Part 51: Death Montage 2

Death Montage 2

Now that I've finished retiring and grinding up all of my characters, let's take a look at the team we'll be using.



Ken has maxed out Midareba at last. At level 8 it deals 100% damage per slash. It jumps up to 115% at level 9. But at level 10 it gets a huge power spike. First of all, it dishes out 3 slashes instead of 2, and the slashes do 140% damage each! Ken is a monster now. He also maxed out Orochi.



Nick's skill points got relocated back into Gag. He's now working towards getting the Bait skills.



Pauline has a few levels in Foesense, which will really help us out in the next Stratum. She also has 2-Bolt maxed out. Most importantly, she has 1st Turn again.



Aliara now has a few levels of Scavenge.



Bellamy has relocated his skill points into the Volt skills. Now let's get going.

PC-88 Version



The nighttime splash screen. We actually want to be traveling at night here.

: Holy crap this place is freezing! AAACHOOOO!

: Why don't you put a shirt on? I'm not sure why you thought walking around naked in a chilly area would be a good idea.

: I forgot to read the guild reports. I didn't know this place would be so cold!

: Still, you have to admit this place does look pretty. Oh hey, the stairs are right over there!



: And we can't even reach them. Great.

: At least we know where we need to go. Hey, what's going on over here?



Unlike most other events which you have to check to activate, this one immediately activates when you step on this tile.

It's hard to tell the exact number against the snow, but there seem to be at least ten. The snow creatures have not spotted your presence yet... You may have a chance to strike first, though it's also an opportunity to leave quietly.



: I think we should just get out of here.

: Heh, screw that! Let's just go in! CHAAAAARGE!

As you begin your charge, the snow underfoot melts, revealing another snow creature! This must be their nest! Dozens of monsters, all alike, appear around you. You are grievously outnumbered, but completely surrounded with no chance of escape!

: Uh, oops?

: This is all your fault.

: Why didn't you listen to me?

: Well it was nice knowing you guys.

Just as you're sure that death is inevitable, the monsters's behavior changes... The snow monsters clump up into a single area and begin to combine into one! Its size grows largerr by the second, eventually developing into a gargantuan monster! The moment while it's still combining my be your only chance to escape from here!



: Now's our chance! Let's get out of here!

: Don't be a coward! We can take this thing!

: Well it was really nice knowing you guys.

Now we have to face a pretty tough miniboss.

You screw up your courage and face the gigantic monster! Failing to anticipate your resistance, the conglomeration of snow demons stops moving.

: Now what?

You wait tensley for it to make the first move, but it begins to fall apart! It seems that it's not a true merging... Merely a pile of monsters clinging to each other. Unable to sustain its own weight, the monster crumbles from the “feet” up! The dissolution continues until only one snow monster remains...

: That's it? Pfft, CHARGE! Again.

: Uh, yeah. Let's do that.

Weapons in hand, you charge at the sole survivor!

PC-88 Version




Snowsoul
HP: 201
AT: 22
DF: 23
Exp: 1085
Skills: Ice Breath
Item Drops:
-Common: White Gem - 1 needed for White Helm and White Rod (Staff.) 2 needed for Nalnari (Gun.)
--Rock-like Snowsoul core, used for various things.
-Rare: N/A
-Conditional: N/A
Description: A manifestation of a snowflake that has gained a soul. If alone, it will call for help.
Weakness: Fire (150%)
Resistance: N/A

They are not threatening at all. They are probably the weakest enemies in the Stratum. Ice Breath is a single target ice attack that doesn't even hit that hard. There is a bit more to them, and I'm going to warn you that trying to Force grind off of these enemies is a bad idea. But they can be taken down really easily.





Pauline is our weakest link in terms of damage. Don't expect her to contribute much in terms of offense.





: ACHOO! Come on! I'm not wearing a shirt!



Yeah, the Ronin is a high damage class thanks to their ridiculously high base strength. Interestingly enough, the Ronin is actually weaker than they're supposed to be thanks to a bug. Ken is actually supposed to be dishing out more damage at this point.

: And stay down!

