If the Duck Has a True Rune I Will Flip Your Table: Let's Play Suikoden III

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Verant: Oct 20, 2012; Go on an adventure ordained by fate?
-->Okay.
-->Eh.

Bobbin Threadbare posted:

Personally, I'd expect that someone with the True Flame Rune would see all problems as a pile of dry tinder.

Also, new page in...

Maybe if the user was Yuber, post-crazy Brandeau, or the other, really forgettable host of the Rune of Punishment from Tactics. But given that most rune bearers probably wouldn't share the True Fire Rune's (apparent) mindset of BURN EVERYTHING NOT THE RUNE BEARER, they'd probably not want to risk blowing up every minor inconvenience, especially ones from Harmonia.

# ? Dec 28, 2013 06:49

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 03:00

yokaiy: Dec 25, 2012; What a handsome tree!

This isn't an update, HOWEVER, I have for you a doodle of Joe in a party hat.

He's very excited.

Why, you ask? Because last year today was when I started this LP! :toot:

I'll admit that this is taking me a lot longer than I originally thought it would, but looking back, my original projection was just really off considering this is a JRPG and LPing takes a lot of time. But it has been super fun and you guys are pretty much all the best people and so this year-long-so-far project has been awesome. :allears:

I also just recently looked back and realized how far this has gotten in the game. We're making great time, all things considered, and rest assured, I don't think it will take me another year to finish this. We're actually pretty far in.

Anyway, an update is coming, but it's been slow because of birthdays (I swear, 2/3 of my family decided to be born in late December, including myself) and new years and stuff. Gonna try to get an update out on sunday or monday, though.

# ? Jan 3, 2014 23:13

Zanzibar Ham: Mar 17, 2009; You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.; Grimey Drawer

Happy birthday thread! I've been lurking here since usually people already comment on anything I could think to say, but I have been following. I don't know if I'd like the combat system, but I do like the interactions between the characters. It's obvious that a lot of effort was put into that.

Anyway, keep up the good work! And your art is amazingly cute. :3:

# ? Jan 4, 2014 09:04

Tinkertonk: Sep 11, 2013

I must have started reading this thread late, because it certainly doesn't feel like a year. :3:

Time really flies.

Happy Birthday to the best thread with the best art and the best ducks.

# ? Jan 5, 2014 09:10

Glazius: Jul 22, 2007; Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.; Clapping Larry

I like how Sasarai's all "okay, who are you REALLY" and Hugo just tells him.

That's our boy. :allears:

# ? Jan 7, 2014 03:39

yokaiy: Dec 25, 2012; What a handsome tree!

Hugo Chapter 3.6 - Iroh Part 1

What, you didn't think we were done on this half of the map, did you?

Indeed, Hugo's being able to get through the checkpoint at Brass Castle has extended into him being able to get all the way to Vinay. Which we'll be doing in short order. Before that, however,

We've got to have a chat with this guy. You may recall we visited him in a previous chapter, but now we can actually recruit him.

:
>"Sounds tough. I'll help you."
>"I'm not helping you."

: "You'll help?"

You see, this is why I was dragging Guillaume all over creation.

Goro looks the party over carefully before proceeding.

: "Hmm, it looks like I've found someone who can handle the work. You can help me."

The requirement is having someone with the Appraisal skill, of which Guillaume actually has the highest. The rank of the skill doesn't matter, though.

The scene cuts to the same exact spot only moments later.

: "Now to build a better bath than he has! Only one problem... Maybe you can help me."

: "?"

: "You're from Budehuc Castle, right? What if I built my bath there? Can you ask the castle for me?"

:
>"Sure."
>"No."

: "Really? Thank you. I can have my very own bath house. I'll have a better place than that guy!"

: "So, who is this 'guy' you speak of?"

: "He's my rival. That guy builds the best baths! I hate to say it, but they're the most pleasurable in the world. The blissful feeling lulls you to sleep. I can't outdo him without better supplies and a bigger place."

: "...."

: "But, you watch!"

: "One day... you'll see!"

He promptly runs off.

