Part 76: DS Just How Many Towers Does This Game Have?
DS Update 20: Just How Many Towers Does This Game Have?Hello again, gentle viewers! Today in Let's Play Final Fantasy IV (DS), we're off to the Tower of Babil!
Last time, we left off right here, outside the back entrance to the Dwarven Castle.
Our destination lies to the northwest. Let's be off, then!
Of course, there are new enemies to fight along the way! What did you expect?
These ugly things are called Black Lizards. They have 2,692 HP and no particular elemental affinity. They're based on the mythical basilisk. How do I know this? Well...
Because of this! This is the same attack that Helldivers and their ilk do. It does the usual: gradual petrification. However...
Their normal attack just straight up turns you to stone. Oh my...
I think I'm done playing games with these things.
Welcome to murdertown, bitches.
Population: EVERYTHING!
Yang profits from the experience, but Cecil is still a statue.
Fortunately, petrification is nothing special, as far as status problems go. An Esuna perks him right up!
Oh, and since I haven't mentioned this yet, here are Rydia's black magic spells. She already has the mid-level ones learned, as well as Bio and Quake (which are both amazing). She'll learn more as time goes on, of course. I'll mostly be sticking to her Summons for now, because they rock.
Moving on, we encounter some more new enemies.
The grumpy fellow in the back is a Magma Tortoise, a cousin of the Fell Turtle we encountered back in the Tower of Zot. They have 3,777 HP, and as you might figure, they're weak to ice.
His rolly-polly friends are Armadillos, packing 1,114 HP and no easily exploitable weaknesses.
Rydia expresses her disdain for these lowly creatures.
She doesn't get a chance to do anything further, because thanks to Draw Attacks and Counter (and Yang), this battle is over quickly.
But she does level up! Just look at that Intellect! So beautiful.
And another new enemy! Goblin Captains are the next step up in the Goblin family, with 1,127 HP and no elemental weaknesses.
They're nothing particularly special, but here's why you have to keep an eye on Cecil's HP when he has Draw Attacks. Even scrubs like this will wear him down eventually!
Just make sure Rosa's on standby with a cure spell as needed, and remember:
Cry and Kick go really well together, oh yes they do!
Rosa becomes even better at keeping our asses alive. And by "our" I mean Cecil's!
Learned Berserk
Ah, I'm actually really glad she picked this up! It's going to come in very handy in the near future!
Oh, yeah, and speaking of Fell Turtles, those things are kicking around here too.
And they still absorb fire attacks.
Of course, we don't have to cotton to that bullshit anymore, now do we?
Oh yes. Team Asskicker is most definitely back in business!
Double level ups! I like those.
Hahaha! Look at Kain. He still holds an axe like a spear. How silly!
Murder levels: rising!
And next battle...
Double level ups again!
More HP and more defense. That's exactly what Cecil needs.
While Rosa gets what she needs: MP and Spirit.
Learned Curaga
Ding! Third level healing spell ahoy! That's going to come in mighty handy!
She can drop some nice full-party heals with that, and save the Curas for Cecil.
As we get closer, we can see the tower in the distance, as well as the tanks King Giott mentioned.
We get one last level up before we reach it.
All right. When you pass this point,
we can see the dwarves going at it with the tower's forces.
Inching a little farther,
more explosions!
And again...
And we're treated to a slightly more elaborate cutaway this time. We see the dwarves taking heavy fire.
But it looks like they're giving as good as they're getting!
And, at last we've made it to the tower!
This dungeon isn't going to explore itself (plus, who knows how much more abuse those tanks can take!), so let's heal up, save, and head on in!
Welcome to the Tower of
I really don't like this place. I really, really don't like it!
Sure, it has plenty of loot,
(the first of which we find by heading west and around from the entrance)
but, remember what I told you, way back in the second update?
This game is evil.
It is a vindictive, nasty, piece of work, and it hates you.
It hates you and everything you stand for!
Remember the Flamehound we fought back in the Tower of Zot? The one that was a boss, for all intents and purposes?
Well, it hasn't been that long since Zot, and now these things pop up as a normal encounter... only this time there's three of them, and they got the jump on us, to boot!
When fighting more than one of these things, your fate is up to the not-so-tender mercies of the Random Number Gods.
Because, if all of them decide to use Scorch....
You're pretty much fucked.
And if you get Back Attacked,
You're double fucked!
Yep. Full party wipe, before I could even move, and that was the very first encounter in the dungeon! Goddamn. Just... goddamn!
We are unceremoniously kicked back to the title screen.
Let's try that again.
This time, I only make it up here before getting jumped.