: When did you get good with that thing?

: While he was in the 2nd Stratum. You should probably show him that other move later.

: Oh, yeah.



PC-88 Version



You gather the Snowsoul's remains and leave the area.

: Wow, those things were wimps.

: Uh, please don't do that again.



You get 7 of these, which is much more than you'll actually need to unlock stuff. Now if you say no to the first question, you just leave. If you say no to the second question, you still fight the Snowsoul, but the rest of the Snowsouls launch themselves at you, pelting random party members for 80 damage per hit, which can leave you at a huge disadvantage in the fight.



: Really!? The stairs are so close too!

: Look on the bright side, it means we can get to the stairs easier on return trips.

PC-88 Version



: Is that a fish with legs?

: We're not eating that thing, are we?


Fishman
HP: 207
AT: 23
DF: 23
Exp: 1330
Skills: Jaws
Item Drops:
-Common: Blue Fin - 1 needed for Zeta Axe (Axe.) and Hide Boot. 2 needed for Hunter Bow (Bow.)
--Highly flexible fish fins.
-Rare: N/A
-Conditional: Dew Scale - Kill with Ice. 1 needed for Kuzonosada (Katana.)
--Flammable, easily damaged fish scales.
Description: A fish that evolved to survive on land. It has a voracious appetite and jaws to match.
Weakness: Volt (150%)
Resistance: Ice (50%)

Another not so threatening enemy. Jaws is just an attack that hits harder. Unlike the Snowsoul, they don't have any additional tricks. Unfortunately, we don't have a way of getting that conditional drop at the moment.







Even with 2-Bolt maxed out, it deals the same amount of damage as Nick's regular attacks. Egh, I'm gonna have to invest in her strength stat.



They go down easily.



: Aha! Treasure!

: That we can't get to.

: Quiet. Does anyone else hear buzzing?

: Look out!













: Mmph mmph mmmmmmph!


Moriyana
HP: 214
AT: 24
DF: 23
Exp: 1394
Skills: Bewilder
Item Drops:
-Common: Bug Nest - 1 needed for Ganyu (Katana), Sleep Gas, Bug Piece, and Ring Mail. 5 needed for Hard Mail. 15 needed for Estoc (Sword.)
--Moriyana nest material. Mostly oak branches.
-Rare: Mint Leaf - See 2nd Stratum Take info.
-Conditional: Front Wing - Kill with Volt. 1 needed for Luck Staff. (Staff.)
--Transparent Moriyana wings.
Description: A grotesquely enlarged dragonfly that entraps travelers with its dance before preying on them.
Weakness: Volt (150%)
Resistance: Stab (75%)

Here's another enemy that's been in every EO game. It's also a really annoying one. Bewilder is an attack that has a high chance of head and leg binding a party member, and it loves to spam this. It's really bad if it decides to target a caster since they won't be able to do much, and will have a hard time avoiding any big hits that come their way. A solo Moriyana is also a guaranteed blindside, making them an even bigger pain to deal with.

: Just sit back Ken, this insect shall be no match for my powers!



: MMMMMMMMPPPHHH!!



: Mmph mmph!

: Mmmmph...

PC-88 Version



Still goes down easily, but it can be a huge pain to deal with if it happens to be paired up with some really deadly enemies.



: Hey Ken, could you give me that map for a sec?

: What for?

: I think we're in FOE territory. There's talon and beak marks everywhere. I'd say there's FOEs here, here, and here.



: Doesn't that mean we're right next to one?

: Uh oh.



: Crap, it noticed us! Run!



: There's no way out!

PC-88 Version











: Don't bury me next to him.

I forgot just how tough these things were. I didn't expect them to hit that hard.


