|
 If you do not wish to be spoiled on Xillia 1's ending, or plot points from the first game, do not read past this point  Introduction Tales of Xillia 2 (2012 / 2014) is, obviously, a sequel to 2011 / 2013's Tales of Xillia, taking place on year later in the same world, and featuring much the same cast. These two games are set in two parallel worlds: Rieze Maxia and Elympios. Rieze Maxia is a land ruled by spirits of earth, wind, fire, and water, and its people use these spirits to aid their daily lives. Elympios, on the other hand, utilizes advanced technology in order to live, as it has no connection with the spirits. In the backstory of these games, Rieze Maxia and Elympios were originally one world, but the development of objects called spyrix began to destroy their enviornment. Because of spyrix, the two worlds were separated by the most powerful spirit, Maxwell. At the end of the first game the two worlds were united once again through the efforts of Jude Mathis, Milla Maxwell (originally Maxwell's puppet, she becomes the new Maxwell at the end of game), Alvin, Elize Lutus, Rowen Ilbert, and Leia Rolando. Although all six will have an important role in this game, Xillia 2 will instead follow the strange life of Ludger Kresnik and Elle Mel Marta, as a chance encounter between the two spirals into a fight for the world's future. Gameplay The battles in this game are fought according to the Cross Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System (Namco-Bandai's term for it), which doesn't particularly need to be explained here, as the system is not only very similar to the one in the first one, but will also be explained much better in the first few hours of the game. However, if you are coming into this game from the first one, you'll be able to get used to it very quickly. However, that is not to say it is entirely the same. More important is story progression. Unlike Jude and Milla, Ludger is a silent protagonist and the player will have the ability to choose Ludger's responses to NPCs and PCs throughout the game. While these choices do not substantially affect plot progression, there is a new affection system for three NPCs and all the playable characters aside from Ludger, so raising affection lets you see new scenes and even additional content to certain story sequences. This game, progression-wise, is divided into 16 chapters. To progress from one chapter to the next, you have to pay off debt, which is a mechanic introduced at the end of the introduction and forms the basis for the player advancing the story. Of course, I do not need to go into specifics at the moment. The choices While there are choices, there are also *right* choices to make that increase character affections, and the choices I make in the game will be clearly indicated by my commentary. However, that is not to say I won't show off the alternates. At the end of each video, I'll post the results of the choices not made in the main update for your enjoyment. When it comes to one of Xillia 1's most popular features, dressing up your characters with all manner of goofy accessories and costumes, however, that can be arranged in the thread. I'll be going through this game again on a New Game+, which means I can bring all the cosmetic stuff over from my previous games. When I recruit every new character, I'll post everything I have for the character, and one lucky poster will have the honor of having their choices reflected in the update. Spoiler Policy Obviously, as a sequel, anything from Xillia 1 is fair game. The characters will frequently refer to characters, events, and plot-related stuff from the first game, and I'll explain references where appropriate. However, as of the posting of this thread, fellow forums poster wdarkk is Let's Playing the first game, so if you want to know where it all began, feel free to read that thread. However much I like the first game, I like this game even more. I hope you'll enjoy my take on the wild world of Tales of Xillia 2. Updates: Part I: The Man Who Dreams Part II: The Girl Who Begins Part III: The Man Who Transforms Part IV: The Man Who Works Part V: The Man Who Trusts Part VI: The Woman Who Reports Part VII: The Man Who Advises Part VIII: The Man Who Explains Part IX: The Man Who Delves Part X: The Man Who Struggles Part XI: The Woman Who Laments Part XII: The Girl Who Partners Part XIII: The Man Who Helps Part XIV: The Man Who Rules Part XV: The Man Who Understands Part XVI: The Man Who Hums Part XVII: The Man Who Bets Part XVIII: The Woman Who Learns Part XIX: The Girl Who Fears Part XX: The Man Who Tries Part XXI: The Woman Who Despairs Part XXII: The Woman Who Returns Part XXIII: The Man Who Reflects Part XXIV: The Man Who Mirrors Part XXV: The Girl Who Hates Part XXVI: The Girl Who Reveals Part XXVII: The Girl Who Decides Part XXVIII: The Man Who Chooses Part XXIX: The Girl Who Questions Part XXX: The Man Who Departs Part XXXI: The Woman Who Schemes* Part XXXII: The Woman Who Sings Part XXXIII: The Man Who Vows Part XXXIV: The Man Who Concludes Part XXXV: The Man Who Challenges Part XXXVI: The Man Who Remembers Part XXXVII: The Man Who Meets Endings Part XXX-2: Family Matters Part XXXVIII: Debtor's Release Part XXXIX: New Heroes Part XL: The Man Who Lives Part XLI: The Woman Who Believes Sylphid fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Jan 24, 2017 |
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 00:27
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 04:41 |
|
|
Reserve post.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 00:28
|
|
|
Part I: The Man Who Dreams        Welcome to Tales of Xillia 2, everyone. While we've got a number of options here, for this thread we're going to be starting a New Game+. In long-standing Tales tradition, we've got some Grade Shop options to choose from before we begin this game.  So, the Grade Shop works a bit differently in this game than in other Tales games. In most Tales games, you accumulate Grade over the course of your entire playthrough, and the sum total of that acquired Grade is the number of Grade Points you get to spend in the shop. In this game, instead, by accomplishing various tasks in-game, you get points to spend here. There's a total of 10000 Grade you can acquire by accomplishing everything, and after every playthrough, your points are replenished for you to spend all over again, should you choose. Let's take a look at all the options before we begin. Ludger's Voice: normally, Ludger is an almost entirely silent protagonist. This option, if chosen, lets you hear his voice when making a choice in-game. It's free, and you can turn it off if you want, so there's no reason not to get this. Max Item Capacity 30 / 99: self-explanatory. I would highly advise getting 30, at least, because the standard item limit of 15 can be kinda restrictive your first time through the game. Of course, it also means certain fights can be easier, because you can stock up more healing items. Inherit Consumable Items: these are items like Apple Gels, Life Bottles, Elixirs, etc. etc. everything that you consume in and outside battle to restore health / TP. Inherit Material Items: much like the first game, this game has a very important crafting system for making powerful late-game items. Useful for saving a lot of time grinding materials in the late-game. Inherit Fashion Items: everyone's favorite feature in this game and Xillia 1. Fashion items change your character's appearance, making them as goofy or cool-looking as you want. There are also a number of fashion items you can only get from the post-game bonus dungeon that are also carried over with this choice. They're...interesting, is all I will say for now. Inherit Accessory Items: another self-explanatory choice. Everything that fits in the Accessory category is automatically returned to you at the start of the playthrough. Inherit Extractor: the Extractor is the game's system for giving characters new skills / abilities / stat increases. Obviously carrying this over means you're going to have a serious leg-up on the competition throughout the vast majority of this game. Inherit Special Items: special items are kind of a niche category in this game, as most of the items, with the exception of the Winged Sphere (which increases field movement speed), will probably never be used very much be me. Kinda pointless to carry over. Inherit Skill Items: you'll get various special items in this game that teach Ludger special artes. This options carries all those items into a new game. Not overly useful. Inherit Special Arms: there are two kinds of "Special Arms" in this game: Alliance and Devil's Arms. Devil's Arms are another Tales tradition, where their power increases depending on the number of enemies that are killed by a specific character. Alliance Arms are weapons whose power increases depending on the number of linked attacks done by a specific character. If you want to make the game REALLY easy, carry over these. Inherit Special Weapons: various powerful weapons can be acquired by crafting in this game (named after games in the Tales series). While eventually made rather worthless in terms of raw stats compared to Special Arms, these are pretty cool because they also provide passive buffs. Double Experience / 5x Experience: shouldn't have to describe this one. HP +1000: free max 1000 HP boost to all allies. Double Gald / Double Items Drops: both self-explanatory. Double Item Drops in particular is extremely useful. Unlock Skits: you are free to view any and every skit in the entire game in the Library if you choose this item. Very cool for people who enjoy the skits in this game / Tales games in general (and really, if you don't, there are plenty of other JRPG series you could be playing. They're easily one of the best parts of every Tales game, especially in recent entries.) Double Gauge Growth: the gauge that lets you launch linked artes with your partner increases twice as fast. Handy. Maximum AC + 1 / +2: AC is the number that determines the number of actions you can take in a single combo. More AC means you can launch longer combos after recharge. Inherit Arte Usage: self-explanatory name. Besides the novelty of keeping track of all the times a specific arte has been used, the reason you would carry this over is because the more an arte is used, at certain milestones, the power / effectiveness of that arte increases. Inherit Artes and Skills: not the same thing. Artes are combat abilities, skills are various modifications you can make to characters to make them more effective / change their fighting style. Increase Power Combo Damage: the way you bring down powerful bosses in this game is to initiate Power Combos, where you start a combo off with an enemy's weakness, then multiply that damage by combining different elements into the same combo. There's a multiplier attached depending on how many different elements you use (up to 9), and this option increases that multiplier. Increase Power Combo Time: once you start a Power Combo, you need to throw a different element at the target to increase the multiplier / reset the timer. If the timer expires, the combo ends. This option gives you more time to do so. Triple Critical: triples the critical rate for allies AND enemies. Choose this carefully, as you can't disable it once you've started the game with it. Double Damage: much like Triple Critical, this option doubles the damage done by your buddies and by every enemy. Again, use cautiously. Choosing this option in Tales of Xillia 1 led to an incredibly challenging / fun final boss on my end. Reduces Arte Cost: *yawn* Just decreases the TP needed to launch artes. Ludger Chromatus Lv. 2 / Lv. 3 / Max: something pretty cool. While it would be unwise to explain what the Chromatus is right now, Ludger gets the ability to invoke something by that name at a certain point in the story, and its power increases the further you get in the game (at various story-critical moments). Starting off with successive Chromatus levels allows you to harness that power before those moments in the story. Inherit Affinity Level: carries over the affection levels for every playable character except Ludger (who doesn't have one), as well as the affection level of three NPCs (whose affection levels exist, but are invisible). This can save a lot of time relatively late in the game. Inherit Merit Points (All) / Merit Points (Half): Merit Points are another gameplay mechanic that would not be wise to get into right now. This option will make more sense a couple updates from now. Inherit Kitty Dispatch: the big gathering quest of this game involves finding hordes of cats to find special items / material items. Selecting this option carries over most of the cats and the dispatch data. More cats = more chance of finding more / rare items. Phew, that was exhausting. Let's get on to the actual game once you've made your choices...  Omen  A boss fight already?! Nah, this is a little tutorial "fight". The shadowy man will rant at you. Feel free to take this time and practice how Ludger fights / general controls. After attacking for a bit...   Hmph... I see you have a similar combat grip. You and I are definitely brothers... And yet... I got all the strength! You actually think you'll make it through the Trial like this?! Don't make me laugh, Ludger!  The Trial is cruel. Unbearably cruel. And people are weak. Weak enough to ruin us all. You will come to understand... This is our curse! The gears of fate that grind the curse bind upon us an armor of death. It's a Key and a Lance that pierces space and time. Souls encircle the throne of the void. The branches of history reach out to infinity!  You alone must make the decision, brother. Everything rides upon this one choice. Not just your life...but the fate of the entire world. Do you have what it takes...to destroy...to choose...to pass the Trial?! Answer me! Ludger Kresnik!     The Spirius test   One of the very few lines Ludger has that is always voiced, I believe.    Hm, coulda sworn we've seen this guy before. Not sure where, though.  Cutting it a bit close, don't you think? Need I remind you that this is the Spirius Corporation's entrance exam? First choice of the game. For the record, anytime you see a check mark next to a choice, that means the last playthrough I did, this is the choice I made. This choice, as well as the next one, is utterly inconsequential. However, for every choice, I'll post the alternate choice in scene's video. But you still barely made it on time? You're short on brains...but you've definitely got guts. Hm? Well, we've GOT to go with L1 here. You dreamt that I killed you? Well, if you keep decimating my supply of tomato cupcakes, perhaps that dream will come true. Kidding. Anyway, time to wake up and smell reality. Let's begin, shall we? You'll be tested here, in the underground training area. These caverns stretch all the way to Trigleph's city limits. You could head straight out of town from here. I wouldn't, though. It's an automatic failure. Hmph... I see you have a similar combat grip. We're definitely brothers. The exam is live combat. Slay five of the monsters in the training area and return before your time runs out. Spirius is not liable for any injuries sustained during the exam. But just between us, if things go bad, I've got your back. You're my brother. Thank me later. Here they come!  So we finally have our first real battle. Next to Ludger's picture at the bottom, we have the basics of combat. HP is in orange, TP is in blue, and the number of actions Ludger can perform in a single combo is 5 at the moment. The normal Tales battle style is still present here. Unless you're free running (you can't attack while free running), you're stuck on an invisible line with the targeted enemy (the triangle above the enemy's head indicates I'm currently focusing on that foe, as well as their remaining HP).  Square guards against enemy attacks. Of course, blocking is critical against tougher enemies. Note, however, you cannot block every attack. If a red exclamation mark appears above an enemy's head, you can't block that attack and you will need to actually dodge to avoid considerable damage. You can also quick-step back and forth by hitting the control stick left or right twice in fast succession. Unless you have the skill that increases quickstep range, not terribly useful for dodging enemy attacks.  X launches normal attacks, and circle activates artes. You can tilt the control stick in three directions (toward the enemy, up, and down) to use different basic attacks.  Artes are governed by the same principle. Ludger is using Azure Edge right now, but at the moment, he also has Time Disintegration, which is a fast melee combo. Unlike many other Tales games, you can combo the same arte over and over again in the same combo (so I could do a three hit combo of just Azure Edge.) Time Disintegration ends with a kick that knocks the target down, so you can't combo that. You can also, of course, combine regular attacks and artes in the same combo, but always keep in mind artes require TP, which can be restored with items or regular hits (regular hits restore 1 TP per hit).  Anyway, these enemies are as basic as they get, so feel free to take them apart with artes or regular hits. Just remember to ration TP a bit at this point.  And this is the usual post-battle screen. Everything should be pretty self-explanatory, but the victory screens can many times be the most entertaining part of a fight, as amusing post-battle conversations is one of the selling points for this game.  For now, this is your rather limited main menu. 276 hours? drat I'm put a lot of time into this game. I'm going to put quite a bit more in it, I think.  Poking around in the item menu, you can find stuff like this. Any downloaded costumes can be found here, but only can be equipped on the characters they're assigned to. These include downloaded costumes for the first game (which are carried over into this game). I got Milla, Alvin, and Elize's DLC outfits for the last game, but they're all pretty good, especially Milla's Dhaos costume.  And this is the considerable arsenal of weapons I'm carrying over. I only carried them over to maintain their stats I worked so hard to get my last couple playthroughs. We won't be seeing a lot of these items in regular gameplay for a looooong time, so just forget you saw this for now.  Anyhow, for our primary goal, it's pretty easy to find all the enemies, so just go and waste them. You can also look around for four treasure chests, which all have basic consumables or money in them. Once you've taken out all the enemies...  Just return to where we talked to Julius at the start of the test.   Hard choices Random employee and monster!  Choosing L1 leads to Julius taking care of the situation, R1 is a bit more interesting...  This fight is basically impossible under these circumstances. Especially since you can't equip anything to give you super-powered weapons before the game really begins. When you almost certainly get KO'd...    Valor and skill are two very different things, Ludger. True professionals know the difference...and their limits. Just now, we were testing your ability to analyze the situation. Ludger Kresnik. You failed.  Gears in motion   Elle, wait right there!    He went downstairs. After him!   Your pocketwatch. Elle, you know how to read a clock, right? You need to get on the ten o'clock train leaving from Trigleph Central Station. From there, head to the Land of Canaan. To Canaan? It's a place where any wish can be granted. It's where you and I can finally live in peace. A place that grants wishes? You must go there, no matter how frightening it may be. Okay. I promise I'll go. Get to the train and then to Canaan! Shoot him now!    What about you?! I'll meet you there. I promise! Daddy! Daddy! drat it, she got away. It doesn't matter. He's the Key.   
