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  • Locked thread
Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
Huh, just realized that weapons can come with unique skills. Are they useful throughout the whole game, or just during certain parts? Is it balanced?

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Aniodia
Feb 23, 2016

Literally who?

:stwoon:
:circlefap:
:perfect:

This is the third time I've had fanart done of a character I came up with, so one would think the giddy, "omg i came up with that and someone else MADE it eeeeeeeee" feeling would go away, or be toned down a bit at the very least.

Nope, still hype :pcgaming:

Ragnar Homsar posted:

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

Oh poo poo, didn't see this. To be honest, while I have a steam account, I don't think I've logged into it in a couple of years at this point. If you really want to talk to me, shoot me an email at gmail, and I'll give you my Facebook info. I tend to be on just due to work (as it's convenient to contact the boss or other coworkers), so I'd be far and away more likely to respond at any given moment. When you add me, message me too so that way I don't just snap-delete the request.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

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

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Junpei posted:

Well, I was thinking. Yes, that is a nice compliment. But how do Poison/Fire Bomb compare to each other damage and SP cost wise? Does that change anything? Just checking.

To compliment is to praise. To complement is to work well together. It's pedantic, but I did this to Ragnar too so it's only fair.

Fire Bomb is about the same power as a tier 2 Warlock (which we won't have for a while), but costing a ghost just makes it super slow. Poison Bomb costs about the same, iirc, but is naturally way better in longer battles because the poison keeps ticking. It usually kills things in 1-3 ticks, depending how big the enemy is and how many levels of Poison Bomb you have. Frankly I just went straight for rank 5 as soon as I could, because all my Necro was doing in random battles was casting a mega-Poison and then defending.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 10:26 on Nov 7, 2016

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Update 4: Useless Crayfish



...So, what's in it for me if I "charge" your... What were those bizarre devices, again?
My laptop and 3DS!
Yes, what do I get for exerting the effort to cast a held-back Lightning on them?
I'll, uh... Let you play hard games?
Hm... An opportunity to prove myself better than other challengers? Very well, I accept.
Eeeeeee, yes! Thank you thank you thank you!
Remind me, what were you playing when you got warped here?
Oh, I was playing Labyrinth of--
MIO. We're going.




(Floor subtitle: "Trapped by statues blocking the path")


As you walk through the Labyrinth, you find your eyes drawn by a hole in a large tree. Thinking that there might be something inside, you get closer to take a peek, but it's too dark to see anything. You can investigate the hole further, or return to exploring.
Well, what's the harm-- Ack!
You stick your hands into the hole and grope around. Monsters pop out and attack!

If we had a Lunarian that knows Night Vision, we'd avoid the battle.





Poison Leech
HP: 296
STR: 27
INT: 22
VIT: 24
WIS: 21
AGI: 25
LUC: 26
Skills:
  • Leech Poison: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict poison on one party member, with a 70% base chance and 30 base poison damage. Has a 60% speed modifier.
Drops:
  • Normal: Spongy Skin. 70% chance. Sells for 15 en.
    • 1 needed to make Leech Shortbow (+25 ATK, +24 MATK, TP Up 1, Bronze x3).
    • 2 needed to make Rubber Dress (+13 DEF, +21 MDEF).
    • 1 Spongy Skin and 1 Ivy Covered Bark (1st Stratum Chop 2) needed to make Rubber Shield (+14 DEF, +6 MDEF).
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 100%
150% 100% 100%
Disable Resistances:
100% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 150%
100% 100%
150% 100% 100%

Poison Leeches can be pretty dangerous in large groups, since Leech Poison hurts quite a lot, and at our current max HP levels, even chip damage plus the poison can kill someone.



Their normal attacks hurt a little, too. Remember that Lanzon is in the back row and gets a 50% damage reduction.



(Poison Leech used Leech Poison.)

Oogh... So this is what they mean by "a taste of your own medicine..."


But I don't even concoct medication...



Ouch.



(Mio used Therica B.)

Uh, um... I think this is the right potion?
Ah, much better... Ahem. Thank you.



(Magda used Refresh Herb.)

Now then, hopefully this doesn't cause you to vomit your innards...
It smells...foul... But 'tis better than being poisoned.


Oh dear, there's squishy leech bits left over on my coffins.




(Received 3 Spongy Skins.)



You've successfully dealt with the monsters lurking in the hole. Its residents now gone, you double check the hole and find moss-covered ore in the darkness.



("Obtained Mossy Ore.")

You place the Mossy Ore into your bag and move on.



"What lurks in the darkness

You fumbled around in darkness, and received a rude welcome from its residents."







Ahh, these confections are delicious.
Weren't you the one telling us to provision them?

Berry Crepes restore a fairly decent chunk of HP and TP.


Oh, I've seen these things before.
Y-you've been up this high before?
Nope. We used to have giant crayfish like that thing as part of acts at the circus. Lunarian performers used to put their heads right between their claws, and then teleport out just before they got decapitated!
Wowwww... Did it always work?
Yep! ...Except for one time. We, um, don't talk about that.


As you open the 4th floor's first door, you confirm the presence of a large monster. Its deep red carapace appears quite hard, and it would surely be difficult to fight. Luckily though, it seems to have no interest in you, even once you've entered the room. It should be possible to observe its movements and figure out a way to avoid it. You keep this in mind as you return to exploring.

Red Iron Crayfishes (yes, crayfishes, EO4 veterans) just patrol a rectangular area back and forth. Their extra gimmick, however, is that they can enter water tiles at will!

gently caress you




Gods.


Walking through the sun-dappled forest, your steps carry you to a dead end. The path is blocked by a giant tree, atop which you see a single monkey. When you raise your heads to look at it, it puts on a bold expression and screeches loudly, as if to intidimidate you. Next to the monkey are countless ripe-looking apples. You wouldn't be able to reach them from the ground, but perhaps you could get them by manipulating the monkey somehow.

We can choose between walking away, or having someone mimic throwing an apple.


Magda makes a gesture showing the monkey how to pick an apple and toss it.
Okay, monkey, here's what you should do...
The monkey tilts its head, then nods and makes a noise.
Yes, good--
Then, it picks an underripe apple, and throws it at Magda with tremendous force!
...Neeeeuuuugh...
...Whether out of malice or mischief, the underripe apple thrown by the monkey hits Magda square on the head with a dry thud. You can either try again with another party member, or give up.
If you'll let me take a shot...
Lanzon mimes tossing something underhanded. Seeing this, the monkey picks one of the abundant apples. It lowers its body and stretches out its arm for an incredibly flexible underarm pitch!
Ohoho, a tiny bit of pain befalls our ~perfect~ master.
I'm perfectly willing to use you for the next Fire Bomb, A, dear.
Go ahead. I'll be back anyway.
Callous, even 1000 years after death. I ended up with just the perfect partner for the eternal afterlife.
Look, lemme handle this. HEY, MONKEY! PICK AN APPLE!
Jana has had enough of this, and mimes throwing while telling the monkey to pick an apple. The monkey, also seeming to be tired of this, begins to grab an apple to throw it. But after being hit by countless apples, you were expecting this! This time the plan is to catch it! The only question is whether it's going to be thrown overhand or underhand!

I predicted overhand.

The monkey throws the fruit overhand with incredible speed! Jana was predicting this, however, and manages to safely catch the apple aimed for their face with both hands!



("Obtained Moon Apple!")

Having safely obtained an edible apple, you wave goodbye to the astonished monkey and return to exploring.
Nyehhhhh!
Isn't thumbing your nose and sticking your tongue perhaps a bit childish?
You'll forgive me for taking out my anger and annoyance in my own ways.

No, that wasn't an Adventure Episode.

Huh?



As you walk alongside the water, you step over countless flat pebbles. This reminds you of skipping stones. It's a game that been popular among the Earthrun recently. People compete to throw the stone that skips the most times. The current record for all of Arcadia is said to be 50 skips. This spot, with its wide open waterfront and abundance of stones, seems like it would be perfect for skipping stones. If you like, you can challenge yourselves here!

This is a pretty special event. The result changes based on the race of the character you picked to participate.

Earthruns result in this:


Alexis picks up a flat stone, narrows their eyes, and after taking a number of practice swings takes a deep breath and tightens their grip.
This seems like a relaxing way to pass the time. Hyah!
Making sure to keep their eyes wide open and their feet far apart, they make a graceful movement that sends the stone flying with impressive force! The stone flies over the water as if crawling, at first easily making giant leaps, which gradually become smaller until it sinks beneath the water. There's no doubt among you that this sets a new record within the party. Alexis themself has a refreshed look on their face.
Hm! That was quite the distance.



Yes, the target does restore 1 TP from this.

Lunarians and Brownies result in this:


Well now, this seems like fun.
Lanzon picks up a flat stone, and after a couple of practice swings, takes a deep breath, closes their eyes, and throws it! ...The stone bounces lightly off the water's surface several times before sinking.
...I-I've said before, my body's built for modeling, not for fighting...or feats of strength...
You realize that blushes stick out considerably more when you have blue skin, right?
Ngh...!
Eeeeee...

Therians that don't know Feats of Strength result in this:

Jana grabs a flat stone, holds it up above themselves, and tosses it into the pond. It immediately sinks with a loud PLOP. Wondering if there's some sort of trick to it, they keep trying again and again with more stones, but each time it simply disappears into the water.
Am I not getting something here?
A...a lot, yes.
...What part of this do Earthruns find so fun, anyway? Left with this unanswerable question, Jana decides continuing would be a waste of time. After a short break, you renew your focus and return to exploring.

