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inflatablefish posted:So you sell the purse... to get money???
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Oct 22, 2023 06:37
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Red Perchiyama posted:I think it's just meant to be that "selling" the purse is "we took the cash out of it and threw it in our funds." It's the exact amount she says she saved, after all. and threw the purse in the garbage
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Oct 22, 2023 14:07
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It'll probably be Thursday or Friday until the next update, I just finally got around to recording Hikari's chapter just now. Blame Mario.
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Oct 23, 2023 21:28
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Mega64 posted:It'll probably be Thursday or Friday until the next update, I just finally got around to recording Hikari's chapter just now. Blame Mario. Darn that Mario Lopez! 
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Oct 24, 2023 02:17
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  Beyond the Sands  It's time to recruit our final companion. We'll find him in the tiny desert settlement of Ryu.  It seems he's a bit preoccupied. Might as well wait for him to finish his business first.   You there! Out of the way! Shut your trap! This useless lowborn served us rotten food! He needs to learn that his incompetence has consequences!  It looks like the swordsman probably has this, but why not join in the fun ourselves? We're getting pretty good at putting arrogant morons in their place.   They were as pathetic as they sound.   You... Is everyone okay? You're safe now. You should return to your homes.The citizens are saved, and the soldiers promptly humiliated. All is well.  You can call me Hikari. Are you a traveler as well? That was a fine display back there.  Hikari is a loyal ally and also pretty drat strong, so we'd be foolish to turn him down.  It seems my sword won't be left to rust after all.With that, it's time for our final origin story, and to learn more about Hikari. -----  Video: Before the Battle, Before Their Graves SILENCE  Things start off in a far away land, in a place far grander than any we've seen on the western continent thus far. Also, sorry for the longer-than-usual video. As you'll see, there's no good stopping points for quite a while.   Don't waste your breath. If you're going to pray... I didn't come here to pray. I came here to remember. ...... ...It's time, my prince. Tempest on the Battlefield  And, just as suddenly, we're thrust in the midst of a massive battle. If you want to see just how big a step up OT2 is to its predecessor, just compare the opening flashback of Olberic's Chapter 1 to this battle scene. The sheer scope alone is a massive step up, as this feels like an actual major battle. And it gets more intense from here!  As we progress, various battles trigger with our party.  ...I would worry about yourself. I won't die in a hellhole like this!  Hikari the Warrior specializes in swords and polearms, while Ritsu just uses swords.   Ritsu's skills include a three-hit sword attack and a blinding attack, both of which are pretty useful!  Hikari has the usual Warrior skills, but also Learned Skills.   I'll go into more details a bit later, but for now he has just one, which is a powerful sword attack that is more than enough to take out this grunt.  Aye!Meanwhile, close to the battlefield...   Now for the finishing touch.  Clan Ku shall rise from the desert as its ruler. Become the tempest and scatter those southern dogs to the winds. ...... And when the fury of the storm subsides, our enemies will be smothered and buried. A brilliant strategy as always, Kazan.  Luck has no place here. Only strength reigns supreme. And the mighty shall build their castles upon the corpses of the weak.  Kazan is Ku's tactician, while Mugen is Ku's most fearsome general.   And I am not saying that lightly.     He's inhuman! The scarlet demon of Ku...General Mugen!   Of course, Mugen's not going to have all the fun.  Mugen is not only a fearsome warrior with possibly no equal, he relishes in war.   Meanwhile, Hikari and Ritsu advance through the battlefield.  Eyes forward, Hikari! Keep going!  We're interrupted by yet another battle, though there's at least one welcome surprise here.   The noble sands of Ku dance at your back, and they know no fear! Not a single enemy shall pass through our storm!  Rai Mei specializes in polearms.  She has a useful "attack all" spear move, but even cooler is Thunderous Stab, which deals a polearm attack followed by a separate lightning attack.  With Rai Mei, these soldiers are a joke.  Ritsu, wait! Hikari...Since he's the noble good guy, Hikari doesn't believe in striking down those defeated in combat. But on to more pressing matters.  It's the enemy general. Now to prove your mettle, Hikari. ......  Now you pay the price for your tyranny, bastards of Ku!  This is the southern army's general. Defeating him is naturally going to be key in winning this battle.   Granted, this is still basically a tutorial so it's not like we're in any real danger here. SILENCE No... We won't...we won't leave the desert in your clutches...   Meanwhile, Mugen is clearly not the type to leave any survivors.  Brother... Show sympathy to the enemy, and your tarnish the name Ku in the process.    Today's glory was paid for with the blood of many... Our enemies have been put to heel, their forces crushed under our might. The nation of Ku shall know prosperity untold...  Hikari... I tire of this heat... That was King Jigo, father to Mugen and Hikari.  Is it true? Are we...? Can you hear it too? That voice? ......Keep that in the back of your mind for now.  It was your sword that cut the path to victory. You fought fiercely this day. What is your name? It's Ritsu Mishuyo, my lord. The brothers (or rather, as Mugen just alluded to, half-brothers), while both very skilled in combat, have very differing views on war in general. ----- Video: Friendly Banter You don't need to flatter me. I didn't do it alone. You may be the prince, aye, but it was by dint of strength that you were made captain. Don't be ridiculous, Ritsu. You'll always have a place by my side.Bygone Days  The battle was long and trying. Let us dedicate this victory to the countrymen we lost today. It was an honor to have you with me, Rai Mei.  