Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
I have to say this game and 2020 having an LP going on at the same time makes for an extremely funny contrast in tone.

VFD: Dragons are invading, but are you ready for more dragon adventures?
2020-II (Spoilered for the most recent update for those that are planning to read that LP): Your longtime ally from the past war has lost his arm and is suffering badly. Also the American president is being a jackass. poo poo's hosed everywhere.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Toyotasomi no Miko
Oct 23, 2016
We're almost at my... I can't call it favorite because it's not actually but it's more like my most "I am so looking forwards to seeing the reactions to it :allears:", if that makes sense. VFD is an absolute trip of a game, and we're about to get to the part where things absolutely happen. Strap in, folks.

(Update at the bottom of last page.)

Magnus Ragnar
Feb 24, 2013

It's times like this I prefer to just burn everything. Works out better than you'd think!

Well, until you burn down the coffee shop anyways. I still haven't heard the end of that...
Wait there's a field skill to instantly escape dungeons!? There was a few times my rear end could've really used that!

Also Eigur continues to be my favorite NPC in this entire game, dude's trying his best to keep up with the just Absolute Nonsense he's now caught up in.

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!
man it's really funny that the exit skill goes from something you mandatorily get in the prologue of 2020-2 to being something you get from an unmarked conversation halfway through VFD

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Update XXXVI - Featuring: Incomprehensible Plot Developments

Music: Re:Vanishment (code:VFD Ver)


Oh... D-Don't worry about me, though! OK? I know how much everyone needs my grandpa's help. Although... I am a little bit worried. Back before my grandpa took me in... My mom had to go to the hospital, and... she never came home. After her funeral, my dad went off somewhere... and he never came back, either. So now I'm kinda afraid that the same thing will happen with my grandpa. If he leaves, I'll be all alone...

:smith:



Are you lonely?

Y-Yeah, I am...

~

...

...

~~

H-Hehehe! Sorry for bringing this up... I'm such a depressing person... *cough* *cough* The 7th True Dragon is really about to appear... Even now, I'm useless... It's no wonder people keep abandoning me...



You're not useless, Mio.

Really...? All I want is to be able to help everyone...

~

Usefulness isn't what's important.

Really...? But I don't want to bring everyone down... Is it really OK?

~~

Opal... Thanks. I feel better now that I vented a bit. I'm going to work hard to make sure I can help the people around me! I need to know for sure that I can actually do things...



Don't forget about the mission! Just finish up the construction and get over to the Portal!

S-Sorry! I'm going to sleep now! I need my rest so I can recover quickly!



Music: The Daily Grind


Now that we've talked to Mio and built the Portal Expansion, we can finally go to Kazan.



Rick: The Portal system expansion has finally been completed! Feel free to use it as you see fit!



You seem bent outta shape about something... Are you worried about Tokyo? I get why you'd be concerned, but just make sure you focus on the mission when you're over there. You'll get yourself killed if you let your guard down just cause you got a bit stronger, you know?

*shakes head*

Eeheehee... Are you ready? Let's go...!



The next phase of Operation Code: VFD will now commence!



Music: UE77 In Ariake


Now, the Atlantis arc worked just fine in relation to the rest of the series (until Nyala died, anyways) because everything that happened at Atlantis has never been elaborated upon. The Lucier vanish, Atlantis falls, Nyala loses a wing; as long as you hit those three points, everything slots in perfectly with the rest of the timeline.



Eden, however, has much more stuff known about it because it was sorta, you know, the first game in the series. Any changes here that break from the original events will naturally be much more noticeable.



The 7D1 world map, for comparison.



Music: Kazan - Drowning in Petals, The Future


...Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, guys?



Has Kazan always had a giant ominous tower sticking out of it?



The Eden arc takes place about a hundred years or so after the events of 7D1, so no lovingly crafted recreations of Kazan or run-ins with the original party here. Instead we get a sprawling city that we'll see two screens of.





I thought it'd be more futuristic.

Eeheehee... I understand. That place is 5,000 years after UE 77, after all. I guess civilization has its cycles, though.

~

The Dragonsbane is already here...

Eeheehee... You're starting to understand. Don't sweat it, though. You'll find the True Dragon in no time.

~~

Before this, Eden was invaded by two True Dragons at the same time.



The wording here implies that things went entirely differently compared to 7D1. There, dealing with Haze came first. They didn't have a Dragonslayer at that point either, they needed to seal Haze to make the Dragonslayer in the first place!

Also the True Dragon they killed was, you know, Nyala. And he's still dead in Atlantis, so God knows what happened there.

Get used to this, as things are going to get very, very weird in Eden.


However, that seal weakened, and eventually Haze broke free and spread all this Dragonsbane. I don't think Haze is back at full strength yet, but we can't afford to let our guard down.

*nods*





Don't rush in just yet, though. Start off by examining the surrounding area.





Female Huntsman: I came here to defeat Haze, but now the door won't open and I'm in debt from the travel costs!



Poor Boy: You want to know what's wrong? There are no jobs for me, and I'm all out of money... *sigh* How am I gonna manage to buy food...?

~

Kazan Resident: I am aware that dragons pose a threat to our lives here. However, I have grown accustomed to this place. I cannot simply leave.



Composed Man: However, that door is shut tight. We've been at this standstill for a while now...

The people of Eden are more proactive about the dragon threat, at least.





Wait, a rescue marker?



Resolute Boy: Look, I wanna be a huntsman, alright? I haven't missed a single training session yet!



We got a new tier of MN restoration.





I'd like to point out that there's no imminent danger here, Kazan is holding on just fine.

Meaning we just straight up yoinked a cat and dragged it back to the past for no reason.

Hell, it might not even be a stray! That could be some poor kid's outdoor cat that they'll never get to see again!

On the plus side, under VFD's time travel rules there's a non-zero chance the next cat they get could be their old cat's distant descendant.






Confident Huntsman: At what, you ask? As an adequate partner, of course. I would find myself in all sorts of danger if I teamed up with a weakling like you.



Uber-Curious Girl: I reallllly wanna see one, even if it's just once!









Not much we can do. Maybe try talking to some of the people around here?



By that, Nagamimi means that door on the far left.



In any case, we don't have much info. It's quite strange that there's no data on those ruins~. Has Kazan always had that giant tower there~...?

You know what this reminds me of? That Lucier scholar forgetting about the fish mid-conversation.

So somehow, killing Nyala causes a giant tower to appear in Kazan close to 20,000 years later.

Welcome to VFD.


Have you been asleep? I have said from the beginning, we should simply break down the door!

*sigh* We've told you time and time again, that is not possible. Please silence yourself for now.

What...!?

Meet the supporting cast for the Eden arc.



And an old face.







We're not even being subtle with the whole time travel thing anymore.

I'm a time traveler.

... I am not sure I understand, but it feels as though you mock me!

~

I'm here to kill Haze.

Kill Haze...!?

*nods*

You fool... That is not something you can simply say with such reckless abandon!

~~



As commander knight of the Federated States of Mylos... In the name of peace and equality, I shall punish you!

