Datamined content: Gal Gryphon, Ultimate Amduscia, additional stuff

[Maenara]

Courtesy of PSUMods:

A lot of new enemies this time. It''s late so not sure if I missed any. Reorganised them into relevant groups.

As always, none of this is confirmation of anything. Treat it as potential future content until Sega announces it officially.

Magatsus.
en_mono_greatevilex_1.ice
en_mono_greatevilex_2.ice
en_mono_greatevilex_3.ice

Future Harukotan enemies
en_mono_lantern_a.ice
en_mono_oni_ax.ice
en_toy_pipe_a.ice

Ultimate Lilipa
en_ult_mecha_panth_busterrare.ice
en_ult_mecha_panth_bladerare.ice

Ultimate Amduscia
en_ult_dragon_wolf_a.ice
en_ult_dragon_wolf_b.ice
en_ult_dragon_gladiator_common.ice
en_ult_dragon_gladiator_ar.ice
en_ult_dragon_rizardman_a.ice
en_ult_dragon_rizardman_b.ice
en_ult_dragon_rizardman_c.ice
en_ult_dragon_flyraptor_a.ice
en_ult_dragon_flyraptor_ar.ice
en_ult_dragon_hammer_a.ice

NPCs
en_chr15_aoldex.ice
en_char01_maskman_dsex.ice

What the fuck
en_galgriffon_a.ice
en_galgriffon_rare.ice

Discuss.

Edit: Note: The '.ice' on the end of all names is just a file extension.

[Renvalt]

Well, I can't foresee Gal Gryphon being the foe of Ultimate Amduscia, and given that we've been seeing nice glimpses of Harukotan Area 2 (I'll call it Ravine until we know more about it), perhaps Gal Gryphon is the the next big boss?

I mean, because "Mono" symbolizes all the Kuronians, given what I've seen outta past datamines ("Mono_Oni_Ax" means Axe Wielder Kuronian, whilst Lantern could mean many things, but is probably based on a Lamp Ghost Yokai - given the theme that they've been running all Kuronians on). We know that Magatsu is a motherfucking Asura, but that doesn't exactly run to the Yokai theme, unless they're ripping from Zen Buddhism now.

I'm expecting the "Toy_Pipe" dude to maybe come off as a reference to a certain Chinese tube toy (which has had my fingers trapped on many an occassion - curse my youth), because I can't see what else it could be.

Looks to be an interesting set of things coming up - now if you would kindly get to finalizing this new area SEGA, perhaps I can properly unsheathe my Hypesaber so you can eat my mesetas and time?

[Digital Pain]

Oh man would love to see an updated Gal Gryphon in PSO 2! I can remember his bgm so epic.

[mctastee]

Oh man would love to see an updated Gal Gryphon in PSO 2! I can remember his bgm so epic.
I am so hyped for more classic PSO enemies.

[Renvalt]

Oh man would love to see an updated Gal Gryphon in PSO 2! I can remember his bgm so epic.

I can quite assure you, our opinions differ greatly on this one. Especially on this comment:


I can remember his bgm so epic.

I've listened to his BGM constantly, and even Gol Dragon's theme sounded better than Ol' Featherface. Hell, even with kill vids on Youtube, I don't understand what you see in that dude. He just seems like an EP1 Dragon that flings rocks and flies around like an aircraft instead of tunneling underground and spiking you to death (and EP1 Dragon was FAR more awe inspiring - hell, to this day I consider his BGM to be a breakthrough in first boss themes).

[Xaeris]

Gal Gryphon is returning? Cool, I'll beat him the same way I beat the original. *starts looking up lightning resist units*

[landman]

I can quite assure you, our opinions differ greatly on this one. Especially on this comment:



I've listened to his BGM constantly, and even Gol Dragon's theme sounded better than Ol' Featherface. Hell, even with kill vids on Youtube, I don't understand what you see in that dude. He just seems like an EP1 Dragon that flings rocks and flies around like an aircraft instead of tunneling underground and spiking you to death (and EP1 Dragon was FAR more awe inspiring - hell, to this day I consider his BGM to be a breakthrough in first boss themes).
You are one strange individual, Gal's theme is pure epicness!

[Rakurai]

Well, I can't foresee Gal Gryphon being the foe of Ultimate Amduscia, and given that we've been seeing nice glimpses of Harukotan Area 2 (I'll call it Ravine until we know more about it), perhaps Gal Gryphon is the the next big boss?

They datamined a dollhouse toy Darker in a past update, so I'd assume it's probably the new area boss, especially because we're lacking in toy Darker bosses.

[Renvalt]

You are one strange individual, Gal's theme is pure epicness!

*shakes head* It's about as boring as Big Vardha's theme, and both he and his theme rank lowest in terms of overall PSO2 content (though Gigur is a pretty close contender). The shock effect of Vardha's size wears off after a while, and said machine's size is now annoying instead of making him look epic. (And btw, I never got to Gal Gryphon during my PSO1 stint).

To give you an idea of what I classify as "epic", here's how I rank the boss themes of each episode of PSO1 and 2 (see spoilers).

[SPOILER-BOX]
-PSO1 Episode 1-

1. Dragon
2. Dark Falz Form 2
3. De Rol Le
4. Dark Falz Form 1
5. Both Vol Opt Forms

-PSO1 Episode 2-

1. Olga Flow Form 1
2. Olga Flow Form 2
3. Gol Dragon
4. Barba Ray
5. Gal Gryphon

Note: Because for the most part EP3 and 4 seem to only have 1 boss, I don't include them

-PSO2 Episode 1-

1. Quartz Dragon
2. Falz Hunar
3. Fang Banther
4. Chrome Dragon
5. Zeshrayda

-PSO2 Episode 2-

1. Falz Angel
2. Apos Dorios Fire
3. Blu Ringahda
4. Theodore
5. Three Heroes

-PSO2 Episode 3-

1. Nepto Cassadora
2. Magatsu
3. Gigur Gunnegam[/SPOILER-BOX]



They datamined a dollhouse toy Darker in a past update, so I'd assume it's probably the new area boss, especially because we're lacking in toy Darker bosses.

Hrm. Given the "blinding light" theme of Amduscia, we'd have to settle for it being Ultimate Amduscia then (especially if it's raining judgement bolts and lightning). I mean, I can't see it fitting in with the the theme of Ultimate Lilipur, since that's all machines and whatnot. Unless...

Naw, they wouldn't dare... would they?

EDIT: By "it" I mean Gal Gryphon. Clarification was fucking necessary.

[Flaoc]

gal gryph pso2 version would be cool tho to be fair diabo is a hybrid of vol and the gal gryphon itself

[Digital Pain]

You are one strange individual, Gal's theme is pure epicness!

This guy gets it! I fell in love for Gal's theme the first moment I heard it

[Renvalt]

This guy gets it! I fell in love for Gal's theme the first moment I heard it

Seriously, enlighten me; what part of that theme do you even consider to be "epic"? Because it can't be the whole damn thing - nobody is THAT much of a blind trend fanatic.

[landman]

Seriously, enlighten me; what part of that theme do you even consider to be "epic"? Because it can't be the whole damn thing - nobody is THAT much of a blind trend fanatic.
The part were people have different opinions and tastes. Are we going to make an argument about that?

[LonelyGaruga]

Well, I can't foresee Gal Gryphon being the foe of Ultimate Amduscia, and given that we've been seeing nice glimpses of Harukotan Area 2 (I'll call it Ravine until we know more about it), perhaps Gal Gryphon is the the next big boss?

I mean, because "Mono" symbolizes all the Kuronians, given what I've seen outta past datamines ("Mono_Oni_Ax" means Axe Wielder Kuronian, whilst Lantern could mean many things, but is probably based on a Lamp Ghost Yokai - given the theme that they've been running all Kuronians on). We know that Magatsu is a motherfucking Asura, but that doesn't exactly run to the Yokai theme, unless they're ripping from Zen Buddhism now.

The prospect of Gal Grpyhon being a boss for Harukotan is absurd. Calling Challenge mode boss myself. Unlike previous bosses that resembled older bosses, this is literally the same boss, going off the internal name. Since Challenge Mode is advertised as a mode inspired by PSO, seems the likeliest route.

There are also mobs inspired by Raijin and Fujin, so it's safe to assume the theme is more "Japanese mythology" than anything. So Magatsu fits in just fine. Though, given that it's a storyline character, it could get a free pass even if it didn't.