Of course, Kazan. Without your cunning strategy, we may have very well been buried under the sands. Or so they say. I wager tonight's drinks shall be sweet indeed. We can't toast yet, Kazan. If you insist, my prince. I see war has only tempered your commitment to duty. Consider it done.  The fires of warfare that once raged were reduced to embers, and former comrades-in-arms such as Kazan and Rai Mei... ...went their separate ways, far from the deserts of Ku.  ----- Ku, Land of the Scarlet Sunset Ku, and its people, have greatly changed in the past three years of peace.  Phew...  If we didn't say anything, I reckon you'd train until the sun set. ...I'd be glad to. It's a sign that peace yet prevails.  ...If you wish. That may be merely a piece of wood, but don't think you'll have any mercy.   Yah!  Uwah!? Hah... Hah...   They're not your friends, my prince! They are lowborns who scavenge for rotten food. They're a stain on our nation! ......  That'll teach you to talk back to our lord! Thank you, Lord Hikari. We haven't had a lord that looks out for us like that before. Hikari is the type of prince who actually cares about his subjects and views everyone as equals. He's a fearsome fighter, but also one who'd prefer to use combat as a last resort, though he certainly loves to spar.  What is it, Tsuki? A brawl has broken out at the tavern! Understood. Let us be on our way. It's not the most exciting work, but I'm sure Hikari doesn't mind if the most exciting thing he has to deal with are settling down drunkards.     There's a good bit of dialogue from the locals, but here's the highlights, or at least what I deem are highlights. Your highlights may vary. SILENCE   Lord Hikari, you're just in time! Prince Hikari, consorting with lowlifes. Suppose that's what happens when your family forsakes you! You've got some nerve! ...... It won't be long until General Mugen assumes the throne.   Now we get to Hikari's Day Path Action, Challenge, where he can challenge random NPCs to combat. Much like OT1's Olberic, Hikari is probably a bit too into fighting people in honorable duels, but that's just part of his charm.   Of course, in this case, beating this guy up would be doing everybody a favor. I for one cannot stand the experience of a pleasant meal being ruined by buffoonery...  If it's a brawl you want, I'll be your opponent.  It's just like fighting people with Osvald or Ochette. No penalty if you lose a fight.  Now...leave. I won't ask again. Gah!   OT2 adds a nice wrinkle to Challenges by giving Hikari the Talent of Learned Skills, which allows him to learn up to five skills from the various NPCs he defeats in Challenges. This gives Hikari a ton of versatility and access to a ton of powerful skills outside the Warrior job, resulting in one of the game's better talents overall. He'll always have access to these skills unless he chooses to forget one or overrides one with another. Double Slash is already a decent grab since it's a cheap way to hit with swords twice without spending BP, though it's not as useful as you'd think for shields for reasons I'll get into next update. Still, definitely not turning this one down!   Our work here is done.  You needn't thank me. It is my duty. We're blessed that you were appointed to watch over our town.  I mean, Hikari certainly seems better-suited to oversee the citizens of Ku than Mugen...   I can't remember the last time you visited alone.  ...... All will be explained upon your arrival. ...Very well. I won't be long. Before we take care of said business...   We pick up a couple of learned skills from the citizenry. Hikari has the worst E.Atk in the game, but it's still coverage.   And some cheap healing too! I mean, a grape is still better, and it's not like grapes are hard to get, but might as well grab this while it's still useful!  OK, let's see what Benkei has planned for us...  Why have you left the castle? I would have come if called. Hikari, I have devoted my life to expanding our borders. ...I realize that it has all led to nothing.  Friends that will grow together with us. Allies that hold the same ideals as us. Bygone Days And I do not find you lacking in the least. You've brought joy to the people. Community.  I'm not worthy. My brother, he... ...... I shall make the proper arrangements, and do what I can to keep Mugen's machinations at bay. Father...   ......Hikari's kind heart and compassion for his people sets him apart from his elder brother, enough so to be deemed a better candidate to become king. But do we really think Mugen would go down without a fight...?     Next time, Hikari works to reveal Mugen's machinations, and we'll see how the succession ultimately falls...
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Oct 26, 2023 21:42
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This is turning into King of the Hill more and more now that we've got pocket sand. Also "I can't believe my son that I named General Fight wants to just fight" FeyerbrandX fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Oct 27, 2023 |
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Oct 27, 2023 02:08
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I thought "mugen" meant "infinite" though
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Oct 27, 2023 02:38
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i appreciate Ku being Desert Japan/China i am a sucker for swapping the environments you put a stereotypical culture in, especially when it makes very little sense
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Oct 27, 2023 05:04
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Junpei posted:I thought "mugen" meant "infinite" though Is it? I thought the fighter thing was called Mugen because of the fighting.
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Oct 27, 2023 05:08
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FeyerbrandX posted:Is it? I thought the fighter thing was called Mugen because of the fighting. No, it's called Mugen because you can make literally anyone.
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Oct 27, 2023 05:19
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Hikari is Blue Mage adjacent? Can't say I was expecting that, but that's pretty cool.