Goro might be a little crazy, but I like him a lot. He is also the ultimate support character. Hands down. Everyone else is rendered pretty moot once you get him. But you'll see that when I stick him in my party.

Moving on, we've got some business in Vinay del Zexay.

: "There's a wild rumor that Lady Chris has gone missing. Nobody believes it, of course."

: "Did you hear the news?! Harmonia has invaded Grassland! I do hope Sir Borus is all right..."

: "You're from Grassland? You're really suntanned."

As one could expect, the town is sporting some new dialogue. Much like it used to almost entirely consist of "Oh, Lady Chris is so perfect, I love her! :swoon:

", now it is mostly "Oh no, Lady Chris, there's rumors of her going missing and I am very worried :ohdear:

". As such, I'll be omitting a lot of it. Just keep it in mind.

Hey, I like our shoes!

Why is everyone suddenly so intrigued by how Hugo accessorizes?

This will come up again in a few chapters.

Hey. That's mean.

: "There's an empty lot in the back alleys where the brats hang out. I think they're pretending to be knights."

You don't say.

That in mind, you get one guess as to what we came here for.

Because we are Hugo and did that side quest earlier, we get special dialogue for these three.

Yes, three. We'll be picking up Alanis right after this.

: "Well..."

The scene fades as Hugo recounts the tale of running into Melville's bum of a father.

: "Melville, take me with you to Budehuc. I wanna go too!"

: "Melville's father isn't expecting anyone but his son."

And I think "expecting" is a bit strong of a word, really.

: "Wouldn't your mother miss you if you went to Budehuc?"

: "Let's ask her, Elliot. She could even come with us to Budehuc. If my father is there too, she might like it."

: "Well... Yeah, I guess so. I'll ask and see."

: "I suppose. Elliot, what about your father?"

Elliot looks down and pauses. He smiles a bit, so I assume he's made peace with it already. Which is very mature for a kid.

: "He died in a war a looooooong time ago."

: "Oh..."

: "We'll talk to Elliot's mother so we can go together to Budehuc. Elliot has to come with me. He has to!"

They're so excited. :3:

: "I'll make sure she agrees."

: "Ask nicely. If she refuses, let it slide."

: "I know, I know. Okay, bye--"

They run off.

Now, to get Alanis.

First, we'll run to the Great Hollow.

Next, we fix our party like so, kicking Belle and Guillaume out for Melville and Elliot.

How convenient, she's right over there!

: "Melville? And Elliot too!"

: "And you too... in this place!"

: "Alanis, the Saint Loa Knight?"

Alanis, he's a Grasslander. It's not actually that surprising. Now, you being here, on the other hand...

: "Yeah, you said you were moving, but... the Great Hollow?"

One of the Lizard Clan members walks by and stops to talk.

: "You bet! I wouldn't miss that for anything! Thanks, Uncle!"

He nods and walks off, while the boys stare speechless.

When he's out of sight, they turn back to Alanis.

: "What did you just say?"

: "You're related to the Lizard Clan?!"

: "It's a long story."

The scene fades out and back in so that we can just hear the abridged version. Presumably, Alanis was talking throughout the entire cut, as she is still talking when it comes back into focus.

: "That's what happened... We moved, but then the battles broke out. We were screwed."

: "Yeah, I'm a prisoner, but it's not that bad. I can go anywhere in the Great Hollow. I was scared of the Lizard Clan at first, but not now. The worst part is that my father can't run his business."

: "The Lizard Clan has soldiers at Budehuc, too. Maybe her family could stay there instead."

:
>"I'll try talking to them. Leave it to me."
>"I can't."

: "Really? All right!"

: "Can you fix it so my parents can leave, too?"

: "Let's see what they say. Hang on, I'll go ask right now."

One fade later...

: "Thanks for everything, Uncle. You've been so sweet. I won't forget you."

: "No one can make friends like you can, Alanis."

: "You think so? I'm nothing special."

: "Hugo, thanks for your help. You're a real leader."

: "You should thank that soldier right over there. His words made the difference."

: "We became life-long friends right off the bat."

