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It's sort of funny how weak some of the excuses are for forcing excess party members out of the plot for a chapter. If you did these chapters the other way around, how does Leia get sidetracked in Helioborg?
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Apr 13, 2016 04:55
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Level Seven posted:It's sort of funny how weak some of the excuses are for forcing excess party members out of the plot for a chapter. If you did these chapters the other way around, how does Leia get sidetracked in Helioborg? You know, I've honestly never done that. I've gone to Helioborg first every four times the choice has come up (two playthroughs on my own for Plat, and now the same for the main playthrough and my alternate choices playthrough). I would imagine it involves buggering off to file a report or something related to her job.
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Apr 13, 2016 05:17
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Would a quick Allium Orb update be okay? I just want to know what you've been working towards. Also, how is Volt harder than, I dunno, Cress, Stahn, Rutee and Mint?
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Apr 13, 2016 05:37
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That's the postgame superboss, Junpei. There's a difference between a boss being hard by being hard and a boss being hard because you are unprepared. Have you played this game, by the way?
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Apr 13, 2016 05:41
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Junpei posted:Would a quick Allium Orb update be okay? I'll start putting something together that might help, maybe in the next update. Also, the reason Volt is harder than that fight is because unless you're doing power leveling for like 10 hours, the boss is way too hard in proportion to the place in the game where you're at. Since the latter fight is the final real battle of the game, when you've conquered (almost) every gameplay challenge the game has to throw at you, you have tons of HP / TP (so more room for error), more accessories for bonus effects to cover weak points, more skills to enhance how your characters play, more chance to acquire great equipment and use it effectively (to make no mention of Devil's Arms), and that the challenge level of the latter fight is perfectly reasonable when you have all those advantages going into it, and the experience of going through nearly the entire game. It's objectively the harder fight, but it never feels as singularly unreasonable as Volt is. Besides, even at the very extreme, the average player will make it to Volt in 4-5 hours (even if you go to Marksburg first). For a veteran player, who is either familiar with Tales games or has played a lot of Xillia 1, that's fine, but for a player picking up this game, Volt is a major stumbling block. Even if you're fine with Power Combos, which is the real test of that fight, Volt is still way too hard for the average player, whereas 90% of the people who play this game will likely never see the cameo battle except on YouTube. The only fight I think would be at all comparable to Volt would be the bad ending fight. (kinda an ending spoiler) But even that is more reasonable, and that's really the name of the game when it comes to comparing difficult boss fights in this title. Sylphid fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Apr 13, 2016 |
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Apr 13, 2016 05:45
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alcharagia posted:That's the postgame superboss, Junpei. There's a difference between a boss being hard by being hard and a boss being hard because you are unprepared. Have you played this game, by the way? In fact, I do.
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Apr 13, 2016 05:57
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Who's your favorite character? Mine's the one with the big sword and the nice suit.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:09
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Hello, I am here to join the "gently caress Volt entirely" parade. When I was playing through this game, I had sort of a policy where if I died 3 times in a row on a boss, I'd pop the difficulty down one and then just do it that way. I kept that for Zestiria. Volt is the reason that policy exists.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:34
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alcharagia posted:Who's your favorite character? Mine's the one with the big sword and the nice suit. It's too bad on higher difficulties Ludger is pretty much mandatory in boss fights, because drat is nice suit guy fun to play as.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:37
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Sylphid posted:It's too bad on higher difficulties Ludger is pretty much mandatory in boss fights, because drat is nice suit guy fun to play as. I just had Ludger in the party and switched to him when, uh, relevant, because I don't actually like playing as him that much.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:42
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Yeah, Muzet's solo battle in Xillia 1 and Volt in Xillia 2 were the only places where I dropped difficulty. I think Volt is a tad easier to take on 2nd, if only because you have the strike element to work into power combos and bump the multiplier up. Muzet was mostly because I didn't battle as Milla much, so dealing with Sunburst Spam on higher difficulties was too hard for me to deal with. I rarely ever play as the main character in these games.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:49
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Overall, Tales games have come a long way when it comes to making non-main characters fun to play as. In Phantasia Cless was like mandatory to play for 90% of the game, with *maybe* an exception for Chester and Suzu, but even that's a stretch. Mint, Arche, and Klarth are just not fun to play as at all, at any point in the game.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:55
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If you go the Marksburg first, then at Helioborg Leia will go off to fix Helioborg's defense systems. After you get Elize, but before you defeat Volt, you can backtrack to the start and actually meet Mary early. Neat, if irrelevant.
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Apr 13, 2016 09:32
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Sylphid posted:Oh, and wdarkk, I'm gonna need a fashion line-up from you, for: Ludger, Jude, Alvin, Elize, Leia, and Rowen. I know it's tough, but you're capable. OK, so:
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Apr 13, 2016 20:44
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wdarkk posted:OK, so: There's a Huggable Sophie in Xillia 2? I thought that was Zesty.
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Apr 13, 2016 21:23
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Sylphid posted:There's a Huggable Sophie in Xillia 2? I thought that was Zesty. Yes, there is. You have a Graces save on that ps3, right?
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Apr 13, 2016 21:39
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wdarkk posted:Yes, there is. You have a Graces save on that ps3, right? That would explain why I've never seen her. I do not, in fact. I don't have a Huggable Sophie 
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Apr 13, 2016 21:47
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This game seems unusually proud of its cat physics.
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Apr 14, 2016 02:21
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Can you list all the current linked artes he have? List the name of the linked arte, people needed to use it, artes needed to use it, and what it does/looks like.
