re even, then, yeah? Yes… Thank you, Eliza. Yuni, we’ve already got enough on our plate as it is. We promised gruff anime dad that we’d explore ruins and stop the Angels, we promised Tricia we would see her again, we promised Bauer to revisit the mercenary thing, we’re trying to find some weird devices to make you stronger, we’re responsible for building a town, we need to track down Vallery, and I’m sure there’s other stuff I’m forgetting. We’re busy!  Now that we’re done with Fandelcia, it’s time to head back home. The path towards the ruins is hidden near this cliff outside of the town gate. After that, we just need to run to the right for two screens and—  Ahhh! Anime catgirl attack! While they are not particularly strong, the Werecats benefit from their ability to fire out stupidly fast Cure spells. One of the other Werecats healed the damage that Remus inflicted a second after this screenshot was taken. Crevanille and Eliza didn’t even have the chance to reach them and start attacking. They don’t have the MP to really keep that up, mind you, but the point isn’t for them to beat you. It’s—  to steal your poo poo and then escape. As soon as they’ve nabbed something from you, they will turn and try to run into the ruins while their friends keep them healed. It’s a very annoying battle. One of them almost gets away with one of my Time Incenses after Frayne’s spell fails to one shot her, but Remus manages to tag her just before she reaches the stairs.  Down the stairs, we enter the ruins that Eliza told us about. This place sucks rear end. It’s dark, there are Vampire Bats, Kesters, zombies, Golems, Lizardmen, and—  these… sentient sex toys? I don’t even know. They are gross and I hate them. They are absurdly resistant to physical attacks and also recover 15 HP at regular intervals. Pretty much the only way you can kill them is by hitting them with Ice magic. They straight up absorb Wind and Fire, while having very high resistance to Earth, Mind, Holy, and Lightning.  The second part of why this dungeon sucks is this riddle.  Scattered around this dungeon are these little holes. Some of them are on these tablet structures, others are just in regular walls.  Examining them will allows us to insert a crystal into them. There are six of these holes throughout the dungeon.  Down on the second to last floor of the dungeon, you’ll find this huge pit. Every time we slot a crystal into one of the slots, a corresponding piece of the light bridge will be revealed. If you slot in all six crystals, then the whole path will be revealed and will allow us to get to the other side where the tunnel exit is. Here’s the dick move that the game pulls:  When you get to Floor 3, this route just north of the “up” stairs will lead to a treasure chest. It contains 5 crystals. 5 crystals out of the 6 that the riddle mentions. The sixth crystal is that one that the kid found and hid away in Iglesias, which we subsequently discovered. You know, that crystal we got from examining those completely nondescript boxes?  In addition to that, some of the crystal holes require you to drop down through pits like these. This one leads to that hole three screenshots up (with the “Insert crystal?” option), which can’t be accessed any other way. I believe there are five floors in this dungeon. One of them just has the exit/bridge on it, but the other four will require you to run up and down stairs and fall into pits in order to find the crystal slots. Let me save you some time and just points out where they are: 1. Floor 1 – South of the stairs where you enter the dungeon from. 2. Floor 1 – Drop into the pit I just mentioned. Head straight up from the entrance stairs to the upper corner of the floor. 3. Floor 3 – Go into the maze next to the staircase that connects to Floor 2. Head to the upper right and you’ll eventually find your way to a pit. The slot is near the pit. Be careful not to fall in as you try and examine the hole. 4. Floor 2 – Near the stairs that lead down to Floor 3 (where the maze is), you’ll see a really long pit. Carefully make your way to the end of the path alongside the pit, then drop in. 5. Floor 4 – This is the floor with the bridge/exit. The slot is right next to where the bridge will show up. 6. Floor 5 – Bottom of this floor. It’s in a similar location to the one from Floor 1.  Also on Floor 5: There is an important treasure chest in the upper right. It has an item called Thievery Scroll. You can use it to teach one character the Thievery knack. I give it to Crevanille for now, since he’s the one most often up in enemies’ faces.  Want to know another tip about this place? You technically don’t need the crystals at all. All the crystals do is light up the bridge, but the bridge still physically exists even if you can’t see it. If you know the route, it is possible to simply walk to the exit without doing any of the stupid crystal poo poo. You will need to be careful and make sure to walk, not run, since it is very easy to fall into the pit. That said, falling off the bridge just drops you one floor down and there is a staircase that leads right back up here.  