Unrelated...


en_ult_dragon_wolf_a.ice
en_ult_dragon_wolf_b.ice
en_ult_dragon_gladiator_common.ice
en_ult_dragon_gladiator_ar.ice
en_ult_dragon_rizardman_a.ice
en_ult_dragon_rizardman_b.ice
en_ult_dragon_rizardman_c.ice
en_ult_dragon_flyraptor_a.ice
en_ult_dragon_flyraptor_ar.ice
en_ult_dragon_hammer_a.ice

Nordiran(sa)
Fordoran(sa)
Dragon Ex
Noire Draal
(Sa)Dinian
Sil (Sa)Dinian
Sol (Sa)Dinian
Deegalla
Rare Deegalla (new!)
Pendran

Unusual naming conventions this time around, as bolded. "Common" is not present in any enemy prior. The "ar" designation in the second Dragon Ex listing suggests either a rare or a second variation, since "ar" is also present with the second Deegalla, and Deegalla is designated "a" (with Sol Deegalla being "b"). Perhaps a common enemy variant of Dragon Ex, or a misnomer. The rare Deegalla could also be a Sol Deegalla, like how Predicahda Nero serve as rare variants of Dicahda as well as Predicahda. Deegalla being designated "a" could also mean that Sol Deegalla are planned, or it could be a carryover from ordinary Deegalla having that designation. Pendran having the same "a" at the end is also inexplicable, suggesting a second Pendran variant is planned.

Evidently, Ultimate Amduscia is intended to be FC or Sanctum. This further solidifies my suspicion that Ultimate Lilipa will be ice themed and Amduscia will be lightning (Wopal = wind, Harukotan = light, Darker's Den = dark). The enemies and location would be very suitable for adjusting to lightning. Hoping Dragon Ex's Ultimate form gets an electrified crystal sword. Would be pretty badass.

[landman]

It would actually be a nice change if Harutokan was not only indo/budish mythology and other regions were actually based on something else, and a gryphon fits nicely in that scenario. But I hardly doubt it will be the case.

[Raujinn]

"common" is just the container for things shared between similar enemies as far as I know, its inclusion in the list was a mistake. There is an en_ul_dragon_gladiator_a.

[Renvalt]

The prospect of Gal Grpyhon being a boss for Harukotan is absurd. Calling Challenge mode boss myself. Unlike previous bosses that resembled older bosses, this is literally the same boss, going off the internal name. Since Challenge Mode is advertised as a mode inspired by PSO, seems the likeliest route.

There are also mobs inspired by Raijin and Fujin, so it's safe to assume the theme is more "Japanese mythology" than anything. So Magatsu fits in just fine. Though, given that it's a storyline character, it could get a free pass even if it didn't.



I'm reserving my judgement, partly because we've all been wrong before (example: EP2-5 where we all got the Bird Falz host wrong, along with a few other bits), and partly because I feel like ripping your throat out for using PSO1 nostalgia logic as a basis for your assumptions.

But I mean, hey, it's not like I've any better evidence to go on here. PSO1 vets are always right, so any speculation I make is outright false on account of the fact that I'm not one of you.


The part were people have different opinions and tastes. Are we going to make an argument about that?

Oh, I don't know - it seems to be some kind of requirement around here that you MUST like Gal Gryphon's theme or you're trash. Why, I have no fucking clue. Again, personal tastes and you ramming yours down my proverbial throat. But what the hey, not like my opinion ever counted in the grand scheme of things, right?



Evidently, Ultimate Amduscia is intended to be FC or Sanctum. This further solidifies my suspicion that Ultimate Lilipa will be ice themed and Amduscia will be lightning (Wopal = wind, Harukotan = light, Darker's Den = dark). The enemies and location would be very suitable for adjusting to lightning. Hoping Dragon Ex's Ultimate form gets an electrified crystal sword. Would be pretty badass.

I'll do you one better - it'll probably be an indoor version of Sanctum, kinda like how Chrome Dragon's arena (in the entry and during the fight) is. I mean, they HAVE the assets, and the egg shaped manner of the place is effectively BEGGING to become a PD cocoon.

Then again, it DOES make you wonder - where would they tuck Ultimate Lilipa? Unless they intend to retcon the whole Falz plot going on there, they couldn't throw it right on the spot where Apprentice's body is sealed. My guess is further upstairs in one of the Quarry settlements? I can't think of anywhere else that doesn't fuck with plot and invoke retcons (seriously, the fact that we've been getting Blackprentice more than Whiteprentice just screams that they're experimenting with a possible retcon to please us gaijin - a prospect of which I'd loathe to high heaven), and, well, most of Lilipa's just sand and steel towers. Oh, and the underground tunnels, which I can't see them reusing.

[landman]

I don't know who called you trash, I based my response only in my personal preference, and it's one I've seen in the past TWELVE YEARS to be shared by other players, so of course, in my perception, finding an individual that says Gal Gryphon theme is the worst from all boss themes is strange.

[Flaoc]

well count me in the group that says gal gryph theme is legit

[Ce'Nedra]

Wonder how Sega gonna fuck this one up ;~; If they don't then goddamnit hype. That boss was such a nightmare first few times I fought it solo offline...not to mention in C-mode...I still wake up screaming at night ^^;

[NoiseHERO]

It'll be "Oh cool" for like 2 days then back to dressup.

[Dnd]

It'll be "Oh cool" for like 2 days then back to dressup.
unfortunately pretty much this, unless the gryphon does drop 13*s people will just skip it like another big bird-like boss at the moment..
....
*sighs*

[Karakuri Douze]

I'm reserving my judgement, partly because we've all been wrong before (example: EP2-5 where we all got the Bird Falz host wrong, along with a few other bits), and partly because I feel like ripping your throat out for using PSO1 nostalgia logic as a basis for your assumptions.

But I mean, hey, it's not like I've any better evidence to go on here. PSO1 vets are always right, so any speculation I make is outright false on account of the fact that I'm not one of you.

Where were they using PSO1 nostalgia logic? What they said seemed pretty rational, which I guess is what made you react so hostilely. Even if it were, I'd take PSO1 nostalgia logic over your self-righteousness and overall victimized attitude.

Also, I did not see anybody forcing their ideas of Gal Gryphon's theme being amazing down your throat. One person expressed excitement for the boss and mentioned liking his theme, and you immediately attacked them and the other person who piped up for it, all while insisting it was shit and that they explain to you why it was epic like they need a thesis or something for liking a song. If anything, you're the one forcing shit down people's throats, so it'd be nice if you could at least recognize you doing it yourself before you throw that at somebody else.

[Terrence]

Wonder how Sega gonna fuck this one up ;~;
Just one fucking file name implying the release but slutty words already. © Pso-World ™

[GoldGenII]

"Ultimate Lilipa
en_ult_mecha_panth_busterrare.ice
en_ult_mecha_panth_bladerare.ice"

Found some prototype shots of the potential Robo Banthers

[SPOILER-BOX]http://puu.sh/fOTEn.jpg

http://puu.sh/fOTDf.png[/SPOILER-BOX]

[RadiantLegend]

Zoids in mah pso2! !!!

[LonelyGaruga]

I'm reserving my judgement, partly because we've all been wrong before (example: EP2-5 where we all got the Bird Falz host wrong, along with a few other bits), and partly because I feel like ripping your throat out for using PSO1 nostalgia logic as a basis for your assumptions.

But I mean, hey, it's not like I've any better evidence to go on here. PSO1 vets are always right, so any speculation I make is outright false on account of the fact that I'm not one of you.

I'll do you one better - it'll probably be an indoor version of Sanctum, kinda like how Chrome Dragon's arena (in the entry and during the fight) is. I mean, they HAVE the assets, and the egg shaped manner of the place is effectively BEGGING to become a PD cocoon.

Then again, it DOES make you wonder - where would they tuck Ultimate Lilipa? Unless they intend to retcon the whole Falz plot going on there, they couldn't throw it right on the spot where Apprentice's body is sealed. My guess is further upstairs in one of the Quarry settlements? I can't think of anywhere else that doesn't fuck with plot and invoke retcons (seriously, the fact that we've been getting Blackprentice more than Whiteprentice just screams that they're experimenting with a possible retcon to please us gaijin - a prospect of which I'd loathe to high heaven), and, well, most of Lilipa's just sand and steel towers. Oh, and the underground tunnels, which I can't see them reusing.