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 00:28
|
|
|
alchargia, as the first poster, would you mind doing the honors of dressing up Ludger and Jude for when I record next? I have every fashion item in the game, so there is no need to hold back.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 08:41
|
|
|
alcharagia posted:Well, it's the first go, so let's go understated. Give Ludger a vivid green mustache/pipe combo and Emo Glasses, wearing his pajamas because Ludger misunderstood "business casual," and our other friend aviators and the largest Li'l Milla you can possibly make, wearing the color variation on his Xillia 2 outfit because he looks better in green. You're quite mad, you know. I hope you know what you're doing.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 18:10
|
|
|
pichupal posted:
The game makes a point about having all the playable characters in the same shot together in the OP, (except Ludger, who was on-screen two seconds earlier) so it's not a secret the game seems to want to keep in the first place. So it's *technically* a spoiler, but it's as insubstantial as spoilers get.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2016 18:43
|
|
|
Agean90 posted:I was able to beat the monster on a fresh game Oh really? That sounds cool enough for a re-record of that part, just to get that scene. I always thought that was a fight you were supposed to lose badly.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2016 20:45
|
|
|
Part II - The Girl Who Begins The next day  Hey, Ludger! You alive in there? Chop-chop! Sleeping in on your first day of work? Smooth move. Somebody's ready for a pep talk from his brother? Ryoooow. Going with L1 here. Gotta get some characterization in early, y'know. Also, for another reason (which I didn't realize at the time). Julius is one of the three NPCs I promised in the first update that have affection levels. While nothing indicates he likes this choice, trust me, he does have an affection level. So, what's the point of increasing these levels? Not too much, actually. If his level is high enough by the endgame, you'll get a special pair of swords (that happen to look exactly like the ones Ludger is already using), that have pretty good stats, but otherwise don't have much point at all. Don't worry if you miss out on them, because they're not terribly worth the investment. Really? I, uh...didn't think you were gonna say yes. You're gonna make a great chef someday, so give each meal your all. Hey! Don't laugh at me. Anyway, I know they're gonna love your cooking at the station cafeteria. I eat it, and I haven't died yet. How many Tales protagonists have pets? Not too many, actually. Off the top of my head, I think of the others, only Lloyd had one. There's something about the way Rollo meows that's cute and yet very unnatural, which results in an appealing character. The furball will be very key to upcoming story developments, so stay tuned. Looks like Rollo's hungry, too. Let's eat. What's the special today, chef? Julius likes tomatoes, and he seems like an okay big brother, so why not indulge him as an apology for having to save us from that electric monster thing? L1 increases his affection. So, trying to butter me up with tomatoes, huh? I'm onto your tricks. Doesn't mean it won't work. Ryooow. And how about you, Rollo? Fancy some deep-fried canary, maybe? Or how 'bout some diet Kitty Krisps? Gotta lift you from the kness, big boy.  Production will begin today at the Oscore Plant, a joint venture between the government and the Spirius Corporation. The plant's projected output surpasses that of any other facility in Elympios. Industry leaders have high hopes that Oscore's output will stabilize Elympios' food supply. To commemorate the occasion, a ceremonial train will depart from Trigleph Central Station at ten o' clock today. A ceremonial train, huh? And it leaves right from your new workplace. How's that for a perk? Say, I should really give you something to celebrate your new job, shouldn't I? Hm, another pointless choice. But hey, I want that snazzy pocketwatch, so let's ask him for it. This game seems to have a clock theme going so far (even if there is no actual time travel in this game).  Fun fact, the pocketwatch on the right is the icon used for the Platinum trophy of this game! Hey, if it's a watch you want, I'll spring for a new one. Well, how about a nice necktie instead? You'll be dealing with all sorts of folks at the station, you know. Gotta look sharp. Whoops, I've gotta run.  I do believe something odd is going on...  But the clock faded back in, so I guess everything's fine. Catch you later. You should go, too. A train station employee running late is a pretty big faux pas.    Thanks game. Welcome to Ludger's apartment building, a place we'll be seeing quite a bit of over the course of the game. Right now, you can either proceed down the elevator to continue the game, or you can return to Ludger's apartment to look around for yourself. There's really not much to see there, but you can get a jacket-less version of Ludger's default outfit if you go into his room and investigate the closet. I'll show that later. Or, you could try to barge into Julius' dwelling, but the door is locked. That is all I will say about it for now. Even if you're brothers, would you want someone snooping around the place you sleep? I think not. Also, despite it being an apartment building, there's not a whole lot of rooms you can go into.  The landlord will be hanging around the lobby or thereabouts the entire game, so if you want to know the state of Ludger's rent payments, don't forget to check in with her.  And this is the park immediately outside. This is actually where the Tales staple of "Big emotional scene prior to fighting the final boss" scene happened in the first Xillia. You can see Trigleph is not a particularly lively place in terms of plant life. Elympios, where Trigleph is, is kinda barren in terms of actual geography, which does not particularly lend itself to interesting environments to explore.  Fateful encounter  You're the one who wanted to cover this event, Leia! Balan had to call in some favors just to get you a ticket. Me?! I can't write the article for you! Besides, I don't even know which train they're using for the ceremony. Hey!  Seems like this poor fellow, who we DEFINITELY have not seen in a previous Tales game, is in a spot of trouble. Let's be a nice guy.  If you've made a choice that increases affection levels, you'll get a little pop up with their head to indicate as such. This applies to skits, as well, so this is the first and only time I'll show that happening. Well, yeah, sure. If you don't mind. Thanks a lot. You're a lifesaver. A friend just left me in the lurch.  What happened was that weird effect thing that happened to Julius' watch happened to the girl's watch, and she dropped it.  Meow. Hey, mister kitty-cat, do you know where they kepe the big trains around here? Daddy called it "Tri-something Station". Commercial... District... The station! Hey, wait! Mister kitty-cat! You're going to the station too? And our first skit of the game. Skits are divided into three broad category, with [MAIN] applying to skits that either have big storyline relevance or pop up naturally in the course of the main storyline.  Skits are... They're not really something text-only does justice. Even when the video is linked, it's just not the same thing as actually watching them. So, I'll probably keep all skits as video only. But, at the same time, I don't want 8 million videos of a single skit. What I'll do is I'll post a screenshot of the first part of a skit, then at the end of the update, I'll link a "All Update (2) skits" video that will have all skits + choices in it, just for everyone's viewing convenience. Sound good? Good. However, since this update only has one skit, I guess it gets its own video. Anyway, for this particular area, the big road leading to the left leads to the Spirius Corporation HQ, which is not somewhere you need to be right now, and there's no point in going elsewhere in the city aside from Trigleph Main Station. Just proceed to the end of the road to make it to the train station. Update 2 skits  Big man in town So that's the ceremonial train.  Is that it? Yes, sir. A message from Vice-Director Rideaux. "Suspicious activity observed in crown. Please take caution." He's going to attack us here? This'll be some celebration. We have been expecting you, Mr. Bakur. I'm happy to say our departure is right on schedule. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.  Welcome to Trigleph Station. The only thing to note about this screenshot is the green leaf icon indicates an item shop. Fascinating, I know.  First day on the job    Sir, you'll need to follow me to the station manager's office. This young lady just told me you tried to lure her out of the train station. By the way, Rollo is now almost constantly following her around. It's not long now until the feline is basically another of her accessories. Hey! You're not going anywhere! We've been falsely accused by a troublesome little girl and we're late for work, dammit! Time to fight back.  What happened is they struggled for a bit more, before Ludger slugged him right in the jaw. You wanna play rough? That other cop doesn't seem that interested in someone resisting arrest, but was that locker always there?  Guess not...     You know, as of this writing, I don't remember what happens if you try to flee the scene, and I'm not quite sure what happens if you let the clock expire. I imagine a choice will be made for you, but whatever. We're headed to that train anyway. Call it destiny. Edit: if you let the timer run out, the game makes the choice of L1 for you. Guess there's no use in letting it run out in the future. However, if you're playing the game for the first time, you shouldn't make this choice. For some reason, choosing R1 increases Elle's affection, making her the second NPC with an affection level.  And here we go...  Duty calls   Instead of just the bright, shiny effect, when Ludger touched the touch, it just disappeared. Something very odd is going on with clocks in this game...  Ludger is completely pinned down, so we need to...  FIGHT BACK! This option increases Elle's affection, but that's fine. Makes perfect sense.  Ludger and the mysterious attacker get into a short fistfight. Is he an agent? But, the attacker gets the upper hand, and it looks dire, until...  Catch! The resulting fight is pretty easy, so let's just skip past it and (correctly) presume I won.  Don't worry... I'm fine. Huh? What the? Impressive, Dr. Mathis. Were those Rieze Maxian martial artes? My security team could learn a thing or two from you. Then again, my security team can't channel spirits the way you Rieze Maxians can. I'm just glad we were both on the same car. You know, you're not too shabby yourself. My name is Bisley Bakur. I'm CEO of the Spirius Corporation. Hm, Julius works for Bisley, and it would seem impertinent of us to cause him any trouble by acting like a jerk to the big man. L1 raises Bisley's affection, making him the third and final NPC whose affection level will give you something nice if it's high enough at almost the very end of the game.  Ludger Kresnik, huh? You wouldn't happen to be related to Julius Kresnik, would you? Wait, your name is Kresnik?Jude has heard that name before, hence his surprise. In the first game, the first major arc of the story involved a weapon called the Lance of Kresnik, which is what temporarily destroyed the barrier between Rieze Maxia and Elympios. The Lance is named after Kresnik, who was really only known as the Genesis Sage in the first game. Sir, according to the corporation files, Ludger here is Director Kresnik's younger brother. Though they don't share the same mother. That's good to know. So you're part of the Spirius family, as it were. Those Exodus bastards have made their move. Exodus?! Terrorists who want trouble between the two nations.Exodus is another holdover from the first game. Exodus was a group of Rieze Maxians, decended from Elympions (or were just Elympions who got stuck on the wrong side of the border during some kind of dimensional incident), who wanted to return to their homeland and were prepared to do anything to accomplish this goal. One in their ranks was none other than Alvin, who initially appeared to Jude and friends as a simple freelance mercenary (but no one bought that line, since mercenary work in JRPGs is almost always cover for some other scheme). However, Alvin has since formally renounced all ties to the group, and with the reunification of the worlds, this is what they've resorted to. They've targeted us for supporting the government's peaceful policies towards Rieze Maxia. I have no doubt they plan to ram the train straight into Oscore. What?!Yeah, I guess Ludger isn't a total silent protagonist, but he's almost always limited to grunts or one-word replies. Wait, you mean this train?! So now, we have a choice between raising a different character's affection depending on our choice. When it comes to raising NPC affections, you should prioritize Bisley > Julius > Elle, if a choice must be made. For now, I'm going to go with L1, which raises Elle's affection. Technically speaking I shouldn't have done this, but in the playthrough I'm using to record alternate choices, I've carried over affection levels, so it doesn't matter at all what choices I make in the main playthrough. In this situation, R1 raises Bisley's affection. Ludger isn't subtle with seeking employment, obviously. Stop the train?! What are you gonna use? Your feet?! We could if we take control of the engine car. You'll stop it? This I have to see. I'll help, too. I have a stake in this. I'm impressed... My name is Jude Mathis. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ludger. C'mon.Update 2 alternate choices compilation
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2016 09:05
|
|
|
Traverse posted:Oh hey, Xillia 2. A lot of neat concepts, but the execution fell flat a few times, though I still like this game a lot more than the first Xillia. It's been a while, but I think it's the attachment you can get from finishing the bonus dungeon. I stuck it on Ludger just because.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2016 23:29
|
|
|
Part III: The Man Who Transforms So, regardless of your choices thus far, you'll be headed to the front of the train in order to bring it screeching to a halt. Along the way, you'll get into various fights with random mooks (who are virtually mandatory fights because you have no way to dodge around them), and, when you're switching cars, you'll frequently get a new tutorial. After this particular fight, Jude's gonna have a little chat with us.  Linked heroes Um... I brought an extra one. Take it. So, apologies to alchargia, but I forgot to change Jude into her chosen ridiculous outfit for the previous protagonist for this scene. This will not go unaddressed after this scene is finished. You know about Allium Orbs, right? We've been using them ever since the Lilium Orbs transmutated. The Orb will let us Link during battle. When we're Linked, we can--  Time to Link up!Okay, so this tutorial is REALLY important. Effective linking, and making the most of your linking, is mandatory for playing this game well. I'll explain step by step the tutorial, and my own comments over screenshots, but you can watch the video to get an idea what I'm doing in real-time. To start with, initiate a link by pressing the corresponding D-pad direction to the character you want to link with. When we get a 3rd and 4th party member, we can link with them by pressing directions other than left. For now, though, we're obviously going to start with Jude.  Simple enough. Get on one side of your opponent, and your linked partner will attempt to get on the other. Why would they want to do that? Aside from the obvious advantage of focusing an enemy's attention on one side or the other, attacking from an enemy's blind spot will increase the odds of a critical hit and recovering AC mid-combo, allowing you to continue a combo maybe 2-3 hits longer. Never underestimate how important a combo can be even one hit longer.  Another advantage of linking with an ally is that ally will support you if you get into trouble. Linked partners will support your own blind spots if necessary, and vitally, will protect you from a combo. For example, let's say an enemy launches an arte against you that hits 4-5 times. On the third or so hit, the ally will warp right in front of you and block the remainder of those hits. This is a crucial benefit.  Every playable character in the game has a support skill that activates under certain conditions. In Jude's case, if an enemy knocks you into the air and you land flat on the ground, he'll instantly warp to your position and activate Restore, which gives you back a little HP, and, if the attack KO'd you, Restore also gives you a chance of a free ressurrection (I think 20%). So, if we were to play as Jude (or any future party members), what's Ludger's support skill? None other than Mimic. He can replicate the support skill of whoever he is linked to.  Next up, Linked Artes. Check the gauge on the left. As you attack with your linked partner (doesn't have to be the same one), that gauge builds up. When you fill up a segment, launch an arte, and you'll get that icon over the controlled character. Following that, press R2 in the brief window that icon is visible, you'll launch what's called a Linked Arte. Using Azure Edge when linked with Jude...  Gets you Light Link Charge. The various "Element Link Charges" are pretty generic attacks, where you and your partner character just charge through an enemy using that particular element to do damage. If the name of the Linked Arte isn't specified in the arte menu, you'll get one of the Link Charges. There are quite a few unique artes, though, so we're barely scratching the surface. However, as the game mentions, you can't just stock up Linked Artes by not launching them. To advance the gauge, you need to use Linked Artes.  Yeah, so by pressing the same D-pad direction as the character you're linked, as you'll change their pre-set strategy to either Acting Together, Acting Freely, or On Your Own. Generally though, there's no much need to change strategies, except in a variety of special situations. Like, if there were a swarm of enemies, you might want to divide your firepower so you can still get linked benefits while the AI covers other bases. Up to you.  While Azure Edge launches Light Link Charge, Time Disintegration, Ludger's other arte at the moment, will launch Dual Conquest, a fast melee combo that can hit the enemy with a status effect. While you are hard to kill during a Linked Arte, you are NOT invincible while the animation is playing. Certain enemies, almost always late-game enemies, can be so powerful they can kill you while the arte is playing out.  After a few fights, you'll level up with Jude and Ludger. Most of the time, the characters have specific quotes they throw out for when they level up, but at story-critical times, like this one, you'll just get the Level Up! screen with the character doing a simple standing pose.  So, when you have more than one party member available, you can switch the leader of the party (read: the on-screen character running around in the field), and swap members around, for when you have more than four party members or when you want to switch the character you start each battle playing as. When you're playing with only with one player, like I am, the character in the first slot is who you start each battle playing as. Since we have Jude, who is a fun character to play, why not play a few battles with him and show him off a bit?  This is an example of Protect in action. That Exodus agent I'm targeting fired a short volley of gunfire at me, and Ludger immediately responded by getting between me and her.  Jude starts with three artes: Demon Fist (which fires a projectile along the ground. A Tales protagonist classic, though a few heroes don't get it), Cerberus Strike (which is an Earth-elemental 3-hit combo), and Healer (which creates a small circle around Jude that restores ~80 HP to anyone in it. The effectiveness of it depends on Jude's attack power). After taking out a few more Exodus goons and getting onto another car...  Lilium Orbs did that too, but these work a lot differently. Hm? All Lilium Orbs quit working when they were overloaded with mana after the schism was dispelled. But we figured out that by feeding them elemental energy through an extractor, a kind of mana-absorption spyrix... We were able to resurrect them as Allium Orbs. Our Linking and development capabilities were back in business. Uh...sorry for rambling on there. Why don't you just give it a shot? Okay, so this is another mechanic that's kinda been simplified from the first game. Basically, as Jude and this screenshot said, you gain new artes and skills by acquiring elemental ores from battles and random pickup locations in field maps. These ores are then added to the current extractor a specific character is using, and they develop artes and skills from what the extractor can give you along that elemental line. For example, using an extractor that has the Water line, Ludger will get the arte Swift Strike, get the Vitality skill, and upgrade Time Disintegration. If he were to use the extractor Jude is currently using, Shine, he would get the Falling Thunder arte, learn the Intelligence skill, and get another skill called HP Gain. Note that characters cannot share extractors, so you must choose one or the other. But, of course, when a character has learned everything along a specific elemental line, there's no use for that character using that extractor any longer, so you can give it to someone else. It's really a very simple mechanic in practice, despite what you may think, and extractors acquired later in the game can learn skills from multiple elemental lines at the same time, and every element has upgraded extractors where characters can learn skills along that line faster. That won't be for a little while, so just keep it under your hat for now. After moving to another car...  Collision course Wasting a chance to see the sort of person we're dealing with? Hardly. My watch is gone! I don't care! I gotta find it! I can't get to Canaan without it! Just when things couldn't get more interesting.  Like with all characters (aside from Ludger, but he has a few tricks up his eventual sleeve), Jude has a special ability that's unique to him. Jude's ability is the Snap Pivot. If you backstep and dodge an enemy's attack (as in, stay just outside of the hitbox, which means projectile attacks like Exodus gunfire would also count if you dodge them properly), Jude will disappear in a slide, and reappear behind the enemy whose attack he backstepped away from. Because he automatically gets behind the enemy, you can enjoy all the benefits of back attacks after a Snap Pivot. And, let's be completely honest here: Snap Pivots give you major style points. Jude may not be as singularly versatile as Ludger eventually will be, but don't get me wrong: he is a very fun character to play as. Mastering the Snap Pivot will be an enormous boon to you. A few more cars later...  Trainwreck Uh, Jude, you might want to check your cover there... Up ahead's the conductor's room. I'll go in first. Meanwhile, you cover me, okay? Ludger doesn't seem thrilled with this plan, but that's how it's gonna go down. Don't worry. I'm used to this sort of thing. Odd for a doctor to say, I know...   Who the hell--  Oh, it's Julius. Wait a minute... Ludger? What're you doing here?Ludger also notices Julius is holding both pocketwatches from that morning. Clearly we've caught him at a very awkward time.  Yeah, we're gonna need some answers here. Neither choice matters, but I'm going with L1. I'm doing my job... Heh, and a thorough job at that. I'd expect nothing less from Crown Agent Julius. You work fast. Enough with the games, Bakur. Who would have known you had such a talented little brother? Aren't you the model sibling. You've protected him well. There's clearly some history here, but we (still) have a little problem...    After a couple backflips...  Oh, that watch! Julius and Bisley take quite a bit of interest in Elle's watch reappearing, but...   You can take a few guesses which choice will increase the affection of which NPC, but we're going to protect Elle. Bisley can take care of himself, I think.   We will never accept peace with Rieze Maxia! No!The crossfire launches the watch in the air (you should watch this scene. It's pretty rad), and it lands on Elle's pocketwatch, causing another supernova. Huh? What's this?         I'm Elle. Elle Mel Marta.The first trophy I ever earned in Zestiria is named after her! Its name is "Elle Mental Marta"! Look, Elle, it's okay. No, it's not! That guy got weird! And so did the watch! Ryoow. I seem to have a knack for encountering weirdness. The Four Great Spirits. The Lord of Spirits. And now this.Oh Jude. If only the you of you right now knew what was in store for you. They're back!Ludger and Jude get ready to fight, but before we can...   All clear, President Verland. Well done, Ms. Nova. My security team could learn a thing or two from you.Uhhhh, that's not Bisley, or that black-haired woman with glasses he was with. Just where the hell are we? Deja vu. Ludger! What are you doing on this train? Friend of yours? An old classmate.  Well, the most important thing is stopping this thing, but that's not the choice you want to make your first time through the game. Choosing R1 will increase Julius' affection, and really, we need to find out what the hell just happened. Any idea what's happening in the other cars? I do, unfortunately. Some terrorists dressed in white coats are attacking the other passengers onboard. I'm coming too! It's too dangerous. Maybe. But I gotta take this train all the way to the Land of Canaan. The Land of Canaan? From the legend? You've heard of it? Do you know where it is? It's seen in old manuscripts. "Manuscripts" huh? Okay, you can come. But when the fighting starts... That's when I skedaddle! Let's just get to the front of the train again and try and figure out what happened. We're gonna need some answers from Julius, since you don't take swipes at your boss with a clear intent to kill for no reason. Then again, maybe Spirius is just a very strange bunch, indeed. Whatever the case, our destination is the same as before.  For this skit's choice, R1 increases Elle's affection.  Last skit of the update, so compilation video for all of them this update. Update 3 skit compilation.  So, this is the last useful tutorial of this update. Once you've filled up the entire Link Gauge, you can use another Linked Arte to go into Over Limit. There are three advantages (for now) for going into Over Limit: you have unlimited AC, you will not stagger from enemy attacks (though you can still take damage, of course), and you can launch (different) Linked Artes in a single chain of attacks. So, for right now, you can chain Light Link Charge into Dual Conquest, or the reverse. Once you're pretty far into the game, you can start Over Limit with one ally, then quickly switch to another and launch a Linked Arte with a different comrade for a blistering series of attacks. Although the number of Linked Artes you can chain into a single combo depends on how long their different animations are, you can generally expect to put together at least four different artes. Later in the game, there's a cherry on top to Over Limit, but that will do it for now.  So varied attacks are kind of a gimmicky kind of attack where you hold L1 and do a normal attack to cause a variety of effects, like knocking an enemy sky high or stunning them or whatever. Personally I almost never use them, but if they bring you victory, who am I to argue? The other control introduced here is sidestepping, which is done by holding L1, holding up or down on the left control stick, and pressing X. It's not quite as useful as free running away from attacks, but side stepping can be unexpectedly useful in a wide variety of situations. This particular tutorial also increases Power Hits and Combos, but I think we can introduce them in a real fight at the end of this update.  Speaking of which, we're back at the front of the train, and Jude seems perturbed. I have a feeling things are about to get heavy.  Chaotic collapse Stand back! Let me handle this... Let you handle what?! We need some answers here, man. You don't need to know. I said you don't need... Ludger!    I don't know what's going on here, but Big Bro is going down!  Okay, so here's where I'll formally introduce Power Hits. Power Hits, as I explained in the first update, are how you effectively bring down the damage sponges in this game. First, start with an enemy's weakness. In this case, it's Wind-elemental attacks or Sword-type attacks, both of which Ludger has (Azure Edge and his regular attacks, respectively).  AI Ludger has started a Power Combo, indicated by the green bar on the right. When Jude attacks, he adds another element (Jude's basic attacks are Blunt-type attacks). Depending on which he started with, Ludger should add the other element to increase that multiplier, and for maximum benefit, Jude should use Cerberus Strike to add Earth-elemental.  Watch out for when a boss has any color of exclamation point above his head, because he's about to attack with an arte (in this case, a move called Falling Snow, which is an extremely fast dashing attack that slashes through a target). However, while starting with a weakness is highly advisable, beware of attacking with a resistance. Not only will the enemy not take much damage from the hit, but they also will not stagger, and will likely counterattack. Julius here really likes to do that, so beware if you want to start off with Cerberus Strike (don't, actually).  For the first real boss of the game, Julius can be pretty hard. But, he doesn't have much health, and smart use of Power Combos will bring him to heel pretty quickly. By the way, Grave Hits are for attacks done while an enemy is dead that are part of the same combo. The reason you would want to rub in combo hits is because you get bonus EXP from a fight depending on how long your longest combo was. There's actually a pretty easy way to get an infinite combo (or would be an infinite combo if it wasn't timed, but you can easily get 2-300 hits if you do things right). That bonus EXP can be a hell of a thing if you're good with combos.  That creature hurt my employess like this?! You! Hurry and finish him off! It only took us three updates to turn against our own flesh and blood. But it doesn't have to end here...does it? I can't kill Julius. What are you waiting for? You'd spare this monster's life? I know you have...a kind heart... And that's why--   I told you to stay away!      Bad news! The brakes have been sabotaged! What's going on? Update 3 alternate choices compilation So, to recap: on our first day of work, we 1. Got accused of being a child kidnapper 2. Got ourselves involved in a terrorist incident 3. Got ourselves nearly killed by our formerly nice older brother 4. Killed our brother 5. Failed to stop said terrorist incident 6. Destroyed the world Great job, Ludger Will Kresnik...
