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Rotten Red Rod posted:I'm not bothered by the decisions they make, I'm bothered by the cutscene paralysis where characters talk at each other for long stretches when they could easily make a move to attack, or should have been cut down by waves of enemies long ago. It's not as bad as in other games, but it's there. This problem goes a drat sight further than just JRPGs, or gaming in general. I think you need a bit more suspension of disbelief here, as lazy an argument as that is.
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Apr 12, 2012 18:04
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ScarletBrother posted:How rewarding is the series of fetch/collection quests revolving around the rebuilding of Colony 6? If the rewards are good, then I will do them for a while, but if I get better gems and gear from progressing the story then I'll probably skip this series. They tend to give you some gems which I don't think you can get any other way. Also, more sidequests and those are the best rewards.
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Apr 12, 2012 18:07
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dumb brunette posted:The clock/npc/sidequest system in this game really reminds me conceptually of what Majora's Mask did way back when, where every NPC had a routine and you had to adapt your actions to that routine. But this time, you can also move the clock to whatever hour you want!
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Apr 12, 2012 18:07
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Violen posted:This problem goes a drat sight further than just JRPGs, or gaming in general.
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Apr 12, 2012 18:09
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Utnayan posted:I am on the I love the characters bandwagon right now, and I think it is easy to explain their decent decision making skills given their upbringing and war experience. They may be very young, but they have a lot of experience in dealing with the enemy. I am guessing had we all been brought up in the same manner, we would be able to make those quick judgement decisions as well. Eh, I think hypothetical upbringings have nothing to do with the way they act as much as smart writing and careful attention to how people should realistically react are the culprit here. There have been plenty of past JRPG protagonists that have a similar upbringing but are insufferable douches. With Xenoblade, they specifically took the time to remove what makes the genre generic; they go into it in more detail in the Iwata Asks interviews. Again, it's by no means perfect (JIGGLY BOOB SYNDROME) but it's hopefully a catalyst for change in the genre.
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Apr 12, 2012 18:35
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Violen posted:This problem goes a drat sight further than just JRPGs, or gaming in general. I know it's not the worst, but the worst offender for me personally will always be when the Emperor is assassinated at the beginning of Oblivion.
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Apr 12, 2012 18:43
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Got a component cable today, why did I play half of this without a component cable. I think this game is fantastic and have very few complaints. I'm not a very RPG person as a rule either (normally COD with goons is pretty much my only poison gaming wise). I didn't get even half of the way through FF13, I just couldn't do it, it was dreadful. Combat is great, character stuff is fine (they could maybe be a bit more damaged by what you've seen but given the whining that often results that might not be a good idea), story is well paced and intruiging (or has been so far) and the setting and environments is just amazing. The cut scenes can be a bit static and I wish there was a way to turn sidequest xp off without turning affinity off but that's about it. Maybe one more thing they could have done was to seperate the dungeons from the over world a bit (Might even have liked puzzles, I'm sure that's a :canofworms: but it would have added to the cool Majora's mask vibe). All in all we need to be supporting this sort of thing though, otherwise MMOs will be our lot.
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Apr 12, 2012 18:52
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Does fighting mechon ever become less tedious? So far I'm enjoying the game and the combat but trying to get Reyn to topple things is a pain in the rear end. My other main complaint about battle is the targeting because it just loves to cycle to everything except the thing in front of me currently killing me.
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Apr 12, 2012 19:43
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Are you using your Monado powers? Except for the bosses, most mechon aren't too tough. Just use the power that allows the whole party to damage them and they ought to die pretty quick.
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Apr 12, 2012 19:45
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Len posted:Does fighting mechon ever become less tedious? So far I'm enjoying the game and the combat but trying to get Reyn to topple things is a pain in the rear end. My other main complaint about battle is the targeting because it just loves to cycle to everything except the thing in front of me currently killing me. You can change targets and instruct your party to concentrate on a single target. And yes, fighting Mechon becomes less tedious later on. Toppling them isn't always the best solution to killing them.
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Apr 12, 2012 19:46
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Mechon combat opening move is to Enchant.Rotten Red Rod posted:I'm not bothered by the decisions they make, I'm bothered by the cutscene paralysis where characters talk at each other for long stretches when they could easily make a move to attack, or should have been cut down by waves of enemies long ago. It's not as bad as in other games, but it's there. They do seem to subvert it a little; I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of cutscenes that have things exploding or people dying around while they talk, or the party are actively attacked in the middle of chatting after several genre-typical long sentences as a reminder that they are in danger. Like, they'll be chatting away and a mechon shrugs and decides to try decapitating somebody.