We'll be coming back here shortly, after Jana learns Feats of Strength.



EO5 does not wait very long before it starts tossing incredibly goddamn rude encounter formations at you. Remember Genetta talking about how Forest Monkeys can participate in Giganto Roper formations? That can happen. It doesn't here, because I immediately murder that goddamn monkey before it can do anything, but it can.

I wonder if I could do that. Become an acorn, I mean.

Do you want to grow up to be a tree, too? Acorn BECOMES A TREE, you know.

...Anyway, I'd argue that the monkey imitating Giganto Roper actions instead of being fused into it is worse, though. Two Cut Aways when your party's legs are bound is TPK territory.




We got a Thick Vine from that fight, so we can turn in The elusive Giganto Roper.









Good work. Looks like you safely brought back proof of a giant Roper. So how is it? Are you getting used to the Yggdrasil Labyrinth yet?
Despite the constant threat of an untimely end, I'm feeling quite used to it now.
*chuckle* How nice. I'm sure that must be pleasant for you. But isn't when you're getting confident the most important time to step back and exercise prudence? Plenty of my customers here start to feel good about their drinks and order something stronger, only to ruin themselves.
We're explorers, not drunkards who claim to be explorers, like those...idiots over there. We can exercise self-control.
...Oh, excuse me, you didn't need to hear that, did you? My apologies. Now then, here's your reward. Good luck, and stay safe.



("Obtained 3 Volt Jars.")







Lanzon puts a point in Grace of the Moon, since he has pretty bad TP issues.



Mio, meanwhile, puts a point into Defense Order, the first Union skill I've leveled up. Defense Order requires two people to use, and reduces all damage to the party by 50% for one turn. In the earlygame, where 50% is the difference between a light scratch and death, Defense Order is powerful, and it still has some uses late in the game.

Brownies get a lot of the defensive Unions. At level 15, they gain access to Hygieia's Cup, almost unchanged from EO4--fully heals the party, purges ailments and binds, revives dead party members. At level 20, they get Aegis Shield, which completely nullifies all attacks on the party for one turn.





Amud Staff (+23 ATK, +34 MATK, WIS Up 1, Bronze x3) is made from 1 Bent Claw (Forest Monkey).

Leech Shortbow (+25 ATK, +24 MATK, TP Up 1, Bronze x3) is made from 1 Spongy Skin.

Rib Coffin (+24 ATK, +31 MATK, WIS Up 1, Bronze x3) is made from 2 Coiled Vines (1st Stratum Chop 1).

Rubber Dress (+13 DEF, +21 MDEF) is made from 2 Spongy Skins.

Rubber Shield (+14 DEF, +6 MDEF) is made from 1 Spongy Skin and 1 Ivy Covered Bark (1st Stratum Chop 2).




I bought a Rib Coffin for Lanzon, and forged it once.



Well now. This statue's different.


You come across a new kind of statue, unlike the ones you've seen before, facing south.


Following its gaze, you see a large stone wall with some kind of gem embedded in it blocking the path. Is this another of the magical glamours blocking your way?


Looking back at the statue, you realize that it looks like it turns left or right! Something might happen if you push it. You can either try to touch it, or do nothing and leave.
Lemme try!
...Sometime today, please?
It's...barely...budging... Wait, what the--


...I, uh, kinda missed the button at first glance.
As the statue turns, the wall to the south with a mysterious gem sinks into the ground right before your eyes, while a new wall appears to the west! It seems you can change the position of the walls by touching it. You keep this gimmick in mind as you continue exploring.

The rotating golem statues are our gimmick for 4F and 5F, although they're not really too complex or even that involved on 4F.



What the gently caress







Jana learns Feats of Strength. Let's go back to the skipping stones event, shall we?


HYYYYAAARGH!
Jana picks up a flat stone, pulls back, and with a WHOOSH as air is pushed aside, lets loose! The atmosphere seems to tremble with the force of the throw, and when it hits the water it dives straight in, sending up an explosive column of water that rivals the surrounding trees in height.
Th... That's certainly impressive, but that's not quite how the game works...
...Anyone else hear a really angry fish?
Huh?
While the rest of you wonder if this was how the game was supposed to go, Jana tilts their head and informs you that right before the throw, they felt the presence of a powerful opponent under the water. And indeed, turning back to the water you can see some kind of crayfish monster staggering towards you with unconcealed rage! If you had to guess, Jana must have hit it with the stone. Regretting your rash actions, you draw your weapons to deal with the approaching threat!



You and your carelessness...!
Maybe that thing just really liked the stone throw and wants my autograph?
You, um, just described it as "very angry."

This thing's not actually a real FOE, but whatever.


Injured Crayfish
HP: 984
STR: 33
INT: 33
VIT: 26
WIS: 24
AGI: 23
LUC: 22
Skills:
  • Ice Slicer: Uses the legs. Deals 120% ranged INT-based ice damage to one row of party members. Has an 80% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Damage Resistances:
75% 75% 100%
100% 50% 150%
Disable Resistances:
50% 100% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
10% 50%
50% 50% 50%

Basically a really toned down version of Red Iron Crayfishes. Nothing too bad here, although that doesn't mean you should get careless.


'Tis no smarter than a normal monster. It feels harder to actually damage, though.


...What did you ignorami do now?
Rabbit Ears threw a stone really hard, for whatever reason.


I think I just annoyed it...



(Magda used Smoke Rot. Not pictured: casting Dark Smoke on the previous turn.)


Sleep'll heal the shattered parts of your shell...carapace...yeah, carapace!



(Mio used Prayer: Cold Rain.)

I lay down Cold Rain to lessen Ice Slicer once it comes out.




That's how much actually decent equipment plus Smoke Rot helps, by the way. Remember that Fire Bomb dealt maybe 50 damage or so per cast before.


Perhaps you should've...evolved...a carapace for your...eyes...
I believe the term for that is "stretching it."



(Injured Crayfish used Ice Slicer.)

That would've probably killed Jana if I hadn't put Prayer: Cold Rain down.



Behold: I somehow didn't cut into the carapace, yet the crayfish still died!







"Skipping stones!

While skipping stones, you accidentally hit a monster, enraging it. Regardless, you defeat it."








Alexis learns Woodland Gathering Skills, while Magda learns Grace of the Wind.




The pillar is blocking our path, so we have to rotate the statue. Not really rocket science.


As you navigate the ancient contraptions, you feel a refreshing breeze and come to a halt. There seems to be a path for a gentle wind to blow through. The area is also open enough that it would be easy to keep watch, so it seems like a good place to rest.
Hey, I don't see why not.
You put down your heavy equipment and stop to stretch your wings. The cool breeze feels great on your sweaty bodies, so you spend some time relaxing.


Once you feel that the break has been long enough, you return to exploring with a revitalized expression.



"Tranquility

You decided to take a break in a breezy location, and momentarily rested your weary bodies."








To finish the floor, we have to rotate this statue.



Then this one.



Then rotate this one back so we can get through.



And we're done.



Back to town.

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Nov 8, 2016

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Update 4 Part 2



I just realized you guys are already on the 5th floor... The end of the 1st Stratum is in sight!
Unfortunately.
Unfortunately?
I've got a dread sensation that breaking the glamour won't be easy.
I was thinking it's about time for me to finish up my baking training. Back in the Therian old country we had a saying: "Kohn lahk an ahroh."
Is that just a heavy accent, or are those bunny ears just for show?
Er... "Coin Like an Arrow". It means that masters can throw coins so fast that they're like arrows! If you guys're gonna be taking on the 2nd Stratum, then I need to have this mastered! Okay, first I need to find a thief...
...WHAT? Why? What does that have to do with...anything?
Huh?! What do you mean why? Who else am I gonna practice throwing coins at?!
Why are you practicing throwing coins?!



Golly, so you've made it to the 5th floor, huh guys? That's the last floor of the 1st Stratum, so I betcha the monsters are a bit tougher than the ones you've seen so far. You should make sure you're, ahem, properly prepared! Wink wink. Nudge nudge.
Yes, we understand your hint.



Scramasax (+32 ATK, +28 MATK, HP Up 1, Bronze x3) is made from 2 Bent Claws (Forest Monkey).

Leather Shield (+10 DEF, +4 MDEF) is made from 3 Cold Wing Membranes (Ice Bat normal).




Alexis upgrades to a Scramasax.



Forging, too. Cold Wave now deals 6% more damage, putting it at 76% INT-based damage.




New quests.

#1: The house of Griffon:


...This request deals with a bit of a heavy topic. Is that still okay with you?
We dance with death on a daily basis. We're fine.
Okay then. This one is... Well, let's just call it a missing person request. If you want the details, you'll have to ask the gentleman with the monocle.

The monocle man is a bar patron. We'll get to him in a bit.

#2: Vermin extermination:


So you're taking that request? Great. I was just thinking that we should resolve that one as soon as possible. This one's from a craftsman's union. For whatever reason, furniture made with wood from the Labyrinth is apparently getting really popular. But lately, a group of monsters has appeared near where they gathers their lumber. Not only that, the monsters took the wood they chopped and made a nest out of it. They can't get any work done like this, so they came to me, begging to have their monster problem dealt with. So I came up with a way to get rid of a monster nest, but it's dangerous, so I convinced them to put it up as a request. The monster nest is in the southeast area of the 5th floor. Specifically, here.