: "Uncle..."

: "And I'll see you too. Right, Swordsman of Wind Elliot?"

: "What's this? I didn't know you were a knight, little one Alanis."

: "Humans! You don't rely on your eyes much."

: "I have to go tell my parents the good news. Budehuc castle! I might need a little time. Wait for me."

And with that, the Saint Loa Knights sidequest comes to a close, and we have all three of them reunited at Budehuc.

I promptly kick them out of my party, and bring in Sanae instead. She's pretty strong, at least, and is a vast improvement over Belle.

Before we move on, and while we're still on this half of the map, let's go to the castle and see how it's fairing.

The first new change is in the magic shop.

Hortez has taken up the spot next to Jeane as the resident Scroll Maker.

Basically, you can give him a Rune and he'll turn it into a bunch of scrolls for you. Obviously it only works on casting Runes, which I didn't have with me. However, it's a terrible idea to do because you don't get that Rune back and Runes are infinitely more useful than scrolls, so you probably won't ever see it happen in this LP.

Moving on, an Appraisal shop has opened up nearby.

Guillaume owns it, though I'm sure you already figured that out.

More exciting is that Peggi can now sharpen our weapons even better! I immediately sharpen everyone's weapons up to 12 because I can.

Next, Kidd had finished our investigation on Joe. This is the last one in the set for him. I held off in having him investigate anyone else to avoid any possible chapter-change issues.

Arthur has taken up residence in the hall on the second floor of the manse. Behind him, we can see what he brings to the table -- a newspaper!

Harmonia Army Withdraws From Chisha posted:

Bishop Sasarai, who attempted several attacks on the village of Chisha, withdrew from the village the other day. This was due to the unexpected resistance from Hugo, son of the Karaya Chief, and other soldiers who were present at the village after the auxiliary forces of Grassland arrived. Strategist Caesar Silverberg's tactics may deserve the most credit, as the army of Harmonia was held back despite the modest size of Chisha's arsenal. Caesar will stay in Grassland, prepared for Harmonia's next invasion. Caesar would stay in Grassland. He is a strong ally.

The newspaper will sum up current events and update over the course of the game. It's also kind of poorly translated, apparently. The newspaper also features something way cooler, though.

Erk's Adventures!

Fully voiced as a joke a year ago by the wonderful Zosephine. She has since agreed to do the rest of them as we get to them, so look forward to those in the future!

It also offhandedly mentions who's on random chores around the castle, which I actually really enjoy. It makes it feel like people are actually doing things when they're not in your party.

Also, I think I need to draw that.

I stop off at the display room to drop off a Hex Doll I'd acquired. It's design is based on the Shakoki-dogu dolls from Japan.

: "A-i-e-o-uuuu! A-i-e-o-uuuu!"

Belle and Gadget are now hanging out inside the ship.

And Goro has taken up part of the ship as well.

You can get some special scenes if you've got specific party members with you when you go to the bath. Fortunately, Mua on his own gets us our first scene.

The appearance of the bath will change based on some held items, as well as what statues you've got on display. Since Hugo was holding the rubber ducky, we get some in the bath.

Mua's scene is a little boring, since it's just him singing to himself, but I've transcribed it all anyway.

: "My heart... is drunk with the smell... of wine...
I... follow... your shadow... around this... lonely town...
Why... oh why... does this regret... still pull...
Even if... I was in... his arms..."

: "? Even in his arms? Ah... Ngn, Ahem, ahem!!!"

:haw:

: "Doo doo doo dah dah...
La la la la la la la di dah...
Doo doooooh...
Drinking... and crying... and ho...ping...
Crying... and drinking... Carelia... of tears..."

'Carelia?' For shame, translation team. For shame.

: "Mmm, mmm mmm mmm, mmm..."

Interestingly, this bath scene occurs for a single panel in the manga as well.

They mistranslate it there too.

Anyway, we'll see some more scenes next time.

Or, next time he's not in my party, anyway.

