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Pyro Jack
Oct 2, 2016
I'm glad that the Old Lady Hound was picked. It's probably my favorite portrait because of how different it is compared to most portraits and it'd be a waste of a good portrait if it wasn't used in a EOV LP.

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Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
We're coming to the end of the list of characters.





Dosen (submitted by Level Seven) is gonna be our healer Herbalist.

Just Masurao left.

Initial party results are:

quote:

Fencer: 3
Reaper: 3
Necromancer: 3
Dragoon: 3
Cestus: 3

Masurao: 2
Hound: 2
Shaman: 2
Herbalist: 2
Warlock: 1

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:33 on Oct 16, 2016

Item Getter
Dec 14, 2015
Are you going to be able to get by with just the Necromancer for healing skills? I haven't used one but it seems like it would be a bit rough without an Herbalist...

Logicblade
Aug 13, 2014

Festival with your real* little sister!
I'm gonna vote for Herbalist because Brownies are adorable and every party needs one.

mischievousart
Apr 24, 2016
Gram looks good!

I'll throw in some votes for Fencer, Necromancer and Herbalist for the starting party.

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
Warlock, Masurao, Fencer.

Sometimes I think that me trying to make interesting, likeable characters with flaws and goals is pointless because people will always choose the option that allows for more jokes to be made. Then I realize: Oh, wait! Everyone hates me!

Tyty
Feb 20, 2012

Night-vision Goggles Equipped!


Reaper, Dragoon, Cestus

That's the front line I've been rolling with and it's been going somewhat okay for me.

Omobono
Feb 19, 2013

That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

Reaper, Hound, Warlock

Thanks for the EOU2 LP, and thanks to Dr. Fetus for showing that shitshow of a superboss.

Question, can hounds work as single healers in this game, or do you need a gnome Bronie Brownie class for that?

Rangpur
Dec 31, 2008

Item Getter posted:

Are you going to be able to get by with just the Necromancer for healing skills? I haven't used one but it seems like it would be a bit rough without an Herbalist...
Wouldn't be an Etrian LP without the readers going out of their way to gently caress with party composition! Though Dragoon, Fencer, Reaper, Hound, Necromancer is the most sub-optimal party I could think of without repeating classes or sticking front-line attackers in the back row, and even then it's not so much crippled as inefficient. EOV was pretty good about avoiding obvious dead weight in the class line-up.

I'll admit to being disappointed the newest party members didn't have their classes reversed like I thought on first glance. An old woman who trained a bird to punch people for her, and a burly man who attacks by hurling dogs at the enemy both sounded like fine, fine ideas. But you did get two of the best portraits into the guild so I'll overlook it.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Omobono posted:

Question, can hounds work as single healers in this game, or do you need a gnome Bronie Brownie class for that?

I used a Hound as my sole healer for the entire game. I don't think a sole Necromancer would work. Maybe with a Reaper as backup.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Oct 16, 2016

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Technically you don't need a healer in any of the EO games (well, no idea about EO5), but how rough the going will get depends on the game. Doing so in say, EO4, is fairly doable while doing it in EO1 is practically suicidal, though ultimately possible.

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.




And to finish off the initial characters, Jana (submitted by oB2Ko Mario) is going to be our Masurao.

I'll be back home in around 6 hours or so, at which point I can start recording the first actual update. Hooray!

Initial party vote results are:

quote:

Fencer: 5
Reaper: 5
Necromancer: 4
Dragoon: 4
Herbalist: 4
Cestus: 4

Masurao: 3
Hound: 3
Warlock: 3
Shaman: 2

I'll be leaving that open until I get home.

What I won't be leaving open, though, is guild name voting--seems pretty clear to me that Nameless won by a pretty big margin.

Omobono posted:

Question, can hounds work as single healers in this game, or do you need a gnome Bronie Brownie class for that?

I've been using a dog-focused Hound on my second playthrough (independent of the LP) and it's worked out pretty well. Hell, on my first playthrough, I went without a healer at all for 3 strata and 2 stratum bosses and it worked out just fine.

BlackPersona
Oct 21, 2012


:neckbeard: Gonna be honest, though, the staggered voting felt like it worked well. Had me pretty anxious throughout the reveal.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Junpei posted:

Warlock, Masurao, Fencer.

Sometimes I think that me trying to make interesting, likeable characters with flaws and goals is pointless because people will always choose the option that allows for more jokes to be made. Then I realize: Oh, wait! Everyone hates me!

I had qualms about responding to you at all, but perhaps it would be ruder not to.

A) Yes, most people hate it when you post. That's not specifically why your suggestions weren't chosen, but I'm glad you realize it. The next step would be to identify which parts of your behavior everyone hates.

B) Neither of your characters had any flaws whatsoever. I'm not sure you realize what it even means for a character to have flaws, which is that there is something wrong with their personality that creates friction with other characters or interferes with their goals. A character who merely encounters obstacles to overcome is not flawed. Both of your suggestions were utterly flawless Gary Stu types, with impeccable combat skills yet also smart and artistic and kind to everyone who counts. At least one of them is obviously a self-insert based on the way you've described yourself in the past.

C) Yes, you're right, we prioritized characters who could be funny and stand out. This is just an LP, not a novel, so we don't have time to go deeply into the characters' backstories or motivations since ultimately they're going to be participating in a story that has nothing to do with them (ie: climbing the tree). Not to mention we're starting with 10 characters and adding even more later, so the absolute deathblow to characterization would be someone who doesn't have an immediately distinctive personality or quirk. Specifically one that will show up in party banter. Someone whose personality is defined primarily as "polite" or "friendly" is going to fade into the background no matter how many pages of backstory they have. We chose the other arrogant, hyper-intelligent Warlock precisely because he would not be incredibly boring when talking to his teammates.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Oct 16, 2016

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Hey! Anyone who had their characters accepted, why not add me on Steam? It's always fun having:

a) someone to bounce narrative stuff off of for second opinions

and

b) someone to babble about LP stuff to

Also remember that I'll be using this Twitter thing to post when updates go live, in case SA isn't enough.

Endorph
Jul 22, 2009
sent you a friend request as jiirabe

jimmydalad
Sep 26, 2013

My face when others are unable to appreciate the :kazooieass:

AGDQ 2018 Awful Block Survivor
Oooh this looks exciting! Herbalist, Hound, Necromancer

Shadow Ninja 64
May 21, 2007

"I stood there, wondering why the puck was getting bigger...

and then it hit me."


Dragoon, Hound, Herbalist

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!

Clarste posted:

I had qualms about responding to you at all, but perhaps it would be ruder not to.

A) Yes, most people hate it when you post. That's not specifically why your suggestions weren't chosen, but I'm glad you realize it. The next step would be to identify which parts of your behavior everyone hates.

