The Let's Play Archive

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

by Ragnar Homsar, Dr. Fetus

Part 16: Timelines Jumping Left and Right

Update 11: Timelines Jumping Left and Right



Hhhhuuuurrr... Rr?
Good morning, Ursa. I can see that you rise early.
Mrr mrrh?
It is easier to practice War Lore early in the morning.
Rr rrer urr?
Professor Efe L. Hahstey at the War Lore Academy was the one who told me that. When dealing with mystic elements of our world, it is wise not to question the learned ones.


Milly, you're going to be the one holding the pack today. Can you check for if we have an Ariadn--
I am not carrying something this heavy. No way. Nuh-uh.
Did Regina not mention that we can store items at FOEbucks? Most of the items in our backpack is either medicine or otherwise useful items I'd rather us not sell.




Going into the Labyrinth with a near-full pack is a very bad idea. In every EO game, your inventory has a maximum of 60 slots (EO1 and 2, where your inventory was filled up by key items, nonwithstanding), and once you hit that 60 item cap, you have to start throwing stuff away, whether it be new items or stuff you already have. That's pretty obviously not something I want to do. At the same time, I'd rather not sell, for example, our Therica Bs. So what do you do? Drop stuff off at the cafe! Regina can hold up to 99 items, which you probably won't hit unless you are an incredibly massive hoarder.



I drop our pack's current load from 44 items to 20 items. Much better.

And hey, might as well drop some EO history while I'm at it. In EO1, there was no way to store items. At all. You had your inventory, and that was it. Which wasn't helped by the fact that stuff like your damn map and key quest items (one of which was bugged and would permanently stick around in your inventory after you turn in the quest) were counted as normal items. Atlus realized that this system was kind of inexcusable, and let you drop off items at the inn in EO2...for a fee. EO3 used that same system, with the addition of certain sidequests dropping the cost to store items at the inn. EO4 switched up the system a little: storing items was now free, but your storage space is incredibly limited at the start, and is increased through sidequests. EOU again switched up the system, and EO2U uses pretty much the exact same system--storage is now done at the "guild house," which was a Suburban Mansion in EOU and is the Ducal Restaurant in EO2U. Storage is free, much like in EO4, but you now have max storage to begin with. Atlus also added in the ability to sort through your storage by categories of Consumables, Equipment, and Materials.

Milly, you're SURE we have an Ariadne Thread?
Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure it's there.




Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that two-update diversion to some ancient ruins, because we're back in Yggdrasil now.



Shortcuts and secret passages in the Auburn Thicket looks like cracked rocks. Stands out decently enough from the background.



The pre-battle transition effect also changes from stratum to stratum, although Ginnungagap just uses the 1st Stratum's transition.



That statue's movements... It's no natural monster. Who is controlling it?


Odd Statue
HP: 268, STR: 16, VIT: 15
Skills:
Drops:
Damage resistances:
Ailment and bind resistances:

Binding this hulk's stone arms will do you very little good...

Odd Statues, in the original EO2, were assholes. They could petrify single targets, and their AI was set to prioritize the back row. Here, they're pretty much trash mobs aside from resisting two of the three types of physical damage. Sweep Strike can pretty severely hurt a Beast if they're using Hit-Taker, but that's it.


Frilled Lizard
HP: 169, STR: 15, VIT: 12
Skills:
Drops:
Damage resistances:
Ailment and bind resistances:

It uses its frills to intimidate intruders. Those who stand their ground often regret it...

Frilled Lizards are even bigger trash mobs than Odd Statues. Strike Up hurts a bit more than normal, but still not much overall.



Colette's TP pool is decent enough that I can use Ailing Slash to just clear out mobs in one hit.



Ranger's damage is pretty meh outside of Transform, but he can at least still hit elemental weaknesses with his Sabres. The Sabres are skills you really want to level up, but it's because the Waves scale off the Sabre levels--the Sabres, on their own, deal ~250% damage at level 10. At least the Sabres are pretty cheap, even for Ranger's small TP pool.


Good to know that my toxins work on statues, I guess.



Ailing Slash either one-shots random encounters or puts them very close to dying. The Vampire heal is also nice for sustain.



