Part 130: Final Update: The End

The End







You can say with certainty that the great Calamity, cause of so many sorrows, awaits you beyond here... All that you need in order to open this door is a firmly set resolve.





Your will is already firm. You turn back toward your guildmates, with whom you have shared so much.

The Calamity... it's just past here. For hundreds--no, thousands of years, High Lagaard and Caledonia suffered because of this thing.
It hurt Trand... Arianna... even Knight. We should put a stop to it.
Honestly, this thing freaks me out. I don't even know why I'm here. But... you've made your choice, right, Knight?
I'll go with you to the very end. You're my best friend, after all.
I must admit, I still harbor some fears. We do not know if the Calamity truly can be defeated.
But we have met with many setbacks before now, and overcome them all. I believe that is because of us all... Because the five members of the Guild guild worked as one.
And that is why we will win. I will provide the best support that I can to every one of you.

The woman stands by your side, as do your other guildmates... You do not know whether you can win against the Calamity, or what the future has in store even if you do. But it is that uncertainty that allows for the possibility of hope.



Let's put an end to this.
Yep. I owe you big time, so I'll make damn sure you stay safe.
I'll work hard too. I'll watch your back, Knight.
I'll go along with whatever you decide. You have my full support.
I as well.
I hope that you'll allow me to accompany you to the very end... my knight.

Your resolve is made and your hearts have come together. Then, there is no need to hesitate any longer. Now, open the door and face the great Calamity that lurks in these ruins!

Music stops.



The atmosphere here is markedly different from elsewhere in the ruins. The tension is palpable simply standing here...

There's nothing here...?

Chloe glances around, confused. You admit to seeing nothing unusual in the area either.



You sense a powerfully evil presence, far worse than even the most dreadful of monsters you've yet encountered!



Wh...! What is that...!?



It's coming!







Ginnungagap had a monster this big in it...?
I knew it would be something else, if they needed a whole ruin to seal it away, but this is way beyond what I imagined!
So this is our final enemy...

Before you writhes the so-called Calamity, a creature vastly more horrific and terrible than your previous opponents. Its appearance is so monstrous that your hands cannot help but tremble as they grip your weapons. Merely seeing the Calamity's eyes blink as they stare hungrily at you instills an instinctive desire to flee. But you neither step back, nor lower your weapons.

Heh. Your size doesn't scare us! You think you're the first thing we've fought that's bigger than us!?
This would be impossible to do alone. But we're not alone...
Hey, ugly. It's your fault that my life's a mess. You're going to pay for what you've done, right here, right now!
We will never retreat! Not when the promise and the potential of the future is in the balance!

No matter what unearthly power it may possess, you have the strength to fight against it. The guildmates who stand at your side will support you through any and all adversity!

This is it!
We shall follow you to the very end!

You give a battle cry and point your weapon at the Calamity, and your companions take up their arms without hesitation. The battle to break the chains of sorrow that have gone on these many centuries has begun!



And so begins the fight with the final boss of Story mode, the Lagaardian Yggdrasil Core!





Interesting thing to note, Classic mode actually has different music for this fight. Yes the whole Calamity plot is in there. Read Ragnar Homsar's LP to find out how it's handled there.





What you're seeing in action is Cell Membrane. What it does is cancel the effects of anything that targets the user, whether it's harmful or helpful. So we can't touch it, but annoyingly enough, the Yggdrasil Core is still considered a valid target for random target moves.



The only thing we can attack are these Core Irae, which there are 2 of.

Core Irae
Level: 62
HP: 2500
STR: 55
TEC: 36
VIT: 60
AGI: 40
LUC: 52
Skills:

• Earth Slash: Uses the arms. Deals 80% melee STR-based Cut damage to one row. Has a 90% speed modifier and 95 base accuracy.
  
• Demon's Lance: Uses the arms. Deals 100% melee STR-based Stab damage to one party member, with line-piercing effect. Has a 120% speed modifier and 95 base accuracy.
  
• Root Cyclone: Requires another Core Irae be alive to use. Uses the arms. Deals 180% melee STR-based Bash damage to the party. Has no speed modifier and 120 base accuracy.