Mylos is better known as Miross back in the fan translation for 7D1. Back then, they were idiots who spent most of the game trying to negotiate for peace with the dragons.

In VFD, Brijilt is ready to throw hands at a moments notice.

Hell of an improvement, really.


Hold on a second, Jil~.



Do not call me dumb!



I'm an astrologist from Preloma, the Scholar City. Well, I'm basically a scientist~.

*chuckle* Sailas here is regarded as the brains of Eden.

...And you guys are? Unit 13, huh? Well then, come right this way, Unit 13~. You're looking for access to the ruins, right? We might be able to be of help to you~.







The Guild Hall is actually accurate to 7D1!



Although this side area with a bed is new.



~

Hmm~... If I could figure out that console, I would be able to make an incredible weapon... If only I had more materials~... *grumble* *grumble*

~

Jil's impatience has been causing problems ever since she was a child.



We have to talk to our new-old friend to continue.







She also ever so conveniently neglects to mention the time she got fired and arrested for trying to shove all mankind into a soul-powered cannon in an attempt to kill Nyala.

I guess when you can outlive everyone on the planet you can make the history books say whatever you want.


Currently, I'm the commander of the Kazan Recovery Corps... for now, at least.

Huh? For now...? What do you mean by that, Lady Emel?



*nods*

N-Not from this era!? Hey, Nagiri! What is Lady Emel saying...?



Emel is also a lot more open about being a ghost made of solid hate.

It wouldn't surprise me to know that she's been acquainted with people from many time periods.



Wait, I still have yet to grasp what is happening! Please explain it more clearly...



Right away, Lady Emel.



I need to help as much as I can if I want to retain my title as the brains of Eden! Well, let's go~!









You'd think claiming the name of a group that fended off a True Dragon and killed another would get more of a reaction from her.





This door's the only way in. Having said that, there aren't any keyholes or switches or anything. All we know now is that the ruins themselves are made out of some kind of unique magic stone.

A magic stone, hm? Let's take a look. Yo, Unit 13. Get closer to the door.



~

There's probably a chest full of unknown data in those ruins~! *sigh* This whole situation is so frustrating~...







...What the gently caress?

What the gently caress!?

HOW DID IT GET HERE.

Like, sure, we utterly screwed the pooch when we killed Nyala, but that doesn't explain HOW A TOWER FROM ATLANTIS ENDED UP HERE.

Ladyin couldn't have survived the collapse of Atlantis either, because Ulania even says that Atlantis vanished without a trace in the new history! So either Ladyin got yeeted into loving hyperspace and got dropped here at some point in the past, or the writers just said gently caress it!

I've said it before, and I'll say it in the future, but at this very moment?

Welcome to VFD.






Who woulda thought we'd end up at the same place we just left... except 20,000 years later. I think the reason it's like this might be... your guys' fault, though... Eh, let's not sweat the details. If this really is Ladyin, opening that door should be easy. We do have the goddamn queen of Atlantis here, you know?





*shriek* It's some kind of... weird rabbit!?

And who the hell are you!? I'm not a rabbit! My name is the Almighty Nagamimi!

Hwa! The rabbit speaks!?

Grrr, you bastard! I've had just about enough of you...

*sigh* I see~... I didn't quite believe all of this at first... But now that I've seen your technology, I don't have much of a choice~.

What do you mean, Sailas?

Nagiri, it's clear to me that Unit 13 are indeed time travelers. And that their civilization is somehow more advanced than our own... On top of all that... they have some kind of connection with these ruins! Did I get it all?

And as an aside, don't expect any answers on whatever happened to the Earth to cause Eden to drop down to a fantasy setting.

A connection...? That would explain how loud the stones of the ruins have been...

Oh yeah, you're a Lucier. That means you can hear the voices of stones, right?

Correct. The ruin stones have been joyous since Unit 13 came. It's as if they found a long-lost friend.

Hmm~... OK. How about we go and discuss this back at the guild hall? Man, this is getting exciting~! It sounds like we finally have a solution~!



Back to the Guild Hall.



Now that I think about it, Emel should have known it was Ladyin from the start!

Because she was there, at Atlantis! She should have recognized something!




I see~... So those are the ruins of the ancient sea kingdom, Atlantis. And you guys have a deep connection to Atlantis...

Oh, I know of Atlantis! Is that not from a fairy tale? The story goes that Atlantis sunk a long time ago, and in doing so saved the world. Hahaha! To think you would bring up a fairy tale! It is a fairy tale... right?



That may be true, but we are ultimately still unable to open the door. Correct?

Well, yeah~...



Okay, why are we suddenly acting like we don't have a way in? Nagamimi mentioned Ulania just a few minutes ago.

The answer is clear. This group is nothing more than a pack of liars.



Now, now... Calm down, Jil...

Jil... You can't solve every problem in life through punishment.

Tell that to 7D1's Princess.



B-But...! Nrghhh...!



*sigh* Anyways, how can we open the door, Sailas? You surely must have something in mind.



Don't you have someone who can help us, Unit 13?



You guessed it.



~

Maybe I do, maybe I don't.

Well, which is it? Make up your mind!

~~

Now Jil, let's let Unit 13 go retrieve this important person of theirs. In the meantime, I'm going to go examine the ruins a little more. Maybe it'll even give us a clue about how we can beat Haze~.



I should head to the ruins as well. Sailas would surely perish were he to encounter any monsters.



Understood, Lady Emel. Well then, Unit 13... Let us meet again.



Music: None


Perhaps they can be the ones to destroy that detestable Haze... The annihilation of all dragons is what this planet desires... They all must die!

Nice to see that Emel hasn't changed a bit over the years.







...Although it looks like age is starting to take its toll on her.



Next time: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 07:20 on Jun 28, 2023

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Welcome to the Eden arc. Hoo boy I will have words to say about this later.

quote:


This never comes up in this game, but he has some relation to an old character from DS.



Faro from DS, her real name is Na Farobrarie Kratinka. Which is never brought up in 7D1 either. I believe the artbook for VFD mentions those 2 are from the same tribe.

As for Mylos's "tactics" on dealing with the dragons from 7D1...







Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh. This did not work out too well for them later.

BraveLittleToaster
May 5, 2019
Ahh, I can tell this arc will be fun. I love a good old hot mess of a time travel plot and VFD is delivering that in spades. I wonder if that tower's going to keep showing up in every time period Unit 13 travels to.

I wouldn't put it past the game to do exactly that.

OneWingedDevil
Aug 27, 2012
I see Julietta's line has continued in a recognizable form over 5,000 years in the future.

On the one hand, I'm curious about who he settled down with. On the other hand, I'm a little terrified how VFD would attempt to answer that and open up plot holes in other games.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Araxxor posted:

There actually is a weakness aside from eating up team meter. The break is RNG and not guaranteed to break the buff. This isn't stated anywhere in the game and something players find out the hard way.

That being said, the chance is tied to each buff and most buffs have the break chance set to 100%, like the Megamouth's Power Charge. So it's guaranteed in a lot of cases, but in a few cases (namely boss battles) it's not guaranteed.