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Apr 12, 2012 19:54
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As others have said, it's not that Xenoblade is a game that really transcends the JRPG genre, it's just a game that handles that genre in a competent way and which begins the process of updating it and saving it from itself. As a kid and a teenager, I played JRPGs all the time - now I hardly ever touch them. Part of that is because, well, you grow up and these stories get a lot less "amazing" with maturity, but the games themselves are also, at least it seems to me, weirdly archaic these days. Look at Final Fantasy XIII - a truly beautiful game with a decent but needlessly obfuscated and automated combat mechanic mired in a nonsensical story full of annoying characters. This has become a very stunted and incestuous genre and Xenoblade's attempt to change that in ways that range from better and less annoying characterization to more fully realized environments and exploration to simply removing a lot of bullshit that doesn't need to be in there (waiting for day/night cycles, save points, tedious travel, losing experience and gold on reload) should be lauded. I feel like at least in the states, the JRPG is a diminished and lovely genre. Xenoblade shows promise and a way for these games to go somewhere in the future besides deeper up their own rear end.
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Apr 12, 2012 21:07
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I still think Shulk is miles above most other bland jRPG protagonists of the past ten years. For one, he's not passive until provoked--he's actively researching the strange powers of the Monado. He has a job, he's good at it, and his dialogue does not consist largely of "...". And when the attack that takes Fiora occurs, he doesn't sulk (Shulk?) around, he's like, "Let's go get revenge!"
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Apr 12, 2012 21:57
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So I just got Melia and holy cow is she savage and awesome! What are the best support characters for using her as a main? I'm running Riki and Shulk right now, but I love me some Dunban.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:34
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A question about the collectopaedia stuff..(early-mid game I think)I went inside the Bionis and I go into the collectopaedia and it says there's items for in there. But the place doesn't seem very big though the map seems to show more stuff in there.. Can someone tell me just simply if there's something I'm missing here, or if I should just hang tight and this stuff will sort out as the game goes on.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:36
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ScarletBrother posted:So I just got Melia and holy cow is she savage and awesome! What are the best support characters for using her as a main? I'm running Riki and Shulk right now, but I love me some Dunban. Depends on the battle, but I like to main Melia with Dunban and Riki as my tank and tank/healer respectively. If I need a consistent healer, I'll replace Riki with Sharla. Kawalimus posted:Can someone tell me just simply if there's something I'm missing here, or if I should just hang tight and this stuff will sort out as the game goes on. Hang tight, it eventually gets worked out.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:38
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Kawalimus posted:A question about the collectopaedia stuff..(early-mid game I think)I went inside the Bionis and I go into the collectopaedia and it says there's items for in there. But the place doesn't seem very big though the map seems to show more stuff in there.. I noticed an area that I couldn't get to in there, so maybe there is a way to reach it later on.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:38
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Kawalimus posted:A question about the collectopaedia stuff..(early-mid game I think)I went inside the Bionis and I go into the collectopaedia and it says there's items for in there. But the place doesn't seem very big though the map seems to show more stuff in there.. Hang tight.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:38
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Thank you folks.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:39
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Louisgod posted:Depends on the battle, but I like to main Melia with Dunban and Riki as my tank and tank/healer respectively. If I need a consistent healer, I'll replace Riki with Sharla. How do Shulk's visions of the future and Monado abilities work when he's not in the active party?
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Apr 12, 2012 22:40
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Kawalimus posted:A question about the collectopaedia stuff..(early-mid game I think)I went inside the Bionis and I go into the collectopaedia and it says there's items for in there. But the place doesn't seem very big though the map seems to show more stuff in there.. You'll come back in from a different entrance later in the game and won't be able to get your collectibles until then. Don't worry about it. E: Welp, that'll teach me to leave a window open without posting 
One Hundred Monkeys fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Apr 12, 2012 |
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Apr 12, 2012 22:40
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ScarletBrother posted:How do Shulk's visions of the future and Monado abilities work when he's not in the active party? Or, rather, Monado Arts are Shulk's unique Art, and don't go with him. Seeing the future isn't an Art, and is just a gameplay mechanic in general.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:45
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Allan Assiduity posted:The former work as normal, with no change; since the latter are something that only he can do, it goes with him, if that makes sense. Makes sense I think. So IIUC, I just get wrecked by enemy talents and it's best to have him in the party for boss fights and the like?
