Part 117: Update CIII - And thus I pray, Unlimited Blade Works

Update CIII - And thus I pray, Unlimited Blade Works

This update covers the events of Update L to LI.





Music: School I


Get the decor.











I can't ignore the results, though. Congratulations...You must be so proud of what you're become... Only thing missing are the cats... You are now a collector. Be sure to see your addiction out until the end. Here's a token of appreciation from the Moon Cell. ...You know, in my day all you'd get was a title and a hardy handshake. My, how times have changed.



As Archer said, the trigger for this chat is getting 70% of all chests in the game.



Talk to Rin.



Spend SP.



Arena.





I wonder if there are tigers in here...

Talk with Archer.



You've got enough patience to tire a sloth. I'm impressed you've stuck around in this jungle for as long as you have.



Gain a level.



Done.



Music: School III




...? I look up to see Archer gazing at me kindly. It'd be a stretch to say he looks happy, but his eyes are mirthful as he gives a big sigh.



Sure determination. Calm resolve. Eyes that have seen death— You're not half a person anymore. —Yeah. That's why I want you to have something. It's time, Master. I want to give my all in the next fight, so I'm done saving my trump card.

Give it his all. In other words, he intends to use his ultimate attack as a Servant— his Noble Phantasm. His Noble Phantasm shouldn't be revealed before we fight our final enemy, though— But, Archer himself proposed it. Now, I will truly become his Master.



All the decisions are in your hands. Even with my Noble Phantasm, the enemy is more powerful than us. We may only get one chance to win.

And then, he discloses the name of his Noble Phantasm as well as his true name. His Noble Phantasm sounds peculiar, and his true name mysterious, but I can't dwell on them at the moment. My Heroic Spirit truly is a blade to defend me. Now that I know, we'll defeat those assassins!







The Perfect Patch made a correction here. The base game had Archer's tutorial claim that Unlimited Blade Works made all skills free. That was Tamamo's thing, Archer instead gets something different.





And the reason I've only called him Archer despite him being the same guy from Stay Night is because he literally ditched the name EMIYA after it.




For whatever reason, Archer doesn't get his Character Background entry at level 2, despite getting his True Name revealed.







The tutorial still has a small error. Instead of needing just level 5 Projection, you need to use Pre-Projection one more time.



Get Level E.



To think you'd actually set a new record is...

My apologies. If I were a Gunner-class Servant, it'd be my dream to earn the title of "Le Diable Rouge" Now for your reward. It may not live up to the standards of Freiherr von Richthofen, but use it well.



And get Archer's exclusive Mystic Code. The requirement for this is defeating 300 enemies.

It makes all three Servants line up nicely, really. Nero has a skill upgrade but no Mystic Code, Archer has a Mystic Code but no skill upgrade, and Tamamo has both a Mystic Code and a skill upgrade.


The symbol of an expert huntsman. Aim to become the king of wanton slaughter!

Unfortunately, the Scarlet Coat of Arms just isn't that good on NG+. Only having an extra 30 MP over the Demon of Atlas doesn't make up for losing add_invalid();



And finally get Archer's defensive Skill.





Out of everyone, Archer has the hardest to use Skill. Needing a full 5 stacks of Projection means you can't use it early on in a fight, and a whopping 60 MP cost with no form of refund like with Aphotic Cave means that this is pretty much forced to be a tool to deal with enemy Noble Phantasms.







Music: Duel - Prelude to Confrontation




I see no point in sharing stories with enemies. The only thing that should concern you is my fighting ability.



Kill when it's time to kill and live when it's time to live, huh? Just like I was when I was young. A word of warning: Your life will be a boring one thinking like that.



Unlike Tamamo and Nero who would speedrun your conversation with Julius if you decline, Archer just skips right to the fight.

Music: Duel - Kill Or Be Killed










Week 5 Elimination Battle (Archer ver.)




I'll attack you with these swords of Yin and Yang!

Oh...? Are those blades Kanshou and Bakuya? A swordsmith Heroic Spirit is very rare, indeed.

Don't draw this out, Assassin. That Servant excels at protracted battles.



Li always having a free move makes it easy to set up Projection stacks.



forgot the exorcist's blade lol

not like it matters when his only way to kill me are normal attacks



Getting to five stacks doesn't light up the NP icon.



But there's no sixth level of projection, so you just get it with no other changes.









Music: Archer - Nobody Knows Him




So, how much of a boost does UBW give?



About this much.

And for comparison:



This is what Nero was doing with her Noble Phantasm, and that's with Archer getting less Strength per SP and splitting his focus between Strength and Defense!

Nero had simple brute force, and Tamamo had incredible sustain, but Archer in UBW backed with Elixirs to keep him going has the highest DPS in the game.



And like Nero, Archer's NP lasts for a full three turns.



Li doesn't last much longer.





See you later!



Music: Down to Dawn




Why wouldn't I be curious? Servants are supposed to be famous historical figures. What does Archer mean by saying that he's nameless?



Considering the Background entry didn't unlock at 2, I wonder if No Name was meant to show up now?



I am a Heroic Spirit, but not a hero. I'm more like a maid. I don't have something fancy like a name.

Well, I do have a name from when I was human, but that name has no meaning now. I have no true name, no name at all. I'm just a nameless Heroic Spirit.

A true name discloses the nature of a Heroic Spirit. It says something that Archer's nameless...I guess. ...Come to think of it, I believe Archer has referred to himself in third person when talking about his life as a human. ...It's as if he wants to detach himself from who he was as a person.

It's not that complicated. You see, all heroes can be covered under one simple definition—



People who walk the path of human righteousness are called heroes. People who have no moral compass are not heroes, but self-serving automatons. ...Well, in this virtual world, we're all automatons, but that's another matter.

Archer's saying a hero can't just save other people, they have to try to save themselves. A person who just mechanically saves others is no better than a machine. No one can relate to that. Then what about Archer? Wasn't his abstract world used to protect people...?

You might think that. I can't say what it has protected. These hands of mine just—

Those who can't be saved end up being ostracized. It's like an amputation. A doctor has to sever the affected area to preserve the life of a patient.

Sorry to disappoint you, but that's the sort of Servant you called. I'm just a person who tempers iron, not a person who saves people.





I'll never get enough of watching a sorry, talentless Master like you struggle.

Archer gives a mean smirk, throwing around abusive language like usual— No, it's more biting than usual. He's probably asserting that nothing between us changes just because I know his true name. ...But, it's still on my mind. Just like he said, I don't have talent. That's why his predicament feels personal. I should have died in the prelims, but instead was responded to by a "nameless" Servant. When I summoned him, he said...



I remember Archer grumbling. ...I don't remember what happened after that too well. I feel like he said something very important couched in strict and yet compassionate tones.













Next time: The worst week for the last time