|
|
#
¿
Mar 27, 2016 05:30
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Is Elle's last name a Dawn of the New World reference? I do not believe so, but they do have the same hair color, so there's that, at least. Speaking of New World references, a pre-order costume for this game had Ludger with Emil's outfit, so that's also something.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 27, 2016 06:08
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Hey, when you can next, try switching to Jude and using Demon Fang for a Linked Arte. Maybe it'll turn out different than Light Link Charge? Can confirm this is true. Doing that gives you Earth Link Charge, but its general worthlessness remains the same. Use named Linked Artes all the time.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2016 21:43
|
|
|
Also, alchargia, given how long this game is / how many people we'll need to dress up over the course of it, I hope I can rely on your services again in the future.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2016 22:19
|
|
|
I *may* end up exercising some editorial control at certain points, but these will be very rare, indeed. Speaking of which (spoilers for the next 2-3 hours of the game), I already have dressing-up for Alvin and Elize (I'm going to Helioborg first, because that is objectively the better choice for more content) for part V, but I do need new colors for Ludger and Jude. Would you choose do the honors of dressing up those two for when I record next, Junpei?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2016 01:28
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Sure. Thanks, though. Sure, I'll have the options up in a couple hours (Simpsons is on now). Also, thanks for the E&L comment. Always nice to hear when people enjoyed those threads.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2016 01:36
|
|
|
wdarkk posted:Oh wow, for some reason my brain didn't make that connection. They were pretty cool. A script dump would be really useful, actually. All I'd have to do is go through and cut out the lines where screenshots cover them, and add in the portrait codes for the appropriate lines. And yeah, I was thinking the way I'm doing skits is a bit inefficient, but I I honestly didn't think of using time code links for them. That is a much better system.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2016 02:22
|
|
|
Here is the fashion accessories / costumes video I have cut Ludger's costume list prematurely because he has all the other ones Jude has, so 1) there's no need to show it again, and 2) there's one costume in particular I definitely don't want shown for a long time.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2016 05:10
|
|
|
alcharagia posted:Actually game, Julius already let us hear the end of it. He came at me with a knife, you saw him!
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2016 13:26
|
|
|
Part IV: The Man Who Works So yeah, the end of the last update *could* have gone better for us. Let's see if we can turn things around after the apocalypse...  Washed up  Our top story: Terrorists hijacked a train meant for today's festivities and crashed it into the Oscore Plant.  ...conducted by members of Exodus, the terrorist organization that opposes peace with Rieze Maxia.Hm. Well, seems the world is still in one piece, but no sign of Elle, Rollo, Jude, or really, anyone we met on the train. Guess we'll need to talk to the fashionably dressed man who seems to be waiting for us.   Well, I suppose we might as well figure out where we are and how we ended up here. L1 it is.  You're in Duval. I found you all lying on the side of the tracks. The hospitals were overflowing with injured. Full as they were, I had little choice but to carry you here for treatment. Mr. Rideaux, how are Ludger and Elle coming along?Oh, cool. Jude's fine, too. Oh, you're awake! Any aches or pains? The treatment worked without a hitch. For both of them, I might add. Wow, Spirius' medical agents really are tip-top. I'm flattered by the compliment, truly...but our medical spyrix are simply superior to your spirit artes, that's all.Jude gets a buzz on his cell phone...  I'd better take this.Ludger notices Elle's pocket watch is on the table, and decides to pick it up... What're you-- Hey, that's my pocketwatch! Give it back!  Seems there's a bit of confusion going on with this watch, however. Julius has one that looks exactly like it, but when Elle first arrived in Trigleph, and in the first anime cutscene, we clearly saw Elle had one. Still, L1 it is. R1 increases her affection, however. You're a big liar! My daddy gave that watch to me!Despite punching him in the leg, Ludger shrugs it off and pockets the watch anyway. Hey, I saw that! You stole my watch! Give it back to me, you dirty crook! C'mon! Give it back already! Sorry to interrupt all the excitement, but the bill for your medical treatment comes to 15,000,000 gald. What? Oh, it might sound excessive, but can you really put a price on saving a life? But... I don't have any money at all... Being a child is hardly a valid excuse. Why did we have to get saved by THIS guy? Ugh, I hope he won't be around for much longer... Really, Ludger, you'll need to behave better if you plan to fit in around here. Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Rideaux? Ah, perfect timing, Miss Nova. This woman works for the Verland Bank. Ludger?! What are you doing here? is this loan for you? Hey! Wasn't this girl that one who got a sword thrown through her? She bounced back pretty fast, but hey, might as well check in with our old friend and see how she's doing. Hm? What are you talking about? I'm with Ludger here... Whoever that person was, it wasn't the same person we see before us. But then, of course, that begs the question: who exactly did we see? In any case, we're talking about a small fortune. Ryooow!Well, he's blocking the door, so we have the choice of accepting the loan, and not doing anything... By the way, checking out the TV will let you find this, hidden away.  Well, guess we could keep it safe for a rainy day. I think Ludger is old enough to drink. I mean, I don't think the game ever specifies his age, but I think he's over 21. Anyway, you have to talk to Rideaux to continue. When you do... Not to pressure you unduly, but have you reached your decision? The pits As much as I'd prefer to avoid talking or otherwise interacting with this guy again, but thou must... Oh, and I can't have been the only person who played this game who thought by choosing R1, you'd get a different conversation. But no, all it does is return you to wandering around the bar until you agree to sign the contract for the loan. Heh. You've made a wise decision. Sorry about that. The call ran long. Hey, what are you doing?! Oh, he's just taking out a little loan to cover his medical obligations. This bill is huge! Did anyone tell you what'll happen if you sign that? Basically, you'll be tracked via GHS. They'll be monitoring your finances around the clock. You won't be able to buy a stick of gum without them knowing. A lot of debtors can't manage their money. Lots of 'em squander the cash they should be using to pay us back. Those deadbeats waste their money and their lives. But Ludger here isn't a deadbeat, is he? That doesn't-- Or maybe you're saying you'd like to cover his bill. That's...not quite what I was... Besides, not to be gauche, but haven't you sunk every last gald into your spyrite research?So, if you choose to interpret spyrix as fossil fuels (as you should), then spyrites are clean energy sources. Essentially, spyrixes are responsible for the death of spirits, at the cost of high technology (like Rideaux mentioned). Spyrites essentially do the same thing, but without the cost to the spirits. However, as just mentioned, Jude still has not found a way to make spyrites work. In essence, the conflict between Jude's group and the main antagonists of the first game (Gaius and Muzet) boiled down to the spyrix vs. spyrites issue. The former believed that the Schism (the separation of Rieze Maxia and Elympios that the former Maxwell was responsible for) should be dispelled, and that the development of spyrites could save both worlds. Gaius believed in maintaining the Schism long enough to wipe out all spyrix, whatever the cost to Elympios, and Muzet assisted him in this vision. Neither had the particular moral high ground over the other, with Jude's group being the eventual victors. Gaius finally conceded and chose to support the union between worlds after the end of the Schism, believing that Jude's vision is possible. He has since taken up leadership of all of Rieze Maxia as its king. Muzet has been MIA since the end of Tales of Xillia. Basically, what I'm getting at is Gaius is a hardcore badass who has the great distinction of being the only Tales main villain who not only survived the events of the game he was the main enemy in, but moved UP in the world since then. Hold on, Ludger. There's gotta be another way. Well, you could always try mooching off of a family member. A solidly-employed older brother, for example? Low blow... Hey...Ludger signs the contract. The deal with the devil is done...  I will transfer the amount of 20,000,000 gald into Mr. Rideaux's account. Hey, wait! I forgot to include your veterinary fees. My apologies for the oversight.Oh Rollo... You're a good cat. Maybe not 5,000,000 gald good, however... See me if you ever need follow-up treatment. I'll even give you the frequent-patient discount. Ludger, please don't look so glum!The Emo Glasses really have made these last two updates, honestly. alchargia chose wisely. It's my job to help you pay off your loan. That means we're partners now!  I'm getting some comments from Elle and Jude here because of information I've carried over via the Library. Anyway, there's no need to hang out in this dive any longer. We need to get back home to Trigleph!  Speaking of the Library, let's take a quick look at it. Event List is basically a short synopsis of various story-related events thus far, as well as subquests. About all there is to say about that. Titles are various achievements you get by playing through the story / gameplay accomplishments. I've already done all of them, so there's not much need for me to ever come back here. Battle Book is just text-based gameplay tutorials. Xillia Encyclopedia is pretty rad for people who didn't play the first game, or who played it but can't remember a whole lot about the story / setting / characters. Basically for characters, events, things, etc. etc. that are referred to in this game but were introduced in the first game, this is your one-stop shop. Luckily I remember the first game fairly well, so you (probably) won't need to go further than asking me if you want to know anything I don't otherwise explain. Enemy Data is your standard enemy encyclopedia. Says all the enemies you've fought, how many times you've defeated them, where they are, and what they drop, with everyone divided into helpful categories. Item Data is basically the same thing, but with, you guessed it, items. Skits are a record of all the skits you've viewed, with the option to replay any of them (however, only skits acquired through normal gameplay will gain you affection points. No grinding affection levels from playing the same skit over and over again). Because I carried it over, I can view every skit from this very early moment in the game. Records is just that, gameplay records. Again, not something I'm terribly worried about at the moment, but hey, might as well check it out for posterity sometime.  Moving on, Duval is a pretty small / seedy town. Not sure I want to hang around here... (Oh, and the crescent moon icon indicates an inn. Rest there to restore all HP / TP).  What to do next So, Jude...you're broke too, huh? I've been researching ways to replace the current spyrixes. I got stumped, and the bills piled up. What'll you do now? Head to Canaan! I have to go there! You could come with me! Where? Canaan. It's a place spoken of in fairy tales and ancient spirit legends.They say the spirit that reigns over the cycle of reincarnation dwells there. It's a place full of magic...and it can grant any wish that you make!Ludger does a pretty mean  in response to Elle... No, it's true! Daddy told me so! How come you don't believe me?! Perhaps Canaan is more than just a mere fairy tale. According to legends I've encountered, the sage Kresnik traveled to the Land of Canaan wielding the Lance of Will. What? You've got the lance! If the lance really exists, maybe Canaan does as well. But, what in the world was that? Elle, how do we get to Canaan? I... I dunno. My daddy just told me to get on the train...so I did.Huh... I kinda doubt the Land of Canaan is on the Trigleph line. So the only reason Elle's father would have told her to get on that train in particular (remember, he even specified the time), would be if he intended Elle to be in the same place as Ludger and company... It would really help if we knew who the masked man was, but I guess we'll leave it at that for now. A lost little girl. I feel bad for her. Well, Elle's in a lot of trouble, so let's be nice guys and choose L1. Increases her affection, you see.  I-I guess I could. I mean, you still need to gimme back my pocket watch, so... Anyway, that creepy guy with the glasses sounded like he knew something about Canaan. Julius... Kresnik... Ludger, was that really your older brother? Well, I mean, he looked like Julius and sounded like him, but that demonic countenance... I don't know... Whaddaya mean, you don't know? Have you tried calling his GHS? We might as well head back to your place. If your brother's safe, he's bound to show up eventually. You're gonna come with us to Canaan, aren't you? I am something of a do-gooder.Jude definitely is, but he's a bit more cynical than the latest Tales protagonist, Sorey. Sorey's entire thing is being almost-impossibly earnest and good-natured, but it works out. Meow. He says, "You don't smell like one." Well, thank you. Hey, aren't you gonna tell me the kitty's name? Repaying the Debt (L1 increases Elle's affection)  By the way, Nova's gonna be chatting with us a lot this game, and like Samuel Johnson and London, I say, he who is tired of Nova is tired of life. Fun fact: Nova is voiced by Christina Vee in English, and she *may* have been in a few other threads of mine. Just spitballing here, though. Oh, speaking of VAs, Ludger is voiced by Josh Grelle, which I only mention because his name has "Elle" in it, so one could say (not that I would necessarily) this role was fate. Elle is voiced by Brina Palencia, who as I recall is a pretty good voice actress, and she does a similarly good job as Elle. Jude is voiced by Sam Riegel, who has played another Tales hero in the distant past (it's not Flynn. Not main hero, doesn't count). Cookie for whoever can name which hero he voiced and what game he appeared in. Anyhow, let's press on...  The main street of Duval, with all the attendant storefronts. The far exit leads to Alest Highroad, which leads back to Trigleph. But Ludger is not much of a walking man, and anyway, the train is faster.  Ah, before we head to the station, let's upgrade our equipment a bit. The amount of money you should be swinging at the moment will roughly be the same as mine, so let's get better weapons for our two heroes (from this point on, Elle is the team's official cheerleader. She's basically Ludger's voice in battle). You could pick up better armor, but there's not much need at the moment. Oh, explanation of stats: P. ATK and P. DEF are physical attack and defense respectively, and A. ATK and A. DEF is arte attack / defense. Should be pretty obvious what everything is. Anyway, after you're done shopping, go to the train station and try to buy a ticket.  A man restricted Ah, I remember those cards from my recent trips to Japan. Really convenient. Unfortunately, it gives our friend Ludger some trouble. No tickets for you. How come?! This man's travel privileges have been put on restriction. That's "how come". If I let him pass, I'll be in hot water.Nova calls and she's up for gabbing. By the way, for another bit of Tales trivia, can anyone name what Ludger's ringtone is? I mean, I know what it is, but just want to check if anyone else knows. Whoops! Looks like I forgot to read you the fine print about your loan. You know how Elympios manages personal information using GHS, right? Well, stuff like one's criminal record or debts can trigger travel restrictions. The trigger system was put in place to prevent debtors from trying to make a break for freedom. Pretty harsh, isn't it? Sorry you had to find out the hard way. But, it's only temporary! As you pay off your debt, the travel restrictions are gradually lifted. We'll figure it out. You'll be fine. Anyhow, toodles! All right, c'mon. You're blocking the other customers. Sheesh. I wonder what trouble he got into. His life's over before it even started. Tough break. Shut up, you big meanies! You don't know anything about it! Let's get outta here, Ludger! We can look for work around town.  So yeah, I'm going to be LPing Student Debts: The Video Game, I hope you enjoy it. Nah, the debt isn't *that* big of a problem in this game, mainly thanks to something we'll be introduced to pretty soon (as in, the very next scene). Besides, not to spoil too much, even though your debt is formally 20,000,000 gald, you DO NOT have to pay all that back to finish the game. I forget exactly how much you have to pay, but you'll be going through... I dunno, maybe 8-10,000,000 all told to actually finish the game? Something like that. That's not to say something cool won't happen if you pay it all back, but yeah. You can formally say "I beat Tales of Xillia 2" after paying back only a certain percentage of the debt. Anyway, let's move on to the job mechanic.  After this skit, just move down the street, and...  Oh, hey! Over here! You guys looking for work? You bet! It's your lucky day. I've got jobs coming out the wazoo! I'm talking Spirius Corp. orders here, so you know each gig is a gald mine. At least, if you're not an amateur. Worth a shot, right? We'll back you up. Hmm...Jude's such a nice guy. Ludger is the guy who signed the contract, so Jude technically has no obligation to help here. He could probably just catch a train and leave Ludger in the dust, but hey, that's not how Mr. Do-Gooder rolls.  So yeah, in a mechanic that seems to be only getting more popular in JRPGs in the last five years or so, we can take a variety of jobs as our primary money-making avenue (for really the entire game), and of course, for paying off our debt. You'll find a job board in every major city in this game, but in some cases it's a little more well-hidden than others. Because Duval is so small, here it is. In any case, let's take a look at the postings.  The game also explains it, but here's my lowdown on jobs in this game. First, all jobs fall into three specific categories: any job with a green exclamation point, these jobs usually have a specific cutscene (never voiced, from what I recall, and require certain people to be in the party to complete) or event attached to them for completing them, any job with a monster's head, simple bounty hunting, and any job with a blue bag is a gathering quest for specific item(s). However, you cannot accept up to five jobs willy-nilly. First you need to see if you have the required level to take it. For example, Jolyne's Plea - Part 1 requires you to be at Wooden Badge level to accept / complete it. That's where the "Title" part comes in. Completing jobs gives you Merit Points (indicated in the job details box), and when you level up, you can accept higher-level jobs. Now, while generic jobs (in white) cycle in and out, depending on how many you complete (and they refresh occasionally), jobs in the red color are special, and, I believe, will never go away until you complete them. For now, let's accept this job, Percise Measurement (1 Fossilized Shell), You On an Adventure? (defeat two Alest Chirpees), Grandfather Crab (1 Land Crab), and Defeat Alest Plant (defeat 3 of them, actually). Time to hit the bricks. Everything you need to complete all five can be found in the Alest Highroad, which is the only exit to Duval that we can take right now).  Yeah, so a lot of Xillia 2's locations are just trails like this that lead from one distinctive town to the next (in this case, from Duval to Trigleph).  I will probably include post-battle conversations as videos in the future. A lot of them are just too amusing not to include (in this case, it's Elle complimenting Jude's ability to dodge enemy attacks with Snap Pivots, before asking him rapid-fire questions about his abilities, and Jude concluding that Elle's questions seem to be the one thing he can't dodge).  Once you've completed a job (in this case, it's the crab one), you'll get this pop-up, which is the only indication I believe that you've completed a job. It's to this game's detriment, quite honestly, that you can't check the status of jobs from the menu, or, if you can, it's very well-hidden. Oh, and the sparkle indicates a random material pick-up you can get for free. Only materials monsters in the area you're fighting drop, however.  Whereas this sparkle indicates Elemental Ores you can get. You'll get anywhere from 2-20 in this part of the game. Maybe it increases further into the game, can't remember. And for bags someone very rudely left lying around everywhere, you'll get any number of basic consumables / cooking items (like, this one contained a Sandwich. I'll explain how cooking works a bit later), or small amounts of gald.  Skills are learned in the exact same way as artes, but instead of new moves, you buff your characters / change their abilities in any number of ways. Skills are divided into three categories: Parameter (indicated by a yellow arrow), Action (indicated by an orange man), or Linked (indicated by a purple heart). We don't have any of the third category at the moment, but the time will come, yes.  Character status screens contain all the typical information you might expect from a status screen, but there is one special thing with Ludger: checking the affection level of the entire party at a glance. Jude's almost at level 1, as you can see, with a maximum level (read: get all the benefits of that character's affection level), being a very distant dream at the moment).  Every now and then, a random monster in the field will be designated as a "Dangerous Monster" or something and be worth considerably more gald and experience for defeating. It's just the parameters, though, so Alest Plants, dangerous or no, are still first-rate chumps.  