I sifted through more enemy skills to document them, and it turns out this "weakness" only applies to boss fights, and only certain bosses. Randoms and dragons? Buddy skills are guaranteed to break the buff. So go hog wild with the power of friendship in those cases.

Gilgamesh255
Aug 15, 2015
In regards to the time travel shenanigans, let me just quote one of PlagueofGripes' videos: poo poo is hosed!

Secondly, we're finally at the part I'm at in the game, where apparently my smooth brain ape tactics are no longer sufficient enough to take out the dragons before another joins the battle.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

BisbyWorl posted:

Breaking news!



Local broken game found to be even more broken then it already was!

I think this is the second time I've had to go back and add something to the mechanics post.

Turns out I misread the data. Guarding multiplies the chances by 0.5x! EX guards multiply by 0.25x!

In fact, I am almost certain this is a bug. Upon doing more research on enemy skills and mechanics, I discovered this seems to be essentially a 50% cut to any RNG related effect applied to the players, unless said thing was sourced from a player (So thankfully it won't cause healing items to have a 50% chance to miss). And stuff like debuffs and some other mechanics are coded as a 100% base chance to apply, which guarding can lower. Which results in some weirdness and having the effect apply to stuff it really shouldn't be working on. Seems in the bid to buff it to work on ailments, programming shortcuts may have been taken causing it to catch quite a few effects in the crossfire.

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Update XXXVII - Featuring: A budget thinner than paper

Music: Kazan - Drowning in Petals, The Future


We've been real busy over here helping out with this drat Dragon Calamity. Things've gotten super crazy now. Refugees from all over Tokyo are staking out in our building. It's a pretty big mess. You guys should prolly come back here for the day. Man, we're gonna run out of supplies at this rate.



Jil has the only new line here.





And when we leave, everything except Nodens is locked out entirely.

Music: The Daily Grind




When you're done with that, come up to the War Room. Allie's waiting for a progress report.







Come to the future with me.



~

I need to talk to you.

I see. Please explain.

~~





I understand. I shall go wherever I can be of help to you.

Elder Court Lady: Lady Ulania!? What are you saying? If something were to happen to you...

I will be fine. Unit 13 will protect me, correct?







Music: UE77 In Ariake


Yes, we are exterminating dragons at a quicker rate than we had originally anticipated.





Yooo! Is that Unit 13 on the other end of the line!?

E-Eigur, I'm in the middle of a—

Unit 13! Sup? How are you guys doing over there? Wait, is that Ulania? Why's she there with you!?

Mr. Yuma... Has Eigur been much trouble?

What!? I—

Eigur, I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from yelling in my ear...

R-Right... My bad.

Queen Ulania, Eigur has proven to be a significant asset to ISDF operations.



I would like to take a moment to point out that we were at Eden just long enough to chat up the locals a bit.

In that time, Eigur and the ISDF have killed two High Dragons.

They aren't just having their own 2020-III without us, they're speedrunning it.


But don't worry, I'm repping Atlantis out here! I won't lose to them!

At present, there is no serious threat to ISDF activity. Further extermination will be simple.



Don't let your guard down.

*chuckle* The Admiral and I would never make such an amateurish mistake.

Wait, why didn't you say anything about me!? I'm not gonna mess this up!

Hmmm... That matter will remain confidential for the time being...

What!? Hey, Unit 13! Ulania! I'm not messing things up over here! Please, believe me...

~

I'm confident in you.

*chuckle* It seems I have your trust, Unit 13.

Hey, hold on a sec. I think you misunderstood, Yuma.



Even the non-leader party members have been reacting to this.

Wh-What...? I most certainly did not misunderstand! In that context, or any for that matter, such a statement would clearly be directed towards me.

What'd you say...!?

~~

Putting that aside, we'll do what we must to end this calamity and join up with you later.

I'm gonna be a lot stronger when you see me next! Look forward to seeing buff Eigur!

Well then, let us both put in our best efforts!

Always nice to see the boys getting along.

OK OK★ You better try as hard as you can, Unit 13! I don't want you losing to him★

*nods*

Now then... I believe you have a report for us?







It was still destroyed, otherwise humanity would have found it at some point!

I guess this is the result of our intervention... Oh, but Sailas, Nagiri, and... Brijilt was it...? They seem pretty useful. As you saw in Atlantis, help from the locals can be very useful. Try to stay on good terms with them.

And you met Emel, as well. She has aided humanity across time as the incarnation of hatred for dragons. She'll surely prove useful to you as well...







And back we go to Kazan.



Music: Kazan - Drowning in Petals, The Future






And yet I can sense the sea breeze of my kingdom... How strange...







So, let us see this solution of yours.

*nods*







This is... the sealed district of Ladyin!







Even my full force could not make it budge, and yet she opened it with a mere touch...!

Incredible... Just incredible~!

Um, Unit 13... Who is that woman? For some reason, seeing her makes my ears twitch...





You are the queen of legend who saved this world from dragons!?

So that is how I am known in this world...

And yet Murakumo Unit 13, who fended off a True Dragon and killed another, are completely unknown.

No respect, I tell ya.




If not for you, the Lucier race would not exist in this world.

Please, there is no need to humble yourself in such a manner. I did not accomplish it alone. It was all thanks to the people of Atlantis... and Unit 13.

To think you would bring a queen from a fairy tale to our land... Just who are you, Unit 13?





Welp.

S-Sailas...! Unit 13, let us head into the ruins before that foolish scientist manages to get too far!

Please, allow me to act as your guide. I know all there is to know about Ladyin.

It would be too much to ask that of you. You may stay here.

Please, I wish to assist you.



I can serve as your guard, Lady Ulania. If it's OK with you, that is.

Of course. I will be counting on you.



Very well! Let us enter!



Music: Ladyin - Spiral Ruins






Y-Yes, that is true. Leave it to me, Brijilt Breykani!



No need to rush into a battle with Haze, right? Proceed with caution.

So, our very first dungeon in our return to the very first game?



It's Ladyin.



IT'S



FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKING



LADYIN

The dungeon we literally just did! The entire reason the tower got dropped here was so the dungeon could get loving reused!

The Cladeon revisit sucked, sure, but at least that didn't snap the narrative over its loving spine!




The only difference is that now we're doing the thing in reverse! Aren't you excited!?

Music: Battlefield - Eden


The only perk is that Eden has a new battle music that slaps.



Random encounters are still jokes, however.



Also we got new frogs.

Music: Ladyin - Spiral Ruins


And despite the place being so tightly sealed that no one can get in, Ladyin is crawling with cats.



Now we know why the top of these stairs had a greyed out icon, because the upward climb also removed the exterior sections of the tower.





Exploration-wise, the only change to Ladyin is that some paths are now blocked and others are open.





Also we got new crabs.





Where have all the dragons gone, anyways?



Seriously, the world map said Kazan had 34 dragons.



That's two floors down and not a single one to be found.



A cutscene starts as soon as we enter 3F.

Lady Ulania... You have my sympathies.





Sailas! Did I not warn you about running off on your own!?

Chill, Jil, he moved like five feet away.



Incredible... This is truly an otherworldly experience~! Teeheehee~!



