Maronji
Apr 23, 2014, 07:14 AM
WARNING: This thread contains spoilers for Episode 2 Chapter 5. Proceed at your own discretion or turn back now.
I don't know if anyone cares all too much about the new story mission, the story tidbits, or the mechanics, but eh, I feel like doing this, so whatever.
Anyway, it's so big/epic/hard/whatever that it needs a checkpoint system. Yes, a checkpoint system. This should be self-explanatory, but trust me, it might just be a life-saver. Always pick the top option to continue from the last checkpoint or you'll hate yourself for it later.
It's also so epic that every Emergency Trial I've encountered so far will designate you as the target to be utterly destroyed by the Arks as you're now wanted for either treason or being an Arks clone(?).
I don't care how skilled you are. Bring your best tricks and gear, and don't underestimate the enemies too much. You might find yourself in a tight spot otherwise. This mission can be tricky for Shunka-spammers if you don't cancel in time, get caught in an AoE, or don't manage to finish off your target before it gets an attack out.
I'll be using this thread to detail my findings on the story mission itself as well as give hints and tips on the various encounters contained within (I might skip details about the story itself unless asked; haven't decided yet). Obviously, there will be spoilers, as per the warning above. DO NOT read on if you don't want to have the mission spoiled for you. Each section will be contained in its own spoiler box.
Part 1: Areas 1 & 2
Immediately when you start the mission, Matoi will automatically join your party. After the cutscenes (if it looks like you got stuck, just push a button), you'll start out in a corridor. Hunter-type Arks will stand between you and the next area. They're equipped with swords and use Nova Strike (and possibly Twister Fall), and are capable of stepping and Step Attack. They may also know how to guard. Just take them down and continue on. I forget if Ranger-type enemies also appear in the first area, but they're mainly armed with rifles and use Grenade Shell. I haven't seen if they have any other abilities
In the next area, Force-type enemies will join the fight. The male ones cast Foie and the female ones cast Barta. The projectiles seem to move pretty slow, so just try not to eat one and you'll be fine. They also seem to have Mirage Escape but I'm not 100% sure if they're invulnerable while using it. They can also heal, but it's negligible if you have half-decent attack power.
There's a fork toward the first third of the map to the north that's a dead-end. I'm not sure if you're required to go there, but it's an ambush. Once you start on the east fork, the spawns will start to get slightly bigger, with all three class types spawning at once. Try not to get caught between Hunter-types and keep an eye on the Ranger and Force-types so you don't take an easily-dodged hit. Keep following the path until you get a cutscene.
Congratulations on reaching the first checkpoint.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 2: Mini-Boss Encounter 1
The first mini-boss fight is against [SPOILER]Ohza, Marlu, Lisa, and Fourier. I hope you learned to dodge/guard, because eating a full Glory Rain or even a few hits from a Cracker Bullet might just ruin your day. Eating a Gigrants isn't too fun, either. If you have half-decent attack power, Resta won't be much of an issue, even with all four pulses.
The kill order is up to you, but if you have a hard time with the ranged attacks, take out Lisa and Fourier first. I don't know if Marlu does anything but buff, heal, and Gigrants yet, but if not, then you shouldn't have to worry much. You can pretty much ignore Ohza (you know, because lol melee), until the end as long as you keep your distance.
The enemies you just fought will now hold the line while you move ahead and you'll trigger Checkpoint #2.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 3: Area 3
The first spawn will consist of more Arks. A little bit further ahead force field will block your path off as Darkers spawn behind you. At the end of teh tunnel, a cutscene will trigger, and [SPOILER]Echo will join the party. Maria and Huey will also join as guests. Darkers will spawn in the next room and two groups of Arks after that. Proceed to the next area, triggering Checkpoint #3.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 4: Mini-Boss Encounter 2
You now face [SPOILER]the Three Heroes, Regius, Casra, and Claris Claes. If you played through the sidestory chapter (Episode 1 Chapter EX aka Matter Board 11), you should know what Claris Claes is capable of.
This first part isn't even really a fight as it immediately ends when you defeat one enemy (if you're Shunka-spamming, they go down extremely fast), so you might as well just focus one down as quickly as possible. I'd pick Claris Claes since Ra Foie isn't a fun thing to take by surprise.
After the battle, some cutscenes will trigger. Zeno, dressed in some new threads with a sweet-looking Gunslash, shows up to save the day, and Matoi temporarily leaves the area with Echo (as Echo is exhausted/wounded). Zeno, Casra, and Huey will call upon their special weapons (A Gunslash, a Talis, and Knuckles respectively), and the battle will begin for real. Your party will now be Zeno, Maria, and Huey.