B) Neither of your characters had any flaws whatsoever. I'm not sure you realize what it even means for a character to have flaws, which is that there is something wrong with their personality that creates friction with other characters or interferes with their goals. A character who merely encounters obstacles to overcome is not flawed. Both of your suggestions were utterly flawless Gary Stu types, with impeccable combat skills yet also smart and artistic and kind to everyone who counts. At least one of them is obviously a self-insert based on the way you've described yourself in the past.

C) Yes, you're right, we prioritized characters who could be funny and stand out. This is just an LP, not a novel, so we don't have time to go deeply into the characters' backstories or motivations since ultimately they're going to be participating in a story that has nothing to do with them (ie: climbing the tree). Not to mention we're starting with 10 characters and adding even more later, so the absolute deathblow to characterization would be someone who doesn't have an immediately distinctive personality or quirk. Specifically one that will show up in party banter. Someone whose personality is defined primarily as "polite" or "friendly" is going to fade into the background no matter how many pages of backstory they have. We chose the other arrogant, hyper-intelligent Warlock precisely because he would not be incredibly boring when talking to his teammates.

Thank you for this enlightening post about myself, my characters and the way you choose. I will now proceed to lurk without posting on this thread. Bye.

ChaseSP
Mar 25, 2013



I don't care what classes are used as long as the best classes Cestus or Hound are in there.

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Final initial party results are:

quote:

Hound: 6
Herbalist: 6
Cestus: 5
Fencer: 5
Necromancer: 5
Reaper: 5
Dragoon: 5

Masurao: 3
Warlock: 3
Shaman: 2

...Well, uh, hm. By completely arbitrary decision from me, the initial party will be:

Dragoon, Cestus, Reaper, Hound, Herbalist.

Rangpur
Dec 31, 2008

I find this acceptable. Bring me my signet ring and wax!

Item Getter
Dec 14, 2015
Sounds a lot better than the previous party though Hound is the only one I didn't use when playing the game.
I'm guessing you are leaning towards a Hawk hound since it's together with an Herbalist?

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
I have a question about Fencer's evasion-tanking. Do they do it more EO2U Protector style (I'm going to increase everyone's evasion for this turn), or is it more Beast-style (I'm going to make the enemy attack me and I'll dodge it)?

Well, that's that promise broken, but I'll limit my self to questions and comments and general not-being-a-whiny-bitch stuff. No "But this would be so coooool" or anything like that.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Junpei posted:

I have a question about Fencer's evasion-tanking. Do they do it more EO2U Protector style (I'm going to increase everyone's evasion for this turn), or is it more Beast-style (I'm going to make the enemy attack me and I'll dodge it)?

Both. They have skills that buff line/party evasion, as well as skills that taunt and increase their own evasion.

Arcade Rabbit
Nov 11, 2013

Without getting into spoilers, are there any absurd gamebreakers in this like the old Immunize, Revenge, or Stigmata tricks?

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.
There's something equivalent to Warrior's Might from EO3 that can be absurd with the proper party set-up. That's the only one I've heard of.

Item Getter
Dec 14, 2015
I am guessing that's why we are not getting one of the Masurao 2nd names?

edit: Do game breakingly powerful enemies count? I can think of a few of those in this game.

Item Getter fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Oct 17, 2016

blizzardvizard
Sep 12, 2012

Shhh... don't wake up the sleeping lion :3:

Hope you guys don't mind some uh, preliminary fanart. It's Inktober and I wanted to draw something.



Something something why did you go for the skimpy bunnygirl

blizzardvizard fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Oct 17, 2016

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.

blizzardvizard posted:

Hope you guys don't mind some uh, preliminary fanart. It's Inktober and I wanted to draw something.



Something something why did you go for the skimpy bunnygirl

I've already gone ahead and put that in the 2nd post!

Also, to paraphrase the creator, he saw bunny ears and couldn't resist doing something related to magicians and/or circus performers. :v:

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Mechanics: Ailments and Binds

Ailments and binds have been a key part of the Etrian Odyssey series from the very beginning, and EO5 is no exception. Ailments and binds can very easily swing fights--even a single bind on a single party member or enemy can be the difference between victory and loss. That can be said for ailments in most RPGs, though. What makes EO different is that it doesn't make it impractical and/or impossible for the player to inflict disables on bosses and FOEs; in fact, disables are often the preferred method of making said enemies considerably easier to deal with, and a party that's completely devoid of being able to effectively inflict disables is at a massive disadvantage compared to the opposite.

As for infliction mechanics, they're relatively simple. Every enemy has a set of resistances to disables, much like they do for damage. Remember that "resistances" means "multipliers," effectively--an enemy with 150% resistance to paralysis, for example, multiplies paralysis infliction chances by 1.5x. A 0% resistance, on the other hand, means "complete immunity." For stats used in calculating infliction chances, EO5 takes after EO2U and solely uses LUC. The way LUC is actually used beyond that is unknown, but it's generally safe to assume that an inflictor having lower LUC than the inflictee means the base chance will be reduced, equal LUC means no adjustment, and higher LUC means the base chance being increased.

Each time an ailment/bind is inflicted, that enemy gains 30% resistance to that given bind/ailment for 8 turns--a mechanic known as "accumulative resistance." Accumulative resistance was introduced in EO3 as a way to compensate for ailments/binds becoming much easier to inflict compared to EO1/2. Accumulative resistance basically means that it becomes harder, if not impossible, to chain-disable a given enemy, and if you inflict a disable they're innately really resistant to (usually 25%), you just straight-up can't inflict that disable again until the accumulative resistance runs out.

Now that that's out of the way, let's discuss the actual ailments and binds themselves! These are organized based on the ailment hierarchy, from lowest to highest. An ailment that's higher on the hierarchy cannot be overwritten with one that's lower. Binds are exempt from this hierarchy altogether.


Blind: Blinded entities have their accuracy heavily reduced, and their evasion completely disabled when not being attacked by other blinded targets.

Skills that inflict blind:
  • Vision Thrust (Fencer Basic) (50% to 80% base chance)
  • Scatter Feathers (Hound Spec 1) (40% to 70% base chance, uses hawk's LUC)
  • Dark Smoke (Herbalist Basic) (35% to 55% base chance)

Blind is one of the more unreliable and, dare I say it, boring disables. Lowering accuracy and disabling evasion is nice and all, but it's just not exciting. Also, it's unreliable, and it's almost always a serious mistake to assume that a blinded enemy can't still be a threat. On the other hand, having a party member be blinded pretty effectively shuts them down, since you should always assume a blinded party member will miss.


Poison: Poisoned entities take damage at the end of every turn. The damage is based on the skill's base damage, and scales based on an unknown factor (in EO2U, the scaling was based on level). Poison damage cannot be reduced.

