Etrian Odyssey Megathread II: You realize you have no need for a crayfish

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Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Latest news: Etrian Mystery Dungeon out April 7th in the US; Untold 2 this Summer! :siren:

What is It?
Etrian Odyssey began as Sekaiju no Meikyuu (世界樹の迷宮 or 'Labyrinth of Yggdrasil'), brainchild of Kazuya Niinou. He wanted to make a game that recalled the old first-person dungeons crawlers of his youth, like Wizardry and Bard's Tale. Defying everyone's expectations, including his, the series achieved a quietly prosperous level of success which sustained it through 4 mainline titles (with a 5th in the wings), 2 remakes and, most recently, collaborations with the Mysterious Dungeon and Persona series.

How did it happen? First, because the developers continued to refine and tweak the formula since its inception. Each of the main games have built on the ones before, maintaining the same basic concepts while rebalancing the mechanics and the numbers behind them. People can and do quibble about the details, but each successive entry in the series has worked better as a game than the ones before. Second, because it turns out the combination of a challenging difficulty curve where failure leaves you with the foreknowledge to do better next time, chiptunes and cartography is really, REALLY addictive. The previous megathread ran 200+ pages across several years of goons talking about mapping, party builds and battle strategy.

It's easier now than ever before to get into the series. Getting out is much harder because there's really nothing else quite like it on the market today.

_{Art insert for EOIV bonus booklet by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass (click to view her tumblr)}

The Games:

Nintendo DS:

OG dungeon crawling action! Possibly OG 1.5 since there's so much Wizardry DNA in there. The original trilogy established all the features the series is known for: first-person dungeon crawling, using the bottom screen of the DS to draw your own map; a customizable 5-member party you can develop as you see fit; and of course the F.O.E. Represented in the original games by fuzzy floating orbs of various colors, these are powerful enemies that appear on the map and move with each step you take, or turn that passes in battle. They can also join battles already in progress. Don't be deceived by appearances! Bambi's mum will more than likely wreck your poo poo.

Of the 3 games, EOIII features major improvements in playability as well as the series' most distinctive class list. The first two aren't bad by any means, and many of the posters in this thread owe their addiction to playing them. However, with faithful-but-more-polished remakes of I & II available on the 3DS, there's little to recommend them beyond historical curiosity. If you want to try the series, and you only have a DS, buy EOIII.

Nintendo 3DS:

The great leap forward! Right off the bat, the series' move to the 3DS allowed for many improvements. Better graphics capabilities resulted in far superior draw distance while exploring the labyrinth, as well as actual enemy models so you can tell a a F.O.E's facing and what it is before you fight it. And this is all before you get to the mechanical improvements: EOIV has a smaller class selection than other entries, but it's easily the most balanced. The game can be completed with almost any party composition, and there are no 'traps' in the skill tree resulting in wasted points on useless skills. If you want to give the series a try, start with Etrian Odyssey IV.

'Untold' is the moniker applied to the remakes of the first two games in the original trilogy. In addition to the graphical improvements of EOIV, they also added a Story Mode. Story mode restricts your party composition to the 5 classes you start with, but they're a powerful, flexible mix. In exchange, your characters get, well, actual character: voice acted dialogue, plot, etc. Fairly bare-bones by JRPG standards but for some players that means the difference between trying the series and not, and who can complain about that? Both remakes also feature a Classic Mode, allowing you to explore the Labyrinth with whatever combination of classes you choose.

The remakes do have a downside, however: classic mode eschews the carefully balanced skill & class selection of EOIV for something closer to the original games. There are very clear winners and losers there. Instead of subclassing they introduced the Grimoire system. In theory this is a good way to branch out the story party's skillset and jury-rig subclassing into the classic mode parties. In practice it's a confusing mess at the mercy of the RNG.

Collaborations:

Etrian Mystery Dungeon is another throwback of sorts, a Rogue-like developed under the umbrella of Square's long-running Mystery Dungeon series, which you may already be familiar with in its Chocobo and Pokemon-related flavors. You still make a 5 person party, but now map layout and enemy placement is randomized and you've got to consider each character's position on the map individually. Talking about Rogue-likes in-depth is a little beyond the scope of this thread, but there are alternatives. There is a good chance, however, many of the posters here will buy this one too.