I didn't play PSO1. Thanks for assuming.

I'll reiterate. Gal Gryphon is the only boss that is straight from a previous PSO game. Challenge mode is coming up. Challenge mode is the only gameplay mechanic that is specifically tied to a previous PSO game. Moreover, what makes you think it'd be a Harukotan boss? The area bosses have always been natives of that planet or darkers. Gal Gryphon is neither. There is zero logical basis for Gal Gryphon to be a Harukotan boss. This isn't even like Falz Angel being Luther, there was some reason to believe that would happen, just, there was a lot more reason to believe it'd be Theodore (although if I bothered to play story mode and understood how immature Luther was the entire time, I would have betted on him instead, my main reasoning for not believing it'd be Luther was assuming he was a genius manipulator, not someone with the emotional maturity of a toddler). There is zero reason to think Gal Gryphon is a Harukotan boss. Sega hasn't done things that have no logical reasoning backing them. EP 2-5 was just subverting all the most logical, predictable things with more clever ideas, which, while cool of Sega, isn't a good example of why Gal Gryphon would be a Harukotan boss, since that is the very opposite of logical game design. Gal Gryphon can't be a titan, and it can't be a darker, and it can't be an enemy adapted for the location, since it's the only enemy that is a direct reference to a previous boss. It is Gal Gryphon. So my bet is Challenge mode, partly because it's PSO related, but partly also because it's a VR thing, which makes Gal Gryphon showing up much more sensible. XQs could work, but Challenge mode makes far more sense.

The area with Chrome Dragon is Floating Continent, there is no distinction to make between it and other areas. It's the same area. Also, Sanctum is an indoor map already, why say otherwise? Just because it has open ceilings? A building without a ceiling wouldn't be considered outdoors. And why would there be a retcon? Apprentice has had two different hosts. Blackprentice is the first, cloned one, Whiteprentice is the current, real one. Double cloned the first, but not the second. There isn't even anything to retcon.

Right now, the only Ultimate area is Forest. It specifically says Forest, it uses a remixed variation of the Forest music, and story-wise, it's a corrupted part of the Forest area. Ultimate quests are, thematically, corrupted variations of a previously existing map. There is no reason to believe a new map based off a single particular area will be used instead. Especially with Chrome Dragon's arena, since Chrome Dragon isn't even on the list of dragonkin getting an Ultimate variant. Well, yet, but seriously. Leaning toward Sanctum just because every single enemy listed so far shows up there without EQs, but that's also a first for Ultimate areas so far. I want to say Tunnels for Lilipa, but I doubt that the upcoming mecha Banthers would fit it very well, so leaning more toward Desert or Quarry.

[Maenara]

Garuga, y u no log on skype

[The Walrus]

Gal Gryphon?

Sign me up in 6 months when it finally comes out :D

[Nitro Vordex]

I don't know who called you trash, I based my response only in my personal preference, and it's one I've seen in the past TWELVE YEARS to be shared by other players, so of course, in my perception, finding an individual that says Gal Gryphon theme is the worst from all boss themes is strange.
I definitely wouldn't say it's the worst. I also couldn't recall what the theme was for a bit, so you know. :wacko: I can't really think of a worst theme, it seems like a strange thing to do. Each theme fits with its specified area. Gryphon's theme did that well. I wouldn't rate it the worst. If I had to choose one, I'd say Growl, From the Digital Haze would be the "worst". Not that it's necessarily bad, but I don't really care for it.

Back on topic, Gryphon to have Gal Wind and everyone gets mad. :wacko:

[mctastee]

Well, I can't foresee Gal Gryphon being the foe of Ultimate Amduscia, and given that we've been seeing nice glimpses of Harukotan Area 2 (I'll call it Ravine until we know more about it), perhaps Gal Gryphon is the the next big boss?

I mean, because "Mono" symbolizes all the Kuronians, given what I've seen outta past datamines ("Mono_Oni_Ax" means Axe Wielder Kuronian, whilst Lantern could mean many things, but is probably based on a Lamp Ghost Yokai - given the theme that they've been running all Kuronians on). We know that Magatsu is a motherfucking Asura, but that doesn't exactly run to the Yokai theme, unless they're ripping from Zen Buddhism now.

I'm expecting the "Toy_Pipe" dude to maybe come off as a reference to a certain Chinese tube toy (which has had my fingers trapped on many an occassion - curse my youth), because I can't see what else it could be.

Looks to be an interesting set of things coming up - now if you would kindly get to finalizing this new area SEGA, perhaps I can properly unsheathe my Hypesaber so you can eat my mesetas and time?

I am listening to the gal gryphon theme right now and I have to say, I agree with this. There is almost no variance in the song, and it's super boring. Maybe they will give us a super hype remix for PSO2 gal gryphon.

[Renvalt]

Before I say anything else, I'd like to apologize for the way I acted. I was so consumed by my agitation that I didn't even stop to think about what I was saying and just ran with my emotions (as usual).

I wish I could say it won't happen again, but I know better. It'll probably happen again, just because I have zero emotional control when it comes to this shit.

With that out of the way....


I am listening to the gal gryphon theme right now and I have to say, I agree with this. There is almost no variance in the song, and it's super boring. Maybe they will give us a super hype remix for PSO2 gal gryphon.

I'm open to the idea of a remix, but yeah - it didn't shift momentum or pitch even slightly during the theme. One of the reasons that I like Nepto's theme over Magatsu's is not just the instrumentation, but the fact that it varies itself in terms of playing higher notes at times.


@Nitro - That might be the issue here. I don't judge music on whether it fits an area per se, I judge it based on how it stands on its own. Gal Gryphon's theme does not stand well on its own IMO, and I think it would probably be better as the theme of some generic early-game mook (like say, De Rol Le several areas back).


The area with Chrome Dragon is Floating Continent, there is no distinction to make between it and other areas. It's the same area. Also, Sanctum is an indoor map already, why say otherwise?

While I can see how you might use Quartz Dragon to counter what I'm about to say, lemme just add that the entirety of Chrome's arena FEELS far more Sanctum than FC to me (especially when you view the room just before you enter the boss fight). Partly because when I think of FC, I think of grassland patches that are stuck in the air, like skyborne islands. When I think of Sanctum, I think of a skyborne citadel or temple, maybe even a mausoleum (since that's technically what Sanctum is in terms of its backstory). So having it have two variants (outdoor AND indoor) is what *I* feel makes sense, thematically.

When I look at QD's arena, I think of it kinda like a deactivated elevator to access Sanctum. With CD, I get the feeling that you're already INSIDE the Sanctum, more like its lobby (even if the game technically treats it as FC, which I disagree with). Caterdransa to me is the only boss of that region that I don't feel as if we're hybridizing two areas into one.

[Macman]

Watch Gal Gryphon be the challenge mode boss, behave largely the same as he did before, but disables your dodge and block functions.

Better remember where to stand to avoid his flying swoops!

I find it funny they decided to do this when they already threw Gal Wind over to Loser. Now if we could just get a nice Olga Flow fight put in here...

[Nitro Vordex]

Gimmie the Profound Darkness from PSIV.

[spoiler-box]http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/genesis/ps4/images/Monsterpics/profounddarkness1.gif[/spoiler-box]
[spoiler-box]http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/genesis/ps4/images/Monsterpics/profounddarkness2.gif[/spoiler-box]
[spoiler-box]http://www.pscave.com/ps4/enemies/images/profounddarkness3.gif[/spoiler-box]

[Triple_S]

Gimmie the Profound Darkness from PSIV.

[spoiler-box]http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/genesis/ps4/images/Monsterpics/profounddarkness1.gif[/spoiler-box]
[spoiler-box]http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/genesis/ps4/images/Monsterpics/profounddarkness2.gif[/spoiler-box]
[spoiler-box]http://www.pscave.com/ps4/enemies/images/profounddarkness3.gif[/spoiler-box]

I agree with this. Been wanting that for a while now.

[Renvalt]

Watch Gal Gryphon be the challenge mode boss, behave largely the same as he did before, but disables your dodge and block functions.

Better remember where to stand to avoid his flying swoops!

To be brutally honest, it'd just make him seem more like a MOBA boss if he did that, and would lessen the value of said boss to me (not like it had much to begin with, though).