Skills that inflict poison:
  • Scythe of Cruel Poison (Reaper Spec 1) (40% to 70% base chance, 150 to 440 base damage)
  • Poison Bomb (Necromancer Basic) (60% to 95% base chance, 60 to 360 base damage)
  • Poison Smoke (Herbalist Basic) (40% to 60% base chance, 40 to 280 base damage)

Poison is almost always far deadlier to our party than it is for enemies, although that mostly depends on which poison skill you're using and what enemies you're using it on. Scythe of Cruel Poison's actually an example of a really good poison skill, since 440 base damage means it ticks for a lot once your Reaper starts getting more and more levels--it's really drat good for bosses with adds, and hell, even inflicting it on bosses themselves can rack up quite a bit of damage. Poison Bomb's more useful for random encounters, due to its higher base chance but lower base damage. Poison Smoke is really "eh" between its low base chance and low base damage.


Paralysis: Paralyzed entities have a 50% chance to not act on a given turn. If that enemy fails to act, their evasion is disabled for that turn.

Skills that inflict paralysis:
  • Corkscrew (Cestus Spec 1) (40% to 60% base chance)
  • Scythe of Numb Stasis (Reaper Basic) (40% to 70% base chance)
  • Ghosts summoned by Necromancers inflict paralysis with normal attacks (unknown but low base chance, uses ghost's LUC)
  • Paralyze Smoke (Herbalist Spec 2) (35% to 55% base chance)

Paralysis is unreliable now that we don't have the "no action chance is now 99%" from EO2U. It's still decent, don't get me wrong, and it's not too heavily resisted by EO5's monster roster, but don't plan on the enemy losing all of their actions until it wears off. Paralysis when inflicted on your party members is a slightly bigger deal, since that can seriously screw with your action economy, and a support losing their turn can be a major problem.


Panic: Panicked entities will only perform normal attacks. The attacks can be on opposing entities, allies, or themself.

Skills that inflict panic:
  • Scythe of Wicked Chaos (Reaper Spec 1) (30% to 50% base chance)
  • Menacing Howl (Hound Spec 2) (25% to 40% base chance, uses dog's LUC)
  • Bungling Smoke (Herbalist Spec 2) (27% to 40% base chance)

Panic is extremely dangerous for both the player and the enemy, for reasons I really shouldn't have to state. The only real difference is that panicked enemies, depending on how hard they hit normally, are still very big dangers, just less big dangers than before.


Sleep: Asleep entities will not do anything. Taking damage will dispel the sleep ailment. If the damage is STR-based, it will be multiplied by 1.5x.

Skills that inflict sleep:
  • Hypno Cannon (Dragoon Spec 2) (50% to 100% base chance)
  • Death's Judgement (Reaper Basic) (passive; 100% base chance, 10% to 30% activation chance)
  • Mist Slice (Masurao Basic) (40% to 90% base chance)

Sleep is pretty dangerous for both the player and the enemy, although quite a bit more for the player. Not only do asleep targets lose one or more turns, but taking amplified damage from STR-based sources can very easily kill a player character. For enemies, sleep's effectiveness mostly comes down to "how quickly does the sleep inflictor act", since you, fairly obviously, want to take advantage of the bonus damage. Sleep inflictors that act too fast basically just make enemies waste one turn, which isn't that great.


Curse: Cursed entities will take half of any damage they do as backlash damage. The backlash damage cannot be resisted, but also counts as the original damage type (for conditional drop purposes). If a cursed entity kills someone, they do not take backlash from the fatal damage.

Skills that inflict curse:
  • Curse Cannon (Dragoon Spec 2) (40% to 80% base chance)
  • Scythe of Exorcism (Reaper Basic) (40% to 70% base chance)
  • Curse Bomb (Necromancer Spec 1) (65% to 100% base chance)

Curse is almost useless for the player due to how much damage enemies have to do kill us--half of that ends up being a pittance. Curse for the enemy, however, can SERIOUSLY screw us over, especially if it happens early in the turn and I queued up damage skills on damage dealers.


Petrification: Petrified entities cannot act at all.

Skills that can inflict petrification:
  • Alter (Warlock Spec 1) (50% to 90% base chance)
  • Gravestone Binding (Necromancer Spec 1) (25% to 60% / 40% to 110% / 55% to 160% base chance)
  • Smoke Solid (Herbalist Spec 2) (45% to 75% base chance)

Petrification is a 100% complete disable, and incredibly dangerous for both the player and the enemy. Yes, it did get heavily reworked to be an actual ailment instead of glorified instant death, and it replaces curse (EO4) and fear (EOU/EO2U) as the highest ailment in the hierarchy. It's an absolute pain to inflict due to how powerful it can be--Alter requires that you wait 3 turns after casting before it hits, Gravestone Binding's base chance depends on how many ghosts the Necromancer destroys to cast it, and Smoke Solid requires that the enemy have a Smoke debuff.


Death: It's...death. Do I really need to explain it? Instant death is a special type of "disable"--it still uses the ailment infliction formula, but has no place in the hierarchy, and will instantly kill an entity, regardless of their HP or endure effects. All bosses in the game are immune to instant death.

Skills that can instantly kill:
  • Scythe of Death (Reaper Spec 1) (25% to 50% / 100% to 250% / 250% to 350% base chance)
  • Zombie Powder (Necromancer Spec 2) (40% to 80% base chance)

Instant death is near useless for the player unless you're doing some fun cheese strategies with Zombie Powder. For the enemy, instant death, in EO5, is basically almost always brought out as a way to ensure that the player dies to skills that only come out when they've screwed up. It's incredibly rare, even compared to past EOs.


Stun: Stun is a special disable. It has no place in the hierarchy, and only lasts for one turn. Enemies that are stunned before they take their turn do not act. Enemies that are stunned after they take their turn, effectively, are not affected.

Skills that can stun:
  • Rockfall (Warlock Spec 1) (20% to 30% base chance)
  • Stun Shot (Hound Spec 2) (35% to 65% base chance, uses dog's LUC)
  • Smoke Spark (Herbalist Spec 2) (50% to 85% base chance)

Stun is...interesting. Its effectiveness depends entirely on how quickly the user can act before their target. For enemies, anything they do that can stun usually has some stupidly high speed modifier. For the player, all of the skills listed there have higher speed modifiers, but Warlocks and Herbalists have to contend with their base races' low/semi-low AGI. Stun Shot, on the other hand, is a 200% speed modifier on a race and class that's already super quick to begin with.

Inflicting stun is another problem, though, since most bosses have 10% resistance to it.


Head bind: Targets that have their heads bound cannot use skills that require the head. Reduces the bound entity's accuracy.