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Apr 17, 2016 21:34
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Part VII: The Man Who Advises So I asked alchargia to come up with an emergency outfit for Leia, and I think something may have gotten lost in communication...  However, in Duval, Leia's informat is not doing a good job of being inconspicuous...  The 411 on Duval  Sorry I'm late! So, uh...this is your informant? Yep. Jude, meet Jolyne. Anyway, you know why we're here. The train hijacking, right? Maybe I know something. Maybe I don't. I'm guessing it depends on whether we have money or info to trade, right? Hey...Ludger fills her in on the inside scoop... So that's the real story. I just love how Elle plays around with Rollo all the time in cutscenes when she's not otherwise speaking. Go ahead! Take a look at the videos and see Elle playing around with the cat while everyone else is talking. It's a fun detail! I also like how whoever voiced Rollo doesn't even sound 10% like a cat, but there's just something very amusing about the way he meows that makes me happy.  Ryow. Good stuff. Guess it's my turn to share. Word on the street is Braht's been funneling a certain somethin' somethin' to Exodus. Braht? That's the name of the government around these parts--right, Jolyne? Supposedly. Meaning? No dice. I like living. What're they sending? Weapons? Nope, guess again. Spirit fossils and boosters. Say what now?! That's right, kids. The next-gen stuff that's supposed to replace current spyrix techno-- Whoa, stop the press. This guy looks familiar. I suppose he does. This is Jude Mathis, the spyrite researcher. Mom always wanted me to meet a doctor. You make me feel all chatty. Wow, Jude. You're like a celebrity! Rumor has it there's a "demon" prowling the alleyways of Duval. He looks just like a regular guy on the outside, but I hear he's hiding some monstrous power. He uses it to stalk his prey. Like glasses guy. Word is even some of Braht's heavies have fallen victim. I just wrote it off as an urban legend, but maybe it's connected to the train hijacking after all. Well, this whole connection is tenuous, but I suppose we might as well follow up on it. A monster's a monster, after all. Right after this skit, though. Warning: this skit is terrifying!  Oh yeah, made another unscheduled debt payment after turning in a few more jobs in Duval. Note that new debt payment values are set after the end of each chapter's story content, so for now it's still 10,000.  Well, doesn't look like anything's off here, but...  Exodus attacks I really hope it's not. What, are you scared? No way! I ain't a 'fraidy cat! Besides, it might help us get to Canaan. I'm so sorry, Leia. I don't know what happened... What reason does Exodus have for gathering the materials to make spyrites? What's that, chief? Did someone say "spyrites"? You mean to say you're peddling spirit fossils? You bet. Only lesser spirit class ones, though. Speaking of that, have you heard anything about people gathering spirit fossils recently?  We're taking you into custody, unless you try something foolish. In broad daylight? Doesn't matter. Some reinforcements arrive, and it looks like trouble... These men... Braht agents. Looks like this could get ugly, unless we have some sort of trump card against this bunch... Thankfully, we do.     Ahhhhhhhhh!! See, Elle, this is why it might not be the best idea to keep you around...  The demon  Hey, what's the matter, buddy? You look like you've just seen a ghost. Oi, these guys are trying this ol' gag again?  Luckily Jude's right on top of that. Dr. Mathis is a quick learner. I get why you and Exodus hate me so much. But if you can't trust us...then at least trust in the spyrites! That's all I ask of you! We're so close to making them work! Curse that Jolyne. She must've ratted us out. Show no mercy. They're probably all Rieze Maxians. Things are getting pretty heady...    Hey, I recognize that... Spirit artes! A close one, this. Who? An old friend, and traveling buddy. Rowen's super smart. He knows everything. So he knows where the Land of Canaan is? The Land of Canaan, you say? That's right, old-timer! It's a magical place that grants people's wishes! Do tell... Well, I got a wish for that Canaan place to grant...death to all Rieze Maxia scum! Every last one of 'em! Anybody who looks at you arte-wielding monsters and thinks you're people like us is crazy! Quite right. Holy poo poo! Did Rowen lose his mind?!  Don't look! Rowen! What did you just do?! Need you ask? Elize, Gaius, Lady Driselle... I must avenge their deaths. I must atone for dispelling the schism.Oh man, the coot has totally lost it. Those three are still alive! No... Not like this... Those two must perish as well. This man isn't Rowen!  So whoever this is, he looks like Rowen, sounds like him, but most certainly is NOT the old-timer. Time to waste him.  So, what your first order of business is is to dodge his spirit artes, since his artes are pretty devastating and will quickly chip away at your party. He's pretty fast in throwing them out, and he has a lot of them, so interrupting his casting is paramount to winning this fight. Thankfully, Ludger's hammer does a great job of just that.  But, since this is the first battle we've had with Leia this game, let me introduce her. Her staff uses Strike damage (same as Jude), so she has a natural Power Hit against Rowen here (who is weak to Strike and Fire damage). She's the prototypical battle mage. She has a variety of spells for buffs, some single-target healing (as opposed to Elize, who has mostly group heal spells), and a wide variety of artes that send her airborne or can be used in the air. On the support side, her Partner skill is Item Steal, which only works on downed enemies. If you knock an enemy to the ground, and Leia is close (or Ludger if you're partnered with her), they'll attempt to steal an item from the enemy. It will be obvious if you're successful or not in the five-finger discount, but there are skills to increase your odds if you're more successful than not stealing from enemies at this point in the game. On the special ability side, her ability is thus.  If you successfully back step away from an enemy attack (so, much like the Snap Pivot), Leia's staff will grow twice as long, and as you might guess, give you twice as much reach. Not...overly useful. It's just cool when you pull off successful backsteps, is all. Note that if you have trouble with successfully backstepping and growing Leia's staff, a skill down the line will allow you to do the exact same thing by blocking an enemy's attack at the exact right time. For some reason I find this much easier to pull off. Oh, and if you watch the video, this moment is nowhere in the video, because I took like 3-4 tries to finally beat him. I underestimated him a bit, I admit.  Also in this video is an Over Limit combo of 7 Linked Artes!  Hammer Toss is an especially good arte to stagger Rowen. Ludger throws his hammer like a fire boomerang and happens to be one of my favorite Ludger artes, actually, especially since, again, Rowen is weak to both elements Hammer Toss is.  