Damage resistances:
100% 100% 100% 125% 125% 125%
Disable resistances:
0% 50% 50% 50% 0% 50% 0%
10% 10% 0%
0% 50% 0%

EOU veterans, do those skill names sound familiar? They should, because those are also the skills the Etrian Yggdrasil Core had! Okay, EO2U's skills weren't translated the same way as EOU's version. Also they have significantly different powers and effects, given that the Etrian version is a post-game boss. Still, it's a nice callback.

Anyway, the Irae are weak to elemental attacks. The annoying thing about them is that both of the Irae must be killed within one turn of each other, otherwise the Yggdrasil Core will revive the dead one back to full HP. Oh and here's the attack pattern for the Yggdrasil Core's first phase:

• Beginning of the phase: Cell Membrane
  
• Turn 1: Nothing
  
• Turn 2: Poison Dust
  
• Turn 3: Nothing
  
• Turn 4: Nothing

And then the pattern loops back to turn 1. The Core Irae will only use Earth Slash and Demon's Lance during this phase, and they use them randomly. Once you kill both of them at the same time, Yggdrasil Core will move onto phase 2.











Setting up, like always.





Ha ha, nice!







Okay, both of the Irae should be able to be taken out next turn.



I'm not breaking out Transform yet, because there is a lot more to this fight.



I can have Flavio nuke down an Irae pretty hard since he dodged an attack last turn.



Since Poison Dust will be used this turn, I have Chloe break out Barrier.



Link Order II is the only true AOE the Story party has. It should clear out both of the Irae in case something goes wrong.



One down!





Not happening.



WHAT!?









Fortunately, that was just a minor setback.





Next targets that have to be taken down are the Core Odia.

Core Odium
Level: 62
HP: 4000
STR: 50
TEC: 55
VIT: 42
AGI: 30
LUC: 52
Skills:

• Giga Flame/Freezing Nova/Thunder Rain: Uses the head. Deals 100% ranged TEC-based Fire/Ice/Volt damage to 2-3 random targets. Can hit the same target once at most. Has no speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
  
• Amplify: Cannot be disabled. Heavily increases the power of Armageddon, depending on how many Odia are alive at the time of casting.

Damage resistances:
125% 125% 125% 100% 100% 100%
Disable resistances:
50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 0% 50%
10% 10% 10%
50% 0% 0%
The Core Odia are more dangerous. While you can use the elemental walls to block one of their attacks, you won't be able to block the other one unless you have more than one wall user. Yggdrasil Core's pattern in phase 2 changes to this:

• Beginning of the phase: Summons 2 Cell Odia
  
• Turn 1: Nothing
  
• Turn 2: Calamity Eyes
  
• Turn 3: Nothing
  
• Turn 4: Nothing

Then it loops back to turn 1. Unlike the Core Irae, the Core Odia have their own attack patterns.

• Left Core Odium:
  • Turn 1: Giga Flame
    
  • Turn 2: Freezing Nova
    
  • Turn 3: Thunder Rain
    
  • Loops until death.
• Right Core Odium:
  • Turn 1: Thunder Rain
    
  • Turn 2: Giga Flame
    
  • Turn 3: Freezing Nova
    
  • Loops until death.

Like with the Irae, the Odia must be killed within one turn of each other or they get revived.A strategy you could use is to kill one Odium immediately. When a Core Odium gets revived, their attack pattern gets reset, so timing it right can ensure that the elemental walls block most of the damage during this phase. Once both Core Odia go down, Yggdrasil Core will move onto phase 3.





Blinding one of them will make Bertrand's job so much easier.



Oh come on!



This is gonna hurt.



Okay good, it only attacked 2 times.







Okay I'm just going to warn you about something. What I'm about to do here? Don't do it! I make a massive mistake here.





You actually want to save Transform for the 3rd or 4th phase. Using it before then is way too early!



You want to know what other mistake I made?



Forgetting that the Yggdrasil Core uses Calamity Eyes here!



Oh, he's one of the worst possible targets to get hit with that!



Bertrand ended up getting fully bound.







Which canceled the effects of the wall he set up, and caused my party to take the hits from both Odia.



I know Thunder Wave will have most of its hits absorbed by the Cell Membrane.



