• History: The magickal beasts of Lemurés. They do not perish when felled in battle, but merely return to their own world, where they wait to be called again. For this reason, the aegyl refer to them as the swords of the eternal.
  
• Lore: It is my seventh day in Lemurés. Already I find myself accustomed to fending off the Yarhi -- the vulgar word for the beasts of this land. They much resemble those of Ivalice, but they lack substance, fading to nothing when slain.
  - An Antiquarian's Musings

• History: Bangaa headhunter of ill repute. He once hunted the most notorious marks in Ivalice -- Balthier himself among them. But Ba'Gamnan's ruthless ways eventually led to a price being put on his own head. Even his own henchmen have begun to doubt his leadership.
  
• Lore: He has long been a menace and threat to the peace of the Empire. The Ministry of Law may once have had use for such as he, but in a time of peace we can ill afford the threat in such allegiances. Let a bounty be placed on his head, and his head on a pike.
  - Proceedings of the Imperial Senate

• Tomaj told me how it works, but I still don't trust it. I just hope Ba'Gamnan doesn't break free in the middle of the night and come for me... It's kinda scary in my room all alone. Maybe I can stay at Penelo's?
  - Kytes

These are Ba'Gamnan's stats.



I put him in battle in place of Llyud. Most of our enemies are Melee or Ranged, so a Melee until has less weaknesses than a Flying one here. The Revive Gambit is also less useful on a field with a soul crystal.



I unlock Bomb Espers to use in this fight.



And this is my team going in! Let's begin battle!

Bombs have a self-destruct ability. When you tap an Esper, usually you just get the option to dismiss it. (Dismissing an Esper can be helpful, as it frees up Affinity points to spend on other Espers) Espers with abilities, like self-destruct here, get a Magick/Abilities option similar to the one party leaders get. Espers can't have Gambits, so you've got to use their abilities manually like this!

The map is fairly straightforward, there's a summoning gate in the middle that starts off property of our foes, so we should catch that on the way. Righty-o!



Filo has learned Defense Snare after the last battle. It's a trap which lowers the Stamina and Mind of foes. Setting up traps near a Soul Crystal or on choke points on an arena can be a good idea. Trapping abilities have a pretty long recharge time, so don't just place them anywhere, put a bit of thought into it! But this trap never comes into play here, as this is the first battle to show off the soul crystal mechanic and therefore not a tricky fight. In fact, let's get to discussing Soul Crystals now!



Soul crystals don't appear in all battles, but do show up semi-regularly from now on. Since they automatically revive leaders, healing becomes less of a priority.



The mission won't end unless your soul crystal is destroyed, so you could have everyone dead and be able to make a comeback. Not that having everyone dead would be a good place to be in, mind you, but since death isn't as big of a deal, a focus on offense and bruting your way to the foe's crystal is important.



In this battle, you need to keep summoning Espers, as they tend to die quickly as well, and need replenishing.



Enemy leaders are also automatically resurrected by their crystal, after a short period of time. Killing leaders as you go means they'll all be at the crystal by the end, and it can get thorny then.



I don't kill the white mage here, since they're the least threatening, and having them close to the Soul Crystal will make every other enemy leader who's going to spawn there harder to kill.



Soul Crystals change the approach you should take to battle significantly. Other ways things will change will be seen in future fights!





Bonus: If Ba'Gamnan isn't around, Llyud has something to say on the Soul Crystal's destruction!



Kinda dull compared to Ba'Gamnan. Doing the battle a second time, to find out this worthless little bite of info, my strategy was: Press X to select all party members, and tap the soul crystal. And it worked! I was kinda surprised it did work, but if you're having trouble on this mission, just charge wildly at the soul crystal and hope for the best!

By the way, here's the official artwork of Vaan and Penelo.



Phew.
So next time: Chapter 3 begins!

ok Amazing fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Sep 17, 2013

• History: To battle the many wild and unbound Yarhi they encountered, the ancient aegyl harnessed the Yarhi themselves. They called forth these Yarhi using sacred stones known as auracite. The portals through which they enter our world are summoning gates, doorways to the World of Illusion.
  