Regius can use Stun Concide, Nova Strike. Casra will attack normally and can use Zan and Gi Zan (which is a target AoE instead of a self AoE), and Claris Claes can use Foie, Ra Foie, Sa Foie, and Shifta. Regius and Casra will occasionally stop and take a pose (a taunt I guess), leaving them wide open for a few seconds. Claris Claes will sidestep and Mirage Escape after every technique.
After taking a certain amount of damage (either one or all three; not entirely sure), they'll enter rage mode, and their attacks will become more aggressive. Regius will now start to use Overend. Get your dodge and block skills rolling, because if you get caught in the right chain of attacks (or if you get stunned and the others rip you a new one), you will wipe.
Again, the kill order is up to you, but as Casra and Claris Claes have target-focused Technics at their disposal, it may be prudent to take them out first. Be sure to stay away from Regius if you're not speficially targeting him, since you don't want to eat a stun or an Overend at a bad time.
Quna will cancel out the Absolute Order and give a speech to the Arks members, so you won't have to worry about fighting Abyssal Arks anymore. Also, Checkpoint #5 will trigger after the speech.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 5: Areas 5 & 6 and the trouble with clones
You will now be harassed by [SPOILER]a horde of Claris Claes clones. They have the same basic abilities as the Claris Claes you just fought, but they have much less HP. Head to the next room, where you'll encounter more bird-type Darkers. Continue down the corridor, where more Claris Clones will attack. Move on to the next area.
Here, the BGM will change a bit and your party will consist of Matoi only. This entire section is filled with only bird-type Darkers in slightly greater numbers. You can skip the dead-ends here if you wish. At the first intersection will be your first encounter. If you head west, you'll get ambushed at the dead end by a Luda Sorcerer and two Blundarl. Heading east, you'll encounter several smaller bird-type Darkers at the first corner and Solda-type bird Darkers at the second corner. At the next intersection, two Luda Sorcerers and several Strahda and Tyraluda will spawn. If you head to the dead-end to the west, a few groups of Darkers will spawn (and if you die there, you probably deserved it).
Head to the next area to trigger Checkpoint #6.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 6: Area 7
After the long cutscene, move forward to the intersection to encounter more Darkers. The dead-end to the east leads to an ambush by a horde of Blundarl. At the next intersection is a horde of Solda-types. The dead-end to the west leads to a Decol Malluda, so skip it if you can. At the next intersection is a Luda Sorcerer and its minions. I didn't bother with the dead-end here, so I don't know what's back there. When you reach the last intersection, a Blu Ringardha. If you defeat it, it opens up the last intersection, but you might as well go around it (yes, it lets you do that) and continue to the next area, triggering Checkpoint #7.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 7: Boss Fight -[SPOILER]Theodore-
A choice box will pop up during the cutscene. Answer it how you like because [SPOILER]Theodore has gone too far off the deep end to listen to you at this point.
Credit to Renvalt for outlining this fight.
The penultimate area is the Gate Room, which contains the fight against [SPOILER]Theodore. Also bears mentioning that, unlike Gettemhalt, Theodore actually has his own battle theme.
But unlike Gettemhalt, Theodore does NOT fuck around. His weapon is not a Talis, it's an all in one. He can use: Speed Rain, Megid, Rising Edge, Slide Shaker, Assault Buster, and Gimegid.
His Rising Edge has him coming down with a shockwave, and he usually ALWAYS cancels into either Slide Shaker or Speed Rain. At around 50% or so, he basically enrages, and now he fires three Megids at once, three Gimegids at once, and his Speed Rain has homing properties.
The only saving grace you have is that he comes with no adds. It's just you & Matoi VS him.
The basic strategy to this fight is to stay mobile and to keep your distance from the boss as often as possible. If you're a melee and need to recover PP, a Gunslash (or Twin Machineguns/Bullet Bow, if available) are your safest bets.
After the cutscene, you'll trigger Checkpoint #7.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 8: Boss Fight -Luther- and -Falz Angel-
[SPOILER-BOX]May I just say that Luther is a super ultra creepy bastard?
Again, credits to Renvalt for the fight overviews.
After this, Luther basically has his stereotypical "what are you fighting for" interrogation and godmode, but then he basically fights you himself. He has low HP, but to make up for it, he has a barrier which makes him invincible until it breaks (Matoi will tell you when it happens, if it wasn't plainly obvious otherwise). He does nothing but teleport away from you and spam an AoE which will auto-knockdown if it hits (and this cannot be J-Reversal'd out of).