Persona Q is an honest-to-God canonical spinoff/crossover of Persona 3&4. It owes more in gameplay and art style to the Etrian series than Persona (in particular, the mapping and FOE aspects) but this too has its own, dedicated thread where you can discuss super important topics like whether Kanji still counts as a gold-star gay after he fingerbangs the robot. Overall: good game, if you enjoyed it without being familiar with the Etrian series, there's a good chance you'd enjoy exploring Labyrinths in Etria as well.

General F.A.Q

I heard these games are super difficult, and I am a giant baby/a masochistic freak (check whichever applies), will I find EO satisfying?

Their reputation is slightly exaggerated--only the very beginning and the post-game of an Etrian Odyssey game are truly difficult. It's more accurate to say they severely punish failure, but in a way that leaves you better prepared for next time. Nor are they hand-holding. Unlike your average JRPG, there are no tutorials besides the same basic lesson on mapmaking every game provides and you will not get far just mashing attack. You need to make full use of your party's abilities, learn how to manage your resources, and pay attention to the habits of the floor's FOEs to advance. Each game has made its own attempts to smooth out the difficulty curve, and the latest ones do have a 'Casual' difficulty if you're that nervous about it. Or a 'Hard' mode if you're a glutton for punishment...

Do I have to draw my own map? Isn't there an option to turn on auto-mapping and feed me peeled grapes while I play?

No. There's a fairly robust set of mapping tools, including the ability to add notes to an area, & the game auto-fills squares you walk over, but walls, doors, stairs, etc. are your responsibility. If that sounds like too much work, all I can say is that you should at least try it first. There's a surprising satisfaction to looking over a fully-mapped floor of the labyrinth that you drew yourself. And they're useful too--it's not for nothing that you can save changes to the map, even when you lose everything else in a full-party wipe.

An anime killed my parents, and I cannot bear the thought of adding one of those wall-eyed, pastel-haired freak children to my party, what should I do?

Choose a different portrait. You will never see the others again, unless you make a 2nd character from that class. Every class in every game has four options, and I guarantee you can find at least one that will not make all the cool Games posters laugh at you.

Why does so much fanart for this game feature giant orange balls of lint?

The original DS games took up practically all the memory on the cart as it is. They did not have the space or the art assets to assign a separate model to each FOE, so instead they were represented on the top screen as lint balls of various colors. You may ask, "so how were you supposed to tell which way they were facing?" The answer is, "you can't, and that's why you're being hunted down and killed by a flock of pterosaurs." 3D models sound like a purely cosmetic touch, but they were actually one of the big improvements to the 3DS entries. Also draw distance.

How do I beat <enemy>? / What party should I use for <floor?> / How do I earn enough money for <consumerist garbage>?

Gonna level with you here: tracking the changes to party composition, balance and game flow across that many entries in the series was butting up against the post's character limit. If you have a question, ask the thread. We are very helpful, because we want to see as many people as possible get hopelessly addicted like us. Furthermore because the core gameplay holds up well even in the older games, you can get reasonably informed advice for any game in the series~~because the need to satisfy our horrible addiction has made desperate, broken people of us all~~.

Should I check the statues?

Yes.

_{Artist's depiction of a typical F.O.E}

Useful Links

Skill Simulators for Etrian Odyssey III and Etrian Odyssey IV. If you want to plan out a party in advance, plus know just how effective (or not) it will be, then these are the tools to use.
No such resource exists for the first Untold game, but the Japanese wiki is helpful, if awkwardly phrased. Unfortunately, for the first two games the best you can do is check GameFAQs (or better yet, ask the thread).
Etrian Odyssey II LP by Dr. Fetus, currently on 20F. This is the original EOII, extra 'gently caress yous' to players who beat the first game and all. There were other LPs of the DS games, but they ran out of steam due to the scope of the games and fell into the archives.
QR Codes for EOIV's extra quests/treasures, which you're supposed to get by Streetpassing with other people but gently caress that, EO players aren't that common, even in Japan.
QR codes for Goon guilds will go here, if you post a link in the thread. Be sure to say whether it's for EOIV or Untold!

Rangpur fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Mar 19, 2015

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 03:53

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 17:47

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Series Overview:
aka
:eng99:

The Quest for Balance :eng99:

The core of the series' gameplay remains the same across all entries (spin offs like Mystery Dungeon excepted), but Atlus continues to tinker with the math and the overall balance with each new game. Usually for the better, but ocassionally... less so. If you would like to try one of the older games, this will also serve as a way of knowing just how much typical Atlus bullshit you're in for.

