EOU2: Climbing a tree, 16F
Jan. 19th, 2019 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sirsystemerror1F-5F | B1 | 6F | 7F | 8F | 9F | 10F
11F | B2 | 12F | 13F | 14F | 15F
B3 | B4 | 16F | 17F | 18F | 19F | 20F
21F | 22F | 23F | 24F | 25F | B5
26F | 27F | 28F | 29F | 30F (1) | 30F (2) | 31F
I get back up to 36000en. Two new pieces of equipment are available: a Bow and a Sword. I go with the bow, but skip out on the sword. It'd give Varda a damage reduction and Kei would lose the big bonuses to HP and TP. I also get a visit from the King. Sadly no Grimoire givers to really take advantage of it, though still good for 24198en.
Before actually heading to 16F and inspecting my weapons, I decided to clean up with the Yggdrasil Key. The first of these was on 1F. Just a tiny little area with two items: a Nectar II and a Formaldehyde. The latter is a fantastic little item that allows you to obtain all the items a monster drops on its death, conditionals included. Next was on 3F, a whole new and huge area! This was a pain in the ass to map out because of all the boulders and such, and had two new enemies. Raptor Lord and Longsiquama could be handled with by Head Bind and Leg Bind respectively.
On 2F of this area, there was also Thunder Rabbit. Ichigo could Hit-Taker to defend against their Heaven's Bolt, and once these enemies are in the front row, they don't use it and either panic, attack, or try to flee. They had a special conditional that required Fear. Instead of spending my skill points, I used something like to call Haxer Devaki. I just gave her that Axe of Shivers I found and had her use the move. The reward for this is the second unique armor for...Fafnir Knight. Can't use that in Classic without a NG+.
A new FOE also greeted me here. They can hop over the boulders/random piles of wreckage on the ground, and move two squares at a time.
---
These things have two main problems in regards to dealing with them. The first being their Drain Dive that can reduce the max HP of everyone, the second being their immunity to leg bind that prevents you from preventing them from using that. But guess who can counter that max HP reduction and take all the hits?! And if that wasn't enough (which it was under optimal conditions), guess whose Force Break cancels debuffs like this? I think Supreme Bolt/Stun on the turn it uses the move also stops it, although whenever it was "necessary" (when one of the binds wore off before all three Ecstasies could come out), Supreme Bolt was enough to finish it off
The only thing to watch out for is its poisoning move, which is tame but more than enough to kill most parties around this point combined with the HP debuff. But guess which dish lowers poison damage to the point of where it won't be lethal?
Now this thing also has a conditional drop. The codex hints at this, lamenting if only there were a way to make it kill itself - which would be via curse. However, you simply need to kill it while it's cursed. Sorry Touya, you got owned by misinformation.
Not that I would've had trouble getting this either way: my strategy brought them down to just a sliver of HP, although this would be the turn it tries to reapply the HP reduction, so I would just need to wait a turn or two before throwing out the curse. I even kill one this way for posterity.
---
The conditional reward is the War Magus' ultimate armor. Even if I didn't pick Kei/a medic for being cuter and more effective a healer than anything the War Magus can offer (Chloe included), I probably wouldn't be getting this anytime soon, having already splurged on a huge purchase. Poisondart Coat is more interesting and probably worth it.
By the way, thanks to Swap Step, I can now start Ecstasying on turn 2, since Devaki can be ensured to go before Varda. I fight my way to the end of this - really, I am totally playing the game wrong, here. You're expected to dodge FOEs, their rooms are supposed to be puzzles, and yet I'm just giving them all my power. Ironically, the original Etrian 2 discouraged this by making them pay out no EXP. I get some more pickups along the way, but nothing really special - it just leads to a suspiciously empty extra section of 1F!
There's another area like this in Stratum 2, but let's inspect our weapons first.
Varda got a new weapon from this called the Beam Whip. Besides being her strongest option at this point, it also contributes to Force regeneration. Very welcome for her. Ichigo has the Shell Claw. There's two weapons stronger than it right now. I...have a lot of money again all of a sudden, so I decide to upgrade into Sapphire Claw. Not Aqua Claw though - it's only a bit stronger, and that Ice Element can be screwy if I need Link Order. Kei has a Madness Staff. +100 ATK, +30HP, +30TP. Very solid. The Flamberge opened up from beating Demi-Fafnir is an option if I give her Guard Slash, but the bonuses from Madness Staff are better. Azura has a Zamiel Gun, nothing special, nothing better. Finally, Devaki has a Hades Bow. I could use a stronger Gendawa instead, but preferred a bit of extra TEC (Link Order boosting) to a bit of extra TP
Now then, for our other weapons - the only ones I've spent since the rest have actually been on Ichigo in B3. So let`s go over what I got.