However, if his attacks grounded anyone in mid-air at the time, as well as had anti-block properties - or he came with extra moves to accommodate his PSO2 VR appearance (similar to how Olga got his moveset updated; not sure if Dragon got this treatment in PSPo2, few videos seem to exist of that version of the game), it would definitely make things exciting. I imagine any difficulty would probably come accompanied by the fact that we can't bring our own shit with us, and would be limited to specific commons/uncommons/ungrinded shit rares.

And that last bit sounds a lot like what Quartz does already, so it wouldn't be something I'm not used to.


I find it funny they decided to do this when they already threw Gal Wind over to Loser. Now if we could just get a nice Olga Flow fight put in here...

Odd. That's what Magatsu's upcoming appearance reminded me more of - specifically when he's moving around at the very end of the latest CMode preview. It looked very Olga Flow Phase 2-ish to me, though more in the vein of how PSP2i did it, and less in the PSO1 vein of it all.

EDIT: Third form of Profound Darkness feels like they could edit Matoi into that. Especially given what she was wearing when she got Darker-fied at the end of EP2.

[LonelyGaruga]

While I can see how you might use Quartz Dragon to counter what I'm about to say, lemme just add that the entirety of Chrome's arena FEELS far more Sanctum than FC to me (especially when you view the room just before you enter the boss fight). Partly because when I think of FC, I think of grassland patches that are stuck in the air, like skyborne islands. When I think of Sanctum, I think of a skyborne citadel or temple, maybe even a mausoleum (since that's technically what Sanctum is in terms of its backstory). So having it have two variants (outdoor AND indoor) is what *I* feel makes sense, thematically.

When I look at QD's arena, I think of it kinda like a deactivated elevator to access Sanctum. With CD, I get the feeling that you're already INSIDE the Sanctum, more like its lobby (even if the game technically treats it as FC, which I disagree with). Caterdransa to me is the only boss of that region that I don't feel as if we're hybridizing two areas into one.

Floating Continent and Sanctum are essentially the same biome, so it would make sense some areas feel more like one or the other. Because they're not really separate areas. It's more that Floating Continent is a region and Sanctum is a very specific location in the region. Chrome Dragon's arena is more like a strange building within the region. It certainly looks like Sanctum, but that's because it's made with the same geometrical technology that dragonkin implement everywhere. So it would look similar, but it's really just that buildings made by the same type of construction would look similar. There's no special connection. They're just dragon-made structures, with Sanctum being many magnitudes larger than Chrome Dragon's area, which contains all of one area and is not all that much bigger than a single skyscraper in City.

There is the question of the purpose Chrome Dragon's area serves, but IIRC it had some very special connection to Hadred, and Quna knew he would come to that location when she sang, which is why she specifically went to that location to do so. So the area was most likely made specifically with Hadred in mind and it was merely reused for the Chrome Dragon EQ. Which is kinda disgusting, given how the Hadred + Quna plot was, imo, the best thing EP1 had to offer. But yeah, no real connection to Sanctum beyond sharing the same biome and technology used to build it.

And besides that, I don't think it's thematically appropriate for Sanctum to have a ceiling. Flying dragons wouldn't be able to travel as easily, thunderstorms and the flowing water gives a bit of a nature theme while still being an artificial building (this lends itself toward an open ceiling, since the building demonstrates it's built around nature, instead of with the intent of routing it out), and probably most importantly, a ceiling in a building that is a holy ground for souls? That just doesn't sound right. So yeah, no ceiling. It just lends itself better to the theme of the area. Also, worth noting, Chrome Dragon's arena, on the outside, is a sphere, instead of a cube like is normally used in dragonkin architecture, in addition to not having an open ceiling. This might be deliberate to contrast Chrome Dragon's altered nature (which is incompatible with standard dragonkin reincarnation) with the natural way dragonkin normally live. Pretty clever of Sega if that was the intent.

[Hysteria1987]

As someone who spent way too many years on the original PSO... I got that Gal Gryphon hype :p Personally my money's on a c-mode boss, though if it doesn't end up being that way I'd be interested to see how the game explains how a genetically modified creature named after the island it was found on made it to another world :p though I'm definitely overthinking that...

[Renvalt]

Floating Continent and Sanctum are essentially the same biome, so it would make sense some areas feel more like one or the other. Because they're not really separate areas. It's more that Floating Continent is a region and Sanctum is a very specific location in the region. Chrome Dragon's arena is more like a strange building within the region. It certainly looks like Sanctum, but that's because it's made with the same geometrical technology that dragonkin implement everywhere. So it would look similar, but it's really just that buildings made by the same type of construction would look similar. There's no special connection. They're just dragon-made structures, with Sanctum being many magnitudes larger than Chrome Dragon's area, which contains all of one area and is not all that much bigger than a single skyscraper in City.

How would you explain the Volcano area then? It seems like a volcanic reef, but other than tiny pillars and the enclosing gates, I can't see why that area would serve much of a purpose. A jail for dragonkin? Given that they've made mention of some kind of Condemner Deity (Kashina the Hell Dragon, which doesn't seem to be Vol Dragon based off the fact that a Dinian NPC was trying to send one to meet this so called "Condemner"), maybe Volcano is a Dragon Prison of sorts? I dunno, makes no sense to me.



There is the question of the purpose Chrome Dragon's area serves, but IIRC it had some very special connection to Hadred, and Quna knew he would come to that location when she sang, which is why she specifically went to that location to do so. So the area was most likely made specifically with Hadred in mind and it was merely reused for the Chrome Dragon EQ. Which is kinda disgusting, given how the Hadred + Quna plot was, imo, the best thing EP1 had to offer. But yeah, no real connection to Sanctum beyond sharing the same biome and technology used to build it.

First off, lemme say this: similar to how people find it funny that I don't find Gal Gryphon's theme to be epic, I find it funny that you find the plot between Quna and Hadred to be EP1's best. I mean, I personally found the whole story about Clarissa and the leadup to not only repairing it but unsealing Elder to be more epic than a story about a pritzy idol assassin and her zombie dragon lover (because that's what I see Chrome Dragon as), but meh. Opinions, what can you do about it eh?

That said, I'm curious as to why she picked FC over any other area in Amduscia. Are the walls of that Dragonkin Sphere locked in a way that prevents escape? Why didn't he flee the area, given that he could do so in the Urban Tileset and pretty much everywhere else? Why was he so damn drawn to Quna's singing? There's so much shit that isn't detailed about Hadred and why he did what he did - let alone Quna's so-called "need" to kill him, other than "he's a traitor and thus needs be killed because I can't come up with a better reason than that"; does she feel responsible for his escape? What exactly CAUSED Hadred to go berserk in the first place?

Quna's mini-arc around that pretty much has so many holes and uncovered details that I feel like my reaction is the same as everyone else's back when she was first revealed - just a prissy idol that Sega Sammy designed to have an entrant into the Grand Idol Competitions going on in Japan at the moment.



And besides that, I don't think it's thematically appropriate for Sanctum to have a ceiling. Flying dragons wouldn't be able to travel as easily, thunderstorms and the flowing water gives a bit of a nature theme while still being an artificial building (this lends itself toward an open ceiling, since the building demonstrates it's built around nature, instead of with the intent of routing it out), and probably most importantly, a ceiling in a building that is a holy ground for souls? That just doesn't sound right. So yeah, no ceiling. It just lends itself better to the theme of the area. Also, worth noting, Chrome Dragon's arena, on the outside, is a sphere, instead of a cube like is normally used in dragonkin architecture, in addition to not having an open ceiling. This might be deliberate to contrast Chrome Dragon's altered nature (which is incompatible with standard dragonkin reincarnation) with the natural way dragonkin normally live. Pretty clever of Sega if that was the intent.

The idea of an enclosed area for souls may be based on the fact that I'm drawing my mindset from stereotypical video game tombs, which had more enclosed territory. Furthermore, the flying dragons may not be able to fly around much, but IMO they shouldn't be designed with that in mind if they exist sorely to be tomb keepers - asleep until something threatens the tranquility within, then they activate, seek, and destroy the threat, upon which they return to their inactive state (kinda like how gargoyles or sphinxes tend to function, in a sense).

The Dragonkin function on a sense of "tradition", and while we may have driven a stake into some of the factions, there may be a faction DEEP DEEP inside that is so ignorant and xenophobic that they shut themselves off from the others to preserve said "tradition" (kinda like Japanese isolationists in a way, which I find interesting given Sega JP's racist treatment of Sega EU and Sega NA).