You see, Goro has an A+ rank in Bath as a support character, which means that he will heal your party after battles, including any status effects you might have come down with. There are other skills which do something similar to this (Sanae actually has a D rank in Healing, which does the HP recovery part), but he is far and away the best at it. The Bath skill heals by a set amount of HP (170), while the Healing skill heals by a percentage (8% in Sanae's case).

(Thank you Bufuman for the mechanics tip!)

Regardles, we won't be needing medicine with this party again.

:getin:

I'll be showing off all of the scenes, if not over the course of the LP, then after it's over.

Next up, the Saint Loa Knights are hanging out in the storage room behind Muto, and have this to say if you chat them up:

: "In the future, I will be a great treasure hunter -- just like my father."

: "Some day, the three of us will go in search of the Secret Treasure."

: "You have to train every day to become a treasure hunter."

With our business at the castle finished, we head through the Kuput Forest once more.

We've got to stop off in Chisha for this first, though.

I skipped her last time we were in town, but we can recruit Emily now.

:
>"Okay."
>"Sorry, I'll pass."

: "You sure? Okay then! I'm game! Let's get on with it then, shall we?"

: "Uh, arm wrestling? Against you?"

You see, winning or losing the match is dependent on your stats. You need for your party to have a combined attack of 600 or higher, which we didn't have last time.

This time, we made it. (But just barely.)

: "Wow! That's incredible!! I thought only my mother was stronger than me! Guess I've been in my own small world lately!"

: "You know... now that I've seen your strength, I have something to ask you."

: "Huh? What's this?"

: "Interesting! I'll go! I will! Where is it? Got it! I have to ask my mother first, but I really really want to go!"

Her mother is a recurring character of the series, as is her father. Her mother is Ronnie Bell, and her father is Mose, both from Suikoden 1.

: "Your mother is stronger than you?"

: "I know she may refuse to let me go, but if she does, I'll run away. I need to be someplace where people are stronger than I am. Budehuc Castle sounds perfect. I'll get there one way or another!"

She runs off after we get the "new star" pop-up.

: "You shouldn't run away from home."

Now, Emily is good. She's a powerful character very similar to Juan, except without the lovely Rune. We'll save her for later, though, and keep Sanae for now.

Also, there's this NPC, confirming that Safir was completely destroyed by Harmonia.

Finally, onto the Flame Champion's Hideaway.

Immediately, we get a scene.

: "You'd think a hero would prefer a less humid place."

Joe and Hugo glance at each other, nervous.

And then we find ourselves back in control.

The hideaway suffers from mostly-straight-corridor-syndrome, but I actually quite like it in spite of that. The topography is very interesting; it looks like a hurricane blew through, dumping rocks and spires wherever it liked.

The music is also very nice.

The enemies of the area come in a few new flavors, plus some Bone Soldiers.

The eye-balls are called Mordolo, and I honestly have no idea what they do. I assume they are like the Bombs from the Final Fantasy series, as they get bigger and redder as they take damage, but I've never seen them actually do anything before dying.

Nariqua, as this enemy is called, is similar to the Siren enemy type we saw early on in the game, in that she will primarily target females.

They have two attacks to speak of. The first is an explosion.

The second inflicts the Bulls-Eye status, which makes enemies prioritize the target over others. It's sort of neat, but is never anything even remotely resembling threatening.

That's it for enemies, though.

One screen in to our exploring, we find ourselves at a fork in the road.

Right path first, and there's a corpse of some unlucky hero at the end. We pick up the Old Book Vol. 9 for our troubles.

Up the left path, there's another fork. Taking a left again (towards that yellow dot) will take us where we're actually planning to go, so let's go to the right first.

There's another corpse to be had, which yields the Old Book Vol. 1, but we can go a bit further for something more interesting.

A treasure boss!

Unlike the other treasure bosses, Azzodess is the one that I'd sooner take on with anyone but Geddoe, since she laughs in the face of lightning magic. Shouldn't be a problem for this party, though. Actually she probably wouldn't be much challenge for Geddoe's party either, despite that disadvantage.

So let's show off what Sanae can do.

She has a unique Rune called the Sickle-Weasel Rune, which is kind of useful I guess?