Fortunately, it's only one of the infernal things this time! One's bad enough, but we can handle this.
These things still hit like a truck,
and they still absorb fire attacks!
You know... I really ought to fix that, unless I want Cecil to be worse than useless against these things!
The key to beating Flamehounds is still to Berserk them.
If they're Berserked, they can't use Scorch. And thanks to Draw Attacks, they'll only attack Cecil. Keep him healthy, and you're golden!
After that, you can
debuff him,
and start going to town!
Goddamn it Cecil! (I admit that one was my fault; I told him to attack. Whatever, I can still be mad about it!)
Oh fuck.
That's it. That is so fucking it!
That fucking sword is coming off right now!
This should do it. Boy am I glad I went to get this thing early (and doubly so that I hung onto it)!
Now. Begin asskicking.
Yesssss! That is what I like to see!
Another blow from Yang finishes it off. Thank god...
On the plus side, those things drop quite a bit of EXP! This'll get easier as we go along, assuming we live long enough to learn from our experience!
This will certainly help.
Learned Osmose
Ooh, as will this! With this, Rydia is officially self-sufficent! Good, I can save my Ethers for Rosa!
Well, let's here what everyone has to say about this place:
The size isn't so much the problem as the Flamehounds, Cecil.
I guess in this time, yeah. This place does look quite a bit more advanced than the man-made structures we've seen up to now.
Flamehounds. Motherfucking Flamehounds.
He can stay gone for all I care! His pets are hard enough to deal with!
Truer words were never spoken! Yeesh...
Well, I can finally get this chest down here.
Oh. Yes. Lovely. You shouldn't have, game. You really shouldn't have!
All right. Let's go east next. Maybe there'll be better stuff there!
Oh hell no! That is not what I meant, stupid game!
Well, at least they didn't Back Attack us this time. Maybe I can-
Um... No, that's OK! I can still-
You have to be fucking kidding me!
This is such complete bullshit!
I appreciate the effort, Cecil, but it ain't gonna help!
Remember what that dwarf said back in the dwarven castle?
Yeah. Run away! Run away!
Oh sweet mercy, no!
Whew!
I don't even care! That's chump change. I got away! Hah, haha. I got away...
So. Yeah. That could have gone better!
A Phoenix Down brings Rosa back.
And she revives everyone else.
And uses up nearly all her MP. Damn. We're only on the first floor of this place! I'm not so sure about this...
At this point, something else occurred to me.
I don't know for sure if this is the case, but I think the Flame Mail and Shield make you more vulnerable to fire attacks, in addition to halving ice.
I don't know they do, but I'm paranoid, so I replace them with the non-elemental variants. The hit to defense isn't too severe, and I'd rather not give those fucking Flamehounds any more of an edge!
This was in the far northeast corner. And with that...
The first floor is complete!
Obtained 5 Antarctic Winds
You know, if those Flamehounds continue to piss me off this badly, I might chuck a few of these at them! Maybe.
One thing that will help you stay alive in here, though it's far from a sure thing: make sure to keep the party's HP full at all times!
Because you never know when you'll run into more of these fuckers!
Well, at least it didn't open with Scorch this time.
And Cecil can Counter it like normal now!
Still, I'm not taking any chances.
No chances at all!
And I may be feeling a bit vengeful, too...
Good riddance, fucker!
God I hate those things!
The more I level up, the easier the place gets!
Learned Mini
Eh, I've never used this spell. Status effects can be devastating if used properly, especially Slow, but I've never found much use for Mini.
Keeping everyone healed up.
Almost out!
Fffff! Fine.
I hate you.
This calls for our newest healing spell!
Nice! Curaga is a substantial upgrade from Cura. With this, and her massive Spirit score, Rosa can keep the whole party healthy!
And thanks to Dualcast, she can shut the bastard down on the same turn!
I fucking love Dualcast!
Kain profited handsomely from bashing that thing's skull in!
At last! I made it out. Time to heal up.
As you can see, Tents aren't cutting it anymore. To heal up to full, I'll have to start using Cottages. I might as well use up the Tents I already have, though.
I decide to soldier on, even though Rosa's MP isn't completely full.
I soon come to regret that decision. Man, fuck this place!
At least Cecil's getting beefier by the minute.
Yeah, I am definitely going to regret not topping off her MP, aren't I?
The problem I'm facing is one of resource management. Rosa actually has a skill that refills MP (Pray), and it rocks, but the enemies here are very tough. They're too tough for me to be messing around with Pray. I need to come in swining, and keep swinging until they stop moving. That means I burn through an awful lot of MP. Rydia can refill her MP with Osmose, but Rosa isn't so lucky.