Another cool thing about partners is that if an enemy stuns you, they can automatically recover you from Stun with a Stun Recovery. Do note, however, you cannot do the same to them.  drat that was a sweet combo. If Jude and Leia were controlled by humans, we might have done even more damage.  If he starts casting with a red ! above his head, that means he's going to throw out Tidal Wave shortly, which is one of his highest-level spells. The only way to avoid considerable damage from this one is to use Magic Guard. To use Magic Guard, start blocking, then hold down on the control stick. You'll throw up a blue shield and considerably lessen damage from spells.  But a big smack just upside the head brought this demon down for good.    The King They must be hiding around here somewhere, so find 'em! What did you monsters do?! It's more of that spirit arte trickery! You really are monsters, aren't you! That's enough.  And who the hell are you?   Why is Exodus so intent on gathering spyrite materials? Imagine if they unleashed an out-of-control spyrite on the world. Everyone would see the danger in it. Public support would vanish in a flash. Indeed they would. The plan is a cunning one. Hold on a sec... Y-You're not gonna kill us? We're not the monsters you think we are.The three, however, run off, and good riddance. Nothing changes overnight. It would appear that hatred of Rieze Maxia runs deep within the veins of this city. Maybe you could go to the Land of Canaan and wish the hate away. Beg pardon? The Land of Canaan is a magical place that grants wishes for people. Alas...the power to alter men's hearts in the blink of an eye would be frightening, indeed. We could easily wish away that which makes us human. It's okay. These two are the real deal. Rowen, Gaius... Thank you. Erston. Huh? At the moment, I'm just a man about town, much like any other. Please, call me Erston. His Highness is traveling incognito to get a sense of public opinion in Elympios. Can you really do that? I mean, you are the King of Rieze Maxia. King?! I've never gotten to see a real king before! Gaius, man...I mean, Erston (which is his birth name. Gaius' real name is Erston Outway, which hardly seems intimidating, explaining his want of changing his name when he became King of Auj Oule (which is half of Rieze Maxia). Anyway, this is the kind of guy who can intimidate a room just by walking into it, so we better play along with Bruce Wayne here. My pleasure. He can be as stubborn as a child, this one. What was that, Rowen? Nothing. Hey, I just thought of something! Do you think that "demon" of the alleyways was Gai-- I mean, Erston here? I mean, it could've been... But the scary Rowen looked like the glasses guy, too. The "scary" me? Well, you see...Jude fills him in on what the hell just happened... Interesting. It would seem you've gotten yourselves wrapped up in some sort of paranormal phenomenon. Your thoughts, Rowen? Something's afoot. Based on? A hunch. Good enough for me. Now get to the bottom of it. As you wish. Would you be so kind as to allow me to accompany you henceforth? Well, why not? I'm Rowen Ilbert. A pleasure to make your acquaintances. Jude. I know. I can't let Exodus get me down. I'll perfect the spyrite tech and prove them wrong. *nod*  Check it out, Elize! It's our bearded buddy from before!  What happened? Aw, he got scratched. It's a battle-scar. Chicks dig that kind of thing. The old gang's back together. Yeah...Ludger gets another buzz on his cellphone...but it's not Nova this time!  Vera from Spirius Corporation here. A witness has spotted former director Kresnik. He's at Aladhi. Aladhi Seahaven. It's a port in Rieze Maxia. Other pursuit agents are on their way to the scene. You must hurry. Still got bills to pay, huh?  Alright, so, there's a ton of skits that pop up after that last event: The Evil Chancellor?!, Everyone's Clothes (complimenting the beard of a specific man gets you affection points for them), Alvin's first affection skit, and Just What is Teepo, Anyway?. I love Elle's interactions with the Xillia 1 cast.  However, I suppose I must introduce Rowen now. Rowen J. Ilbert (I don't believe the J. is ever identified. Maybe it's Jay) used to be a general in Rashugal's army (Rashugal and Auj Oule were the two countries in Rieze Maxia during the first game), and a close friend to its King Nachtigal. However, events great and small conspired to pit general and king against each other, and Rowen ended his liege and friend's life at the end of Xillia 1's first story arc. However, knowing all his connections and influence within Rashugal's nobility, King Gaius decided to make Rowen his Prime Minister after their conflict had ended, which Rowen all too happily accepted. Now Rowen is more or less the Lucius Fox to Gaius' Bruce Wayne. While the latter leads a life of celebrity and clandestine rear end-kicking, and is the titular power, Rowen more or less handles the government's day-to-day business.  So, there's no new Elite Monster for us to kill, so we're gonna have to do this the hard way. The job board has the usual listing of random jobs ranging from the Alest Highroad to the Tatalian Abyss, but trust me, you're not gonna wanna get near the Abyss for now. The enemies there will eat your team alive. But, there are a couple special jobs, one from Nova, the other from Ludger's landlord, in Trigleph, so we're headed there next. As it happens, I was sitting on 12,000 gald by the time I defeated Evil Rowen, and the payment to continue the story is 15,000, so the post-chapter stuff will be pretty short on my end. Enemies in Rusalle Highroad, where a lot of jobs are, should be within your skill level after Volt and Evil Rowen.  Oh hey, we do have a new character chapter to complete, so let's start Leia's story, why not?  An unusual errand Oh, hey, Ludger. What's up? Got some juicy news you're just dying to share? You'll have to forgive Leia. She's become a raging scoopaholic. I wouldn't be surprised if she mugged me just to get a story in the crime blotter. Ugh, c'mon, stop it already. Are you chasing down a hot tip? Reporter Leia Rolando would be happy to help! Um, no. Aw, come on! How else will I learn? Uh... Chief? I'm sure you're ready for a simple errand. Off with you now. Chop-chop. Oh! Did you get a chance to look at that story I turned in yesterday? D minus. The newspaper is not a diary for your rambling opinions. Next time, try having a point. What were you writing about, anyway? Unemployment? The environment? Corruption? Culture? You can't just write about whatever pops into your head. You need to-- I need to do what? Figure it out for yourself. I'm going for a walk. See you later. So that's Leia's boss... Well, a hardass is a hardass, no matter how right they may be... He's nice enough outside of work, but boy is he a tough editor. Any little flaw in your story and he'll tear it apart. But he's a world-class writer. When you read one of his pieces, it's like the whole story unfolds in your mind. I would kill to have half his skill. So that's why you were trying to tag along with him? The man works so quickly, I've never even seen how he does it. I thought this could be my chance. Well, guess I better get this to the station. Why don't we tag along, shall we? Thanks. Okay, let's get this done. Poor Alvin... But I mean, man, emoticons are just how things are done these days. But I have sympathy. Though, I mostly chose R1 for the sake of balance. Well, maybe halfway.  