Suddenly roars!



...Maybe Jil had a point.





Unit 13!





Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator




The Blackhorn can use Paralyze Punch to, well, Paralyze a single target, but far more annoying is the full-party Coma Scream which can hit everyone with Sleep.



But beyond that we've already seen this kind of dragon.

Opal finally broke four digits, at least.


Music: Ladyin - Spiral Ruins


You beat that dragon with such ease... I guess I'm not surprised Lady Emel approved of you guys.

My apologies, Unit 13. I allowed my eyes to drift from Sailas for but one moment... Nevertheless, that was a splendid battle. Please excuse my earlier rudeness.

Don't worry about it, Jil~! Nobody got hurt, right?

...Indeed. I suppose you are correct, Sailas.

Though this never would've happened if Sailas hadn't gone wandering off...

*gasp* Yes, I had nearly forgotten! How many times must I scold you, Sailas!?

Music: Stops




Music: Ignith of the Final Attack (code:VFD Ver)


Oh, there you are.



Who are you!?



You'd think Emel would use her hate ghost powers to poke around the tower and stumble upon her sister at some point.







We will find out who she's searching for later.

The answer is far, far stupider than you can imagine.


It sounded like she was looking for someone~...



Suddenly, more roars!

Wh-What!? I can sense many enemies nearby!

Music: Endless Attack Cycle


Ah yes, Jil can sense the dragons with those mystical organs called 'eyes.'





Understood! We shall retreat for now and make the necessary preparations!

Hey, Unit 13! They're totally right! That's enough for today!



Music: Kazan - Drowning in Petals, The Future


Please do not worry, Lady Ulania! We shall exterminate the dragons within your sacred ground!

We can't even get to where Haze is right now, though. We'll need a countermeasure, or at least some more fighting power...

Mmm, that is true~. Let's head back to the guild hall for a strategy meeting~!





Yes, but the number of dragons inside is purely horrifying... It would be near impossible to reclaim it in our current state.

Then we'll just increase our manpower. We have many skilled soldiers available here. I'd be willing to send as many as necessary. However, I want you to lead them, Opal.

I see~! It's time for reinforcements~. What do you think, Unit 13?



I'd say go for it. Allie approves as well. Julietta's even more lenient now on the whole impacting the past and the future thing.



That's right, the time has come for our final party.

I'll send you guys a Terminal so you can make your 3rd team right there. You're gonna have to plan which members to use based on the situation... Choose wisely!



*nods*

I see. I'll give you a list of candidates, then. Feel free to choose whoever you'd like.





We don't know what may happen in the ruins. Be sure to prepare well.

Yup~! You never know if you're going to run into a horde of dragons, or that mysterious lady~!

What is this about a mysterious lady, Sailas?

We encountered a beautiful woman in there~. She showed up out of nowhere like some kind of ghost.

...Did she happen to have long, blue hair?

Well, yeah. That was a good guess~!

So that's where she is... That girl is my sister, Aytel... I will head to the ruins with you. There's something I must discuss with Aytel.

Lady Emel...?

Understood. It is settled. We shall head over once Unit 13 is finished preparing. Please inform us when you are ready.

Music: The Final Chronicle Begins


Just like with Atlantis, we got two new classes.



Which means two new sets of character portraits.



We have the spell-slinging Mage.



And the burly Banishers.



And their Receptionist lines.

Receptionist: Mages are specialists in both elemental magic attacks and healing magic. However, their defense is quite low, so be sure to pay attention to their LIFE.



Receptionist: Banishers are powerful soldiers who annihilate their enemies using titanic armored spears. They take great pride in having the most physical prowess and LIFE of all classes. Their attacks use explosive bombs which, while packing a wallop, have restrictions on their use.

Now, are you all ready for...

BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Jun 28, 2023

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Bonus: Character Creation 3

The time has come for our final batch of recruits! But this time is special, as we only have two new classes but three slots to fill. That means we get one flex pick alongside our shiny new Mage and Banisher. They can be anything you want! Another Samurai to use both sword types at once? Another Agent to finally make use of the Hack Weakness on their Buddy attacks? Maybe another Rune Knight to just break things in half even harder? The choice is yours!

All the other character creation stuff can be found here and here.

Mage A


Mage B


Banisher A


Banisher B

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!
you should make a male banisher a-2 and his name should be GEORGE! written like that imo

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

Can I get a Male Mage B-1 (that's the blue-purple one) by the name of... Grant, let's say? Voiced by Yuichi Nakamura?

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Araxxor posted:

I will say VFD wasn't really grabbing me by this point on my first playthrough, as one of the reasons for that were the dungeon aesthetics seemed pretty bland to me. Didn't help that you have to go through the cave dungeon twice. Jumping back to 2020 and II later was sure a shock.

The reason I made sure to bring this up back then was because this moment elicited an are you loving kidding me from when I first played. Like we get to a cool new location in the future and the dungeon we go to is from the Atlantis era, and was the one we just cleared before the intermission. Yeah this game's budget was running super thin by this point.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Male mage B1 to add a bit of charisma to the party. Name him Thomas O'Malley, because all those cats being rescued need their charming leader

BraveLittleToaster
May 5, 2019
I'm feeling Male Mage B-2, with the name of Franz. Feels like a Franz to me.

Toyotasomi no Miko
Oct 23, 2016
These classes. Hoo boy, these classes. The summaries for these cannot come fast enough. Banisher is the peak of powerleaping. Forget powercreep, that's too little energy to be correct.

Kinu Nishimura posted:

you should make a male banisher a-2 and his name should be GEORGE! written like that imo
Seconding because I can't think of a Banisher that can top this.

Magnus Ragnar
Feb 24, 2013

It's times like this I prefer to just burn everything. Works out better than you'd think!

Well, until you burn down the coffee shop anyways. I still haven't heard the end of that...
Ah yes, THESE classes. Rune Knight is its own league of nonsense, sure, but these two... these two sure as hell try and make it work for it. Also I think it's telling that my brain aggressively pushes Sailas' existence out of my brain, because I forgot about him and his creepy as hell 'heavy breathing research research research' shtick.

As for a character suggestion, here's one for the flex slot;

Portrait: Female Mage B-1
Name: Sveta
Class: Agent

Because every run of this game I've done I have one Rune Knight per party, so I'm curious to see the two agent synergy in further steamrolling enemies/bosses.

Omobono
Feb 19, 2013

That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

Sorry, who is George? Or rather, GEORGE!?

Ratoslov
Feb 15, 2012

Now prepare yourselves! You're the guests of honor at the Greatest Kung Fu Cannibal BBQ Ever!

Y'know, it's funny. In a lot of these portrait sets the female variations tended to be more interesting or have more character, but this time I think the guys got all the fun.

GiantRockFromSpace
Mar 1, 2019

Just Cram It


Kinu Nishimura posted:

you should make a male banisher a-2 and his name should be GEORGE! written like that imo

:yeah:

And lmao even the NPCs are powercrept, can't wait for them to kill a True Dragon for us to save even more budget!

cdyoung
Mar 2, 2012
How about female Mage A-1
Name her Bao-Sith
and for her class mage
and as for her voice, who ever sounds the most condescending

cdyoung fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Oct 7, 2022

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

Omobono posted:

Sorry, who is George? Or rather, GEORGE!?