It hits a target as well as anything in front of them, which is kinda neat. Aesthetically it's very similar to Chris's Phoenix Rune.

The damage is kinda meh, though. At least it doesn't stun her the following turn like most personal Runes do.

Azzodess is kind of interesting because she's really more of a caster than any other monster type we've seen so far.

Her favorite attack is this one thing where she summons a giant door, out of which flies another Azzodess.

It zooms around the field in much the same way the dragon-type enemies do.

It then returns through the door.

The damage isn't too bad.

Additionally, it can cause characters to become silent. This is only a problem if it hits Joe.

She has a pretty good amount of HP, but her defenses are a little lacking. Sanae is hitting for the least, but she's not doing terribly. Azzodess berserks pretty easily, though, as she did in this shot.

Which can be a bit of a problem unless your name is Mua.

Still, with Joe not silenced, we don't have to worry too much. Sanae was throwing around some medicines as well. I could have done for some extra healing with Hugo's wind rune, but he was silenced.

He's more of a damage-dealer anyway.

Hallec is also doing his part. He's also learned how to hit things twice, with his second attack doing about 200 damage.

Sadly, she takes down Sanae with some cool purple fireballs.

Hugo avenges her next turn.

Levels for everyone but Sanae.

And loot. Not pictured, some pretty nice armor, a Fire Magic Ring, and some medicines.

We go back and head the right way this time.

Though the path ends in a dead end.

Our boys investigate the sunken circle. There are runes carved into it around the edges, and in the center, a symbol that looks like the large grate on the door in the Ancient Highway. A coincidence?

Hugo walks closer.

He kneels down to inspect the carvings...

It glows, and he stumbles backwards a bit.

Hugo vanishes, and Joe flinches.

: "Spirits!"

Hmm.

So.

A valid question.

I suspect that Iroh is here, somewhere. Waiting for Hugo.

But why only Hugo?

That circle must have been trapped with some sort of magic.

I hope Joe and the others are okay. The circle wouldn't take them somewhere different if they tried to follow, would it?

Would it even take them anywhere? Or are we on our own?

A door. Looks like the end. Behind here...

Chris? What is she doing here?

Sana is also present, but Hugo is blocking her in the shot.

A few steps in, and Hugo begins to question her.

: "I am the Chisha Village Chief, but I am also the lifetime companion of Iroh."

No wonder she spoke so fondly of him.

: "I wanted you to find the way here on your own. So did he."

She bows her head a bit for a moment, before meeting his confused gaze.

: "............"

: "Oh yes! Please!"

She leads him further inside.

Can I just appreciate that table in the background for a moment? For being somewhere that, unless I am not remembering correctly, you only see in cutscenes, they put a lot of love into decorating it. There's a table and two chairs, one for he and one for Sana, and even bottles and containers on the shelf behind it. It really looks like a magical recluse would live here -- he even set up furniture.

But enough of that for now.

: "This means we..."

Iroh's face in 3...

2...

1...

Nope.

Hugo's chapter ends thusly. Next time, we pick up where we left off so long ago with Thomas.

yokaiy fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Jan 20, 2014

# ? Jan 8, 2014 04:51

AradoBalanga: Jan 3, 2013

Goddammit, game! :argh:

Such a tease of a cliffhanger.

That said, seeing Thomas again will be nice.

# ? Jan 8, 2014 05:53

Bufuman: Jun 15, 2013; Sleep in the briefing room.
At your own peril.

yokaiy posted:

: "A-i-e-o-uuuu! A-i-e-o-uuuu!"

Crap, the Patriots got to Gadget now. Belle is in trouble.

It should probably be noted that Healing and Bath recover the party in slightly different ways, aside from Bath healing statuses too. Healing recovers HP based on percentage, while Bath heals a set amount of HP. Sanae's D rank in healing recovers 8% of everyone's max HP after battles, while Goro's A+ Bath heals for a straight 170 HP. I prefer to recruit Goro with Thomas for this reason; 170 is pretty much a full heal in his chapters, considering their low levels.

