Part 29: Some Minor Ad-Hoc Cleanup

Update 23: Some Minor Ad-Hoc Cleanup



Excellent. Commerce continues to grow, and flows freely.


Let the town grow larger still!



Now that we've taken care of that, shall we continue our exploration?
Don't we still have some FOEs that we haven't gotten the Codex info for? Let's go kill those things.
Now there's an idea I can get behind!
I suppose it is in our best interests to complete the Codex... Very well. Let us fill in those gaps and then proceed.
Fine by me.

Meet the party for the second half of the 3rd Stratum. It's a little too elemental-support heavy for my normal tastes (Tyler and Rheine don't have any innate setup for Spear Assist/Link Order), but oh well, I can work around it.

Incidentally, Phoebe is in the back row since no Protector skills rely on the row the Protector themself is in.



Here's Zack's updated build. I've opted to max out Hurricane and allocate his leftover skill points into Falcon Slash and one point in TP Up. Hurricane isn't the overall best damage option for Landsknechts (that honor goes to the Chasers), but it's not a bad choice.



Colette's War Edge skills haven't changed at all. As for her War Lore skills, I opted to level up Artery to 5 (heals for 40% healing power whenever an ally acts), and then started to go for Barrier, which involves leveling Random Disease and Displace (both of which I have no use for) to 3.



Tyler, fairly predictably, now has Delayed Charge maxed out. Delayed Charge now deals 670% damage if its full wait duration is run, and Cross Charge deals 370% damage if it activates Delayed Charge--the full combo deals 1040% damage if I activate Delayed + Cross Charge on Delayed Charge's last turn.



Phoebe's gotten nothing but more points in Ice Wall and Volt Wall. I have no need for the damage absorption, so all of these are getting left at 9.



Rheine's skill points have gone pretty much entirely into both Link Order (168% damage + 40% of the activating skill's damage) and Link Order II (172% damage + 40% of the activating skill's damage), mostly because I had no interest in leveling up any Order Mastery skills right now.




Here's some stuff I unlocked by selling materials acquired during grinding.

Tabarzin (+100 ATK, +3 AGI) is unlocked by selling 1 Crushed Carapce. If you're using an Axe Landsknecht, this is a very sizable upgrade over pretty much every other axe on offer in the 3rd Stratum.

Godhunter (+73 ATK) is unlocked by selling 5 White Metals. It is so unremarkable that even calling it unremarkable is giving it too much attention.

Whitefang Spear (+86 ATK) is unlocked by selling 3 White Metals.

Ring Mail (+39 DEF) is unlocked by selling 5 Divine Carapaces. I buy two for Zack and Phoebe in the process of updating everyone's equipment.

Red Cuirass (+36 DEF) is unlocked by selling 3 Red Manes.

Head/Arm/Leg Liberator (40% chance to bind all enemies' heads/arms/legs) is unlocked by selling 8 Divine Carapaces. Genuinely don't think there's a real use for these things.



Byeah. Byeah byeah byeah.
That's...that's nice. Please go get us materials.
Whose idea was it to make robots that ugly?
Eh. Cass isn't much better. Least these things are pretty good at what they do.

The Byeahs got a lot of levels through the EXP tea. As such, I have all of them max out Natural Instinct.



Byeahhhhhh.

I also had one of the Byeahs learn Stalker level 10. The long and short of Stalker is that it reduces the chance of getting into a random encounter when walking. Trash in a normal party, really good in a gathering party.



Look at all of those materials, just from one point.




Here's all the stuff I got while gathering materials.

Composite Bow (+71 ATK) is unlocked by selilng 3 Sea Branches. Boring bow, moving on.

Sarissa (+80 ATK) is unlocked by selling 5 Protruding Roots. Kinda funny how it's already outclassed by the Whitefang Spear.

Forest Demigaut (+16 DEF, can be equipped by Beasts) is unlocked by selling 1 Sea Branch. Neato.

Dendrite Boots (+14 DEF, +10% Ice resistance, can be equipped by Beasts) are unlocked by selling 1 Ice Branch. There's a lot of Ice damage being thrown around in the 3rd Stratum, so these might be worth considering, especially for Beasts.