The portrait just looks like a GEORGE! is all, there’s not a specific one… I think

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!

Omobono posted:

Sorry, who is George? Or rather, GEORGE!?

the hero of mylos

Gilgamesh255
Aug 15, 2015

cdyoung posted:

How about female Mage A-1
Name her Bao-Sith
and for her class mage
and as for her voice, who ever sounds the most condescending

Seconding, as I doubt I'm going to get Bathory in there any time soon.

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


I'm going to wait another day or so before calling it and getting footage. Mage and Banisher look fairly locked in, but there's only been one suggestion for the flex slot so far if anyone wants to chime in on that.

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Portrait: Banisher BF2
Name: Vivian
Voice: Rina Sato
Class: Samurai

Let's show off all the swords in action I guess.

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Alright, calling it here. Our final party with consist of GEORGE!, Thomas, and...

Magnus Ragnar posted:

Portrait: Female Mage B-1
Name: Sveta
Class: Agent

Araxxor posted:

Portrait: Banisher BF2
Name: Vivian
Voice: Rina Sato
Class: Samurai



...Vivian!

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.
Oh hooray, time to see some flexibility I suppose. :toot:

BisbyWorl posted:



And strangely, the Wyvern still only gets a single move.

Like, why? Double actions are kind of a dragon's whole Thing. Why does a baby dragon in an actual video game get two moves but the real things don't?


Turns out there was a very simple explanation for this. Been sifting through the 2020 games' data for some other purposes and turns out that this dragon's moveset and AI were entirely copied and pasted from the tutorial dragons from 2020-II. The two you fight in the prologue in that game, which only act once per turn to ease you in. The White Dragon on the other hand was slightly adjusted from this and is not a carbon copy.

And no, 2020-II didn't copy and paste from 2020's tutorial dragons, those things had a lot more simple behavior where the 2020-II tutorial dragons were ramped up a lot more. Quite a few internals were grabbed from 2020 and II's, though VFD kinda ended up nerfing some of the returning enemies and dragons from the PSP games pretty hard if they didn't keep the data entirely.

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Update XXXVIII - Featuring: Money



Alright, the final batch of recruits has been decided on.

Music: The Final Chronicle Begins




And we're going with GEORGE! (the ! is mandatory) the Banisher.



Thomas the Mage.



And Vivian the single sword Samurai.



Tean 3 is ready for action!

Once they, you know, gain some levels.




And while I'm here,



Now that we have people above level 30, we unlock the ability to change someone's class at a rather hefty level cost. Starting at level 40, respecs also give a bonus stat based on the class you're currently in. You could theoretically do this so much that your entire team has maxed stats across the board, but that would take an utterly ungodly amount of grinding for a game that's already very easy.



Look our full party list, isn't it nice?



But unlike Team 2 who could do a single run of the grinding DLC and get to a usable point, Team 3 will have to stay on the bench for a while. With an even larger level gap than last time and fairly expensive skills for where we are in the game, they just can't do much beyond backrow support.



Mage has a few cheaper options, at least.



Look how snazzy that red armor looks!



But that's all for them this time, Opal has work to do.

Music: Let's Get to Work!!


Banishers and Mages have appropriately scaled starter gear like the Atlantis crew, but Vivian needs an upgrade.



And there's another batch of sidequests!

Technically speaking I could have done these before heading to Eden, but this gives Team 3 a chance to gain some easy XP and SP before we head back to Eden.




This request comes from Julietta... Dragon signals in this city have been disappearing, but nobody knows the reason why... He'd like you to perform a thorough investigation into the matter. Anyways, go talk to the client for more details. He should be in the Director's Office...



*sigh* I wish I could hire cats to help me with my work... Your client today is Researcher Marie. She seems to have a request concerning cats. I wish I could spend all day rolling around like a cat... Rolling, and meowing... ... Th-The client is waiting for you on the R&D Floor. Please do your best...

Mood.



This request is about looking for someone. I wonder what they mean by a Lucier from Tokyo... There's a boy named Koh waiting in the Atlantis Evac Ward. Please ask him for more details...



This one is easy money. I wish I could do this quest myself... There's been an outbreak of Gold Rabi at the Berg Sea Palace. You must subdue them. You'll be able to get details from Saori. She should be on the R&D Floor. *sigh* You're so lucky...

This is the other DLC farming quest.



Up first is Julietta.



Could you take a look at that monitor? Five dragons seem to have simply disappeared from the depths of the Tokyo Underground. I've contacted ISDF, but they don't have any idea what's going on, either... Maybe our instrumentation is malfunctioning... or maybe there's someone hunting the dragons? Either way, please hurry to the scene and investigate.

And due to the plot moving forward, his standard line has been changed to:

Ghosts...? That's out of my field of expertise. A powerful soul that couldn't die, even if it wanted to...



That also reminded me to go talk to Nagamimi and Allie.



Oh hey, a typo!

~

It's incredible that we now have Eden huntsmen working together with Unit 13! I wonder what kind of power they hold! I can't wait to find out★



Next is the kid.



Koh: I think I saw one. I took a peek in the Tokyo Evac Ward, and there was a Lucier there I'd never seen. She was beautiful, man... When I went to talk to her, she just ran away... My bro says it's just cosplay or something, but if that's a real Lucier, I'd love to meet her!



Then the DLC quest.



*nods*

Saori: Really? Thank god! It should be a pretty good deal for you, too. So, there's been an increase in the number of Gold Rabi underneath the Berg Sea Palace. Just as their name suggests, Gold Rabi are made of gold, so you'll get lots of money off of them! You have lots of needs that must be met, right? A bit more money should help with that.

*nods*

Saori: Then it's settled! I've asked the Almighty Nagamimi to guide you around the site. These Rabi are special, so keep an eye out! Oh, and good luck! This is a golden opportunity!



And Marie is right through that door.



Researcher Marie: I shoulda known Unit 13 was gonna help me out! Thank you soooooooo much★ So I like, love cats. Now I heard there are these adorable things called cat gatherings... But I've like, never seen one! It makes me super sad. I've got some deets, though! An eye witness account of a real live cat gathering! It's in this place called the Tokyo Underground. Do ya know it? So y'know how I'm all busy n' stuff with this chronicle thing? Well, it'd really help motivate me if you could snap me a pic of that gathering. I'll even let you borrow my cam! Pleeeeeeeease★





We don't have to leave Nodens to help out Koh, so let's knock out that Lucier search first.



There's a quest marker as soon as we enter the Tokyo ward.



That must be our woman.



You can see her cat ears poking out a bit.



But she immediately runs off.



Who names their kid Rant?

And how do we even know her name anyways?




While the cutscene itself gave no hints to where she ran off to, our quest log has psychic powers and points us directly to her.





Rant: My name is Rant. I am a member of the World Relief Corps.



What's that...?

Rant: The World Relief Corps strives to rescue people in trouble from all walks of life. From our base in Naha, we provide relief for all citizens of the world.

