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How many replies are we from a new page? That update sounds interesting. Edit: Well that answers my question.
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Nov 11, 2017 16:32
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Part 22: To CELL And Back Last time, Euchre won the Monster Scout Challenge, but was tricked by Dr Snap who turned Wildcard into the Ace of Spades. Euchre followed them to Fert Isle in an attempt to stop their nefarious plans to cause the Great Catastrophe. Music: Island  This time, he'll be going to CELL headquarters, just off the coast of Fert Isle, so as to corner the two. Music: None  Euchre will be taking a jetski to get there, as usual. This time there's no map on the bottom screen that shows Euchre's route, because CELL HQ technically counts as part of Fert Isle. Music: Seeking Treasure  When Euchre lands on the island, nobody is there to greet him. Unsurprising, really, what with everyone probably being concerned with the rampaging monsters.  This is a different jetty to the one that Euchre originally left on, and the only object of interest nearby is this lift.  Unfortunately, the main part of headquarters is just a little bit wrecked. Let's see what that guy lying over there has to say about this situation.  I'm sure it'll be just fine. This is nothing a little spring cleaning won't fix, right?  Anyway, true to what was said, monsters are roaming the halls of CELL headquarters. Euchre's seen all but one of them before fairly recently, so there's very little point to looking at them again. They've basically just got a stat boost compared to how they were before.  As well as Dingalings, there are also Jargons. This one is guarding a treasure chest, and must be battled to loot it. Music: Monster Battle  Hacksauruses are also wandering around, and this Jargon just so happened to have one in its party.  While we're in battle, why not show off Vamp's new spell? He's put enough skill points into Frizz & Bang II to learn Kafrizz, which is basically the same as it was on Metal King Slimes a couple of updates ago.  It does around 150 damage to a single target. It's the party's best consistent damage option right now, along with Li'l Green's Kazap, because nobody has Oomph at the moment. Music: Seeking Treasure  Anyway, the treasure that the Jargon was guarding was this axe. It's pretty good in terms of attack power, but no members of Team Euchre can equip axes.  Moving on, there's a set of stairs on one of the sides of this room, as well as another person on the ground.  Well you see, there's this thing called a darkonium sphere and it makes monsters go berserk and this probably isn't very helpful while you're bleeding out on the ground, is it?  The stairs are the more important of the two right now, though. As it turns out these are the exact same stairs that Euchre wasn't allowed to go down right at the beginning of the game. We've almost come full circle!  The room at the top of the stairs contains something a little different. It's the only new monster in CELL HQ. Music: Monster Battle  Metal Dragons are fairly simple. They're probably some of the more durable monsters around, and that's not just because of their high Defence.  Part of it is that Dazzleflash makes it very difficult to hit them with physical attacks. Magic or breath attacks are the way to go to deal with these guys.  Unfortunately, in order to scout this one, Team Euchre has to rely on physical attacks. With no Oomph and only one physical-oriented party member, this is going to be a problem. Music: Seeking Treasure  It takes a while, but eventually one joins up. Note this particular specimen's level: 25 is about the same level as Team Euchre, with the exception of Vamp who is at level 19, and it's also the level of the monsters that can be found on uncharted islands. This is probably around the point where Euchre is supposed to fight the monsters there based purely on that.  The room that the Metal Dragon was guarding is empty, just like it was when Euchre was here last. From here on there are no chests or anything, since Euchre's already been through. Then again, there wasn't any treasure around the first time either.  Leaving the room gives us a glimpse of a Hacksaurus wandering around the place. I like how all the monsters that Euchre saw here at the start of the game are also here now, near the end.  Ignoring the axe-wielding dragon, Euchre moves on towards the other lift in the building. Once again, there's someone nearby.  Apparently Warden Trump is in danger, which is no surprise. CELL seem woefully ill-equipped to deal with anything like this based on the condition of the building.  Of course Euchre will be ignoring this plea for now and going down to the jetty he originally set off from.   Look around! We're in a lotta trouble here! You wanna know what's going on? Ask somebody else! It all went down to fast for me!Remember this guy? He gave Euchre Ducktor Cid way back at the beginning of his adventure. Sadly he's got nothing for Euchre this time, but that's just the way things go.  Still, at least we're safe. I hope the same can be said for the Warden... His guards are with him, so I don't think we have to worry, but...It's a little surprising that there are cells here in the first place. The only person we've seen in there is Euchre (and Joker, of course), and people seem perfectly content to hang around in them as opposed to nearer the jetty down here.  He had a really weird laugh and a big, grey doggy!Yep, that's Snap all right. It's good to know that this is all definitely his fault.  Anyway, that's all there is down here. There's a surprisingly low number of people down here considering this is one of the last places without any monsters. Maybe it's because there just aren't many people who can make it there...  Moving on, the door ahead leads outside.  It's pretty much what it was at the start of the game, but now without people and with encounters. Exciting! It's also notable that Zoom doesn't work out here, so there's no escaping the island without taking the jetty Euchre came in on.  That's all there is in CELL HQ other than Warden Trump's office, so there's only one logical thing to do.  That is, of course, going in.  Looks like Euchre was just in time, too!   The Belial appears to be surprised by this.   It's not surprised for long, though, since it immediately attacks Euchre! Music: Boss Battle  So, the Belial. It's got Double Trouble, so it attacks twice per turn. Expect to see that a lot.  The only ability I've seen it use is Buff, and not even that often. This one was on the last turn before it got beaten. You should know how to deal with that by now: debuffs, magic or breath attacks. Thankfully Team Euchre has two out of those three.  I could have sworn it had more than just that, but I'm not complaining. Fewer offensive options means an easier time. As it is, two attacks at this much damage is fairly dangerous. It'll do even more damage to Vamp, too, due to his all-around lower stats.  That's why he's the first to get Buff cast on him. It's best to prioritise the most likely to die in this situation, just in case they get targeted twice, but everyone else is also getting a Buff after this.  And, of course, Weakening Wallop exists to nerf damage output into the ground. This one's in the bag now.  As I said earlier, the best damage options right now come from Team Euchre's spells. That's disregarding Red Horn's Psych Up, of course, but he's kind of busy debuffing Belial.  With two mages constantly spamming their best spells, as well as Red Horn's debuffing contributions...  ...Belial falls unceremoniously. Music: None  It drops an Yggdrasil Dew, which is pretty valuable. It'll probably never get used, though, because I hoard items way too much. Music: Seeking Treasure  Now that the Belial has been taken down, Warden Trump is safe - at least for now. Euchre, of course, rushes to his downed father. Music: Unknown   I'm not...much of a...father, am I? Not like this... We had sent cadets in before, but the MSO's security was just too tight. So we used you to lure Snap away from his office.Really? The security was a joke! How else did CELL's mole get in?  But then Snap appeared, accompanied by a vicious, black beast! What!? That was the Incarnus? Yes, of course. That would have been his plan... That is when things got...out of hand. He is using dark matter to control the Incarnus and achieve his goals... I heard about your victory...in the challenge. You are the...only one who can... (cough) I created the orb based on the research stolen from Snap. The fool. He was so fixated upon the Mark that he walked right past it. Heh heh...For all his intelligence, Dr Snap is remarkably stupid sometimes. Between this and when the Scout's Mark was taken, that's twice he's been fooled by CELL now.  Use it...to end that evil beast's...  Monsters are...foul creatures. We cannot live alongside them. I never told you, but it was a monster that...took your mother from us... Always remember! They are our...I can't help but think this falls a bit flat. Euchre has been using monsters all game, and they've done nothing but be helpful. Hell, Wildcard was positively friendly towards Euchre before Dr Snap got to him. Then again, this does provide ample motivation for Trump to take such efforts to prevent Euchre from becoming a monster scout.  He has told you the truth. Now let him rest.Music: Seeking Treasure  With that, Euchre's left to his own devices once again. Checking on his father's condition is still top priority.  Unfortunately he's unconscious right now and isn't likely to come to his senses any time soon. So what should Euchre do now?  