Aspis (+28 DEF) is unlocked by selling 3 Protruding Roots. No extra effects. Yawn.

Fire/Ice/Volt Mist (+35% Fire/Ice/Volt resistance to the entire party) is unlocked by selling 1 Ice Branch. If you don't have a Protector in your party, these are incredibly useful for certain bosses.


I thought I was off exploring duty for now. What can I do that you all can't?
I cannot speak for us all, but I have no knowledge of curses, and the hints we've received about certain rare drops say we need curses to receive them.
Yeah, I dunno anything about cursing. Knowing my luck, I'd probably just fail every time.

There's a conditional drop that I need to inflict disables for, so I'm temporarily bringing Sophie in.



Ow ow ow, my teeth...
...THAT's how you curse things? Eating them?


Can I go get lunch now?
Looks like the only other rare drop on our list involves petrifyin' those hydra things on 12F, so... Yeah, go get some food. I'd rather put that off.

Not pictured: literally 15 minutes of me trying to petrify a Hell Dragon with a Petrify Gas and failing every single time. That's gonna have to wait till later.



Do we...do we have to kill this thing? It's kinda cute.
If we wish to complete the Monstrous Codex, then yes.


Can't we just use one of those monocle things on it?





Baby Salamander
HP: 5723, STR: 26, TEC: 24, VIT: 22, AGI: 17, LUC: 22
Skills:

• Flame Breath: Uses the head. Deals 160% ranged TEC-based Fire damage to one row. Has a 70% speed modifier and 120 base accuracy.
  
• Harsh Cry: Uses the head. Reduces one party member's elemental defense by 50% for 4 turns. Attempts to bind the target's head, with a 70% base chance. Has an 80% speed modifier.
  
• Dust Tail: Uses the legs. Deals 2-4 instances of 100% melee STR-based Bash damage to random targets. Can hit the same target multiple times. Has an 80% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.

Drops:

• Normal: Fiery Chip. 100% chance. Sells for 245 en. 1 needed to make Scorch Bow (+56 ATK, normal attacks become Stab+Fire).
  "A scale-like chip of iron, as red as flames. It can grant weapons properties of fire."

Damage resistances:
100% 100% 100% 10% 150% 100%
Disable resistances:
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
10% 10% 20%
100% 50% 50%

It cannot help but spit fire when it senses a threat is near. Don't get hit!

Baby Salamanders can be really annoying to take down. 5723 HP would take a while to chew through even if I still had Stardust. Harsh Cry is also basically a guaranteed bind to most of our party right now.


I'll try to make this quick, okay?

I just have Zack turn on Full Charge immediately and unload Hurricane, since Attack Order will (probably) be applied before he gets his turn.



Colette has absolutely no ailment support right now, so I have her also immediately turn on her Force Boost.



Tyler'll prep Delayed Charge.



I really hope this thing doesn't use Flame Breath.



There's not much point to using Victory Vow right now.



Dammit. This went before Attack Order.


Hah...hah... Oh man, that's tiring...

Hurricane is basically a Landsknecht's best damage option outside of the Chasers, even given that it disables the Landsknecht's skills for one turn after use.


Do not let its adorableness impede you!


Mmrph! Rrrgh...

That was less than ideal. Ailing Slash factors in TEC for its damage, and head binds reduce TEC.


Drrr nrr!

Okay, it's still decent.



Notice how Zack's Skills button is greyed out. I just have him Attack.



Spear Assist does really shitty damage if it doesn't have an element to capitalize off of, so I just have Tyler fall back to Long Thrust.



This'll dispel Harsh Cry's debuff on Colette.



Ew, that's bad damage. I should've brought some Oils or something and had Rheine attack.


Hmph! Hrr rrd!

You've gotta be stirring my pasta. Rheine's the worst party member to get tagged by Harsh Cry.



I don't think Zack'll get Full Charge again before the fight's over.


RRRRAAAAAAAGH! C'mon, please just stop suffering already!