Darksoar
Type: Flying
Behavior: Sentry
Aggressive: Yes
HP: 1200
AT: 39
DF: 40
Skills: Dust
Item Drops:
-Common: Wing Skull - 1 needed for Bone Helm.
--Winged dragon skull. Makes for a good helm.
-Rare: White Chip - 1 needed for Sallet, Ice Wall, and Bone Glove. 2 needed for the quest Yggdrasil Cider
--The sturdy, white bones of a winged creature.
-Conditional: N/A
Description: A carnivorous, flying beast. The wind that its wings can generate cuts even through steel.
Weakness: Stab (125%)
Resistance: N/A

Darksoars are very tough FOEs that will rip you apart. It likes to use Dust, which is a very heavy hitting attack that deals splash damage. This will most likely destroy your frontline. They are not wimps like the Slaveimps. Even if you have a Dark Hunter, you really want to avoid fighting these since they can make everything go wrong in one turn.

: Amateurs like you need to stay back and watch a real fighter at work.



: See? Dead already. What a waste of time.

: It's still alive.

: What? Impossible! None can stand up to my powers!





: Yeah yeah, who cares. Come on Ken! Get up!

: Eh, what happened?





: How can this be?

: You all suck.

Also if your front line dies and gets revived, they don't automatically switch back.



: Hmm. Hey, Ken?

: Yeah?

: Listen, we don't have enough Nectars left to revive everyone. But that thing should be weak enough for Nick to take out.

: Wait, doesn't that mean you'll get taken out by that thing?

: Well, if you guys can kill it, we shouldn't have a problem. If you can't, at least we made it as far as the 3rd Stratum.





And this kind of situation doesn't come up that often, but sometimes you might have to sacrifice a party member in order to accomplish something. In my case getting out alive.

: Ken, you better get us out of here.

: Ey, what's going on?

: Kill it! Now!

: Huh? Oh, right!





Seriously, try to avoid these if you can. They're way too risky to take on normally.

: Holy shit, what a disaster.

: Tell me about it.

: Let's just get out of here before things get worse.

: Wait, that thing had to have been guarding something, right? Let's look around before getting out.

: Are you- forget it. Whatever, let's look around.





A sword upgrade which no one can use.

: That's it?

: Well at least we won't have to walk all the way back here now.

PC-88 Version



I restock, revive everyone, rest up, and buy this for Ken. Now back at that door...

PC-88 Version



When Foesense is in effect, the binocular icon up in the corner let's us know.

: Okay, this one doesn't see us, so we should be able to sneak by.

: Can't we just wait until it turns around, and then kill it while it's not looking?

: How cute that you think we can actually accomplish that.

: Hmm, we might be able to. I've been looking at the map. They all turn clockwise every for every 4 steps we make. Follow me.



: See? Now CHARGE!

PC-88 Version





It dealt the same amount of damage twice. Yeah, Survivalists aren't really that impressive.









:

Ronin on the other hand are flat out broken. Their damage output in EO1 was limited by the fact that they had to spend turns setting up stances to even use their more powerful moves. Since that restriction isn't in place anymore, the only thing limiting them from tearing everything apart is their tiny TP pool. But if you find a way to make that not a problem, well enjoy grinding everything into dust. Of course they got nerfed in the remake and they have to use stances again. Although there's a compromise between the EO1 and EO2 Ronin there. When a stance passive reaches level 10, it has a 30% chance of automatically kicking in at the start of battle.

: I feel so inadequate.

: When the hell did you get so good with that thing?

: The 2nd Stratum, but he wasn't that strong when we were exploring it.

: I've been practicing.



: Your skill with the blade is impressive, but my formulas are still stronger.

: Yeah, but just barely.

: I wonder how long that's gonna last.

: Be quiet.



: See? No one died this time.

On the other hand, being able to ambush them makes taking them out much more safer since all that damage immediately takes them into Climax range.

PC-88 Version





: Zapped your ass.

Just snagging this thing's conditional drop.