Why, check the bookcases of course! Since CELL stole Snap's research notes, all the important ones are in the bookcases around this room.  The archipelago is home to a singularity which opens a portal to the dark world once every 300 years. When the portal opens the darkness beyond begins to affect our world causing its form to change. ...the dark world's invading multitudes. Though we dismiss it as a barren wilderness the scene of this event is none other than Infern Isle.Well, that's not much of a surprise. This would mean that Snap and Wildcard will most likely be heading to Infern Isle next, so that they can open the door to the dark world. After all, there was that one door there that nobody could open.  There are actually multiple bookcases around the room with research notes in them. It's worth it to take a look at all of them. But I have recently come to believe that it is dark matter which is responsible for generating monsters. It appears that dark matter can mould the substance of our world into something wholly different.Essentially, monster biology is so different to that of humans because they've been warped by dark matter. Good to know.  ...as an obstacle to my ambition. I could not have been more wrong. Far from blocking my path, the Incarnus holds the key! For the Incarnus is responsible for maintaining the balance of dark matter.Snap had obviously been planning the corruption of Wildcard for some time. Thank goodness he didn't recognise him as the Incarnus back on Xeroph Isle, otherwise all of this would have happened much sooner and Euchre would be powerless to stop it.  However, I believe I have found a solution. Those stained in dark matter will draw more of the substance into themselves. So I shall stain the Incarnus. The darkonium crystals I gather through the challenge should accomplish this perfectly.Snap's final set of notes reiterate what he said after the finals: he planned to pump Wildcard full of dark matter to bring him in line with his way of thinking.  And with that, Euchre's finished with CELL HQ. None of the monsters are cleaned out yet, but the worst is over with.  Next time, Euchre will be leaving CELL HQ and tailing Snap once again all the way to Infern Isle. Extra: The Monster Library Metal Dragon   Metal Dragons have the Skills Assassin and Attack Boost when scouted, and just Assassin when synthesised. They have no Traits and are immune to Whack. Assassin is a Skill that specialises in inflicting status ailments with its attacks. Sleep Sock, Paralysing Punch, Baffling Bonk and, of course, Assassin's Stab all feature. On top of this there's some utility, such as Mercurial Thrust, Dazzleflash and Multislash, which are mostly useful abilities to have. Finally there's Whack Guard, which is always a nice resistance to have. You don't want your monsters to be instantly killed, after all! Overall, I think this is a very strong Skill for physical-oriented disablers to have, especially because of the added utility afforded by the non-diabling abilities. Recommended. Epicmissingno fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Nov 11, 2017 |
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Nov 11, 2017 16:34
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So can ya own monsters ever get that thing that lets them act twice?
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Nov 11, 2017 17:40
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Deceitful Penguin posted:So can ya own monsters ever get that thing that lets them act twice? Yep. That Demon-At-Arms that was synthesised last update has that Trait. In fact, monsters that you fight as bosses have the exact same Traits and resistances when you get them, so Belial will be able to do that too. It's worth noting, though, that you can't give two commands to a Double Trouble monster per turn, so it only works if you turn autobattle on for that monster.
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Nov 11, 2017 17:52
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Epicmissingno posted:Yep. That Demon-At-Arms that was synthesised last update has that Trait. In fact, monsters that you fight as bosses have the exact same Traits and resistances when you get them, so Belial will be able to do that too. It's worth noting, though, that you can't give two commands to a Double Trouble monster per turn, so it only works if you turn autobattle on for that monster. So basically, it's a choice between "do two things per turn" and "fight smart" for the most part, right?
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Nov 11, 2017 18:14
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The AI in Dragon Quest games, at least from the DS onwards, is actually fairly good. I recently finished a playthrough of Dragon Quest 7 for 3DS where I restricted myself to AI control for everyone but the protagonist (who cannot be put under the AI). It went fairly well; I only needed to break the rule once or twice, to use Yggdrasil leaves when my protagonist fell in battle (because the AI will not use items) before any of my party learned Zing/Kazing. As long as you intelligently manage what AI setting each party member is on, they'll take proper actions most of the time. There's even an advantage to using AI control; the AI doesn't select the character's action until their turn comes up, unlike you who are forced to select your action at the beginning of the round. The AI will frequently heal in reaction to damage taken during the round when set to "Focus on Healing", as opposed to you needing to predict who is going to take a hit during the round. I wouldn't place it as better than a human player who knows the system well, but it's competent. There's no DQ4 NES Kiryl spamming Thwack when three party members need healing, for example.
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Nov 11, 2017 23:08
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I may not have gone into this, but there are four AI settings in this game: Show No Mercy, Mix It Up, Focus On Healing and Don't Use Magic. Show No Mercy is fairly obvious: do lots of damage with no regard for MP use. Sadly this is purely on a turn-to-turn basis, so the AI is unwilling to set up buffs and use Psyche Up among other things. Mix It Up is...well, I don't know exactly what it does, but I'd assume that it involves setting up with status effects, buffs etc. It's in no way reliable, of course. Focus On Healing is also obvious, and Commander Keene already said it can be used to react to damage more quickly than the player can. It's what makes it the most predictable, and probably best, AI setting. Finally, Don't Use Magic makes the user refuse to use any MP whatsoever, so it can be used to attempt to force abilities with no MP cost like Helm Splitter. The user is much more likely to just use their normal attack, though. Sorry if anything wasn't particularly clear about that. I'd be happy to answer any questions people have about anything, not just the AI systems.
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Nov 12, 2017 01:03
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Dragon Quest will never really live down trying to do workable AI on an 8-bit system.
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Nov 12, 2017 21:00
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I don't remember the AI in DQ4 being all that bad aside from Kyril's Thwack spam. Am I forgetting something?
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Nov 12, 2017 22:09
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I've never played the NES DQ4, so I'm no help there. I got into the series with Dragon Warrior VII on PSX. The AI there was decent, and probably the prototype for the AI in the DS remakes. I think Mix It Up is the monster's default AI. Which is not what it uses as an enemy, AFAIK; player monsters have better AI routines, especially in target selection.
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Nov 14, 2017 03:45
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ultrafilter posted:I don't remember the AI in DQ4 being all that bad aside from Kyril's Thwack spam. Am I forgetting something? Well, you couldn't turn it off, and the casters tended to prioritize total damage over total kills. So it's like, doing half the hit points of 3 groups of 2 monsters is great and all, but I'd really rather take out 1 group entirely, or even 1 monster, to reduce incoming damage. I mean, I kind of appreciate the idea of previous protagonists bringing their own uncontrollable motives, since you couldn't really do Taloon by giving him commands, but drat if it didn't get frustrating.
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Nov 14, 2017 05:30
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Glazius posted:Well, you couldn't turn it off, and the casters tended to prioritize total damage over total kills. So it's like, doing half the hit points of 3 groups of 2 monsters is great and all, but I'd really rather take out 1 group entirely, or even 1 monster, to reduce incoming damage. I mean, I kind of appreciate the idea of previous protagonists bringing their own uncontrollable motives, since you couldn't really do Taloon by giving him commands, but drat if it didn't get frustrating. There actually was a Game Genie code that let you turn the AI off, and I remember not using that all the time. I think that I ended up preferring manual control for random encounters and the AI for bosses, but it's been a long time and it could've been the other way around. I may have to give DQ4 another spin, both to check out the AI and because it's a great game.