Having an "enclosed" Sanctum may have been kinda like a safe haven or sanctuary for the Dragonkin, and now the Darkers have punched through enough to pose a threat to not only the Dragonkin, but the whole planet. But of course, the Dragonkin inside wouldn't care - to them, everyone not them is their enemy.

That's my basis for the theory I have.

[Maenara]

Floating Continent and Sanctum are essentially the same biome, so it would make sense some areas feel more like one or the other. Because they're not really separate areas. It's more that Floating Continent is a region and Sanctum is a very specific location in the region. Chrome Dragon's arena is more like a strange building within the region. It certainly looks like Sanctum, but that's because it's made with the same geometrical technology that dragonkin implement everywhere. So it would look similar, but it's really just that buildings made by the same type of construction would look similar. There's no special connection. They're just dragon-made structures, with Sanctum being many magnitudes larger than Chrome Dragon's area, which contains all of one area and is not all that much bigger than a single skyscraper in City.

There is the question of the purpose Chrome Dragon's area serves, but IIRC it had some very special connection to Hadred, and Quna knew he would come to that location when she sang, which is why she specifically went to that location to do so. So the area was most likely made specifically with Hadred in mind and it was merely reused for the Chrome Dragon EQ. Which is kinda disgusting, given how the Hadred + Quna plot was, imo, the best thing EP1 had to offer. But yeah, no real connection to Sanctum beyond sharing the same biome and technology used to build it.

And besides that, I don't think it's thematically appropriate for Sanctum to have a ceiling. Flying dragons wouldn't be able to travel as easily, thunderstorms and the flowing water gives a bit of a nature theme while still being an artificial building (this lends itself toward an open ceiling, since the building demonstrates it's built around nature, instead of with the intent of routing it out), and probably most importantly, a ceiling in a building that is a holy ground for souls? That just doesn't sound right. So yeah, no ceiling. It just lends itself better to the theme of the area. Also, worth noting, Chrome Dragon's arena, on the outside, is a sphere, instead of a cube like is normally used in dragonkin architecture, in addition to not having an open ceiling. This might be deliberate to contrast Chrome Dragon's altered nature (which is incompatible with standard dragonkin reincarnation) with the natural way dragonkin normally live. Pretty clever of Sega if that was the intent.

Don't forget that ultimate Lillipa's enemies came in two waves, so wait and see.

Anyone wondering why there's three new Magatsus?

[GoldGenII]

They will merge together to form the ultimate terror that is the Ultra Damage Sponge 2015.

Then the ARKS will have to gather an MPA of 12 AIS and merge to form the -insert long name- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS15XESbMfg)

The classic battle of good vs. evil/god vs. the devil will ensue.

...on a serious note, I really wouldn't exclude SEGA from doing that.

[Gardios]

Oh man, imagine the difficulty if that actually happened. With everyone in control of one part of the robot, it'll be like QWOP, PSO2 Edition.

As for HP, since we're all in AIS, at least they don't have to take the existence of WB into consideration, so hopefully it won't be that bad.

[Maenara]

inb4 balanced for weakbullet even when weakbullet isn't usable.

[LonelyGaruga]

*snip*

Volcanic Cavern and the Floating Continents used to be the same area, but a strong magnetic field literally tore chunks of land out from VC into the air. It isn't hell, and FC isn't heaven, it's just another biome on the planet. Curiously, a storyline Dinian specifically does appear in FC (and was previously seen in VC), which indicates that there's a form of travel between the two regions.

Evidently, there's a lot of information you're missing out on the Hadred and Quna plotline, so here goes.

Quna + Hadred:
[SPOILER-BOX]Quna and Hadred have it rough. They were both essentially child soldiers. Quna and Hadred knew each other their entire life, and although Hadred could not speak, they were close friends, essentially family. Hadred, as established in the story, was fond of Quna's singing, and had a kindhearted disposition. Hadred was also exceptionally strong, so Luther decided to experiment on him, which is what resulted in the Chrome Dragon seen in-game. The experiments resulted in Hadred becoming completely berserk (Chrome Dragon's internal name is even Berserk_Dragon), losing all rationality, with only an animalistic instinct (prey on darkers, fight or flight, etc). This is also what lets Chrome Dragon tear through space to visit other locations, summon darkers, and all that stuff. There was also brainwashing attempts involved, which probably resulted in brain alterations, so even if Hadred didn't go berserk, he wouldn't have been the same person Quna knew. Anyway, since Hadred escaped and went on a rampage, he was no longer a valuable specimen. And since he was now berserk, he became a threat to ARKS. Quna's job just so happens to be assassinating former and present members of ARKS that are deemed a threat. So that's what she gets stuck with. Because of Luther, as established later, which is only really topped by the whole cloning stuff he does imo. The guy's kind of an ass. Anyway, Quna gets tasked to hunt him down, so she has to see firsthand her best friend, someone she loved like family, get reduced to a mere rampaging monster. That kind of sucks. And she has no way to help him. And given Luther's track record, if she did, she'd probably have been deemed a potential threat to ARKS like the player is in EP2, so killing him was probably the best option.

Anyway, Hadred, even with his mind so damaged, still has that fondness for Quna's singing, which the player actually points out in a dialogue choice in the first storyline Hadred shows up in, while talking to Casra. Quna goes to the FC area because that's where Hadred presumably originated from (probably confirmed, but I don't know that, I play without patch), and, indeed, he's repeatedly shown there, since he, unprovoked, attacks and devours a Kuklo that was about to attack Quna, for no explainable reason other than an instinct to eat darkers. At this scene, Hadred recognizes Quna, if barely. So Quna goes to his favorite spot in FC and sings her song to call him, hoping to be able to reason with him. But of course it doesn't work out, so with no choice left, Quna and the player kill him (they spared him earlier because they didn't think it was necessary to kill him, they're out of options at this point). And as Hadred lies dying, he suddenly talks for the first time. This, normally, is super cheesy. And it is. Crazed entity speaks normally while dying? And makes an appropriately dramatic line almost certainly engineered for maximum sadness? Yeah. It's cliche. And that's the only thing I have to say about it that's bad. If it weren't for how Quna handled it.

Keep in mind, Quna's status as an idol is even a part of ARKS' controlling her life. Notice how her concerts happen before an important EQ? This isn't just game design. There's a storyline reason for it. She's a tool to rally ARKS together for missions and inspire them with music. Even at her most visibly cheerfulness, her life is controlled by ARKS. I doubt she ever had a say in it either, given how ARKS has established its history. While she does seem to genuinely like singing and being an idol (which is the only positive in her life it seems), being asked to sing by her dying companion, her best friend, her only friend for her entire life, who she just murdered, when she was convinced that he was irretrievably insane and had never spoken to her before is definitely not fun. Quna, in my opinion, is one of the most sympathetic characters because of this stuff. On top of this storyline, her weapon sucks her life whenever she turns invisible (keep that in mind every time she uses it, she's very liberal with it) and she finds out that Hadred doesn't even have a chance to reincarnate because he's an artificially created dragonkin, which was her one last hope of Hadred's situation fixed. Everything that happened to her and Hadred is because of Luther. And the best part? Outside of Luther and his science department being name dropped, all of the information about her and Hadred's relationship is covered in the span of their two chapters in EP1. No revisions or added backgrounds were necessary to tell the full story. All that's been done is make Quna's life more tragic and establish her role as an idol (don't think her concerts were happening until EP2).