And, in many cases, there will be little tunnels on sides of the map. Be sure to comb trail areas like this from top to bottom, as caves usually have a nice little bonus in them.  Obviously, despite what this guy says, this guy is here to make sure the player can't sequence break. Funnily enough, there's actually not an invisible wall where these guys are. You can walk all the way past these guys to the Trigleph border, but you can't actually enter it. Anyway, whatever jobs you took on, between enemies and pickups, you should have completed most of them. If not, just do a little more grinding, and return to Duval.  I'm going to count this as a skit, but it activates under a certain condition: get Jude's affection to level one. So, how did I do this, without any choices to increase his affection since that first skit in Trigleph? Well, when you perform linked artes with a certain character, their affection level goes up by a minute amount, which is what finally put Jude up to level one for me. Jude gives you a skill book that unlocks Assault Step, which, if turned on, lets a character's front step do a little damage and cause the enemy to flinch, which is pretty good for starting a combo off on, especially since you don't have much else to spend SP (Skill Points) on right now.  Of course, if you already have all the items and it's a gathering quest, you can turn in gathering quests as soon as you see them on the board.  Once you have enough money for a debt payment, Nova will automatically call you up and prompt you for payment. You don't have to pay her at first, but you can't stockpile too much money before she'll call you, and you can't back out until you do pay her. You can also call her up any time you want by pressing L2. You can pay in one lump sum or spread out, but it's generally better to pay her all at once.  After this first payment, you can either continue the story, or continue paying more of your debt. There's really no point in doing the latter at this point in the story, but, if you do pay more than the required debt (you can earn extra money in-between the debt repayment and continuing the story), you can earn extra goodies (costumes and special consumables and such) that will be sent to Ludger's apartment's mailbox, where you can pick them up. But, don't worry. There is absolutely no chance of you missing out on extras because you didn't pay enough at a certain point in the game, so don't worry about that at all. Anyway, the much smarter thing to do right now is head back to Trigleph via Duval Station.  There is one more job we can complete, but you can't from the job board. You need to get something from this girl before it counts.  Are you going to use those to make a present for your daddy? Huh?! How'd you know? Who told?! Well, you wrote it on the job description. Oh! Well, yeah, I guess I did, didn't I? I'm gonna put some glue on 'em and make a warm muffler! Oh, I made something out of feathers for my daddy too! Hey, feathers is MY thing. Don't be a copycat! I am NOT a copycat! A mask? That's so weird! It's not weird! My daddy said he liked it! It IS TOO weird! Daddies don't wear masks! It's NOT weird! Look around! Do you see anyone here wearing a mask? See what I mean? Your daddy's a weirdo! He's not weird! My daddy...isn't a weirdo! Hey, now, let's all...um... I mean... I-I made tons of masks for my dad back in school! And he wore every single one! Isn't that right, Ludger! Y-Yeah! Hm... Well, actually, my dad wore a mask to a festival once. See?! My daddy's not weird! Hey, so how do you know those two guys? Oh, them? Ludger and Jude? They're just a bunch o' weirdos. Wh-What?!Betrayed... Anyway, she hands over Girl's Job Report, which allows us to actually finish this job. NOW we're headed back to Trigleph.  It's like we never left. Anyway, neither choice matters this skit. However, I do like how Jude just casually drops "Oh yeah, we were fighting on a different plane of existence, not a huge deal when you're me." Anyway, it's been a long day, so we're headed back to the apartment.  Home again You live here, Rollo? Well, Ludger kinda IS a freeloader, so... Freeloader? That's like a deadbeat, right? ..... So, now what? The cat's got a point. I think we're all running on fumes.  I'm with Elle on this one, and Elle's pretty passionate on the topic of tomatoes, so I'm siding with her on this one (increases her affection, you see). Hmph, why're grown-ups so hot on tomatoes, anyway? My daddy likes them, too.Pretty much how I feel. Then again, I'm pretty much the only person on this planet who dislikes tea, coffee, tomatoes, and bacon. It's lonely here at the top of the "taste in food" pyramid.  There's a few things to find in Ludger's room / apartment. Investigating the fridge gives you some cooking materials (as it should, really).  Ludger's desk gives you this. Guess Ludger has retro tastes, and that's cool. A treasure chest just behind Ludger has a Cape in it (which is, sadly, not a fashion accessory), and his closet has his pajamas in it, which is the outfit I'm currently wearing. Let's go make some drat food already.  Thanks, Ludger. It's sooo yummy! I feel like I'm eating at a restaurant. Hey, you cook as good as my daddy. Speaking of your father, Elle, do you know where he is? No... Some scary men came to our house. I ran away by myself... That's why I'm going to the Land of Canaan! So I can wish for my daddy to get rescued from those guys! Mr. Bakur! I'm glad to see you're okay. I'm one of the lucky ones. Whoa! Was he there in the corner the whole time? No way. Surprised, phony?!  Ivar... Hahaha! You're quite an amusing little fellow, aren't you, Ivar. I could use a comic genius as one of my junior agents. Thank you, sir. What's this all about? You haven't been watching the news, I take it. New details have emerged about the terror attack, during which a train was hijacked and then crashed into the Oscore Plant. More than 2,000 casualties were reported, including passengers and employees alike. Damages are said to exceed 10 billion gald, and experts estimate a final cost of at least 50 billion. Authorities identified the alleged mastermind behind the attack. What the? But Julius couldn't have-- Couldn't have what? He attacked me at the scene of the crime, for crying out loud. The police believe Kresnik didn't act alone. They're investigating persons of interest. Take a wild guess which person is the most interesting? Ah, Tales of Symphonia callbacks. Good times. Hey! Me and Ludger had nothing to do with those creeps! So the suspect's brother just happened to start his job at the station on the day of the attack. Then he vanished with the suspect. Coincidence? C'mon! You've gotta believe us! If you're telling the truth, then prove it. Apprehend Julius. Then the facts are sure to come to light. What?! But... But the scary glasses guy... ...is alive and at large. He contacted the CEO's GHS several hours ago. He's one of my top agents and far too skilled to fall into police custody. Around his little brother, on the other hand...he just might let his guard down. Well, Ludger, what do you say? If you agree to catch him, I'll at least keep the police from getting in your way. Yeah, I'm thinking ol' Bisley here is not exactly giving us an option. We might as well go along with reality, and increase his affection. A decisive lad. You've made the right choice. Ludger... As of now, you are under Spirius Corporation's protection. We have a pair of promising leads. First, your brother made contact with a researcher in Helioborg named Balan. Second, sources allege someone in Marksburg has been asking a lot of questions about Julius. Balan? How am I supposed to remember all that stuff at once, huh? So you want us to check out Helioborg and Marksburg, is that it? But...how're we gonna get there without money? Bisley, Ivar, and the woman file out... Ivar. You never told me you knew Dr. Mathis. It's a long story. Hey, why're you going through all this trouble? I know the surface of this man, but that is not enough. Now, I must measure his depth.  So yeah, we have another skit, but I guess I should explain who the hell Ivar is for people who didn't play the first game. Like Jude mentions in this skit, Ivar was Maxwell's, then known as Milla, handmaiden, but quite frankly, he never did a particularly great job of it, and even acted in defiance of Milla's wishes on several occasions. Ivar has a particularly strong dislike of Jude, and attempted to kill him several times. Now with Milla being on a different plane of existence, Ivar is out of a job, and I guess he hooked up with this bunch. He's mostly played as comic relief, but he'll be around for a while. The patience of Jude and Co. toward Ivar, however, is nothing less than saintly. Anyhow, our debt payment this time is for 7000 gald. Might seem like a lot, but let's stop by the job boards to get started.  Kitty Krisis Ludger, she's crying! Go do something! Oh, how embarrassing. Hi there, I'm Miss Kitty Catt. I moved in here with 100 of my lovable cats. But I didn't quite "land on my feet," as they say. Let's go back a sec... Did you say... 100? Cats? Why yes! But during the move, they all got outta the bag! They've run off! What am I to do? I'm "feline" so helpless... I bet... D-Don't worry, it'll all be fine! Can I ask you "fur" a favor? Would you purr-haps help find my babies? I'd be ever so grateful! Will they get along with Rollo? They're all very social! No need to be a fraidy cat! You gotta find 'em! I just "cat" live without them! Well, my room's on the furst floor here. I'm just gonna take a little catnap until you get back. Please stop by if you find any of my babies! And remember, if "cat" first you don't succeed...try, try again! I "whisker" you the best of luck! Let's go "meow" before she rubs off on us. Y-Yeah...Suddenly I feel very tired... Like all of my energy has been drained. I'll see you all next time... Update 4 alternate choices compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Mar 31, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Mar 31, 2016 05:44
|
|
|
alcharagia posted:It's a riff from Eternal Mind, a song from Tales of Eternia, which is the game Reid Hershel, who was voiced by Sam Riegel in his cameo appearance in Tales of the Abyss, is the protagonist of. Ding ding ding! I do believe Ludger's ringtone is specifically from the Abyss remix of Eternal Mind. Abyss' cameo battle is *really* something you should only play on Hard and above. You're spitting in the game's face playing it on Normal. By the way, based on your posts in the RPG Thread, I agree entirely with your thoughts re: Gaius, and I cannot bleeding wait until he joins our party. You better believe when the choice comes up, I'm going right for Gaius first..
|
|
#
¿
Mar 31, 2016 08:52
|
|
|
wdarkk posted:Personally I'd rather have Muzét, but that's just me. Fan art, actually. I was thinking of using the characters' when they're in Anime Form (so, like the intro or anime cutscenes), but when I actually looked at the final product, I wasn't satisfied at all with them. Then I realized fan art would 1) give me nicer looking images, 2 ) cover more of the characters. I have yet to be disappointed.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 31, 2016 17:35
|
|
|
Well, I was dreading this fight ever since I even thought of starting this thread, but my god is the Volt fight a load of crap. You take a boss from nearly the end of the first game, change nothing about him, and throw him at a pretty underleveled party. It wouldn't be nearly as much of a problem if he was at least fairly easy to stagger, but nope. He just staggers when he feels like it. And even THAT wouldn't be as much of an issue if he didn't have that goddamned move where he jumps up into the air and slams down three times. If you are anywhere NEAR the blast radius, buh-bye because, guess what, you get knocked to the ground by the first hit and you have no chance to recover at all before he hits you with the two follow up hits.. I say this with complete sincerity when I say this is the hardest fight in the entire game. It's just so unfair.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2016 22:08
|
|
|
I'm probably gonna grind three levels or so for everyone and then set the difficulty to Moderate, even though I wanted to beat this entire game on Hard. No one who has experienced that fight can blame me for that one.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2016 22:19
|
|
|
Part V: The Man Who Trusts So, the crazy cat lady has vanished back into the apartment building (her room is on the first floor), and we've got to locate her feline companions all over the world. We can get started literally right in front of us with this first cat!  Once we have our first cat, we can access the Kitty Dispatch. You can put Ludger and Elle's skills as Kitty Hearders to the test by sending all the cats you've found all over the Tales of Xillia world: trails, dungeons, and towns. Basically, every location in the game has special materials (and even weapons!) that can only be acquired by your feline hordes. More cats = better chance of getting items / rarer items. In addition to your standard odds of getting items, every day of the week has a special bonus attached to it.  So, everything except Area Bonus should be self-explanatory, and to be honest, I'm not 100% sure what it is, but I think what it means is that your odds of getting more / better items in respective areas is increased depending on the location the cats were sent. So, if the Area Bonus was for Elympios, and I sent my cats to Trigleph, better odds I'd get the rare item from that location. You get the picture. Now, you can also retrieve cats by sending your cat horde to certain locations in the game (you can also press Square to determine how many cats you've found in a certain location. Trigleph has five, I believe). Cats upon cats. Also, if you find certain items, you can give them to the cats to have them return faster / better odds for rare items, which is what Travel Items are. But, without any modifiers, I think return time is 15 minutes. However, you can recall Kitties on a mission by withdrawing them before that time limit is up, but you won't get any items.  By the way, Ivar's bag there has a host of good items, including a new (better) pair of blades for Ludger. Courtesy of the Spirius Corporation.  Anyhow, moving on from the bizarre collectathon of this game, let's start getting some work in. The commercial district is on the opposite exit from Trigleph park from Ludger's apartment building, and the job board is right in front of you.  So, our target payment for now is 7000 gald, and further in the game, the complaint about this game it's too much work to make debt payments is made nearly trivial by the presence of Elite Monsters. These bad boys give you a TON of gald if you bring them down, and each is worth a significant percentage of your required payment to continue the game. As it happens, this sucker is right outside Trigleph city limits, so let's take this one. Elite Monsters show up in the world just as soon as their existence is made apparent on the job board, so it doesn't actually count as a job.  On the other hand, a lot of requests throughout the game will basically tell you where Kitty Cats are. In this case, there's one in Duval, Alest Highroad, and Trigleph Station (the job says the cat is in Trigleph, but the description mentions the owner hoping the errant beast isn't bugging station employees). Easy money.  The overgrown scorpion is in the first map area outside Trigleph, so let's see what's so "elite" about him.  Scorpion King So, all elite monsters operate under different rules. Some of them are fairly straight fights, under admittedly gigantic proportions, some of them are extremely gimmicky. This guy is kind of a mix between the two. First of all, he likes to burrow, like, a lot. And the AI doesn't deal with burrowing foes very well. So, more often than not your AI partner will at least take chip damage from them, whereas a human would (hopefully) be smart enough to just run to the opposite side of the field.  Now, it's a good thing it's just a 2 vs. 1 fight, because he has a pretty long reach with his basic attacks, and they quickly add up. If you're in trouble, just back off (the AI will follow you if you've selected Act Together), and use Healer.  Now, the gimmick with this guy is he's very hard to combo. Whenever you stagger him and you think you've got something going, he'll burrow out and break it. Here's how you beat that: target his weak point, indicated by those crosshairs. If you do enough damage to that crosshair area, it'll stun him severely and you'll be able to pound him into dust while he's down. He'll recover eventually, but then you just pound him again. Since you have no offensive spells or really any moves with range, the only way to effectively target that area with Jude is to use Demon Fist.  If you do it right, you'll get a quick zoom-in, and the scorpion will collapse. After about 15 seconds, he'll get back up, but you gotta knock him right back down.  If you're low on TP, but don't want to waste a recovery item to get some back, you can taunt by pressing L3. Your character will do a short little animation, and you'll get 5% TP . Some skills can get you more back, but that's not for a long time. If an AI character is low on TP, they'll run off and taunt for a bit to get more back.  That was a pretty rough fight, but a win's a win. By the way, Ludger just got the negative status Guard Break or something. Just means if he tried to block any hit, his guard would get instantly broken. Solution? Don't guard, just run. Elemental attacks, like the damage the scorpion does when it jumps out of the ground (Earth, in this case), have a chance of inflicting a status element on the target. Luckily, we can also do that to the enemy.  You done good work here, boys.  While we're in the neighborhood of a random Sandwich pickup from a bag, this is how cooking works in this game. In Tales games past, the way cooking worked was that you gathered a wide variety of ingredients, and characters could cook meals after battle to restore HP / TP / various benefits, and there were all kinds of variables involved. Much simpler in the Xillia games. You just use a cooking item, such as this Sandwich, and the effect is automatically applied at the end of the battle. Couldn't be simpler.  But before you head back to Trigleph to collect on your investment, make sure to pick up the kitty cat. Also, while cats are hidden all over the place, you know you're getting close if you hear an occasional meow. Of course, I'll have all cat locations as screenshots, so I guess it don't matter...  Honestly, if the game wasn't telling us where this one was, and cats didn't meow, this would be one of the harder ones to find. Then again, if the cats didn't meow this sidequest would be hell.  A Simple Question Skit upon returning to Duval (neither choice matters. I picked L1 to scare Elle). I really like Rollo's "resting" and "angry" portraits. Now where's that cat...  Ah, of course. Up the fire escape near the job board. Hm, that cat, Luke, looks a little familiar...  You can view the appearance of all the cats you've found from the Kitty Dispatch menu. In cases where cats have the same name as a Tales character, they'll usually have said character's colors. In this case, Luke was the protagonist of Tales of the Abyss, had black pants, a white coat, and red hair. Hence, the cat's appearance. But they can't even commit to that! Suzu was the name of the final party member in Tales of Phantasia (from the PSX version on, but she was a supporting character in the OG Tales of Phantasia for the SNES). The cat Suzu in this game, however, has a pure white coat (she was the cat we found in Trigleph Station). Phantasia Suzu looks like this.  Yeah, no resemblance whatsoever. Incidentally, at 11 years old, Suzu is the youngest party member in Tales history yet, which is kinda impressive for her at least. And anyway, Suzu was one of my favorite party members in Phantasia. I'm not giving any crap to anyone who can summon a giant toad and throw explosive ninja stars. Anyhow, onwards and upwards. After turning in all the requests to put me well over 7000...   So, you have a choice which area to proceed to next, and remember, we were asked to go find out information about Julius in both areas. Now, while it's impossible to know this your first time through unless you've read a guide, if you go to Helioborg first, you'll get an extra scene starring Jude that you can't get if you go to Marksburg first. There is no equivalent scene going Marksburg -> Helioborg, so the latter it is. Now, just a word of warning, you're gonna have to start taking this game's difficulty much more seriously once you arrive in Helioborg. On the whole, this is not an overly difficult game, but the difficulty spike for Helioborg is just bananas.  Now, since Helioborg is a research facility located on the outskirts of Trigleph, there's no train leading to it, so you're gonna have to hoof it to get there. This is the exit to Torbalan Highroad, which will take you there.  Again, a kind of dreary Elympios locale with soft music and low-level enemies. You'll forgive me if I kinda skip past this part, since it's just more low-level fighting. I will mention, though, the enemies here are considerably more dangerous than the ones in Alest Highroad, and that you should take on some jobs for enemies / items encountered here from the job board before you make the trip. Let's just say it'll be a while before you can turn those in, however.  Oh yeah, since it was pointed out to me in the thread, you CAN check on the status of jobs taken from the Event List tab in the Library, including how much progress you've made toward each one. So, it is there, it's just well-hidden.  So, after more uneventful exploring, here we are. Again, just be aware Helioborg is actually really hard, and you have to start fighting for keeps now. Anyhow, let's see what this Balan feller is up to...  