However, I only needed one of those waves to hit each Odium, so Delayed Chase would hit both at the same time.





Now the Core itself is open for attack!

Yggdrasil Core
Level: 62
HP: 25000
STR: 55
TEC: 40
VIT: 40
AGI: 35
LUC: 55
Skills:

• Cell Membrane: Cannot be disabled. Dispels all ailments, binds, and debuffs the Yggdrasil Core is afflicted with at cast time. Nullifies all damage and ailments/binds to the Yggdrasil Core until the Core Iraes and Core Odia (as applicable) have been destroyed.
  
• Isolate: Cannot be disabled. Deals 130% ranged TEC-based Almighty damage to one party member, with splash damage. Has a 70% speed modifier and 120 base accuracy.
  
• Poison Dust: Cannot be disabled. Reduces the amount of HP each party member receives from restoration sources by 50% for 4 turns. Attempts to inflict poison on the entire party, with a 30% base chance and 40 base poison damage (around 90 adjusted for level). Has an 80% speed modifier.
  
• Ruinous Curse: Cannot be disabled. Reduces each party member's maximum HP by 50% for 4 turns. Attempts to inflict curse on the entire party, with a 50% base chance. Has an 80% speed modifier.
  
• Segment: Revives either the Core Irae or the Core Odia.
  
• Calamity Eyes: Cannot be disabled. Purges all buffs from one party member. Reduces one party member's physical/elemental defense by 30% for 4 turns. Attempts to bind all of the target's body parts, with a 60% base chance. Has an 80% speed modifier.
  
• Core Charge: Cannot be disabled. Raises one Core Irae or one Core Odia's damage by 50% for one turn.
  
• Pandemic: Cannot be disabled. If any party members have debuffs, ailments, or binds, spreads them to the rest of the party. Infliction rate is 1000%. Has a 20% speed modifier.
  
• Armageddon: Cannot be disabled. Deals ranged 100% TEC-based Almighty damage to each party member. Damage increases depending on how many Core Odia cast Amplify on the previous turn; 600% for 1, 800% for 2. If the Yggdrasil Core casts it continuously, the damage increases with each cast: 100%, 150%, 200%, 260%, 320%, 380%, 450%, 550%. Has a 30% speed modifier and 200 base accuracy.

Damage resistances:
125% 125% 125% 150% 150% 150%
Disable resistances:
50% 50% 25% 25% 25% 0% 25%
0% 0% 25%
25% 25% 25%

• Phase 3 (100% to 75%):
  • Turn 1: Ruinous Curse
    
  • Turns 2 through 8: Isolate
    
  • Moves onto phase 4 if turn 8 is reached, or its HP drops below 75%.
• Phase 4:
  • Beginning of the phase: Segment (Revives the Cell Irae)
    
  • Turn 1: Core Charge
    
  • Turn 2: Calamity Eyes
    
  • Turn 3: Pandemic
    
  • Turn 4: Nothing
    
  • Moves onto phase 5 if turn 4 is reached.
• Phase 5:
  • Beginning of the phase: Segment (Revives the Cell Odia) and Cell Membrane
    
  • Turn 1: Core Charge
    
  • Turn 2: Calamity Eyes
    
  • Turn 3: Pandemic, Core Odia cast Amplify if they're still alive
    
  • Turn 4: Armageddon
    
  • Loops until Yggdrasil Core drops below 40%. If the Yggdrasil Core drops below 40% before reaching turn 4, it will still go through the phase before moving onto phase 6. It will immediately jump to phase 6 if it drops below 40% after one loop.
• Phase 6 (40% to death):
  • Turn 1: Ruinous Curse
    
  • Until Death: Armageddon

That's quite the attack pattern. Barrier can nullify most of its support moves, so it's important to have Chloe cast that during those times. Isolate doesn't deal that much damage, but Ruinous Curse can cause it to take off way more HP since it reduces the amount of maximum HP the party has.







Flavio, please!





Yeah, no. I remembered how your attack pattern goes this time!









And I immediately caused it to move onto phase 4, how about that?



I really mistimed that Transform.





Normally I don't break out the War Heal skills in a fight, but things are not going as planned.







Doing this so I can apply an AOE Attack Order to the party.



...Oh no.