Etrian Odyssey
Class List: Landsknecht, Protector, Alchemist, Survivalist, Medic, Troubadour, Dark Hunter, Ronin, Hexer
(For this and future games, the spoiler'd classes are unlocked as you advance the story. These are not considered big secrets when discussing game mechanics, and will not be blanked out beyond this post, but they are spoilered here as a courtesy to those of you just looking for basic information on the individual games.)

As the game that launched the series, almost everything that makes EO distinct has its start in this one. However, it also lacks many of the quality-of-life improvements added later. The mapping tools are bareboned, you can't sidestep while exploring, there's no auto-battle function, or item storage... But its biggest design issue is the utter lack of context when it comes to picking and improving skills. The only reason that information exists is slow and painful experimentation on the part of the more dedicated fans. If you change your mind, respeccing isn't available until level 30, it costs you 10 levels, and there's no good way to speed the grinding process up. This becomes a major problem when you unlock the extra classes, because it requires starting a character from scratch when your main party is already likely to be settled. However, while I am hard on the game (and I really can't emphasize enough how much better EOIII is if you want/need a recommendation for one of the DS games) it does have strong points. For one thing, the classes are all balanced, in the sense they are all good at what they're meant to do. A bog standard RPG party of Landsknecht/Protector in front, and Medic/Alchemist/Survivalist in the rear can meet any challenge in the game. It is also the only game to feature healing springs, which are a godsend for long expeditions and level grinding.

Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of High Lagaard
Class List: Landsknecht, Protector, Alchemist, Survivalist, Medic, Troubadour, Dark Hunter, Ronin, Hexer, War Magus, Gunner, Beast

Etrian Odyssey II was released unusually hard on the heels of the first game. Because of this, it is unfairly criticized as an 'expansion pack.' However it is no smaller than the first game in any measure. On the other hand, it does seem to have been designed to challenge people who already finished the first game, and it entirely fairly criticized for poor QA. The Japanese version was very buggy; the NA version less so, but a couple of skills don't work correctly. Notably, this is also the only game that allows you to tie your old file together via a very, very long password. This imports your Guild's name, a handful of nerfed endgame bonuses, and lots and lots of extra 'gently caress you' events. What else changed?

Landsknecht, Survivalist, & Alchemist all got nerfed in a big way. Why? Who knows. It sure as hell wasn't party balance because Dark Hunters, Ronin, Gunners and Hexers will kill everything even faster. War Magus isn't as good at healing as a Medic, but they're faster, stronger, and tougher.
Side-step with the L/R buttons!! (I know this doesn't sound impressive but imagine checking a long corridor for secret passages without it.)
FOEs no longer give out EXP when defeated. (Why would you do that?)
Most enemies and bosses have considerably lower HP, but do more damage in exchange. As a result the most successful party builds in EOII are also the most aggressive ones.
Healing springs are a thing of the past, replaced with Geomagnetic Poles. These allow you to start from further into the stratum once activated, but you can only have one active at a time. They cannot be used to exit either, so make sure you bring a Warp Wire. In fact, bring two. There are squirrels around, you know...
The old Boost gauge, which let characters use higher level versions of their skills is replaced by Force skills--class specific super moves. These range from heavy damage to enemy mobs to guaranteed stuns, applying all binds simultaneously, etc. Thereby skewing the balance even more heavily towards certain classes. (Why would you DO that?)
Retiring characters has tangible benefits now, ranging from +4 to all stats and 4 extra skill points at the minimum of level 30, to +5 for all stats and 8 skill points at the cap of 70. Hitting the cap then retiring will also raise the cap for that character to 71. (Yes, you can repeat this until you hit 99. No, you should not attempt it.)

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Class List: Arbalist, Buccaneer, Farmer, Gladiator, Hoplite, Monk, Ninja, Prince/ss, Wildling, Zodiac, Shogun, Yggdroid

Third, and most polished of the original DS trilogy. It also has the most content, despite a 25 floor Labyrinth instead of the previous games' 30 floors. Although the class lineup is radically different, most of them are roughly equivalent to a class from EOI&II. Hoplites are tanks, Monks are Medics, Zodiacs are Alchemists, etc. Ninja and Wildling deserve special mention--they both make use of that 6th formation slot that's always gone unfilled until now. But they can't both use it at the same time. Farmers meanwhile, are exactly what they sound like. A party of 5 Farmers is the tradional way of making money in the game until you unlock sub-classing. (Then it's Ninja/Farmers.)