Situation critical  What happened here? Jude! I-I didn't realize it was you! Well, you see... drat it. Someone really did a number on the security system. No way I can fix this by my-- Well, if it isn't the honors student. Great timing.Alvin fills us in on what's going on during a fade to black... Exodus has hijacked the facility's security system? Yeah, which trapped a bunch of Rieze Maxian goodwill ambassadors. Balan was showing 'em around, so he's there, too. Balan? We have to save him! You'll give us a hand? Yes. We have some business with Balan. Ludger, was it? Y'know this is all more of Exodus' handiwork. I used to count myself among their members. Still wanna trust me? I'll introduce Alvin a bit more this scene, but let's just say L1 predictably raises his affection, and is the choice I'll be making. Heh. You really are one of Jude's friends, aren't you? .... What about you, Alvin? Aren't you one of Jude's friends? Tough to say... Yes he is. And he knows it. Well, he seems pretty sketchy to me. Kid's got a good head on her shoulders. Let's break this down. Where are Balan and the tour group being held captive? Up on the Development Wing.  So, Alvin's deal is that he was the first guy who Jude and Milla met at the end of the intro to the first game. As I mentioned, he originally appeared to them as a freelance mercenary, showing them the ropes on how to survive when you're on the run, but it quickly became clear he had, let's say, shifting loyalties. Alvin was a member of a prominent Elyimpion family prior to an incident that involved a cruise ship he was on being sent to Rieze Maxia during a dimensional incident that caused it to get trapped here. He was one of Exodus' agents in Rieze Maxia, but developed something of an affinity for Jude and his do-gooder ways during his time with his group. This was complicated by he and one of the Four Chimeriad (which was a group of four misfits and weirdos who were united solely by their desire to serve King Gaius) being romantically involved with each other, which led Alvin to a severe deficit in trust with everyone he was involved with. Basically, he was playing all sides of the field at one point or another. After a lot of dramatics, however (involving, but not limited to, a boss fight between him and Jude at a critical point in the first game's story), he decided to renounce ties with Exodus, sever his relationship with the Chimeriad, and fight alongside Jude to the very end. We'll be hearing a lot more about what ol' Alvin's been up to since later this game, so stay tuned.  If the above brief biography reminds anyone of Kratos Aurion from Tales of Symphonia (a self-described mercenary with a complicated relationship to the main party and main bad guy group), Namco was aware of that as well and decided to make Alvin's callback Tales costume none other than Kratos' Judgment threads (ignoring the fact they have similar builds, however). Actually, there's a funny Tales costume loop going on with Alvin, Kratos / Zelos, and Ludger. Alvin has a Kratos costume, but in the PS3 version of Symphonia, Kratos gets a Ludger costume. Meanwhile, Zelos gets a Xillia 1 Alvin costume (which I personally think is the best Zelos costume), which, again, given Alvin's history, fits Zelos pretty well. I wonder if that was intentional.  Alvin in-combat very much resembles the traditional tank in an RPG party. He's slow, heavy, packs a punch, and has a lot of HP. His special ability is Charging his artes. When Alvin performs a simple arte, let's say Tiger Blade (one of the moves he starts with), as the player, continue holding down Circle. Alvin will charge for like 2-3 seconds, and then his blade will have a blue blow, as indicated by this screenshot. When Alvin is Charged, the next arte will be powered up or changed in some fashion. For example, Tiger Blade is a Tales staple, which involves a quick slash up, then right back down. Charged, Tiger Blade changes to Tiger Rage, which has the slash up, a slash in mid-air, and then a slash right back down. As you might expect, you're vulnerable during the Charge, and, once you've used a Charged arte, you need to perform a normal one to Charge again. Charge.  When it comes to his sword-based artes, Alvin has a lot of Tales Protagonist classics, like Sonic Thrust, Tiger Blade, Demon Fang, etc. He also this move, Guardian Field, which was introduced in Abyss, I think, in which he creates a field of energy where he restores the HP of allies and hits with Light-elemental damage on any enemies tha wander into it. Charged, this becomes Guardian Grove, which is basically the same thing but better (longer range and more hits, I believe).  Gunslinger Extra costumes in this game will frequently change the in-battle music. While color variations on their normal outfits won't change the music (like Ludger here is using), Jude is currently using a color variation on his Xillia 1 duds (which changes the battle music to Xillia 1's generic battle music), but Alvin's is a bit more interesting. It changes it to a remix of The End of a Thought, which was the music that played over the final battle with Kratos in Symphonia. There are a few special cases, however. Oh, and if you multiple characters in-battle have music-changing costumes, then the precedence is determined by that character's position on the party roster. First character to have a a music-altering costume in the party list gets their music. After the battle...   Looks like I'm bailing you guys out in the nick of time! That guy again?! You call that a hero's welcome? I even brought you guys these wonderful toys. Gah! I thought the safeties were on!  Look who's talking. Now for some target practice. Shoot first and ask questions later! So, we're now introduced to a hugely important mechanic for Ludger, and part of the reason which makes him the best (gameplay-wise, at least), party member, Weapons Switching. Now, it says to use L1 + R2 to change, but that's a pretty awkward button combo to press to switch weapons, so just ignore the game and use L1 + R1. Much simpler. To switch back to the twin blades, just press L1 + R1 again.  Now, while Ivar is weak to Gun damage, it would make for a pretty boring fight if I were to just sit in a single spot and pelt him with gunfire until he dies. Instead, I'm going to introduce Weapon Switching combos (the video is much more instructive as to how I'm making this work). So, first of all, start with just an unaltered gun hit to start the Power Combo. Ludger also has different basic attacks with his guns, just like with his swords, but simple is good in this case. Once the Power Combo starts, quickly switch to the blades. The game will pause for a split second while Ludger switches, whereupon you want to hit him with a standard sword hit (to add Slash damage), then Azure Edge to add Wind. Then, switch back to the Guns, and add Bubble Blast to the mix to get a full (for now) combo on poor Ivar here. You'll run out of AC by this point, but them's the breaks.  Finally, switch back to the blades. The reason you want to do this is because while you have the guns out, Ludger moves very slowly. I think maybe half as fast as with the blades, and that would be a generous estimate. Ivar can throw out some VERY quick moves on you, and combo damage can quickly add up. The blades will allow you to get out of the way very fast and recharge AC for another combo. And no, switching weapons does not use AC. Also, weapon switching will eventually allow Ludger to be one of only...three, I think, party members who can hit all 9 elements by themselves. One is Ludger, the other we won't be seeing for quite some time, and the third is *I think* Alvin, but don't quote me on his ability to do that.  On the plus side, however, when you have the guns out, your sidestep is replaced by a rolling dodge (doesn't that screenshot look cool?), and the arte Rolling Thunder also involves a quick combat roll into a few bullets, so you have to make use of dodging effectively to avoid damage if you use the guns a lot.  Ivar's Phantom Surge can be thrown out nearly-instantly and hit from a long range, so you need to be super careful of him, even at range.  Ivar, quite honestly, is a pretty bullshit boss, just because he has so much health, is quite dangerous, and you have too little HP, but if he were the worst of the boss fights in Helioborg, it would be a vastly superior world. Also, despite the fact this is a tutorial, you can retry straight into this fight if you lose, so that means he kills you if you lose. I'm gonna chalk this up to Ivar being a dumbass and going over the line in terms of what he should be doing. Remember, we're helping out Bisley and the Spirius Corporation, so for what reason at all would he want to kill us?  Anyone else'd be dead by now. You okay there, Ivar? Hmph... Better than some phony who keeps sticking his nose into everyone's business. ....Ivar limps off... Mr. Handmaid's as charming as ever. The way you approach an enemy pre-battle can determine certain things about the battle. If you get behind an enemy and touch them from behind, every enemy will lose a certain amount of HP. On the other hand, if an enemy touches you from behind, your party will start off surrounded by the enemy. Not actually a huge problem.  Ludger's guns are going to be pretty mandatory for this part of the game in starting Power Combos. The robots and Exodus goons are all weak to gunfire, and that's where you get started.  So Helioborg is kind of a maze, just because everything looks basically the same. Once you exit into the paths that look like these, head right and fuss your way around through enemies and the occasional locked door. If you see this area, you're on the right track. Alternatively, if you get lost, you can always press Square to bring up a map of the current area and get yourself on the right track. Watch out! The magical girl   Phew... That's the last of them. Elize!  Little buddy's here, too! Wait. So those goodwill ambassadors were actually... Yeah. My classmates and I were picked to represent Rieze Maxia. Meet Elize and Teepo. She is a cute kid, if I do say so myself. Predictably raises her affection level.  By the way, Elle gets mad at us for that, but I'm just stating facts here! Ludger is one smooth talker. So, Jude... Are these friends of yours? Hey there! How ya doing?! Aw, Teepo's not going to hurt you. Play nice, okay? Okay! Maybe later. Elize, what happened to your friends from school? We all got attacked real sudden-like! Elize was so brave. She got all her classmates into a room that was safe. What about Balan? He got all the bad guys to chase after him so the rest of us could run and hide. I betcha he's still on top of the Development Wing. Yeah. Yeah. So I came down here to call for help. Can you lead us? Of course!A lightning crash...  What's the matter, Elle? Are you afraid of thunder? No! As if! Oh great! Now what did we do?!  Did you feel that? There's no need to be afraid... I mean...because... I'm not afraid! Thunder is just the Great Spirits going bowling! Um, that's the wrong way. I-I knew that! Oh brother. Looks like we need to help her out before she wanders into a robot or something. Anyway, moving on.  We're just plowing through the Xillia 1 recruits, eh? Although she may not look like it, Elize is the weirdest member of the first game's party, and that's all because of Teepo, that doll that can fly around and talk. Except, while Teepo IS a doll, he's what's referred to as a Booster. Teepo is something that boosts Elize's latent abilities, while Elize's mind generates what Teepo needs to function. Essentially what that means is that Teepo is not a separate existence from Elize. Everything that comes out of Teepo's mouth is what Elize is currently thinking. So, all of Teepo's smartass comments are coming from Elize's mind. But, at the same time, Elize will talk to Teepo as if he's sentient (and she and everyone else in the party knows the truth, as revealed by one of her subplots in the first game). It's...a little disconcerting if you think about it, but not to worry: this game barely acknowledges that and essentially treats Elize and Teepo as two separate characters. But, that is how it works.  Battle-wise, Elize is a strange beast. At first glance, she's basically a white / black mage, with a large number of healing / support spells, and a large number of Dark-elemental spells at her disposal. However, by taunting with Elize, you can switch to have the doll either on Elize's shoulder (to support her spirit artes), or floating around her (to execute physical artes). That's formally called Teepo Switching, and it counts as Elize's special ability. The problem with a lot of Elize's artes, however, is they're pretty slow / not particularly powerful. So, I'd advise keeping Teepo on her shoulder for now, because her primary healing spell, Healing Circle, is invaluable at this point in the game.  Elize's support ability is Teepo Drain, which, as you might expect, is a vampiric skill that steals HP / TP from an enemy every...let's say 20 or so seconds and gives them to Elize's partner.  Speaking of support abilities, Alvin's is Breaker. Basically, if you and Alvin are attacking an enemy, and said foe is blocking, Alvin will smash right through their guard and stun them, giving you a chance to launch a combo. Thanks to his mix of gun / swordplay, Alvin can also break guards at range if his AI decides on it. It's *really* useful, especially against bosses.  I wandered off for a bit and ended up back in the Development wing, where I entered Helioborg from. The target is the Research wing, and we're currently headed. Unfortunately, electrical problems all over the place, so the elevator will only take us to the 10th floor. You'll have to head up to the roof from there by foot. That's alright, though, since various siderooms have goodies for us, and trust me, we're going to need every advantage for the boss.  Ultimate showdown!    The block puzzles are not exactly brain drains, but there are some good skits on the way: Alvin and Elize (L1 increases Alvie's affection), and The Terror Group, Exodus.  One really cool thing about Tales costumes is that the characters will frequently use memorable lines from the characters they're cosplaying as for win quotes. In this case, Alvin is using Kratos' famous "Feel the pain...of those inferior beings...as you burn in hell!", but he also has a couple other famous Kratos lines.  Once you've made it to the 13th floor, one of the siderooms will look like this and the door to Ludger's right will lead to the roof. Final heads up: BE PREPARED. This upcoming fight is, in my opinion, the hardest fight in the entire game. I would say, don't try to fight this boss before you hit level 11, at the minimum.  Shock therapy What the heck is that? It's the spyrite Volt! I remember that tingly feeling! So they recreated it?! We can't even control it!  Rollo!  Volt Volt Volt....... How should I say this... I'm not a fun of Gun Ivar, but this is the grand champion of bullshit Tales bosses. I can't imagine a worse series of design decisions that ended up going into an otherwise VERY good game. First, a little backstory. Volt was one of the very last bosses in Xillia 1, and thus, his strength made sense at that point of the game. You had plenty of everything to help fight him, even without the Power Combo system. Here, instead, Power Combos are all you got.  First of all, since Volt just isn't powerful enough, he has two buddies with him at the start of battle. Take them out with Mortar Fire (use Bubble Blast when linked with Alvin for this puppy). Don't even think about controlling anyone other than Ludger this fight.  So, what makes Volt so bad? Well, aside from the mountain of HP (about 250% more than Ivar, adding up to 39k on Normal), he also can't be staggered very easily (but there is a trick that I discovered), and he has THIS. GODDAMN. MOVE. On very short notice, he'll jump up out of sight, then very quickly slam back down, up to three times. If you get hit by that first bounce, or the second, say goodnight to the character(s) that got hit. Volt will knock them on the ground, then hit you again before you can recover and get out of the way. Oh, and forget about blocking. If you try it, he WILL break your guard and trap you like a rat. If you're lucky, you CAN knock him out of this move, or one of your AI allies can get a lucky shot, but I would not exactly count on that happening.  He'll also do this move, Vertical Shock, which is unblockable. But it's downright merciful compared for the previous move, and easily dodgeable just by running away from him. Of course, you kinda have to make a wide arc in retreat just so your braindead comrade doesn't run right into him. But, even then, it doesn't damage you that much.  Electric Whip, in spite of the name, is not an attack. It merely summons one of those robots from the start of the start, which are no stronger now than they were then. Again, just take it out ASAP, since the last thing you need is one more gun shooting at you.  Alright, so what's my trick to stagger Volt that I've had at least some consistant success with? Well, hitting him with Breaker. A good chance to attack the big boy here is to shoot him when he's casting a spell. There's a good chance he'll break off the spell to block, and there's where Alvin comes in. He smacks or shoots (as he's doing from off-screen in this shot) Volt and drops his guard, whereupon your guns will stagger him on the next hit. Then you can pull another Ivar combo and get some good damage in on him. Bonus points if Alvin is around and uses Guardian Field to add Light elemental damage and more to the multiplier. Rinse and repeat. To be honest, though, even though it sounds very simple, Volt is just so unpredictable and your allies so poorly able to deal with Volt's myriad attacks, that it's a crapshoot. I saw one poor bastard on GameFAQs say Volt KO'd his entire party in five seconds. I had wanted to beat this entire game on no less than Hard, and by some friggin' miracle I managed to beat Volt on Hard on my first playthrough, and how I did that, I have no idea. If you wanted to drop the difficulty to Moderate just for this one fight, well, I'm the last person in the universe who would criticize you for that call (seeing as I did just that for the sake of this LP). To be honest, I *could* probably still beat him on Hard if I really threw myself at the attempt, but it just requires way too much luck and good playing to be truly worth it, and after about a cumulative hour trying to do just that, I just said to hell with it. What have I got to prove by beating Volt on Hard? Nothing in the slightest.  Anyhow, that's quite enough talk of terrible RPG bosses.   Error... Error... Soul... Contamination... Spreading. Wait, souls spreading contamination? Control...failed! Error!    Update 5 alternate choices compilation Update 5 victory selection Sylphid fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Apr 6, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2016 01:46
|
|
|
alcharagia posted:Sharing is caring. This job is for a really rare item! I don't know if we'll find it through normal means... Oh, can you make an outfit for Leia, since she'll be joining next time? Kinda on short notice, but I trust you.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2016 04:07
|
|
|
Weeble posted:Can confirm that Alvin is one of the ones that can hit all 9 elements by himself. That, coupled with his Charging, made him one of my favorites to play as. Yeah, to be honest, Alvin doesn't really come into his own for quite some time. At this point in the game, all things being equal, of course, Alvin is just not that great in-battle. But once he can stack Charges and Charge very quickly, then he becomes much more entertaining and useful in combat.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2016 08:37
|
|
|