I think you'll need these to destroy the monster nest.



("Obtained Explosive Gem!")

But you won't be able to just throw them in there and easily destroy the nest. You have to follow a very specific procedure. If you don't remember the instructions, this will go very badly, so listen really carefully. Now, before I begin the explanation, I'll give you the stuff.



("Obtained Monster Bait!")

The meat is meant to distract the monsters while you work, so place it on the ground a little ways away from the nest. The monsters should leave the nest for it. Once you've confirmed that, proceed to a pillar near the entrance of the nest. Once you're there, I want you to start a fire right in the middle of the pillar. Apparently it's made of a special kind of wood with an incredibly strong surface, so if you don't heat it up first, the bomb won't have much effect. Once it's been heated up for a while, the pillar's surface will start to fall off in chunks, so that's when you want to set up the bomb. And once that goes off, the pillar supporting the nest will be gone, and the whole thing should collapse in on itself. ...So that's your job. Did you get all that?
That's...a lot to remember. I think we've got it, though.
Good. I'll be looking forward to the good news.

#3: New menu development journal:

I know this is out of the blue, but do you cook very often?
It can be a relaxing way to pass time.
Starting a fire is easy when I have these three lovelies right here.
Tortured and exploded just to make a cooking fire...
Oh my. I know I asked, but I have to say I'm a bit surprised. But if you cook, then maybe this one will interest you. This one's from a chef in town. They want you to gather ingredients for their new menu. That itself wouldn't be a big deal, but they want to use ingredients from some of the larger monsters in the Labyrinth. Not only that, but a Crimson Carapace from a Red Iron Crayfish, one of the most powerful monsters in the 1st Stratum.
I mean, we fought an injured one already, but a healthy one?
I know, I was shocked at how lightly they were taking this too. This is an opponent that can seriously hurt you, so don't neglect your preparations, okay?

#4: Genetta's big adventure:

Oh my, this one's from an unusual client. It's from Genetta's older sister. Seems she wants you to help gather ingredients for a new bread they're going to be selling. Apparently, when left to her own devices, Genetta ended up going off into the Labyrinth by herself, so the request is for explorers to accompany her.
I'm a little surprised she got up to the 3rd floor on her own...
Incidentally, Genetta can't read maps at all, so it took her seven days to get back from the Labyrinth.
...Now I'm even more surprised...
Being her sister must come with all sorts of hardships... Anyway, first you'll need to confirm the details at the inn. Good luck.



Onto the bar patrons.

#1: Silver-haired, monocled gentleman:


Gentleman: So, are you here about my request?
Indeed.
Gentleman: I see. Thank you. Getting right to the point, I have a daughter. I tried to raise her as a noble, but...for whatever reason, she rebelled, and ran away from home.
...
Gentleman: I later heard she became an explorer. The news came from a guild who happened to catch sight of an explorer who resembled my daughter, and was wearing one of our family treasures. A helmet with the symbol of a griffon. ...With that in mind, I'd like you to find my daughter. She was spotted on the 5th floor, so begin your search there.
...You okay, Alexis? You look really serious.
Weren't you listening when we started the 3rd floor?

#2: Dark-skinned male Dragoon:

Dragoon: *scoff* So you think you're gonna just waltz through the 5th floor and clear the stratum, easy as pie?
No.
Dragoon: Ha! Ever seen one of those Giganto Ropers throw acorns at you? It freaking hurts! There's not much you can do about it but guard the attack, or try to kill the nut first...
Thank you for that unprovoked advice, you miserable drunkard.
You don't seem to really think too highly of bar patrons.

#3 is just Hansuke. I don't need his info.

Before we go, Melina's dialogue.


Looks like the end of the first stratum is finally in sight. But...be careful. This is when the real danger begins. On the final floor of each stratum, there's a fearsome opponent standing guard. You...probably won't be able to avoid it this time. If you wish to go further, you'll be forced to fight it. That's why you should double-check all your skills, equip all the latest gear, and generally just be prepared for anything. You won't have a chance to regret it if you're dead.



Well hell, you're on floor 5 already. Frankly, I thought you'd have cracked a while ago. But this is just the beginning. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you: the real Labyrinth starts here. The Labyrinth will pull you to your limits before you can even put your little toe in the next Stratum. ...So don't let yourselves die in vain out there.




Remus starts talking as soon as we enter.

Ahh, this one's come out looking lovely. What a nice coloration! I'm sure the nice lady at the inn will be surprised when she sees this. ...Oh, perfect timing, Nameless. The guards had brought me yet more berries today, so I tried baking them into a Pancake. I learned this recipe back in the Imperial Capital; a wandering Lunarian chef of some renown said that he "sensed the spirit of a true gourmet in me," and that he would "bequeath me the recipe of his ancestors." I've been taking cooking lessons from the sisters, but this is the first time I've managed to get it right. It's been a long time since I saw a proper one, but I think it turned out well!
Gimme!
Certainly! Here, have the one I just made. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Oh right, the recipe is surprisingly simple too. You should challenge yourselves to try making it on your own. I'll give you this as a gift, so please feel free to give it a shot.



("Obtained Custom Frying Pan!")



Remus asks us the same question as last time. We say no again.

Oh, I see. Then in that case, I'll give you a tip for the Labyrinth. On this floor, there's a golem left behind by a Lunarian Puppeteer. Chances are good you'll have to overcome it to progress further. But, I think you can handle it. Don't let fear overcome you. Just keep on trying.




Genetta starts talking as soon as we enter the inn.

Oh!! My favorite customers! Welcome home, all! Staying the night, or are you just breaking it off a bit?
We're, um, here for a quest?
Whaaaat, a request from the bar? Ah-hah, yes, there's a decent probability Sis might've said something about that!
...Do you need something?
Huh, oh, what do I need from the Labyrinth? Well you see, I'm developing this new bread for the store, and I seriously super ultra gotta have...Labyrinth Honey...for it...! And you can only get that from a certain spot on the 3rd floor, but the monsters around there are really beefy nowadays, so when I tried to go alone, my sister stopped me. Drrrffff!!
If I may speak my mind, perhaps that's for the best...
I keep telling her that I'll be fine on my own, but she just won't let me go... BUT! She told me that it'd be fine if you guys came with! So, are?! You!? With me?!
Y-yes ma'am!
For real?! Yaaaaay!! Just let me know when we're going! Miss Genetta is ready at all times!

Eh, let's go take care of it. When we leave the inn, Genetta says this:

Oh, are we going?! Roger that! I left some stuff in the workshop I need to go pick up first, so let's meet up on the 3rd floor!

Due to Clarste's absence today, I would like to crib from a note he left in the text archive and mention that Genetta literally says "roger" in English.



Heyyyyyy youuuuu guyyyyyys!" *pant* *pant* "Sorry for the wait! Let's go! The Labyrinth Honey awaits us somewhere on this floor! Miss Genetta's conscientiousness dictates that I'll be staying back here with my yap shut so as not to intrude on your way- as they say in the old country, "Out of all the flock / it is only the silent / who avoid the arrow."
A-a haiku?
Hm? What's a haiku?
Oh, it's, um, a form of poetry. You have three lines, and the first has to have 5 syllables, the second 7 syllables, and the last one 5 syllables again!
5 and 7 syllables? That sounds...restricting.
It makes more sense in Japanese! I can give you lessons, if you'd like to! Please say you'd like to.
Hmm... That sounds quite nice, actually.
I'm interesting in this "Japanese," as well. We all speak a common language here, so learning something else would be an interesting change of pace.
Yyyyyessss! H-how about the next time we're all not on active party duty?
If you three are done talking about poetry, we have some honey to retrieve.



("Genetta has joined your party as a guest.")

Genetta's basically just an extra target for Union skills. She has no weapon equipped, and her skillset makes no sense. She's a Hound, and knows Animal Therapy...but doesn't actually know Dog or Hawk Whistle.

Genetta is very strong.



Hey, you lot. It's dangerous in there.
A lone guard calls out to you. According to him, a brutal monster called a Rampaging Owlbeast is in the area.
Your average explorer ain't crossing swords with that thing and living to tell the tale, so I'd turn back if I were you.
We're on a request for honey, though.
You inform the guard that you're looking for Labyrinth Honey.
...What? Labyrinth Honey? All the more reason to stay away. I mean, the owlbeast is in the room with the honey. It's probably pregnant. They need all the energy they can get for childhood, so odds are it's hanging by the honey for that.
The guard kindly suggest that you give up on the honey and leave.
We'd be betraying our client if we didn't press onward!
Regardless, it seems the honey you seek is just ahead. You prepare to steel yourself and enter.


You ignore the guard's warning and enter the room. Before you stands one of the first formidable foes, the Rampaging Owlbeast. You need to do everything possible to gather what you need without provoking it. Or...so you think when the girl behind you, who had been trying her best to stay silent, suddenly runs straight up to it.
W... Wha...
Sh-she did mention feeling comfortable around animals...
That extends to just running right up to an FOE, I guess...
Taken aback by her unorthodox approach, you fail to stop her before she's right next to it.


Hello Mrs. Bear! Do you mind if we borrow some of this deeply excellent honey?! It's critical hit important that I get it to make some honey toast for the inn! If you have justice in your heart, please, let me reap of your bountiful honey!
Not only was her plea in vain, the owlbeast seems to consider her shouting at it to be a threat and bares its fangs to attack you!
I'm beginning to see why her sis didn't want her coming in here alone...