Guess what I forgot to do?









...In all honesty, this was not the best use of Accelerate. I was panicking and way too desperate to take out the Core Irae so I wouldn't have to deal with both those and the Core Odia at the same time.



Everyone aside from Knight is starting to run low on TP.







...You know, if I just targeted the living Irae with that, I would be getting myself into a much better position.



Using Akashic Nova now would be putting the finishing touches on my own grave, so I opted to do something else.





Namely, canceling Knight's Force Boost early.



Crap, that was not enough to kill it!



Okay, how much HP did that Irae even have left?



...ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?



Okay, so Force Reset ends the user's Force Boost Early, but refunds some of their Force. Now I'm using Force Charge in a desperate attempt to get Transform back up.



I'm utterly at a loss as for what to do here, so I have Arianna cast this skill. If someone dies from an attack, they have a decent chance of immediately being revived. It's a fantastic safety net for the post-game.



And this is Root Cyclone in action. Once the Yggdrasil Core brings back the Core Irae in phase 4, they'll cast this every other turn. So taking them out quickly is even more important.



Great, Yggdrasil Core got to phase 5 before I could finish off the Irae. Now I have to deal with both the Irae and the Odia at the same time!



Rub it in, why don't you?

When the Odia are borught back, their attack pattern changes.

• Left Core Odium:
  • Turn 1: Thunder Rain
    
  • Turn 2: Giga Flame
    
  • Turn 3: Freezing Nova
    
  • Loops until death.
• Right Core Odium:
  • Turn 1: Freezing Nova
    
  • Turn 2: Thunder Rain
    
  • Turn 3: Giga Flame
    
  • Loops until death.

Screw this. It'll suck not having the nearly guaranteed evasion to get more Hazy Arrows with, but I can't take the risk of having to deal with everything at the same time.



Also sucks to lose out on Guaranteed Ailing Slashes, but my party really isn't in a good position right now.





Okay, that got rid of one of the Irae.



And Knight got rid of the other Irae, resulting it to... shrink and disappear. Yeah from a technical standpoint, this fight wasn't made all that well. There's actually a noticeable amount of slowdown throughout the entire fight. Might be because of how complex the Yggdrasil Core's model is? I dunno.





Desperate times call for desperate measures.







Come on, just a little more!







Okay, now all that's left is the core itself!



And it looks like the tables have turned!







Flavio. I just need one Blind at this point!





And it just hit me that I'm in the final phase where it starts spamming Armageddon. I'm running out of time here.







Holy cow, finally! And just in the nick of time!







Phew! That Blind just bought me a few more turns.





But I'll only need one.









Okay, there were several mishaps along the way, but the Yggdrasil Core is down!



For the record, the results screen music is still playing here.

We did it! We beat the Calamity!
Stop shouting, Flavio.
Don't be ridiculous, Chloe! Times like these are made to hoot and holler as loud as you can!
The kid has a point, for once. C'mon, this is cause for celebration.
Mm. Okay. I'll be happy too.
You could try sounding like you mean it...
......



Are you hungry?
It's simply that... How should I say this? Now that I know my duty is over, I feel so drained...
Though that's not say to I don't feel a certain amount of relief as well! Come, let us join the others in their merriment.



Music cuts out, and the screen starts shaking.

Wh-What the hell!?
Don't move around too much! You'll get yourself in trouble!
I know... I'll stay still.

A claw comes out and knocks the party out.







You find yourself collapsed on the ground with no clear memory of what happened. Though as you struggle to think back, the memory returns...







You quickly get to your feet and look around. Your guildmates are scattered and fallen, as if dead. None among them are moving, and only one face is turned toward you, meeting your eye.



You must... run...

The woman pleads at you with her eyes, concerned for your safety. As Flavio, Bertrand, and even Chloe do not stir from unconsciousness, only Arianna calls to you desperately...

While you survive, we still have hope...! So please... forget me, and flee from here with the others...!

With that, Arianna drags herself towards the Calamity. You can see that she means to save her guildmates by offering herself as a decoy.

Stop this, Arianna!
I will not! From the start, this task was set by the Duchy of Caledonia... And as such, it must be me who bears the brunt of the responsibility!
It's not a matter of nationality!
In what sense!? This is no one's fault but my own... I... I'm the one who chose you, Sir Knight...
I must be the one to save you!
Don't think like that!