Close, but not quite.



Aw crap.


Burnout...


You will regret this...


YEEEEOWCH!


So that's how you wanna play it, eh?!

You can see Delayed Charge is ready to activate. To that end, I turn on Hero Battle for the damage boost.



I'm paranoid about being burned again.


That's fer killin' Zack and Colette, yeh hellish reptile!


Back in AXE-tion! ...Eh? Eh?
Maybe if yeh were actually usin' an axe.



This is...kinda a waste, but whatever.



I want to guarantee that Zack and Colette'll stay alive this turn.


C'mon, this thing's no issue.


Go back to the inferno yeh came from!

Well, that could've gone better, but it still wasn't that tough a fight in the end.




Sold off the Fiery Chip before resting up.

Scorch Bow (+56 ATK, normal attacks become Stab+Fire) is made from 1 Fiery Chip. It's pretty useless normally, but if I had Nadia in the party instead of, say, Zack, it could be used as fuel for Link Order and Spear Assist.



Hm. This appears to be...possibly an ancestor of a dragon.
Okay, this thing is not cute in the slightest. Let's get it on!


CHEEEEEARGE!





Fire Drake
HP: 7043, STR: 29, TEC: 25, VIT: 23, AGI: 19, LUC: 23
Skills:

• Fire God's Fury: Uses the head. Deals 280% ranged TEC-based Fire damage to one target, with splash damage. Has a 70% speed modifier and 120 base accuracy.
  
• Fearsome Roar: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict Fear on the entire party, with a 70% base chance. Has a 120% speed modifier.

Drops:

• Normal: Spiny Horn. 100% chance. Sells for 480 en. 1 needed to make Inferno Helm (+17 DEF, +10% resistance to Fire). 2 needed to make Flame Claw (+77 ATK, normal attacks become Bash+Fire).

Damage resistances:
100% 100% 100% 0% 150% 100%
Disable resistances:
50% 100% 50% 25% 50% 50% 10%
10% 10% 10%
25% 50% 50%

A dragon of sorts, it is full of a noxious gas that lets it breathe fire!

The Fire Drake's HP will take a long while to chew through, and while spamming Fire Wall will take care of Fire God's Fury quite easily, Fearsome Roar is a very serious threat. I'd heavily advise bringing a Sovereign along for Prevent Order, or else you run the risk of a good attempt being ended by Fearsome Roar.



Basically the same setup as last time, except this time I used Victory Vow because...actually, I don't really know why.


Extinguish this infernal beast!


Cut cut cut cutcutcut!


Every little bit helps.


Við munum holræsi eld þinn.



The odds of Tyler binding the Fire Drake's head or instantly killing it are so small that they're effectively 0%.


This shield's fire-proof. Try it, lizard.


Do not be intimidated!


Barely felt that.



Same reasoning as using it in the Baby Salamander fight.


Nope.
That's a damn sturdy shield, Phoebe.


WITH ALL MY MIGHT! MRAAAGH!
You might've done better than to aim at its pseudo-helmet...



Hm. Only took off half its HP even with expending Zack and Colette's Force Boosts.



In case you wanted to know how much of an effect Full Charge has on Zack's damage.


Not gonna happen.

Protectors pretty much trivialize the Fire Drake.


Hmph. What I'd give for Nadia or Sophie right now.



Delayed Charge is ready, so I turn on Hero Battle.


How's the wrath of a hero feel?!
Are you not being hasty with the hero label?
With what we've done so far, I'm positive we'll be heroes by the end 'a this!


Our resolve cannot be shaken!

Prevent Order is so useful.


I think it was fair to call that thing a dragon, yeah?
A drake, yes. A dragon, no.
Ah, come on! Let's being self-aggrandizing for once!



I put Zack's skill point into TP Up.




Lastly, one item to close out the update.

Inferno Helm (+17 DEF, +10% resistance to Fire) is unlocked by selling 1 Spiny Horn. Might've been kinda useful for Flame Demon, but not really of any use in the 3rd Stratum.

Next time: 13F.