And keep in mind Ethers are not commonly sold in stores. I'm on borrowed time here. I have to get through this place before my MP/Ethers run out!
Which won't be easy with so many goddamn Flamehounds running around! I swear, there are other enemies in this place!
I have to come in swinging, and that's just what I plan to do!
I can't let up, even for a second!
It's quite stressful! I have to be on my toes at all times!
Anywyay, here's the door. Same as the Tower of Zot, you can't just walk through the doors; you have to press A to open them.
Let's go. The sooner we get to the next floor, the sooner we can be done with this awful place!
On to the next floor, and already I spy treasure!
And it's a nice one, too!
The Green Beret gives a nice boost to Yang defense and evasion. Naturally, I equip it straight away!
Slick-ass beret in hand, we're ready to continue our exploration!
Shit! It's my nemesis!
Well they haven't Scorched us yet. That's something! Still, I am not fucking around with these things!
Ah, there it is. Fortunately, I'm already queuing up a Dualcast Curaga and Berserk!
Cecil takes a heavy blow, but I'm fine with that! If they're busy beating him up, they're not blasting us with Scorch!
And of course, Cecil gives as good as he gets!
Curaga fires off, finally! I tell you, waiting for that red bar to fill up is sometimes sheer torture!
And that's one that won't be using Scorch on us anymore!
And now I get to break out the big guns! Blast 'em, Rydia!
Yesssss! Now, that is satisfying! Rydia's Summons are a huge help in this place!
Kain and Yang tag-team on the rest and...
Yes!
Yes!
I did it! I got 'em! Just look at all that experience!
It's triple level up time!
Rydia's the MVP here. Make no mistake!
But Rosa is absolutely vital to our survival!
Learned Dispel
Ah hah! This spell is a helpful one, if situational. It's handy to have around, for those times you encounter buff-happy enemies!
Yang is still as useful as ever.
Rosa's MP isn't looking too good.
Aww crap. This is another combo you can have with the Flamehounds. Two of the bastards is a good deal better than three, but this encounter is still plenty dangerous!
So, we're not fucking around with them!
Good. That's both of them Berserked, thanks to Dualcast. This battle's in the bag now!
Kain and Yang help things along again.
But we all know who the real asskicker around here is!
Victory is ours! And apparently those lizards can drop Medusa Arrows? They have a chance to Petrify the enemy on contact. (The Flamehounds can drop Fire Arrows, FYI.)
We are progressing here, slowly but surely! This door is a bit special.
It leads to a lone chest. If that doesn't scream out "I'm booby trapped!" to you, then you clearly haven't been playing video games for very long!
With that in mind, I'd better heal everyone up.
Er, hang on.
Whatever's in that chest, I can guarantee 7 MP isn't going to cut it!
OK that's better.
And now we can heal up!
Here we go! What horrors await us?
Uh... not what I was expecting.
At least it's not three Flamehounds again!
Let's have a look at it.
Ah, well that doesn't seem to difficult to deal with. Being a machine, the Security Eye is weak to lightning, you will note.
So we just start whaling on it. However, these things do have one trick up their sleeve:
They can summon other monsters to do their dirty work, if you don't beat them fast enough. And it's almost impossible to beat them fast enough unless you're massively overlevelled.
In this case, a single Flamehound. It could have been worse. A lot worse!
Right. That takes care of the Security Eye.
Now it's just us vs. a single Flamehound. No problem!
I feel confident enough to have Rosa Pray instead of Berserking it, in fact! Unlike in other versions, Pray heals a percentage of your max HP/MP. So, it scales with you. It only gets more useful as time goes on. Before too long, it'll heal as much MP as an Ether!
Shiva isn't necessary here. A simple Blizzara will do.
It can sometimes be hard to decide whether to do with Black Magic or a Summon. General rule of thumb, if you're up against a single target, Black Magic will do fine. Against groups, Summons are better. While most Black Magic can be multi-targeted, the damage is split. Summons do full damage no matter how many enemies they hit. Something to keep in mind!
One more hit from Cecil and the thing goes down. Piece of cake!
Not only do we get a level up out of it, but that thing dropped a very interesting item. Sirens are vital to acquiring the rarer items without going insane. I have other means of doing so, but I'll still demonstrate how to use them!
That will come later, though, when I have a more reliable means of farming them. Right now I can only get them as a semi-rare drop from Security Eyes.
Now, then. Here's our prize from that chest. Not only is it an upgrade from the Flame Sword, it's ice elemental! Cecil is just going to rip through Flamehounds now!
And that's the second floor complete!
Obtained 3 Arctic Winds
More ice flavored attack items. I doubt I'll ever use these things...