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Oct 27, 2023 05:32
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he's essentially pulling a Taskmaster.
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Oct 27, 2023 06:01
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I kind of didn't notice until this update. Can you just not recruit everyone and still do the main story?
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Oct 27, 2023 15:48
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You can, but doing their stories can give you a little headstart on their levels and gear. Granted, it might not seem like much, especially at higher levels, but every little bit helps.
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Oct 27, 2023 16:29
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You don't need every character to complete each character's story. If I want to do just Temenos's story, I could skip Hikari or Agnea or whoever, hell I could solo the game with Temenos. However, you can't finish the game without completing all eight characters' main stories. In OT1 the credits rolled when you finished your main's final chapter, because there was no real end game. This is different in OT2, but I'll wait until (much) later to go into how it's different.
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Oct 27, 2023 17:34
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Mega64 posted:If I want to do just Temenos's story, I could skip Hikari or Agnea or whoever, hell I could solo the game with Temenos. (minor chapter location spoiler) Technically, it's impossible to do Temenos's story solo, as he has no means of bypassing the guard on the way to Stormhail. You could however recruit Castii and leave her out of the party until you need her to Soothe the guard, and then never use her again.
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Oct 27, 2023 17:49
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And to think, just a bit further north from Inexplicably Wartorn Desert China/Japan, there's Wild West Land! It's kind of wild to think of this going on right next to Partitio's Yee-Haw Fun Times. It's part of why I feel like Hikari's storyline feels like it's taking place in a slightly different setting. (On the other hand, given how much Solistia feels like a surprisingly American setting rather than generic Fantasy Vaguely Europe, it almost feels like a bit of extra cleverness acknowledging the influence of Asian immigrants in the Wild West.) Jetrauben fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Oct 27, 2023 |
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Oct 27, 2023 18:11
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Jetrauben posted:And to think, just a bit further north from Inexplicably Wartorn Desert China/Japan, there's Wild West Land! Partitio is from afghanistan. in this essay I will-
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Oct 27, 2023 18:59
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Whoops, I caught up. Time to wait for the next update of this excellent LP of a good game with fantastic music.
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Oct 27, 2023 20:31
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If you overwrite a learned skill, do you have to go back to the NPC and challenge them again if you want the skill back? If so, does this cause problems with overwriting Double Slash or does Mugen's Soldier stick around somewhere in town in case you want to relearn it?Mega64 posted:
So they promised to drink together when the war ended, but never got the chance because... the war ended? Am I missing something?
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Oct 30, 2023 20:28
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My guess is that the war ended so abruptly that they never got the chance to gather for closure before everyone was pushed off into their separate ways (since I also feel that there's an implication that none of them were able to settle their postwar affairs at their own pace).
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Oct 30, 2023 21:17
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Procrastine posted:If you overwrite a learned skill, do you have to go back to the NPC and challenge them again if you want the skill back? If so, does this cause problems with overwriting Double Slash or does Mugen's Soldier stick around somewhere in town in case you want to relearn it? To the first question, Yes. For the second question, I believe Double Slash might be available elsewhere, but there's a couple other skills that you get through Hikari's story that I don't think can be replaced. For instance, if you get rid of it I don't think you can get Hikari's starting skill, Hachimonjigiri, back (though later skills will outclass it anyway). Update coming in a few minutes once I proofread it.
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Oct 30, 2023 22:34
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 Ku, Land of the Scarlet Sunset (Night) Hikari needs to investigate a potential plot Mugen's troops may have to turn against the current king. Let's proceed to the castle courtyard and figure out what we can learn.    (A merchant flourishing in the shadow of the castle. If anyone can tell me what goes on inside its walls, surely it would be him.) Looks like we've got our lead.   Time to utilize Hikari's night path action, Bribe.    Bribe is another way to obtain NPC information, and all you have to do is pay some money. Definitely a lot less hassle than Temenos's way of extracting information.   Ah, the young prince. I believe I can be of service. You'll be fairly compensated. Is this enough? Ah, our lord knows well the ways of the world... Soldiers get chatty during long watches, you see...Apprehension Mugen may be stoking the embers of war...  (I have to ask him myself. Look Mugen in the eye.) The Crest of Heroes is outside town, at that hill of dead people Hikari liked to chill at. But before we go, let's learn more about the citizens of Ku? Why not, have a free mini-town update. Ku, Land of the Scarlet Sunset (Night)  I mean, who better to know the king's weaknesses than the king himself? It's always the person you least suspect...   Here's a guy living his best life.  This mysterious building will have to wait until much, much later.   Sounds like he's not very good at his job, but at least is polite enough not to piss anyone off.   