You can see the entire path from the two screenshots I just posted, in case you feel like trying to skip everything.  I hate this place. Unfortunately, we need to spend quite a bit of time in here because we need the levels and money for armour. Once we take those stairs to the right, we’re going to fighting those irritating and hectic fights I mentioned. Make sure to save before continuing.  Whew, we’ve come pretty far, but we should at least be in Valkania now. The exit’s gotta be past here. But this door’s sealed shut. Let’s force it, yeah!!!The other options were basically “….”, “Let’s give up”, “Is there a key?”, and “Maybe there’s a mechanism?” But “Let’s force it!!!” is funny and it leads to this comment from Eliza:  Which I think we can agree is the more entertaining option. All options lead to this in the end, so it’s not like we could finesse it even if we wanted to. Sheesh…*Everyone backs up and Remus starts firing arrows at the door* Remus, please give it your all. Hey, I don’t see the two of you helping either. *We walk up to the door with Crevanille and start wailing on it with our sword*  [Girl with a Tail]: Mrow? Someone’s coming! What’ll I do, what’ll I do? ! Oh, no! They’re coming in…! Hey, you did it! Remus, why did you even think that shooting arrows into the door would open it? Why didn’t you just try pushing? At least Crevanille’s attacks had some force behind them. Hm? You’re--[Girl with a Tail]: Eek!  Don’t go touching poo poo you don’t understand! …Unless you’re the protagonist! [Girl with a Tail]: Was it this one? *She pulls the lever* [Girl with a Tail]: Or maybe this one? *She pulls the lever repeatedly and presses buttons* Please don’t be scared! We’re--*She then starts kicking the machine until the door finally opens* [Girl with a Tail]: Ah! It opened! Nya! It’s gonna close! *The catgirl slips out through the door next to her before it shuts. The door behind us then shuts as well* Are we trapped!? This is bad, right?Yes…  …Yes it is. Please be careful, everyone. I hope you’ve been learning a wide variety of elemental spells! “Deena” has insane DEF thanks to the two floating orbs that are hovering near it. We need to destroy those orbs before we can deal any damage to the boss itself. You’ll notice that the orbs are different colours. Right now they are Green and Orange/Yellow/Gold whatever. That means they are Wind and Earth element.  But you’ll quickly find out that Deena is able to sink back into the holes in the arena and reappear elsewhere, at which point the two defensive orbs will have changed colour to red and blue (Fire and Ice). Aren’t those colors different from before?You need to hit the orbs with the opposite of their current element in order to deal any significant damage. Fire and Ice are opposites, while Wind and Earth are opposites. A level 1 spell from Remus was enough to deal about 40% of an orb’s max health. They aren’t especially powerful enemies, but you need to make sure you have the right element at the ready to deal with them.  Deena has a limited ranged of attacks. It will either hit all four of your characters for 20-40 damage each, or it will hit one of your characters for a bit more. It’s nothing you can’t heal through with items or Cure spells. The problem with this fight is whether or not you want to Complete it instead of Clear it. Clearing it is piss easy. Deena doesn’t deal enough damage to pose a real threat to you. Once the orbs are finished, Deena becomes wide open for spells and physical attacks and you can go to town.  Completing it is a different story, and will rely a lot on luck. To Complete the mission, you need to beat Deena before the Bonus Gauge gets into the negatives. The bonus gauge drops very quickly in this fight and spells take a while to charge. Physical attacks are the better way to deal with Deena, since they are faster. The problem is, Deena regularly moves between the four pits in the arena. As far as I can tell, the pit it moves to is random. In my first attempt at this fight, Deena continued moving back and forth between the two pits on the other side of the arena, so Crevanille and Eliza couldn’t get any physical attacks in. You could send Crevanille and Eliza after Deena, but then it may just end up moving to a pit on the opposite side of the room.  Your best bet at a Mission Complete is to position Crevanille and Eliza next to a nearby pit and just hope that Deena keeps appearing there. Remus will be able to hit it if it pops up from either of the two pits next to him (but not any of the pits, because there’s a big rock in the middle blocking his sightlines). Frayne should just be charging spells and firing them off whenever you get the chance to try and squeeze in whatever extra bits of damage you can muster. Another aspect of luck in this fight is in regards to Eliza and Frayne’s limit abilities. They both have Hasten, which can be triggered by Deena’s attack if they are charging a spell when they get hit. Hasten will grant Cycle Up, which speeds up the charging of spells by solid amount. If both of them have their limit triggered early on in the fight, then it can make things go a lot quicker.  