The creep I'm from the Daily Trigleph. Ah, yes. You have it, then? You that new girl they hired? Yep, that's me! Huh. And you're from Rieze Maxia, right? So you guys just borrow power from spirits whenever you need anything? Well, yeah, I guess you could say that. Like, if you get diarrhea or something, you'd need to pray to the spirits or perform rituals to get better?From fighting kings and spirits to being asked about bathroom difficulties by a station cop... Such is the misfortune of Leia Rolando. Um... You don't have to worry about that here. Our health-care system is second to none. If you ever get the trots or anything, just let us know. Sorry... That kinda shook me up. Leia's whole chapter here is kinda weird because none of the choices matter... Is what I would say, but it turns out that there's an optional scene coming up that the game *kinda* hints at, but is easy to screw yourself out of getting. More on that in a second... Incidentally, though, I'm going with L1 for this choice. I don't think so, no, but that just makes it that much harder to deal with. It sounds like stories of Rieze Maxian spirit worship get pretty mangled when they come over. He was a creep. If you let every Elympion misconception bug you, you'll grind your teeth down to the gums. I know. I guess I just get irritable when I'm hungry. You're hungry? Let's just get this back to the chief. He said he was going for a walk. He's probably still somewhere around town. Alright, so... To complete this chapter and proceed normally, just go talk to the chief again. However, if you want a bonus scene and chances to increase Leia's affection more, head to the local inn for some grub (it's next to Trigleph's port, which is the other exit from the market district.) Trouble is, I had no idea that scene existed when I recorded this part of the game, and after saving over both save files I'm using for this LP, well... Oh well. I'm gonna guess it involves food and Leia cheering up. Aaaaanyway, the chief is very close to where we parted ways from him.  What it means to report Hmm.The chief starts to walk away like a jerk... Researching something? I'll help! Tell me something. Why do we do extensive research? Uh... In order to write articles for the newspaper? Okay then. And what do those newspaper articles require? Umm... Well... Speed? Wait, no. Maybe... Accuracy? The station agent you gave the documents to is kind of a creepy fellow, right? Say you were writing an article about him. You think all you'd need is speed and accuracy? If you don't know the answer, you might as well give up. Going with L1 here, again. You got me. That his idea of advice, or was he just being a jerk? I wonder... It's weird to say this, but that was actually the longest conversation he's ever had with me about the job. It's gotta mean something. Anyway, he said I should give up trying to be a reporter if I didn't know the answer. Which means if I learn the answer. I can be a reporter! That's one way to look at it. But first, I owe you one Ludger. Whenever you need help with your gig, just lemme know! Thanks for everything today, guys!Yep, our gig... That's what's going on.  Oh, and I also got Leia's first affection skit after that scene. Aside from choices, completing every character chapter increases a character's affection by a set amount. Of course, you can only take advantage of that five times per character, but regardless of your choices, you can end up with max affection for every character (thanks to Linked Artes. Very boring and slow way to do it, though), or through a late-game consumable, on your first playthrough. Oh yeah, the item Leia gives you is the Gold Digger book, which gives you a 25% chance of doubling your gald at the end of a battle. Sounds good to me.  Other business in Trigleph includes catching a cat that's squatting in the middle of the 1st floor hallway (as no one else can remove it, you see.). Actually, this is one of three special cats in the game. Even if you carry over all cats from your previous playthrough, Malik is not among them, because he's a special case. So, you really only get 97 at the start of the game if you carry over cat stuff. Another special cat case is Catstantine the Third, who also is not carried over. However, that is not the only special business we have in Ludger's building.  Up in Ludger's apartment, you can pick up this item for Nova's job report. She is currently in front of Spirius HQ.  Dammit, Spirius. What kind of man do you think Ludger is? And lest you think I'm being unfair, this is only thing you get from the second bonus payment.  Oh yeah, to finish the Malik job, you need to have a pretty boring chat with Ludger's landlord. Really not worth transcribing, trust me. Instead, let's go chat with Nova.   Thanks so much! You really got me outta a jam. I got you a little something for your troubles... It's not much! Hehe, I bet you're surprised to see me with Aaron! To be honest, I wanted to throw a party for you with all our classmates to give you a little encouragement! And guess who's planning it! Aaron from Chemistry Club and yours truly! We had a meeting today, and we thought we'd take some time to celebrate while we're here. Hang on, Nova! You didn't tell me this "classmate" of ours was Ludger! Oh, come on! He deserves a little party, right? Plus, I really wanna hear that duet you guys used to sing!Huh...so Ludger wasn't always a Silent Protagonist. Guess his dream of fighting Julius scared him into silence... Quite distressing. Forget it, I'm outta here. Hang on a minute! Things've been really hard for Ludger lately, and...well... I know that! Everyone in our whole class knows that! His brother's a terrorist, and you've slapped him with a huge debt! He's bad news, and I don't want anything to do with him! What... But... I used to trust you, Ludger... I don't know I could've been so naive... Aw, Ludger! Wait, don't take it personal... You know how Aaron is! He always overreacts! Remember when he used to get in fights everyday? He'll cool down! He always does... Mm hm...Poor Ludger Well, we might as well turn everything in... This call opens up Aladhi Seahaven, which happens to be our next destination. However, we have an important question to answer first...  Pants or skits? The ultimate question, but the correct answer is skirts.... I mean, are you kidding me? Oh, and I guess this update ended just before the start of a big chapter. Good show... Update 7 alternate scene compilation Update 7 victory quotes Sylphid fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Apr 18, 2016 |
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Apr 18, 2016 19:56
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Rowen's "J" stands for Jade.