Music cuts out.

As you shout to the woman, her face crumples, with tears welling in her eyes.

But I am to blame... It was I who brought you so far from home... This was never your struggle... I'm sorry...

The woman hangs her head and repeats her apology, again and again.

I'm so sorry, Sir Knight...
If I'd known this would happen... I... would rather we have never met...

Tears stream down the woman's face throughout her heart-wrenching speech. You struggle to find something you can do to ease her pain... As you search for an answer, you find yourself naturally approaching her. And as Arianna continues to weep for your sake, you gently offer her your hand.

Thank you, Arianna.



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Sir Knight... I...

The woman takes your hand and looks directly into your eyes. It is then that you remember clearly... You are the Guardian, chosen by the Lady of the Mark. And as such, there is a task left to you. As a Guardian, you must protect the woman before you.

Leave the rest to me.
Wait! Sir Knight, please!

Sensing your resolve, the woman squeezes her hand, wrapped around yours, tighter.

Sir Knight... I'm so sorry... Then, as now... I have placed such a burden on you...

The tears from the woman's eyes fall upon your hand, held in hers. A calescent heat begins to erupt from within you... Arianna's voice, the warmth of her hand, and the tears she shed kindle something deep within you.

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Sir... Knight? This form...

The woman's surprise is your first sign that you have changed into an entirely new form. This is the power you gained from the Ruler of Heaven... a powerful force that courses through your entire body. With this power, you are certain that you can slay the Calamity!

I can win this. Trust me.

You have no intention of sacrificing yourself here; you have utter faith that you will return victorious. You smile to the woman and gently squeeze her hand, asking her to wait for you.

Sir Knight...
I understand.
I will trust in what you say... that you will return to us, come what may. And... if by chance you lose your way, Sir Knight... I will call for you with my whole heart… No matter where you may be, I will take pains that my voice might reach you...









With the power of the Grail, Knight becomes something inhuman.



But the Core cannot be attacked with the Irae and Odia in the way.













Try as the Yggdrasil Core might, it cannot defeat Knight.













There is nothing defending the Core now.













For the record, the credits are the same as in Classic mode. If you want to know about the people who were involved in making this remake, watch this video.

Hm? You're not? Ah. You're here to investigate the strange light that appeared near Ginnungagap. It's been the talk of the town, and I'm hardly surprised. Anybody would be curious about such a sudden, blinding light. All I can tell you is what I have personally witnessed. On that day, a shaft of light rose from the direction of the Temple of Ginnungagap. It was very bright, as Irecall. The shaft of light kept rising until it exploded into a bright flash, and then disappeared. And afterwards... I'm sorry, but that is all I can reliably tell you. If you have no other business to discuss, I must ask you to leave.



Huh? That light we saw over Ginnungagap? That story again? Eh, I guess everyone's gotta hear it once... Well y'see, not long before we saw that light, a guild called Guild went there on important business. What “important business"? Hell if I I know! That's just somethin' I heard secondhand. Oh, another customer's here. Sorry, kid, but that's all the time I got for yeh! Be seeing yeh!



Hm? You want to know about the Guild guild? What, did you come here after someone else in town told you they were involved in this case? ...Well... let's see. I don't know what you're hoping to hear from me exactly, but they were an extraordinary guild, no question. And that's all. Now are you going to order something? I did you a favor, and it's time you returned it.



Oh, are you talking about those dears from Guild? They left a while ago. It'll be lonely without them... I'm glad to know that they'll be continuing their journey in perfect health. But it's sad to think they're gone... Especially considering how depressed they seemed before they left... Oh, my, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put a damper on things, especially for a new guest! Come on, and we'll get you situated. Quona! Could you show our new guest to her room?



Huh...? Why were the members of Guild so sad...? Um... it's because one of them, the one named Knight, was gone. So... B-But I think they're all okay. I just... get the feeling... A-Also, on the day the light shined, I saw a pretty shooting star. I made a wish on that star... for everyone to come home safe... Oh, I-I'm sorry... I-I guess that was kind of weird... W-Well, um... please make yourself at home. Huh...? You're not staying here? *sigh* Oh, Mom... she never listens to anyone...