• Lore: Lift up auracite and offer prayer. To the faithful shall I send armies of Yarhi that will pour forth as a great flood to down their enemies.
  - The Canon, Book of Calling, Canto III

• A variety of magicite -- a substance with which the reader is no doubt familiar -- peculiar to Lemurés. Auracite is but a small fragment of the much larger auraliths, of which there are three. These feature prominently in the lore and history of Lemurés.
  
• Lore: Three auraliths have I sent upon this land. Protect them and the Stones they bear. For all auracite is born of the auraliths, and it is through these Stones I grant my power unto you.
  - The Canon, Book of Stones, Canto XII

• God of the aegyl, said to have led them to Lemurés and then used the power of the auraliths to erect the great barrier that had stood for so many thousands of years. The aegyl believe he watches over them even now, inviolate before Time's ravages.
  
• Lore: Know that my name is Feolthanos, He who laid open this land of Lemurés for you, My followers and people, the aegyl. Know that I ever stand above you, delivering you from harm. For I am the Undying, the Eternal.
  —The Canon, Book of Origins, Canto I
  

• I'm sure you'll do fine on your own, Kytes. Llyud, this log is for the entire crew, which you're now a member of, so write something when you have the time. That goes for you too, Vaan. Don't tell me you're too busy captaining to scribble something down!
  - Penelo

Hey, I just remembered I haven't shown Llyud's official art yet either. Here you go!



Next time, let's see what Tomaj has got for us on his notice board.

These side missions are super-straightforward. Just don't forget to grab the treasure chest!



The hardest part is the huge pile of Antlions. But if you bring both your flying leaders, and some flying Espers, and victory is easy as. You should come here sooner than later, a weakened team might have trouble, and everything else on the map is pretty easy to pick off in comparison. If your characters have any buffs by this stage, using them before charging into the Antlions is a good idea!

This battle isn't too different from the previous battle fought in the Dais of the Auracite, even though we have another enemy leader, and no soul crystal. It's a bit trickier, but the soul crystal battle was so easy, it's hard not to be trickier than that.





One of our enemy leaders had died when I took this screenshot, a Viera archer, and where they were is now a star. There's two summoning gates here, and it's better to capture them both, to stop your foe from using them. The white mage is weak, and I didn't kill the white mage the last time I fought a battle here, so.



The second Viera archer is up the stairs between the two summoning gates, and likes to cast Vanish. Vanish will make her invisible on the map, so don't forget she exists. Vanish automatically comes off when she starts attacking.



Quaddo likes to come down and attack you when you climb the stairs the second Viera archer was defending, rather than waiting for you to get to him. You should just kill him when he comes for you. Don't forget to replenish your Espers as you do!

And with that, we've done all the sidequests available to us for now!

So, why do sidequests? You get things for hundred-percenting the game, and beating all the sidequests is part of that. In addition, you get EXP, so it allows you to level-up a bit. There are other ways to level, but they feel like grinding, and this doesn't so much. There's also a bit of character development and stuff you'd otherwise miss. All the usual reason you'd do sidequests in games, I s'pose.

We have him to thank for this diversion, so here he is! Tomaj's official art!



And next time, it's back to the main plot.

ok Amazing fucked around with this message at 12:49 on Sep 22, 2013

• History - A collection of inscriptions scattered throughout Lemurés believed to contain the words of Feolthanos. The Canon is the code by which the aegyl lead their lives. It details the origins of the auraliths and proscribes all contact with the outside world.
  
• Lore - Herein inscribed are the words of He Who Leads, Feolthanos, the Eternal. Honor His words. Teach your children to honor them, and your children's children. In so doing, may you know peace.
  - Sacred Epigraph

• History - The great skystone piercing the island cuts an imposing figure, but many are the sky pirate who have found respite on the slopes of the gently rolling hills in its eaves. An auralith sits enshrined in the island's fane, marking it for the sacred place it is to the aegyl.
  