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Apr 18, 2016 20:10
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McTimmy posted:Rowen's "J" stands for Jade. There you go, stealing all the magic out of this game again.
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Apr 18, 2016 20:15
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Technically Gilland killed the King, Rowen (and everyone else) just roughed him up a bunch.
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Apr 18, 2016 20:36
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Why do they have a grudge against spyrites? Surely they know that their world is dying and that the only way to survive is to change the source of their power.
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Apr 18, 2016 20:43
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Sylphid posted:There you go, stealing all the magic out of this game again. Rowen's nowhere near Jade's skill in trolling. He's close, no doubt, but Jade wrote Graces's menu. 'Nuff said. Hunt11 posted:Why do they have a grudge against spyrites? Surely they know that their world is dying and that the only way to survive is to change the source of their power. A combination of skepticism, paranoia, and anger.
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Apr 19, 2016 05:25
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Not quite how I envisioned it, but also, better than I envisioned it.
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Apr 19, 2016 07:06
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alcharagia posted:Not quite how I envisioned it, but also, better than I envisioned it. Jade writing Grace's item descriptions, or why Spyrite isn't working out?
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Apr 20, 2016 02:45
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alcharagia posted:Not quite how I envisioned it, but also, better than I envisioned it. Sylphid posted:
I've followed a playthrough of Xillia 2, and I didn't know how absurd the costumes and add-ons could get. It's pretty loving 
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Apr 20, 2016 04:03
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To be honest, I'm surprised no one else has weighed in on the ultimate question.
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Apr 20, 2016 04:21
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Sylphid posted:
"Terrible things outside of his control have happened to him! That means he must be a bad person!" Man, that's a little too blatant.
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Apr 21, 2016 01:05
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BlackPersona posted:I've followed a playthrough of Xillia 2, and I didn't know how absurd the costumes and add-ons could get. It's pretty loving It's La loving Best.
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Apr 21, 2016 07:26
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alcharagia posted:It's La loving Best. Because I'm a serious person who cares about the plot, I didn't really use accessories that much. I kept Rowen's Specs and Leia's hat on.
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Apr 24, 2016 03:52
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Part VIII: The Man Who Explains So our next destination is Aladhi Seahaven, since we're still on the hunt for Julius and came up short in both Marksburg and Helioborg. Marksburg actually is one of two entirely new cities in this game. It was entirely built within the year between the end of Xillia 1 and the beginning of this game, which is drat impressive. It, as this skit explains, is both a literal and figurative bridge between worlds. Right now we're on the Elympios side, so we need to head to the market in the center of the city to pass through to Rieze Maxia.  Also, after you get the go-ahead to head to Aladhi, this Elite Monster pops up in the world. You could go fight him, as soon as you arrive at the seahaven, but trust me, you do not want to do that. I'm as Video Game Bloodthirsty as the next man, but trust me, you are barking up the wrong tree fighting this guy right now.  As soon as you pass into the next area of Marksburg, this pushy man will bother you with this game's crafting system. It works about the same as every crafting system you've ever encountered, and I believe about 100% of the people who are reading this thread right now have run into a crafting system in a video game somewhere, so I believe that's the last I need to talk about that.  The only thing you can make right now is the Reverse Doll, which has been a Tales staple since Tales of Eternia. Basically it's an extra life in battle as long as a character has it equipped when they die. Handy to have in a difficult situation, and can act as a poor man's Life Bottle in a situation where you either forgot to stock up on Life Bottles or a particular fight is sucking up Life Bottles.  Welcome to Rieze Maxia. We've crossed over the bridge, but we still need to take that ship to actually get to our destination. Since there's really nothing to do around here other than search for crafting materials, let's get right on that...  The Dash Man It's the informant lady! I'm Jolyne, remember? I just feel horrible about what happened. I don't suppose I could bribe my way back into your good graces? What are these? Winged Boots. Just a little somethin' somethin' to lighten your load and make you love me again. What are you talking about? Heh... A star reporter like you oughta be able to figure it out. By the way, an agent from Spirius is staying at the inn here. Toodles! Maybe she should be a reporter. ....So the Winged Boots work like this: R2 will cause your on-screen character to begin moving twice as fast across any field, but at the cost of causing your maneuverability to go way down, and if you run into an enemy, you'll start off surrounded. Still, it's much more convenient to traverse maps with this thing. You can also easy the stop of a dash by easing off on R2 instead of just letting go. Also, Rieze Maxia's progression works quite a bit differently, and the game itself is going to work quite a bit differently now that you've made it here. A lot of Rieze Maxia is pretty open, and you can go to Aladhi Trail on the way to Hamil (where the party first met Elize in the previous game) and continue following that trail for a while. However, we still need to pay off debt to open up the seahavens and travel over more of Rieze Maxia. Still, though, at this point in the game I wouldn't advise that.  At the inn, our 11th cat. Let's go talk to those Spirius agents chilling over in the corner...  