Skills that can inflict head bind:
  • Cross Counter (Cestus Spec 1) (depends on attack source; 50% to 100% base chance)
  • Flicker (Cestus Basic) (30% to 50% base chance)
  • Clinch (Cestus Spec 1) (20% to 67% base chance)
  • Hawk basic attacks attempt to inflict head bind (unknown but low base chance, uses hawk's LUC)
  • Flying Talon Strike (Hound Spec 1) (25% to 50% base chance, uses hawk's LUC)
  • Sky Dive (Hound Spec 1) (65% to 120% base chance, uses hawk's LUC)
  • Three-Stage Strike (Masurao Spec 2) (6% to 12% base chance)

Head binds affect basically all INT-based attacks, as well as some support skills. Head binds are usually incredibly crucial for some bosses (the 3rd Stratum boss can literally do nothing but basic attacks if you bind its head), and quite a few FOEs. For the player, head binds sting a little less than they used to, since Herbalist healing skills use the arms instead of the head now.


Arm bind: Targets that have their arms bound cannot use skills that require the arms. Reduces the bound entity's STR.

Skills that can inflict arm bind:
  • Cross Counter (Cestus Spec 1) (depends on attack source; 50% to 100% base chance)
  • Arm Break (Cestus Basic) (30% to 50% base chance)
  • Clinch (Cestus Spec 1) (20% to 67% base chance)
  • Windstorm (Warlock Spec 1) (20% to 30% base chance)
  • Hunter Shot (Hound Basic) (30% to 50% base chance, uses dog's LUC)
  • Three-Stage Strike (Masurao Spec 2) (6% to 12% base chance)

Arm binds are quite a bit more dangerous for the player than they were in previous games, due to the fact that they shut down every damage dealer (except for Warlocks), and now also disable Herbalist healing skills. They're about the same for bosses as before--that is, arm binds shut early bosses down really hard, but lategame bosses start having a lot more head-based skills while still having some dangerous arm-based ones.


Leg bind: Targets that have their legs bound cannot use skills that require the legs. Reduces the bound entity's AGI. Disables the bound entity's ability to escape.

Skills that can inflict leg bind:
  • Cross Counter (Cestus Spec 1) (depends on attack source; 50% to 100% base chance)
  • Liver Blow (Cestus Basic) (30% to 50% base chance)
  • Clinch (Cestus Spec 1) (20% to 67% base chance)
  • Hunter Shot (Hound Basic) (30% to 50% base chance, uses dog's LUC)
  • Foot Pierce (Hound Spec 2) (25% to 50% base chance)
  • Three-Stage Strike (Masurao Spec 2) (6% to 12% base chance)

Leg binds are slightly more dangerous than they were in previous EOs due to the fact that they now just full-on reduce AGI (meaning that they affect accuracy as well as turn order), but there's still the big problem of "very few skills for both the player and the enemy use the legs."

Rea fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Oct 23, 2016

vdate
Oct 25, 2010

Ragnar Homsar posted:

Leg binds are slightly more dangerous than they were in previous EOs due to the fact that they now just full-on reduce AGI (meaning that they affect accuracy as well as turn order), but there's still the big problem of "very few skills for both the player and the enemy use the

I'm thinking you may have omitted something here.

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Genuinely no clue how that happened. It's fine in both of my source files.

Fixed it, in any case.

Rangpur
Dec 31, 2008

'Leg' in most EO games also stands for 'lower body,' so if the enemy model has a giant tail, leg binds are usually the way to nullify it. Not sure how applicable that is in EOV but the ability to make educated guesses about which binds will be most effective is something I've always appreciated in the series.

Incidentally, does Panic still negate evasion in this one or did they nerf that?

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.

Rangpur posted:

Incidentally, does Panic still negate evasion in this one or did they nerf that?

I'm fairly certain it does, but I haven't checked entirely. Inflicting panic on bosses is an exercise in absurd frustration now that Creeping Curse is gone.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Rangpur posted:

'Leg' in most EO games also stands for 'lower body,' so if the enemy model has a giant tail, leg binds are usually the way to nullify it. Not sure how applicable that is in EOV but the ability to make educated guesses about which binds will be most effective is something I've always appreciated in the series.

Incidentally, does Panic still negate evasion in this one or did they nerf that?

It also prevents charging or ramming type attacks, so it's generally effective against rhinos and boars and whatnot.

FredMSloniker
Jan 2, 2008

Why, yes, I do like Kirby games.
I'm getting the sense from your description that, while ailments work against enemies, they're still closer to Final Fantasy utility levels (almost invariably less useful than simply hitting them) than MegaTen levels (a vital part of random encounters, much less bosses). Is that fair? Seems like binds are where it's at in the debuff department.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

FredMSloniker posted:

I'm getting the sense from your description that, while ailments work against enemies, they're still closer to Final Fantasy utility levels (almost invariably less useful than simply hitting them) than MegaTen levels (a vital part of random encounters, much less bosses). Is that fair? Seems like binds are where it's at in the debuff department.

Dunno about EO5, but it is definitely not true in the EO games starting from 4. Ailments and binds can buy you several free turns on a boss if you apply the right ones. If you're playing EO1, yeah binds are the way to go because ailments will rarely land on bosses. Though stuns were utterly broken in that game because nothing in the game was resistant to it at all.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

FredMSloniker posted:

I'm getting the sense from your description that, while ailments work against enemies, they're still closer to Final Fantasy utility levels (almost invariably less useful than simply hitting them) than MegaTen levels (a vital part of random encounters, much less bosses). Is that fair? Seems like binds are where it's at in the debuff department.

Poison is a pretty good source of damage, and pretty much anything other than curse will usually cripple an enemy in some way. You should use ailments in random battles constantly. Most of them are attached to damage moves anyway.

Blind is also a good combo with a dodge-Fencer because it negates the inherent risk of being a dodge tank, and instant death is a cheap and reliable way of dealing with certain random encounters (and one FOE is actually weak against death).

Also I would literally not have been able to beat the final boss without Sleep.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Oct 18, 2016

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Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Update 1: Nameless



Making a new guild?
We're not getting a shot at Yggdrasil until we make a guild, huh?
Hurry up and sign the paperwork, then!
Not so fast, you two. Nothing's getting signed until we come up with a good name.
Names are important for first impressions, and first impressions are important for everything!
A name that leaves a mark, huh?


Simple.
It's...ethereal. Mysterious. I like it.
Is it "dark," too? Maybe even "ichorous?"
N-no! It just sounds cool. ...I'm gonna have to remember "ichorous," that's good.
A name that's also not a name... It's perfect! Everyone's gonna remember that!
Okay, what's next? Personal information forms?