Sleipnir
HP: 219
AT: 25
DF: 24
Exp: 1561
Skills: Run Amok
Item Drops:
-Common: Red Mane - 1 needed for Red Tunic and Rouge Whip (Whip.) 5 Needed for Gore Chain (Whip.)
--High-quality hair from a Slepnir's mane.
-Rare: N/A
-Conditional: White Hoof - Kill while legs are bound. 1 needed for Gendawa (Bow.)
--Intact Sleipnir hooves. Difficult to come by.
Description: An incredibly swift 8-legged horse that tramples anything in its path.
Weakness: Fire (150%)
Resistance: N/A

Here's the last new monster on this floor. Sleipnir's aren't too threatening either, but you kind of want to take them out fast. They're an introduction to a new enemy AI type. They don't do much when they're at full health, but when they take damage they'll spam Run Amok, which is a physical AOE that doesn't hit too hard at this point. Other enemies with that AI have more dire consequences for being damaged but not killed.



It still goes down easily.





Another Darksoar takedown. If you can sneak past these two FOEs, you can reach the stairs quicker. But don't be too eager to run past them.





They were guarding new piece of armor. I put it on Aliara.



Now I said the Snowsouls had another trick that I didn't show off earlier.





If they're alone, they'll summon two more Snowsouls to help out. It can be kind of annoying if this is the first thing they decide to do, but you want to take them out fast after they do this. Because the second time they call for help, this happens.





They'll summon a Helldra. The Helldra is a red FOE with 3000 HP and has a hard hitting AOE that can poison your entire party. And they're resistant to elemental attacks. Run.

: AAAAHHHHH!!

: LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!



Bizarrely enough, the music doesn't change to the FOE music when the Helldra joins in.







: Chumps.

Also the other reason that mobs aren't so threatening is because Aliara can kill them all in one turn.



I get more level ups after another battle.



Maxing out Orochi unlocked this skill. It's an AOE version of Orochi that hits everything. Now Ken can clear mobs too, but he's limited by his TP pool.



Aliara levels up Scavenge some more. Now it boosts the drop rate of items by 25%.

PC-88 Version



Here's the first Chop point on the floor.

Chop:
Common: Death Stem - 3 needed for Tentacle (Whip.) 5 needed for Hades Bow (Bow.) 2 needed for the quest Yggdrasil Cider.
-Grey, thin stake that brings death to mind.
Uncommon: Sea Branch - 3 needed for Doom Mace (Staff.)
-Snowflake-like flower that restores some TP.
Rare: Ice Branch - 1 needed for the quest Playing Cupid II.
-Slender, bent crystal valued as an art piece.



Looking around, you see a gleaming stone like a pillar of ice atop of mound of snow. You think you may be able to grab the stone if you reach for it...



: I got this. Whoahohoho!

: Careful there, don't strain yourself.

Ken volunteers, and after nearly slipping a few times, manages to grab the stone.

: Got it!



The Adularia is just an uncommon item from a Mine point. You can only get this at night, nothing happens at day. I was running low on supplies so I went back and restocked.





Pauline got a level up, and I put another point into Bows.



: Oh, here's a path we can take.

: Wait!

Just as you are about to take your first step, a rabbit darts past your legs into the path. You gape in horror as the leaves attack the rabbit, devouring its meat in an instant! It seems the plants are not only carnivorous, but vicious as well.

: So. Who wants to be our meatshield? I'll tell Fedot all about how you sacrificed yourself for us.

: Oh hell no, I'm not walking through that.

: I just got onto this team, I'm not leaving it permanently!

: I have too much to live for. I don't have any intention of dying to mere plants.

You debate over who will brave the path first, but no one will volunteer to be eaten alive. If only one of you was familiar with plants and medicine, there might be a solution...

This isn't really a good hint on what class you need for this. I mean the medicine might be a tip off, but the plants? The War Magus' skillset has nothing to do with plants.

: Um, Frederik knows how to get past this. W-we'll just bring him along next time. Achoo!





Sniping another Darksoar.

PC-88 Version



: Hey Bellamy, how long is it gonna take for you to finish that formula?

: About another minute.

: Here, let me help you out with that. What do you need?

: Oh, thank you! Well you see...











: Much appreciated!

: You're welcome.

Pauline's 1st Turn skill is a bit situational when you have a fast party, but when you have some slow party members like Alchemists, Gunners, or Medics, it can be really useful.

PC-88 Version



This shortcut needs a Survivalist, and the flavor text for this is mostly the same. Until this part.