The elite agent Julius  Urgh... Where does it hurt? I'm a doctor.Ludger's cellphone rings again... We've confirmed your arrival at Aladhi Seahaven. Recover the data from the pursuit agent and return to company HQ. Sorry about that. Here's the data. But those poor people... Recovering the data is your top priority. Bring it to HQ immediately. What's so special about it? It's a copy of of all the fractured dimension data that the former director Kresnik had collected and analyzed. Huh?Whoa whoa..."fractured dimensions"? And THAT'S what big bro has been up to? Fractured dimension? So you had a run-in with Julius. Yes. We had him outnumbered ten to one, and yet he still decimated us. But at least we got the data off him. Get it back to HQ. It'll really help us improve our ability to detect Waymarkers. You all go on ahead. I'll take care of these people. Need a hand, princess? I prefer the company of Rowen, thank you. This old geezer would be honored to help, young mistress. Hmph, good thing I have thick skin. In spite of the rather innocuous name, this is a big plot chapter. Anyway, Spirius Corporation is the really really big building in Trigleph we've passed a number of times on the way to the station.  The CEO's favor Goddamn Spirius has a nice pad... And it has some really funky music, that feels oddly out of place in this game, but I like it. Anyway, we're talking to Vera, the lady who came to came to Ludger's apartment with Bisley and Ivar. She's standing just in front of the front desk. We've been expecting you, Mr. Kresnik. Please deliver the item in question directly to the CEO himself. Look at this place! It's so big and pretty! Indoor voice, Leia. Who are these people? We'll increase Jude, Alvin, and Leia's affections by choosing L1, but I do find the prospect of R1 amusing... I believe only Mr. Kresnik was invited. We're a package deal! I'm Ludger's friend and advisor. And I'm the acting guardian of these minors. I'm acting guardian number two! And I'm... I'm... One moment, please. Acting guardian number two, huh? Look who's talking! All of you may enter. Mr. Bakur is most impressed by the loyalty you engender in others, Mr. Kresnik.We automatically get sent to the CEO's floor... Just as a note, I was unable to find any cats even after taking a personal tour of the premises, so they'll have to wait, as I know there are some cats around here. Also, even though it's located in Trigleph, Spirius HQ is treated as a separate location.  The Destroyer of Worlds  Why, Ludger. I've been waiting for you.Ludger hands over the data disc stolen from Julius... Thanks. Any leads on your brother's whereabouts? *shakes head* Well, as it turns out, I have news for you of both varieties: good and bad. Which one first? I will subvert both Bisley's and everyone in this thread's expectations by wanting to hear the good news first! But if everyone was expecting me to subvert their expectations, does that mean I'm actually playing into everyone's hands? Oh, and both choices will raise Bisley's affection.  Huh? Don't act so surprised; it makes perfect sense. I've been keeping my eye on you this whole time. You never back down from difficult situations. More importantly, you have the strength to face them. I'd wager you've been doing more than just keeping an eye on him. You've been testing Ludger. You can't get the true measure of a man by observing from a distance. You said there was bad news, too. Mr. Kresnik's going on the police's most-wanted list. So they're gonna throw Ludger in jail? Your life's about to get a lot tougher. But if you become one of my agents, I'll keep the police off your back. Even if I have to get pushy. He doesn't even have a choice! This is blackmail! I failed to mention that an agent's salary is considerable. You'll be killing two birds with one stone. You can avoid arrest and pay off that massive loan overnight--provided you show me results, of course. What kind of results? Fractured...dimensions? Surely you've noticed them. Worlds like ours, but not? There are offshoots. When one of these appears, it disperses soul energy from the prime dimension...our dimension, in other words. Wait, it disperses? That can't be good. And what happens if we don't do anything about it? Ultimately? Souls will vanish from the prime dimension. Of course, this means humans will die out as well. Whoa, whoa... Time out. This all sounds pretty far-fetched. Elympios going dry. The failure of spyrite technology. What if I were to tell you those effects were caused by the loss of soul energy from the prime dimension? It can't be true! Oh, but it is. Spirius has been working to save our world by eliminating its counterparts in the fractured dimensions. How could you possibly eliminate an entire world? That is a question for our friend Ludger here. His chromatus transformation has the power we need to infiltrate and destroy these parasitic realities. The power to destroy a world. No fair! I have no idea what everybody's talking about! Ludger, for the sake of this world, the true world, you must help us. Apparently both of these choices will also increase Bisley's affection, but hey, in for a penny, in for one hell of a pound.  Don't let me down. One thing I still don't get. What's causing these fractured dimensions? It's not a what. It's a who. A Great Spirit of Canaan. The Land of Canaan?! Another Great Spirit?! There is nothing to fear. We have in our possession the power needed to oppose him. Come to the underground training area, and I will show you how to wield it.And Bisley saunters off...  But, are you sure about this? Ludger is a man of action, so R1 it is, but not the choice you should make to increase Leia's affection. Your brother was a top agent too, right? I bet that talent just runs in the Kresnik family. What, a talent for destroying worlds? I'm talking about raw talent! Companies appreciate that stuff! I wish I had that...Ludger seems skeptical, however, and the scene fades out...  Well, that was some pretty heavy stuff. So, all the times we've gone to the weird Filter World, that was one of the offshoot dimensions that Bisley was talking about. The world where we fought the evil Rowen and all the people he mentioned were dead, the world where Volt was still an out of control spyrite, and the world where we fought Evil Julius and Nova was an accomplished fighter were all not the real world at all. And what's more, it seems our brother knew about all this and has been working for Spirius in the capacity of destroying worlds for a while now (the alternate choice where Ludger asks about Julius confirms this). Don't ever ask me about my business, indeed... On top of that, more Great Spirits! Seems Maxwell might not be the Lord of Spirits at all, but we're still painfully in the dark as to why this is all happening. Maybe after chatting about the big man a bit more, and meeting him in the underground training area will shed some light on things. Oh, and I definitely chose the best option in this skit. Also, your first instinct as an RPG player may be to rummage through the CEO's desk, but there's nothing there of interest...for now. Oh yeah, and my skit choice was funny.  On the floor below Bisley's (actually like 10 floors below if the elevator is accurate), there's this little room. I may or may not be screenshotting this for later use... Other fun things to do in this room include stealing someone's ramen lunch off one of the desks, and talking with this woman.  