---
Varda has 18 to use. I gave her Phys ATK Up Lv10 and Whip Mastery Lv9. Boring choices, but they actually proved very helpful. To wit, under the same conditions without the buffs in the incident below, it was only 6827 damage.
Ichigo had 16 to use. I spent 5 on maxing out Lick Wounds, taking his healing up from 80~ to 125~. I then grabbed Lv10 HP Up, equating to a boost of around 60HP. There seemed nothing better; still can't afford Lv10 Hit-Taker, not sold on Protection Vow, Endurance needs Scapegoat to be effective, and the Beast's attack skills are kind of janky and not best to use on a tank build. He sat on 1 point.
Kei had 19 to use. She blew it all on Staff Mastery Lv10 and Vital Hit Lv10, since nothing else except Heavy Strike was immediately worth it.
Azura was the hardest to crack. I settled on bringing the Snipes to 5 (12 points), and getting Phys ATK Lv5 to unlock Penetrator Lv1, mostly to enable the piercing and therefore multiple binds at once. Touya is enamored with Double Action+Ricochet, but even Lv10 of the former (which I can reach!!) is still only 12%, and I tried the former and was underwhelmed by it. Gunner really shines in the postgame, though...
Finally, Devaki was the winner with 21 to use. Some people swear by the Evil Eye/Suicide Word combo, although that's best for locking down enemies which I can usually do with Binds anyway. With little better, I maxed out Curse Mastery, maxed out Evil Eye, unlocked Torpor and Corrupt Curse for regular use, and gave her a single point in Suicide Word.
---
Naturally, I had to try doing this with the extra boost to Varda...and am only posting this and not the successful shot due to the fact that this was 3HP short. Classic. This was also with a Lv10 War Cry, something I have but don't normally use due to its lowering defense and the user needing to be on the same line. A couple extra Cut+ Grimoires pushed this over the edge (9.2k). It was also possible to beat Attack Cactuses in one round this way.
Finally, it's time to finally move on with the main story and onto 16F prop-HOLY CRAP, CALM DOWN, KEI. Jesus christ, and all the setup that took was everyone being at full HP - Ichigo could even Force Boost to buff her further. Also, yes. We went through summer, autumn, winter, and now it's the spring stratum. It also comes with a new battle theme!
There were four types of random enemies, here. The Waspitors were of special interest - if they're slain when Feared, they give up a material that can be used to make Amritas. The Prism Ladybugs tried to prevent this by buffing ailment resistance. There were also these...things, that tried to use electric attacks that could inflict Head Bind. Mostly, I dealt with them by head binding them and even if not, the attack is quite weak anyway. The turtles were more interesting and bulky, but a Head Bind could shut down their dangerous move, and any amount of things could screw it over.
Really, for as awesome as this party is on offense, its defensive capabilities can't be understated either. Three of the five can bind, Ichigo's Lv5+3 Preemptive Roar is an 80% chance of lowering enemies' physical attack by 20%, and he with his Hit-Taker, Lv5+5 Autolick, and even Kei's Chase Heal can shut down most attacks. Azura's Cover Fire can restore tons of health. And now add in Evil Eye, which can completely lock up an afflicted enemy with Suicide Word for the duration.
The final Yggdrasil plant is on this floor, the experience-boosting one. Soon, I come to a nest that is somewhat annoying to mark on the map. One step away and I find the owner of another nest. Time to stand valiantly against i-aw, who am I kidding? I'm just going to bind it down and Ecstasy it.
---
The Ecstasy (doing 8958) was surprisingly not enough for a one hit KO, but I laughed as Ichigo proceeded to take out what little remained with a basic physical. The bird's AI routine consists of charging up for a move, then failing to use it because I bound its head.
A bit more interesting is when I run into a second and have to fight it without Varda and Devaki's Force Boosts. I'm still up for it, though - Chained Benefit is more than enough to bust through any resistances. Just took a few more Ecstasies. Here's Kei doing her thing with Ichigo's Force Boost active.
---
This floor layout is weird, a large ring-shaped area. Incidentally, I end up going the wrong way around, which is really the right way. I duck out halfway through and switch my food to Ingredients++, and learn that wow, that TP bonus really adds up after a while.
Simple floor, especially with my new tools.
One last thing...which was technically just before this floor. For the first time ever, you too, can feel like Kei once was.