What I did for the first boss was to run inside his barrier (that's a legal move, right?) and whacked him once, causing him to teleport away. Do this three times and his barrier should go down long enough for you to wail on him with everything you've got. You may have to do this a few times before you beat 'im. Other than that, avoid the AoEs (aka if you see a circle under you, RUN, DO NOT WALK) and watch some more cutscenes (wow, there's a lot of cutscenes in this mission). Unfortunately, there isn't a checkpoint here (then again, you shouldn't need one since Luther is such an easy boss anyway). Prepare for the final boss fight. Your party is now Matoi, Zeno, and Quna.
Falz Angel has the needle attack of Chrome Dragon (a red version of Sa Barta, but it has homing properties), summons an assortment of high-tier Bird Darkers (Solda Kapita/Due Solda/Gul Solda) that are supposed to detonate if they're alive when he signals them to die.
He doesn't get THAT dangerous until his enrage, which drains 50PP per hit if you're near him (not sure if this is avoidable). At this point, he gets a new move, which is multiples of his prior form's AoE attack.
It's not until he's dangerously near death that he gains his most dangerous moves: a set of lasers that he fires (a pattern is that he does it away from him, then right in front of him), a vortex of huge ass Megids that circle 'round him in a vortex, and one big ass laser that's a guaranteed KO if it hits (and it will, trust me). Good news is that all of them can be dodged (if you're a student of Hakurei Danmakufu, your bullet-hell-dodging skills will come in handy here).
Falz Angel also has an attack where he summons multiple projectiles and shoots them at you, spawning circular AoEs where they stop. He will also charge forward and hit you with a close-range blast. The more the boss's health drops, the more aggressive he gets, so be very careful. If you're capable of using a Technic weapon and can't dodge the laser blasts, equip the Technic weapon and Mirage Escape through them (it may take some practice). Otherwise, dodge and block the attacks the best you can, burst the boss down while exercising caution (so you don't get caught in attacks), and, with any luck (and possibly a Half Doll, if you need it), you should be able to down this boss with an awesome BGM.
Congratulations on your win, and enjoy your new Ranger Zeno partner card.[/SPOILER-BOX]
I'll continue to update this thread and the information/tips as I progress.
I don't know if anyone cares all too much about the new story mission, the story tidbits, or the mechanics, but eh, I feel like doing this, so whatever.
Anyway, it's so big/epic/hard/whatever that it needs a checkpoint system. Yes, a checkpoint system. This should be self-explanatory, but trust me, it might just be a life-saver. Always pick the top option to continue from the last checkpoint or you'll hate yourself for it later.
It's also so epic that every Emergency Trial I've encountered so far will designate you as the target to be utterly destroyed by the Arks as you're now wanted for either treason or being an Arks clone(?).
I don't care how skilled you are. Bring your best tricks and gear, and don't underestimate the enemies too much. You might find yourself in a tight spot otherwise. This mission can be tricky for Shunka-spammers if you don't cancel in time, get caught in an AoE, or don't manage to finish off your target before it gets an attack out.
I'll be using this thread to detail my findings on the story mission itself as well as give hints and tips on the various encounters contained within (I might skip details about the story itself unless asked; haven't decided yet). Obviously, there will be spoilers, as per the warning above. DO NOT read on if you don't want to have the mission spoiled for you. Each section will be contained in its own spoiler box.
Part 1: Areas 1 & 2
Immediately when you start the mission, Matoi will automatically join your party. After the cutscenes (if it looks like you got stuck, just push a button), you'll start out in a corridor. Hunter-type Arks will stand between you and the next area. They're equipped with swords and use Nova Strike (and possibly Twister Fall), and are capable of stepping and Step Attack. They may also know how to guard. Just take them down and continue on. I forget if Ranger-type enemies also appear in the first area, but they're mainly armed with rifles and use Grenade Shell. I haven't seen if they have any other abilities
In the next area, Force-type enemies will join the fight. The male ones cast Foie and the female ones cast Barta. The projectiles seem to move pretty slow, so just try not to eat one and you'll be fine. They also seem to have Mirage Escape but I'm not 100% sure if they're invulnerable while using it. They can also heal, but it's negligible if you have half-decent attack power.