No... Mrs. Bear?! Is mortal combat the only way we warriors of Purgatory may walk...? If we must... Miss Genetta had dreams of being an explorer too, y'know! Only my sister's insistence that I not be allowed to hold sharp objects snuffed my candle... but I can do it if I really try! Oo-wah, come and get some, Mrs. Bear! ...Actually, I should probably speak Bear-ese. Gar! Rrrrar! Rar rar rar!


Monsters these days make no sense.
Oh? What makes you say that?
It's an owl with the body of a bear. Who came up with that?


Rampaging Owlbeast
HP: 2356
STR: 43
INT: 35
VIT: 32
WIS: 29
AGI: 24
LUC: 28
Skills:
  • Owl's Eye: Uses the head. Reduces all party members' physical defense by 20% for 4 turns. Has no speed modifier.
  • Bear Hug: Uses the arms. Deals 140% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member, with splash damage. Has an 80% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Drops:
  • Normal: Owlbear Feather. 100% chance. Sells for 158 en.
    • 1 needed to make Feather Staff (+25 ATK, +44 MATK, Heat Wave, Silver x3).
    • 1 needed to make Feather Armor (+17 DEF, +19 MDEF).
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 100%
100% 150% 100%
Disable Resistances:
100% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
10% 50%
50% 100% 100%

Owlbears are fairly manageable with a dodgetank Fencer and honestly fairly easy with a Dragoon. Just don't let Bear Hug stack up and you're fine. The fact that it's weak to Blind helps quite a lot.



Alexis's job is to use Predict until I blind the Owlbear.



Jana'll use Armor Penetrate to start, and then reapply it every 4 turns.



Lanzon'll spam Fire Bomb once I apply Smoke Rot.



Mio casts Prayer: Eradication. That's basically how she opens every fight.



And Dark Smoke for Magda.


Ahem... Yoo-hoo! Over here! Cough cough!
...I've never seen someone fail so badly at being an obvious distraction.
You actually said "cough cough" out loud.
I am a prince, not a thief!


Hah!



...What is that...thing? Why did you just throw it out?
IT'S A TOKEN OF ONE OF MY GODS I KEEP IT WITH ME FOR LUCK.
Okay, okay! Good gods, that's passion that could kill...
My my, but is he handsome.
Eh. A bit young-looking for my tastes.
Relative to before or after our untimely demises?


Admirable effort, pitiable result!


And for my next trick, I'll poke a hole in this thing's chest!



Perfect.



Might as well have him chip in some damage now.



Don't really want to override the blind with sleep, so I'm holding off on Mist Slice.



And now Mio spams Cold Wave.



(Rampaging Owlbeast used Bear Hug.)

And that is just one of my many agility tricks: dodging a monster that can't see!



And now it's Fire Bomb spam time.



Here's our average damage output per turn. Chewing through 2300 HP will take a bit.



Case in point.



Now that the blind ran out, I replaced it with poison.



Alexis switches over to Predict.



Slowly inching towards this thing's death.


Are you even trying?



Couple more turns of the same later, and the thing's near death. The blind accumulative resistance should be running out by this point.



Before that, though, Mist Slice.


...Am I boring you?

Huh. First try.



And now we're good.


Tough...crowd...

Until that happens. That's one of the really serious weaknesses of dodgetank Fencer--they only help so much with splash damage, and do basically nothing against row or party target skills.


Oh, hey, thanks, Genetta!
Hold on, was that OUR Nectar?


Overgrown vermin!
Is "vermin" the right term? I think more...rats and mice when I think vermin.
That guild we've met previous spoke of a world where owls have supplanted mice and rats as common vermin!
I don't think they're talking about Japan, or 2016...
That same guild also loves getting plastered at the tavern. Please don't put much stock in what they say.




(Received: 1 Brown Feather.)



You may be covered in wounds, but the owlbeast is dead.


Sorry, Mrs. Bear, but I really, really need this honey.
The girl gives the owlbeast a backwards glance, and behind it you can see a beehive hanging from a large tree. The original owners have vacated, so you're able to get it down without any trouble.
Wow, look at all this deeply excellent and yummy-looking honey inside! How's a girl gonna get this back waaait a minute! All the bees are gone! I can just take the whole hive!
That's certainly one way to do it. Or, perhaps, you could ask the slobs over here to do it, too!
A, dear.
Welp, your job here is finished, brave souls! Our time together was brief, but I had a ton of fun! And we got all the honey! I'm gonna be making SO MUCH TOAST. It's like I doubly benefit from doing one thing! There's a proverb for that, right? "Curses, like chickens, come home to roost?"
Pretty sure you just made that up.
Anyhoodle, I'll report this to the bar, so you crazy kids can go do whatever else it is you do up here!
But you're barely older than us. Actually, I'm pretty sure Lanzon and I are older.









Sounds like you've finished the request from Genetta's sister. Genetta herself came and told me about it. When I first gave you the request, I hadn't heard anything about fighting a Rampaging Owlbeast. It was supposed to be a simple job, just go gather some honey... But you opened it up and, suddenly, a Rampaging Owlbeast, right? They aren't paying you enough for that kind of work, so I tried to convince the girl to up the reward. And do you know what she said? "No good deed goes unpunished."
Rrgh.
I had not pegged Genetta for the stingy type...
Well, she's right, but I don't want to hear that from her of all people. But I can't force her, so just think of it as charity work. Personally, I like the kind of kids who will risk their lives for someone else. I suppose I'd better give you your meager reward. Good work and keep it up, as always.



("Obtained Paralyze Mortar!")

Hey, look, garbage in artillery form. The Paralyze Mortar has a measly +10 ATK/MATK, and gives a 20% base chance for normal attacks to inflict paralysis. Into the dumpster it goes.

The reward was hanging out with Genetta.








Grace of the Earth and Grace of the Battlefield.



I decided to start leveling up Poison Bomb now. At level 1, it has a 60% base inflict chance, and 60 base poison damage.



Still working on Dance.



Smoke Rot now reduces magic defense by 7% without a Smoke debuff, and 34% with one.

That's all for now. Next time: 5F.

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Nov 8, 2016

Efe
Feb 2, 2016

I make alive things dead and sometimes the other way around.
The encounters I'm seeing and that fight with the Rampaging Owlbear are starting to make me think that I should do my first run of this game on Basic. I know it's nothing new for the end of the first stratum to have some "screw you" encounters, but still.

Ragnar Homsar posted:

I'm interesting in this "Japanese," as well. We all speak a common language here, so learning something else would be an interesting change of pace.

I think you meant to say 'interested' here.

BlackPersona
Oct 21, 2012


So instead of getting optional dialogue with Shilleka and Quona when you fight an FOE in their escort missions, you're forced outright to fight one here. :allears:

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

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

An uncountable number, to be sure.
For the record, Genetta is fun to write because she has a lot of sudden changes in tone and constantly misuses proverbs.

blizzardvizard
Sep 12, 2012

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

I saw somewhere that Genetta's a Hound and I thought, "oh cool, the ditzy character turns out to be a badass in disguise". Boy was I wrong.

Mio using Sword BoysTM cards was inspired, by the way. :allears:

vdate
Oct 25, 2010
I was going to say even before the second half that Genetta was my new favourite innkeeper. Now, it is certain.

Rangpur
Dec 31, 2008

Okay that is absolutely a bear model from EOIV with an owl's head and feathers slapped on. But at least it's not a drat crayfish. EO devs with the long con trolling. :argh:

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Does Animal Therapy work if you have another Hound's animal out?

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.

Glazius posted:

Does Animal Therapy work if you have another Hound's animal out?

Yes. If two party members know Animal Therapy, the effect stacks additively.

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
Props to the Owlbear for looking great while pregnant. And props to the game for including that detail.

kvx687
Dec 29, 2009

Soiled Meat
Genetta is awesome, though she seems to be channeling City Face a bit there at the part about the super tasty honey.

I've never played 4, what's the deal with the crayfish?

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.

kvx687 posted:

I've never played 4, what's the deal with the crayfish?

There's an event in a minor labyrinth in 4 where you can have a bunch of party members be damaged so you can catch a crayfish... Only for the game to basically end the scene with "...You realize you have no use for a crayfish." After which nothing else happens.

Reco
Feb 26, 2011

enemy one body to the proximity Zan attack discard the power slap hit.
And by "an event" he means like 10 events that keep damaging you

Like Clockwork
Feb 17, 2012

It's only the Final Battle once all the players are ready.

And if for some reason you forget that the crayfish does nothing, iirc you can repeat the whole process again.

It is the bestworst thing.

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.


If you want a better idea of what's been holding up the class updates.

Sorry for the delay with update 5, but I...was not doing so hot last week, mentally (I actually seriously pissed off someone I know with my irrational panic about the US election and I really regret it now), and I've been distracted by other things this week. My plan is to finish at least 6F before the end of Thanksgiving week, but like all plans, that's subject to change.

Rea fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Nov 18, 2016

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Update 5: Stoneborn




Something I skipped over last update: Genetta's post-Big Adventure dialogue. It's about honey.

Welcome back, all! Thanks you so much for helping me out back there! Because of your efforts, Miss Genetta can make all the honey toast she desires! ...I may have already ate it all, though. Oh, but that reminds me! If I hang up this beehive we brought back in our front yard, maybe--whoa, dang sweet idea here--maybe new bees will appear and become settlers of this colony! So it's like a long-term investment...of honey! As investors in my capital ventures, I'll give you a share of any honey I get, even! Please to look forward to it!