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Apr 12, 2012 22:50
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No, you see the future whether or not he's in your party.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:54
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ScarletBrother posted:Makes sense I think. So IIUC, I just get wrecked by enemy talents and it's best to have him in the party for boss fights and the like? Kind of. You can still press b next to one of your party members to warn them and fire off an art. It might change the future if it heals the target enough for them not to die or if it makes the enemy change targets. There's no guarantee unlike with Shulk's Monado arts though.
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Apr 12, 2012 23:10
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Ahahaha holy poo poo the (early mid-game spoilers) british voices for the Faces are awesome. I'm fighting Xord in the mines and the voice is just perfectly hilarious. It just makes the game so much more endearing.
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Apr 12, 2012 23:29
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Rexicon1 posted:I just wanted to report in from my frantic playing of this game to remind everyone that Riki loving owns and if you don't think so you can jump into a river. His into is also the best because he comes flying in and gets bounced around like a volleyball, with Reyn spiking him in to the ground and over the edge of the platform. There needs to be a combo attack where Reyn does this to enemies if Riki's in the party. It's also worth noting that while the mantra of jump in a goddamn river is true, it's not nearly as enjoyable as jump off a goddamn cliff and freefall for 15-20 seconds before hitting water/solid ground. First time I found a nice batch of high places I just did a few jumps and while running around gives some scale, knowing you can fall for such a long time really helps drive home that you're not just running around on some oversized map with bumps on it.
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Apr 12, 2012 23:59
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Rotten Red Rod posted:It's not ruining the game for me, it's just a bit silly. But yeah, it's a problem in a lot more than just JRPGs, and it's an exception when a game DOESN'T do that. I respect what you're saying about how the characters aren't by themselves the most unique or interesting set of people, but as part of a whole package they are a breath of fresh air in this genre. In general I believe that everyone agrees that this game is greater than the sum of its parts. The reason I honestly love Riki is that there was a bit of a lull in the game going from one place to another and I had gotten a little worn on some of that cockney smarm that Reyn exudes. Then this retarded little crazy ball rolls in and just changed the dynamic in a way that made me sit back and smile. Everything about this game is so evenly paced (if you aren't an obsessive completionist) that its honestly more than just the 'best jrpg in the past ten years' but honestly a well put together game by any regard. The only big complaint I have about this game is that I can't play it with a keyboard like a typical MMO. e: also the screen is cluttered and you can't change volume options, but that stuff is all secondary in the grand scheme of things
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Apr 13, 2012 00:12
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ScarletBrother posted:So I just got Melia and holy cow is she savage and awesome! What are the best support characters for using her as a main? I'm running Riki and Shulk right now, but I love me some Dunban. I liked to use Shulk and Dunban while playing Melia. The monado arts are just too good to give up and shulk himself is a solid well-rounded char with a heal, ability to drop aggro and inflict decent status effects. Dunban is just the best tank.
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Apr 13, 2012 00:45
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Level 50ish question: what's the deal with the level gap around the Sword Valley start? The last area was like 47ish monsters, which is what I am, but I enter Sword Valley and the first thing I see is 53. Does the game expect me to go back and do quests on the 42-47 monsters? I seem overleveled for that but underleveled to take on a 53 at like 48. edit: I'm dumb, nevermind! topheryan fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Apr 13, 2012 |
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Apr 13, 2012 01:22
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Evil Fluffy posted:His into is also the best because he comes flying in and gets bounced around like a volleyball, with Reyn spiking him in to the ground and over the edge of the platform. There needs to be a combo attack where Reyn does this to enemies if Riki's in the party. And the icing on the cake is when you learn is that he's 40 with a wife and a bunch of kids Now that I'm on (late game spoiler)Galahad Fortress/Mechonis will I have to keep using Shulk to keep hitting Mechon? I just find he's so dull to play and I've grown attached to Melia/Dunban/Riki
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Apr 13, 2012 01:50
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Lakbay posted:Now that I'm on (late game spoiler)Galahad Fortress/Mechonis will I have to keep using Shulk to keep hitting Mechon? I just find he's so dull to play and I've grown attached to Melia/Dunban/Riki You should have been able to buy weapons that allow party members to damage mechons without Shulk's Monado powers back at the start of Sword Valley. You'll find more shops with similar weapons soon as well.
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Apr 13, 2012 02:01
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This thread has convinced me to grab this game while I still can and dust off this old Wii as soon as I finish what I'm currently playing. For the record, the Gamestop near me had plenty of copies (Houston).