~

Why are you here?

Rant: The World Relief Corps... strives to rescue people in trouble from all walks of life. Under orders from Representative Furusuga, I am here to investigate the activities here at Nodens.

~~

Rant: ...Are you familiar with the story of the Lucier revival of 2021?



Tell me.

Rant: In order to defeat the True Dragon that attacked in 2021, humanity was in need of the Dragonslayer. So, the Murakumo Group used DNA data to clone a few Lucier, who in turn forged the Dragonslayer.

~

...I am.

Rant: Then let me speak of the events that occurred after the revival.

~~

Rant: The new Lucier were at first very well protected by Murakumo. However, these Lucier and their innate abilities sparked political debate among various groups. It was at that point that the World Relief Corps stepped in to house the mistreated Lucier. We hope for a world without war... In such a world, we could live as normal members of society...



Are you going to take our Lucier?

Rant: That is not part of our plan... at least for now.

~

We aren't mistreating them now!

Rant: Yes, I am aware.

~~

Rant: I infiltrated this facility a few days ago to investigate the living situation of the Lucier here. It is not bad. There have been no experiments done on them, and they have not been forced to work. However... I wish to hear how they themselves feel about their future here. If possible, I'd like to meet a trustworthy Atlantis Lucier. Please bring them to me.



Who's the most trustworthy Lucier we know?



Why, the incredible teleporting Eigur, of course!

I'm not kidding, he materializes in the room just for this sidequest.






He teleported back here from 2020-III, then went directly to Rant.





That hoody must have been extremely uncomfortable with ears that big.

Rant: Indeed. I cannot tell you the location, but it is a city-state of near one thousand citizens. If the Atlantis Lucier wished to immigrate to our country, we would be able to house all of you.





It might be a good idea.

I was thinking the same thing, but...

~

It's your choice, Eigur.

My choice...

~~

I... don't think it would be right to leave. We owe our lives to Unit 13. The other people of Atlantis definitely think the same thing. Besides, a Lucier country'd just be the same as Atlantis. Meeting these humans really helped expand our world.

Rant: So now your world is expanded, you do not wish for it to become contracted once again.

Sorry, but yeah. That's my answer. That's just me, though. Once things settle down here, every Lucier can make their own plan for the future.

Rant: I understand. I will be sure to make a note of that on my investigation report. With that, I will take my leave. I ask that you keep the existence of the Lucier country a secret.



Rant: ...?

I've got one last important question... Is there an ocean in this country of yours?



This is a nod to the Lucier nation in 7D1, Nevanplace.

I see... Well, make sure you give my thanks to the people at your whatever organization.

And, honestly, this works rather well as a way to explain how the Lucier went from a small handful of clones to one of the biggest places in Eden: they took in the Atlantis refugees after the events of this game to bolster their numbers, letting them build up to a major nation by the time 7D1 rolls around.

It falls horribly flat considering how badly we've broken the timeline, but still.


Rant: ...Of course. If you are ever in need of help, do not be afraid to call us.





But I guess it's good to know there are more of us here in this world. Thanks for bringing me to talk to her, Unit 13!



Eigur has teleported back to Yuma.

Yuma's probably killed like 3 High Dragons in the time it took for Eigur to talk to Rant.




And we can go turn the quest in.



You must've been seeing things.

Koh: Seeing things... You mean, there wasn't a Lucier...? I guess she was just some cosplayer like my bro said!

~

She's gone.

Koh: I see... I was hoping we could be friends or something... That's really too bad...

~~

Koh: Anyways, thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule to help me out! This is my thanks!

You obtained 2,000 Az!

You obtained Psycho Guard x1.


Why does the game get so excited about getting some cash? I just noticed that.

Anyways, the Psycho Guard is an accessory that gives 25% resistance to Confusion, Charm, Curse, and Downer.


Koh: I guess it's time to go exploring with my bro again!





That leaves three more sidequests to go.

Music: UE77 Tokyo


So let's knock out the DLC.

Also note how the Underground suddenly has two dragons on the counter.


Music: Ladyin - Sacred Tranquility


The quest starts in the basement.



In hindsight, I probably should have just entered from there.







There's just the one Gold Rabi, and it died in one hit.



Each Rabi gives 1.5K.

Total earnings: 1,500 Az.




What's up?



Doesn't it hurt to watch?

...You mean cause it's a rabbit?

*nods*

Of course not! I'm not some dumb rabbit! Sheesh, who the hell do you think I am!?

~

You're not too different.

...From a rabbit?

*nods*

We're nothing alike! How many times do I have to tell you before it gets through your thick skull!?

~~

It's always gold, gold, gold with you humans... Not that I'm not a fan of bling. Just don't overdo it, OK? I don't want you coming back with gold teeth.

Coming here was worth it just to make fun of Nagamimi.



Just like the Atlantica DLC quest, a bunch of field enemies have spawned in.



One.



Total earnings: 3,000 Az.



Some are in side rooms.

Two.




Total earnings: 6,000 Az.



Three.



Total earnings: 12,000 Az.



Four is on B2F.



Total earnings: 15,000 Az.



There's nothing in here, but the extra running around helps get Team 3 up to speed so I can't be too mad.



Five.



Total earnings: 18,000 Az.

The Rabi can also drop Cat Food, so that's a small boost in SP.




Six.



Total earnings: 24,000 Az.



Number seven is in the left section of B3F.



Total earnings: 25,500 Az.



While eight is on the other half of the floor.



Total earnings: 31,500 Az.



And nine.



Total earnings: 36,000 Az.



Hm? Hold on... This signal... Unit 13, go check out the Tidal Chamber on B3F.







And we cap off with a giant Gold Rabi.



It still dies in one hit.



We get twice the money of a single Gold Rabi kill, putting us at 39,000 Az.



Anywho, that should be the end of the rabbits. Come on home, Unit 13.



That's good money for now, but just like the previous grinding DLC it'll rapidly fall off as things get more expensive.

It doesn't help that Berg's basement takes a lot longer to traverse compared to Atlantica.




Music: The Daily Grind


Now we just have to turn the quest in.



Saori: Looks like it, based on how you're acting. Glad to hear my info was worthwhile. If there's another outbreak of Gold Rabis, you'll be the first to know. Well, here's a reward for completing the quest.

You obtained 300 Az!

Total earnings: 39,300 Az.



Next time: We go to a filler dungeon. We go to a filler dungeon again.

BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 07:38 on Jun 28, 2023

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Just one update this week.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
They don't average the levels of team 3 to the levels of the rest of your party? Ouch

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Slaan posted:

They don't average the levels of team 3 to the levels of the rest of your party? Ouch

They don't, but the aggressive exp scaling ensures they don't stay behind for too long. A few battles in Eden will have team 3 battle ready.

Unfortunately SP payouts do not scale, but the classes don't need too much to get going, especially the Eden classes.

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Update XXXIX - Featuring: Birds, cats, and high explosives

Music: A Place to Come Home


Thanks to that Rabi hunting, I have 11 bags of Cat Food on hand. I turn it into 3,300 SP to give Team 3 a boost.