Hey, good for this guy.   I mean, fair. You don't want to limit yourself to one job your entire life, I can understand wanting to expand your horizons.   There's only so much he can do once the military wants his horses, all he can do is give them the best lives he can while they're in his care.   No clue how his wife feels about the whole thing, though.   I like that the citizenry of Ku work together to help each other out, I'm sure partly due to the guidance of Hikari, but also because they're just ordinary people helping each other out like any community would.   There's a lot going into this secret plot to heal a sick mother.   Go figure, you treat people with respect and they'll treat you the same!   Military life certainly isn't for everyone, and this line of work is certainly more peaceful.   Of course, the constant wars of the past did have lasting consequences among its citizenry. All the more reason to maintain peace as long as possible...   He didn't get caught, so hey, good for him. You gotta look out for yourself.   Here is the ailing mother in question, with her two children.   The times when you are powerless to do anything to change a terrible situation are the most agonizing of all.   This boy could probably use some guidance from an apothecary, but his heart is in the right place.   You know, I think this is for the best.   Training can only do so much, but at the same time, it might be enough to mean the difference between life and death.   Finally, here's Tsuki, Hikari's attendant. I'm sure her life experiences helped a good bit in shaping Hikari to who he is today. Hinoeuma (Night) It's time to head out to the sands and confront Mugen.  Hikari has plenty of foes to practice his bladework on.  Between that and beating up the townspeople, Hikari quickly gets enough JP to gain a skill. Time to go over them! Aggressive Slash - Unleash a sword attack on random foes 3+BP times. These hits aren't that powerful, though they still do decent damage. This is mainly useful for shredding sword weaknesses on single foes (or groups with Sealtgice), which it does well at. Situational, but handy. Piercing Thrust - Unleash a powerful polearm attack on a single foe, and have a 0.25+0.25*BP chance to deal a critical hit (at max BP, it's a guaranteed crit). It's great if you have a better polearm than sword, and the boosted crit chance helps with damage too. Warrior generally has good options for dealing physical damage, and this is one of them. Abide - Raise your physical attack for 3+2*BP turns. It's self-target, so it's a bit more limited in scope, but generally you'll want to priotize boosting the P.Atk of your Warrior anyway, so if your Dancer has more important priorities, this is certainly not a bad option. Enervating Slash - This one is confusing, because the game's description is wrong. What this skill actually does is remove all of the user's buffs, then does powerful sword damage, doing more damage the more buffs were removed. The base damage without removing buffs is lackluster, but even removing just one buff ups the damage by 75%. The damage scaling slows down with more buffs (removing four buffs triples the damage, while removing ten only quadruples it), with diminishing returns between 1 and 2 buffs, then between 3 and 4, and over 6 it's not even worth adding buffs to boost it. And honestly, buffs are usually too useful to waste on this skill, so it's only really useful if your buffs are about to expire soon anyway. A lot of words to say, meh skill. Stout Wall - Raise your physical defense for 3+2*BP turns. The P.Def version of Abide, more situational but mostly exists to supplement the next skill. Incite - Draw foes' single-target attacks to yourself for 3+2*BP turns. Pointless against more magic-focused bosses, and late games there are more effective ways to handle physical bosses, but this is still a good option to have, between the Warrior's high P.Def and the Stout Wall buff, plus could work with other stuff like the Merchant's Sidestep. Very useful skill for certain bosses in the early and mid-game. Vengeful Blade - Grant yourself the ability to counter physical damage with a sword attack 2+BP times. The counterattack reduces the enemy's shield points regardless of their weak points. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's a regular physical attack with a sword. Pretty situational, but might be handy against certain bosses where your party is struggling to hit boss weaknesses, and it pairs well with Incite. Not the best skill, but rarely it might be your best option to break bosses, so it has some use. Divine Skill: Brand's Blade - Unleash an extraordinarily powerful sword attack on a single foe. This is arguably the strongest physical attack in the game, and what the Warrior should always be using to deal single-target damage when available, unless somehow their polearm significantly outclasses their sword. Definitely one of the best divines for sure just for the sheer damage it does. Passive Skills Bolstering Break - Gives the user a P.Atk buff for two turns after breaking a foe. I've been vocal against passives that proc upon breaking a foe, as you generally don't really plan for who breaks a foe, but this is probably one of the better ones. Still, it's filler until you get something better. Summon Strength - Increases the character's P.Atk by 50. Again, these stat buffs are filler abilities, but this is definitely one of the better ones to have, simply because it's more damage. It'll do well until later into the mid-game when you have a larger variety of passives to play with. Latent Power Plus - Raises the amount of latent power gained by the equipping character. I cannot confirm how much, all I could find was someone testing it out a bit and guessing it's around 25% more. This is a bit tough to rank, both because it's hard to know how significant the effect is, and also whether it's worth using over other passives when you could just use Lychees or other latent-boosting skills. Latent Skills are definitely valuable and using more in a boss battle can change things significantly, but I honestly can't say how useful this skill is for that. If nothing else, it's a great choice if you have nothing better to use. Deal More Damage - Increases the maximum damage that can be dealt by the equipping character to 99,999. Kinda surprised this still exists as a passive skill, to be honest. For end-game content, this is required for your damage dealers if you don't want a miserable experience with the final bosses, but otherwise this will probably be overkill for the final chapters once your party's powerful enough to destroy chapter bosses in just a few hits. It's dumb to rank this because it's mandatory for the very end-game but can trivialize everything before then.  