• Lore - I've not seen the like of the skystone that dominates the landscape here. The climate beneath the stone is cool and pleasant, and there is a great shrine -- small though it appears by comparison -- standing near its base. What treasures wait within?
  - Royal Society of Anthropology

• Happy now? I'm writing! I don't think a log check should count as you entry. What am I supposed to write? 'Isle of the Megalith ahoy! Rudders full to port!'?
  - Vaan

• Rescued fellows from attack.
  In pursuit of sky pirates.
  We make for the fane.
  May the clouds be below us.
  - Llyud

• Is that all you can say, Llyud? There has to be something more you could write. We are your friends, after all.
  - Filo

• No need to bicker! If I don't see you at the grand opening of my shop, then we'll have something to argue about. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this...not literally, of course.
  - Tomaj

• When Vaan let us into the shrine, the auralith was out in the open, just asking to be stolen. The aegyl sure are trusting.
  - Kytes

• Strong winds worry at my wings in spite of fair weather today. I know of no aegyl who would steal as the sky pirates do.
  - Llyud

• Sneaking into the shrine the other day reminded me of breaking into the palace. I'd never have met Balthier and Fran if it wasn't for that. Now we're practically inseparable! Practically....
  - Vaan

The purple level II esper our foes have is Carbuncle. They're the upgraded version of white hares, and can provide some serious healing! You'll need to kill them first, or they'll keep topping up your foes HP.







Across the field from our starting point is the Spoony sky pirate, the white mage of the enemy team.



They have a few espers defending them, but not enough to be a challenge. Two of the espers are Carbuncle, and so once all the espers who can attack are dead, these guys can't do anything to you.



Some enemy espers come around the corner from the summoning gate our foes control, but they're pretty whatever.



These big-eared espers are the Cait Sith of this game. They're pretty cute, but sadly, they have to die.



We can take out the Regretful sky pirate here, but the Unscrupulous mechanist will run off.



Capture the summoning gate and summon more espers, take a bit of a break to bulk up your forces.



In this corner, the summoning gate will mostly spit out Carbuncle. You have to thin their numbers, perhaps even kill them all, before you go for the leaders.

The Judge of Wings starts up near Shiva, but will quickly rush over to engage your party.



This is near the second summoning gate, and she's already here! Smarter players would camp at the start until she came up and attacked, but it's not a hassle fighting her here. After defeating her, the objective changes a little!

Capture the nearby summoning gate, and sure up your numbers.



Shiva is behind Sirens and Goblins, Flying and Melee espers. She herself is Ranged, meaning it's a bit messy getting in there. Send Vaan (and/or Ba'gamnan, if you're using him here) to attack Shiva, after distracting the other Espers with other characters.



Shiva is also weak to Fire, so use Fire Espers on her. As a warning, most Fire Espers are weak to Water, which is Shiva's element, so distract Shiva with another unit. Kytes' Firaga is also helpful here!



Don't forget to top up your Espers! You can lure Shiva over on top of the summoning gate, then summon Espers she's weak to from under her, if you want.

ok Amazing fucked around with this message at 13:24 on Sep 26, 2013

• History - Exceptionally rare and powerful pieces of auracite entrusted to the faithful after long hours of vigil and prayer. These crystals mark their bearers as devoted servants of the Eternal, and through Him, enable them to fortify the Yarhi at their command.
  
• Lore - Should you seek powers surpassing even the Yarhi, look once more to the auraliths. To the chosen among you shall I give Stones of peerless might.
  -The Canon, Book of Calling, Canto VIII

• History - The mysterious figure behind the sky pirates' search for auracite. Little is known of this so-called judge's identity or motives, though there are whispers that the Judge of Wings plans an assault on Ivalice.
  