New to this Game:

Sub-classing! This is the big one. Once you complete the second stratum, you can add an additional class' skills to your options at level up. You also get a one-time bonus of 5 skill points to get started. The only restrictions are the unique skill and armor selection of the base class. Everything else is up for grabs, and proper use (or abuse) of this mechanic can break the game over your knee.
Sea exploration! In additional to the traditional labyrinth, you can sail the ocean blue seeking out new trade goods (for extra money) or undiscovered lands (extra bosses and quests). This is best thought of as a giant puzzle that you solve one piece at a time. It can be tricky to wrap your head around at first, but the rewards are very much worth it.
Quest EXP! Not only are the items and money you can earn for completing quests much better than EOII, you also earn EXP for each quest you turn in. This is extremely useful for catching up characters who don't see much use in battle. Like, say, those Farming parties mentioned earlier--switching them in before you turn in a quest is a common trick. You can do the same with the storyline-related Missions.
Equipment forging! Weapons and armor that add bonus effects are nothing new to the series, but EOIII gives you the option to customize your gear for bonus stats, elemental damage or resistance, inflicting status ailments, etc. Each type of bonus requires a different hammer you'll have to locate by playing the game, and not all equipment is equally flexible, but it's one more way to squeeze the system for every conceivable advantage.
Branching storyline! Still the only game that offers this, oddly enough. There's an obvious branching point in the third stratum that determines which of the two spoilered classes you get. There's also a third, 'true ending,' which is accessible on either path (though likely not without consulting the thread to find the obscure flags for it). However it's recommended you do the other two endings first to gather money and equipment for the goddamned nightmare that is EOIII's postgame.
Lift the level cap! Now "easily" accomplished by defeating a series of 3 postgame superbosses. Note that level 99 characters are by no means necessary to complete the post-game, but you'll usually want to raise the cap anyway because beating those bosses also unlocks useful equipment.

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan
Class List: Dancer, Fortress, Landsknecht, Medic, Nightseeker, Runemaster, Sniper, Arcanist, Bushi, Imperial

When it comes to recommending a 3DS title to sample Etrian Odyssey, the reason EOIV gets the nod over either of the Untold games is simple: balance. The classes are all carefully designed to function on their own, and synergize well. Nearly any party composition can work in EOIV, and the solo class challenges exist to prove it. The trade-off is that there are fewer total classes than EOIII, and the real oddities like Ninja & Farmer are gone. The biggest complaint is that the Labyrinths are smaller, and individually they are; but between side areas and the world map itself there's still plenty of ground to cover.

New to this Game:

Airshipppp!!!11 Yes, some 25 years after Final Fantasy did it, Etrian Odyssey gets a flying boat to call its own. Unlike Final Fantasy, you get it at the beginning of the game. Moreover, you are no longer limited by rations as in EOIII. Explore to your heart's content! No, really do it. Because now you must find the Labyrinth before you can explore it. There are also additional, smaller mazes to seek out. And of course the overworld map has its own hazards and FOEs.
Enemies now possess animated 3-D models in battle. FOE models will also appear on the top screen. No more running from unidentified balls of lint!
Introduction of 'rare breeds.' Regular enemies will randomly appear in a glowing, gold form. They're stronger, always act first, and each turn that passes makes them stronger still... but also worth more EXP if you kill them. However, each turn that passes will also increase the odds they run away. FOEs may also show up as rare breeds, but they do NOT retreat so make sure you can kill them quickly.
Enemy mobs may consist of a front and back row as well, with the same effects it has on your party (i.e., reduced melee damage take/given in the rear).
Gathering no longer requires specific skills (though skills to increase the amount and quality you get still exist).
Skill trees are now divided into Novice, Expert and Master tiers--the latter two unlocked at levels 20 & 40, respectively.
A sub-class' skills are capped at half the usual maximum (a character's main class is unaffected)
Respeccing a character now costs a mere 2 levels.

More to come later.

Rangpur fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Mar 20, 2015

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 03:56

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Countblanc posted:

Is Mystery Dungeon gonna have skill point allocation? Because I hate that poo poo and as boring as a lot of Persona Q was at least it got rid of it.