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Apr 13, 2012 02:42
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I finally got this game in the mail from Nintendo and I'm ready to start going through it again after getting burnt out on so many sidequests in the EU version. Since I'm used to compusively doing sidequests, the tedium of most of the sidequests and how overleveled I was becoming made things old pretty quickly. Does anyone know of a guide that shows which Sidequests that are better off skipped, or has some quick and dirty advice of which sidequests can be put on the backburner indefinitely? I really liked this game the first time around. I'd really like to be able to finish it this time.
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Apr 13, 2012 02:52
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Lakbay posted:And the icing on the cake is when you learn is that he's 40 with a wife and a bunch of kids To further expand on what the above poster said you can first buy the anti-mechon weapons from the hidden mechon camp.
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Apr 13, 2012 02:56
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Lakbay posted:Now that I'm on (late game spoiler)Galahad Fortress/Mechonis will I have to keep using Shulk to keep hitting Mechon? I just find he's so dull to play and I've grown attached to Melia/Dunban/Riki Uhhh, if you're already that far, then you should already have access to anti-Mechon weaponry. Everything Dickson sells at Sword Valley can hit Mechon. If you're in Galahad Fortress, quick travel to the beginning of Sword Valley and stock up on weapons.
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Apr 13, 2012 03:01
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Jetpack Postman posted:Does anyone know of a guide that shows which Sidequests that are better off skipped, or has some quick and dirty advice of which sidequests can be put on the backburner indefinitely?
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Apr 13, 2012 03:11
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Wow I can't believe (early spoiler) they killed off who I thought was going to be the female lead less than five hours into the main story. Who else is gonna be the sappy love interest? Just, wow. Already, my expectations for this game have been ground into a fine dust. Manoueverable fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Apr 13, 2012 |
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Apr 13, 2012 04:18
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Chaltab posted:I still think Shulk is miles above most other bland jRPG protagonists of the past ten years. For one, he's not passive until provoked--he's actively researching the strange powers of the Monado. I just got the game today, and I'm loving it. I think this quote is one of the big reasons why so far. You know who he reminds me of a little bit? Justin in the original Grandia. I was playing that to kill some time while XC was getting shipped, and I just really enjoyed that the main character was this crazy kid that wanted to be a young Indiana Jones. It made the game (at least as far as I got into it, which wasn't very) and characters really enjoyable. Even though the story's different, that same curiosity from the lead character is really appealing after seeing so many "Oh, well I guess I just got kind of roped into this situation I previously did not care about" plots going around. Can't wait to get a little bit farther in. I get the feeling a lot of time is going to be spent on this game in my near future.
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Apr 13, 2012 05:45
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Well I just got to the town on the top of the bionis and oh god there are so many TIMED QUESTS here, drat it! Those things always make me nervous and feel like I have to complete them right away before I do anything else story-wise. Not that these won't be easy breezy since I exited the waist/butt swamp at level FOURTY. I think I'm a bit overleveled. I sat in Colony 9 killing some level 39-ish monsters in a cave because they dropped pretty nice gear. Breezed past the area up til getting to the bionis' head because I fuckin' hate JUNGLES ugh. Personal thing ever since diablo 2 I think. Jungles just instantly make me want to blitz past the area. I guess eventually I'll head back there though to mop up the quests and murder all the monsters who were too high level for me to fight. Once I got Melia I decided to try the little trick you can pull with her that someone else mentioned in the bionis leg lake area you can use her sleep ability + spear breaker to boot lvl 79 enemies off cliffs, which kills them. gained six levels doing that too, and got some "Lancelot" leg/foot gear and some "Rex cuisses" which attach a couple tailpipes and an engine to Reyn's rear end? I dunno, I just could not make him wear something so ridiculous looking. I also ended up getting a unique sword with EXP/AP+ for Dunban, but I don't ever use Dunban despite everybody saying he is pretty rad. Just feels wrong to not use Shulk, Reyn & Sharla. Of course the game is just THROWING Dunban swords at me like it is screaming "USE HIM, USE DUNBAN WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU" No game, it is always Reyn time. In addition to the cool armor and some weaponry for Riki/Dunban/Melia (form party two and fight alongside us, geez), I also got some crystals from those guys. Turns out 150 is the maximum you can gem STR up to on a guy, which can be reached with two gems. Also you can hit 100% topple resistance with a single gem. Make sure you Mega-heat (how to ->)hit 300% which is hidden after you hit 200% aka HEAT level, usually requires luck(Fevers/Bromance boosts) + two high canisters you've boosted a few times. when you make gems! Not only do you get TWO gems but they are maxed out in stats! Dangit timed quests, I was in a story mood, and now I have to do all these.
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