So, for some reason, they decided to stick this important bit of info with a very easily-missed NPC. Not sure why, but at least it gives us an idea what exactly happened with Julius on that train with the watches, but...haven't we seen another watch not belonging to Julius or Ludger before? It's also a bit weird to think about. The clock obviously is real, but how does being born with a clock work in the first place? Also, according to this woman, the clock's mechanism is simple enough, but there's a spell embedded in it or something that allows the Chromatus powers.  Moving on, the elevator to the underground is opposite the elevator on the main floor. Let's see what ol' Bisley has in store for us.  The Chromatus  You'll have to train the hard way. Actual combat. Don't interfere! Urgh!  When the clock in the lower right is finished charging, follow these instructions to activate a one-man pain train a la Ludger Will Kresnik. You can activate it while Ludger is in any state other than KO (so, being staggered, mid-combo, in the air, on the ground, etc.). There are a number of cool things about the Chromatus. Invincibility: you cannot die while using the Chromatus. The new clock in the lower right indicates how long Ludger can use the Chromatus before going back to normal. Getting hit by enemy attacks will decrease it faster, but it will naturally go down on its own. Note that the time reduced by enemy attacks increases depending on the power of the attack. Some enemy attacks can be so powerful that if you get hit by it, you'll instantly get taken out. New attacks: all of Ludger's basic attacks and combos are different while using the Chromatus. They're all variations of X and O, though, so nothing complicated. Also, circle will launch different artes, such as forward circle launching Falling Snow, which is a single hit attack that dashes right through an enemy. Because it comes out so fast, you can continue a combo indefinitely on a large enemy by just using it over and over again. But, I am a dreamer, and you can do better than that. A basic combo of X X X X X followed by a sidestep (there's no AC in Chromatus mode) will allow you to continue that combo, and that is an infinite combo in and of itself, and allows you to continue that combo on any size of enemy. Try it out! You don't want to press X six times because that'll launch a special arte that will knock the enemy away and allow them to recover and end the combo. Also, a Power Combo, if any, is carried over into a Chromatus usage. If you are attacking a single enemy, get a 9x Power Combo, and activate Chromatus, you can kick the rear end of even the toughest of foes in this game, as long as you're not interrupted. Oh, also, you don't stagger at all with the Chromatus, AND the Power Combo meter will not go down. It's just awesome. Carrying over: the Chromatus charges while Ludger is taking action (and not just free running, which would be pretty broken), and carries over that charge between battles. So, whenever you're fighting an Elite Monster, and you want every advantage you can get, fight some trash mobs to charge it up and then fight them.  S-Something's wrong with Ludger! That's enough for now. Still no match for Julius, though. So that's a chromatus. Where'd Ludger learn that trick? It's a family trait. He's one of Kresnik's descendants. See his watch? It's a Kresnik heirloom, passed down for generations. It's the key to the transformation. Though it would seem Julius has been using yours all this time. .... That's not Ludger's... It's my daddy's.Seems Elle still hasn't put the pieces together yet... Julius had the same watch Elle's father did, so... We're talking about Kresnik the Genesis Sage, right? The one who wielded the Lance of Will? The Sage Kresnik? Yes, I seem to recall that name from Rieze Maxian legend. So the tale is different in Elympios? If Kresnik wasn't a sage, what was he? A wretched plaything for the spirits. But Kresnik's curse is humanity's weapon. And you, Ludger, will master it. .... I will contact you when we detect a new fractured dimension. Until then, rest up.Nova gives us a dial... Look, Ludger, I really hate to bring this up, but...you've been neglecting your loan payments lately. Nobody likes a financial deadbeat.Hey! I know it's your job, Nova, and I don't blame you, but this is patently untrue. So much for resting up. After that scene ends, you gain access to the skills Kresnik and Speed Spoils. The former increases the amount of time you spend transformed (by like 5 seconds, I believe), and Speed Spoils gives you 2x more elemental orbs if you defeat Speed-type enemies while transformed.  For this skit, R1 raises Elle's affection. It's hard to disagree, honestly.  After you leave, Vera has a short scene where she gives you a World Map. The main usefulness of this item is warping around any locale you've visited instantly. Very handy, and if there's a special job or a character quest chapter in a specific town, they'll be clearly indicated as such (green ! for the former, pink ! for the latter).   And our full world map. We don't have many places we can go in Rieze Maxia just yet, but we've only got one more town in Elympios that we can go to, honestly. However, that's not for a *long* time.  So, after we end Chapter 6's plot content, we've got three new Elite Monsters (remember, Heavy Claw was added before) to kill. Siennabronc is a special case in that it will go to a number of different areas in Rieze Maxia, without sticking around at one in particular. However, if you know where it spawns in a specific area (for example, the Xagut Floodmeadows), you can go back and forth between screens to make it spawn in that particular area. However, right now, don't sweat it. Siennabronc is very powerful and you're not really meant to fight it right now. However, you can handle the other three, with the power of the Chromatus. Now then, the debt payment this time is 50,000 Gald, and at this point in the game I have about 9,800, so I've got a bit of a climb. However, while we're in Duval, let's start Alvin's character story.  Life of a salesman Got some time to kill? Why? Uh-oh. He's about to ask a favor, and it's not gonna be pretty. Those reporter's instincts of yours are right on the money. Now he's just kissing up. This favor must be a doozy. I'm about to go to work, is all. Mind lending a hand? You'd never guess from looking at hi, but Alvin's actually a fruit merchant. He buys his stuff fresh from Rieze Maxia and wholesales it to grocers in Elympios. We just got started, so we're still in the early stages of making connections and nabbing clients. I could use some help. It's Alvin, everyone! You're a real sport. Thanks. Just pretend you're shoppers passing by and follow my lead, okay? This sounds like a racket. Great! I'll go work my magic. Remember, we don't know each other! What're we getting into?Huh, this oughta be simple enough...  