When Deena is finally beaten, it will fall into the hole and explode. In my successful “Complete” attempt, I took a risk by immediately sending Eliza to the far side of the screen just in case Deena kept switching between those two again. She managed to intercept it after it escaped from Crevanille and Remus.  *There’s a noise of some kind* Oh, what now? D-Did that impact cause a cave-in!? I don’t want to die!*Eliza, Frayne, and Remus all run off through the now open door. Crevanille is left on his own. Great teamwork, everyone* This appears to be the time for a tactical retreat.There’s nothing to find in the boss room, so we may as well leave.  We can examine the stuff that the catgirl left behind, though. There’s an empty bottle, some plants, some toys (although it looks more like a maraca to me), and a rug. Looks like she was temporarily living here.  Thankfully, though, it does appear as though we’ve reached Valkania.We won’t be going back to Iglesias any time soon, though. I’d say that’s it for the secret tunnel. It’s a shame we didn’t find anything Angel-related in these ruins. Well, we’ll need to have Porak’s men guide us to the person who sent those letters to the boss. Whoever it is, he should have some kind of information for us.Right, I almost forgot about that. We have a detour to make on the way back to No Angeles.  Before we set off back to Ordinale, make sure to check out the red sparkly just above where we came out. It’s the other resonator that we needed to make Yuni stronger. Let’s get this done! This appears to be the tool necessary to strengthen Familiars. You and I are each supposed to hold one of these resonators, correct? I will hold this one.  Carnos may be familiar with these items. I suggest we speak to him about them.Well, that’s a disappointment. We acquired the super rare resonators, but they don’t appear to be doing anything. We can’t exactly go back to the researcher that told us about them, either, since he’s in a Dulkheim fort.  Wandering through the forest outside of the ruins, we eventually turn up just outside of Riesel. This is a good place to stop. We’ll rest up and save in Riesel, then do a little shopping before retracing our steps to Ordinale. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Jul 5, 2021 |
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Jul 4, 2021 19:14
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oh poo poo he knows who i am  he knows where i livequote:I like to think Crevanille is dragging Eliza behind him. Like, he wrapped those hair ribbons around her and is pulling her like a sleigh through the snow. At least there is snow to use for that purpose here! I imagine it's less fun for all involved in a desert. quote:[Rando Kid that thinks he’s older and wiser] I like this kid.
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Jul 5, 2021 12:42
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I love the scifi cityscape, its so stupid lol. "Yeah just put Kami's lookout everywhere" Psycho Knight posted:Take me there, please. Winter is definitely more my season. Sure, you’ll hear me curse up a storm as I stand around trying to shovel 10 inches of snow off my car in the morning to get to school, but I’d much rather be curled up under a blanket after a cold day than sweating my balls off all day and all night. Opposite lol, the heat makes you a bit uncomfortable sure, but the cold is straight up out to kill you. Psycho Knight posted:
It's weird exactly how many RPG and fantasy monsters you can apply that description to. Compile Heart even made a game where every single monster applies... Its one of their best games somehow.. Cool thing about Skill Scrolls that technically means you wasted it, you can teach skills characters can't normally learn through them. Remus can't get thievery normally, but you can use that scroll on him.
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Jul 6, 2021 03:15
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I fully agree with you on temperature. When it's cold out I can put on a jacket and be fine. When it's hot out I can't do poo poo to cool down except sit in front of a fan. Granted I've always lived in Minnesota so that might be why I'm used to the cold. Might also explain why I tend to like snowy areas in games. Then again the summers can get hot. It has been almost 100 Fahrenheit the last 2 weeks.
FalloutFan56 fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Jul 6, 2021 |
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Jul 6, 2021 06:50
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