Now, whenever Genetta gives us eggs from Labyrinth Chickens, she'll give us Labyrinth Honey, too.


Sigh...
Saying "sigh" out loud while staring wistfully out the window. I had no clue you were such a fan of theatrics.
No, really, who says "cough, cough" out loud? I cannot get over that.
Oh, be quiet and leave me be.
That's quite difficult, considering we're sharing a room. Are you really going to spend all of your spare time moping about the death of someone you've never even met, much less loved?
Lanzon, please, can you and your ghosts just...go get breakfast?
Alright then. Before I depart, however, I have one thing to say: Marina.
What does that have to do with anything?
If you want to find out, maybe you should come have breakfast with Gram and I~
...Very well.




We begin today by taking care of that quest that wants us to kill a Crawling Venomous Bug.







Crawling Venomous Bug
HP: 2027
STR: 42
INT: 34
VIT: 29
WIS: 28
AGI: 23
LUC: 32
Skills:
  • Poison Fang: Uses the head. Deals 80% melee STR-based cut damage to one party member. Attempts to inflict poison on the target, with an 80% chance. The poison has 40 base damage. Has an 80% speed modifier and 130 base accuracy.
Drops:
  • Normal: Iron Caterpillar Horn. 100% chance. Sells for 102 en.
    • 1 needed to make Caterpillar Scythe (+36 ATK, +25 MATK, Rare Breed Up, Silver x3).
    • 1 Iron Caterpillar Horn and 1 Massive Mushroom Cap needed to make !GAUNTLET Crawler Knuckle (+39 ATK, +27 MATK, Poison Fang, Silver x3).
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 100%
150% 100% 100%
Disable Resistances:
50% 10% 50% 100% 50% 50% 100%
10% 50%
100% 50% 50%

Crawlers are somewhat better dealt with using a dodgetank Fencer rather than a Dragoon, since the thing can only ever hit one party member at a time. The increased base accuracy on Poison Fang makes just blindly using Predict silghtly dodgy, but a good blind should take care of that.



Standard initial actions: Predict, Armor Penetrate, Prayer: Eradication, Dark Smoke. (Lanzon's not doing anything until Smoke Rot's applied.)


Ick, now my sword's got giant bug bits all over it.


These larger monsters being resistant to my compounds is...intensely annoying.
Your words betray your "intensely" red face~


Was that a light breeze?



(Mist Slice.)

Okay, killing the Crawler shouldn't take too long.




(Smoke Rot.)

And now it's time for Lanzon to spam Fire Bomb.




Now that's the kind of damage I wanna see.



And now it's effectively impossible for the Crawler to hit anyone.



A couple turns of more of the same later, and I'm concerned about the blind running out soon, so I do the obvious thing: try to inflict poison! Which the Crawler has 25% resistance to!


...Sometimes the wild swings of effectiveness work out in my favor.

excuse me what

It's like, 1/4 odds, Ragnar. It's not that bad. It's first grade!




Well, that's a decent amount of extra damage per turn.



We're not doing too badly, honestly. Just have to make sure Alexis doesn't run out of TP too early.


Maybe I should reconsider my style...when fighting poisonous bugs...

(Lanzon has been poisoned.)

Uh-oh.



Hm...hm... A comforting sensation...



And I am out of Nectars. Fantastic planning, Ragnar H. Homsar.






(Received 1 Iron Caterpillar Horn.)

Add "bug exterminators" to our Guild Card, I suppose.

Nothing bad happened after that, thankfully.









Welcome back. I'm just glad you're back in one piece. It's no exaggeration to say that being able to handle jobs like this is what separates you from the rookies. In other words, you're fully fledged explorers now. Congratulations, everyone. But don't let this get to your head. I may not look like it, but I was really worried about you guys. I'm glad it went well this time, but you never know what's going to happen in the Labyrinth. ...Well, that's enough nagging for now. Here's your reward.



("Obtained Amrita.")

Ohoho, Ragnar like. Amritas restore 50 TP to one party member. This early on, that's almost all of most characters' TP pools, and at least half of everyone else's.








Mio puts a point into Organizational Skills because lord knows we can use a bigger backpack with the Drop Cameo on. Organizational Skills gives a small passive VIT bonus and, more importantly, increases your inventory's max capacity by 5 for every party member that knows it. If you have a party that all knows Organizational Skills, your inventory would have a capacity of 85 items, compared to the normal 60.

It took them five games to do this?





(Floor subtitle: "The embryo of truth, that is the barrier")

...Yeah, uh, neither Clarste, alcharagia or I know what the gently caress that's supposed to mean.

I had ideas at some point but I forgot them all before this update happened. :v:

Obviously it means the embryo of truth is the barrier.




There's a campfire spot here.



And the rotating golem statues make a return for this floor. They're quite a bit more involved this time around, but, again, 1st Stratum puzzles. Not too hard overall.



That rabbit's...not very cute.


Man-Eating Rabbit
HP: 250
STR: 36
INT: 25
VIT: 30
WIS: 24
AGI: 29
LUC: 22
Skills:
  • Devouring Vow: Uses the head. Deals 180% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member. Has an 80% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Drops:
  • Normal: Steel Rabbit Tooth. 70% chance. Sells for 16 en.
    • 1 needed to make Kodachi (+40 ATK, +25 MATK, VIT Up 1, Bronze x3).
    • 3 needed to make Strength Ring (+10 HP, +8 STR).
    • 3 needed to make Intelligence Ring (+15 TP, +8 INT).
    • 3 needed to make Vitality Jewel (+10 HP, +12 WIS).
    • 1 Steel Rabbit Tooth and 1 Bent Claw needed to make Bunny Sickle (+30 ATK, +30 MATK, TP Up 1, Bronze x3).
Damage Resistances:
100% 150% 100%
100% 100% 100%
Disable Resistances:
100% 100% 150% 100% 150% 100% 100%
100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Man-Eating Rabbits don't have much to them. They can hit one party member really hard. That's it.


Does it look cuter when it's sleeping?
...A little.


I, personally, think it looks cuter while it's dead.




(Received 1 Steel Rabbit Tooth and 1 Branched Tusk.)




Jana learns Attack Heal, a Union skill that requires 3 people. When used, all party members recover 30% of their max HP when the initiator deals damage.



(Received 1 Coiled Vine naturally, 1 Coiled Vine from Alexis.)

5F, D3 Chop Point
  • Coiled Vine: 43% chance. Sells for 16 en.
    • 2 needed to make Rib Coffin (+24 ATK, +31 MATK, WIS Up 1, Bronze x3).
    • 1 Coiled Vine and 1 Thick Vine (Giganto Roper normal) needed to make Vine Armor (+15 DEF, +15 MDEF).
  • Ivy Covered Bark: 42% chance. Sells for 20 en.
    • 3 needed to make Wooden Shoes (+4 DEF, +10 MDEF).
    • 1 Ivy Covered Bark and 1 Sponge Skin (Poison Leech) needed to make Rubber Shield (+14 DEF, +6 MDEF).
  • Bent Wood: 15% chance. Sells for 100 en.
    • 1 needed to make Old Wood Bow (+30 ATK, +35 MATK, Prayer: Guardian, Bronze x4).
    • 1 needed to make Old Wood Handguard (+8 DEF, +12 MDEF, +3 WIS).
  • Ambush Chance: 12%



An encounter with a solo Giganto Roper gives Magda enough EXP to level up.



She puts a point into Bestow Mana, which increases the damage of Jar items by 30%. I don't care about that, what I care about is the passive LUC bonus.


If only we had that brutish-looking Cestus.
What makes you say that?
He's..."ripped," I guess is the term. Couldn't he just shove these annoyances out of the way?

Here, we've got two Crayfish alternatively patrolling an area that overlaps with how we need to progress. How do we get past this?



Getting into a random battle and getting two level ups is not the answer, but do you see the golem statue just to the right of us? We have to rotate that so we can walk past the crayfishes.



Alexis's skill point goes into Tri-Shield. Tri-Shield requires 3 people to use, and nullifies the first 3 instances of damage on any party member for one turn. This is ludicrously powerful early on, but starts falling off later in the game. By that point, its only advantage is that it only costs 3 peoples' Union gauges to use.



Poison Bomb now has 75 base poison damage.



Note that I mapped the statue incorrectly earlier--there's no wall separating it from us.



And now we're free to proceed.



Next obstacle: this Crawler is patrolling the one-tile-wide walkway we need to progress, and that pillar is making it so that the Crawler turns around too early for us to safely get in front of it. Obvious solution here: move the pillar.



There's also another Other Guild event I forgot about a bit ago.

As you continue through the rays of sunlight, you come across a single smiling explorer. When they notice you, they cheerfully ask if you're explorers too.
Uh, y-yes. I believe our guilds have met before? We're Guild Nameless.
When you introduce yourselves as Nameless, they nod and smile before identifying themselves as a member of TFKrew.


Furthermore, they're known as Sapph the Genji.
...Interesting occupation. You wear the garb of Masuraos, though.

uh, I can explain

just give me a stratum or so, it'll all make sense then


In response, you give your own introductions. With introductions down on both side, Sapph proposes an exchange. Apparently they've collected a lot of ingredients, but there's not enough variety for their tastes. If you like, you could trade your ingredients for theirs.