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Nov 14, 2017 05:42
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Part 23: Mr Euchre's Wildcard Ride Last time Euchre saved his father, Warden Trump, from Dr Snap's monsters, and received a hint that Dr Snap would be heading to Infern Isle to finish carrying out his plans. Music: Seeking Treasure  This time, he'll be following Snap there in order to stop him. Music: None  The first order of business, of course, is to leave CELL HQ and go back to Fert Isle. Music: Scoutpost  The scoutpost seems as good a place as any. Black Jacques should still be here, and he's sure to be interested in what Euchre has to say about the fate of CELL.   I 'eard you went to ze 'eadquarters by yourself. What did you say!? Warden Trump 'as been injured...!? Oh, 'ow I wish zere was something I could do for 'im... And now you 'ave been entrusted wiz a great mission, eh? (sigh) I know YOU will not let ze Warden down like I did.I'm sure Black Jacques will be welcomed back to CELL with open arms. After all, it was a pretty desperate situation. I wouldn't blame him for fleeing.  The air is deadly still....like the quiet before the storm.Actually, come to think of it, nothing really bad seems to be happening around here right now. Maybe Snap hasn't started the Great Catastrophe yet.  One minute it was here, and the next it was gone. I don't know where it's headed... But if that thing got loose in town...Whatever the case, at such high speeds it's unlikely that Euchre will get to Snap before he can begin. Hopefully it's a particularly slow-moving catastrophe. Music: Island  Even if that's true, it's still best to get over to Infern Isle as fast as possible. We'll be skipping over the other islands on the way because, quite frankly, there's nothing interesting there. Music: Frozen World  The place looks a little different from Euchre's other visits here. Must be all the purple.  For some reason not everyone has evacuated in the face of impending doom.   It's partially because some people are too stubborn to leave. There's always one.  It's right over the wastelands - something big is happening out there! The cataclysm has come! No one can stay on this island and survive!Ah, that'll be the portal to the dark world. It seems that Snap's already put things into motion, although it's not all that surprising given how the island looks.  It doesn't matter what the state of things is right now, though - new monsters are around! Yes, all the monsters on Infern Isle have disappeared and been replaced by far stronger beasts. The first of these is wandering around on the beach where the Flyguys were before. Music: Monster Battle  Despite looking extremely similar to Restless Armours, Lethal Armours are actually magic-focused.  They only appear to have one spell, though: Kasnooze. It's pretty dangerous, to be fair, since it has a fairly high chance to send all of Team Euchre to sleep. Music: Frozen World  They can't capitalise on this very well, though, and don't come along with any other monsters. They also don't actually cast the spell that much.  Moving on, Euchre heads over to the northern side of the island. Remember this place? There wasn't really anything here other than two chests.  Of course, nothing's really appeared in the area that Euchre could access before other than some new monsters. Heading left at the fork has him run right into these Hacksaurus-ish fellows. Music: Monster Battle  Tyrantosauruses are pretty decent. Having three of them in an encounter can really drain HP quickly.  Helm Splitter is, as always, a good ability. The Attack stat of Tyrantosauruses isn't half bad, either, so it's important to be aware of any monsters who have their Defence lowered.  Funnily enough, though, they like to use what I think is Inferno, the tier 3 fire breath attack. It does a lot of damage, sure, but it isn't affected by Helm Splitter's debuff.  With only one around, scouting it really isn't bad.  On a slightly different note, Skeleton Soldiers can be found around here in encounters. There aren't any wandering around on the map, though. Music: Frozen World  Walking back to the split in the path and going the other way, there's yet another monster around. Music: Monster Battle  Cockateers are also a little nasty, although their abilities aren't quite as good as those of Tyrantosauruses.  Swoosh is definitely not as damaging as Inferno, but it's still group damage and it's used fairly often.  And Gust Slash is basically a small damage boost on top of their normal attack, since Woosh isn't the most common resistance. Music: Frozen World  Overall they're just kind of there for the most part, though if multiple copies of them spam Swoosh there could be trouble.  Next up is a monster on the upper part of the island. This makes four out of five monsters that appear on Infern Isle now palette swaps, at least in their original incarnations. This game does a little to differentiate the models, like giving Tyrantosauruses hammers or Lethal Armours polearms. Music: Monster Battle  Anyway, these particular monsters are Dragurns.  Their moveset consists of both Inferno...  ...and Cold Blizzard, its ice breath counterpart. Music: Frozen World  Together, they make Dragurns...kind of okay. They don't use their abilities often enough to really give them much advantage. The same can be said of most enemy monsters, frankly.  Anyway, that's everything done on the parts of Infern Isle that Euchre's visited already. It's time to start treading some new ground.  Remember when that door just ahead was impassible?  And there's an ill wind blowing in from the wastelands beyond... The situation is out of control. If we don't get everyone off Infern Isle soon...As it turns out, instead of just flying over the gate, Dr Snap had to actually pass through it. That would probably make this the gate to the dark world that he and Wildcard talked about.  There's nothing that Euchre can do but follow after them.  Interestingly, the door doesn't immediately lead to the northern side of Infern Isle. Instead there's a little transitional area. It doesn't have anything in it outside of that one guy over there.  Wh-What IS this? Could this be the ancient catastrophe all over again!?Euchre will proceed to completely ignore his advice and go onward anyway.  Like so.  Unfortunately, upon entry, Euchre is ambushed by a cutscene!  Yep, that's Euchre all right. It's not like he's been on-screen for the whole game or anything.  The camera pans up from Euchre to show the new structure that's somehow sprouted up from the ground. That's some quick volcano growth.  Sadly, the place is pretty uninteresting in terms of mechanics. It's basically just a winding path up to the peak with minimal branching.  Cockateers populate the lower layers, meaning that Euchre has every reason to use Vanish. For whatever reason I decided against doing so.  Anyway, heading further along the only path leads Euchre to an arch. This marks something of a transition point.  It's mostly because Skeleton Soldiers start popping up afterwards, but they're uninteresting and Euchre already has one.  It's not long before Euchre reaches the top.  Turning to the right up here is the right way to go. What's that way, you may ask? Music: Ace Of Spades  Well, it's the entrance of the whole structure.  And it's guarded.   WHY ARE YOU HERE? DO NOT TRY TO STOP ME. WITH SNAP'S ASSISTANCE, I SHALL COMPLETE MY MISSION. NOT EVEN YOU CAN STOP US ANY MORE... ...AND I WILL STOP YOU IF YOU TRY.  Of course, Euchre isn't going to be diverted by Wildcard's words. He holds the Baryon Sphere up in an attempt to drain the dark matter.  NNNGH. THE DARK MATTER IS...DRAWN FROM ME...  You didn't think Euchre would get out of this without a boss fight, did you? Music: Boss Battle  Wildcard as the Ace of Spades is different to the two bosses that came before him, because he doesn't get Double Trouble.  Shadow Slash is his primary damage ability, and to make up for only being able to use one action per turn...  ...it hits like a truck.  Oh, and just in case you thought debuffing his Attack was a viable strategy...well, it still is, but this is going to be coming along every so often and isn't affected by that.  The damage is roughly equivalent. It's worth noting that this amount of damage is dangerously close to Vlad's maximum HP. Is this a concern?  Er, no. Vlad, being a Dark Slime, just so happens to absorb Zam-based attacks like Shadow Slash and Kazam. This is probably one of the better strategies to use against Wildcard - just bring along a few Zam-absorbing monsters and he can only do damage with his normal attack.  Speaking of which, said normal attack is definitely no slouch in terms of damage. It just lacks the significant bonus from Shadow Slash. You might notice that Wildcard doesn't have any options for multi-target damage, and that's partially his downfall. As it is, Li'l Green can just Fullheal anyone who's been hit and entirely negate any damage done for the most part. As a result, after a little while...  ...Wildcard falls at the hands of Team Euchre. It's for his own good. Music: Frozen World  After the fight, Euchre is left standing over a defeated Wildcard. What needs to be done is obvious.  It's time to get Wildcard back.  The baryon sphere begins to absorb the dark matter from Wildcard...Music: None   Music: Sanctuary (Variation)    Something evil ruled my heart. Euchre...you rescued me from its grip. I am the Incarnus, yet I have willingly opened the gate to the dark world!The camera pans up to the sky above Infern Isle.  He awoke my dark side so that I would open the gate for him. Not only that... I made the passageway between the two worlds even wider. This is what he was plotting from the very beginning. More dark matter has already poured into this world than ever before! We have to stop it, lest this world be swallowed up by the darkness! Where is it? Where is the Mark? Snap has it! He must have taken it from me after I opened the gate! He's inside this mountain. What further evil is he plotting? Now, Euchre. Will you come with me a little further? And with that, Euchre's gotten Wildcard back. Next time, instead of entering the final dungeon on the peak of Infern Isle, Euchre will be going back around the various islands of Green Bays and cleaning up some loose ends. Extra: The Monster Library Dragurn   Dragurns have the Skills Fire and Attack Boost when scouted and just Fire when synthesised. They have no Traits and are immune to Fizzle. Fire was first found on Firespirits back in Part 6. Tyrantosaurus   Tyrantosauruses have the Skills Guerrilla and Attack Boost when scouted and just Guerrilla when synthesised. They have the Trait Critical Massacre and are immune to Sag. Guerrilla was first found on Mischievous Moles way back in Part 2. Cockateer   Cockateers have the Skills Bird Brain and Attack Boost when scouted, and just Bird Brain when synthesised. They have the Trait Fly Swatter and are immune to Sleep. Bird Brain was first found on Mecha-Mynahs back in Part 12. Lethal Armour   Lethal Armours have the Skills Cold Sleep and Wisdom Boost when scouted and just Cold Sleep when synthesised. They have the Trait Able Ambusher and are immune to Confusion. Cold Sleep was found on Frou-Frous back in Part 16. Extra 2: Synthesis Recipes Lethal Armour + Metal Slime Knight = Hunter Mech (Rank C, scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) Not worth it in the slightest. Remember, Hunter Mechs can be found on Celeste Isle very easily.