Part VI: The Woman Who Reports Medical treatment Rollo! He's hurt bad! Don't worry, kid! We're professionals. He'll be fine. You know... I hate thunderstorms. What? Some scary stuff happened to me during a thunderstorm. Don't tell anyone, but I think thunderstorms are scary, too. The air gets all tingly and weird, right? Yeah. But how in the world did they gather the resources to recreate the spyrite Volt? Balan would know. Let's head back to the roof.Indeed... Well, Ludger doesn't feel like mentioning this, but we've seen this kind of thing before, right? Guess we might as well head back to the roof... Oh, and a skit pops up right after. Oh, and all the chests you opened are refilled with different items, so do those very easy puzzles again for more goods.  Oh yeah, I hit about 20,000 gald thanks to 3000 in the chest I just opened, so here we go with our first non-mandatory payment, since we technically haven't finished the story content for this chapter.   Oh hey, in the room on the way to the roof, we have our next cat. Oh, and just as a heads up: you cannot miss any Kitty permanently, so don't you worry about that.  The trouble with spyrites Nobody's out here... All clear, Balan. C'mon out. Your hiding spots haven't changed since we were kids.Balan finding his way back down, somehow, later...  We never even considered recreating Volt, much less tried to actually pull it off. Honestly, we're still having trouble controlling spyrites at all. We'd be insane to try tackling a Great Spirit. .... The tingly guy really was here, right? Yeah. What the hell was it, then? Hm, well, I've introduced spyrites before, but hey, let's ask Balan about them. Seems like the guy who could explain a bit more, and I doubt he knows much about Julius... Well, gaining total control over lesser spirits is possible in theory. But it doesn't really work. We still have a lot to learn about them. There's no need to rush. She granted us a reprieve, didn't she?Referring to Milla, of course. After becoming Maxwell, she's done something or other to increase the life span of spirits from dying off because of spyrix. Yeah, but it won't last forever. So...what can you tell us about this Julius guy? I dunno... He really loves tomatoes? Balan... Sorry. Look, I haven't seen the guy in six months. I was shocked as anyone when I heard about the train hijacking. Do you have any idea where he might have gone? Like to Canaan, right? Canaan, huh? I think he mentioned the place, actually, but I don't remember the details or anything. It is a sacred place, where souls go to be purified and reincarnated. Muzet? Oh, Muzet making an early appearance! What is that?! The Spirit Muzet. She's Milla's big sis! What are you doing in our realm? Milla's...vanished. Wait, what? Something was amiss with the soul-purification process. Or so she said. But I lost contact with her after she used my power to exit the spirit realm. So she's here in the human realm? Indeed, she should be, but... I guess you haven't seen her. Surely, she would have sought you out if she could. I hope she's all right. I must find her.Muzet buggers off...  Well, now what? What's-it-burg! Someone's hunting for scary glasses guy there! Do you mean Marksburg? Please, let me come with you. This is no field trip we're going on, princess... Shouldn't you stay in school? But, but...if Muzet's here in the human realm, the danger level must be off the charts. I want to whatever I can to help, that's all. Count me in, too. Well, y'know, whenever I'm not swamped with work. The're so many of us now!  But, obviously, it's time to pay back more of our debt to get to Marksburg in the first place (ignoring the fact I can pay the required amount right now, but I'm not, because that would leave me with like 67 gald). Now, we need to return to Trigleph to get started, and the trip back there is boring, unless you talk to this guy. He'll mention a special escort is available for people going from Helioborg to the city. What this means is "Free warp". As soon as you get back to Trigleph, a Nova scene...  It'll come in super-duper handy if you use it right. What is it? It's a family heirloom! My uncle bought it off some home-shopping show, but it ended up gathering dust in the closet. What a waste! Am I right? So family heirloom's just a fancy word for trash? Ahahaha... I'm sure Ludger will put it to good use, though. I...wouldn't count on that, Nova. Auto-Items, I mean, you can set rules for them, but I prefer to use items strategically. The AI is set up to use Gels at the drop of a hat, and before you know it, your stock of items will be all gone. When items can easily be replaced with gald, it's not a big deal, but for now, it is. You can turn off, on, or alter Auto-Item rules in the Strategy tab.  The Rusalle Highroad is the other exit from Helioborg, which leads to the dungeon Tatalian Abyss and the special location Dimensional Breach. You can imagine we'll be going to those locales in the future, but they are WAY out of your league right now. However, it would still be wise to at least make the exit from Helioborg just to open it for Kitty Dispatch. Not a big deal if you don't, however.  Another tough guy, eh? Remember the debt payment is 10000 gald. Victory in this fight more than pays for that. Elite Monsters are just the best.  And here we go.  Veywind Eye Compared to our last wonderful boss, this guy is EASY. The only thing she has going for him are the somewhat long range of his claws, his two buddies (who get replaced quickly when they die, but they're not infinite), and his large amount of health.  Reason is, is because EVERY elemental attack against him is a Power Hit. Start of with any elemental arte, and everything after is a Power Hit as well. You can very nearly stun lock him, and there's not much he can do about that. On the flip side, however, he takes no damage whatsoever from combos starting with non-elemental attacks.  For his allies, the situation is the opposite. Elemental attacks do nothing initially, but a non-elemental strike will start the Power Combo. They're also quite easy to defeat.  Oh yeah, and he also has the same weak point gimmick that the big scorpion did. Still, it's just harder to hit, since he moves around a lot and his body is so large.  One big reason I like this game's battle system quite a bunch? Status effects work, even on bosses! It's just so rare to see, it's like a miracle when it does show up in an RPG. Of course, you won't see this against higher level enemies, but y'know, it's nice to see.  Oh hey, I'm controlling Ludger now. Yep, if you hold L1 and press the D-pad in the direction of the character you want to control, it'll switch control over to them instantly. It's one thing to combine a bunch of Linked Artes in one Over Limit. It's quite another to switch characters mid-combo and control it. Honestly, though, I've never done this. But just you wait!  Oh please, I didn't have that much trouble with this. Returning to town...  Jude has the honor of the first character story. Every playable character (except for Ludger, again), has a series of five chapters featuring some subplot involving them. Jude's is, as you might be able to guess, the trials and tribulations of making spyrites work. You'll get cool things and a lot of opportunities to raise character affections by completing these, so it is in your best interest to do them as soon as they come up, which is usually after a chapter's plot events are done, but before you continue the main story.   Trouble in Helioborg...again  I can't answer your call right now, so please leave a message. So, Jude... Is that your girlfriend? No, nothing like that. We're just old friends. I can't seem to get her on the phone. You worried something's wrong? No, she's probably just busy with work, like always. At least, I hope that's all it is... Did you used to play in this park when you were a kid, Ludger? Ludger seems a sheltered lad, but even so, the park IS right outside his house. L1 it is, though, as you might imagine, neither choice matters. Oh, right. Must've been nice. I was an only child.Jude gets another buzz on his phone... Yes? Dr. Mathis, it's Mary! Those pushy people are skulking around the lab again. The one guy says he has a valuable spirit fossil. He's insisting that you trade him your device for it. What? Did he say anything else? Only that it's from one of the Great Spirits. Apparently he got it through "connections". I'd have Director Balan deal with it, but he's at an investors meeting right now. With just us here, we don't know what to do! Stonewall him, Mary. You're in Helioborg now? I am. I'll be right there. Don't agree to anything he says, okay? And tell everyone else to do the same. She sure talks loud. Sorry. Guess you heard her. I have to go take care of that. That was one of the spyrite researchers in Helioborg. She seemed...a little worked up. Ludger is a sheltered, but generous lad, so we'll be going with L1. With characters like Jude, it's pretty obvious in most cases what choices will raise his affections. Other characters can be a bit more unpredictable in what they do and don't like. Are... Are you sure? I'm going too! Thanks. In that case, let's get to Helioborg. So, for all Character Quests in the game, you have to have a select few party members with you at all times (in this case, it's Jude, but since we only have four party members at the moment, we couldn't change our party if we wanted to. In the party ledger, any character with a padlock next to their portrait means a party member who is important to the story of the chapter and can't be removed from the active party. Ludger is a special case, however. On your first playthrough, he can't be removed from the active party at any point in the game. Once you've defeated the final boss, however, and started the post-game or a New Game+, the padlock is removed from his entry and you can swap him in and out as you please. Oh, and about this screenshot. I got bonus items as a result as my early payment and it was promptly delivered. I got Kitty Crisps (reduces Kitty Dispatch time), the Mosquito Skill for Ludger (do 1 damage with every attack. Only really good for getting large combos without killing the target). Gee, thanks Spirius.  And there it is, mandatory debt payment and notification I can go to Marksburg and continue the main story.  Don't mind if I do.  Oh hey, getting distracted by shiny objects helped me out.  Anyway, here we are again. To complete this first character chapter, just head back to the 13th floor lab of the Research Wing again. After doing just that...  Laying down the law It's a win-win. I don't see why you even need to bother Dr. Mathis with this. L-Look, for the last time, our answer is no. You sure about that? I've heard a few things about this lab, you know. Your research is dead in the water without this. Am I wrong? Dr. Mathis! I'm Jude Mathis. Sorry to keep you waiting. How might I help you today? Ah, Dr. Mathis. Just the man I wanted to see. I've got an offer you can't refuse. It's about that device of yours. I already told you. It's still undergoing clinical trials. We're not ready to accept any offers. But I heard you've achieved a success rate close to 80% with lesser spirit-class spyrites. That's good enough for practical use. Sign an exclusive distribution deal with us, and you'll find yourselves on Easy Street. We'll decide when the device is "good enough". A 20% failure rate just doesn't cut it. Is that so? You're certainly cavalier about your lack of progress. I know how much money has been sunk into this project. Investors aren't exactly the patient type. Of course, I didn't come to a contract negotiation empty-handed. A Great Spirit... Celsius, perhaps? Yep. The genuine article, wielded by the leader of Exodus himself.Former leader, that is. The leader of Exodus, a man by the name of Gilland, was a major boss battle in the first game, when the party raided his vessel with help from Gaius and friends and defeated him. He used Celsius to try and even the odds, with poor results. He also happened to be Alvin's uncle. Celsius' fossil sank to the bottom of the sea a year ago, in the ruins of the E.S.S Zenethra. The Rieze Maxian government conducted the salvage operation of the Zenethra. .... I believe that makes this fossil the property of Rieze Maxia. How'd you end up with it? .... You certainly know your stuff, Dr. Mathis. Perhaps it's time for you to leave. I know when I've worn out my welcome. I'll bid farewell for today. But I hope you'll give my proposal some thought. For the sake of your research. Don't forget...that. Consider it a gift. Although you didn't get it from me, of course. Catch my drift? Take a guess. I'm fine, thanks. I'm sorry you had to deal with that guy. Oh, no... I'm totally okay! Thank you so much for coming, Dr. Mathis. Thanks to all of you. Mary, would you put this in safekeeping for me? I don't know if it really is what he claims, but why take any chances? Of course. I'll inform Dr. Balan as well. Thanks, Mary. Let's go.Back down we go...  Jude's sorrow Sorry for getting you mixed up in this. Sometimes you'll get choices that are obvious when it comes to raising a character's affection, sometimes it's much harder to tell. In this case, it's the latter, but L1 increases his affection. Because I didn't know that, I chose R1. They're getting less subtle with each attempt. We need to figure out how to deal with these guys. I get where they're coming from, but... We just need more data before we can begin full-scale implementation. If we could begin testing it with Great Spirits... No, forget I said that. We can't rush into things unprepared. However, this should be obvious, as well as being my choice. Yeah, you're right. We're too close to our goal to risk going off the rails now. It's just that sometimes I lose sight of my convictions. Then I don't know what to do. Jude... Thanks. I'll keep looking for an answer. It's out there somewhere. Thanks for coming along, Ludger. It felt good to have some back-up.  Jude's a total dork, and we love him for it.  Back in Trigleph, I accepted a quest called What Could Have Been, where you have to deliver a Tomato Omelette (Small) to a dude at the train station. Let's see what he has to say...  Thanks a million! I think I can make something new outta this dish. You work here at the station, right? Are you gonna start serving these in the dining room? Nah... I just started here. All I make are staff meals for the guys in charge If they like it, though, they might add it to the dining car menu or wrap some up for the lunch boxes at the station. That's how chicken gratin and stewed pork started off before they made it onto the menu...staff meals! Sounds like such a fun place to work. Oh, it is! But it's busy! We don't get much break time. They tell us the food we make is the source of economic stimulation in Elympios! Hard to conduct business on an empty stomach. Well, their stomachs are in good hands. I guess... I mean, I sorta failed the skills test when they interviewed me... But the guy they hired started a grease fire his first day, and they called me in to take his place! I guess we just play the hand fate deals us and try not to get burned in a grease fire along the way, huh? Fate... Something wrong, Ludger? N-No. I'm actually off today, but I thought I'd pop in and see if I could whip one of these up. Thanks again for our help. To pay you back, I'll let you try some of my cooking! See ya!Man, in-between grease fires and terrorist incidents, the cafeteria at Trigleph Station seems a death sentence for solid, unexciting employment. Well, while we're in Trigleph Station (after turning in the report and getting the money, of course), let's continue on to Marksburg. We'll find where Julius is eventually!  Nice place, huh? Can't help but feel we've seen something like it before, though...  If she has a star over where she is, she has to be important. Let's see what she has to say, and what connection she to Julius...  As you might guess, depending on which place you visit first, Marksburg or Helioborg, that town's events becomes Chapter 4, and the second place becomes Chapter 5. However, gameplay-wise, you're definitely expected to come here first. Proof positive is coming right up.   The feline caper Ah! Nothing to see here! Move along! What the heck are you doing, Leia? Jude?! Leia! Long time no see. Elize! And Alvin, too! Don't forget your pal Teepo! Were you talking to that kitty? Not exactly. I need to catch it for a special assignment. I thought you were a newspaper reporter, Leia. What gives? I told you. It's a special assignment! In retrospect, I probably should have gone with R1, even though it wouldn't have raised Leia's affection. However, it is not to be.    Julius?! Uh-huh. That's his name. Julius Catstantine the Third. That's Julius? Uh-huh. The third one, apparently. I've been asking all over about this cat. So the person asking a lot of questions about Julius is Leia. And this Julius hacks up hairballs. I give Spirius' intel an F, guys.Now now, we musn't jump to conclusions. Conclusion 1, that may or may not be correct: our older brother, Julius Kresnik, wanted criminal, does not hack up hairballs. Conclusion 2, which also may or may not be correct: that Spirius did not intend for us to capture this cat. Bisley seems a cunning fellow, always two steps ahead of everyone else. For all we know this cat may be integral to whatever's going on. Anyhow, thanks guys! This cat belogns to our biggest advertiser. Oh, where're my manners? This is Ludger Kresnik. My name's Elle. And this here is Rollo. I'm Leia Rolando. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. So this bit here, while Bonus Scene: Jude is in the upper left corner, is why I went to Helioborg first. The conditions for acquiring bonus content for normal story scenes is, without exception, I believe, from completing character story chapters before the next chapter's main story content starts. Just for the record, if you get a scene without bonus content, there's no awkward cut or anything. The scene just proceeds as if the Bonus Scene content was never there. Guilty as charged. We grew up together. But not his girlfriend... Hm? Is she your little sister? Well, it is kinda her fault we ended up on that train in the first place, and led to this whole mess where we transform into an evil guy with a spear and fighting Great Spirits and our brother, but she's still around, isn't she? L1 it is, and as you might expect, it increases her affection. Huh?! It is nothing like that! We have a strictly monetary relationship. What?! Then again, she does have a tendency to get Ludger in trouble like this. Huh? So, Leia, are you a cat-catcher?And after she says "Huh?" the Bonus Scene ends. Huh?! No way! I'm a newspaper reporter! Think of me as a truth-catcher. It's an honorable job! Speaking of, have you heard anything about the train hijacking? That right there's the story of the decade. Last I heard, they put out a warrant for that Spirius bigwig... Julius Kresnik, I think? Wait a minute! Julius Kresnik?! Did you step into trouble again? Uh-huh. Big trouble. Like super-big trouble. But Ludger is-- I know, I know... He's a friend of yours. C'mon! Huh? Duval. I have an informant there. She's super-duper in the know. So, I'll introduce you guys. All right! Now we're getting somewhere!I'm not sure where we're getting, but okay, I guess... So Leia's not gonna need nearly a big introduction as Alvin did. Basically her story is she grew up in the same small town Jude did, and they've been friends since they were young. Leia has a definite crush on Jude, as evidenced by a few things in this game and Xillia (namely wanting to learn medicine because Jude was a doctor), but became a reporter seeing as how Jude definitely didn't feel the same (he's married to the job, you see, and helping out virtual strangers on a very bad day).  Oh yeah, and the cat ran off. Leia's not the most hyper competent of characters in this game.  Hammertime Also, Elle mentions Ivar showing up before this scene pops up (when you try to leave Marksburg via the train station, which also happens to be the only way you can leave for now. You can try proceeding further in, but the way is blocked by rubble and a no go for now. Actually, Ivar is pretty hard to see before this scene pops up, so the little lady has good eyes. Take it from me, though. This world is nothing but one big litter box. Ivar? He's talking to What's-His-Name the Third! Quick! Grab that cat for me! Huh?!  And there it goes... See that? Even the deadliest creatures run in fear of my mighty weapon! Don't be a 'fraidy cat! Thanks... Hmph. I betcha don't even know which end is up on that thing. Ivar with the Revolver Ocelot "Throwing your sunglasses dramatically" thing and we're off to the second tutorial Ivar fight. So Hammer Ivar follows basically the same rules Gun Ivar did, except he's way easier. This is the main reason I believe you were meant to come to Marksburg first. The hammer itself is about what you'd expect: slow to wind-up and attack, devastating when it does. It can frequently break an opponent's guard, and attacks in a circle around Ludger with his standard combo, but it provides the crucial third basic element for Ludger's arsenal. So now, had we all of Ludger's artes, he could achieve our first full Power Combo, but obviously, we do not. As for weapon switching, the standard cycle is Swords -> Hammer -> Gun, looping around to Swords if you press the button a third time. However, you have the chance to set the weapons Ludger starts with in-battle in his equipment screen. Also, when it comes to moving speed, Hammer Ludger is basically the same as Swords, maybe just a *bit* slower.  There's not much to say about the fight itself, however. He's basically a much weaker boss than the Ivar we fought in Helioborg, so feel free to play around with trying to get a 300% combo now while you whittle down his HP.  Ugh... So you do know which end is which. But I'm warning you: Don't go swinging that thing around town! Some people have no consideration, I swear. So Ivar's working here in Elympios. What are you going to do about the cat? I'll wrangle your furball. I've got some business to take care of here, anyway. That sounds right up your alley, Alvin. What is that supposed to mean? Ah, but if I use the little spud as bait, I'll catch that cat in no time. Don't even think about it, little buddy! Why do you always have to be such a jerk? Well, okay then, I'll leave you two to it. I don't mind helping...as long as you don't use Teepo as catnip. Now, off to Duval! Yes, off to Duval! To do something or other, I guess. Anyway, I only screenshot this because Claricite is one of many, many materials that you can only get through Kitty Dispatch. Basically, if you take a job for an item you've never seen in a field map, and you've been halfway diligent searching for items in said location, odds are you can only get it through the Dispatch.  And a skit to finish today's adventures off. L1 increases Leia's affection, by the by, though this one of the many skits where the choice made substantially alters the skit's dialogue. Update 6 victory quotes compilation Update 6 alternate choices compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Apr 12, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2016 17:28
|
|
|
Oh, and wdarkk, I'm gonna need a fashion line-up from you, for: Ludger, Jude, Alvin, Elize, Leia, and Rowen. I know it's tough, but you're capable.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 04:42
|
|
|
Level Seven posted:It's sort of funny how weak some of the excuses are for forcing excess party members out of the plot for a chapter. If you did these chapters the other way around, how does Leia get sidetracked in Helioborg? You know, I've honestly never done that. I've gone to Helioborg first every four times the choice has come up (two playthroughs on my own for Plat, and now the same for the main playthrough and my alternate choices playthrough). I would imagine it involves buggering off to file a report or something related to her job.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 05:17
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Would a quick Allium Orb update be okay? I'll start putting something together that might help, maybe in the next update. Also, the reason Volt is harder than that fight is because unless you're doing power leveling for like 10 hours, the boss is way too hard in proportion to the place in the game where you're at. Since the latter fight is the final real battle of the game, when you've conquered (almost) every gameplay challenge the game has to throw at you, you have tons of HP / TP (so more room for error), more accessories for bonus effects to cover weak points, more skills to enhance how your characters play, more chance to acquire great equipment and use it effectively (to make no mention of Devil's Arms), and that the challenge level of the latter fight is perfectly reasonable when you have all those advantages going into it, and the experience of going through nearly the entire game. It's objectively the harder fight, but it never feels as singularly unreasonable as Volt is. Besides, even at the very extreme, the average player will make it to Volt in 4-5 hours (even if you go to Marksburg first). For a veteran player, who is either familiar with Tales games or has played a lot of Xillia 1, that's fine, but for a player picking up this game, Volt is a major stumbling block. Even if you're fine with Power Combos, which is the real test of that fight, Volt is still way too hard for the average player, whereas 90% of the people who play this game will likely never see the cameo battle except on YouTube. The only fight I think would be at all comparable to Volt would be the bad ending fight. (kinda an ending spoiler) But even that is more reasonable, and that's really the name of the game when it comes to comparing difficult boss fights in this title. Sylphid fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Apr 13, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 05:45