The Shock Sabre was intended for the Odd Statue, so it didn't hit the Frilled Lizard's weakness to ice. You'll also notice that Ranger is really, really slow. Even outside of Transform's action speed penalty, the Fafnir class has the second lowest AGI out of any class--the War Magus has the lowest, for the record.



The encounters aren't that much of a threat yet. You will be quite happy to know that I forgot that Armcut exists, and did not try at all for the Odd Statue's conditional, even in the next update. OH WELL. I'll get it some nebulous time in the future.




Secret passage here.


That Apicius guy really knew how to hide his recipes. Was encoding them not enough?

It took me until I was at the 6th stratum on my first playthrough to find these recipes. It's kind of easy to tell where secret passages are, usually--just look for big empty spaces in the middle of a floor. Chances are good there's a secret passage somewhere nearby.


Oh gods, what's that smell?!
SYSTEM: You follow the odor by searching through the grass, where you find a monster's corpse. It seems to have died leaning against the tree's roots, with its legs splayed out. Could another explorer have slain it? Perhaps you could scavenge some raw materials... But you'd have to ignore the stench to ssearch the corpse... You may simply want to leave.
It'd be stupid to waste perfectly fine raw materials. The corpse doesn't look too old.
Ugh, gods. Glad I didn't study survivalism.
What was your occupation before joining us, Milly?
...I'd like to plead silence on that.
SYSTEM: Blinking back tears against the awful stench, you take a careful look at the corpse. But it seems you weren't the only one attracted by the smell...! A monster with a taste for rotten flesh hangs from the trees above you, baring its fangs!
Gah!





Giant Moa
HP: 552, STR: 18, VIT: 16
Skills:
Drops:
Damage resistances:
Ailment and bind resistances:

This large, flightless bird has evolved a pair of powerful legs!

Giant Moas aren't really that threatening on their own. Heavy Stomp really hurts, and will lop off most of your party's health (or kill your Beast if they're tanking it), but it's not really enough to actually kill people from full. With other monsters, however, things get pretty dangerous.



This is what we'd normally call "a mistake."



Ursa would've been tanking a LOT of hits if the blind didn't proc, and most likely would've died.


Skera fæturna.

Giant Moas are threats with other monsters, but very manageable on their own.


SYSTEM: Grab whatever you can can and leave the area before you lose the contents of your stomach!



Scarlet Vines are a common Chop item that we can get next floor. Not too shabby.



What is this...thing?
It's possible that it may be some kind of faerie.

Tree Sponges, pictured above, have a pretty simple movement pattern: they just patrol a straight line. The area around here has small little alcoves, I suppose I'd call them, which we can just pace back and forth in to wait for the Tree Sponge to pass.



All I have to do is go to that space on the left, and just pace for a few steps.



Easy enough.



Take spot. We needed the Mint Leaves for Medicinal research.



Got a few level ups from an otherwise boring fight.



I'm leaving Ailing Slash at level 9 for now, since level 10 makes the TP cost jump to 24.



Ursa unlocked Preemptive Roar, a passive that gives Ursa a chance to automatically cast Beast Roar when a fight starts. Very useful against random encounters and bosses where you don't want your Beast to take a turn setting up Self-Defense. I won't be getting it for a bit, though.



Another level in Freeze Sabre for Ranger.



And another level in Shelter Song for Milly.


Wait. ...I hear a bear from behind that door.


SYSTEM: You remain vigilant for some time, but the sound does not reoccur. You can't be certain if it's hiding from you or waiting for a chance to strike... Part of you wants to leave the room now, and part of you wants to proceed with caution.
Whatever's in here is scared. Everyone, advance...


SYSTEM: Apparently scared by your drawn weapons, the source of the noise flees deep into the forest. You sheathe your weapons and look around. Something has fallen to the floor... The unseen creature must have dropped it. You stow the unexpected bounty in your bag.



Tricolor Fruit is a rare Take material. Pretty nice freebie, especially given that it sells for 250en.



Uh-oh.



Blindly having your Beast spam Hit-Taker really isn't that great of an idea.