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Nov 18, 2017 15:53
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Does Wildcard boot a monster out of your party, or do you have to go back to a scoutpost to rotate him in?
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Nov 19, 2017 08:12
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Cockateers always looked really uncanny to me for a Dragon Quest monster, you have all these funny looking cartoony monsters, including most final bosses, and then here's this ultra-realistic chicken.
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Nov 19, 2017 11:15
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Glazius posted:Does Wildcard boot a monster out of your party, or do you have to go back to a scoutpost to rotate him in? Wildcard acts like any other monster joining Euchre's team. You get the choice to either send him to storage or send someone else back to storage. I cut it out because I didn't think it would flow very well, but it actually comes between the end of Wildcard talking and the "Wildcard joined the party" prompt.
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Nov 19, 2017 14:10
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I remember having huge issues with this boss fight. Didn't even think to bring in Zam resists/absorbs. I think I just ended up brute forcing it with Double Trouble monsters.
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Nov 20, 2017 01:05
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Part 24: Loose Ends Last time, Euchre went to Infern Isle and freed Wildcard from the dark matter's influence. Music: Appearance of the Town  This time, he'll be going around all of Green Bays looking for things to do before going into the final dungeon. Starting in Domus Isle seems reasonable.   Breaking news! Disaster strikes Infern Isle - MSO issues travel warning! Make sure you check it out!The local reporter, as usual, is talking about the latest news. Of course, we already know about this one, and as far as I know this will always be the case since her dialogue updates upon first going to Infern Isle.  Must've decided anywhere was better than here. I don't think we'll be seeing him again. People are saying that the Commissioner went to investigate the disaster on Infern Isle.It looks like people are starting to notice that Snap's disappeared. It's a little surprising that news has gotten out that he's on Infern Isle, though - it would be more likely for him to be on Fert Isle, sine he went there via jetski and flew to Infern later. Music: CELL Headquarters  But the ship ain't come, so I'm stuck 'ere. The challenge is over. It's time I left for an 'oliday. Dunno who to take with me, though. 'Eligator or mechan-o'-wyrm? So this choice is actually somewhat important. Whichever one Euchre doesn't tell him to take, he'll give to him for free. As such, if Euchre chooses yes here... All right, it's settled then. I'll take mechan-o'-wyrm. And you can 'ave me 'eligator! Don't forget to name it! We haven't seen a Heligator yet, but they're quite difficult to get. It involves a relatively short chain of synthesis recipes to get, but it's still longer than anything Euchre's done so far. Inaction Ward is kind of hard to get, too.  On the other hand, if Euchre says that this guy should take the Heligator...  ...he'll get the Mechan-o'-wyrm. This guy is considerably easier to get than Heligators, requiring a Metal Dragon, which can be found in the wild, and a monster that can be made through generic synthesis. Whack Ward is much more difficult to get than Inaction Ward, though, and much more useful, too.  Sadly Euchre gets nothing if he refuses to pick one, although he can just initiate the conversation again.  Euchre will be picking the Heligator. These are some surprisingly high-rank monsters, and both are definitely very welcome. Music: Appearance of the Town  Actually, we're looking for him too. Until the Commissioner gets back, we can't move on this Infern Isle situation.Back out of the sewer, it turns out that the MSO is in disarray. You'd think that giving relief to the people of Infern Isle would coincide nicely with looking for Snap, given that he's rumoured to be there. The MSO are a bunch of idiots, basically. Music: Contest Castle  I suppose I should ask her to leave, but she is somewhat...stubborn. I'm afraid I'm not very good around such forceful women.Backing that statement up is the fact that Solitaire hasn't been kicked out of the Commissioner's office yet. Is there no security staff here?   It's like sitting on my dream man! Kicking back in your very own office is one of the perks of being commissioner. Ah, if I had won the finals, this chair would have been mine.And, of course, Solitaire continues to be the worst person. Now with sadism! Music: Scoutpost  Anyway, that's enough messing around. It's time to actually get things done, and for that Euchre needs stronger monsters.  Putting Vlad together with Octorok doesn't result in any new monsters, but they're still decent.  Dark Slime Knight seems like a good choice here, purely because it has Psycho. Sadly its stat growths aren't particularly suitable, but there aren't a lot of Wisdom-focused monsters with that particular Trait.  Fortifier and Frizz & Bang III are the Skills that Vlad II will be going with. Wisdom Boost really doesn't matter; there's no way he'll be getting enough skill points to make it worth investing in any time soon.  Next up is this synthesis combination. I ignored it a couple of updates ago, but now the required monsters are a high enough level to make it worth doing.  The result? Malroth, the final boss of Dragon Quest 2.  Unfortunately, despite being a final boss, he doesn't have a unique Skill. Instead he has Healer, which is both boring and unsuitable for this particular incarnation; he'll be sticking with Red Horn's skillset. Music: Ambiance of the Night  With these new assets under Euchre's belt, it's time to challenge the arena again. Rank B awaits! Music: Monster Battle  Because it's impossible to turn off the AI yet again, these battles will unfortunately be flying by without the chance to see full movesets.  In this case only the right Scissor Beatle got a chance to do anything beyond attacking, which was casting debuffs. It's got Kasap...  ...and Sag. Since the latter is Weakening Wallop without the damage, it can be incredibly annoying to be hit by it.  The theme of the second battle is monsters that hop around a lot.  It's a little difficult to talk about these monsters beyond "they exist". Fuddle Dance is kind of nasty, at least.  Sidoh here absorbs Zam, so this is no problem. Not that it really matters, since this whole rank should have been done a while ago.  The final battle in Rank B is against a bunch of fast monsters. Just remember that the Great Sabrecat will always go first.  The left Jumping Jackal has War Cry and probably some other things, but whatever they are they're not important.  The right one did get to use its abilities, though, and it had a surprising variety. Physical attacks from lower-level monsters basically can't touch Team Euchre right now, so Multislash is a non-issue.  Weakening Wallop is a problem, of course, but Vlad II's presence renders it pointless on half of Euchre's damage dealers.  And finally Sandstorm is kind of just there. Music: Ambiance of the Night  And with that, Rank B is done. Let's see what Euchre gets. Here's ya prize then. Ya very own Minus sceptre. Euchre receives a Minus sceptre!Minus sceptres are the same as Plus sceptres in that they influence the result of synthesis recipes. It's not hard to guess how, but in case you don't remember what the latter does, here's a reminder: the result will always have a positive polarity. In this case, though, it's always negative. And no, you can't guarantee a neutral result by equipping opposing sceptres on the two components.  Next up is Rank A. Unsurprisingly, the price has doubled from 500 to 1000 gold coins between ranks. It's still just peanuts to Euchre. Music: Monster Battle  The first fight of the new rank features a Grim Rider, which we haven't seen yet. I've mentioned the Bone Baron a couple of times before, and this guy is its palette swap. Or is it the other way around?  