There's a lot of really good ingredient trades here. In order, we can trade:

  • 1 Egg for 5 Olives
  • 1 Moon Apple for 5 Animal Meats
  • 1 Labyrinth Honey for 5 Labyrinth Berries

Olives and Animal Meats are good, so I toss 2 Eggs and 2 Moon Apples towards Guild TFKrew's way, and get 10 Olives and 10 Animal Meats in return.

Note that you can only do this once, though! After you end the conversation here, the other guild leaves.


As they leave with a wave, you say your thanks to Sapph and return to exploring.



Anyway, yes, move this statue. We'll be back here in a bit, though, because I forgot something about this puzzle.


You reach the end of the path. Ahead of you is a thicket too dense to pass through. You shrug in resignation and begin to turn around when you notice a large tree that you could rest under. You can either rest here for a while or return to exploring.
It looks safe...enough. I'm kinda tired, too.
You should try being a ghost. Never becoming tired is a nice perk.
Comments from the peanut gallery aside, I'm feeling beat, too.
A rest it is, then.
You feel you've looked around enough and lean back against the tree to rest your weary bodies for a bit.


You end your break and return to exploring.



"Underneath the tree

Pushed to your limits by the Labyrinth, a break underneath a large tree offers a brief respite."








Going back to this thing, there's a treasure chest we can only reach by rotating the statue so that it blocks the Crawler's upward patrol.



("Obtained Kotegiri!")

That was not worth it. Another disabling weapon: +10 ATK/MATK, 20% base chance to bind arms with normal attacks.

Why do these exist? I've never used one in any EO game I've played and they're still not useful here.




Moving on, we have a big empty room, and the only way further is by rotating this golem.



oh gently caress



Good thing that simple-aggressive FOEs can be easily kited around a 3x3 area with an impassable tile in the middle.



(Received 1 Ripe Lotus Fruit naturally, 1 Ripe Lotus Fruit from Alexis.)

5F, B2 Take Point
  • Brown Tuber: 38% base chance. Sells for 16 en.
    • 1 needed to make Therica A (Cures all binds on one party member).
    • 1 needed to make Therica B (Cures status ailments on one party member).
  • Ripe Lotus Fruit: 37% base chance. Sells for 20 en.
    • 1 needed to make Medica II (Restores 100 HP to one party member).
  • Skunk Cabbage: 25% base chance. Sells for 50 en.
    • 1 needed to make Nectar (Revives one dead party member at 20 HP).
  • Ambush Chance: 5%


You come to a stop when you hear the breathing of several beasts on the path ahead. Taking care to hide your presence, you creep forward and spy a group of ferocious animals. You have two options now: you could quietly sneak away before they notice you, or get the drop on them yourselves. You'll need to carefully determine which is the best way for your party.

No-one in our party knows Acrobatics, and doing the "sneak by" option without knowing that results in bad things. We have to just attack the monsters here.

Thinking that it would be too dangerous to try to sneak away only to get caught, you decide to take the initiative yourselves! However, the monsters hear you as you approach and begin coming for you with murder in their eyes! While you've lost the advantage, it's not like you're at a disadvantage either. Now, don't falter and prepare for battle!



Nothing we can't handle by this point.


After the battle, you return to exploring.



"Watch your step

You took on the beasts head on and gained some valuable experience from the battle."








Back to town to heal up and sell off stuff.

Crawler Knuckle (+39 ATK, +27 MATK, Poison Fang, Silver x3) is made from 1 Iron Caterpillar Horn and 1 Massive Mushroom Cap (Myconid).

Kodachi (+40 ATK, +25 MATK, VIT Up 1, Bronze x3) is made from 1 Steel Rabbit Tooth.

Bunny Sickle (+30 ATK, +30 MATK, TP Up 1, Bronze x3) is made from 1 Steel Rabbit Tooth and 1 Bent Claw (Forest Monkey).

Caterpillar Scythe (+36 ATK, +25 MATK, Rare Breed Up, Silver x3) is made from 1 Iron Caterpillar Horn.

Strength Ring (+10 HP, +8 STR) is made from 3 Steel Rabbit Teeth.

Intelligence Ring (+15 TP, +8 INT) is made from 3 Steel Rabbit Teeth.

Vitality Jewel (+10 HP, +12 WIS) is made from 3 Steel Rabbit Teeth.




I buy a Strength Ring for Jana, since having a few less points of DEF/MDEF don't mean a lot when we're using a dodgetank.



I also upgrade her to a Kodachi.



And some forging. The important part is that Mio's Ice Bat Fang is now +5, which means Cold Wave now deals 110% INT-based damage, at the cost of now costing 4 TP per cast.




We're a little over the halfway point for 5F. This time, we have a more involved pillar puzzle.


You stop at a large boulder covered with moss on one side. Cautious, you decide to get away from it as quickly as possible.

If someone in our party knew Sense Magic, we'd see ancient text, and unlock an event earlier in the floor. For now, though, we have to ignore it.



Firstly, we rotate this statue this way.



Then rotate the upper statue so the other pillar is out of our way, rotate the other one back...



And boom, door.



Here's the last major puzzle of the floor.



Don't rotate this statue downwards yet, it's just gonna block your way later.



What you actually need to do is rotate this golem to face east.



Then we need to rotate this golem to face north. We'll be rotating it back later.



Rotating the previous golem opened up the path for us to rotate this one. We can just leave it like this.



Rotate this one back so we don't block the way forward...



Grab this chest, which has 800 en...



And rotate this golem this way, which lets us go to the door.



Maybe I overstated how involved these puzzles are...



An otherwise-unremarkable random encounter gave Jana and Mio level ups.



I decided to bump Mist Slice up to level 5 in preparation for the boss. Its damage is still 190%, but it now costs 11 TP, and has a 60% base chance to inflict sleep (up from 40%), and a 70% speed modifier (down from 120%).



Still getting the elemental Prayers up to 3 for Oracle: Dance.



I still have one bit of the floor to explore and one quest to do, but I wanted to get to the boss room and open the shortcut before going back to town.

As you pass through the trees, you come across a door that that gives off a powerful presence. Surely there's an enemy on the other side of it that is far more terrible than anything you've met before! If you're prepared for anything, then open it without hesitation!
Well, might as well see what this big bad boss looks like.
...Boss?
Kaelin's been talking about those "games" you've let him play. Might as well use some of the terminology~


...What? There's nothing here.
As you enter, the room opens up into a vast hall. However, you don't detect anything to which that intimidating presence could have belonged to. Only a gentle breeze.
Well then. Shall we be go--
You slowly take a breath, and right as you let it out, a swarm of tiny statues appears!


https://my.mixtape.moe/hlxybr.webm


W-well then.
Awwwww, that's adorable!
...I'm not going to argue that, but please focus on the large, aggravated monster that's now blocking our path.
The swarm gathers into one and become a giant golem. This giant golem is surely the keystone to the Lunarian barrier. If you are still prepared to face this mighty opponent, then grab your weapons and advance.

I think it goes without saying, but we are wholly unprepared to fight this thing.

im prepared to hug it though





Nothing new at the shop, but I forged the hell out of Jana's Kodachi.




Well, while we're here, might as well take care of Vermin extermination.

You arrive at the indicated location of the monster nest. Peering into the brush, you indeed see a rough framework of lumber, covered in leaves to block the wind and rain.
Impressive effort for a bunch of monsters without brains.
This must be the nest you've been contracted to destroy. If you're ready, you might as well begin immediately.
...What was the first thing that Melina wanted us to do again?
We...need to take out the meat, I think. Yeah.
You take out the meat you got earlier, to be used as bait. If you place this as instructed, you should be able to sneak into the nest while the monsters are engrossed.
...Now what?
Allow me. "Place it slightly away from the nest," I think is what the instructions were...
Remembering what you were told, you place it a little ways away from the nest, and hide yourselves... Almost immediately after you hide yourselves, the monsters notice the meat and come out of the nest in droves. They cheerfully fling themselves at it and lose sight of their surroundings. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, you sneak into the nest. Success! Just in case, you glance around the interior, but there are no monsters to be found. Now, the problem is what comes next. As you recall, it was something about setting fire to a pillar supporting the nest. But you need to remember exactly where to set fire to it.
Oh, yeah, the middle one, I remember that!
You're pretty sure you needed to light it from right in the middle, so you bring a flame up to it... When you do so, the surface of the wood begins to split with an audible crack. As you recall, you were supposed to do something with a bomb next.
PUT THE BOMB DOWN! We're not setting it yet.
...Oh, right. My mistake.
You're pretty sure it's too early to set up the bomb, and continue heating the wood. The cracks widen, and before long pieces begin to fall off in chunks! Maybe this is the time to set up the bomb.
Okay, now set the bomb.
You determine that this is the correct time to set up the bomb, so you stick it into the pillar and light the fuse. Not wanting to get caught in the explosion, you get away from it as fast as you can. As soon as you exit the nest, you hear a loud explosion from behind you. When the dust settles, the monster nest is no more! You've completed the request! Perhaps out of fear of the explosion, the monsters who had been eating the bait scatter before you. Problem solved. All that's left is to report your success at the bar.

I would like to take a moment to thank Clarste, who idiot-proofed this quest by marking which choices are correct in the text archive.

You're welcome.

It goes without saying, but pretty much all of the wrong options result in a fight and lower reward.




Let's take care of The house of Griffon, too.

