Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard Part #108 - Briareus: The Creature With a Thousand Arms

Part 108: Briareus: The Creature With a Thousand Arms

Briareus: The Creature With a Thousand Arms

PC-88 Version

The last bit of town dialogue. The NPCs won't have any new lines after this.

: Have you eaten? If so, you're still welcome to some tea.

: Thank you for the offer. Oh, what's that now?

: I was just compiling the record of your journey. Ahaha... I see the excitement on your faces. I'm nowhere near close to being finished, but I won't let anyone else do the job. I'm told taking up a hobby is good for one's longevity. It's perfect for an old man like me. Are you going to the forest to explore today? Bring back more stories of the Labyrinth!

: We will!

PC-88 Version

: It's hard to remember so long ago, when you first started to explore the Labyrinth. Cass claims that he's the one who guided you through all your travails... Everyone in Lagaard is in awe of your guild. Hmph... And yet, I was the one who met you first.

: Really?

: Ahahaha... Joking, of course. Don't look at me that way. If you've nowhere else to go, you're welcome here. We'll have some tea... or something. That's all I can say. Make yourselves at home.

: Thanks!

PC-88 Version

: Say, there were a new guild here earlier, on their way to the Duke's Palace! Kind of standing on the bar's threshold, half in, half out, not knowing what to do. A pretty common sight, I must say! Yeh were like that starting out... Ahh, whatever! They looked like they'd be in over their heads in the forest, so I stopped them... But then I saw the look in their eyes. They had that explorer's gleam... So I let them go. Ahhh, I'm sure they'll be back any moment. Haw! There they are! Wait here, okay...?

: Uh, sure.

: Oi! Yes, I'm talking to yeh! Yeh finish that mission yet? See them there? Heroes of...

: Umm, my father and his staff are waiting for you. They were hoping you'd bring those items from the Labyrinth in soon...

: Already? But we just did that a while ago. Can't they wait?

: Hee hee! They ask a lot, don't they? I can tell you're tired, but that's all they care about. Well anyway, I'm grateful! We get a lot more business since you started coming here. Plus, I'm a lot happier to know you all! My life's so much more interesting! Thank you so much! Um... If you don't mind, I think you should stay here forever...

: Uh, what?

: Oh... I mean, s-sorry! Th-That came out wrong... Aaargh! Wh-Why don't I go clean up over there? P-Please feel free to look around!

PC-88 Verison

: The other day, I stopped by Cass's bar... No matter where I go, you're the center of conversation. Everyone was talking about you, smiling and laughing. If it's possible, I wish you could settle here permanently...

: Um...

: But that may be too much to ask of an explorer, huh? Anyway... Wherever you end up, take care of your health! I don't normally make house calls, but just send word and I'll be on my way!

: I wouldn't want people to think our inn doesn't even provide a bath to its important guests! Quick, take this towel and wipe your face! Give me your dirty laundry and I'll take care of it! Oh yes, and I have your lunch right here. There's plenty for all of you, so share! It's my daughter's special recipe! Don't let your cheeks fall off from smiling, okay? You're the same naughty children that you were when you first walked in here... Bahaha! I wouldn't have it any other way! You'll always be like my own kids! My daughter and I can't wait to see you again! Bring us some souvenirs once in a while!

: Uh, like what?

: I'm sure I'll think of something.

PC-88 Version

Well, here it is. The last quest in the game.

: Hey, yeh lot! I'm begging yeh, take this request! There's no one else up to the job. The pathway on the 28th floor has opened, and the Grand Duchy wants an investigation. And guess what? No guild that accepts the request is seen again... They're completely annihilated. No information, and no survivors. They've mobilized the guard corps, but if they can't do it, and I doubt they can... It's not right to ask yeh to clean up everyone else's messes like this, but I've no choice. There's no one in High Lagaard as dependable as yeh lot. Anyways, can yeh go tell the Grand Duchy yeh'll do it? Thanks!

: ...Just what the hell happened in there?

: I suppose we're about to find out.

PC-88 Version

: Are you quite all right? Do you need some medicine?

: No, I'm not sick, precisely, it's just... Anyway, what can I help you with?

: There was a request at Cass' bar to deal with a monster on the 28th floor. He said you knew something about it?

: The request? Don't do it, I beg you! I'm planning to seal that passageway! I'm cancelling the request, as well. There have been too many casualties... I was a fool. Firefly... you are this land's light... its hope.

Huh, I guess that guild name ended up being significant in a way, heh.

: I cannot let you throw your lives away for this request. Please reconsider...

Well I guess when he puts it that way...

: A wise decision. Your continued health is of grave concern to our nation. Not that I don't have faith in your abilities... But the risk involved is too great. Or... have you other reasons for wanting to go?

: Just leave it to us! We'll take care of it!

: I cannot abide by your decision. Please, do this old man a favor, and reconsider.

If you say yes this time, he'll just say the same thing as if you said yes the first time.

: Uh, who do you think we are? We're Guild Firefly! We're heroes!