And replaced it with characters who get like 3 skills each. Worse, they frequently get boring, useless skills. I mean, I liked the game for the most part, but I'm not grinding out 14 levels for Teddie so he gets access to loving Mabufudyne. I've had that spell on tap since like the 3rd Labyrinth.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 05:08

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I'm interested in finding out the 'correct' approach to exploration. During the demo livestream they stuck to using a single character, which goes against all my instincts in an EO game. Trying to control & position a 4 member party in a roguelike was one of the main aspects I found intriguing, so I hope it's balanced around using a full lineup.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 05:17

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I am... confused by what you think they'd use as a replacement for a skill point-based system of character growth/customization. That flexibility is nearly always considered a point in the series' favor, if anything. You could replace with Materia, or a License board or any of a number of other systems, I just don't think it would be an improvement.

EDIT: Unless you're referring to EMD specifically? In which case I still have no idea, because I was under the impression most Roguelikes did something similar.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 05:37

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Yggdroid/Monk gets around the fact that Monks don't have the strength to make good use of the Barehanded skill tree. Take the innate immunity to binds, and combine it with Waking Chakra/Virus Scanner, & you'll also be practically immune to status ailments. The downside is they have neither the TP nor the speed to make effective healers. Neither of those is a dealbreaker if you have another healer, and a Zodiac.

The real problem is that the chaser bots are garbage. Breakfire Fist hits multiple times, but you'll only get one chase out of it. You could put out more than one bot, but then you don't have a 5th actual party member. This part of a larger problem with the chaser skills in EOIII, all of which are equally terrible with the exception of Warrior's Might.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 21:30

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Hivac posted:

Don't underestimate how crazy people can get when it comes to these games

That's a new one on me. The Crush Amulets negate the damage from Overheat, I assume? Hell, I didn't even know you could do that. poo poo like this is why I love the series. :allears:

That said, a gimmick party built to defeat a specific enemy isn't super helpful when it comes to team building advice for the main game. Even if it IS built to defeat the strongest enemy in the game.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 22:56

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

When you enter B12F they're at fixed positions. Then they move to another fixed position, usually at an intersection where you need to go, and squat there for the rest of eternity. They all move in unison too, so there's no way to beat the furthest ones to their spot but I think you can avoid fighting them if you take the long way around. It's a case where you need a map of basically the entire area in order to plan your route carefully if you want to race them.

To be honest though, I usually just beat them down with Etheric Charge and one of the elemental limit breaks.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2015 18:32

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I think you can also disable Reflector by binding his arms. And if you can pull that off they'll tear through his HP real fuckin' quick even with regeneration.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2015 23:02

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Supposedly that is the case. The DLC doesn't show up in the compendium unless you buy it. Unfortunately if you buy just, say, the grinding quest that spawns an exp pi�ata monster then the game adds the whole DLC section to the compendium. Not sure how that interacts with the locked sections of the map. You also need to be like level 85 to unlock them so it may also be a moot point.

Rangpur fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Mar 13, 2015

# ¿ Mar 13, 2015 21:47

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

How far can you get in EMD with a single character? I beat Persona 3, so dumb AI teammates are not exactly a new thing for me but I'm not eager to repeat the experience.

Dr. Fetus posted:

You might want to fix that.

Thanks for the catch. Lemme know if you spot anything else.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2015 23:19

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

If you wandered into this thread by mistake, clearly you should buy an Etrian Odyssey game to practice your cartography. :colbert:

2nd post has been updated with general info about the DS trilogy. Tell me if I missed anything, blahblah you know the drill by now. If you feel like doing a writeup on anything in particular I can link to the post as well.

# ¿ Mar 16, 2015 19:47

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Dr. Fetus posted:

_{_{_{Also, EO3's postgame is easy compared to EO1 and 2. The random encounters in this one are puppies compared to the first two games.}}}

My impression of the EO3 postgame is colored heavily by the difficulty of the Abyssal God. I'll give you the 1st game, in terms of overall difficulty. EOII's postgame isn't much to write home about though. There's One Weird Trick Explorers Hate!!! on the first floor, but the rest of it is more tedious than anything else. Most random encounters get shut down by the same party that trivializes everything else in the game. Except for this rear end in a top hat, admittedly.

"Heeeeey youuuuu guyyyyysss! Come play with meeeeee~!"