The right Demonrider has Cold Blizzard. It's not half bad, and might actually be somewhat threatening if it repeats it.  Thankfully, the very next turn, it gets disabled by Breathtaking Bash. I don't think we've seen this ailment yet, so here it is!  Nothing else did anything interesting, so it's time to move on to the next battle. This one features a Trap Box, which was a boss in Dragon Quest 8. Watch as it gets upstaged by its friends in this game!  Kaboom is what it is, that being a decent amount of damage. That's not the main problem here.  This ability is why this fight is really stupid.  It causes a great big explosion. Funnily enough, though, it doesn't do any damage.  Instead, it tries to inflict instant death all of the opposing party with a fairly high chance. I have no idea if this is Whack-based or unresistable, but it does have a unique message for when it inevitably happens.  As the name suggests, though, this will instantly kill the user. This aspect of it, at least, is definitely unresistable. It's a decent ability to have if the user can be easily revived, although this particular team seems to lack anything like that.  Compared to that, Venomous Volley isn't very good. That's especially true due to one of the enemy team being down at this point and ailments wearing off after battle.  Now that that fight's over with, let's move on to the next. This one has entirely new monsters.  The Mumboh-jumboe is a bit weird in that it has a unique message when it does nothing. The reason for this is that it's made up of four other monsters, unoriginally named Mum, Boh, Jum and Boe. They don't exactly get along.  And then, of course, there's Weakening Wallop. Maybe the game is catching on that Attack-lowering effects are broken, since they've come up a lot around here.  And that's the end of Rank A! Music: Ambiance of the Night  Here's ya prize. A dragontail whip - perfect for the man who longs for fulla lashes! Don't be afraid to use it, sonny - cos ya worth it! Hahaha! Euchre receives a dragontail whip!This thing is a really strong whip, but it's probably not going to get any use. I just don't like whips that much. And, of course, there's also Rank S. That one's being left for the postgame, because it's rock-hard. Music: Island  Instead, it's time for Euchre to go around and collect those hard-to-scout monsters from way back when. First up is the King Slime up on top of Infant Isle. Music: Monster Battle  Even though Euchre already got one (or even two) of these, I'm still going to cover this one. After all, monsters tend to behave very differently in the wild, and we haven't seen what Skill this one gets from scouting either.  As it turns out, they can only defend on top of their regular attack. They get Agility Boost, too, which is available pretty much anywhere. Overall, they're deeply boring.  Next up is the Gigantes down below. Hopefully it'll be more interesting.  It just so happens to be the strongest monster on the island, and it's in a battle with the weakest. Funny how that works.  It's got Hatchet Man, which lets it do fairly high damage to anyone - around 120 or so, in fact - but only if it hits. Remember, Hatchet Man, being a critical hit, ignores Defence.  Probably the most fascinating thing about them is the huge disconnect between its stats. Just look at how bad its Defence and Wisdom are, and look at how good its Attack is.  The third monster that Euchre's paying a visit to today is the Dessert Demon in Xeroph Isle's shrine.  It comes with an Imp, which makes sense. What doesn't make sense is why it doesn't come with two. Maybe it's to make the fight more fair for the level Euchre first gets here.  Unlike the last two monsters, the Dessert Demon is actually fairly versatile. Acceleratle won't do much for it now, but it's the thought that counts.  And Zing is completely pointless, since it can only revive the Imp. If you're fighting the Dessert Demon with the intent to win, Imps probably aren't much of a concern.  It's a little weird for one of the harder monsters to scout in an area to fit a support role, but there you go. This probably should have been done a while ago.  Anyway, here's the last monster that Euchre will be going after. It's a Seasaur, which he's beaten before but not scouted.  As such, there isn't much reason to go over its abilities again. And on that underwhelming note, that's the last scoutable monster outside of the final dungeon that isn't a Metal Slime or any of its relatives. Unless I missed something, of course. With that, that's all the loose ends I wanted to tie up before going back to Infern Isle. Next time, Euchre will be doing just that, and tackling the final dungeon. Extra: The Monster Library Seasaur   Seasaurs have the Skills Dragon Lore and Water Ward when scouted, and just Dragon Lore when synthesised. They have the Trait Artful Dodger and are immune to Fizzle. Dragon Lore was first found on Green Dragons back in Part 9. Water Ward's effects should be self-explanatory. Stat boosts, Magic Miser/Magic Scrooge and some Water Guard passives. In this case the stat boosts are Maximum HP +20, Maximum MP +20, Defence +5 and Wisdom +5, and there are two Water Guards. It's pretty decent, just like every other Ward Skill. Heligator   Heligators have the Skills Naturalist and Inaction Ward when received as a gift, and just Naturalist when synthesised. They have the Trait Artful Dodger and are immune to both Fire Breath and Ice Breath. Naturalist was found on Platypunks back in Part 2. Inaction Ward is another ward Skill. It gives three Inaction Guard passives as well as Able Ambusher. As for the bonus stats it imparts, there's Maximum HP +20 and Defence +10. It's pretty standard, and as such has pretty standard uses. Gigantes   Gigantes have the Skills Anti-metal and Attack Boost when scouted, and just Anti-metal when synthesised. They have the Trait Last Word, making them always move last in a turn, and are immune to Whack. Anti-metal was first found on Hunter Mechs back in Part 12. Dessert Demon   Dessert Demons have the Skills Bolsterer and Wisdom Boost when scouted, and just Bolsterer when synthesised. They have no Traits and are immune to Dazzle. Bolsterer was first found on Shell Slimes back in Part 9. Malroth   Malroths have the Skill Healer and cannot be scouted. They have the Traits Artful Dodger and Psycho, absorb Zam, and are immune to Whack and Confusion. Healer was first found on Healslimes back in Part 5. Extra 2: Synthesis Recipes Seasaur + Hades Condor = Abyss Diver (Rank B, not scoutable, available through generic synthesis) While this might be a decent recipe earlier in the game, it's overshadowed by another including a Seasaur that Euchre doesn't have one of the components for yet. Still, it's an easy way to get an Abyss Diver, since both components are fairly easy to get right now. Gigantes + Boss Troll = Atlas (Rank S, not scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) This is a pretty good recipe. It's one of three ways to get an Atlas, with the other two also requiring a Gigantes. Honestly, I'm not sure which I would recommend, but this is the easiest to do as a one-off using that Boss Troll from Fert Isle. Atlas itself can be used to make some nice monsters, too, so definitely consider this one. Heligator + Jumping Jackal = Riptide (Rank A, not scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) This is the only way to get a Riptide, and it's a decent physical-based monster. Since this recipe is the only use for a Heligator, it's probably a good idea to make one like this for library-filling purposes. Epicmissingno fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Dec 9, 2017 |
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Dec 2, 2017 16:12
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Sorry about this update being a bit late; I had an unexpectedly large workload last week and couldn't work on this as easily. On a different note, this is around the part where I start playing blind. Yes, I stopped during the final dungeon for some reason. Because I'm full of terrible ideas, how about a vote to decide what party to bring in there? We've got Li'l Green, Vlad II, Sidoh and, of course, Wildcard. Pick one to leave behind!
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Dec 2, 2017 16:22
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Leave Sidoh!