# ? Jan 8, 2014 05:56

yokaiy: Dec 25, 2012; What a handsome tree!

Bufuman posted:

It should probably be noted that Healing and Bath recover the party in slightly different ways, aside from Bath healing statuses too. Healing recovers HP based on percentage, while Bath heals a set amount of HP. Sanae's D rank in healing recovers 8% of everyone's max HP after battles, while Goro's A+ Bath heals for a straight 170 HP. I prefer to recruit Goro with Thomas for this reason; 170 is pretty much a full heal in his chapters, considering their low levels.

Things I did not know. I hope this LP is proving educational to everyone, because it sure has been for me so far! :haw:

I'll note that in the update, though. Thanks.

# ? Jan 8, 2014 06:14

grandalt: Feb 26, 2013; I didn't fight through two wars to rule
I fought for the future of the world

And the right to have hot tea whenever I wanted

When did Jeane show up at the castle? I think that would have been pointed out early.

# ? Jan 8, 2014 06:21

Raitzeno: Nov 24, 2007; What? It seemed like
a good idea at the time.

All I can think of when I see that Thomas and his ninjas are on bath cleaning duty is Watari using one of those bamboo snorkels to fish out gunk with a net, and you only see the net pop out of the water and chuck crap out every so often, while Ayame walks around upside-down on the ceiling with a feather duster, getting the corners. Thomas is probably chilling on a lawn chair with some juice and/or fruit. Why the gently caress would you do the cleaning yourself when you have personal ninjas?

# ? Jan 8, 2014 06:25

yokaiy: Dec 25, 2012; What a handsome tree!

grandalt posted:

When did Jeane show up at the castle? I think that would have been pointed out early.

We recruited her with Geddoe in Geddoe 1.

Then, showed off her shop in Thomas 1.

Raitzeno posted:

All I can think of when I see that Thomas and his ninjas are on bath cleaning duty is Watari using one of those bamboo snorkels to fish out gunk with a net, and you only see the net pop out of the water and chuck crap out every so often, while Ayame walks around upside-down on the ceiling with a feather duster, getting the corners. Thomas is probably chilling on a lawn chair with some juice and/or fruit. Why the gently caress would you do the cleaning yourself when you have personal ninjas?

I like to imagine that the ninjas are actually the only ones that are good at cleaning things, and everyone else just makes a bigger mess when they get stuck on cleaning duty.

Also, that scenario sounds like it would be wonderful. :allears:

# ? Jan 8, 2014 06:35

CmdrKing: Oct 14, 2012; Maybe if I called it 'Interpretive Stabbing'...

Ooh, so that's what Bath does. Yeah, that definitely makes Goro the better option in most scenarios over other support slots.

One of the things you have to play the game quite a lot to realize is that the drops in treasure chests are actually fixed at certain times. Or rather, certain items are guaranteed to be in them. The Azzodess chest here has one of the best rigged items, because the Fire Magic Ring (along with it's counterpart the Lightning Magic Ring) is pretty amazing. There's also a hat available (I'm not sure if we have any yet, but it's relatively early) that gives a plus one to Fire and Lightning at once. Since most of the dedicated mages peak at A in either Fire or Lightning, the Ring lets us hit S rank, which is a Big Deal for spellcasters; the speed jump is fairly amazing.

Emily meanwhile has a good argument for straight up best character in the game, and is almost certainly the best if you don't include Hugo/Chris/Geddoe. Unlike Juan (her main competition for top tier physical fighter), she joins with a good amount of skill points and in chapter three, where you can immediately start getting more for her. Juan's limited to Thomas for now, and while sure you can go out and grind for skill points the enemies just aren't very strong and have poor rewards in all respects. Much as I enjoy Thomas' chapters, his crew is just kinda screwed by the system even before you figure in that they're mostly built around high investment, late return kinda gameplay.

# ? Jan 8, 2014 06:54

AshtonDragon: Sep 5, 2011

Goro's definitely not my favorite support character. I've certainly made use of his and one other character's healing, but I generally prefer to use people like Jeane, who actually give you some in-battle buffs. Having to carry around some medicines or use runes for healing occasionally never really bothered me.