# ¿ Mar 16, 2015 23:21

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Climbing a giant tree straight into outer space would be a sensible escalation at this point.

Not sure what the rest of it represents, unless they plan to continue with EOIV's take on exploration. First you have to journey to Yggdrasil, then you have to climb Yggdrasil. Yeah, that's right--you all complained about the 5th Labyrinth in EOIV being too short? Well now it's an entire goddamned game all by itself!

# ¿ Mar 16, 2015 23:57

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Only the ones in Gladsheim though, yes? I can see why that would annoying, but it's not a hard area to fully explore.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 00:55

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Nah, that about covers it. If you've got anything left to do in the sea, you can pick up right where you left off as soon as you get the boat. See how fast you can complete the Labyrinth this time. Solve an ancient, secret war and reunite the cities in 3 days!

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 04:22

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I get a weird twitch in my eye just imagining it. Mmmmmaybe they're less threatening if you're level 99? It's a pretty safe bet for story mode, if only because the same 5 people get all the experience points.

Everyman posted:

Is it viable to run without a Fortress or Medic in the early game? I usually prefer more aggressive parties and debuffing to boosting defense and healing. I know I'll definitely be able to pull that off later, but I was curious to know if its more trouble than its worth when starting out. Are the QR codes in the op worth nabbing for the extra items? I'm pretty much going into this blind apart from looking at the classes (including the unlockable ones) so any tips or advice about new features is appreciated.

Possible, sure. Certain people--who will remain nameless--have been doing 5 Runemaster runs, for God's sake. EOIV probably has the smoothest curve of any game in the series. So, no Medic or Fortress would leave you with... Landsknecht/Dancer/Nightseeker Runemaster/Sniper? Probably feasible, even going in blind. Pick up Regen Waltz for your Dancer unless you want to spend a lot of extra money on items. Arcanist can do some healing too once you unlock them.

Rangpur fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Mar 17, 2015

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 15:41

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Oh for heaven's sake. It's starting to sound like the main reason Muckdiles exist in Untold 2 is to force you to waste your Force skills on the way to Ur-Child.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 16:25

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

EO1/Untold's postgame was the best for that. All That Lives Shall Succumb. To frustration when they walk into an invisible pitfall for like the millionth loving time.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 17:53

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Regy Rusty posted:

The sixth stratum is called the Cyclopean Haunt!?

... come on I gotta at least explore this a liiiiittle bit before resetting...

I know the feeling. One look at the title card (and that music) was enough for me to go all the way to B25F. Don't do that though. I suggest exploring until a FOE blindsides you and wipes the party. Usually doesn't take long.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2015 01:11

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Regy Rusty posted:

E: Okay even funnier is the reveal that the Pale Horse guild is an all Farmer organization.

As an all Farmer guild, they're obviously very familiar with Death.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2015 21:33

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Regy Rusty posted:

I finished the Deep City ending.

Seyfried Did Nothing Wrong

Of those two endings, he is the one in the right. It's not even open to interpretation, really. It's a nice touch the game doesn't rub your face in it though because it's natural to sympathize with the side where 95% of the NPCs you interact with live (that also provides a much better class unlock as a reward).

The thing about the true ending is that it represents a better solution that neither of the two sides would consider on their own. Have you figured out the first flag to unlock it yet? Because it is honestly kind of dumb. I strongly suggest looking up the requirements now so you don't end up having to play the story a 4th time.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2015 19:24

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Nope! It's a very strange design choice because it's not hard to do at all, but simultaneously one of the last things you'd expect to influence it.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2015 19:30

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I don't have the comics handy but Yuji Himukai, who does a lot of the series art, is a big Monty Python fan. A couple of the comics he did for EOII reference their sketches. (I, uh, also thought the city of Aaeea was a reference to Castle Arrrgh, since I didn't recall the name of Circe's island).

# ¿ Mar 21, 2015 03:50

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Instant death will work, and I believe panic as well. You don't get the drops or EXP if they get eaten.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2015 14:33

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Explore the rest of the floor first. Your goal is to kill the tentacle FOEs. It makes him... Well, not easy but marginally less difficult?