There's a fork toward the first third of the map to the north that's a dead-end. I'm not sure if you're required to go there, but it's an ambush. Once you start on the east fork, the spawns will start to get slightly bigger, with all three class types spawning at once. Try not to get caught between Hunter-types and keep an eye on the Ranger and Force-types so you don't take an easily-dodged hit. Keep following the path until you get a cutscene.
Congratulations on reaching the first checkpoint.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 2: Mini-Boss Encounter 1
The first mini-boss fight is against [SPOILER]Ohza, Marlu, Lisa, and Fourier. I hope you learned to dodge/guard, because eating a full Glory Rain or even a few hits from a Cracker Bullet might just ruin your day. Eating a Gigrants isn't too fun, either. If you have half-decent attack power, Resta won't be much of an issue, even with all four pulses.
The kill order is up to you, but if you have a hard time with the ranged attacks, take out Lisa and Fourier first. I don't know if Marlu does anything but buff, heal, and Gigrants yet, but if not, then you shouldn't have to worry much. You can pretty much ignore Ohza (you know, because lol melee), until the end as long as you keep your distance.
The enemies you just fought will now hold the line while you move ahead and you'll trigger Checkpoint #2.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 3: Area 3
The first spawn will consist of more Arks. A little bit further ahead force field will block your path off as Darkers spawn behind you. At the end of teh tunnel, a cutscene will trigger, and [SPOILER]Echo will join the party. Maria and Huey will also join as guests. Darkers will spawn in the next room and two groups of Arks after that. Proceed to the next area, triggering Checkpoint #3.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 4: Mini-Boss Encounter 2
You now face [SPOILER]the Three Heroes, Regius, Casra, and Claris Claes. If you played through the sidestory chapter (Episode 1 Chapter EX aka Matter Board 11), you should know what Claris Claes is capable of.
This first part isn't even really a fight as it immediately ends when you defeat one enemy (if you're Shunka-spamming, they go down extremely fast), so you might as well just focus one down as quickly as possible. I'd pick Claris Claes since Ra Foie isn't a fun thing to take by surprise.
After the battle, some cutscenes will trigger. Zeno, dressed in some new threads with a sweet-looking Gunslash, shows up to save the day, and Matoi temporarily leaves the area with Echo (as Echo is exhausted/wounded). Zeno, Casra, and Huey will call upon their special weapons (A Gunslash, a Talis, and Knuckles respectively), and the battle will begin for real. Your party will now be Zeno, Maria, and Huey.
Regius can use Stun Concide, Nova Strike. Casra will attack normally and can use Zan and Gi Zan (which is a target AoE instead of a self AoE), and Claris Claes can use Foie, Ra Foie, Sa Foie, and Shifta. Regius and Casra will occasionally stop and take a pose (a taunt I guess), leaving them wide open for a few seconds. Claris Claes will sidestep and Mirage Escape after every technique.
After taking a certain amount of damage (either one or all three; not entirely sure), they'll enter rage mode, and their attacks will become more aggressive. Regius will now start to use Overend. Get your dodge and block skills rolling, because if you get caught in the right chain of attacks (or if you get stunned and the others rip you a new one), you will wipe.
Again, the kill order is up to you, but as Casra and Claris Claes have target-focused Technics at their disposal, it may be prudent to take them out first. Be sure to stay away from Regius if you're not speficially targeting him, since you don't want to eat a stun or an Overend at a bad time.
Quna will cancel out the Absolute Order and give a speech to the Arks members, so you won't have to worry about fighting Abyssal Arks anymore. Also, Checkpoint #5 will trigger after the speech.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 5: Areas 5 & 6 and the trouble with clones
You will now be harassed by [SPOILER]a horde of Claris Claes clones. They have the same basic abilities as the Claris Claes you just fought, but they have much less HP. Head to the next room, where you'll encounter more bird-type Darkers. Continue down the corridor, where more Claris Clones will attack. Move on to the next area.
Here, the BGM will change a bit and your party will consist of Matoi only. This entire section is filled with only bird-type Darkers in slightly greater numbers. You can skip the dead-ends here if you wish. At the first intersection will be your first encounter. If you head west, you'll get ambushed at the dead end by a Luda Sorcerer and two Blundarl. Heading east, you'll encounter several smaller bird-type Darkers at the first corner and Solda-type bird Darkers at the second corner. At the next intersection, two Luda Sorcerers and several Strahda and Tyraluda will spawn. If you head to the dead-end to the west, a few groups of Darkers will spawn (and if you die there, you probably deserved it).