Fine, there's mine, done.


Well, someone's in a rush! Let me register ol' Falz, here.


Whaddya mean I have to put down my real name?! Raven IS my name!


Hmm... Is it possible to divert a portion of guild coffers to me automatically?


It's been a long while since I last had to write my name.


Well then, seems like we're all set? Any other advice, Mr. Edgar?
The ban may've been lifted on exploring Yggdrasil, but you're still going to need council permission. Once you finish up here, head over to the council building.
A sound idea.




The telop says "Town Crier."

You there, are you a new explorer? You just came out of the Explorers Guild.
And?
If so, then, as the town crier, I have something to tell you. New explorers must report to the Council to receive a mission. Think of it as test to have the town officially recognize you as explorers. If you plan to work here as explorers, then you have no choice but to take it. If you understand, then head to the Arcadian Council.
That's what we were fixing to do, but thanks anyway.




The telop says "Earthrun royalty."

This is the Arcadian Council. This is where each of the continent's four races send representatives to watch over Yggdrasil. You are all new explorers, yes?
Indeed, Your Excellency.
If that's not a big shift in tone, I dunno what is.
Royals always buy the biggest amounts of the most useless things.
I am Remus. I respect your courage, but I first hope that you'll be a positive influence on the city's well-being. Accept the mission whenever you're ready to begin activities as an explorer.



Aeolis certification exam!

You need the approval of the Arcadian Council to explore the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. Enter the first floor of the Labyrinth, map it, and bring back samples of Yggdrasil's roots and soil!


The mission is to investigate the Labyrinth. For this purpose, we will provide you a map.


Obtained Map of the Labyrinth!


As you fill in the map, I want you to collect two items from the 1st floor: a sample of Yggdrasil's roots, and soil from a specific point.


A new area has been marked on your map!

This box shows where the items we need are... Well, I mean, kinda. That box encompasses pretty much all of 1F.


This task is meant to evaluate your aptitude for exploring, so keep calm, and follow the directions, and you'll be fine.
Sounds simple enough.
We'll get going, then.
...I like to think I'm a good judge of character, so... I sincerely hope you'll come back unharmed, and prove me right.

Talking to Remus just has him say this:

Your map should show the area in question.

Leaving prompts this dialogue:


Oh, there's something I forgot to mention. You should visit the market before heading out for your first mission. You should be able to find anything you'll need there.




...Apparently by "you should visit," Remus meant "you are not going anywhere until you go shopping."




The telop says "Brownie boy."

Welcome to the store! Huh? Haven't seen you around before.
I'm pretty sure most of us just got here a few days ago.
Seems safe to assume that girl with the glasses is a new arrival, too.
Well, welcome to town then! I'm the shopkeep here, Ceric the Brownie.


I came here after hearing the rumors about the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. I mean, there's all kinds of never-before-seen stuff in there, right? Figured I could make a killing by dealing in it.
Ah, a man...uh, maybe boy...a person after my own heart!
So if you ever see anything like that, bring it to me!



Most EO games give you 500 en to start. EO5, however, only gives you 300. Most stuff is cheaper to compensate, but crucially...



Medicas cost the same as always: 20 en. If you stock up on even 5 of them (the usual amount), you're really not gonna be left with much to outfit your party, and trust me, armor is very important in EO5. Characters will die very, very quickly if you try to go in with just the stuff you start with.



Anyway, yes, actually buying equipment. Same deal as in previous EO games--you select a character and a slot, buy something, and can immediately equip it. Hit the shoulder buttons to cycle through characters, and X to buy stuff for characters not in the active party.

Veterans of EO, however, might notice two new numbers just above equipment--magic attack (MAT, though I call it MATK), and magic defense (MDF, though I call it MDEF).

You rebel, you.

As part of Atlus's continuing efforts to have EO's numbers and stats make more sense to newcomers, you are now shown abstractions of how hard your character hits/is hit when using/taking INT-based attacks. Contrast with previous games, where you were given no indication of how hard TEC-based attacks would hit or hurt.

This also means upgrading weapons for spellcasters is important! In previous EO games, it was generally a really good idea to just stick to whatever weapon gave the highest TEC bonus for a spellcaster, since ATK didn't affect TEC-based attacks at all. Less importantly, EO5 also makes it so that armor affects magic damage again--this was the case in EO1-4, but was changed for some reason in the Untolds, where the only stat that affected magic defense was TEC.

All of the ATK and DEF stats are pretty easy to calculate, incidentally--ATK is the sum of your STR and weapon ATK, MATK is the sum of your INT and weapon MATK, DEF is the sum of your VIT and total armor DEF, and MDEF is the sum of your WIS and total armor MDEF.




I buy 3 Medicas in case Dosen runs out of TP somehow, and outfit everyone as such. Note that for Dragoons, to actually use their shield skills, you need, well, a shield. Dosen also gets some Leaf Sandals because boots increase action speed.



Leaving triggers this.

Right, right, before you go to the Labyrinth, you've gotta find a nice inn to stay at. If you're gonna be in this neighborhood, I recommend Genetta's.
Sounds like a nice, family-run place.
It's a good a choice as any.



Let's stop by the bar first.
Aren't you a bit young to be drinking?
...Yes.
Let's make sure everyone else knows where we're gonna be lodging, though.




The telop says "Lunarian woman."

My my, is this your first time in here? Fresh explorers, maybe?
Is that just the automatic assumption for new people around here?
This is the Witch's Twilight Tavern, a bar that mediates requests for explorers. I'm Melina, the tavern's proprietor, and it's wonderful to meet you, kids.


I can only show requests to guilds that have passed the council's test, though. Why don't you go and complete the mission first?
We're only here to check on our comrades, don't worry.
Are you dullards finished with all that tedious paperwork?
No, because we need everyone else to--


Yes, yes, now please just go file that so we can begin.
And you didn't file this yourself...why?
So he could be pompous and look like he was ahead of you.
...You're quite good at giving the game away, I'll give you that.


Oh, here's my stuff.
No mention of you being far-away royalty, eh?
I didn't see a place to put it. I don't think it matters much, anyway!


I suppose you'll be needing my forms too, no?
Are, uh... Are these old drawings of you part of the form?
Doesn't the Explorers Guild require a visual reference?
Nnnnnnnnno?
Oh. Well, keep them, then. Consider them a gift from me~
...'Kay.


...Is that a gift? A suggestion? Maybe I should've sat closer...
Um, Mio?
Waaaaagh! U-um, sorry, here are my forms!
...Th-thanks, love. Mind if I ask why you're at a table by yourself?
Um... I...like being alone?
...Okay then! What's with those circles and lines, by the way?
Nothing! Nothing! Drawing practice!
Oh, you like drawing? Watercolors or oils?
Uh, is digital an option?