# ¿ Mar 23, 2015 20:26

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Solo Imperial run might be interesting. It's a class which almost never gets any play during the early game/low levels. They have a damaging yet narrowly focused set of skills with almost no support abilities. But what would the rules be? Even the weakest possible Drive Blade is much stronger than the starting equipment in the shop. On the other hand, if you don't use that you're stuck with nothing but basic attacks until you unlocked multi-classing. That certainly qualifies as a challenge, but it's not something I'd wish on anyone.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2015 00:07

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

SC Bracer posted:

Is gladiator the best shogun sub? I have a terrible, terrible idea for adding some flavour to my 2nd run of EO3.

Gladiator is the best sub for any EO3 class that relies on physical damage, thanks to Berserker's Vow/Charge. I dunno why you'd describe it as a terrible idea though, unless you mean in comparison to playing a Gladiator with a Shogun sub instead for Warrior's Might.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2015 00:01

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

How the gently caress are your XP bars STILL synched up after all this time?

# ¿ Mar 28, 2015 18:20

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I suspect it has more to do with the size of the games than anything else. Dr. Fetus' LP of EO2 updates at a pretty good clip and it still represents hundreds of screenshots and 8 months of work so far, just to complete the main game. (Grats on that, BTW.)

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 20:01

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Prism posted:

They're hosed. Atlus doesn't patch games, or at least I can't think of a case when they've done it.

SMT IV. That said, it's not terribly likely for any game not named Persona these days.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 16:22

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I hate those owls so much. I used a Light Scroll in the Torrential Ravine, which also reveals enemies over those giant pits that you have no way of reaching. Turns out there's big flock of Owls in the middle of nowhere that just spawn all the loving time.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2015 17:08

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Dear EMD sound team, you do very nice remixes but battle music you only hear for a couple minutes at a time does not make a good soundtrack for an hours-long dungeon.

Thank God I made it to Muspelheim. Now I can start playing with the sound on again. I usually like to be surprised but in this case, go ahead and spoil me for the tracks they use in the post-game. Might as well know in advance what I'm getting into.

# ¿ May 5, 2015 21:30

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Still plodding away at Mystery Dungeon. What's a good level for beating Mysterious Forest with a solo Wanderer? I've got the key, a gigantic stack of healing items and I'm roughly halfway through it but I don't know what kind of equipment and HP I need to beat the boss.

# ¿ May 13, 2015 18:12

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Persona Q is crippled by the same issue that crops up whenever an ongoing anime gets a feature film: you can't make any major changes to the status quo. Doubly so, in fact, since it takes place midway through two different games. There are some nice character beats in there, mind. Kanji remains the best, and their interaction makes Ken marginally less grating. Aegis does some world-class trolling, and I get a kick out of the Velvet Room trio. Rather liked the overall arc of the story too, but it doesn't outweigh the flaws.

I actually did enjoy playing it, but I'm like the game's demographic bullseye. It's not one I'd recommend unless you're equally crazy. A lot like Mystery Dungeon in that respect--an unwieldy fusion of two gameplay styles that had little in common except the difficulty curve. They both needed more time for playtesting and gameplay tweaks. I still have no clue how the Sovereign bug in EMD slipped through QA.

# ¿ May 16, 2015 14:28

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Solve the chemical puzzle first, if you haven't already. That dude is not to be hosed with lightly. Doing so puts him on the 'can be beaten with an endgame team,' level instead of 'beaten with a level 99 team made up of characters you previously retired at level 99, maybe' level.

Other than that? So long as you have characters capable of doing both multi-target and single-target damage, and a way to blunt his elemntal attacks you can probably take him.

# ¿ May 20, 2015 21:14

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Yeah, I went looking for landscapes and such but turns out it's hard to find artwork of the games that isn't focused on the artist's personal guild.

# ¿ May 25, 2015 22:40

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

I'm not sure if that was a space limitation, or meant to be a result of the dimension itself being warped.

# ¿ May 27, 2015 23:13

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

They're usually pretty intuitive. Although Tear Apart in EO3 apparently uses the croc's arms instead of the giant mout full of pointy teeth. I was so happy the Farmer finally contributed something too. :smith:

# ¿ Jun 2, 2015 13:29

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 17:47

Rangpur: Dec 31, 2008

Dr. Fetus posted:

So most the DLC in EO2U will be free upon their initial releases for one week. This excludes the grinding DLC, The Eldritch Hound, and Treasures Untold for some reason.

Awfully decent of them. Out of the paid stuff, Eldritch Hound is the only one I'd want anyway.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2015 04:27

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Etrian Odyssey Megathread II: You realize you have no need for a crayfish

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