• Lore - I hear her in my mind. Behind my eyes. Her words a siren song to me. Attack Ivalice? Never! And yet... I cannot do otherwise. I am powerless to stop.
  -A Sky Pirate's Lament

• Business has been brisk, and I've thought of a good use we can put the sky saloon to. I've also taken in a stray Yarhi. I think there may even be a place for it in my plans.
  -Tomaj

• Master Tomaj, I must object to you calling me 'it'. I am a master artificer, and you cannot expect to receive my services if I am not treated with the proper respect.
  -Cu Sith, Master Artificer

• So are we going to fight the Judge of Wings? The one Balthier couldn't even beat?
  -Kytes
  
• I'd give Balthier a little more credit. Wouldn't you agree, Vaan?
  -Penelo

The game automatically sends you onto the next mission and... woah! Three missions in a row without an airship break? Really?



If you pause the game, you can exit back to the world map, among other things. Since the game automatically sends you into this mission, the only way you can see the in-between mission airship chat is by quitting after it's begun! Then, it can be selected from the world map like any other mission. This chat is easy to miss, so let's get to it!

Right in front of you, is a line of bombs. It's tempting to charge straight in, but that's the wrong idea!



...because one of the Bangaa will try and take the nearby summoning gate away from you! Foes can steal summoning gates off you, as you can steal gates off them. If you're off fighting Bombs while this guy is taking your gate, things will get thorny. Camp around the summoning gate until the Bangaa tries to grab it, and deal with the Bombs after you've dealt with him.



Now we're a bit into battle, you can see the AP system at work. On the top screen, you can see your AP accumulating over time, and up to five crystals at once can be held. These are spent to fortify your Espers, each fortification raising an Esper's level by one for the duration of the battle. The first fortification for an Esper costs one AP, the second one costs two, and so on. This battle, I am going to focus on fortifying Golem and the White Hares.







Bwagi teams up with Tiamat. Level III espers like Tiamat, or Shiva from the last battle, are as strong as party leaders, and have a few abilities to their name. Tiamat has Plasma Storm, which hits a radius of targets for a fair bit of damage. She also has Mighty Guard, which casts Protect and Shell on herself and her allies within range, those being two buffs reduce the amount of physical and magical damage taken respectively. If Tiamat uses Mighty Guard before you engage her, wait for it to wear off before engaging.

I keep Llyud out of the skirmish, because as a flying type, he's weak to Tiamat. He's also the only one on the party who can revive the fallen, so if he dies, the battle becomes a lot harder.



The summoning gate here is protected by not much. Take it, regroup, and have a breather. You've cleared half the field. Now onto the second half!



Here's what's left on our overhead map, entering this part of the battle, and... Tiamat? Again?
If you do take a break, Tiamat may be summoned, but to Rinok's side. As far as i've seen, you'll only have to fight Tiamat twice in this battle, she won't be re-summoned after she dies here.

The second skirmish with Tiamat and one of Ba'Gamnan's siblings is no different than the first. It might be a bit easier, if you've been fortifying your Espers!



There's a summoning gate right behind Rinok. I think it's better to wait until after you've beaten her to capture it.



A row of bombs is protecting Gijuk. I coax them into exploding, sacrificing Filo and Ba'Gamnan in the process. It's ok, Llyud can revive them. There may be better ways for dealing with bombs, but keep Llyud out of the skirmish, for the same reasons as before, you may need him to revive others!



Gijuk's AI gets him stuck behind the Carbuncle for a while here. Oops. So um... don't forget the material node here!







The Carbuncle are very dangerous right now, because they can heal so much of your foe's HP, it can easily null the damage you're doing. With Penelo healing you, it can end up a stalemate. To avoid this, once Gijuk has had his spiel, lure him down and away from his summoning gate.



Once he's further away, then engage him. Some Carbuncle may follow, but enough to pick off.

Bonus: Ba'Gamnan can't talk to his siblings if he's seeing stars! Here's the alternative dialogue.





Vaan is the one to talk to Gijuk, so what happens if Vaan is unavailable?