As you walk through the Labyrinth, you notice a helmet sitting by the waterside. It has a symbol of a griffon engraved on it, and is coated in blood and dirt, as if from the result of a fierce battle. It hangs off of a sword, like a grave marker.
O-oh...
...
You remember the request from the monocled gentleman. He wanted you to find his missing daughter. ...It seems whoever this helmet belonged to lost their life here.
As much as I'd hoped otherwise, death is ever-present in this tree of life.
I'm loathe to disturb a marker of remembrance, but...
You offer them a silent prayer, and begin to reach for the helmet to take back as proof...when suddenly, you're attacked from behind!



Whatever. Blindside doesn't matter too much.



Magda got a level up from it.


With the monsters dispatched, you once again grab for the helmet. With this, you can complete the request.



("Obtained Engraven Helmet!")









Good work. Sounds like everything went perfectly. Having a job go smoothly is really a big help. It's so relaxing not to have to watch over you and worry all the time. So can I count on you to handle things like this in the future? I have high expectations, you know. Oh, and here's your reward.



("Obtained 2 Bronze Ingots!")

Not too shabby for just selecting some dialogue options.








Let's speak to the monocle man again.

Gentleman: Oh, you're back. Wait...that helmet...could it be? Can I take a look at it?
Of course.
Gentleman: ...So it's really true. If you're coming back with just her helmet, then she must be... I... My daughter is dead...
It's okay, you can cry. We understand...
I think Alexis isn't far off from crying himself.
Gentleman: ...But still, the 5th floor is quite high up, isn't it?
For most people, yeah. I think Edgar said over half of the guilds he's seen quit by this point.
Gentleman: She was amazing, wasn't she? Maybe if I'd supported her in becoming an explorer, she'd still be... No, it's too late for this. Much too late... Thank you for finding a momento of my daughter.
You're very welcome...








...So you've finished his request. I'm sure this wasn't a pleasant job for you. Not everyone who becomes an explorer is going to reach the top. I've said this over and over again, so I'm sure you already know, but that's just the sort of place this is. Let your guard down for a moment, and it's over. That's how cruel and unforgiving it is. Coming home alive day after day is truly the greatest miracle you could ask for. I should know, since I used to be an explorer too... I'm sure you don't need to hear the details of that sob story. I'd expect you want the payment for your labor. Here you go. Good work. Sorry for making you go through all that. Why not take a little break?
That'd be nice...



("Obtained Soma.")







Sylphid counterattacks now deal 67% damage, and Sylphid has a 115% base chance to activate.



Lanzon learns Sense Magic.



Poison Smoke now has 80 base poison damage and increases poison infliction chances by 25%.




Now that we've learned Sense Magic, the text for the rock changes.

Apparently, this is no ordinary boulder. Lanzon can sense magic coming from it.
Allow me to read this.
As you brush away the moss with your hands, you find ancient writing carved into the stone. This seems to be some kind of monument.
The stone monument is inscribed with ancient writing. Lanzon, who has the deepest knowledge of matters of magic, thinks they can read it. They stand before the stone and run their finger over its rough letters while reading aloud.
"Take heed, o explorers of the future. Facing the downward stairs, sunken in the deep blue, thou might find that which would aid you."
This seems to have been left behind by your forebears, who went out of their way to help out new explorers. If you have an idea of where it's talking about, it might be a good idea to go check it out. Or you could just give priority to exploring.
Mmmmmmaybe it's talking about the water near the stairs?
It's as good a guess as any, I suppose.



"A message from your forebears

You use the power to perceive magic to find a hidden message from your forebears."







You stop before a small pond filled with springwater. This must be where the monument pointed you to. According to the message, you should be able to find something to aid you in the water here. Careful not to loose your footing, you peer into the water and strain your eyes to find something. You notice what appears to be a glimmering golden box beneath the water.
Ooh. Looks like a prop we've used in shows...
You drag it up and try opening it.



("Obtained 5 Lunarian Silver Coins.")



("Obtained Scramasax.")



("Obtained Volt Jar.")

Well now. How generous of those before us.
I have to wonder how long that box was sitting there...
An interesting question that I doubt we'll ever know the answer to.



"A gift from your forebears

You use the power to perceive magic to find a hidden gift from your forebears."








I almost forgot about this chest on 4F.

("Obtained Seal Break!")

+20 ATK, +35 MATK, and a skill that cures one bind on one target, with a 50% speed modifier. Thanks, I guess?



You reach a spot where a gentle breeze blows through, which there aren't many of in the Labyrinth. A you stop and enjoy it, you hear a the sound of metal crunching over grass behind you.



Telop says "Lazy-sounding man."

Isn't it just great here? Man, I love this place.
Um, sorry, but...
Oh my bad, did I interrupt something? Don't you worry about me, I'm nobody special. I'm just the #1 Aeolis Breaktime Enthusiast, 4 years running.



And now the telop says "Breaktime Enthusiast."

Oh, lemme tell you something great. So not only is this a fine, fine place for a nap, it's also a great place to air-dry some fish. Now, fish here taste great raw or roasted, but they're definitely best when they're dried. Really...concentrates the flavor, if you get my meaning. Wanna take a break and see how an enthusiast does it? ...Wait, but you don't have any fish. Need fish to make fish, y'know.
...Crap, he's right.

We'll have to come back later.

And by later I mean in another update, because we're done for now. Next time: Golem.


Golem!

Truly, Alola is a wide and varied place if it can make a Golem look like this.

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Jan 10, 2017

Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
Golem Overview


Golem
HP: 2660
STR: 42
INT: 40
VIT: 35
WIS: 34
AGI: 24
LUC: 35
Skills:
  • Explosion: Used when Golem is fully formed. Does not use a body part. Deals 130% ranged INT-based fire damage to every party member. Splits Golem into Golem Body, White Mini-Golem, Red Mini-Golem, and Black Mini-Golem after use. The Mini-Golems' HP is set to whatever percent HP their body parts had before dying--which Mini-Golem gets what percent HP is decided randomly. Has a 10% speed modifier and 150 base accuracy.
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 125%
100% 125% 100%
Disable Resistances:
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0% 0%



Golem Body
HP: 2660
STR: 42
INT: 40
VIT: 35
WIS: 34
AGI: 24
LUC: 35
Skills:
  • Call Allies: Summons Mini-Golems at the designated spawn points in the boss room. If used when a Mini-Golem is on the field but not in battle, the spawn point of that Mini-Golem will not create a new one.
  • Collapse: Used when the Golem Body reaches 0 HP. The Golem Body and any body parts are taken out of battle. In their place, a Mini-Golem for each body part is summoned (at whatever percent HP the bdoy part had before Collapse). In addition, the Golem Body is replaced with a Yellow Mini-Golem.
Drops:
  • Note that while the Golem/Golem Body doesn't necessarily "die" when its HP reaches 0 (it just splits into Mini-Golems), drops are still checked for when its HP reaches 0.
  • Normal: Piece of the Eternal Barrier. 100% chance. Sells for 350 en.
    • 1 needed to make Megalith 5006 (+20 ATK, +55 MATK, Barrier Wall, Silver x4).
  • Conditional: Paralysis-Marked Barrier (Kill while paralyzed). 100% chance. Sells for 1000 en.
    • 1 needed to make Cradle (+187 ATK, +195 MATK, Explosion, Gold x6).
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 125%
100% 125% 100%
Disable Resistances:
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0% 0%



Golem Head
HP: 1331
STR: 42
INT: 40
VIT: 35
WIS: 34
AGI: 24
LUC: 35
Skills:
  • Brittle Breath: Uses the head. Reduces every party member's defense to all attacks by 30% for 4 turns. Has a 70% speed modifier.
  • Petrify Breath: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict petrification on every party member, with a 40% base chance. Has a 60% speed modifier.
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 125%
100% 125% 100%
Disable Resistances:
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0% 0%



Golem Arms
HP: 1331
STR: 42
INT: 40
VIT: 35
WIS: 34
AGI: 24
LUC: 35
Skills:
  • Fire Palm: Uses the arms. Deals 160% ranged INT-based fire damage to one party member. Has a 90% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
  • Ice Palm: Uses the arms. Deals 140% ranged INT-based ice damage to one party member, with line-piercing effect. Has a 90% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 125%
100% 125% 100%
Disable Resistances:
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0% 0%



Golem Legs
HP: 1331
STR: 42
INT: 40
VIT: 35
WIS: 34
AGI: 24
LUC: 35
Skills:
  • Stomp: Uses the legs. Deals 180% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member. Has a 70% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
  • Sumo Stomp: Uses the legs. Deals 160% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member, with splash damage. Has a 70% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Damage Resistances:
100% 100% 125%
100% 125% 100%
Disable Resistances:
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0% 0%





White/Red/Black Mini-Golem
HP: 1331
STR: 32
INT: 28
VIT: 28
WIS: 25
AGI: 22
LUC: 24
Skills:
  • Combine: Does not use a body part. Transforms the Mini-Golem into a Golem body part. The body part it transforms is based on this order: Legs, Arms, Head. If a body part is killed on the turn Combine is used, the Mini-Golem will not change what part it turns into. However, the next use of Combine will go to the earliest part missing in the order. Whatever percent HP the Mini-Golem had before using Combine is transferred to the body part. In addition, if the Mini-Golem had any disables before using Combine, they are transferred to the Golem Body.
Damage Resistances:
300% 300% 300%
300% 300% 300%
Disable Resistances:
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 25%
0% 50%
50% 50% 50%



Yellow Mini-Golem
HP: 1331
STR: 32
INT: 28
VIT: 28
WIS: 25
AGI: 22
LUC: 24
Damage Resistances:
300% 300% 300%
300% 300% 300%
Disable Resistances:
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 25%
0% 50%
50% 50% 50%


Welcome to the first boss of EO5, and boy is it a doozy. Golem is, in my opinion, by far the hardest 1st Stratum boss in the entire series, and definitely the one that takes longest to kill. 2660 HP might not sound like a lot, coming off of Chimaera's effective total of 5500 in EO2U, but trust me, that 2660 goes a lot farther due to how little damage your party deals in EO5 compared to EO2U.