Head to the next area to trigger Checkpoint #6.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 6: Area 7
After the long cutscene, move forward to the intersection to encounter more Darkers. The dead-end to the east leads to an ambush by a horde of Blundarl. At the next intersection is a horde of Solda-types. The dead-end to the west leads to a Decol Malluda, so skip it if you can. At the next intersection is a Luda Sorcerer and its minions. I didn't bother with the dead-end here, so I don't know what's back there. When you reach the last intersection, a Blu Ringardha. If you defeat it, it opens up the last intersection, but you might as well go around it (yes, it lets you do that) and continue to the next area, triggering Checkpoint #7.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 7: Boss Fight -[SPOILER]Theodore-
A choice box will pop up during the cutscene. Answer it how you like because [SPOILER]Theodore has gone too far off the deep end to listen to you at this point.
Credit to Renvalt for outlining this fight.
The penultimate area is the Gate Room, which contains the fight against [SPOILER]Theodore. Also bears mentioning that, unlike Gettemhalt, Theodore actually has his own battle theme.
But unlike Gettemhalt, Theodore does NOT fuck around. His weapon is not a Talis, it's an all in one. He can use: Speed Rain, Megid, Rising Edge, Slide Shaker, Assault Buster, and Gimegid.
His Rising Edge has him coming down with a shockwave, and he usually ALWAYS cancels into either Slide Shaker or Speed Rain. At around 50% or so, he basically enrages, and now he fires three Megids at once, three Gimegids at once, and his Speed Rain has homing properties.
The only saving grace you have is that he comes with no adds. It's just you & Matoi VS him.
The basic strategy to this fight is to stay mobile and to keep your distance from the boss as often as possible. If you're a melee and need to recover PP, a Gunslash (or Twin Machineguns/Bullet Bow, if available) are your safest bets.
After the cutscene, you'll trigger Checkpoint #7.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Part 8: Boss Fight -Luther- and -Falz Angel-
[SPOILER-BOX]May I just say that Luther is a super ultra creepy bastard?
Again, credits to Renvalt for the fight overviews.
After this, Luther basically has his stereotypical "what are you fighting for" interrogation and godmode, but then he basically fights you himself. He has low HP, but to make up for it, he has a barrier which makes him invincible until it breaks (Matoi will tell you when it happens, if it wasn't plainly obvious otherwise). He does nothing but teleport away from you and spam an AoE which will auto-knockdown if it hits (and this cannot be J-Reversal'd out of).
What I did for the first boss was to run inside his barrier (that's a legal move, right?) and whacked him once, causing him to teleport away. Do this three times and his barrier should go down long enough for you to wail on him with everything you've got. You may have to do this a few times before you beat 'im. Other than that, avoid the AoEs (aka if you see a circle under you, RUN, DO NOT WALK) and watch some more cutscenes (wow, there's a lot of cutscenes in this mission). Unfortunately, there isn't a checkpoint here (then again, you shouldn't need one since Luther is such an easy boss anyway). Prepare for the final boss fight. Your party is now Matoi, Zeno, and Quna.
Falz Angel has the needle attack of Chrome Dragon (a red version of Sa Barta, but it has homing properties), summons an assortment of high-tier Bird Darkers (Solda Kapita/Due Solda/Gul Solda) that are supposed to detonate if they're alive when he signals them to die.
He doesn't get THAT dangerous until his enrage, which drains 50PP per hit if you're near him (not sure if this is avoidable). At this point, he gets a new move, which is multiples of his prior form's AoE attack.
It's not until he's dangerously near death that he gains his most dangerous moves: a set of lasers that he fires (a pattern is that he does it away from him, then right in front of him), a vortex of huge ass Megids that circle 'round him in a vortex, and one big ass laser that's a guaranteed KO if it hits (and it will, trust me). Good news is that all of them can be dodged (if you're a student of Hakurei Danmakufu, your bullet-hell-dodging skills will come in handy here).
Falz Angel also has an attack where he summons multiple projectiles and shoots them at you, spawning circular AoEs where they stop. He will also charge forward and hit you with a close-range blast. The more the boss's health drops, the more aggressive he gets, so be very careful. If you're capable of using a Technic weapon and can't dodge the laser blasts, equip the Technic weapon and Mirage Escape through them (it may take some practice). Otherwise, dodge and block the attacks the best you can, burst the boss down while exercising caution (so you don't get caught in attacks), and, with any luck (and possibly a Half Doll, if you need it), you should be able to down this boss with an awesome BGM.
Congratulations on your win, and enjoy your new Ranger Zeno partner card.[/SPOILER-BOX]
I'll continue to update this thread and the information/tips as I progress.