: You're right... You are not just explorers, you're heroes. I'd be taking away your purpose... In which case, forgive me for dispatching you to these dangerous lands! There is an unimaginable terror at the pathway you discovered on the 28th floor.

He was actually called Hekatonkheires in Japan!

: It seems Brirareus assaulted the one who gave him life, and was made a prisoner in that forest. But now... he has loosed his chains, and feasts on our guards and explorers! The death toll thus far is staggering... over 100 explorers, and 1,000 guards.

: We cannot afford another loss! I am relying on you all to come back safely! On my honor as a Minister, may your quest be successful!

I'm bringing Emilia along for this fight for a reason. So this is gonna be my team for this boss.

PC-88 Version

Remember that spot from the Premonition of battle quest? A passageway has opened up here.

You sense danger... If you are prepared, you can proceed, but you may wish to leave the area.

You decide this isn't the time to venture into the unknown. Your party walks away from the secret passageway.

: Okay, is everybody ready?

: Hell yeah! Let's do this!

: Heh heh heh, oh this is gonna be fun!

Hands shaking slightly, you draw your weapons and proceed into the bushes. It looks as if someone dragged a heavy object through here, and the ground has a black stain. What could await you beyond here...?

: I don't know if this is a good idea.

: No time to get cold feet, gramps! Let's go!

: Son of a...

: What's got him so worked up?

: Long story.

: Who's there!?

: Hmm, no response. I guess we better just answer the question.

: No. The first person we met was a guard.

You seem to have answered correctly...

So here's the gimmick for this quest, EO2: The quiz. You'll be asked questions on what happened throughout the game. If you answer correctly, you'll be teleported to the next area. If you answer incorrectly, you'll still be teleported to the next area, but your party will take some damage. There's also an additional penalty that comes into play later if you got a single question wrong, so don't do that.

: Uh... Summer, fall, winter, and spring! That's the order we came in! Yeah, we did!

You seem to have answered correctly...

: Yeah, he wouldn't stop obsessing over immortality too.

: And has horrible taste in colors!

You seem to have answered correctly...

: Briareus!

Now what you answer here doesn't really matter. If you got the other three questions correct, you'll be teleported to where Briareus is. If you answered a single one wrong, you'll be teleported back to the Geomagnetic Pole on this floor.

: Hmm? WAH!

An enormous arm swings down where you stood a moment ago, leaving a large crater! A repulsive monster emerges before your eyes! The many arms hanging from its loathsome body each hold a club, and drool pours from its lips! The stakes driven into its body creak, its narrow red yes sitting beneath a cruel smile! This is the monster that ate the people of Lagaard to gain its eternal life... Briareus!

: What the hell, IS THAT!?

: Mother of god...

: That is quite the repulsive beast.

There is no turning back! You must use every ounce of your strength to defeat the brute!

For some reason he's not right in front of you when you enter, but he is aggressive and will chase after you!

Obligatory stat check. Let's rock!

Video: Briareus

PC-88 Version

Briareus
HP: 12000
STR: 88
TEC: 50
VIT: 100
AGI: 70
LUC: 65
Exp: 0
Item Drops:
-Common: Giant Skin - Unlocks Demon Mail. Limited stock.
--Patchwork skin of the thousand-handed giant.
-Rare: N/A
-Conditional: Giant Post - Kill with Bash. Unlocks Sten Nail. Limited stock.
--Stake driven into the thousand-handed giant.
Description: A man-made giant with weapons installed into its many arms, on an unstoppable rampage.
Weakness: Fire (??%), Volt (??%)
Resistance: Physical (??%)

Skills:

Wail: Uses the head. Increases Briareus' attack.
Meteor: Uses the arms. Deals a moderate amount of Bash damage to the party. Has a high chance to inflict Paralysis.
100 Hits: Uses the legs. Deals a light amount of damage to the party. Has a high chance to inflict Confusion.
Grind: Uses the arms. Deals a moderate amount of damage to the party. Has a high chance to bind the arms.
Spike: Uses the arms. Randomly hits the party for a moderate amount of damage. Has a high chance to randomly bind body parts.

The first thoughts that came to my head when I heard that another Etrian Odyssey Untold game was announced were, who actually wanted this? Hexers are gonna get nerfed big time. And, I can't wait to see this guy in 3D, because look at that crazy sprite.

Anyways, for all the hyping up the game does for him, he's actually a complete joke. Briarues isn't a threat at all. He's probably the easiest postgame boss aside from Golem. His damage output is really lackluster and is easily healed up. And ailment wise, the only threatening ailment in there is Confusion. That's it. You really shouldn't have trouble with this guy. He'll always use Wail on the first turn, but that's easily stopped in so many ways, which pretty much leaves his attacks so weak for the rest of the fight.

With that said, I do make several mistakes in this fight.

: Avenge the fallen!

: My pleasure.

: FIRE!

Mistake number one: Using Riot Gun on the first turn. Since Briareus will always use Wail on this turn, which Frederik can dispel, I could have used this turn to do other stuff, and saved the stun for the next turn, when Briareus will actually attack.

: You die!