|
|
|
alcharagia posted:Who's your favorite character? Mine's the one with the big sword and the nice suit. It's too bad on higher difficulties Ludger is pretty much mandatory in boss fights, because drat is nice suit guy fun to play as.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 06:37
|
|
|
Overall, Tales games have come a long way when it comes to making non-main characters fun to play as. In Phantasia Cless was like mandatory to play for 90% of the game, with *maybe* an exception for Chester and Suzu, but even that's a stretch. Mint, Arche, and Klarth are just not fun to play as at all, at any point in the game.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 06:55
|
|
|
wdarkk posted:OK, so: There's a Huggable Sophie in Xillia 2? I thought that was Zesty.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 21:23
|
|
|
wdarkk posted:Yes, there is. You have a Graces save on that ps3, right? That would explain why I've never seen her. I do not, in fact. I don't have a Huggable Sophie 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2016 21:47
|
|
|
Part VII: The Man Who Advises So I asked alchargia to come up with an emergency outfit for Leia, and I think something may have gotten lost in communication...  However, in Duval, Leia's informat is not doing a good job of being inconspicuous...  The 411 on Duval Sorry I'm late! So, uh...this is your informant? Yep. Jude, meet Jolyne. Anyway, you know why we're here. The train hijacking, right? Maybe I know something. Maybe I don't. I'm guessing it depends on whether we have money or info to trade, right? Hey...Ludger fills her in on the inside scoop... So that's the real story. I just love how Elle plays around with Rollo all the time in cutscenes when she's not otherwise speaking. Go ahead! Take a look at the videos and see Elle playing around with the cat while everyone else is talking. It's a fun detail! I also like how whoever voiced Rollo doesn't even sound 10% like a cat, but there's just something very amusing about the way he meows that makes me happy. Ryow. Good stuff. Guess it's my turn to share. Word on the street is Braht's been funneling a certain somethin' somethin' to Exodus. Braht? That's the name of the government around these parts--right, Jolyne? Supposedly. Meaning? No dice. I like living. What're they sending? Weapons? Nope, guess again. Spirit fossils and boosters. Say what now?! That's right, kids. The next-gen stuff that's supposed to replace current spyrix techno-- Whoa, stop the press. This guy looks familiar. I suppose he does. This is Jude Mathis, the spyrite researcher. Mom always wanted me to meet a doctor. You make me feel all chatty. Wow, Jude. You're like a celebrity! Rumor has it there's a "demon" prowling the alleyways of Duval. He looks just like a regular guy on the outside, but I hear he's hiding some monstrous power. He uses it to stalk his prey. Like glasses guy. Word is even some of Braht's heavies have fallen victim. I just wrote it off as an urban legend, but maybe it's connected to the train hijacking after all. Well, this whole connection is tenuous, but I suppose we might as well follow up on it. A monster's a monster, after all. Right after this skit, though. Warning: this skit is terrifying!  Oh yeah, made another unscheduled debt payment after turning in a few more jobs in Duval. Note that new debt payment values are set after the end of each chapter's story content, so for now it's still 10,000.  Well, doesn't look like anything's off here, but...  Exodus attacks I really hope it's not. What, are you scared? No way! I ain't a 'fraidy cat! Besides, it might help us get to Canaan. I'm so sorry, Leia. I don't know what happened... What reason does Exodus have for gathering the materials to make spyrites? What's that, chief? Did someone say "spyrites"? You mean to say you're peddling spirit fossils? You bet. Only lesser spirit class ones, though. Speaking of that, have you heard anything about people gathering spirit fossils recently?  We're taking you into custody, unless you try something foolish. In broad daylight? Doesn't matter. Some reinforcements arrive, and it looks like trouble... These men... Braht agents. Looks like this could get ugly, unless we have some sort of trump card against this bunch... Thankfully, we do.     Ahhhhhhhhh!! See, Elle, this is why it might not be the best idea to keep you around...  The demon  Hey, what's the matter, buddy? You look like you've just seen a ghost. Oi, these guys are trying this ol' gag again?  Luckily Jude's right on top of that. Dr. Mathis is a quick learner. I get why you and Exodus hate me so much. But if you can't trust us...then at least trust in the spyrites! That's all I ask of you! We're so close to making them work! Curse that Jolyne. She must've ratted us out. Show no mercy. They're probably all Rieze Maxians. Things are getting pretty heady...    Hey, I recognize that... Spirit artes! A close one, this. Who? An old friend, and traveling buddy. Rowen's super smart. He knows everything. So he knows where the Land of Canaan is? The Land of Canaan, you say? That's right, old-timer! It's a magical place that grants people's wishes! Do tell... Well, I got a wish for that Canaan place to grant...death to all Rieze Maxia scum! Every last one of 'em! Anybody who looks at you arte-wielding monsters and thinks you're people like us is crazy! Quite right. Holy poo poo! Did Rowen lose his mind?! Don't look! Rowen! What did you just do?! Need you ask? Elize, Gaius, Lady Driselle... I must avenge their deaths. I must atone for dispelling the schism.Oh man, the coot has totally lost it. Those three are still alive! No... Not like this... Those two must perish as well. This man isn't Rowen!  So whoever this is, he looks like Rowen, sounds like him, but most certainly is NOT the old-timer. Time to waste him.  So, what your first order of business is is to dodge his spirit artes, since his artes are pretty devastating and will quickly chip away at your party. He's pretty fast in throwing them out, and he has a lot of them, so interrupting his casting is paramount to winning this fight. Thankfully, Ludger's hammer does a great job of just that.  But, since this is the first battle we've had with Leia this game, let me introduce her. Her staff uses Strike damage (same as Jude), so she has a natural Power Hit against Rowen here (who is weak to Strike and Fire damage). She's the prototypical battle mage. She has a variety of spells for buffs, some single-target healing (as opposed to Elize, who has mostly group heal spells), and a wide variety of artes that send her airborne or can be used in the air. On the support side, her Partner skill is Item Steal, which only works on downed enemies. If you knock an enemy to the ground, and Leia is close (or Ludger if you're partnered with her), they'll attempt to steal an item from the enemy. It will be obvious if you're successful or not in the five-finger discount, but there are skills to increase your odds if you're more successful than not stealing from enemies at this point in the game. On the special ability side, her ability is thus.  If you successfully back step away from an enemy attack (so, much like the Snap Pivot), Leia's staff will grow twice as long, and as you might guess, give you twice as much reach. Not...overly useful. It's just cool when you pull off successful backsteps, is all. Note that if you have trouble with successfully backstepping and growing Leia's staff, a skill down the line will allow you to do the exact same thing by blocking an enemy's attack at the exact right time. For some reason I find this much easier to pull off. Oh, and if you watch the video, this moment is nowhere in the video, because I took like 3-4 tries to finally beat him. I underestimated him a bit, I admit.  Also in this video is an Over Limit combo of 7 Linked Artes!  Hammer Toss is an especially good arte to stagger Rowen. Ludger throws his hammer like a fire boomerang and happens to be one of my favorite Ludger artes, actually, especially since, again, Rowen is weak to both elements Hammer Toss is.  Another cool thing about partners is that if an enemy stuns you, they can automatically recover you from Stun with a Stun Recovery. Do note, however, you cannot do the same to them.  drat that was a sweet combo. If Jude and Leia were controlled by humans, we might have done even more damage.  If he starts casting with a red ! above his head, that means he's going to throw out Tidal Wave shortly, which is one of his highest-level spells. The only way to avoid considerable damage from this one is to use Magic Guard. To use Magic Guard, start blocking, then hold down on the control stick. You'll throw up a blue shield and considerably lessen damage from spells.  But a big smack just upside the head brought this demon down for good.    The King They must be hiding around here somewhere, so find 'em! What did you monsters do?! It's more of that spirit arte trickery! You really are monsters, aren't you! That's enough.  And who the hell are you?   Why is Exodus so intent on gathering spyrite materials? Imagine if they unleashed an out-of-control spyrite on the world. Everyone would see the danger in it. Public support would vanish in a flash. Indeed they would. The plan is a cunning one. Hold on a sec... Y-You're not gonna kill us? We're not the monsters you think we are.The three, however, run off, and good riddance. Nothing changes overnight. It would appear that hatred of Rieze Maxia runs deep within the veins of this city. Maybe you could go to the Land of Canaan and wish the hate away. Beg pardon? The Land of Canaan is a magical place that grants wishes for people. Alas...the power to alter men's hearts in the blink of an eye would be frightening, indeed. We could easily wish away that which makes us human. It's okay. These two are the real deal. Rowen, Gaius... Thank you. Erston. Huh? At the moment, I'm just a man about town, much like any other. Please, call me Erston. His Highness is traveling incognito to get a sense of public opinion in Elympios. Can you really do that? I mean, you are the King of Rieze Maxia. King?! I've never gotten to see a real king before! Gaius, man...I mean, Erston (which is his birth name. Gaius' real name is Erston Outway, which hardly seems intimidating, explaining his want of changing his name when he became King of Auj Oule (which is half of Rieze Maxia). Anyway, this is the kind of guy who can intimidate a room just by walking into it, so we better play along with Bruce Wayne here. My pleasure. He can be as stubborn as a child, this one. What was that, Rowen? Nothing. Hey, I just thought of something! Do you think that "demon" of the alleyways was Gai-- I mean, Erston here? I mean, it could've been... But the scary Rowen looked like the glasses guy, too. The "scary" me? Well, you see...Jude fills him in on what the hell just happened... Interesting. It would seem you've gotten yourselves wrapped up in some sort of paranormal phenomenon. Your thoughts, Rowen? Something's afoot. Based on? A hunch. Good enough for me. Now get to the bottom of it. As you wish. Would you be so kind as to allow me to accompany you henceforth? Well, why not? I'm Rowen Ilbert. A pleasure to make your acquaintances. Jude. I know. I can't let Exodus get me down. I'll perfect the spyrite tech and prove them wrong. *nod* Check it out, Elize! It's our bearded buddy from before!  What happened? Aw, he got scratched. It's a battle-scar. Chicks dig that kind of thing. The old gang's back together. Yeah...Ludger gets another buzz on his cellphone...but it's not Nova this time! Vera from Spirius Corporation here. A witness has spotted former director Kresnik. He's at Aladhi. Aladhi Seahaven. It's a port in Rieze Maxia. Other pursuit agents are on their way to the scene. You must hurry. Still got bills to pay, huh?  Alright, so, there's a ton of skits that pop up after that last event: The Evil Chancellor?!, Everyone's Clothes (complimenting the beard of a specific man gets you affection points for them), Alvin's first affection skit, and Just What is Teepo, Anyway?. I love Elle's interactions with the Xillia 1 cast.  However, I suppose I must introduce Rowen now. Rowen J. Ilbert (I don't believe the J. is ever identified. Maybe it's Jay) used to be a general in Rashugal's army (Rashugal and Auj Oule were the two countries in Rieze Maxia during the first game), and a close friend to its King Nachtigal. However, events great and small conspired to pit general and king against each other, and Rowen ended his liege and friend's life at the end of Xillia 1's first story arc. However, knowing all his connections and influence within Rashugal's nobility, King Gaius decided to make Rowen his Prime Minister after their conflict had ended, which Rowen all too happily accepted. Now Rowen is more or less the Lucius Fox to Gaius' Bruce Wayne. While the latter leads a life of celebrity and clandestine rear end-kicking, and is the titular power, Rowen more or less handles the government's day-to-day business.  So, there's no new Elite Monster for us to kill, so we're gonna have to do this the hard way. The job board has the usual listing of random jobs ranging from the Alest Highroad to the Tatalian Abyss, but trust me, you're not gonna wanna get near the Abyss for now. The enemies there will eat your team alive. But, there are a couple special jobs, one from Nova, the other from Ludger's landlord, in Trigleph, so we're headed there next. As it happens, I was sitting on 12,000 gald by the time I defeated Evil Rowen, and the payment to continue the story is 15,000, so the post-chapter stuff will be pretty short on my end. Enemies in Rusalle Highroad, where a lot of jobs are, should be within your skill level after Volt and Evil Rowen.  Oh hey, we do have a new character chapter to complete, so let's start Leia's story, why not?  An unusual errand Oh, hey, Ludger. What's up? Got some juicy news you're just dying to share? You'll have to forgive Leia. She's become a raging scoopaholic. I wouldn't be surprised if she mugged me just to get a story in the crime blotter. Ugh, c'mon, stop it already. Are you chasing down a hot tip? Reporter Leia Rolando would be happy to help! Um, no. Aw, come on! How else will I learn? Uh... Chief? I'm sure you're ready for a simple errand. Off with you now. Chop-chop. Oh! Did you get a chance to look at that story I turned in yesterday? D minus. The newspaper is not a diary for your rambling opinions. Next time, try having a point. What were you writing about, anyway? Unemployment? The environment? Corruption? Culture? You can't just write about whatever pops into your head. You need to-- I need to do what? Figure it out for yourself. I'm going for a walk. See you later. So that's Leia's boss... Well, a hardass is a hardass, no matter how right they may be... He's nice enough outside of work, but boy is he a tough editor. Any little flaw in your story and he'll tear it apart. But he's a world-class writer. When you read one of his pieces, it's like the whole story unfolds in your mind. I would kill to have half his skill. So that's why you were trying to tag along with him? The man works so quickly, I've never even seen how he does it. I thought this could be my chance. Well, guess I better get this to the station. Why don't we tag along, shall we? Thanks. Okay, let's get this done. Poor Alvin... But I mean, man, emoticons are just how things are done these days. But I have sympathy. Though, I mostly chose R1 for the sake of balance. Well, maybe halfway.  The creep I'm from the Daily Trigleph. Ah, yes. You have it, then? You that new girl they hired? Yep, that's me! Huh. And you're from Rieze Maxia, right? So you guys just borrow power from spirits whenever you need anything? Well, yeah, I guess you could say that. Like, if you get diarrhea or something, you'd need to pray to the spirits or perform rituals to get better?From fighting kings and spirits to being asked about bathroom difficulties by a station cop... Such is the misfortune of Leia Rolando. Um... You don't have to worry about that here. Our health-care system is second to none. If you ever get the trots or anything, just let us know. Sorry... That kinda shook me up. Leia's whole chapter here is kinda weird because none of the choices matter... Is what I would say, but it turns out that there's an optional scene coming up that the game *kinda* hints at, but is easy to screw yourself out of getting. More on that in a second... Incidentally, though, I'm going with L1 for this choice. I don't think so, no, but that just makes it that much harder to deal with. It sounds like stories of Rieze Maxian spirit worship get pretty mangled when they come over. He was a creep. If you let every Elympion misconception bug you, you'll grind your teeth down to the gums. I know. I guess I just get irritable when I'm hungry. You're hungry? Let's just get this back to the chief. He said he was going for a walk. He's probably still somewhere around town. Alright, so... To complete this chapter and proceed normally, just go talk to the chief again. However, if you want a bonus scene and chances to increase Leia's affection more, head to the local inn for some grub (it's next to Trigleph's port, which is the other exit from the market district.) Trouble is, I had no idea that scene existed when I recorded this part of the game, and after saving over both save files I'm using for this LP, well... Oh well. I'm gonna guess it involves food and Leia cheering up. Aaaaanyway, the chief is very close to where we parted ways from him.  What it means to report Hmm.The chief starts to walk away like a jerk... Researching something? I'll help! Tell me something. Why do we do extensive research? Uh... In order to write articles for the newspaper? Okay then. And what do those newspaper articles require? Umm... Well... Speed? Wait, no. Maybe... Accuracy? The station agent you gave the documents to is kind of a creepy fellow, right? Say you were writing an article about him. You think all you'd need is speed and accuracy? If you don't know the answer, you might as well give up. Going with L1 here, again. You got me. That his idea of advice, or was he just being a jerk? I wonder... It's weird to say this, but that was actually the longest conversation he's ever had with me about the job. It's gotta mean something. Anyway, he said I should give up trying to be a reporter if I didn't know the answer. Which means if I learn the answer. I can be a reporter! That's one way to look at it. But first, I owe you one Ludger. Whenever you need help with your gig, just lemme know! Thanks for everything today, guys!Yep, our gig... That's what's going on.  Oh, and I also got Leia's first affection skit after that scene. Aside from choices, completing every character chapter increases a character's affection by a set amount. Of course, you can only take advantage of that five times per character, but regardless of your choices, you can end up with max affection for every character (thanks to Linked Artes. Very boring and slow way to do it, though), or through a late-game consumable, on your first playthrough. Oh yeah, the item Leia gives you is the Gold Digger book, which gives you a 25% chance of doubling your gald at the end of a battle. Sounds good to me.  Other business in Trigleph includes catching a cat that's squatting in the middle of the 1st floor hallway (as no one else can remove it, you see.). Actually, this is one of three special cats in the game. Even if you carry over all cats from your previous playthrough, Malik is not among them, because he's a special case. So, you really only get 97 at the start of the game if you carry over cat stuff. Another special cat case is Catstantine the Third, who also is not carried over. However, that is not the only special business we have in Ludger's building.  Up in Ludger's apartment, you can pick up this item for Nova's job report. She is currently in front of Spirius HQ.  Dammit, Spirius. What kind of man do you think Ludger is? And lest you think I'm being unfair, this is only thing you get from the second bonus payment.  Oh yeah, to finish the Malik job, you need to have a pretty boring chat with Ludger's landlord. Really not worth transcribing, trust me. Instead, let's go chat with Nova.  Thanks so much! You really got me outta a jam. I got you a little something for your troubles... It's not much! Hehe, I bet you're surprised to see me with Aaron! To be honest, I wanted to throw a party for you with all our classmates to give you a little encouragement! And guess who's planning it! Aaron from Chemistry Club and yours truly! We had a meeting today, and we thought we'd take some time to celebrate while we're here. Hang on, Nova! You didn't tell me this "classmate" of ours was Ludger! Oh, come on! He deserves a little party, right? Plus, I really wanna hear that duet you guys used to sing!Huh...so Ludger wasn't always a Silent Protagonist. Guess his dream of fighting Julius scared him into silence... Quite distressing. Forget it, I'm outta here. Hang on a minute! Things've been really hard for Ludger lately, and...well... I know that! Everyone in our whole class knows that! His brother's a terrorist, and you've slapped him with a huge debt! He's bad news, and I don't want anything to do with him! What... But... I used to trust you, Ludger... I don't know I could've been so naive... Aw, Ludger! Wait, don't take it personal... You know how Aaron is! He always overreacts! Remember when he used to get in fights everyday? He'll cool down! He always does... Mm hm...Poor Ludger Well, we might as well turn everything in... This call opens up Aladhi Seahaven, which happens to be our next destination. However, we have an important question to answer first...  Pants or skits? The ultimate question, but the correct answer is skirts.... I mean, are you kidding me? Oh, and I guess this update ended just before the start of a big chapter. Good show... Update 7 alternate scene compilation Update 7 victory quotes Sylphid fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Apr 18, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2016 19:56
|
|
|
McTimmy posted:Rowen's "J" stands for Jade. There you go, stealing all the magic out of this game again.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2016 20:15