Guard Slash! With your staff if you want! Guard stuff, too!
Next | Index
11F | B2 | 12F | 13F | 14F | 15F
B3 | B4 | 16F | 17F | 18F | 19F | 20F
21F | 22F | 23F | 24F | 25F | B5
26F | 27F | 28F | 29F | 30F (1) | 30F (2) | 31F
I get back up to 36000en. Two new pieces of equipment are available: a Bow and a Sword. I go with the bow, but skip out on the sword. It'd give Varda a damage reduction and Kei would lose the big bonuses to HP and TP. I also get a visit from the King. Sadly no Grimoire givers to really take advantage of it, though still good for 24198en.
Before actually heading to 16F and inspecting my weapons, I decided to clean up with the Yggdrasil Key. The first of these was on 1F. Just a tiny little area with two items: a Nectar II and a Formaldehyde. The latter is a fantastic little item that allows you to obtain all the items a monster drops on its death, conditionals included. Next was on 3F, a whole new and huge area! This was a pain in the ass to map out because of all the boulders and such, and had two new enemies. Raptor Lord and Longsiquama could be handled with by Head Bind and Leg Bind respectively.
On 2F of this area, there was also Thunder Rabbit. Ichigo could Hit-Taker to defend against their Heaven's Bolt, and once these enemies are in the front row, they don't use it and either panic, attack, or try to flee. They had a special conditional that required Fear. Instead of spending my skill points, I used something like to call Haxer Devaki. I just gave her that Axe of Shivers I found and had her use the move. The reward for this is the second unique armor for...Fafnir Knight. Can't use that in Classic without a NG+.
A new FOE also greeted me here. They can hop over the boulders/random piles of wreckage on the ground, and move two squares at a time.
---
These things have two main problems in regards to dealing with them. The first being their Drain Dive that can reduce the max HP of everyone, the second being their immunity to leg bind that prevents you from preventing them from using that. But guess who can counter that max HP reduction and take all the hits?! And if that wasn't enough (which it was under optimal conditions), guess whose Force Break cancels debuffs like this? I think Supreme Bolt/Stun on the turn it uses the move also stops it, although whenever it was "necessary" (when one of the binds wore off before all three Ecstasies could come out), Supreme Bolt was enough to finish it off
The only thing to watch out for is its poisoning move, which is tame but more than enough to kill most parties around this point combined with the HP debuff. But guess which dish lowers poison damage to the point of where it won't be lethal?
Now this thing also has a conditional drop. The codex hints at this, lamenting if only there were a way to make it kill itself - which would be via curse. However, you simply need to kill it while it's cursed. Sorry Touya, you got owned by misinformation.
Not that I would've had trouble getting this either way: my strategy brought them down to just a sliver of HP, although this would be the turn it tries to reapply the HP reduction, so I would just need to wait a turn or two before throwing out the curse. I even kill one this way for posterity.
---
The conditional reward is the War Magus' ultimate armor. Even if I didn't pick Kei/a medic for being cuter and more effective a healer than anything the War Magus can offer (Chloe included), I probably wouldn't be getting this anytime soon, having already splurged on a huge purchase. Poisondart Coat is more interesting and probably worth it.
By the way, thanks to Swap Step, I can now start Ecstasying on turn 2, since Devaki can be ensured to go before Varda. I fight my way to the end of this - really, I am totally playing the game wrong, here. You're expected to dodge FOEs, their rooms are supposed to be puzzles, and yet I'm just giving them all my power. Ironically, the original Etrian 2 discouraged this by making them pay out no EXP. I get some more pickups along the way, but nothing really special - it just leads to a suspiciously empty extra section of 1F!
There's another area like this in Stratum 2, but let's inspect our weapons first.
Varda got a new weapon from this called the Beam Whip. Besides being her strongest option at this point, it also contributes to Force regeneration. Very welcome for her. Ichigo has the Shell Claw. There's two weapons stronger than it right now. I...have a lot of money again all of a sudden, so I decide to upgrade into Sapphire Claw. Not Aqua Claw though - it's only a bit stronger, and that Ice Element can be screwy if I need Link Order. Kei has a Madness Staff. +100 ATK, +30HP, +30TP. Very solid. The Flamberge opened up from beating Demi-Fafnir is an option if I give her Guard Slash, but the bonuses from Madness Staff are better. Azura has a Zamiel Gun, nothing special, nothing better. Finally, Devaki has a Hades Bow. I could use a stronger Gendawa instead, but preferred a bit of extra TEC (Link Order boosting) to a bit of extra TP
Now then, for our other weapons - the only ones I've spent since the rest have actually been on Ichigo in B3. So let`s go over what I got.