Public disturbance I doubt they'd even know the difference. Care to try some samples?They have a few samples... What do you think? Notice a difference between 'em? Hmm... The one on the right's nice and sweet. The one on the left...not so much. Hmm. You think so, huh? What about you, sir? Which do you prefer? Again, it's Alvin. A better bro we couldn't ask for. Interesting. What'd I tell you? Okay, you sold me. I'll start stocking your poranges on a trial basis. A wise businessman! A fight? I know that voice...  That's for us to decide, bub. Don't you Rieze Maxians understand the concept of boundaries? That's why I'm here! I've come to negotiate a partnership with Skylark Exchange. Whatever. No one wants your crap. You okay? Hey... Alvin! Please let me talk to Mr. Arthus at Skylark Exchange. Weren't we clear? We're not about to let any stray lead hit the Skylark Exchange. The Rieze Maxian and his friends, though... That's a different story.  You maniacs would risk a bloodbath on public streets?! Prepare for judgment from an elite junior agent of the Spirius Corporation! Oh... You guys. Why am I not surprised? Hey! We haven't done anything... Enough of your lies! Our first real fight with Ivar! He's actually pretty tough, since he has a lot of high-damage attacks, and attacks that hit a wide area. Just be aware of his artes, which you've seen a lot of before in the Gun and Hammer Ivar fights. Just be sure to start off with Azure Edge (he's weak to Wind), and play it smart with Power Combos.  Of course, no harm in showing Junior here what a real Spirius agent can do.  Ivar used Light Spear four times in a row, and started it off with Dragon Spear, which seems to be basically the same attack...  Jude here has gone loco, thanks to one of Ivar's attacks. When affected, the victim will randomly attack you or the enemies, and you have absolutely no control over affected character(s) unless you either clear the status effect with a Panacea Bottle or the afflicted gets KO'd. Jude's not exactly dangerous, so we can just ignore him until it passes.  Pretty solid payoff all-around, really.  Uh, Ivar, maybe you should mosey off. Huh? Hello, officer? I'd like to report a nutcase swinging swords at people. Yeah. He keeps saying he's an agent or something. Ivar then dashes off in a flash... What a weirdo. Some people just never change. At least you're safe. You gotta be sure to watch yourself around here. Yeah. What is this? So you all know each other? No, no, w're just...getting acquainted. Right, then. Sorry for you, but the deal's off. Aww, I'm sorry. You had him hooked, too. No biggie. Plenty more potential customers where he came from. Did you blow another deal? Huh? Oh, that was nothing. Don't worry about it. You sure? You've lied through your teeth so much that it makes me wonder if you're ever telling the truth. Anyhow, I've gotta run. Sure... He didn't really mean that. Maybe he's right. Well, Yurgen's not exactly wrong about the lies, but Alvin's a good guy at heart. Integrity? Me? He's right. You wouldn't care what he thinks if the job wasn't important to you. Come on! I wouldn't go that far! Heh. Yeah, let's not do that again. Well, so much for the job. Didn't exactly work out, but thanks. No problem, man  Alternate choices compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Apr 25, 2016 |
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Apr 25, 2016 16:16
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To be fair, Rollo is a prodigious kitty, and needs constant guarding.
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Apr 26, 2016 06:56
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So, we're going to go on a dimension slaying spree? Are we sure we're the good guys here?
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Apr 26, 2016 12:35
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Omobono posted:So, we're going to go on a dimension slaying spree? They're making our world shittier! It's justified! And any dimension that makes Rowen evil deserves to be destroyed.
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Apr 27, 2016 01:21
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Omobono posted:So, we're going to go on a dimension slaying spree? The best part is that the game will constantly chicken out about addressing this. Forever.
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Apr 27, 2016 01:30
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wdarkk posted:The best part is that the game will constantly chicken out about addressing this. Forever. I dunno, I always got the "Necessary evil" vibe to it. It's not the first plot point that is completely glossed over in actuality (hello Oscore Plant). You can certainly make an extremely cynical argument the lives of those in the fractured dimensions were never meant to be in the first place (which is what Bisley would certainly argue, and that it's the spirits' fault in the first place those lives are being forced to be eliminated, and that humanity, which by extension would be the Kresniks and those helping them, cannot possibly be blamed for fighting back in the only way they can). (pretty heavy spoilers) I mean, at some point, taking in the larger scheme of things, they had to make a choice and stick with it, regardless of whether it made them the "good guys" or not.
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Apr 27, 2016 04:04
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Also, since it's been 2 1/2 updates with the previous costumes, alchargia, we're gonna need the works from you again: Ludger, Alvin, Elize, Jude, Leia, and Rowen are gonna need new threads.
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Apr 27, 2016 21:29
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*cracks knuckles* Deliver unto Ludger a Milla's Bangs Replica and Noise-Cancelling Headphones to give him the shut-in unwashed NEET look, but his Business Outfit because he has a degree of professionalism despite that. Alvin deserves Aviators- bright pink to represent his status as the party Zelos- and a sweet Ten Gallon Hat (regular hairstyle.) Also, get him a loving shave, christ Alvin. Elize skinned her knee, but they didn't have any bandages at the infirmary so they just gave her a Mint uniform and a Tengu Mask to cover her knee with. Also she's wearing Black Bunny Ears and her Hat hairstyle. Jude was going to put on his jacket, but then he put on Spaz Glasses and a Pipe and hehehehahaha, Leia, Leia, you gotta try this! Leia, ever the erstwhile reporter, was too busy being in disguise as a wandering Shamisen player in her Xillia 1 outfit to comment. Important reporter work. Mr. Frog was there too! Finally, Rowen, in his Xillia 1 outfit, has had his head consumed by and replaced with noble dragon friend Ba'ul, whose tail points out of where Rowen's head once was towards the sky, ever yearning to return to his home.
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Apr 27, 2016 23:41
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