Nadia's faster than Milly is, so I can revive Ursa and then heal her near-immediately.



That's the nice part about having two really fast supports, you can break out any items you need before an enemy acts (usually).



Like I said, Giant Stomp hurts enough that we'd be in serious trouble if there were any enemies besides the Giant Moa.


That's enough being stomped on for one day, thank you!



This is the downside to not having Realga in the party and not having any War Heal skills on Colette: if the party takes heavy damage, we have to burn through lots of Medicas to treat it. At least having Ursa tank everything means I just have to heal her.



A pretty simple puzzle with Tree Sponges. Just wait for a gap between the two Tree Sponges, which'll come eventually.

Funnily enough, this same puzzle was used in EO4 too...in the postgame stratum.


Hmm... What're these FOEs waiting for?
An ental for your thoughts?
People only go back and forth like that if they're waiting for something. Like a delivery from the mailman.
Something tells me monsters don't get mail, Ranger.


There's treasure where the Tree Sponge is walking. I can sense it.

To our left is a treasure chest, right at the end of this Tree Sponge's patrol path.



We move when the Tree Sponge is at that position...



And get something that's basically worth nothing. Insight Melody (what's on this Grimoire) is a Troubador skill that increases your party's hit rate.

More importantly, though--notice that there's no one-way shortcuts out of this path.


Okay, there appears to be no way to get out of this situation through the Labyrinth itself. Where is the Ariadne Thread, Milly?
Calm down, it's right...


...uh.
Great. Fantastic. Marvelous. We have no way out of here!

WELP. Always make 100% sure you actually have an Ariande Thread, folks!


Is this truly the end...?




I'm not going to post the Tree Sponge's full stats. All you need to see is this:




Urgh...rr...
Me and my laziness...


The spirits...weep for me...
Ow.


That was a...stupid way to die... Ugh...



So this is what being dead feels like. Can I be a ghost now?

Had to happen eventually. Sometimes game overs in EO are the result of the games pulling crap the player couldn't really have seen coming (more common in EO1 and 2 than the later ones), sometimes it's the result of the player getting cocky and overextending...and sometimes it's just the player's idiocy, as seen here.

It's tempting to either switch the DS off and go do something else (EO1-3) or slam the Home button and go play another game (EO4, EOU, EO2U), but don't.



Because of this. Even as far back as EO1, when you game over, the game gives you the chance to save your map data. What this means is:

Letting you save your map data is basically EO's way of telling you "okay, you screwed up. Now that you know better, try not to let it happen again."


...No?




Okay.

Alright, let's try that again.



I like exploring better, anyway.

Let's just pretend that never happened, okay?




Aside from rectifying my mistake.



Ranger, what are you doing? What are you drawing? We haven't even started exploring the floor yet.
...None of you remember what just happened? We all died to a Tree Sponge and then I turned time back?
What the hell are you talking about?

I'll skip over getting back to where we were, since there's basically nothing interesting about this time around.



Here! The Thread's right here!
Oh, thank gods. Good call on buying that Thread, Ranger.

Yeah, unless you can kill the Tree Sponge, the only way out of getting that Insight Melody Grimoire is either suiciding on the Tree Sponge (which isn't really a way out), using an Ariadne Thread, or coming back once you have Floor Jump enabled for 6F.




I make a quick stop at Sitoth to unload what I got after redoing my progress.

Lactarius Staff is unlocked by selling 1 Open Cap. It provides +2 TEC. Decent for Medics and Alchemists, although it's probably not worth upgrading to if you have one of the staves that gives +1 TEC and some extra TP from the 1st Stratum.

Kurodachi is unlocked by selling 1 Iron Toenail. If you're using the Fushuu, it gives a whopping +2 ATK instead of the Fushuu's +10 TP. I'll pass.

Red Whip is unlocked by selling 1 Scarlet Vine. It's wholly unremarkable.

Life Belt is unlocked by selling 1 Ostrich Tendon. It gives +20 HP. Could be pretty useful on a Beast--it'd translate to +60 HP during Desperation.

Therica As are unlocked by selling 1 Mint Leaf. I already explained what they do back in Ginnungagap, but for a quick refresher: consumables that purge all binds on one ally.