Emily is one of the characters who is so powerful that I've actually had to ban the use of in a few playthroughs. She's not as explosive as Juan, but she's close enough that it doesn't really matter.

# ? Jan 8, 2014 14:14

Tinkertonk: Sep 11, 2013

We're getting to probably my favourite part. :3:

I need to catch up!

# ? Jan 8, 2014 20:26

hanales: Nov 3, 2013

Thomas! Thomas! Thomas!

My favorite part of the game. Is that weird? I actually look forward to that part the most and speed through the other early chapters when I replay.

# ? Jan 9, 2014 01:46

yokaiy: Dec 25, 2012; What a handsome tree!

AshtonDragon posted:

Goro's definitely not my favorite support character. I've certainly made use of his and one other character's healing, but I generally prefer to use people like Jeane, who actually give you some in-battle buffs. Having to carry around some medicines or use runes for healing occasionally never really bothered me.

Fair enough, especially given all the medicines we stumble across. I don't think I've had to buy any yet, except maybe early in Thomas 1? I forget. Generally I stray against taking the shop keepers with me, in Jeane's case. Not that I visit her shop too often, though. I did enjoy having Guillaume appraising all my pots as we were going, for what that's worth.

AshtonDragon posted:

Emily is one of the characters who is so powerful that I've actually had to ban the use of in a few playthroughs. She's not as explosive as Juan, but she's close enough that it doesn't really matter.

CmdrKing posted:

Emily meanwhile has a good argument for straight up best character in the game, and is almost certainly the best if you don't include Hugo/Chris/Geddoe. Unlike Juan (her main competition for top tier physical fighter), she joins with a good amount of skill points and in chapter three, where you can immediately start getting more for her. Juan's limited to Thomas for now, and while sure you can go out and grind for skill points the enemies just aren't very strong and have poor rewards in all respects. Much as I enjoy Thomas' chapters, his crew is just kinda screwed by the system even before you figure in that they're mostly built around high investment, late return kinda gameplay.

I haven't used her much at all, actually. Except in strategy battles. I'm actually... not sure why that is... :raise:

Thomas and his crew are very screwed by the system, yes. He only has two chapters, so if you're not grinding or actively trying to level them up, they'll be at around level 20-25 by the end of his chapters. Then, when you get them back, they have to compete with a large number of people at least twice their levels. My last playthrough, Thomas ended the game at a massive level 26, I believe.

Tinkertonk posted:

We're getting to probably my favourite part. I need to catch up!

hanales posted:

Thomas! Thomas! Thomas!

My favorite part of the game. Is that weird? I actually look forward to that part the most and speed through the other early chapters when I replay.

Not weird at all. I love this upcoming chapter. :allears:

# ? Jan 9, 2014 04:35

Anchors: Nov 27, 2007

Eh, I wouldn't even say being behind in levels is that big of a deal. Suikoden's slingshot leveling ensures that they'll be competitive after tagging along for just a few fights.

Edit: I will say that the amount of skill points they have to invest to be good is pretty taxing though. I love making Thomas's crew into a destruction engine though.

# ? Jan 9, 2014 05:42

Bufuman: Jun 15, 2013; Sleep in the briefing room.
At your own peril.

Anchors posted:

Eh, I wouldn't even say being behind in levels is that big of a deal. Suikoden's slingshot leveling ensures that they'll be competitive after tagging along for just a few fights.

Edit: I will say that the amount of skill points they have to invest to be good is pretty taxing though. I love making Thomas's crew into a destruction engine though.

And it's pretty easy to do that once you actually GET those skill points, since Thomas and Cecile actually have a lot of "It will take time" skills that can actually go up to A+. Picollo's in the same boat with his Lightning Magic skill (shame about that unremovable Mallet Rune though) and Juan is, well, Juan. And it's not even that hard to get some points for them, since treasure bosses will give up a LOT of points.

# ? Jan 9, 2014 07:04

Podima: Nov 4, 2009; by Fluffdaddy