And of course, Eternal Encore is specifically devoted to Hadred, so every time Quna sings it at a performance, she's reliving killing him and his final moments. Think about that next time there's a concert playing it. No wonder she only plays one song per concert.[/SPOILER-BOX]

Gettemhult/hart, Elder, Mel, and the heroes (with guest appearance by Echo!)
[SPOILER-BOX]Gettemhult's tragic history isn't told until EP2, where he's established to be insane because...his love interest died. OK, that is pretty awful. And she was killed by darkers, so a vendetta against them makes sense. But where does this become "I wanna kill a Dark Falz!", why does he start abusing Mel so much, and why is he such a jackass to his own brother, who he should by all rights love almost as much as his actual love interest (just, in a familial way)? Granted, Dark Falz I understand as a logical conclusion. "Kill darkers" > "kill source of darkers". Sure. But what did Mel and Zeno do to him? Be nice to him? This doesn't really add up. Anyway, as far as EP1 goes, he looks like an abusive jackass pulling around a subservient girl and nearly killing her just to get a fight with Dark Falz, acknowledges his own insanity, saying he's never been fully sane (which leads to questions about how he handled his love interest and implies he's always been a somewhat vile person), promptly gets possessed like anyone would expect, and is now a completely wasted character because he's nothing more than a meatbag for Elder to use. Gettemhult, even in the time of EP1, established himself as a brutal yet clever man, being able to recognize that the player and Persona were the same person and finding out Dark Falz was still alive despite everyone else saying he was dead. All of his efforts somehow evade the detection of ARKS, who try to assassinate Rogio when he was just curiously and innocently researching the source of the Tundra, which implies ARKS is either stupid or Gettemhult somehow figured out all of the information about Naberius without being detected (of course now we know it's probably Luther manipulating things behind the scenes to let Gettemhult go unnoticed, but Luther wasn't around in EP1). He's such an awful person his attacks have a dark aura around him despite using standard ARKS weapons and he's weak to light, yet he's violently against darkers and isn't even using any actual dark powers like Theodore would later. He has a companion that says barely anything but seems to be a martyr for him, which prompts curiosity about why. But all of that is moot the moment he's possessed. Gettemhult was an interesting character and it would have been great to see more of him from the past to learn just how hard he fell if he saved Mel's life and loved someone so much that he completely, irrevocably snapped after her death, but we don't even get that. Yet. But his present self is reduced to being a meat puppet, so this doesn't even matter anymore. He doesn't even get the dignity of resembling his old self, or keeping his voice actor. Everything about Gettemhult himself is made irrelevant due to Elder possessing him.

And speaking of Elder, he's a completely wasted character, which just makes it twice as bad that he replaces Gettemhult. One of his first lines is about nitpicking that he isn't Dark Falz, he's Dark Falz Elder. Wow. OK. Sensitive. OK, so what, does that make him an older Dark Falz? Is his name Elder, and Dark Falz a title? And why should ARKS care about his name anyway? They'll call him whatever they want, it's not like it's their job to get his name right. But that aside, he then he goes on to establish himself as a one-note personality after this nitpicking. He can be summarized as "I like fights!". He's strong, hard to kill, and is antagonistic toward ARKS. That's all the importance he carries so far. Apprentice establishes him as the protector of Darker's Den, but he doesn't give a damn about that, he just wants to goof around and fight people! So when ARKS comes around and assaults the place in Cradle of Darkness, what's he up to? He lends a Falz Arm and that's it. Doesn't even personally show up, because he's too busy picking fights elsewhere. So when he personally shows up in TD3 to help out Apprentice, what's he do? Get zerged by A.I.S, then ditches. Wow. He's completely unreliable. He's a slacker and incompetent at being a Dark Falz. He wrecks, story-wise, one ARKS ship, and that's his sole contribution to the Dark Falz cause, unless we're supposed to believe that an entire ship of people really do get killed every time the Elder EQ happens...given that it's also a story-tied EQ with a matter board event, I'm inclined to think it happened only once, and the EQ is just for gameplay purposes. So in other words, Elder is the most useless Dark Falz. He gets his ass kicked by Maria, has to get bailed out by Persona, bails out on another fight with the player and Mel with a hilariously awful excuse, and is apparently even going to help the player beat up Apprentice, which would make him a traitor on top of all this (this one's just speculation of course, but nothing's lost by dismissing it, this guy's got quite a record so far as is).

The only plus to all this is that he is incredibly hammy and that makes him a fun character, but he's not a developed character at all by EP1, and all EP2 does for him is let Gettemhult get some dialogue in (so now either Mel kills Elder, she doesn't get to fulfill her self-imposed duties, or Gettemhult gets unpossessed) and almost get killed by Maria, getting saved by Persona. This so-called destroyer almost got killed by a 70+ year old robot hag. Oh yeah and he throws a fight because the environment isn't suitable. Absolutely pathetic. I was under the impression that Dark Falzes were supposed to be really really hard to kill, but I guess the sheer number of them this time around makes it necessary for them to be total wusses to make up for it? Considering one already bit the dust and two have suffered almost on-screen deaths in the span of just EP2. So far the only Dark Falz doing the name justice is Double, what with Persona actually being the player and not really qualifying.

Discounting the Gettemhult/Elder part, Echo stands still for the entire sequence up until the fight, and her only contribution is to have a panic attack when Elder clarifies that he is not, in fact, Dark Falz, but Dark Falz Elder. OK, and that gives you a reason to have a panic attack, why, exactly, Echo? Not helped by how effectively she establishes herself as useless throughout EP2, and that it is her only line in the entire scene. Casra and Zeno are fine, but why even have Echo if she isn't going to get a real line? Nobody looked the scene over and thought "Echo needs more lines"? Really? And it's not like they couldn't give her lines because they wouldn't fit her, some of Zeno's lines could just as easily be given to her instead, such as when Casra warns Zeno not to approach Gettemhult as Dark Falz possesses him. Echo could have asked him to stop or otherwise warn him solely out of concern before Casra's line, or have Zeno's question about Casra seeming to know more than he lets on be given to Echo, since she would be the more level headed of the two. After all, it's not her brother being turned into an abomination. It isn't her brother she just exchanged blows with and is trying to reason with. She isn't doing anything. Not even thinking, evidently.

Echo's incredible uselessness is something that sticks out incredibly sorely in this scene. And at the end? All she does is whine about Zeno. OK, you know, I use that wrongly. She's not whining. She's grieving and upset and in denial and it would be tear jerking if not for the fact that she decides after all that crying over him that he is absolutely, undeniably, totally OK, because someone they couldn't beat 4 on 1 could definitely not beat Zeno and Casra. Even though Casra escaped and said that Elder specifically went after Zeno. Even though Elder clearly left the planet, when he's been established as a fight seeker in the very first scene. OK, so his body wasn't there, and sure enough, the player does save him, but man, maybe some animals got his body afterwards? Did anyone consider that? Of course not. This whole sequence is pretty awful because it makes Echo's reaction to his death blatantly just her being in denial. Like, she doesn't even angst about it afterwards, which would make it more acceptable. No, she comes to that decision believing it is completely faultless logic, made all the worse for players because it's an obvious sign that yes, Zeno really will be all right, specifically because his body wasn't found, and messing around with time was already an established story concept. Completely killed the drama of what could have been a powerful scene, with a girl grieving the loss of a boy she loved, but whom was completely oblivious to her affection. I understood PS games were supposed to be darker in plot material? That was one of the only things I knew about it before actually playing one myself. I'm all for sparing characters and whatnot, but at least make it a surprise like was done with Ulc! Really genuinely thought she was killed off for real, which was a huge player punch with how genuinely friendly she was and her relationship with Theodore, and the results her apparent death had on the storyline. It's amazing how much better EP2 was compared to EP1, doing something so similar with Ulc to Zeno yet taking the plot far and beyond what we had seen in EP1.

And you know what else EP1 did wrong with this scene? The same SE used for Shifta/Deband is absolutely spammed as Elder is unsealed. This is the saddest design choice present in the entire game. It's the biggest scene of the entire EP, and it uses one of the most commonly heard SEs in the game. Completely inappropriate.

So yeah. That scene sucks. Quna/Chrome subplot is far superior.[/SPOILER-BOX]

That stuff aside, Sanctum is a home for dragons just as much as it's a home for dragon souls. It's not like Sanctum mobs are artificial guardians that sleep until there's an intruder and awaken to combat or test them. Sanctum is their home. It's their home and it's a holy place for other dragons to visit. It's like a RL religious location in that regard.

And that's pretty much it. Sanctum is not like a stereotypical video game crypt. Dragon reincarnation seems to be pretty much straight up inspired by Buddhism or any other actual religion involving reincarnation. Pretty much as straightforward as it gets, body = unimportant, transient vessel for the soul, which is the most important part of the dragon. In a sense, Sanctum's open ceiling could exactly represent this mentality. Souls are free to come and go as they please. It doesn't block nature out and only serves to protect what's inside it. Hell, you could take the metaphor further and suggest the dragonkin inhabiting Sanctum are antibodies, symbiotic bacteria, and whatnot, helping things run smoothly.