Meow-nager Ai: We can't handle the cat-astrophic influx that would come from using Fancy Cat Food right now...

Worth it.



Up next...

Music: UE77 Tokyo


Is heading back to the Underground.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals


I'll warn you right now, I'm not gonna do a drat thing for this one. There's probably some kinda marking on your map. Go look for it on your own.



I'd like to remind you all that these quests were open before we went to Eden.

So if you did everything as soon as possible, you'd go through the Underground for the Intermission, then turn around and head right back.




There's absolutely nothing in the first area.



Or in the second.



But there's a quest marker in the third area.



You can barely see a dragon before a cutscene kicks in.





...Blaster Raven?

That funny—looking guy... I feel like I've seen him around Nodens.

*pant* *pant* This isn't... This isn't over yet...! Take this! Blaster Final Atta— Nrghhh!





Boy... Hurry... and run...

Lost Boy: G-Get up, Mister... The d-dragon is...



Alright, let's go bail him out.

Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator


We got a reskinned Megamouth.



I try to go for a Moon Stance -> Jinka React play with Inoue.



Except it goes for Valerie on turn 1.



Who then proceeds to paralyze him on turn 2.



Making him lose both actions.



Twice.



The poor thing only got two attacks in four turns.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals


He's not getting up, but he still reacts to the pain... Hey, Unit 13. We need to ensure his airway doesn't collapse. Get that weird outfit off of him.

*nods*











Boy... I'm glad you're safe...



I was able to fend off five dragons while protecting him, but... I seem to have embarrassed myself in front of you. You have my gratitude, Unit 13! Now, I must return to my mission! Please bring this child back to the safety of Nodens.

...Wait.



Blaster Raven soloed five dragons?



The guy who does cosplay from a retro game series?



That Blaster Raven?



Is no one going to bring that up?



What the hell was that...? Whatever. Go tell Julietta that guy was the cause of all the dragon disappearances.



We still need to find those cats.





Thankfully they're like 10 feet away.



Hmm? Uhhh, Unit 13... There's a dragon behind you. You must've missed it. You should probably get into position... if you have time.

Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator


Well that's some halfassed quest design. It didn't even get a field model.



And yes, it is a forced ambush.



The Scar Viper hits far harder than the Megaearth.



But Forest Poetry neuters it for one main reason:



Next turn it uses Tyrant's Roar, a buff that increases ATK while decreasing DEF.



And that's it. The Viper runs on a strict AI pattern where most of the time it only gets one move per turn.



And since the ambush counts as a full turn, the only way you won't be able to break the buff is if you intentionally don't have any 1 turn support classes in the backrow.

To make it even worse, Buddy skills only breaks buffs, not debuffs, meaning the DEF debuff sticks around making Tyrant's Roar a net benefit to our side.




The follow up attack hurts.



But it still only has the one action. After this, the pattern will repeat with two normal attacks, then Tyrant's Roar, then Great Horn.



While this is going on, Team 3 is proving to be a great Support setup. Samurai gives ATK, Mage gives MAT, and Banisher gives DEF. Combined, they become a way to make everyone hit harder while taking less damage on a 2 turn cooldown.



Unfortunately, the Scar Viper just can't keep up. It has the bulk and the damage to be an honest threat, but the limited AI means I have more than enough time to keep myself patched up.



Of course they're gonna run away if there's a loud fight going on right next to them. Eh, too bad. Let's go back and report to your client.



Music: UE77 Tokyo


Music: The Daily Grind


Lets go report to the cat lady.



Researcher Marie: Wait! That means those adorable kitties are like, in big danger! You gotta save them and bring 'em back to the cat cafe~!



But they're so cautious...

Researcher Marie: Ohhh, that's no problem! There's a simple trick I know that can solve that~! Wait, I don't have the time to be telling Unit 13 how to play with cats...

~

It'll be tough to get all three...

Researcher Marie: Hmmm... That is a problem...

~~

Researcher Marie: Oh! You just gotta catch 'em all while they have their gathering! You could use, like... a net? What about some kinda big throw net? Y'know, like they use for fishing. I wonder if anyone in the Atlantis Evac Ward knows about that stuff.



Alright, so that quest isn't done yet. Let's finish up with Julietta before we head back to the Underground.



Still, the fact that he was able to destroy all those dragons means he's more than just some weirdo. I better look into it! But first... it's time for your reward. Do you want an item? Or do you perhaps want... me?

You obtained 600 Az!

You obtained SP Up 300 x3.


I'll give you a call if I find out anything else about that strange man in the hero costume. Anyways, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for new quests.





Now we can go get a net.



Fisherman Todd: Of course I have one! I look forward to the day when I can fish again. Are you lads going fishing?



Yes, we are.

Fisherman Todd: What are you looking to net?

*gestures*

~

We're trying to catch cats.

This just skips the question.

~~

Fisherman Todd: Cats? Ahhh... So in this world there are fish called cats... I get it now. It'll be a while till I can go out fishing again. Here, you can take it. Just make sure you share that delicious cat meat with me, alright?



That man is going to be so confused in the near future.

Talking to him after this gets:


Fisherman Todd: How's the cat fishing going? Try and catch a big one!





Back underground we go.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals


This makes three times you have to come down here in a row, if I didn't hold off on doing these quests.



So far Team 3 is about half the level of the others.

Music: Battlefield - UE77


But I'm sure they can take on a few random encounters!



Thanks, Vivian.



Now, the Banisher works a bit like the Duelist, and have a secondary resource to go with MN. Unlike the Duelist who starts with a few cards and constantly draws more, the Banisher starts every fight with a full stock of bombs and has to spend turns using the Reload skill when they run out. Their Bomb Bonus passive increases how many bombs they can hold at once, up to a max of nine.



The Mage, meanwhile, is 2020's Psychic, as I've said before.



And Samurai hits things like always.



Power Bolt Drop trades the potential weakness hits of Aerial Slash and Maple Tear for increased base damage and Bleed.



Clap Trap is your standard random-targeting move, but each hit has a chance of inflicting Burn.



And Volcano is your standard AoE move.

There is a small quirk about it compared to Mage's other elemental AoE moves, but I'll get into that later.




GEORGE!'s AUTO skill kicks in on the next fight. War Cry is a 3 turn ATK/DEF buff.



As mentioned, Sheathed Stance will eventually pick up a DEF/MDF debuff at higher levels, but for now it just deals a bit of damage.



Flame is, well, a standard attack.



While Burst Attack is 3 hits compared to Clap Trap, and it deals slightly less damage overall, but every hit is focused on a single target.



Destructive Sweep has some impressive synergy with this team, considering Mage has access to all three elements.



In the event your Banisher runs out of bombs and you don't want to Reload, you have to use Javelin.



Do not use Javelin.





That's it for fights on this trip, they can get more time in the spotlight once they're strong enough for the Ladyin Ruins.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals




The cats are in the same place as before.



System Message: Do you want to cast the Throw Net?



Not yet.

C'mon, this is your only chance! Quit dicking around! Hurry up and do it!



The other choice just cuts right to here.