I opt for Abide, as the extra P.Atk helps more than anything else here, and the only other decent ability at this stage of the game is Stout Wall.   Hikari carves up a few more foes and then makes his way to the Crest of Heroes.  (I suppose I'll wait a while longer.) Except...   It may be hard to see here, but King Jigo is looking at a very odd-looking sword.   Their blood has stained the desert red, and our nation has become great in turn. Glory through sacrifice... Such are the words that guide Clan Ku.  For only the strong can herd the droves of the weak. Such is the way of the world. Strength reigns supreme, always. Mugen, my son... ...I know. You've come to a decision.Apprehension What...? You are old, Your Majesty. Frail. As is the nation you lead. ----- SILENCE  To think I once looked up to you. Now fate seems to have brought you low. Ritsu? What are you doing here? It was a trap. One you were all too eager to walk into. Urgency  Ah, it's started already.  Our nation cries out for change, and Lord Mugen will bring it. What's gotten into you, Ritsu? I have to follow the strongest. I told you history would remember my name. Lord Mugen has promised me it will echo through generations. ......In Pursuit of Kingship I must protect my people. So I say once more, and once more only...  Video: Boss - RitsuCritical Clash I To save his kingdom, Hikari must cross swords with his former friend and ally, Ritsu.   But first, we must eliminate his help.   Ritsu may not have been able to beat Hikari in a duel, but he is certainly no slouch with a blade.   Alright, now to take on Ritsu one-on-one.   I was not ready to break Ritsu here, so all I could do was defend and take the brunt of the attack, which...still hurt pretty bad.  Ritsu is not one to play around. He is always on the offensive, perhaps to his detriment.    I find the perfect opportunity to set up a beautiful turn of Abide/Break/Wreck. The only flaw was I could only use Double Slash as my big attack since I was so low on SP.  With some time to heal up, Hikari is ready to be more aggressive, particularly in the slashing aspect.  Hikari's starting to gain the upper hand now.   Don't let their screams distract you, Hikari! You never did take me seriously... If you want to save them, you'll have to cut through me first!  Armor Cleaver both does damage and inflicts a P.Def debuff. Which isn't great since Ritsu stabs 99% of the time and throws sand in your eyes the other 1%.  The Blind debuff fades out quickly, though, and Aggressive Slash does enough to fill Hikari's latent gauge.    Like Ochette, Hikari's Latent Power grants him access to one of three special skills. Tenretsuzan does a powerful sword attack on a single foe, Hineka does two sword attacks then gives Hikari an extra action at the end of the turn, and Sougetsusen attacks all foes with both a polearm and a sword attack.   A max-boosted Tenretsuzan ends the battle instantly, which...well, I did not expect this battle to be this short. Consider this just a taste of how absurdly powerful Hikari can be. SILENCE  By the tempest... Why does it always end the same...? ...... What're you staring at!? Finish this! Do it! Even at this point, Hikari sees no point in ending the life of the man who betrayed him...    ...... Go away... Go away...  Ritsu, clearly confused by Hikari's sudden bout of confusion, takes this opportunity to valiantly run away, like a noble hero should.  "The accursed clan..." For now, more urgent matters... -----   Mugen has unleashed his wrath upon his own nation... Heart's Lament Tsuki... The soldiers set fire to the castle... I'm afraid the city is... Only your gentle hands...can guide us back...   Why...!? My allies... My friends...! There will be no mercy for you, Mugen.Hikari prefers peace, but he is certainly not afraid to fight for it.  You must...save Ku... With your...gentle hands... With his final breath, this soldier gives us a weak consumable that will get thrown in with the thirty-something other ones I'll probably never use. At least he didn't die in vain!  Now to avenge the soldier who gave me a Lychee, and everyone else too I guess. Video: In Search of AlliesSILENCE But worry not. By my hand shall its glory be restored. Its strength... ...... Hikari has all the makings of a great king. And what would those be? ...And you do? Everything you built was only an illusion.    King Jigo may be old, but he's still strong enough to hold his own against mere soldiers.   But against Mugen...     Hikari... I will...I will be king...Overwhelming Despair Mugen...is too strong... You cannot hope to face him...alone... Run... Gather your strength... Your allies... Only then...   Only I am fit to be king.  That was the same world that Father lived in his whole life. A world he regretted making. Unshakable Resolve  Hmph. A coward like you? Why, Mugen? Why did you set fire to the homes of innocents!? Somehow you've won their love. They might have opposed my rule after your untimely demise.  ...Now, don't be a fool. You know your meager skills are no match for me. Grr... Mugen!   Benkei! Hmph. It seems a rat got through the cracks in my wall. Your father chose to put his faith in you, and so shall I!  Don't worry! It'll take more than this gang of ruffians to take Benkei down! For Ku!  -----  Father... ...But their sacrifices won't be in vain.   Is it as bad as they say? Seems the young prince wasn't satisfied with his lot and tried to take the throne by force. How dreadful... We've had peace for so long... Hikari, the Warrior   (First I must cross the sea and journey east.) (...I hope your mind is still keen as a blade, Kazan.)    And so begins Hikari's adventure, as too so ends the beginning of our own journey into Octopath Traveler II.  We have our eight stalwart companions, ready to face whatever obstacles necessary to fulfill their own missions, and perhaps something greater. We need to prepare for the journies ahead, however. Next time, we will gather our strength, explore new areas, and unlock access to the eight base jobs, so we can truly be prepared for the trials ahead. Until next time!
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Oct 30, 2023 22:57
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Hikari, like Throne, hails from a realm where subtext has been invented but its use is punishable by fine. this is all both right and proper. he is on the predictable side as a character, but every comedy act needs a straight man and he is straighter than a prearranged loveless political marriage for the purpose of allying two noble houses. also, he comes online as your designated 'someone do a million damage while the boss is broken' character faster than his two rivals for the position and they take a long time to catch up to him him- if they do at all.
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Oct 31, 2023 05:46
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Hikari's VA is Howard Wang.
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Oct 31, 2023 06:03
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A classic tale of a noble prince on a quest for vengeance - but told well and with proper charm. The whole "voice" and "accursed clan" business is given just enough here to not overshadow the stuff with Mugen - even if it ends up being what I expect, still seems it'll be entertaining to see play out.
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Oct 31, 2023 06:39
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I got a great deal of use out of Vengeful Blade. It definitely deals more damage than a regular attack and can trigger multiple times against multi hit attacks. Great for duels too. It and Sidestep were my go to for punching above my weight class against purely physical opponents.
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Oct 31, 2023 07:23
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vengeful blade is cracked to poo poo yeah it's really good
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Oct 31, 2023 22:34
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Yeah, Vengeful Blade is extremely good for its "counter for every hit you take on a multihit attack" property. Hikari's only weakness is his SP - it'll always be pretty bad and building around it means you're equipping passive skills or equipment that you could be using to instead make him more powerful.
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Nov 1, 2023 09:07
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Vengeful Blade + the Apothecary's Replenish Health can get Hikari through pretty much any Challenge duel that isn't way above his pay grade.
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Nov 3, 2023 02:12
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 Beyond the Sands We've got all eight characters recruited, which means we're done with the beginning and are ready to dive into the game proper! That said, we could stand to do a few things first. Starting off, while we're here, we might as well check out Ryu since it's so small.   Ryu is basically a small merchant outpost, not really much of a town. It's mostly merchants, soldiers, and travelers around here.  This guy has a much-needed staff upgrade for us.   Some merchants are much like Partitio, using commerce as a way to help others in need.   Others are just doing what they can to provide for their family.   ...Even if it's at the risk of his own family.    And you know what? That's it for this outpost during the day. Granted, there's a few new faces at night. Beyond the Sands (Night)   You know, fair.   Two different philosophies at play, and I don't think there's a right approach here. Just each mercenary doing what they feel works best for them. They both have this outpost's best interests at heart, after all.   I'd figure an enterprising merchant would have their sights set bigger, but hey, if it's helping out the outpost long-term, why not let them keep what they're doing?  And that's it for Ryu!  We've got a lot going on, and this isn't even all of it. Several characters have a couple options as to progressing their Chapter 2's, but I'm generally going to go by recommended level order so we don't get too overleveled. I'm still undecided if and how I'd put our order to a vote, but I think at the very least I'll pick the first option since it's kinda obvious and lets me introduce the new dynamics of having a full party. But that's for later. For now, we need to get ready.  The job system from OT1 is back, and largely the same, though obtaining them is slightly different. Still, it requires going to the "Tier 2" areas, and several are even obtained within towns.  I'm going to accumulate the jobs in the order we recruited our party members, so first we'll get Cleric. I'll also be taking along the relevant character since there's something new we want to collect. Otherwise, I'll be rotating between Agnea/Ochette/Hikari to level them up. This also gives Ochette an opportunity to start collecting monsters.  Our first job is on the path to Bolderfall, which fortunately is a rather low-level area for a Tier 2 location. Still, these encounters aren't going to be easy... Normal Battle II New area, new battle theme! In my opinion it doesn't compare to OT1's version, but it's still solid.  These foes are powerful, which means their attacks are as well. Darkness is a pain to hit with an area attack, so this is a great option to have.  Also, everyone talking up Vengeful Blade led me to pick it up next. Clearly I haven't messed with this enough, so I'm going to remedy that.  Still don't think we need Leghold Trap yet, and Abating Orb might have some valuable uses in the future.  This is a nice bridge and rainbow. Unfortunately, we're going the wrong way.  The Shaggy Aurochs, my favorite blitzball team, can inflict silence with a nasty attack. This prevents the use of skills, which is understandably annoying.  Also I caught an ape. The Crestlands  In OT1, jobs were collected from random statues hidden around the world. In OT2, the main eight jobs are found in dedicated guilds, each with a guildmaster. Some of these guilds are located in towns, while others like this one are out in the wilderness.   I am touched by your faith. It feels as if the Sacred Flame burns brighter in my breast. Let us raise our prayers to the heavens together.  And with that, we've obtained our first job license. Yep, obtaining them is as simple as finding and talking to the guildmaster.    When a character uses a job, they get stat buffs based on the job, as well as access to that job's skills and weapons. They also still keep the skills and weapons of their old job. Also, since JP is universal, you don't have to actually use the job in battle to gain skills, just simply switch to the job, learn the skills, and swap out. Useful for learning Support Skills!  Speaking of which, once you learn a job's support skill, you can use it with any job.  Each character has their own take on these job outfits. I'm just copying them from the Octopath Wiki this time since hand-making job banners for the OT1 LP took a long time.  That said, we're not done here. OT2 adds a good bit more here.    For instance, for the eight main jobs, you can get up to two additional job licenses for fulfilling certain requirements. This means between Temenos, the free job license we got, and the two other we can obtain, we could have a full party of four Clerics if we wanted. In practice you'll generally only want one of a subjob just because versatility is key for later battles, but it's nice the option is there.  Each guild also has several things to talk about. For Licenses...  By equipping the license, anyone can use the skills of a cleric. If you find yourself in need of more licenses, you need only complete our tasks and further prove your faith.The tasks you need to complete depend on the job. Cleric requires a couple of items obtained from dungeon diving. Each job also has a hint about Legendary Arms, powerful equipment you can find across Solistia...  It is said that sealing away a certain evil entity will cause it to transform into a staff. Any child possessed can be seen wandering nearby at dawn. This particular event catches a lot of players off-guard and causes a lot of confusion, because without this specific hint it makes no sense what you're supposed to even do. But more on that when it comes up later. Finally, we have a new mechanic for OT2, EX Skills.  This church was built to protect that very altar. You can reach it by going through that door just there. I urge you to take a look if you're interested. Most of these altars are hidden around the areas where you'll find the guilds, though not always on the same screen. We're lucky this is the one time that the altar is actually located within the guild. Ruins Immemorial Each altar has a depiction of the god that represents that job.    By having the character with that job interact with the god statue, that character will learn an EX skill.  EX Skills are character-exclusive skills that are generally quite powerful. Each character gains one from finding an altar, and obtains the other after finishing their story. Temenos's first EX Skill lets him "overheal" characters, which is great for letting more fragile character tank hits. While this was a pretty nice passive option in OT1, only Temenos can overheal in OT2, which balances it out a bit. It's a great skill, especially for punching above your weight class, and it's very nice to have for our main character.  There's also NPCs around here to pester.   I mean, it's not like you have to be a sanctum knight to fight people. Just be a city guard or mercenary or something.   Now she seems more suited to the job she has since she actually cares about the thing she's fighting to protect.   So let's bring her along. Her ice magic looks powerful enough!    Of course, the one flaw with my planned method of party rotation is I'm missing path actions for NPCs, but it's a small price to pay. I can always come back later to steal their stuff.  Also I bring along a cleric because healing status effects could be handy. The Wildlands Next up, we're going to bring Partitio with us as we get the Merchant job.  But before we go, there's one new character at this port...   Remember Bale, the provisioner from Osvald's intro? He managed to somehow escape during all the chaos.   I decide to bring him along for the larger discount.  Yeah, glad I grabbed that shaggy aurochs.  I picked up Revive for Temenos and also grab a nice passive to increase my chances of running from battles, which is great for what I'm currently doing.  Especially since this area is a big step up level-wise.   I have a couple close calls navigating this area.  We'll come back to this commotion later.  Another nice bridge, this time with minecart tracks.   This area is a secret, it's not obvious you can go right from that mine shaft, but luckily the minimap icons serve as a solid enough hint.  Anyway, time for the Altar of the Trader.     Negotiate Schedule lets you "buy" a foe's turn, which is obviously powerful in flat-out preventing a foe's action for a round. Of course, this isn't cheap, and especially so for bosses. I didn't mess around with this much, but you could pull off some powerful maneuvers if you've got the dough.  The actual guild is on another screen, further towards the town of Crackridge.  It's this very small outpost up the hill.   The Forbidden Items are end-game gear that generally have very powerful stats, but also have a downside. In this case, the Forbidden Shield has some of the best stats of any shield, but also raises the chances of enemy encounters. Not bad if you're grinding, but kinda irritating otherwise. Of course, the downside is irrelevant for boss battles. The other Forbidden Items are all weapons, one of each type.   Naturally, we find some esteemed merchants around the guild here.   Aaaaand immediately after hiring Bale we find a guy that can knock off 30% of a purchase price. This is the biggest discount we can get without coin flips, so we'll likely be sticking with this person for a long time.   We're not a formal organization or anything. Just a bunch of merchants who get together and help each other out. After all, a good merchant never turns down the chance to make a new connection!  Our second job!   Unlocking the merchant licenses is simple, just buy them with cold hard cash. I believe the second merchant license is the most expensive item in the game at a whopping 300k leaves. I could actually buy the first merchant license right now, but I have no need of it.  Time to get info. Licenses  If you ever want to use a merchant's skills, all you have to do is equip it. And if you complete some of our guild tasks, I'll give you more licenses. They're not like ordinary wares you can buy or sell, though, so take good care of them.Legendary Arms  It's a powerful weapon what [sic] struck down a fire-breathing fiend in the Wildlands. But then some rotten thief stole it a while back, and it was lost to the world... A couple of my friends already went to look for the glaive, but came back empty-handed... Still, I know my sources are reliable. It must just be hidden real well...EX skills  Supposedly a chosen merchant will be granted a special power if they find it. We know it's in the Southern Crackridge Wilds somewhere, but I haven't had any luck locating the altar so far. Maybe only the chosen one can find it...Generally, we'll be finding the altars before we reach the guilds, so at this point this stuff is just flavor text.  Right now I'm just throwing jobs on characters because why not, but I'll probably end up using a combination of thread suggestions and my own picks down the line. The Brightlands We'll get a couple more before calling this an update. Now to get Thief, which requires making our way to the next city in the Brightlands.  More battles, more chances to level everyone up a bit, but otherwise somewhat uneventful.   