The single-target Jars are unlocked by selling 1 Tricolor Fruit. They don't really do enough damage to justify using unless you have classes like Medics or Hexers who can run out of stuff to do for a while.



I learned my lesson, don't worry.



Abigail starts talking to us when we leave the store.

...It's amazing, isn't it? You got that flower as a present for the old lady, and now it'll be helping you. And not only that, the new medicine will help everyone feel so much better, too! It's wonderful...isn't it?
In some ways, yeah.
Eheheh, s-sorry. It just makes me really happy... I'll ask for help again if anything comes up, but please don't push yourself, okay?

And now that the quest's over, here's Abigail's 2nd Stratum cafe dialogue.

It seems like everyone's talking about FOEbucks, and wondering what kind of new dishes they'll have. The thing I hear the most is...usually something like, "I never expected that would actually be edible!" ...Th-That's actually a little scary.


Oh, yeh're back. I take it everythin' went awright...? Ey, what's with those dopey grins? Haw! Let me guess, the Trader's little lady thanked yeh with one'a those huge smiles of hers.
How'd you guess?
Listen. What yeh found out there? That ain't just helpin' yeh guys. Little bits an' pieces here and there, even just information...it all adds up. An' we can use it to make everyone's lives better. I mean, that's how we ended up with good food...strong medicine...oh, and hard drinks! All 'cause of little things. Never forget that feelin' of gratittude. ...Whoa, I sounded real deep for a second there! Guess I'm a drunken master. Haw! Who knows how many lives yeh folks are gonna end up savin'... Go on, be proud. Yeh deserve this!

Cass tends to ramble even for small quests like this. It's kind of a pain to transcribe that much text for such a minor quest, but oh well.

One of the one-panel comics that was published on EO2's Japanese and English websites was entirely about making fun of Cass's rambling.



I forgot to actually use Nadia's level up until much later.



No-no-no, this is the worst possible time!

This is legitimately the worst possible situation to start a random battle in. Remember that FOEs can join in on fights in progress!





Giant Shroom
HP: 154, STR: 11, VIT: 10
Skills:
Drops:
Damage resistances:
Ailment and bind resistances:

A mushroom monstrosity whose poison-filled cap can emit a paralyzing toxin.

I wouldn't normally dedicate a Force Break to two Giant Shrooms, but I'd really not take any chances on the Tree Sponge horning in. The paralysis is usually annoying enough, but it makes Tree Sponges even worse. (Although, going by past events, I shouldn't really be concerned about that part.)




The other Take point of the floor.



We're nearly done with the floor here. What we have just ahead is four Tree Sponges, all patrolling each side of a square.



Going straight down there is impossible, since there's no cover from the Tree Sponge.




There is cover for the upper Tree Sponge's path, however. Just walk back and forth here for a bit...



And we're clear to go.



Same deal for the next one.


The way out's over here! Come on!


No. I can smell treasure over there.
Is that another mystic power of yours? Is it granted by that transformation?
I think it's just a figure of speech.



One unremarkable fight later, I remember that Nadia got a level up, and put another point in Paralysis Arrow.



Scout Boots massively reduce the amount of damage we take from damage tiles. We'll actually seem them on 8F.



6F complete. (Ignore the small, pointless alcove that's presently unmapped. I do map it shortly after this.)



I take the time to map out a bit of 7F, and then head back to town.




Here's the 7F quests.

Toward a cozier inn:

Ohhh...right, that quest. Haw! It must be tough to be so famous, eh? It's another one from that old bat of an innkeeper. They're looking to remodel the Flaus Inn, and they need some building materials. Yeh can hear the rest of the story at the Inn. G'luck!