Hm. Is it safe to be practicing sword tricks like that in here?
Heck if I know! All I know is I'm having fun, and people are watching!
Heh, can't deny that most of the bar's impressed.
...Oh, yeah, my forms are right there, on the table!
Well then, seems like that's everyone's guild forms. Let's go book some rooms at the inn before we go into the tree.

Talking to Melina just has her say this:

You want work? Sorry, but I can only give work to explorers who have cleared the council's mission. Try checking back when you're done.




The telop says "Smiling woman."

Welcome baaaaa--a customer?! Eh? What? Oh, I am SO sorry! Hiii, my name's Genetta! If you're looking for somewhere to stay, well, then, you've come to the best where to stay!

The inn's mostly the same as in previous EO games, with some additions.

a) It's where you store items again, now that there's no guild house like the Untolds.
b) Guild Card management has also been moved to the Inn, although it's locked right now.
c) The clinic for reviving/de-petrifying party members is gone. Petrification is no longer persistent (I'll talk more about that in the disables mechanics post), and death is automatically cured by sleeping at the inn.

Talking to Genetta right now results in this:


Time to get going and head out into the Labyrinth! If you're totally wiped, though, don't push it. Just stop back here for a bit!
I couldn't agree more, at least with the "time to head out" part.



The Forest Entrance is a bit different from previous games. Entering it just brings us straight into the stratum selection, for one.



And selecting a stratum lets us select a floor to start on! EO5 removes the Floor Jump feature of the Untolds, and lets you start from whatever floors you've completed and reported to the Council.

"What's that about reporting to the Council?," you may ask. Don't worry, all in due time.




VIDEO: Intro: 1st Stratum - Guardian Forest





The floor subtitle reads:
"The first step on a legend-chasing adventure"



Well now. How's all of this fit inside Yggdrasil?
I'm more curious for how it got here. Shouldn't this all be filled with, y'know, wood?
It's very peaceful in here. Quite different from the forest of bears...
C-calm down, Cecil.
Ooooooh, I gotta take extra detailed notes down. This place would be perfect for a non-exploration guided tour!


As you survey your surroundings, you find yourself surrounded by unfamiliar vegetation and the reflections of clear spring water bubbling up from underground. Even a single step into the Labyrinth makes its atmosphere clearly distinct from the town, and carries with it a refreshing aura which soothes your mind and body. However, you must not forget the dangerous nature of this forest. After all, you have already taken strides in learning to combat this danger. Your basic training as an explorer has granted you 3 skill points.

Ah, right, skill point allocation. For once, I didn't get ahead of the game.



Those of you coming from the Untolds might notice that the skill trees in EO5 are considerably pared down from those games--they fit on a single screen, much like EO4. It also, by extension, has far less skills than those trees. This is because these are only the Basic skills, however--we'll unlock Master skills once we get specializations.

You might also notice the arrow pointing left and the tab saying "Race."




Each race has a selection of passives and Union skills they can invest in. They all only cost one skill point to invest in, so it's generally worth just dropping a point in something useful as early as possible.

Many of them also passively raise your stats in addition to their other effects--the exact bonuses scale with level--which tends to make each of the races even more specialized than they were already. Since, you know, a Therian would have more STR boosting racials than an Earthrun.




Accordingly, on every character, I put a point into their "Grace of" skill (the name varies based on race). What this does is it gives characters a small chance (I'd put it anywhere from 10% to 25%, the skill data doesn't say) to restore ((TPCost / 5) + 1) of a skill's TP cost. Any TP restoration at all is good stuff, especially in the early game, where skill TP costs are a much higher percentage of a character's total TP pool.



For Sasha, her remaining 2 skill points go into Line Guard, which can target either row, and reduces cut, stab, and bash damage to that row for one turn--32% reduction at level 2, specifically. It's a core skill for Dragoons throughout the entire game. Also, note that unlike the EO3 version, the damage reduction is the same for both rows--it's not reduced if the Dragoon isn't in that row.



Cecil's remaining 2 points go into Arm Break, which deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy, and attempts to bind their arms. The bind chance isn't that great at lower levels (it's only 30% from levels 1-4), but it still deals slightly more damage than a normal attack for only 3 TP--159% at level 2.

I often lay awake at night wondering how a broken arm recovers in 2-4 turns.

Nobody in Etrian Odyssey has bones, it's just cartilage.



Raven puts one point into Miasma Weapon, which consumes, at level 1, 40% of his current HP to put him into the Miasma Weapon state. The state itself does nothing passively, but enables secondary effects on some skills (for the Basic tree, it only affects Scythe of Numb Stasis and Scythe of Exorcism), and is required to use some Master skills.

His other point goes into Scythe of Numb Stasis, which deals melee STR-based cut damage to one row. If Raven were to be in the Miasma Weapon state, it'd also attempt to paralyze the targets. At level 1, it deals 150% damage and has a 40% base paralysis chance.




Gram's two points go into Hawk Whistle, which summons a hawk. The higher the level of Hawk Whistle, the higher the hawk's stat multiplier is--at level 2, it's 1.03x.

Both of the animal whistle skills cost an absurd amount of TP for their level: Hawk Whistle costs 25 at level 1. And you'll notice that Gram only has 45 right now. While it costs more than half her TP, ideally you'll only need to cast it once per dungeon run since the hawk isn't exactly squishy.



And, lastly, Dosen's two points go into Cure Herb, which restores one party member's HP, and Refresh Herb, which cures one party member of status ailments. I mostly want to level up Refresh Herb to learn Resurrection Herb.


The door in front of you is sealed by some mysterious force and doesn't budge an inch despite your best efforts.
It seems resistant to being punched, too.
You might need some kind of key to open it.

We'll find that key much, MUCH later in the game.


At the end of a path encircled by trees, you find a thickly-grown patch of grass. Nearby are chicken footprints and signs that the grass has been pecked at. This could very well be a chicken's feeding ground. You keep this in mind and continue your explorations.
...I loathe chickens with a passion. If I see even one of the wretched things, I'm slicing its head off.
Is this just part of your act?
Why does no-one take it seriously?!
You lay on the deep voice too thickly.


Are those...fish, below the water's surface?
Looks like it. Anyone know how to fish?
Why not go spear-fishing, with that...bayonet, I think you called it.
The bayonet's just for show. I'd rather not drop this thing in the water, anyway.

This is a new type of gathering spot--a fishing spot. If anyone in our party knew Fishing (it's a race skill that Earthrun, Therians, and Brownies can learn), we'd be able to get some fish food items from it.


As you easily proceed through the verdant paths in the Labyrinth, a curious sight meets your eyes. It's a lone guard, watching over a group of chickens, cheerfully scurrying across the ground. The guard had been talking to the chickens in a soft voice, but calls out to you when he notices your presence.