As for the dragon racism, well...by default, the players don't speak their language at all. The dragonkin get a free out through telepathy or whatever it is, but ARKS is also basically responsible for darkers. ARKS also has very little to offer besides saving them from the problem they caused. Unlike ARKS, dragonkin cannot fight darkers very effectively, so their people get slaughtered left and right, so the darker infestation ARKS brought along with them basically ruined the whole planet. ARKS as a whole was operated by Luther, a self-serving bastard, so ARKS most likely has never done anything very helpful toward the dragonkin, with Aki and the player being the sole people to actually give a damn about them. Add that the dragonkin are all very nice to the player after they save that infected Vol Dragon (which is one of the first things they do, no less), and it really comes off less as racism, and more that they have really good reason to hate ARKS.

And besides, ARKS is forcibly entering their most sacred locations with no regard or respect for their culture. Infiltration Practice: Sanctum, anyone? ARKS are monsters.


Don't forget that ultimate Lillipa's enemies came in two waves, so wait and see.

Anyone wondering why there's three new Magatsus?

Yeah I know, I'm actually making predictions for what will be on it. Sol Deegalla and a second Pendran, mainly. So far, there aren't any darkers, but there will probably be bird darkers given Naberius has insect and Lilipa has aquatic. Dragon Ex is also the only boss datamined, which is highly improbable to actually be the case, naturally.

We know from the trailer there's going to be two new Magatsu. One is basically equivalent to how Bal Rodos has two programmed versions of it. The other is that golden one seen at the end of the trailer. The third one, though? That is definitely a wait-and-see thing, I think. The fact that they're just listed as 1, 2, and 3 leads me to think that there might be a form of progression, since no other enemies follow a numbering scheme like that. Even Bal Rodos' Facility variant is Marine_OarfishII and not Marine_Oarfish2.

Also, interesting to note that Magatsu is listed as greatevilex, like Persona's boss non-story boss form is. Evidently, that designation isn't reserved for Persona. Doesn't seem important, but it does confirm that Magatsu is, story-wise, stronger in this fight than the currently implemented fight.

[arnd]

He doesn't even get the dignity of resembling his old self, or keeping his voice actor.

[SPOILER-BOX]That's probably beside the point, but Nobuo Tobita voices both Gettemhart and Elder. It's just not as obvious as in Luther/Loser's case, due to heavy vocoding and filtering going on.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[LonelyGaruga]

Oh, my bad then, never mind. I didn't check haha.

[Renvalt]

*snip*

Holy crap, I'mma have to save that bit about Quna later. Didn't think she was the rally beacon for the whole concert. Which, btw, I don't mind her singing - her recent song is pretty snazzy for the most part (Our Fighting can go suck a fat one though), but I'm no fan of concerts, especially when they deal with Japanese idols (though that's probably because I'm never open with those kinds of things anyways).

But the reason I enjoyed the lead up to Elder? It wasn't because of the backstory, it was because Elder was another incarnation of the only thing I can ever give SEGA props for - being cheesy. I mean, honestly? None of their stories can ever be taken seriously by me (especially when they're in Japanese and the context is lost due to a translator that I can't exactly trust due to shitty confidence).

To me, the lead up to EP1-8 was good for one thing and one thing only - the whole scenario was playing out like a really sucky arcade game, right up until Quna bombs the scene and no mandatory DF final form fight is given for the player. I mean, I'm playing this like a goddamned single player game. I have zero reason to play with others, especially when they kill all the things before I can even touch them.

So yeah, that's why I enjoyed Elder more than Quna - because I enjoy old school beat-em-up over yet another trashy idol in a sea filled with them. Maybe my taste is bad, but y'know what? It's my taste.

And holy hell, Gettem actually MADE the connection between us and Persona? Like, that legit wasn't retconned into the story? For real? When the hell does he do this?



Yeah I know, I'm actually making predictions for what will be on it. Sol Deegalla and a second Pendran, mainly. So far, there aren't any darkers, but there will probably be bird darkers given Naberius has insect and Lilipa has aquatic. Dragon Ex is also the only boss datamined, which is highly improbable to actually be the case, naturally.

We know from the trailer there's going to be two new Magatsu. One is basically equivalent to how Bal Rodos has two programmed versions of it. The other is that golden one seen at the end of the trailer. The third one, though? That is definitely a wait-and-see thing, I think. The fact that they're just listed as 1, 2, and 3 leads me to think that there might be a form of progression, since no other enemies follow a numbering scheme like that. Even Bal Rodos' Facility variant is Marine_OarfishII and not Marine_Oarfish2.

Also, interesting to note that Magatsu is listed as greatevilex, like Persona's boss non-story boss form is. Evidently, that designation isn't reserved for Persona. Doesn't seem important, but it does confirm that Magatsu is, story-wise, stronger in this fight than the currently implemented fight.

That last bit reminds me - why haven't they revamped Persona yet? Feels odd to have him only wielding a sword if he's supposed to be the player.

[Maenara]

That last bit reminds me - why haven't they revamped Persona yet? Feels odd to have him only wielding a sword if he's supposed to be the player.

They have. There's a new version of him that you fight in MB17, where he's wielding a Double Sabre that has Partizan guard and several partizan PAs in addition to Double Sabre PAs. He is way more powerful in this iteration(His just counter absolutely wrecks).

[Renvalt]

They have. There's a new version of him that you fight in MB17, where he's wielding a Double Sabre that has Partizan guard and several partizan PAs in addition to Double Sabre PAs. He is way more powerful in this iteration(His just counter absolutely wrecks).

I am aware of that, but the only version of him that ever comes in an E-Code is his sword version. Not only that, but now that makes two D-Coat weapon variants - one has a light version (Coat Edge being 8* and Coat Edge D being two stars higher), one does not.

Seriously, why not just have him spawn with a Coat Edge D variant of whatever the player is wielding? I imagine that that'd actually take decent programming and would probably also be hard as hell to pull off, though.

Or hey, they could have it to where he wields three weapons and can switch between them at will (kinda like the Stalker from Warframe, dunno if you've played that though). To do that though, he'd actually need a third weapon.

But yeah, why doesn't the D-Saber variant show up outside of the final chapter of EP2? Or does it, and it's just dependent on whether you've beaten EP2 or not?

EDIT: So he took pages from Theodore in terms of using stuff from a weapon that he doesn't even use?! Holy hell, why can't they revamp Gettemhalt in this manner? It'd make the fight more interesting, that's for damn sure.

[LonelyGaruga]

*snip*

I don't like idols either, I just stopped seeing Quna as an idol and someone being forced to be an idol and just happens to enjoy it. She is first and foremost an assassin and a Council of Six member. The idol thing is just extra. It doesn't really need to be there, but it does add a layer to her character. Without the idol bit she could easily be seen as a character that is purely misery and unhappiness. It also makes her a character that can be liked for a wide variety of reasons. Some people might ignore her backstory and focus on her idol nature, which is probably what a lot of Japanese do, since idols are cute and popular. Others might find her idol nature to be highly off-putting and like her more for her backstory and assassin side, which is one of the grimmest in the game. And others still might like her for being able to balance these roles, or for other reasons. She's pretty developed overall.

Anyway, about Gettemhult. When the player and Fourier meet Gettemhult in the Desert, he says something like "Who were you again? Oh yeah, the one with the mask.", which, in context, seems to mean he's recalling that you were present around Persona (this is not gramatically accurate), but in retrospect, is calling the player and Persona the same person. Dunno if this is a translation error, but given that Diabo was foreshadowed as far back as EP1, among many other planned things, I'm inclined to think that this was entirely intentional even in the Japanese script. I wouldn't put it past Sega to already have completed all of the storyline plotting. They certainly had to have intended for Persona to be the player right from the beginning. Gettemhult's line, at the time, is easily a case where, at the time, it emphasizes that he's a little unhinged, as he remembers the player because of the guy he attacked, instead of actually remembering the player directly. It's pretty rude to boot (though certainly not as rude as trying to turn a Lilipan into mush). But now that it's known that Persona is in fact the player, Gettemhult can be seen as someone whose unhinged personality allows him to see the world in a different light, but not understand that two copies of a person being in the same location doesn't make sense. Which completely suits his character, and, I think, makes him better in retrospect, as it makes it even more clear how nuts he is. Though it's worth wondering whether he told Mel or not. Seems like the type that would treat it as something as obvious as observing someone's hair color and assume everyone else knows. Not like it's his problem!