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Dec 2, 2017 16:37
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We can't leave behind the protagonist or a Slime so clearly Sidoh will have to take one for the team. Talking about Sidoh, his skill inheritance img tag is broken. Blaze Dragon fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Dec 2, 2017 |
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Dec 2, 2017 16:53
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Epicmissingno posted:[imghttps://lpix.org/2984511/P24-023.png[/img] Broken image tag here.
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Dec 2, 2017 17:13
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This is wildcard's story. So let's ditch him cause it's funny.
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Dec 2, 2017 19:02
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FoolyCharged posted:This is wildcard's story. So let's ditch him cause it's funny. You've managed fine without 'im for a bit, anyways.
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Dec 2, 2017 19:17
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Bye, Sidoh!
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Dec 2, 2017 20:32
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Since votes seem to have dried up remarkably quickly, I'll only be leaving this open for one more day. The current standings are: Sidoh: 3 Wildcard: 2 Li'l Green: 0 Vlad II: 0
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Dec 3, 2017 15:06
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The final dungeon is no place for the last boss! Leave Sidoh behind.
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Dec 3, 2017 15:55
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Well, that was wrapped up quickly. Sidoh is the monster who will be relegated to substitutes for the remainder of the game. Alas, poor Weakening Wallop. I knew it well. Although if there's any significant trouble with scouting I will still reserve the right to swap him into the party temporarily. This party isn't exactly optimal for that, what with two casters.
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Dec 4, 2017 19:03
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Part 25: Torturous Tartarus Last time, Euchre did some clean-up around Green Bays, nearly finishing the Xeroph Isle arena and obtaining all the monsters he couldn't find the first time around. Except Metal Slimes. This time, he'll be entering the final dungeon in the hopes of putting an end to Dr Snap's plans. Music: Scoutpost  But first, some synthesis! Vlad II isn't exactly well suited to his role as team mage, so he's getting a much-needed upgrade.  I was considering switching him to the Undead line to make a Tortured Soul, but another Slime is fine too. Poppet is a King Bubble Slime, which seems to be well-suited to magical support.  Might as well keep on going with the same Skills.  Next up, Wildcard. He's getting synthesised with the Cockateer that Euchre scouted recently, resulting in higher stats and not much else.  His Skills will be juggled around a bit, though, dropping the non-Wulfspade Skills and adding on Attack Boost. Two non-passive Skills is more than enough.  And, finally, Li'l Green is being synthesised using the Phoenix Sceptre in order to improve his stats too.  Confusion Ward is pretty pointless, to be honest. It's basically just filler. Music: Frozen World  Now that that's over with, Euchre heads up to the top of Infern Isle once again, ready to head into the place Wildcard was guarding. Music: Heading Into Darkness  And this is it! Welcome to Tartarus.  Most of it is a single, narrow path, but there are some branches here and there to keep things interesting. Each area only seems to have one monster wandering around, too, although as far as I know they can all come along with Liquid Metal Slimes. This one has Skeleton Soldiers.  The brown chests here have some top-tier loot, so it could be worth going through the dungeon again for some of it.  Soon enough, Euchre comes to a split in the path. He'll be going left first.  This particular path leads, almost immediately, to a doorway.  Said doorway leads to the outside of Tartatus' spire.  It also leads to another brown chest, with another useful item...  ...as well as a way back in. Euchre will not be taking this opportunity, though, since that would skip an alternate path to get there.  Backtracking to the fork in the path and heading right instead leads Euchre to a way up the inside of Tartarus.  Moving past the area transition is a more organic, veiny-looking area. Wandering around is a new monster for Euchre to subjugate. Music: Monster Battle  Fallen Priests are relatively nasty. As their name might imply, they're spellcasters.  They like Zammle, which isn't much of a surprise, but...  ...they also get Kaswoosh. Remember, this is a third-tier spell, and it's surprising to see on a regular encounter. If all three decide to use it, it's going to hurt. Music: Heading Into Darkness  They're probably one of the nastier regular encounters around here, but they're still not too bad if you've been keeping up with synthesis like Euchre has.  This area, meanwhile, has a bit of a raised platform in the centre. Unfortunately, the camera is kind of bad at showing it, and the path up there isn't particularly obvious.  Anyway, the platform is...completely empty. Yep.  Except, of course, for a cutscene.  Euchre is shocked at something, and turns around...  ...only to see a Boss Troll coming towards him. That might be a problem. Music: Scout Battle  And of course, it starts a fight. Note that the scout command is greyed out for this; it's impossible to obtain another of these guys from here.  As for its abilities, it attacks for fairly solid damage and that's about it. It's easily thwarted by, say, Fullheal, and this sort of damage isn't nearly enough to be much of a problem any more.  In fact, it goes down within a few turns. Music: Heading Into Darkness  After the fight, another glance around the platform shows that there is, in fact, absolutely nothing of worth here. It's all a trap to force the encounter with the Boss Troll.  There's little reason to remain here, so Euchre sets off up to the next floor.  This place has Cockateers all over the place, and the same aesthetics as before.  Again, it's pretty much just a single path, but there's a detour leading to a doorway. Euchre won't be going this way, because he's already seen what's on the other side. This is, in fact, where the two split paths meet up.  There's this strange veiny column growing in the middle of this chamber, but...  ...it's not the same all the way around.  Convenient that the only part adjacent to a walkway is the part that's different and can be climbed, isn't it?  Getting to the top results in another cutscene. I'm sure you see the pattern.  This time, though, it's a black dragon that attacks. Music: Scout Battle  This fight is, again, entirely optional. Still, it gives decent experience, and there are some very nice rewards associated with it.  It has a similar Attack stat to the Boss Troll, but...  ...it's also got Blast Slash to give it a damage boost when it decides to use it. It's still not enough to be much of a threat.  It doesn't stick around for long enough to be a problem or show off any other potential abilities, and it drops a particularly strong sword that does extra damage to Dragon family monsters. Music: Heading Into Darkness  Unlike the empty arena for the Boss Troll, there are actually treasure chests up here. This is your standard super-strong hammer, but nobody on Team Euchre can equip those. It's a shame, really.  And, of course, there's a brown chest. It's a little strange that its contents are objectively worse than its predecessors, given what it takes to get to it. All of the miniboss encounters here respawn when Euchre leaves, by the way, so if he wants to get this chest again he'll have to beat another Black Dragon.  Anyway, back to the main path. Going back down the vine-like things reveals a doorway directly opposite.  Of course, it leads back outside.  Also of course, there's only one way back in besides the one Euchre left by.  The aesthetics of the area have changed once again, as they are wont to do here. As for the layout, it's pretty much just thin walkways yet again.  That doesn't stop encounters, though! These guys swoop down from above, and appear to also be frozen in the walls for whatever reason. Music: Monster Battle  Their identities? Silvapitheci.  Their main trick is Kasap, which doesn't seem too accurate. They also barely use it, which is good for all involved. Except them, of course. Music: Heading Into Darkness  Other than that, they have a weak physical attack that seems to be standard around here. They're not difficult to deal with in the slightest.  A brown chest directly along the path is always welcome, of course, but there isn't much left that this would be useful for. Most monsters from here on don't even use breath attacks.  