|
|
|
To be honest, I'm surprised no one else has weighed in on the ultimate question.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 20, 2016 04:21
|
|
|
Part VIII: The Man Who Explains So our next destination is Aladhi Seahaven, since we're still on the hunt for Julius and came up short in both Marksburg and Helioborg. Marksburg actually is one of two entirely new cities in this game. It was entirely built within the year between the end of Xillia 1 and the beginning of this game, which is drat impressive. It, as this skit explains, is both a literal and figurative bridge between worlds. Right now we're on the Elympios side, so we need to head to the market in the center of the city to pass through to Rieze Maxia.  Also, after you get the go-ahead to head to Aladhi, this Elite Monster pops up in the world. You could go fight him, as soon as you arrive at the seahaven, but trust me, you do not want to do that. I'm as Video Game Bloodthirsty as the next man, but trust me, you are barking up the wrong tree fighting this guy right now.  As soon as you pass into the next area of Marksburg, this pushy man will bother you with this game's crafting system. It works about the same as every crafting system you've ever encountered, and I believe about 100% of the people who are reading this thread right now have run into a crafting system in a video game somewhere, so I believe that's the last I need to talk about that.  The only thing you can make right now is the Reverse Doll, which has been a Tales staple since Tales of Eternia. Basically it's an extra life in battle as long as a character has it equipped when they die. Handy to have in a difficult situation, and can act as a poor man's Life Bottle in a situation where you either forgot to stock up on Life Bottles or a particular fight is sucking up Life Bottles.  Welcome to Rieze Maxia. We've crossed over the bridge, but we still need to take that ship to actually get to our destination. Since there's really nothing to do around here other than search for crafting materials, let's get right on that...  The Dash Man It's the informant lady! I'm Jolyne, remember? I just feel horrible about what happened. I don't suppose I could bribe my way back into your good graces? What are these? Winged Boots. Just a little somethin' somethin' to lighten your load and make you love me again. What are you talking about? Heh... A star reporter like you oughta be able to figure it out. By the way, an agent from Spirius is staying at the inn here. Toodles! Maybe she should be a reporter. ....So the Winged Boots work like this: R2 will cause your on-screen character to begin moving twice as fast across any field, but at the cost of causing your maneuverability to go way down, and if you run into an enemy, you'll start off surrounded. Still, it's much more convenient to traverse maps with this thing. You can also easy the stop of a dash by easing off on R2 instead of just letting go. Also, Rieze Maxia's progression works quite a bit differently, and the game itself is going to work quite a bit differently now that you've made it here. A lot of Rieze Maxia is pretty open, and you can go to Aladhi Trail on the way to Hamil (where the party first met Elize in the previous game) and continue following that trail for a while. However, we still need to pay off debt to open up the seahavens and travel over more of Rieze Maxia. Still, though, at this point in the game I wouldn't advise that.  At the inn, our 11th cat. Let's go talk to those Spirius agents chilling over in the corner...  The elite agent Julius Urgh... Where does it hurt? I'm a doctor.Ludger's cellphone rings again... We've confirmed your arrival at Aladhi Seahaven. Recover the data from the pursuit agent and return to company HQ. Sorry about that. Here's the data. But those poor people... Recovering the data is your top priority. Bring it to HQ immediately. What's so special about it? It's a copy of of all the fractured dimension data that the former director Kresnik had collected and analyzed. Huh?Whoa whoa..."fractured dimensions"? And THAT'S what big bro has been up to? Fractured dimension? So you had a run-in with Julius. Yes. We had him outnumbered ten to one, and yet he still decimated us. But at least we got the data off him. Get it back to HQ. It'll really help us improve our ability to detect Waymarkers. You all go on ahead. I'll take care of these people. Need a hand, princess? I prefer the company of Rowen, thank you. This old geezer would be honored to help, young mistress. Hmph, good thing I have thick skin. In spite of the rather innocuous name, this is a big plot chapter. Anyway, Spirius Corporation is the really really big building in Trigleph we've passed a number of times on the way to the station.  The CEO's favor Goddamn Spirius has a nice pad... And it has some really funky music, that feels oddly out of place in this game, but I like it. Anyway, we're talking to Vera, the lady who came to came to Ludger's apartment with Bisley and Ivar. She's standing just in front of the front desk. We've been expecting you, Mr. Kresnik. Please deliver the item in question directly to the CEO himself. Look at this place! It's so big and pretty! Indoor voice, Leia. Who are these people? We'll increase Jude, Alvin, and Leia's affections by choosing L1, but I do find the prospect of R1 amusing... I believe only Mr. Kresnik was invited. We're a package deal! I'm Ludger's friend and advisor. And I'm the acting guardian of these minors. I'm acting guardian number two! And I'm... I'm... One moment, please. Acting guardian number two, huh? Look who's talking! All of you may enter. Mr. Bakur is most impressed by the loyalty you engender in others, Mr. Kresnik.We automatically get sent to the CEO's floor... Just as a note, I was unable to find any cats even after taking a personal tour of the premises, so they'll have to wait, as I know there are some cats around here. Also, even though it's located in Trigleph, Spirius HQ is treated as a separate location.  The Destroyer of Worlds Why, Ludger. I've been waiting for you.Ludger hands over the data disc stolen from Julius... Thanks. Any leads on your brother's whereabouts? *shakes head* Well, as it turns out, I have news for you of both varieties: good and bad. Which one first? I will subvert both Bisley's and everyone in this thread's expectations by wanting to hear the good news first! But if everyone was expecting me to subvert their expectations, does that mean I'm actually playing into everyone's hands? Oh, and both choices will raise Bisley's affection.  Huh? Don't act so surprised; it makes perfect sense. I've been keeping my eye on you this whole time. You never back down from difficult situations. More importantly, you have the strength to face them. I'd wager you've been doing more than just keeping an eye on him. You've been testing Ludger. You can't get the true measure of a man by observing from a distance. You said there was bad news, too. Mr. Kresnik's going on the police's most-wanted list. So they're gonna throw Ludger in jail? Your life's about to get a lot tougher. But if you become one of my agents, I'll keep the police off your back. Even if I have to get pushy. He doesn't even have a choice! This is blackmail! I failed to mention that an agent's salary is considerable. You'll be killing two birds with one stone. You can avoid arrest and pay off that massive loan overnight--provided you show me results, of course. What kind of results? Fractured...dimensions? Surely you've noticed them. Worlds like ours, but not? There are offshoots. When one of these appears, it disperses soul energy from the prime dimension...our dimension, in other words. Wait, it disperses? That can't be good. And what happens if we don't do anything about it? Ultimately? Souls will vanish from the prime dimension. Of course, this means humans will die out as well. Whoa, whoa... Time out. This all sounds pretty far-fetched. Elympios going dry. The failure of spyrite technology. What if I were to tell you those effects were caused by the loss of soul energy from the prime dimension? It can't be true! Oh, but it is. Spirius has been working to save our world by eliminating its counterparts in the fractured dimensions. How could you possibly eliminate an entire world? That is a question for our friend Ludger here. His chromatus transformation has the power we need to infiltrate and destroy these parasitic realities. The power to destroy a world. No fair! I have no idea what everybody's talking about! Ludger, for the sake of this world, the true world, you must help us. Apparently both of these choices will also increase Bisley's affection, but hey, in for a penny, in for one hell of a pound.  Don't let me down. One thing I still don't get. What's causing these fractured dimensions? It's not a what. It's a who. A Great Spirit of Canaan. The Land of Canaan?! Another Great Spirit?! There is nothing to fear. We have in our possession the power needed to oppose him. Come to the underground training area, and I will show you how to wield it.And Bisley saunters off...  But, are you sure about this? Ludger is a man of action, so R1 it is, but not the choice you should make to increase Leia's affection. Your brother was a top agent too, right? I bet that talent just runs in the Kresnik family. What, a talent for destroying worlds? I'm talking about raw talent! Companies appreciate that stuff! I wish I had that...Ludger seems skeptical, however, and the scene fades out...  Well, that was some pretty heavy stuff. So, all the times we've gone to the weird Filter World, that was one of the offshoot dimensions that Bisley was talking about. The world where we fought the evil Rowen and all the people he mentioned were dead, the world where Volt was still an out of control spyrite, and the world where we fought Evil Julius and Nova was an accomplished fighter were all not the real world at all. And what's more, it seems our brother knew about all this and has been working for Spirius in the capacity of destroying worlds for a while now (the alternate choice where Ludger asks about Julius confirms this). Don't ever ask me about my business, indeed... On top of that, more Great Spirits! Seems Maxwell might not be the Lord of Spirits at all, but we're still painfully in the dark as to why this is all happening. Maybe after chatting about the big man a bit more, and meeting him in the underground training area will shed some light on things. Oh, and I definitely chose the best option in this skit. Also, your first instinct as an RPG player may be to rummage through the CEO's desk, but there's nothing there of interest...for now. Oh yeah, and my skit choice was funny.  On the floor below Bisley's (actually like 10 floors below if the elevator is accurate), there's this little room. I may or may not be screenshotting this for later use... Other fun things to do in this room include stealing someone's ramen lunch off one of the desks, and talking with this woman.  So, for some reason, they decided to stick this important bit of info with a very easily-missed NPC. Not sure why, but at least it gives us an idea what exactly happened with Julius on that train with the watches, but...haven't we seen another watch not belonging to Julius or Ludger before? It's also a bit weird to think about. The clock obviously is real, but how does being born with a clock work in the first place? Also, according to this woman, the clock's mechanism is simple enough, but there's a spell embedded in it or something that allows the Chromatus powers.  Moving on, the elevator to the underground is opposite the elevator on the main floor. Let's see what ol' Bisley has in store for us.  The Chromatus  You'll have to train the hard way. Actual combat. Don't interfere! Urgh!  When the clock in the lower right is finished charging, follow these instructions to activate a one-man pain train a la Ludger Will Kresnik. You can activate it while Ludger is in any state other than KO (so, being staggered, mid-combo, in the air, on the ground, etc.). There are a number of cool things about the Chromatus. Invincibility: you cannot die while using the Chromatus. The new clock in the lower right indicates how long Ludger can use the Chromatus before going back to normal. Getting hit by enemy attacks will decrease it faster, but it will naturally go down on its own. Note that the time reduced by enemy attacks increases depending on the power of the attack. Some enemy attacks can be so powerful that if you get hit by it, you'll instantly get taken out. New attacks: all of Ludger's basic attacks and combos are different while using the Chromatus. They're all variations of X and O, though, so nothing complicated. Also, circle will launch different artes, such as forward circle launching Falling Snow, which is a single hit attack that dashes right through an enemy. Because it comes out so fast, you can continue a combo indefinitely on a large enemy by just using it over and over again. But, I am a dreamer, and you can do better than that. A basic combo of X X X X X followed by a sidestep (there's no AC in Chromatus mode) will allow you to continue that combo, and that is an infinite combo in and of itself, and allows you to continue that combo on any size of enemy. Try it out! You don't want to press X six times because that'll launch a special arte that will knock the enemy away and allow them to recover and end the combo. Also, a Power Combo, if any, is carried over into a Chromatus usage. If you are attacking a single enemy, get a 9x Power Combo, and activate Chromatus, you can kick the rear end of even the toughest of foes in this game, as long as you're not interrupted. Oh, also, you don't stagger at all with the Chromatus, AND the Power Combo meter will not go down. It's just awesome. Carrying over: the Chromatus charges while Ludger is taking action (and not just free running, which would be pretty broken), and carries over that charge between battles. So, whenever you're fighting an Elite Monster, and you want every advantage you can get, fight some trash mobs to charge it up and then fight them.  S-Something's wrong with Ludger! That's enough for now. Still no match for Julius, though. So that's a chromatus. Where'd Ludger learn that trick? It's a family trait. He's one of Kresnik's descendants. See his watch? It's a Kresnik heirloom, passed down for generations. It's the key to the transformation. Though it would seem Julius has been using yours all this time. .... That's not Ludger's... It's my daddy's.Seems Elle still hasn't put the pieces together yet... Julius had the same watch Elle's father did, so... We're talking about Kresnik the Genesis Sage, right? The one who wielded the Lance of Will? The Sage Kresnik? Yes, I seem to recall that name from Rieze Maxian legend. So the tale is different in Elympios? If Kresnik wasn't a sage, what was he? A wretched plaything for the spirits. But Kresnik's curse is humanity's weapon. And you, Ludger, will master it. .... I will contact you when we detect a new fractured dimension. Until then, rest up.Nova gives us a dial... Look, Ludger, I really hate to bring this up, but...you've been neglecting your loan payments lately. Nobody likes a financial deadbeat.Hey! I know it's your job, Nova, and I don't blame you, but this is patently untrue. So much for resting up. After that scene ends, you gain access to the skills Kresnik and Speed Spoils. The former increases the amount of time you spend transformed (by like 5 seconds, I believe), and Speed Spoils gives you 2x more elemental orbs if you defeat Speed-type enemies while transformed.  For this skit, R1 raises Elle's affection. It's hard to disagree, honestly.  After you leave, Vera has a short scene where she gives you a World Map. The main usefulness of this item is warping around any locale you've visited instantly. Very handy, and if there's a special job or a character quest chapter in a specific town, they'll be clearly indicated as such (green ! for the former, pink ! for the latter).   And our full world map. We don't have many places we can go in Rieze Maxia just yet, but we've only got one more town in Elympios that we can go to, honestly. However, that's not for a *long* time.  So, after we end Chapter 6's plot content, we've got three new Elite Monsters (remember, Heavy Claw was added before) to kill. Siennabronc is a special case in that it will go to a number of different areas in Rieze Maxia, without sticking around at one in particular. However, if you know where it spawns in a specific area (for example, the Xagut Floodmeadows), you can go back and forth between screens to make it spawn in that particular area. However, right now, don't sweat it. Siennabronc is very powerful and you're not really meant to fight it right now. However, you can handle the other three, with the power of the Chromatus. Now then, the debt payment this time is 50,000 Gald, and at this point in the game I have about 9,800, so I've got a bit of a climb. However, while we're in Duval, let's start Alvin's character story.  Life of a salesman Got some time to kill? Why? Uh-oh. He's about to ask a favor, and it's not gonna be pretty. Those reporter's instincts of yours are right on the money. Now he's just kissing up. This favor must be a doozy. I'm about to go to work, is all. Mind lending a hand? You'd never guess from looking at hi, but Alvin's actually a fruit merchant. He buys his stuff fresh from Rieze Maxia and wholesales it to grocers in Elympios. We just got started, so we're still in the early stages of making connections and nabbing clients. I could use some help. It's Alvin, everyone! You're a real sport. Thanks. Just pretend you're shoppers passing by and follow my lead, okay? This sounds like a racket. Great! I'll go work my magic. Remember, we don't know each other! What're we getting into?Huh, this oughta be simple enough...  Public disturbance I doubt they'd even know the difference. Care to try some samples?They have a few samples... What do you think? Notice a difference between 'em? Hmm... The one on the right's nice and sweet. The one on the left...not so much. Hmm. You think so, huh? What about you, sir? Which do you prefer? Again, it's Alvin. A better bro we couldn't ask for. Interesting. What'd I tell you? Okay, you sold me. I'll start stocking your poranges on a trial basis. A wise businessman! A fight? I know that voice...  That's for us to decide, bub. Don't you Rieze Maxians understand the concept of boundaries? That's why I'm here! I've come to negotiate a partnership with Skylark Exchange. Whatever. No one wants your crap. You okay? Hey... Alvin! Please let me talk to Mr. Arthus at Skylark Exchange. Weren't we clear? We're not about to let any stray lead hit the Skylark Exchange. The Rieze Maxian and his friends, though... That's a different story. You maniacs would risk a bloodbath on public streets?! Prepare for judgment from an elite junior agent of the Spirius Corporation! Oh... You guys. Why am I not surprised? Hey! We haven't done anything... Enough of your lies! Our first real fight with Ivar! He's actually pretty tough, since he has a lot of high-damage attacks, and attacks that hit a wide area. Just be aware of his artes, which you've seen a lot of before in the Gun and Hammer Ivar fights. Just be sure to start off with Azure Edge (he's weak to Wind), and play it smart with Power Combos.  Of course, no harm in showing Junior here what a real Spirius agent can do.  Ivar used Light Spear four times in a row, and started it off with Dragon Spear, which seems to be basically the same attack...  Jude here has gone loco, thanks to one of Ivar's attacks. When affected, the victim will randomly attack you or the enemies, and you have absolutely no control over affected character(s) unless you either clear the status effect with a Panacea Bottle or the afflicted gets KO'd. Jude's not exactly dangerous, so we can just ignore him until it passes.  Pretty solid payoff all-around, really.  Uh, Ivar, maybe you should mosey off. Huh? Hello, officer? I'd like to report a nutcase swinging swords at people. Yeah. He keeps saying he's an agent or something. Ivar then dashes off in a flash... What a weirdo. Some people just never change. At least you're safe. You gotta be sure to watch yourself around here. Yeah. What is this? So you all know each other? No, no, w're just...getting acquainted. Right, then. Sorry for you, but the deal's off. Aww, I'm sorry. You had him hooked, too. No biggie. Plenty more potential customers where he came from. Did you blow another deal? Huh? Oh, that was nothing. Don't worry about it. You sure? You've lied through your teeth so much that it makes me wonder if you're ever telling the truth. Anyhow, I've gotta run. Sure... He didn't really mean that. Maybe he's right. Well, Yurgen's not exactly wrong about the lies, but Alvin's a good guy at heart. Integrity? Me? He's right. You wouldn't care what he thinks if the job wasn't important to you. Come on! I wouldn't go that far! Heh. Yeah, let's not do that again. Well, so much for the job. Didn't exactly work out, but thanks. No problem, man Alternate choices compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Apr 25, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2016 16:16
|
|
|
wdarkk posted:The best part is that the game will constantly chicken out about addressing this. Forever. I dunno, I always got the "Necessary evil" vibe to it. It's not the first plot point that is completely glossed over in actuality (hello Oscore Plant). You can certainly make an extremely cynical argument the lives of those in the fractured dimensions were never meant to be in the first place (which is what Bisley would certainly argue, and that it's the spirits' fault in the first place those lives are being forced to be eliminated, and that humanity, which by extension would be the Kresniks and those helping them, cannot possibly be blamed for fighting back in the only way they can). (pretty heavy spoilers) I mean, at some point, taking in the larger scheme of things, they had to make a choice and stick with it, regardless of whether it made them the "good guys" or not.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2016 04:04
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 04:41 |
|
|
Also, since it's been 2 1/2 updates with the previous costumes, alchargia, we're gonna need the works from you again: Ludger, Alvin, Elize, Jude, Leia, and Rowen are gonna need new threads.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2016 21:29
|
|