Oh look. A test subject for Cecil's new sword!
Nice! That is some impressive damage! Remember, he'll be dishing out that damage quite often, thanks to Draw Attacks and Counter.
Anyway, our next stop is this northeastern door.
Another lone chest.
Again, if you're surprised by this, I don't know what to tell you!
Another Security Eye greets us.
And this one summons something different!
Oh, the Security Eye can actually attack you, by the way. It has this as a counterattack.
It uh... stings pretty bad! Don't take these things lightly!
Anyway, here's our new friend, the Chimera. The take-home message here is that they absorb the three primary elements.
They also have this attack, which we've seen before. The Frostbeasts back in the Tower of Zot used it.
It still hurts pretty badly!
Damaging these things can be dicey, given how many elements they absorb. However, they don't absorb everything! They're still perfectly susceptible to earth (and holy, but I've already shown off Dragon).
So, let's have a look!
Polsy version
Not bad! That's as much damage as Shiva did to the Flamehounds, and that was hitting a weakness!
It's enough to drop the thing. They only have 2,389 HP, after all!
Here's our prize, a new Lance for Kain. It's not a straight upgrade like the Icebrand is, but it's ice elemental, making it invaluable against all the fire-based monsters running around here. I equip it.
We've picked up quite a lot of ammunition to use against those Flamehounds! We shouldn't have any more problems with them, right?
Well...
If the RNG decides it hates you,
then no.
No, not so much.
Oh that's just brilliant Kain!
Now run the fuck away!
That's a common scenario, if you have Kain Jump a lot (and you should!). Since Jump puts him out of the enemies' reach for a couple rounds, often he'll be the last one standing if the rest of the party gets wiped. It comes in mighty handy!
Let's get everybody back on their feet.
A bunch of Raises,
and one Curaga later,
Rosa's out of MP again!
Here, have another Ether. Have two, even!
This door will lead us to the next floor. Let's go already!
All right. We're getting there. We're burning through a lot of resources, but we're making progress! We can do this.
Beating down another Flamehound yields another triple level up! Nice!
More murderous!
More tanky!
And more keeping-our-asses-alive...ness!
And just to the west,
more treasure!
We got one of these ages ago off a Coeurl in Eblan Castle. But since we weren't really supposed to go there yet, this would normally be the first one we could get.
Well whatever. It provides nice stat boosts, so now Yang is rocking double Cat Claws!
Oh yeah. It's one of these again. Remember how things these absorb fire attacks?
Well, that's no so much of an issue anymore, is it?
Nope. Not in the slightest!
And... they drop Mythril Hammers, do they? Come on, game, now you're just mocking me!
Well, I suppose I can sell it...
To the southwest, we find an underwhelming treasure. I still have plenty of these things! I'm in no danger of running out.
Ah well. More levels!
More underwhelming treasure! And you have to hike rather a long way to even get up here, as you can see.
You'll get jumped, a lot, along the way.
But that's another floor complete!
Obtained White Fang
That's the ice flavored Fang item. I think we have at least one of each now.
Anyway, let's pop into the eastern door first.
It leads to the next floor... kinda.
It actually leads to an isolated platform on the next floor, with some treasure.
It's a nice offensive upgrade for Rosa... not that she's had the time to do any attack here, but I equip it anyway.
Eh, might as well toss some Ice Arrows on her, just in case she does need to attack something...
She won't
Oh.. uh, this isn't too good. Sure it's not three Flamehounds, but as we've seen, two of them can fuck us up enough!
While they're burning my face off, I'll point out their friend. Flame Knights have 2,851 and, predictably, they're weak to ice.
However, I can't point out much more than that because... well,
I'm too busy getting my shit wrecked!
Fuck if I'm replaying this whole wretched dungeon again!
Run away! Run away!
Call me a coward if you like. I don't care!
I still have enough of these. I think...
Man. I'm kind of getting my ass kicked, aren't I?
So not worth it. Let's go...
Oh look! This is an interesting enemy.
The Mystery Egg absorbs every element. That means right now, only Rosa and Yang can damage it.
If you don't beat them in time (likely, because they have 10,000 HP),
they hatch and become... a lot less scary.
Yeah. No problem.
And now we're onto the next floor for real. Man, this dungeon is long. And annoying.
And I'm not doing too hot, quite frankly...
Oh sweet cinnamon Jesus I have never been happier to see a save point in my entire life!
Sweet Tent! Sweet MP refill!
Sweet getting to save my fucking game!
I'm ending this update here, because fuck this place. I'll see you next time for the rest of it, maybe!
Also, I guess I'll be running this thread by myself from now on. Just let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see!