A honeyed lure:

Oh, that request! That came from the Hunter's Union. They ain't just hunters, mind yeh. They look after the Labyrinth's plants and animals, too. Sorta...vigilante-types.
They are "forest ranger-types," thank you very much.
Anyhow, they were strollin' through the Labyrinth, and they found some kinda rare bear creature. That bear loves honey. But it's been scarin' off all the other animals from its lair. Wants all the honey for itself, see?
Bears have honey for blood. Makes sense.
The hell did you learn that from?
It's nothin' serious right now, but the animals that need that honey have to go down a floor to look for some more. And if they keep havin' to go down a floor, down another floor... See what I mean? Might eventually show up at our doorstep. These hunters want the bear outta the picture, but they can't find the damn thing. So they put up a request for it. This bear's s'posed to be on the 6th floor, and it usually just tries to scare off anythin' that wanders into its territory. If it can't scare 'em off, it'll try to bait 'em with fruit or somethin', and just lie in wait, all quiet.
Oh, THAT'S what got scared from us getting ready for battle. Didn't realize it was a bear.
But remember, it's still a beastie. If there's somethin' it wants from yeh, it'll pounce without a second thought. That's it. Find its territory on the 6th floor, and throw some honey at it.


Nobody knows how strong the thing is. But yeh lot are stronger than the hunters, so we're countin' on yeh. Right, try not to get killed out there. G'luck!

And lastly...ugh, The beautiful princess:

Hmm...taking that one, eh? It's rougher than it looks. A bit of history to start... Yeh ever heard of the Master Craftsman?
Yeah. Got a few of his works in a...business deal a while back.
He lived in Lagaard long ago, and he was so talented, he even made the Duke's throne. His final piece was a chess set.
Is chess a type of dinner table arrangement?
What, yeh don't know chess? It's a type of board game, see. There's six types of pieces in chess, and 32 pieces all told. Lots of craftsmen like to give their own special touch to the pieces. Some collect 'em just as art. It's the same for this Master Craftsman's pieces... Yeh get the drift, eh? One of the nobles 'round here is after the most important piece--the Princess. It's a rare piece, so yeh could try to find it on yer own, or wait for some collector to sell theirs off... Yeh can take the quest if yeh want, but yeh should keep in mind that it won't be easy to get all the pieces, okay? G'luck with this one!

Ha ha, very funny, Cass. What he actually means by this is "fuck you, this quest is going to taunt you all the way until 29F." We are not going to be finishing The beautiful princess any time in the near future.



The bar patrons. The Extravagantly-dressed man shows up as part of The beautiful princess:

Hmhmhmhm... Truly, the goldsmith's creations are works of art... And the most valuable of them all, the lovely Princess. What beauty, what elegance...! Hmhmhmhmhmhm...
Hey. Is that the Master Craftsman's Princess piece?
That's correct...but who are you?
Guild Lumen. There is a quest for that particular piece. We desire it, as a result.
What? A request for the Princess piece...the very one crafted by the legendary goldsmith? So you're saying you'd like me to simply give this piece to you! Is that it?
That's not what we're--
Ha! If this is a joke, I fail to see the humor! Do you have any idea how much this piece is worth?
You bet your ass I do. What do you want to trade for it?
A trade? I sincerely doubt you would have anything of equal worth. Although...if you brought all pieces other than the Princess, then I'd be interested, hmm? ...But of course, that would be impossible. Ahah, hah hah hah!
You...! Ugh, I hate smug rich types.
Unless we can find another Princess piece, we have no choice but to comply with his trade.



With that slap in the face in mind, here's a thing regarding quests I haven't shown yet. If you go to Report results, and select a quest you haven't finished yet...



You can cancel the request. And good thing, too, because all The beautiful princess would do is take up space in our quest log (we can only have five active quests at a time). We'll be getting the first proper quest in this long, tedious trade-up on 8F.

Anyway, before we talk to the barflies, here's Cass's 7F dialogue:


By the way... Yeh know I'd always appreciate some souvenirs from the Labyrinth any day, right?
Souveniers, hm? What've you got in mind? I can probably guess.
What kind of souvenirs...? Well, yeh know. Fruits made from gems, bird nests made outta gold... Eh? They're all precious materials? 'Course they are. Why would I want something that ain't worth a fortune!? Are yeh lots fresh from the crib? Money is power! Haw haw haw!