This room also has a weird ball of faces that's constantly being pumped up from the floor to the ceiling. It's just kind of there.  Anyway, there's yet another split in the path up ahead. Euchre will be going through the doorway instead of turning left this time.  This one is strictly a detour for treasure. The Zombiesblight is a sword that does extra damage to Undead family monsters, as its name suggests. It's a really good idea to pick this one up, because that just so happens to be the final boss's monster family.  Back inside, the other way that Euchre could have gone is the way forwards.  It eventually leads up to yet another way outside.  And, hey, a red treasure chest right on the path!  And of course it's the only mimic chest in the game. It's not even a Mimic! Music: Monster Battle  Well, sort of. Trap Box is actually the improved mimic monster, first seen in Dragon Quest 8 as a boss fight. This one is a joke.  This is mostly because it's still using Crackle when the random encounters are using Kaswoosh. I guess its physical attacks are relatively powerful compared to said encounters, but they're nowhere near the minibosses around here. Music: Heading Into Darkness  Of course, it's getting scouted. It's the only one in the wild, after all, and Trap Boxes are very hard to synthesise. They take a high-tier metal monster, for goodness' sake!  Just past the Trap Box is an entrance back into the spire.  This time, along with the veins along the walls, there are actually windows to the outside. Lightning can be seen striking every so often outside the windows.  Taking the only path results in a treasure chest, as well as a new monster. Let's see the chest first, shall we?  It contains the same item that Euchre's found twice now in brown chests. That isn't to say that this isn't welcome- Yggdrasil Dew is still a really good item - but those brown chests have come a long way in terms of their potential contents. Music: Monster Battle  The monsters, on the other hand, are Phantom Swordsmen. They're kind of annoying, but only with specific party compositions.  This is because they love to spam Uncarnate, which does extra damage to Wildcard and only Wildcard. Not having the Incarnus in the party means that it's the same end result as a normal attack. Music: Heading Into Darkness  It's not the end of the world if it hits, of course, and the damage bonus isn't big enough to be a huge concern, so these guys are still fairly simple to deal with.  Heading down into the basin in the middle of the room results in yet another choice between two paths. Heading left here would lead Euchre along a winding path leading to absolutely nothing, so he'll be going right.  Immediately he's rewarded with a treasure chest, which contains a powerful staff. This one also gives a bonus to Wisdom when equipped, so it goes on Poppet.  And, of course, the way onward is there too. This is the only room in Tartarus with two monster species wandering around on the field, and the second one is right ahead. Music: Monster Battle  Meet the Soulspawns. They exist, I guess.  Venom Breath is a thing they can do to Envenomate Euchre's monsters, but since it goes away after battle it's not very good. Remember, the encounters in this game exist to wear Team Euchre down. Music: Heading Into Darkness  They're pretty simple to take down, and it's unlikely that much damage will come out of them in general.  And that's about it for that room. There's a transition to the next fairly quickly after Soulspawn start showing up, and this is it.  Pretty much the only thing on this floor is this weird structure with paths around it. What it actually is is a mystery, given that Euchre can't interact with it. There is still something around here, though. When Euchre walks around the object...  ...yet another cutscene starts. I promise this is the last one.  This time the monster that somehow sneaked up behind Euchre is new! It's still a palette swap of Gigantes, though. Music: Scout Battle  This is Atlas. He's the only miniboss in Tartarus that isn't completely optional.  Like the others, he just doesn't do much. He exists simply to be a drain on precious resources. This is a pretty strong hit, though, so that's something to be careful of. Music: Heading Into Darkness  With Atlas's unceremonious defeat, the way is open for Euchre. Going through this door...  ...leads to the crater at the top of Tartarus.  Going around the edge instead of towards the centre results in the discovery of these chests, which have some very nice loot in them.  Yggdrasil Leaves are, of course, very welcome. You never know when a monster will die and need to be revived.  The other is a very strong set of claws which, again, do extra damage to Undead monsters. They're good for equipping on a spare physical attacker or one who can't equip the Zombiesblight.  And with that, that's all of Tartarus completed save for the final boss. Next time, Euchre will be taking on Dr Snap. Extra: The Monster Library King Bubble Slime   King Bubble Slimes have the Skill Bad Breath when synthesised and cannot be scouted. They have the Trait Poisoner and are immune to both Poison and Paralysis. Bad Breath was first found on Walking Corpses back in Part 11. Silvapithecus   Silvapitheci have the Skills Diabolist and Bang Ward when scouted, and just Diabolist when synthesised. They have no Traits and are immune to Whack. Diabolist was first found on Lesser Demons back in Part 12. Bang Ward is your standard ward Skill. Two Bang Guard passives, Magic Miser, Magic Scrooge, Wisdom +15, Attack +10, Maximum HP +10, Maximum MP +10. It's basically just as viable as any other ward Skill. Trap Box   Trap Boxes have the Skills Fear-monger and Defence Boost when scouted and just Fear-monger when synthesised. They have the Trait Critical Massacre and are immune to both Whack and Paralysis. Fear-monger was first found on Bags O' Laughs back in Part 7. Fallen Priest   Fallen Priests have the Skills Woosh & Zam and Attack Boost when scouted and just Woosh & Zam when synthesised. They have the Trait Zammeister and are immune to Fizzle. Woosh & Zam is yet another dual-element Skill, and it's the same as usual. Tier 1 and 2 spells to start with, and when Woosh & Zam III eventually comes around they'll be tier 3 and 4. The two elements this time do have different targeting, thankfully, although there's a little wrinkle in how Woosh works: it has more damage variance than usual. Phantom Swordsman   Phantom Swordsmen have the Skills Woosh & Zam and Attack Boost when scouted and just Woosh & Zam when synthesised. They have the Trait Artful Dodger, are weak to Zap, and are immune to both Whack and Dazzle. Woosh & Zam was first found on Fallen Priests a couple of paragraphs ago. Soulspawn   Soulspawn have the Skills Graveheart and Inaction Ward when scouted and just Graveheart when synthesised. They have no Traits, are weak to Zap, and are immune to both Whack and Poison. Graveheart was first found on Ghosts back in Part 4. Inaction Ward was first found on the Heligator received as a gift in Part 24, but this is a reusable source. Extra 2: Synthesis Recipes Silvapithecus + Dancing Flame = Frostburn (Rank F, scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) Not a great recipe, since Frostburns can be found in the exact same area as Dancing Flames whereas Silvapitheci start to be available much later. And Rank F? Pretty much no synthesis recipe is worth it if it makes a Rank F monster. Silvapithecus + Gigantes = Pazuzu (Rank A, not scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) This is a very nice recipe, and one that will likely get a lot of use. Both monsters are fairly easy to come by, and Pazuzu is used in a couple of synthesis recipes for much-used monsters. Definitely worth doing. Silvapithecus + Golem = Pazuzu (Rank A, not scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) Second verse, same as the first. This one isn't quite as good, because Golems aren't found in the wild, but it's decent if you've got a spare. Phantom Swordsman + Hunter Mech = Killing Machine (Rank S, not scoutable, not available through generic synthesis) Killing Machines are good monsters, but they aren't actually used for anything. Do this one once, then ignore it. Phantom Swordsman + King Kelp = Wailin' Weed (Rank A, scoutable, available through generic synthesis) This one probably isn't worth it. Wailin' Weeds are easily scouted on Fert Isle, so just get one there instead. It's available through Monster Matchmaking, too, although it's still not particularly worth it. A positive King Kelp is provided, and a negative Undead family monster is required. Epicmissingno fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Dec 16, 2017 |
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Dec 9, 2017 16:15
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Wait, they had space for Wulfspade III but not Wulfspade II? How does that make any sense? And this dungeon looks pretty cool, I dig the aesthetic. It definitely looks final dungeonish, if that makes sense.