The next Altar is hidden directly to the south of the path to the next city. Again, not obvious to find unless you're keeping track of the minimap icons.     This skill is misleading, in that it actually inflicts a debuff to all foes that has them miss their next physical attack. It's one of the few ways to inflict dark damage to all enemies, and it's a nice panic button despite the costly 25SP. If Throné had better E.Atk, I'd love this more, but hey, it's still useful.  The next guild is actually within the city of Clockbank, but I'm not going to show the actual city off yet.  Instead, let's move into this back alley.  This place is empty during the day, but at night...  There we go.   Anyone who reaches this place is welcome in the Thieves Guild. Ah, yes, before I forget... Please don't tell anyone else about this guild. It's for your own good. Hoho.  Another job obtained!   Naturally, one of the tasks involves stealing from a master thief. Gotta love how thematic these can get. As usual, time to get some info. Licenses  Anyone wishing to use a thief's skills need only equip one. You'll have to earn more licenses by completing guild tasks.Legendary Arms  It's known as "Mooneater," and I was meant to inherit it when I took over... Unfortunately, the former guild master went missing before then. Hoho. Had I known that would happen, I would have stolen it from him instead.EX skills  Or rather, a "chosen" thief who finds the altar. I heard it was hidden somewhere a tiny bit obscure along Southern Clockbank Highroad... But thieves are sharp. I'm certain a member of our guild would find it with ease. Hoho.And while we're here, let's chat up the other guild members.    I guess early-thirties counts as "advancing years" when your skill set relies so heavily on dexterity.    This kid has some good loot.  We'll finish today's update with Scholar, then get the rest next update. The Winterlands (Night) There's another low-level area and even a side story to the east of Cape Cold.  BEAR   Still fighting through the various numbers of enemies, with some occasional fleeing so we don't get too overleveled.   Under yet another bridge, we find our next altar.     Teach is a bit of an odd one at first glance. It grants Osvald's stat buffs to another target for 2+BP turns, which is kinda odd until you remember Scholar has a skill that specifically gives themself multiple stat-boosting buffs. Still seems a bit much to set up, though Dancer helps, but I guess it's as good a way as any to spread stat buffs to another damage dealer.   On the western cliffside is the Scholars Guild.   Here, anyone with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge is received with open arms. Allow me to give you a license, as proof of our fellowship.  Another down.   These licenses require farming drops/steals from rarish enemies. Finally, info-gathering time. Licenses  Anyone desiring to use a scholar's skills need only equip it to attain the necessary expertise. And if your hunger for knowledge is not yet sated, may I recommend taking on our guild tasks? Fulfill the challenge laid out before you and I shall give you a new license.Legendary arms  Unfortunately, whether it actually exists or not has yet to be proven. According to ancient texts, only one stone has ever been successfully crafted, in the land of Fj'all. It is said that they were the ones who built the Great Wall that still stands in that region.EX skills  If you wish to find that altar... The rest should fall into place if you do what a scholar does best and observe. Of all the jobs to get, I'm happiest to finally have Scholar, if just for one simple reason...  There we go. Next time, we'll get the other four jobs, and perhaps snag an extra one as well...
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Nov 5, 2023 15:03
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Veil of Darkness is stupid good for punching above your weight class.
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Nov 5, 2023 21:43
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This is the real reason why Merchant is the best job: it gives everyone cool hats!
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Nov 6, 2023 00:32
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Is that a deerstalker hat on Temenos?
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Nov 6, 2023 00:46
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slink_bot posted:This is the real reason why Merchant is the best job: it gives everyone cool hats! Agreed. Everyone needs to be merchant at all times now just for the hats
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Nov 6, 2023 02:24
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I presume you missed the Oboro's journal in Ku palace on purpose
Natural 20 fucked around with this message at 10:59 on Nov 6, 2023 |
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Nov 6, 2023 03:31
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The EX skills were one of the most interesting additions to the game, for me. Felt like a good way to make everyone's original jobs more specifically theirs, along with the ability and Latent Powers. Though I don't think I ever used the extra licenses - pretty much all of them were something I unlocked after getting the basic eight jobs, so it just felt like something I didn't need when I could have more variety.
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Nov 6, 2023 04:09
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There's definitely a case for doubling up on subjobs in certain compositions, like marching in with a team of Merchants and throwing money to do MAX damage. Really helps you punch above your weight class at times. If you want to be turbo prepared for a boss you can look up their weaknesses so you can do something like 2-3 Scholars against a boss that's weak to Fire or something. But I rarely had to look up boss weaknesses, more fun just to find out via trial and error.
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Nov 6, 2023 04:26
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How does the game hint at where you can find the guildhalls? Seems like a lot of these are something that a first-time player might not stumble on for a while if they didn't know where to look. Granted, the job system doesn't seem like something you really need to play with at this point.
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Nov 6, 2023 08:03
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| # ? May 9, 2024 13:34 |
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There's a symbol on the minimap that looks like a shield: And the actual license giver has the same symbol above their head: Both the guilds and the job shrines tend to be located near the Chapter 2 or 3 towns, so you'll generally find them as you start progressing towards character stories if you pay attention.
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Nov 6, 2023 09:18
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