However, the branch is very thin... It would be too risky to attach a rope there. It seems that only a single survivalist will be able to cross the wall. For now, you give up on crossing the wall, and leave the area.

: I don't think that branch can hold a rope, let alone the rest of us.

: Well I don't need a rope to get up there. Oh, but I guess that means I'll have to come back here by myself.

: That sounds dangerous. You sure about that?

: I'll be fine. I know how to sneak past enemies and FOEs.

This is the first of the solo class shortcuts. Yeah, it's not the only one. We'll see more of these later. This one's not to dangerous to get to or get past since there's only a chest on the other side, and the Surivalist can just use Stalker to turn off random encounters.



Here's another shortcut, but there's another Darksoar on the other side.

PC-88 Version



So everything's going well until I make some very fatal mistakes. Two of them.



: Whoops, accidentally dropped my formulas! Just wait a bit.

Okay, when the last person takes their turn, there's no confirmation screen or anything to prevent you from making a mistake on your inputs. That doesn't really matter much since you have to confirm your targets, except when you select the defend or escape options. When you select either of those options, it instantly goes to the next party member's menu screen, or in the case of the last party member, the game plays everything out. And the defend option is right above the skill option. Yeah, I accidentally had Bellamy defend instead of zapping the Darksoar with electricity. So Nick can't kill it this turn.

: This is gonna hurt.

: Okay, last will and testament... Hmm, what comes next?



: Goddammit Bellamy!

: My apologies!



: I'm still alive? SUCK IT LABYRINTH!

That actually caused some party wipes when I played EO1 for the first time, since I didn't have my Medic heal when she needed to. Ever since then, I don't place my healer in the last slot. Thankfully the EO2 remake added an optional confirmation screen option so that's much less likely to happen.



The other mistake I made was not having Nick use Climax on this turn, and having Pauline 1st Turn Bellamy to recover from my first mistake. He could have zapped the Darksoar, and Ken would still be alive. Etrian Odyssey isn't really unfair (most of the time), but it's very unforgiving.

PC-88 Version



: Oh boy, more money. When we already have a buttload of it.



: Behold!



Got more level ups from an unrelated battle.



Nick is working towards the bait skills.



While Bellamy is working towards Analysis and Megido.



Here's the other Chop point on the floor.



And the stairs, but more importantly, we can get back here easily on future trips.

PC-88 Version





I've built up Nick's Force so he can use Dominate on the Sleipnir so I can get its conditional drop.



: No. No. I thought it was over.

GODDAMMIT NICK!



It's not easy to build up Force on this floor! Okay in retrospect, that was also avoidable. I could have had Pauline cast 1st Turn on Nick so he could have at least gotten the Dominate off. I keep forgetting about that ability. I'm not used to using a Survivalist in EO2. I am bad at video games.



You can rest here and admire the snowman, or ignore it and plow onward.



You rest your weary feet, taking a long look at the snowman before leaving.

: I wonder, who made that snowman?

: I think it was those Snowsouls. Look, they're making another one.

: I kind of feel bad for killing those things now.

: Why? They're still monsters.

: Have you seen a monster building a snowman before?

: Monsters that will attack us at a moment's notice.

: I guess you have a point.

Nothing happens when you say yes. But when you say no and try to leave, one of your party members accidentally destroys the snowman, which gets you into a fight with 2 Snowsouls and a Sleipnir. Mainly because they heard your party trying to leave, and because they're mad at you for destroying their snowman.



More level ups.



Ken levels up Kienzan. The damage increases from 100% to 110%.



Scavenge is now maxed out, boosting the item drop rates to 41%. We are going to be seeing that throw away prompt a lot now.



Remember that chest we saw near here? We can get to it through this shortcut.



Whoops. I blame Scavenge.



There we go.



Nectalls are a really strong item. It's an AOE version of a Nectar. Yes that's right, it revives every single dead person in the party. In fact there's a stronger version of this item. They can be a really handy item to have, and can potentially save you from wiping out on explorations. They never made another appearance in any other EO game after this one.



And with that, we've explored most of this floor. Next time, the 12th floor.