---
Varda has 18 to use. I gave her Phys ATK Up Lv10 and Whip Mastery Lv9. Boring choices, but they actually proved very helpful. To wit, under the same conditions without the buffs in the incident below, it was only 6827 damage.
Ichigo had 16 to use. I spent 5 on maxing out Lick Wounds, taking his healing up from 80~ to 125~. I then grabbed Lv10 HP Up, equating to a boost of around 60HP. There seemed nothing better; still can't afford Lv10 Hit-Taker, not sold on Protection Vow, Endurance needs Scapegoat to be effective, and the Beast's attack skills are kind of janky and not best to use on a tank build. He sat on 1 point.
Kei had 19 to use. She blew it all on Staff Mastery Lv10 and Vital Hit Lv10, since nothing else except Heavy Strike was immediately worth it.
Azura was the hardest to crack. I settled on bringing the Snipes to 5 (12 points), and getting Phys ATK Lv5 to unlock Penetrator Lv1, mostly to enable the piercing and therefore multiple binds at once. Touya is enamored with Double Action+Ricochet, but even Lv10 of the former (which I can reach!!) is still only 12%, and I tried the former and was underwhelmed by it. Gunner really shines in the postgame, though...
Finally, Devaki was the winner with 21 to use. Some people swear by the Evil Eye/Suicide Word combo, although that's best for locking down enemies which I can usually do with Binds anyway. With little better, I maxed out Curse Mastery, maxed out Evil Eye, unlocked Torpor and Corrupt Curse for regular use, and gave her a single point in Suicide Word.
---
Naturally, I had to try doing this with the extra boost to Varda...and am only posting this and not the successful shot due to the fact that this was 3HP short. Classic. This was also with a Lv10 War Cry, something I have but don't normally use due to its lowering defense and the user needing to be on the same line. A couple extra Cut+ Grimoires pushed this over the edge (9.2k). It was also possible to beat Attack Cactuses in one round this way.
Finally, it's time to finally move on with the main story and onto 16F prop-HOLY CRAP, CALM DOWN, KEI. Jesus christ, and all the setup that took was everyone being at full HP - Ichigo could even Force Boost to buff her further. Also, yes. We went through summer, autumn, winter, and now it's the spring stratum. It also comes with a new battle theme!
There were four types of random enemies, here. The Waspitors were of special interest - if they're slain when Feared, they give up a material that can be used to make Amritas. The Prism Ladybugs tried to prevent this by buffing ailment resistance. There were also these...things, that tried to use electric attacks that could inflict Head Bind. Mostly, I dealt with them by head binding them and even if not, the attack is quite weak anyway. The turtles were more interesting and bulky, but a Head Bind could shut down their dangerous move, and any amount of things could screw it over.
Really, for as awesome as this party is on offense, its defensive capabilities can't be understated either. Three of the five can bind, Ichigo's Lv5+3 Preemptive Roar is an 80% chance of lowering enemies' physical attack by 20%, and he with his Hit-Taker, Lv5+5 Autolick, and even Kei's Chase Heal can shut down most attacks. Azura's Cover Fire can restore tons of health. And now add in Evil Eye, which can completely lock up an afflicted enemy with Suicide Word for the duration.
The final Yggdrasil plant is on this floor, the experience-boosting one. Soon, I come to a nest that is somewhat annoying to mark on the map. One step away and I find the owner of another nest. Time to stand valiantly against i-aw, who am I kidding? I'm just going to bind it down and Ecstasy it.
---
The Ecstasy (doing 8958) was surprisingly not enough for a one hit KO, but I laughed as Ichigo proceeded to take out what little remained with a basic physical. The bird's AI routine consists of charging up for a move, then failing to use it because I bound its head.
A bit more interesting is when I run into a second and have to fight it without Varda and Devaki's Force Boosts. I'm still up for it, though - Chained Benefit is more than enough to bust through any resistances. Just took a few more Ecstasies. Here's Kei doing her thing with Ichigo's Force Boost active.
---
This floor layout is weird, a large ring-shaped area. Incidentally, I end up going the wrong way around, which is really the right way. I duck out halfway through and switch my food to Ingredients++, and learn that wow, that TP bonus really adds up after a while.
Simple floor, especially with my new tools.
One last thing...which was technically just before this floor. For the first time ever, you too, can feel like Kei once was.
Guard Slash! With your staff if you want! Guard stuff, too!
Next | Index