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Dec 9, 2017 18:46
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Part 26: Snap Snaps Welcome back! Last time, Euchre ascended the game's final dungeon, Tartarus. Music: Heading Into Darkness  This time, he'll be facing off against Dr Snap at the peak. Music: Ace Of Spades  You were supposed to be guarding the entrance for me. Silence! You underestimated my master's strength. But of course. I'd quite forgotten about Euchre. Where is the Mark? I know that you have it! I'm so glad I took the Mark from you when I had the chance. Exactly. We shall turn this world into a paradise for monsters! I couldn't have done it without your help. See? Look what you've done to the sky! MUA HA HA HA HA HA!I'm not an expert, but this plan seems more than a little bit ill-advised. Then again, Dr Snap is clearly unhinged.  Time to take your medicine! And then Dr Snap fires his laser. This time, though...  ...Euchre's ready for it.  Ah, Trump's work, no doubt. I do hope he enjoyed reading my research notes. Bah, it won't stop me! I'll show you TRUE power! Trying it again? Really? It didn't work the first time. What are the chances that it would work now?  Unfortunately, quite high. The baryon sphere wasn't built to handle such a large amount of dark matter...  ..and it shatters. That's not good.  Oh, how boring. And I only used a fraction of the power available to me. Now, let's try this again, shall we?    ...I think the darkonium sphere might have stopped working too, though. Thank goodness.  Well, not to worry. There's lots more where that came from! Thanks to our good friend the Incarnus, I can call upon an ENDLESS supply! Why don't you play with my friends here while I refill my sphere?Music: Scout Battle  Snap's delaying tactics involve throwing two monsters at Euchre: a Buffalogre and a Mohawker. This shouldn't be much trouble, right?  Just like usual, Wildcard uses Psych Up to get temporarily stronger.  To supplement that, Poppet casts Oomph on him. This combination has made Team Euchre unbeatable so far, so it should help here too.  There's one slight problem with this.  Snap has been studying Euchre's strategy.  And he's copied it.  Thank goodness he isn't very good at it, then. The AI seems to be unaware that it's not really worth using Psych Up just once, so the Buffalogre is unlikely to get beyond 5 tension. Despite that, this almost takes Li'l Green down, so it still pays to be very careful.  Unsurprisingly, that makes it the priority target here. It goes down soon enough, but not before taking somewhere around 1400 damage. It's pretty bulky.  With the Buffalogre defeated, the Mohawker is much less of a threat. This attack is fairly notable, funnily enough; it's probably Boulder Bash, one of the abilities in the Cluboon Skill.  Wildcard, being a Wulfspade Ace, takes more damage than usual from it.  Other than that, it has Helm Splitter, so that's another ability to watch out for.  Overall, though, it's significantly weaker than Snap's Buffalogre and can be taken out fairly easily once it's alone. Music: None  Speaking of the Buffalogre, it drops a seed that will never get used...  ...and its counterpart does the same. Now what? Music: Ace Of Spades  Well, Snap's been recharging his darkonium sphere, and that battle took a while. This might be a small problem.  Hm?  A stream of dark matter comes down from the sky and envelops Snap. Hey, at least it stopped him from attacking Wildcard again. Music: None  Eventually, though, it disappears.   It looks like Snap has finally snapped.  Of course! Dark matter has the power to transform humans into monsters! What an amazing discovery! Incredible! I must share it with the whole world! See? Your own monsters are growing stronger, thanks to the dark matter. Soon your Incarnus will once again be transformed. And then we shall all be monsters and live happily ever after! WAH HA HA HA! Why so hostile? We used to be SUCH good friends. But if you insist on getting in my way...THEN I WILL DESTROY YOU! It no longer deserves our mercy!And so the final battle begins. Music: Fight Against Milayou  Dr Snapped is backed up by two companions: a Tortured Soul and a Hell Gladiator. They're pretty decent and need to be taken out quickly.  First off, Wildcard is going to be using Psych Up, as usual. This turned out to be a mistake.  Kaboomle is the tier 4 Bang spell, and it's pretty good.  Like the other Bang spells, it causes an explosion. It's just that this one is the biggest. No, we don't talk about Kamikazee.  Anyway, since Team Euchre was stealthily fully healed between battles, Li'l Green doesn't have any healing to do. Buff is the obvious option, especially because there will be very little breathing room once the onslaught starts.  Speaking of which, the Tortured Soul starts out with Magic Frailty, trying to make magic attacks from it and Dr Snapped hit harder. It sticks on Poppet, but that's fine.  The Demon-At-Arms is, predictably, using physical attacks. Its first action is Blast Slash.  And, of course, it gets two attacks per turn. This turn, it did around 100 damage to Wildcard. Remember, he has the most Defence out of Team Euchre. It needs to go, and it needs to go now.  And now it's Dr Snapped's turn. He starts by using his favourite ability: Disruptive Wave.  Disruptive Wave is an incredibly common boss trick in this series, and it's kind of surprising to see it turn up so late in this particular game. It does what you might expect from the on-screen text and purges all buffs and debuffs from its targets.  This, unfortunately, includes tension. Disruptive Wave is basically a hard counter to Psych Up, so this fight will be considerably slower than usual.  With Dr Snapped being the final boss and the highest-ranked monster in the game apart from Wildcard, of course he gets Double Trouble. His attacks are really strong, too.  On the next turn, Wildcard goes first and uses Lightning storm in an attempt to take out the Tortured Soul and Demon-At-Arms. It doesn't quite do them in, but it's close.  This gives the former just enough time to attack. This wouldn't normally be much of a concern, but...  ...it just so happens that this particular monster has the Trait Poisoner, and manages to inflict Poison on Li'l Green. With how long this fight is, that might actually be a problem.  Before the Demon-At-Arms manages to move, though, Poppet manages to get off a Kaboomle.  After getting hit with multiple heavy-duty spells, Dr Snapped's allies fall, leaving just him left.  Wildcard's getting healed after being the only one who was attacked last turn...  ...just in time for Dr Snapped to use Kaboom and take off a bunch of health again.  And then he goes after Li'l Green, leaving him on exactly 1 HP. Convenient!  Next turn! Wildcard will be using Thunderbolt Slash every turn from now on. It's really his best damage option since Psych Up isn't viable.  Li'l Green heals himself with Fullheal because he's on 1 HP, for goodness' sake! He'll basically just be healing whoever needs it most for the rest of the fight.  And this is what Poppet will be doing for the rest of the fight...at least until he runs out of MP, which is very soon. These spells are very MP-intensive, you know - 30 for Kafrizzle and 45 for Kaboomle.  Since nothing interesting happened for a while, I'm skipping ahead. Dr Snapped eventually busts out a top-tier spell of his own - Kazammle. It does around 200 damage, which is unsurprisingly a lot. And remember, he has a chance to use this twice!  In fact, so much damage is getting thrown around that Li'l Green actually dies. And he's the one with Kazing, so he can't be revived.  Or, rather, he couldn't be if Euchre didn't have an Yggdrasil Leaf available. It just so happens that, even though he's never organised his on-hand inventory, he has exactly one.  Anyway, when Dr Snapped is low on HP he'll start using Meditate.  While this is usually a really terrible ability, only being able to heal the user, it does still heal a decent amount of HP so it's decent for bosses to use. Like this one. It's also a nice break from Dr Snapped's high damage output, so that's a plus for Euchre.  Finally, though, Dr Snapped falls in battle to Team Euchre. Music: None  And that's it! Next time, Euchre will be dealing with the aftermath of this mess, as well as finishing his adventure.
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Dec 16, 2017 16:29
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And so Euchre and his team murdered a heavily-mutated person.
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Dec 16, 2017 16:48
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Okay, the changing of his name post-mutation is an inspired touch.
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Dec 16, 2017 21:13
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Robindaybird posted:Okay, the changing of his name post-mutation is an inspired touch. Agreed it was a definite nice touch You know for all that I loved this game, I couldn't tell you the first thing about it's post-game so that should be fun
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Dec 17, 2017 01:15
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Blaze Dragon posted:And so Euchre and his team murdered a heavily-mutated person. Such discrimination against the mutated community 
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Dec 17, 2017 01:47
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Slaan posted:Such discrimination against the mutated community
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Dec 17, 2017 05:04
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Is... is he just an arm now?
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Dec 17, 2017 07:42
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Glazius posted:Is... is he just an arm now? Nah, he's 'armless.
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Dec 17, 2017 08:59
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So how about that ending? Since I finished the next update early, it can be posted today. We just need one more post after this one to push us to the next page, though, so get to it! At least, I think so.
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Dec 22, 2017 20:51
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 01:01 |
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Post!
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Dec 22, 2017 21:00
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