Welcome to the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, explorers! The council's told me to help out new explorers like yourselves.
He also happens to mention that he is raising the chickens. You may ask the friendly guard something, or simply go on your way.
...What's with the chickens?
These babies are Labyrinth Chickens. They lay the tastiest eggs my buds've ever tasted once every 3 days. The eggs taste better if they get exercise and good feed, so they get to run around in the Labyrinth once in a while courtesy of yours truly.
The guard says all this with a smile. It seems he's raising these chickens by choice.
Putting the chickens aside, I'd think introductions are in order...
You stop walking and exchange greetings. The guard responds with a smile.
Ahh, so you're called Nameless.
So, what are you stationed here for?
Ever since the proclamation, plenty of explorers have come to challenge the Labyrinth, but a lot them end up treating it like a field trip, and getting themselves seriously injured. If you don't want that to happen to you, step carefully and check your surroundings before moving on. By the way, do you know how to draw a map? If not, I could give a quick explanation.
I've mapped plenty in my day. I think we'll be plenty fine.
Great, if you know how to draw a map, then we can move on to the real issue. Okay, listen carefully. The giant roots you'll need for the mission are near the center. And the soil for the investigation is in the northwest. You can get it from...ehh, right about here...


...And that's enough advice. The rest is up to your skill and the whims of Lady Luck.
With that, the guard waves his arm cheerfully and returns to watching his chickens. You continue exploring the Labyrinth with the hints he gave you.



Walking acorns with eyes.
The Labyrinth's off to an interesting start.
I hear there's even boars that eat these things to grow strong deeper in!
R-really?
Hehah! No.


Ghost Acorn
HP: 104
STR: 20
INT: 13
VIT: 18
WIS: 13
AGI: 10
LUC: 9
Drops:
  • Normal: Hard Acorn. 65% chance. Sells for 5 en.
    • 5 needed to make Acorn Vest (+10 DEF, +10 MDEF).
    • 1 Hard Acorn and 1 Chipped Mudstone (1st Stratum Mine 1) needed to make Studded Glove (+5 DEF, +6 MDEF).
  • Conditional: Cracked Nut (Kill with physical damage). 70% chance. Sells for 7 en.
    • 1 needed to make Fire/Freeze/Shock Oil (Adds fire/ice/volt to one party member's normal attacks for 5 turns).
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 150%
100% 100% 100%
Disable Resistances:
100% 100% 100% 100% 150% 100% 100%
100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Ghost Acorns are about as basic as it gets. Literally all they do is either attack or defend.

Note how their HP is considerably higher than most early random EO encounters though. That's sort of a theme with EO5's early game--everything has considerably higher HP than in previous games, while your party doesn't really hit as hard.


aw, nuts



("Sasha used Line Guard!")

Alright, then, just stay behind my shield! I guarantee no okay maybe some harm'll come to you!



("Gram used Hawk Whistle!")

Ah, there you are, Falz.



("Cecil used Arm Break!")

I'LL TURN YOUR SHELLS INTO PIANO KEYS!


Oh, crap.
No need to worry, dear, I'm perfectly fine.


I will cull your souls.
IT SOUNDS MORE CONVINCING WHEN YOUR VOICE DOESN'T CRACK!
Yes, sir.



Now that everyone's used some TP, I decide to use Magic Heal.



Magic Heal restores 3% + 6 of every party member's maximum TP. It's incredibly useful for prolonging Labyrinth explorations early on.



Ghost Acorns can take a while to die when they're defending.



("Hawk attacks!")

If you don't issue a specific command for the hawk, it'll just attack a random enemy. Its normal attacks have a chance to inflict head bind, which can be nice.

One turn of more of the same later:







(Received: 1 Hard Acorn, 3 Cracked Nuts.)

Nothing to it.
Is it wise to brag about defeating acorns?




("Obtained Strength Ring.")

Not that bad of a find. Strength Rings increase one party member's STR by 8 and HP by 10.




I put it on Gram.



Another chicken spot.



("Found 1 Mossy Ore!")

1F, D5 Mine Point
  • Mossy Ore: 51% base chance
    • 1 needed to make Ore Scythe (+23 ATK, +23 MATK, VIT Up 1, Bronze x3).
    • 2 needed to make Stone Coffin (+18 ATK, +24 MATK, HP Up 1, Bronze x3).
  • Chipped Mudstone: 34% base chance
    • 4 needed to make Breastplate (+16 DEF, +11 MDEF).
    • 1 Hard Acorn (Ghost Acorn) and 1 Chipped Mudstone (1st Stratum Mine 2) needed to make Studded Glove (+5 DEF, +6 MDEF).
    • 1 Cone Fang (Mad Dog) and 1 Chipped Mudstone (1st Stratum Mine 2) needed to make Kopis (+21 ATK, +19 MATK, AGI Up 1, Bronze x3).
  • Darkened Augite: 15% base chance
    • 1 needed to make Analysis Scope (registers one enemy in the Codex).
    • 1 needed to make Simple Scope (reveals FOE positions for a few steps).
  • Ambush Chance: 0%

Gathering points make a return yet again, and while the way they work personally isn't changed much from the Untolds, gathering skills are. Each race has a gathering skill--Lunarians get Chop, Therians get Mine, and Brownies get Take. Earthrun get Woodland Gathering Skills, which acts as all 3 at once.

Exactly what type of bonus each skill gives, I don't know, but to my knowledge, each skill initially rolls for an activation chance. If that succeeds, the character then rolls for each of the drops from the gathering point once, with some kind of bonus being added to each chance. Note that each character (and the initial gathering) can only find one of a given material. The initial gathering can only find one material at all, too.

Lastly, gathering ambushes are still a thing. This first Mine point can't result in an ambush (it'd be pretty dickish if it did), though.






Balloon Flying Squirrel
HP: 106
STR: 22
INT: 16
VIT: 15
WIS: 14
AGI: 17
LUC: 11
Skills:
  • Balloon Drop: Uses the legs. Deals 180% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member. Has a 50% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Drops:
  • Normal: Fluffy Fur. 60% chance. Sells for 7 en.
    • 1 needed to make Soft Mocassin (+3 DEF, +8 MDEF).
    • 3 needed to make Fluffy Bolero (+9 DEF, +14 MDEF).
Damage Resistances:
100% 150% 100%
100% 100% 150%
Disable Resistances:
150% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100%
100% 100% 150%

I hate squirrels. I almost always have at least one attempt at the first mission end in a reset because these assholes one-shot someone from full or near-full HP with Balloon Drop, almost always in the back row.