And now, the bar patrons. Dulcet-voiced caster:

Oh... You're the members of the Lumen guild, right? My brother and I have heard a lot about you. Oh, right. If you're going to explore the second stratum, do be careful of the Raging Boars. They tend to charge, very quickly... But it doesn't have good aim. With a bit of care and luck, you should be fine...though I usually blind them, just to be safe.
Good to see another person who follows the school of "go for the monsters' eyes" tactics.
After all...my poor brother has enough to worry about without some beastly pig charging at him...

Exhausted Tramonte:

Ghh... Urrrggh... Can't see... I can't see... I can't...see...anything...
...I've got an idea to help fix this! Cass, gimme some mint julep soda.
Wh--!?
Here you go!
Gah! My eyes! My eyes! Wait, it was y-you!? Don't you think it's a little harsh to throw soda on someone when she's down on the ground?
You looked like you were going blind, though.
...Well, it got me seeing again. Hey, though, this drink actually smells kind of nice. I like this kind of stuff... *sigh* The forest was pretty rough this time, too. I just collapsed when I got back. Hmm? What I'm looking for this time? It's this Crazed Bulb. You can get it from the root of Fanged Vine, if you defeat it while it's confused. Lilly...she's into this kinda weird stuff, see. I hope she likes this one, too...
I'm sure she appreciates the lengths you go to for this.

A conditional I have no way of getting unless Sophie's in the party. Magnificent.

Haughty doctor:

I'd say I'm rather unexciting, and my methods of exploration are thus similarly unexciting. That's simply my way, but... Tch. I was merely walking on my way, but they still shot their blasted flame breath at me... The force of the breath blows you back, and the fire sets the roads ablaze... I...I truly despise it. Oh, did you know? The burning roads look dangerous, but you can walk through it unharmed, actually. ...Though it is, of course, unreasonably hot.

Foreshadowing something on 7F here.




Marion's 7F dialogue.

If you're that skilled, you probably don't need my advice...but I'll give you a word of warning, regardless. Strength isn't simply measured by how many enemies you've defeated. What's important is that you survive. Insight, analysis, quick decision making, and the ability to act when needed. If you're lacking any of these, you won't succeed. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Try to avoid unnecessary risks.




Dubois's 7F dialogue.

...By the way, are you aware of the legend surrounding High Lagaard?
Yeah. Something about a great flood taking over the Earth, minus a floating castle and some islands?
It is said that long ago, the Duke's ancestor descended to the land from the floating castle.
Oh. Wrong myth, then.
Admittedly, it sounds like just another fanciful myth, hm? But nobody knows the truth of this country's founding... All we know is that the story has been passed down for a great many generations. I bid you farewell, then. I look forward to your further endeavors.




Regina's 7F dialogue.

Haha, you think it's strange? Sure, maybe, but it does make me feel good.




Before we talk to Abigail, I sell the materials we got since the last stop at Sitoth.

Kora is unlocked by selling 3 Iron Toenails. I'm still sticking with Hrothgar's Sword, but not for long.

Bravants are unlocked by selling 1 Mugwort. They're consumables that buff one ally's attack for a few turns. I prefer to use player skills like Attack Order or Warrior Song.

Anyway, Abigail's 7F dialogue.


If I remember correctly...you're staying at the Flaus Inn, right? I actually know the innkeeper. I see her a lot whenever I go shopping. That's kind of a funny coincidence! You've already met Quona, right? She's so small and cute... She almost looks like a doll! It looks like Quona has a lot of fun when she's with all of you. When you have some free time, would you go see her again?




Hanna starts talking to us as soon as we enter, because of Toward a cozier inn.

Cass probably told you most of it, but basically, we're planning to renovate the inn. I know the Labyrinth has some good stuff in it, so I thought we might use that... Listen carefully, because here's the list of what we're looking for. We need: 2 lengths of Scarlet Vine, and 1 piece of Hardwood. Got that? I think you can get them all on the 2nd Stratum. No problem for you, right? When you have all of them, just bring them to the bar and the carpenters will collect them. Now then, off with you!

And because the quest overrides Hanna's normal 7F dialogue, here's Quona's:


...My mom told me...that she was going to give me more responsibilities at the inn... ...I'm happy that she's letting me do more things...b-but the other explorers are kind of scary sometimes...