The overall gimmick of the fight is basically controlling the Mini-Golems, or at least damaging them as much as possible before they can form a body part. Before I go any further, I should explain how Mini-Golems spawn. They don't spawn like summons do in EO2U, where the boss can just call them at will. Instead, the Golem Body will use Call Allies, which'll spawn new Mini-Golems at the corners of the boss arena. You can block the two upper spawn points by rotating pillars earlier in the floor--in fact, this is drat near a necessity, since you can get very quickly overwhelmed otherwise. It's in your best interest to bring along as many classes with row-target spells as you can (which, at this point, includes Reaper, Warlock, Necromancer, and Hound), since you ideally want to lop off Mini-Golems' HP while also damaging the Golem body parts. Also, disables. Disables really aren't worth it in the Golem fight unless they're attached to a multi-target spell (so pretty much just Scythe of Numb Stasis at this point), since the Mini-Golems still have FOE/boss resistances to disables. Poison's also less worth it than you'd think, since it doesn't benefit from the Mini-Golems' 300% resistances to everything, and only damages the Golem Body once an afflicted Mini-Golem uses Combine.

Also, note that ignoring the Mini-Golems and just going for the Golem Body is very much not an option, since it's incredibly hard to just eat an Explosion every 4 turns.

As for the Golem itself, it can only one one action from a body part at a time--it'll just pick a random body part to act for the turn, and then pick a skill from that part. The arms are by far the most dangerous part. The legs are entirely physical, and Sumo Stomp is just splash damage--Line Guard can really easily help take care of those. The head just does defense reduction and petrification--don't get me wrong, that's dangerous, but less dangerous than actually trying to kill your party. The arms, on the other hand, have elemental damage, and both Fire and Ice Palm can and will one-shot party members at this point in the game. Ice Palm's by far the more dangerous of the two, since it almost certainly will just take two party members out of the fight, which is incredibly hard to recover from.

One final miscellaneous note before I go to party member descriptions: note that note that if a Mini-Golem is incapacitated in some way (panic, sleep, petrification), even if it is currently in the battle, Call Allies will not summon new Mini-Golems at the spot the incapacitated Golem originated from.


Alexis: Alexis is okay-ish for Golem. Dodge-tanking only really helps for Stomp and Fire Palm--Sumo Stomp will still get its splash damage off, and Ice Palm will still probably one-shot someone in the back row. Still, taking Stomp and Fire Palm out of the equation doesn't hurt. I wouldn't recommend stacking him with Sasha, though, since that'll leave our party a bit damage-starved.

Sasha: Sasha's only real disadvantage is that it's hard for me to predict if Golem's going to use the Legs or the Arms once both of them are in play. Aside from that, she's a fairly decent choice. She can help contribute some damage to a random Mini-Golem or the Golem Body by using Gun Mount every other turn.

Cecil: Golem is the one time in the game where I feel that a Cestus is really not the best option. The infliction rates on the binding skills at low levels are low as-is, and going up against 50% resistances does not help either. On the other hand, both arm and leg binds give me some pretty nice peace-of-mind for a few turns, and due to how the Mini-Golem disable transfer works, accumulative resistance isn't something to worry about.

Raven: Raven's a pretty good choice. Scythe of Numb Stasis costs quite a bit of TP early on, but it's row-target damage and can inflict paralysis if I feel like keeping Miasma Weapon up.

Kaelin: Lightning is about as good for just chipping at everything in the front row as Scythe of Numb Stasis is, and Kaelin has the benefit of having a larger TP pool than Raven. He doesn't do much aside from that, though.

Lanzon: Lanzon's big problem with Golem is that his skills cost way too much TP and drain him dry really quickly, which is a pretty serious issue when you're dealing with a long fight like Golem. Amritas can help, but we only have one or two of them at the moment.

Gram: Gram's passive healing from Animal Therapy is nice, and Flash of Both Wings is pretty good row-target damage. She suffers from the same potential TP problems as Raven, though.

Jana: Note how I made specific mention of what happens with incapacitated Mini-Golems up there. That's because I won my first attempt at Golem solely on the back of stopping Mini-Golem spawns for a solid few turns thanks to Mist Slice. Jana doesn't contribute much (or anything, really) in the way of multi-target damage, but she hits hard enough that she's still worth considering.

Mio: I don't really think much of the elemental Prayers, but Prayer: Cold Rain is nice for reducing the damage of potential Ice Palms. On top of that, Prayer: Eradication means that the party gets more damage relative to how much TP they spend for something, which is pretty important for a long fight like Golem. Mio's also not useless once she's thrown down her buffs--she can help chip off Mini-Golem HP with Cold Wave.

Dosen: Dosen is best combined with Sasha, since he can just patch up the worst damage from Leg skills that were reduced by Line Guard. His high WIS also means he has a chance at not getting one-shot by Ice Palm.

Magda: Poison is "eh" for Golem, and while inflicting blind is useful, Magda's big problem is that she doesn't have much to do after that and Smoke Rot. On the other hand, if Kaelin, Lanzon, or Mio are in the party, Smoke Rot seriously makes their TP go a lot farther.


Vote for a maximum of three party members, a maximum of one vote per character.

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:06 on Nov 22, 2016

Item Getter
Dec 14, 2015
Somehow I never saw due to low resolution that when we are looking at the Golem from the front we are staring at like four golem butts

BlackPersona
Oct 21, 2012


Golem is the cutest boss ever :3:

Alexis, Kaelin, and Gram for party members.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

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

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Ragnar Homsar posted:

Also, note that ignoring the Mini-Golems and just going for the Golem Body is very much not an option, since it's incredibly hard to just eat an Explosion every 4 turns.

That is 100% exactly what I did.

Item Getter posted:

Somehow I never saw due to low resolution that when we are looking at the Golem from the front we are staring at like four golem butts

Yes. That's not nearly as apparent in-game.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 09:40 on Nov 22, 2016

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!
I remembered what my ideas were.

Annointed
Mar 2, 2013

I'm just glad the golems don't do a collective Goatse impression.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
I guess I'll be going with Sasha, Raven, and Dosen for my votes.

SC Bracer
Aug 7, 2012

DEMAGLIO!
those are a lot of cute butts

I guess I'll vote for Sasha, Raven, and Jana then.

blizzardvizard
Sep 12, 2012

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

I swear I had no idea that quest exists when I came up with Alexis. That's an amusing coincidence. :v:

Kaelin since he hasn't had his time yet, then Raven and Cecil.

BlackPersona posted:

Golem is the cutest boss ever :3:

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

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

An uncountable number, to be sure.

blizzardvizard posted:

I swear I had no idea that quest exists when I came up with Alexis. That's an amusing coincidence. :v:

Don't worry, we forgot about it when we chose him too.

Endorph
Jul 22, 2009
Kaelin, Sasha, Gram

Tendales
Mar 9, 2012
I would never have expected a Mount Your Friends reference in an EO game.

Pyro Jack
Oct 2, 2016
Jana, Sasha and Dosen for my vote.

Booky
Feb 21, 2013

Chill Bug


Gram, Sasha, and Raven.

Also, "5F, D3 Chop Point" has a broken list tag and the icons for the Rubber Shield and Crawler Knuckle aren't showing properly.

theshim
May 1, 2012

You think you can defeat ME, Ephraimcopter?!?

You couldn't even beat Assassincopter!!!
Raven, Kaelin, Dosen

Argent Cinereus
Feb 25, 2013
Kaelin, Gram, Dosen

Efe
Feb 2, 2016

I make alive things dead and sometimes the other way around.
I've never seen something go from "give me all your hugs" to "destroy it with the fires of a billion suns" so quickly.

I'll vote for Gram, Kaelin, and Jana.

Arcade Rabbit
Nov 11, 2013

I don't know about difficulty yet, but I'd say Golem is certainly the most creatively designed and strategically implemented of the first stratum bosses. Remember back in EO1 when the first major boss was just "big wolf with ice attacks and calls friends"? My, but we have come a long way since then.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Arcade Rabbit posted:

I don't know about difficulty yet, but I'd say Golem is certainly the most creatively designed and strategically implemented of the first stratum bosses. Remember back in EO1 when the first major boss was just "big wolf with ice attacks and calls friends"? My, but we have come a long way since then.
:
Well, Fenrir was basically a damage check. As well as most other first bosses in the series aside from Narmer. If you couldn't kill him fast enough, he would either kill you first, or the Skolls would overwhelm you.

Assuming you didn't abuse Immunize. :v:

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Rea
Apr 5, 2011

Komi-san won.
In light of a successful test run, I am going to close Golem voting.

quote:

Kaelin: 6
Sasha: 5
Gram: 5
Raven: 5
Dosen: 4

Jana: 3
Cecil: 1
Alexis: 1

This party was actually significantly better at killing Golem than any of the parties I've personally used. Maybe my different skill builds this time around had something to do with it, I dunno.

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