Mistake number two: Using Frailty instead of Dampen. I thought Briareus had no physical resistances at the time, since resources I checked listed no resistances at all for him. Trust me he does, otherwise Riot Gun would have done way more damage.

: It's bonding time!

: Ugh, is he always like that?

: You have no idea.

Mistake number three: Using Dominate on this turn. Although this is the same thing as mistake number one.

I know Landsknechts aren't great damage dealers, but if Briareus had no physical resistance, the boost from Frailty should have made them deal way more damage than that.

Okay, so let's fix that mistake.

: Just get it over with.

Come heeeeeeeeeeere!

: Huh? What is he-

: Ohhhhhhh yeeeaaaaaahhh!

: ...You are a DISGUSTING, PSYCHOTIC, PIG!

: Wait, did she never see...

: I don't think she did.

: You are EVIL! EVIL! EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!

: EMILIA! I know that's not pleasant to look at, but calm down, and focus!

: Doom reigns upon you!

Now that's more like it!

Aw crap, his arms got unbound.

Switching tactics.

: HAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

: Wrong move, sucker!

More good damage.

: I'm back, you-

: I think my legs are completely broken.

: Mine too.

: Guess I'm not walking around for a while...

: Come on!

So close to the condtional drop too!

So of course I decide to make an incredibly ballsy, but possibly stupid move.

And it turned out I actually made the right move here.

Yeah, he's done. One more hit from Brawn should do him in. This is why I brought Emilia along. To get the condtional drop. I mean, Aliara does have Bash damage, but...

: yaaaaaay sticks!

Yeah, I'm not having a repeat of that.

Just trying to heal up my team here.

: Wow, really? Thanks a lot! Idiot.

: I just cut you into a thousand pieces!

PC-88 Version

Seriously, the fight's a joke. I could have made it go by even faster if I didn't make those mistakes. But here's what W.T. Fits has to say about our pathetic boss.

W.T. Fits posted:

In Greek mythology, the Hekatonkheires were children of Gaia and Uranus that preceeded the Titans. The name "hekatonkheires" literally means "hundred hands" in Greek, and the three giants were described as having a hundred arms and fifty heads. Uranus found them to be rather hideous, so he had them imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus, which kind of ticked off Gaia. (In another version of the story, he actually tried to shove them back into her womb! ) Later on, after he also imprisoned the cyclopes for also being horribly monstrous to look upon, Gaia incited her next brood of children, the Titans, to murder their father and free their elder siblings. Chronos murdered Uranus with a scythe (and castrated him in the process, too, because why not?), whereupon Uranus prophesied that Chronos's own son would one day do unto him as Chronos had done unto Uranus. Anyway, Chronos either went back on his deal with Gaia (either he freed, then later re-imprisoned the cyclopes and hekatonkheires, or he just never actually freed them, depending on which version of the story you hear), and later on, his own son, Zeus, released them to help aid the Olympian gods in overthrowing the Titans.

Briareos (misspelled here as "Briareus") was one of the three hekatonkheires, and during the war between the Olympians and the Titans, he and his brothers Cottus and Gyges rained down boulders as large as mountains on the Titans, one hundred apiece, overwhelming them in battle. Presumably, this is what the Meteor attack is meant to represent in-game.

PC-88 Version

Overcoming your tremendous fear, you drive home the final blow! You have avenged the explorers and guards who met a terrible fate at Briareus's hands... You search the brute's body, and find a beautiful, pristine katana.

Report your success to the bar when you return to Lagaard!

It does provide way more of a damage boost than Ken's current katana, but the 0.1 speed modifier is a no no. Ken barely outspeeds his enemies. I don't need his enemies actually outspeeding him.

: This should make a nice present for Ken. Too bad he didn't come along. Sorry that I'm not really a hard hitter as him.

: Oh, you did fine. Let's go back. The Grand Duchy is gonna want to know about our success.

The teleporter is an exit to this spot. And now we are completely done with floor 28! All that's left is floor 30.

PC-88 Version

And so, the final quest in the game is complete.

PC-88 Version

; Oi, Firefly! Did yeh beat the monster?

: He was a chump!

: I knew yeh'd do it! I just couldn't picture yeh lot failing at this one! That Minister came by and apologized for sending yeh on such a dangerous task... But I told him yeh're no ordinary guild! Yeh won't be defeated by anyone or anything! Yeh're so famous now, even the Minister has complete trust in yeh! Just don't make me worry so much, all right? Haw haw haw! Here... this is the reward for completing the quest. Come back anytime yeh feel up to another challenge!

No more quests. We're done. All that's left is floor 30. It's the endgame here.

The Giant Skin unlocks the Landsknecht's ultimate armor. No idea if I'll buy this.

The Giant Post unlocks the Beast's ultimate claw. Again, no ide if I'll actually buy this. So why don't we check out the 30th floor?

PC-88 Version

Video: Muckdile

PC-88 Version

No, this guy isn't a boss. He's just a normal monster you can fight. Scatter About just plays for all the encounters on this floor. Though he was an FOE in the first game.