The Let's Play Archive

Final Fantasy IX

by Mega64

Part 102: Level 1 run - Chapter 22


CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: "This is all because Kuja!" Gitan punched fist into air with angry. He was angry.


The random encounters in Pandemonium are assholes but TPKs are nothing I can't handle at this point.


For the boss gauntlet, the most important thing to have is wind immunity. Circlets and Ribbons and the Octagon Rod are the order of the day.


Second is thunder resistance. Adaman Hats and Coral Rings are key here. Ratchel and Tinhank don't get armors with wind or thunder immunity, so go with the Ribbons. The wind attacks are all-target and are at the start, and the thunders are at the end and single-target.

Besides that, Auto-Life on everyone, Locomotion if they can spare the stones.


uh


clicky for video!



This is about as effective as Silver Dragon gets.


It loves to use Aerial Slash and Twister, and that's what the wind protection is for. Its only real move is Shockwave, and it doesn't really have the time to use it.


See ya.


Next, Garland!


Soul Blade with the Butterfly Sword mutes him, which stops Stop and Flare. He usually gets a turn before Gitan, which is why Ratchel and Gitan have Locomotion. Carbuncle would help too.


After that, power moves.


He still has his single-target physicals. They are no big deal.


He has slightly over 40k HP but a dead pepper shaves off enough.


And lastly, Kuja.


Thundaga is about all he casts if no one has Reflect. Ratchel needed wind protection so she's the only person he can defeat.


Everyone else is immune to or healed by it. Demi can't actually KO anyone, and he's never tempted to use Flare Star.


Power moves take him out.


PLOT TWIST: Queen Brahne's the mother of Ratchel!


It's okay, if I press A along every wall of Phoenix Cave then he'll come back.


While there's no real new swag to get in disc 4, there are like nine new bosses. With Quale and Ozma that's eleven left.


Do you like the A-team? Good for you! It's what I use for five of them, which are all the hardest ones at that!


New items all over the place, but they're not many big changes.


The Rubber Suit gives Ratchel a thunder immunity besides her accessory, thank goodness.


My third Rosetta Ring is here. i have yet to turn in my stellazio for the 4th.


The Grand Helm gives her +1 speed. The Grand Armor has a cool name.


The Robe of Lords has +1 speed and a wind immunity. The defense would've mattered last disc, too! I also got my 4th Rosetta Ring and the Hammer.


Oh yeah, Knight's monster.


Gitan's strongest weapon, and its status effect is Sleep. It's more useful than you might think!


The Ninja Gear has a big speed boost and Shadow protection!


That was the fun part. Now for the not fun part. Bonus bosses give EXP, and Zombie won't cut it as its drawbacks besides post-battle rewards are rude! So we have to get Virus. If this were disc 3, Yans are our only option. This is lame for one notable reason:


Yans are fucking fast and fucking brutal. They tend to use Comet more than Virus Powder.

So let's go somewhere else and


wipe to disc 4 mistodons?

yeah ok that was some lame rng


Malboros have virus tentacle and appear all over the world.


They only use Virus Tentacle when flying, and they use Absorb a lot more frequently. Not much I can do about that besides, ironically, zombie.


Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeventually Virus lands on all four members.

Fuck that took way too long.


Let's go beat up Quale.


Reflect on Ratchel and Quark, and Bort and Gitan have immunities to the statuses that matter.


He casts Water and Aqua Breath but my pile of Ribbons (three now!) and Ratchel's Diamond Gloves completely nullify those. Well, and the two reflects.


He heals himself with reflected Waters but it doesn't really matter. 65355 HP is a lot but


Power moves.

Quale would give 65535 experience but Virus prevents that.


Quark using physical attacks besides causing petrify on Type As? Haha.


Anyway next time, the bonus boss that everyone has been waiting for.

REGISTER OF RESETS:
One to Tidal Flame Garnet for the hell of it; Unknown number lost to plant spiders spawn numbers; died to Flans without Flee; Untimely crit pushed Sealion to fatally Blizzara; less work to suicide on optional Type A fight than to win or reset; incredible number of resets for phoenix down RNG; and then again; Marcus gained levels; Snared by the Mandragoras leaving Quan's Dwelling; Only one on a pointless phoenix down rng; Antlion did not cooperate; Again, Antlion did not cooperate; Soldiers beaten too hard once; twice; thrice; Gitan lied Cleyrans died; Tinhank and Marcus didn't make it; bonus fourth Soldier beating; Alexandrian Gauntlet toll: Beatrix 3, Beatrix vs Bandersnatch 2, Beatrix vs Bandersnatch 1, Beatrix 3; Knuckleheaded death to Ralvuimago; Actually two of them; dunked by Hilgigars; Stroper sweepstakes; resources depleted by zombies; Stroper sweepstakes 2; ran out of magic tags; Stroper sweepstakes 3; Auto-Potion; Beaten to Bort; zombie-on-zombie violence; more zombie-on-zombie violence; Stroper sweepstakes 4; Stroper sweepstakes 5; Magic Elevator Ride zombies: Gitan striked, Roulette suicide, Roulette suicide 2, Gitan striked 2; Counter and Auto-Potion do not mix; Ramuh and Shiva insisted on sucking; Forgot the Forgotten chocobo tracks; got fucked up on the way; Epitaph; Epitaph; Epitaph; Epitaph grinding is risky; Desert Palace Random Encounters: Annoying, Dangerous, Random, Bullshit, Fuck, Dammit, Why; Bishop removed Zombie; Grand Dragon Thundaga; Yan'd; Friendly Yan'd; Why did the gargoyle die; these resets aren't alone: Abadon, Abadon, Abadon, Shell Dragon; Random encounter Mistodon wipe.