Since Persona is specifically the player from another timeline, it could be safe to assume that they did not play like the player in that timeline. Since they're an alternate version of the player, Persona does not need to be bound by the player's class. So they can use whatever weapon the developers want. Being a Dark Falz, they probably can't even actually use Photon Arts, so player classes wouldn't mean much to it. That the attacks work similarly to actual Hunter weapons is probably because Persona fights like an ARKS member, since it was trained as one, so it uses its abilities to fight like one.


Seriously, why not just have him spawn with a Coat Edge D variant of whatever the player is wielding? I imagine that that'd actually take decent programming and would probably also be hard as hell to pull off, though.

Or hey, they could have it to where he wields three weapons and can switch between them at will (kinda like the Stalker from Warframe, dunno if you've played that though). To do that though, he'd actually need a third weapon.

But yeah, why doesn't the D-Saber variant show up outside of the final chapter of EP2? Or does it, and it's just dependent on whether you've beaten EP2 or not?

It'd require a new Persona for every weapon type that gets made, and more added on for each weapon before it gets implemented. This would also get wrecked in MPAs. Weapon switching could work, but so far only players weapon switch.

Double Saber Persona was actually just datamined in this batch.


en_char01_maskman_dsex

Sword Persona took forever to get implemented as an actual boss.

[Xaelouse]

Oh man, imagine the difficulty if that actually happened. With everyone in control of one part of the robot, it'll be like QWOP, PSO2 Edition.

As for HP, since we're all in AIS, at least they don't have to take the existence of WB into consideration, so hopefully it won't be that bad.

There's an icon of weakbullet for AIS in the datamine

[SPOILER-BOX]http://i.imgur.com/uhNLzJm.jpg
second to last line to the right[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Gardios]

Oh ffs...

[TaigaUC]

AIS WB? Ugh.


*stuff about the story sucking*

That was pretty much everything I felt or thought about the story.
I've been largely ignoring most of it because everything I've seen has been cheesy bad, but it seems my understanding of it is spot on.

[Kayarine]

More story discussion! Spoilers ahoy ヾ(°∀。)ﾉ

[spoiler-box]
So Quna goes to his favorite spot in FC and sings her song to call him, hoping to be able to reason with him. But of course it doesn't work out, so with no choice left, Quna and the player kill him (they spared him earlier because they didn't think it was necessary to kill him, they're out of options at this point).

I thought this part was about the player and Quna knowing there was no way to save Hadred at this point, they might as well end his suffering because he wasn't going to live for much longer either way. IIRC this was mentioned by a dragonkin (I think it was Ko Rera, can't remember), and that they arranged a burial place for him and that all that Quna and the player had to do was bring him there and send him away.



All of [Gettemhult's] efforts somehow evade the detection of ARKS, who try to assassinate Rogio when he was just curiously and innocently researching the source of the Tundra, which implies ARKS is either stupid or Gettemhult somehow figured out all of the information about Naberius without being detected (of course now we know it's probably Luther manipulating things behind the scenes to let Gettemhult go unnoticed, but Luther wasn't around in EP1).

I believe Luther let Gettemhult do his thing on purpose because he actually wanted Elder to be unsealed. In the sanctum chapter of ep2 (don't remember the number, sorry), when they do the time travel thing, Xiao says they can't interfere with major events (such as killing Elder) or else Luther won't show himself. Luther doesn't appear in person in ep1, but that doesn't mean he wasn't around.

Furthermore, we know that Luther attempted to assassinate Ulc during the darker attack on Themis. The reassembled white Clarissa was stolen during the attack as well. It's plausible that it was a plan to kill two birds with one stone.


[Gettemhult]'s such an awful person his attacks have a dark aura around him despite using standard ARKS weapons and he's weak to light, yet he's violently against darkers and isn't even using any actual dark powers like Theodore would later.

Actually, because of the negative photon aura and the light weakness, I was under the impression Gettemhult was already somewhat under the influence of Elder even before the unsealing. Like, Elder was trying to influence someone to make them unseal him. I'm not sure of this, can't say I've paid close attention to the story.[/spoiler-box]

[Renvalt]

*snip*

The part about Gettemhalt knowing who the masked person is... the player would only know about that once he gets his memories back via EP2 Finale. Before that, there's no way ANYONE would know - hell, even Afin doesn't make the connection, and he was there right alongside us.

And about Zeno... if he regards Persona with a good amount of disdain, by correlation he should also treat us the same way if he knows its us (since Persona is us, and since we're his mentor effectively per the bit where we go Ragna on the timeline).

As for Mel... it's plausible that he's projecting the image of his late love interest onto her as a means of coping, and she's bearing it knowing that it eases the pain of his loss (and maybe hoping to impossible luck that he snaps out of it at some point).

[LonelyGaruga]

[spoiler-box]

I thought this part was about the player and Quna knowing there was no way to save Hadred at this point, they might as well end his suffering because he wasn't going to live for much longer either way. IIRC this was mentioned by a dragonkin (I think it was Ko Rera, can't remember), and that they arranged a burial place for him and that all that Quna and the player had to do was bring him there and send him away.


I believe Luther let Gettemhult do his thing on purpose because he actually wanted Elder to be unsealed. In the sanctum chapter of ep2 (don't remember the number, sorry), when they do the time travel thing, Xiao says they can't interfere with major events (such as killing Elder) or else Luther won't show himself. Luther doesn't appear in person in ep1, but that doesn't mean he wasn't around.

Furthermore, we know that Luther attempted to assassinate Ulc during the darker attack on Themis. The reassembled white Clarissa was stolen during the attack as well. It's plausible that it was a plan to kill two birds with one stone.


Actually, because of the negative photon aura and the light weakness, I was under the impression Gettemhult was already somewhat under the influence of Elder even before the unsealing. Like, Elder was trying to influence someone to make them unseal him. I'm not sure of this, can't say I've paid close attention to the story.[/spoiler-box]

[SPOILER-BOX]Hadred: Ah, so that's what's the deal with the room. Didn't think it was newly constructed just for Hadred. That's rather touching actually. Really dumb that Sega reuses the area for Chrome EQ though. Hadred gets no respect doing that if it's a very special building just for him. *Sigh* Sega.

Gettemhult and Luther: What I meant wasn't that Luther wasn't responsible, but that, at the time, it looked like Gettemhult was successfully doing all of this on his own without any assistance (besides Mel of course). So Gettemhult looked like a more intelligent person and a more effective antagonist, indicating that, while he was insane, he wasn't stupid for it. But as it ends up, Luther was behind that, so the only reason Gettemhult wasn't targeted for assassination like Rogio was because of Luther, detracting from Gettemhult's villain cred. Given all the horrible villainous things Luther does to just about everyone, it's really amazing he was actually killed off so early in the story. He's responsible for almost every villainous achievement so far.

Elder influence: Maybe? Dunno if Elder can even do that. [/SPOILER-BOX]


The part about Gettemhalt knowing who the masked person is... the player would only know about that once he gets his memories back via EP2 Finale. Before that, there's no way ANYONE would know - hell, even Afin doesn't make the connection, and he was there right alongside us.

And about Zeno... if he regards Persona with a good amount of disdain, by correlation he should also treat us the same way if he knows its us (since Persona is us, and since we're his mentor effectively per the bit where we go Ragna on the timeline).

As for Mel... it's plausible that he's projecting the image of his late love interest onto her as a means of coping, and she's bearing it knowing that it eases the pain of his loss (and maybe hoping to impossible luck that he snaps out of it at some point).

Gettemhult's insane, he can grasp things that don't make logical sense but turn out to be right, I think. And Persona reveals itself as the player in EP 2-6, where only the player is really present. There is no reason anyone besides the player could know that Persona is actually the player from an alternate timeline. And since they're from an alternate timeline, they aren't really the same person, so even if Zeno and Afin knew, they would know that Persona isn't really the same person, so no reason to treat the player differently with this knowledge.

Gettemhult beats Mel, orders her around like a servant, and uses a nickname that doesn't match his love interest's name (forgot what it was, but it was mentioned). He doesn't really have a coping mechanism, he's just lashing out at everything to indulge in misplaced hatred. Keep in mind, he tried to kill Lilipans just cuz he could and actually very nearly kills Mel to release Elder. The only reason she survived was the player and the other guy's choosing to save her. Though, she is trying to help him cope, because of a life debt apparently. Pity that she was way too much of a doormat, because now Gettemhult's a meat puppet. Gets herself beaten near to death and actually makes his life worse trying to help him. Guess that's par for the course huh.