Huh? You want to know where the members of Guild went...? I-I'm sorry, but I don't really know myself. But they did say that they'll come back once they finish what they need to do! I believe in them. And, well, that's all I can really do about it... They did say it helped them to know that there were people waiting for them. So... I think everyone in High Lagaard is waiting for Guild to return... And Knight with them!



You left without a word... I was most concerned for your safety!



Is that the reason for your dingy robes...?
Yes. I was surprised at the general inability to recognize me in them... But thanks to that, I was able to glean many people's unvarnished thoughts. Minister Dubois, what is your opinion of Guild Guild? I myself believe them to be heroes. It is the only fitting word for they who saved this land from peril. Yet no matter what praise we shower upon them, it does nothing to advance their cause... Though I rule over a nation, I am still yet human... I haven't the power to bring back one who is lost to us. It vexes me greatly that there is nothing I can do for Lady Arianna. Yet among the people, many are worried for them, but few have lost hope. All are convinced that Guild shall return to High Lagaard with Knight... That is what I have gathered from them.
Indeed... There may not be many grounds for this hope, but I too choose to believe that they will all return. Besides which, Lady Arianna seemed quite confident that Knight still lives somewhere. I suspect her confidence is why I have such certainty that I will see him again.
You may be right. I shall believe in them as well. I have faith that they will all return to High Lagaard with smiles on their faces...

So ends Story mode, and with that, the Story mode LP is finished. Thank you to everyone who read this. I decided to start up this LP as what was intended to be a little side project. Originally I wanted to show off how to tackle a specific boss fight with the Story mode party as bonus content for the EO2U LP (For the record, we haven't seen it yet) but the idea grew into something bigger. Seeing as how Ragnar Homsar wasn't covering Story mode in his LP, I thought I might try my hand at it. I thought it might be a good way to try dipping my toes at doing normal screenshot LPs. (At the time of this writing, I've only done narrative LPs.) And I'm glad I did it, it was a good experience.

As for my thoughts on the game, I think this remake did a good job ironing out the kinks the original game had. The original game made a bunch of dumb game design decisions, and was pretty much riddled with bugs. Now despite that, I personally think both EO2 and EO2U are games worth checking out, but EO2 is pretty unfriendly to new players, and the balance in that game is quite frankly, the worst in the series. I'd probably say both EO2 and EO3 compete for that title. I wouldn't blame you if don't want to go through it after playing a bit of it. The Story mode in this game? Much better than EOU's Story mode. If you're expecting EOU's Story mode to be at least on par with this one, I hate to disappoint you, but it's actually pretty bad and really bland. Only touch Classic mode if you ever decide to pick up EOU.

Now as for my future plans for this LP, there is actually a bit more to cover, despite the fact that Knight got catapulted off to Arm-whoops, almost gave away too much there. But there's not really much to cover when it comes to the post-game, unfortunately. There aren't any events in the 6th Stratum, and as for town dialogue, there really isn't that much new dialogue in there. Probably like 1 or 2. Also I'm not gonna be covering bosses gameplay wise. I only did that with the boss fights in Story so people could get an idea of how to utilize the Story party properly, and how to play to their strengths. And frankly, I've shown off all I've wanted, so gameplay-wise, my job is done. However, there are more cutscenes with the Story party (For one thing, we haven't seen any of the 6th Stratum restaurant skits yet) that I will show off.

But until then...







































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...Fine weather today.
Blue sky. White clouds. Smiling people. These are all the things Knight protected...
Knight...
Damn you. Why'd you have to go and leave us while I was unconscious...!? You fought all by yourself... you won... and then you disappeared. That's... What the hell, man!
...... Sir Knight made a promise to me that he would return. And I believe he will honor it.
Besides... As a Daughter of the Mark, I can tell that my knight, Sir Knight, still breathes.
Really?
Yes.
Well... in that case, there's only one thing to do. You saw a shooting star head south after Knight disappeared, right?
So how about we all go there together?
Right!
Agreed!
Hey... Wait a minute, old man, that's what I was going to say!
Ahahah... Then I hope you'll allow me to accompany you as well.



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