Having the squirrel start in the back row is a serious blessing, since it means that it can't hit the back row, and trying to hit the front row will result in a damage penalty.




The squirrel's weakness to stab also means that Gram and the hawk hit it pretty hard.


...Hey, don't look at me. I'm not expected to hit things.


Thank you for taking time out of ineffectually hitting things to actually patch me up.
I could just...not patch you up next time you're hurt.
Sorry.


Didn't know monsters could just deflate like that.




(Received: 1 Fluffy Fur, 1 Hard Acorn, 1 Cracked Nut.)




Stepping on this tile triggers this event automatically.

As you proceed, you come across a path that's muddy with spring water. It seems countless explorers have passed through, as you can see numerous footprints and traces where people fell into the mud. Looking around, you discover a pile of long, thin branches about 10 feet to the side. You might be able to use these branches as walking sticks to prevent slipping in the mud. On the other hand, such thin branches might immediately break under your body weight. You must decide how you will proceed.



Our options are:
  • Use the branches as walking sticks
  • Cross the muddy path with no assistance
  • Turn back


Well, that's not even a question, no? Even if those sticks're thin, crossing the mud without them's gonna end with someone slipping.
I, uh, just bought these clothes. I'd really not want to get them too muddy.
Same for me. You don't wanna know the lengths you need to go to get a Fencer's outfit when you're not one.
Is there any particular reason a saleswoman offering guarded tours would want a Fencer outfit?
Trade secret.
If we're done discussing clothing, shall we cross?
Thinking they'd make good walking sticks, you pick up one of the branches and try stabbing it into the mud. It sinks into the mud, but it you can feel it reach harder ground underneath. Using the sticks you support you, you walk through the mud very carefully to avoid slipping.


...After a long while, you successfully make it across with no harm to yourselves! You take a moment to bask in your marvelous victory before returning to your exploration of the forest.



Explorer's first trouble

Successfully used your wits to cross a narrow path with muddy footing!




Ah, here's a fairly major change. Remember the in-Labyrinth events from past EO games? They're referred to as Adventure Episodes now, and they give EXP rewards at the end. Effectively, what this means is there's basically no reason to ever back out of an event. Even if something bad happens, you'll still get extra EXP at the end of it, so why not?

(Trying to back out of the mud event would just mean we'd take a step back and the game would tell us we can't go any further without crossing.)




Chicken.


As you walk through the Labyrinth overflowing with greenery, you come across a large turtle basking in the sun at the edge of the water. You find its uneven sun-bleached shell and the way it sometimes stretches out its neck without moving to be somehow charming. As you gaze at the turtle, you notice what seems to be a coin buried in the mud in front of it.
Ooh.
Curious, Raven reaches out to grab it, but the turtle moves its head in response. It seems to be wary of you reaching towards it, and is attempting to threaten you. You may continue to reach for the abandoned coin, or give up on it and leave.


Let me handle this.


As Cecil reaches out, the turtle responds by stretching it neck out and staring at them.



Our choices are:
  • Go from the right
  • Go from the left
  • Go straight for the center


The obvious choice would be the right.
Cecil swiftly reaches out from the right! However, the turtle is faster! Far more agile than you had imagined, the turtle bites Cecil's hand!


Ouch. Listen, turtle: I don't have much patience for this. If you'll just let me take the coin...
Cecil reaches stright down the center! However, your choice was naive. The turtle easily snaps at your hand!


As Cecil shrieks in pain, you get the feeling from the way it looks down on you that the turtle is laughing derisively.
Oh, that is IT!




Yes, Battle 1 does actually start playing here.

Apparently you won't be able to pierce the turtle's defenses with a frontal assault! As explorers, you decide it's time to get serious about snatching this coin!


I'm the one with the shield. If you'll just give me a minute...



Our choices are:
  • Feint right and go from the left!
  • Feint left and go from the right!
  • ...Take a deep breath, and calm down.


This turtle's smarter and quicker than it looks. Give me a little bit to think...


As the battle heats up, Sasha stops to take a deep breath and calm down. Raven, who'd been watching quietly until now, interjects.
Look, uh, that turtle might be heavy, but I don't think it can do much if we just move it.
They point out that you could just move the turtle and pick it up safely.
And let the monsters have victory over us? You're not paying me for that!
Sasha agrees that this would be good idea, but thinks that doing so would mean admitting defeat!



Our choices are:
  • Continue the battle!
  • Just move the drat turtle.




C'mon, we've bothered this thing enough.
As Raven suggested, you all pick up the turtle by its shell and gently set it down on a nearby rock. The turtle moves its head in surprise at first, but once it realizes it's still in the sunlight, returns to its basking. All that remains is the coin glittering in the mud. Sasha lazily reaches down to pick it up.



("Obtained Yamato Copper Coin.")

It appears to be a kind of copper coin still in use in the Therian country of Yamato, known as a Yamato Copper Coin. Feeling a strange sense of defeat, you pocket the coin and continue your exploration.



"The Yamato Coin and the snapping turtle

You found an old coin in the mud, and while it was a close battle with the turtle, you successfully obtained it!"


The coin itself is an item that has no purpose other than to be sold. Also, you can totally beat the turtle, although I don't know exactly how.


As you proceed through the Labyrinth, you come across a muddy path. The mud appears to go all the way up to your knees, but you can see something shining ahead of you. You may attempt to cross the mud to investigate the shiny object, or simply turn back.



Our choices are:
  • Proceed carefully
  • Force your way past
  • Turn back


Haste makes waste, kids.
Nothing is more important than safety. You proceed carefully, step by step. While you almost trip over a tree root, you reach the other side without incident and approach the shining object. On closer inspection, it seems to be a Nectar dropped by another explorer. You put it in your bag and return to your exploration with renewed focus.



("Obtained Nectar.")

Nectars do the same thing they did in previous EO games: revive a dead party member at 20 HP. Don't think I really need to tell you that they're invaluable.




"Haste makes waste

You wisely determine the best way to cross, and successfully reach the other side sinking into the mud."

Also: our first level ups!




Cecil puts his point into Fishing, so we can use the fishing spots.



Sasha puts another point into Line Guard, which now reduces physical damage by 34%.



Raven puts another point into Scythe of Numb Stasis, which now deals 156% damage.



Gram puts a point into Animal Therapy, which provides a small amount of free, passive healing, while either a dog or hawk is summoned. The heal amount is a little bit of a mystery, but I'm fairly certain it's a base amount plus an unknown amount of variance. The base heal is 1 HP at level 1, incidentally, and scales up to 35 at level 10.

Throw in the dog's actions though, and Hounds can be a way to keep your party topped off with no TP cost whatsoever.



Dosen levels up Refresh Herb, which just lowers the TP cost by 2.

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Oct 18, 2016

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