We get a meow from each cat.






Oh?



At long last, we're free from the Tokyo Underground.

For now.




Music: The Daily Grind


As a small little detail, the Banisher's armor isn't just for show, they actually clank when they walk!



Researcher Marie: I wonder if they're gonna keep having gatherings in the cat cafe! I'm so excited! Ohmigod, it's almost time for my meeting! Here, this is a thank you gift!

You obtained 3,000 Az!

You obtained SP Up 200 x3.






I wonder if that milestone notice means...



Meow-nager Ai: This is a thank you gift for all your help! I look fur-ward to working with you some more!



It does!

Next time: Going from reused dungeons to reused dungeons.

BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Jun 28, 2023

BraveLittleToaster
May 5, 2019
Man, either the dragons are that chumpy, or the cosplayer is actually Blaster Raven and hiding it by cosplaying as Blaster Raven.

Or he could just be lying about the five dragons. They all seem likely scenarios at this point.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Blaster Raven has the soul of a hero

Araxxor
Oct 20, 2012

My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Man, either the dragons are that chumpy, or the cosplayer is actually Blaster Raven and hiding it by cosplaying as Blaster Raven.

Or he could just be lying about the five dragons. They all seem likely scenarios at this point.

Incidentally turns out a bunch of the dragons' mechanics and AIs were lifted from the PSP games with minimal to no changes. Some changes that did end up getting made to them turned out to be nerfs more often then not. So yes, not only is the game filled with power creep, the dragons themselves are rather chumpy. :v:

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

BisbyWorl
Jan 12, 2019

Knowledge is pain plus observation.


Update XL - Featuring: POWER

Music: The Daily Grind


Before we head back to Eden, finishing those quests got us a batch of food back at the dorms dorms.



You obtained Handmade Bento x1.

System Message: I'll take responsibility if you get food poisoning, though. Just gimme a call.





We also get our first email address! These let us invite people over at the Skylounge.



You obtained Large Abalone Bento x1.

This gives a 1.15x MAT/MDF buff to the entire party for 5 turns.

System Message: Yo, let's find time to talk just the two of us. Somewhere nobody'll butt into our conversation.

You obtained ID: Eigur.

System Message: You can now invite Eigur to the Skylounge!



Blaster Raven... :allears:

You obtained High-Grade Bento x1.

No ID from him, sadly.



To the Skylounge!





We can now make use of this option.



Nagamimi.

Music: A Place to Come Home








It was delicious! Thank you!

Tch... Calling me all the way up here for that trivial poo poo is real annoying. But... I guess I'm glad you liked it.

~

You're adorable, Nagamimi.

Huh...? You're only just saying that now, after all this time? No poo poo I'm adorable. I'm the Almighty Nagamimi, after all!

~~

Is that all? I'm gonna head back. It's a complete waste of time talking about stuff that's not the mission!









Eigur teleports away from Yuma once again.





I just wanted to see you.

Wh-Whadya mean!? I can't just go loafing around for no good reason! Think of something better for me to do! Though I'm already here, so I might as well stay for a drink!

~

Both, actually.

Alright! I can handle all that stuff! I love all sortsa manual labor! Let's have a drink before we get started!

~~





This place is freaking great. The drinks are good, and it's pretty quiet, too. I... wouldn't mind coming again. Even if you just wanna talk.

*nods*

Alright, I'm bursting with energy! Let's get down to business!





Alright, now we can head back.

Music: UE77 Tokyo


Music: Kazan - Drowning in Petals, The Future


Are you all ready,



for loving Ladyin?



Ulania's been here this entire time.



Hmmm... I don't know much about combat, but... It seems that a Banisher like Jil would be a really dependable part of a team~! Really, any of the Eden huntsmen are gonna be interesting~.

~

Please notify Jil when you're ready. We'll be waiting.







I'm good to go!

Very well! Let us depart!





Do you think you could come along, Ms. Ulania~? It'd be great to have your guidance with us in there~.

I understand. I shall accompany you.

It is much appreciated, Lady Ulania.





And now, I am acting in order to save a world far, far in the future from my own... Through survival, the future is born. It is so simple, and yet I did not realize until now...





And with zero warning, we get the most broken technique in the game.



I'll get into the exact details later, but notice how all the backrow party members reference other SEGA IPs.



Also we get this.



We're a bit short, but we'll get the Dz soon enough.



Music: Ladyin - Spiral Ruins




Lady Emel...

drat you, Haze... Once I find Aytel, I will put an end to you...!



And try not to get reckless once you find Aytel. Oh, and... I'm worried about Emel's behavior...



The first two floors are still cleared of loot, but now they're crawling with dragons.



Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator


First up is an upgraded Hammer dragon.



With Aria in the back, I need to stall for 8 turns to use Unison, so we'll have to wait until there isn't a risk of a dragon breaking in.



Hammerstrikes don't have much health.



But they have a bit of a bite.



They're just Hammers, and we all know how those turn out.



Team 3 each gained three levels off this fight alone, they'll catch up to the others fairly quickly.











Are the devs really throwing the same dragon at us three times in a row?



This one manages to actually get a kill.



Shame it couldn't take advantage of that.



Take a guess what this one is.





On the way to the stairs, Quick Hack goes off.



I finally leveled it enough to become multi-target, and each enemy hit by it gives MN. Against a full team of four enemies, Aiden will get back close to 50% of his MN.

You know, in case he didn't have enough recovery as it is.




And now, another dragon.



This time we have a Little Dragon.

We also don't have any dragons close enough to break in.




And that means it's time to stalll.



Little Dragons have Downer Bite.



And Fireball.



Eight turns later, Aria finally hits 2 bars.



By selecting everyone during a Back-Up Turn...



...you activate Unison.



What does it do?



Make all skills free, for starters! (God Hand still needs G-Depth for their better moves, however.)



And that includes secondary costs like Duelist's cards!



But wait, there's more, as all backrow party members get to act!



Although the backline teams are a bit limited in what they can use. In general, all self-buffs, attacks that take multiple turns to resolve, and attacks that rely on other people's actions like Windy Canopy are locked out. Party buffs are fine to use, however.



Also buffs don't decay during a Unison turn. This means that someone like Yuno can get an extra turn of SparksX Burn and get a free 2-3 fire cards to dump into it!



And as the cherry on the cake, enemies don't get to act during all this. If you outspeed them, you just get to move 12 times before they can respond.



This is exactly as powerful as it sounds, and it shatters what little difficulty VFD has left over its knee, but we honestly won't be seeing much of it during this LP.

Why? Because Yuno has a 3 turn charge, and Aria has a 4 turn charge. Unless I shuffle parties to put both of them in the front, we're looking at a 6 turn wind up at minimum. Even Nyala only lasted 7 turns, and that's before we get Tier 3 skills!


Music: Finish Them Off


If you want, however, there's nothing stopping you from filling your party with Agents, Rune Knights, and Mages and just... getting nine free attacks every two turns.

Welcome to VFD.


Next time: You ever wonder where Tallieri went off to?

BisbyWorl fucked around with this message at 09:10 on Jun 28, 2023

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply