Part 97: Level 1 run - Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Gitan has a hard time getting into the kuja lair where the man had a gulug. "It's too late," he smiled. It was an evil smile that he held the gulug with.


Team splits for this segment. Magic Sword has not mattered since Black Waltz #3, and it will continue not to as long as MP Attack exists. Not that those two matter much, the important part is Kukri and Owen Wilson to Oeilvert and Quark, Papito, and Bort stay.


The walk to the airship hasn't gotten me yet but I'm always nervous that they'll shank Gitan and start a slow descent to a game over.


where the fuck are the chocobo tracks oh my god


It doesn't help that motherfuckers every step of the way beat up my team!


Eventually, after getting lost and beaten up resetting twice, Choco joins us.


Which means I get all the treasures available here.


Honestly? I am more excited by the 2 defense rather than the massive magic defense.


Elemental resists, huge evade, and one speed? Be still my beating heart!


Most immediately important are these, as Ark has a wind weakness.

And I have a scheme for Curse that may or may not pan out.


Mogshop has Magic Rackets. I stand by my Holy.


Green Berets have +1 speed. Important.


Kukri's really here because the Light Robe gives her a ton of defense, and of the mages, she'd be the biggest let-down in the other dungeon.


Epitaphs are a rare interesting random encounter.


Because I can kill them at will with Softs.


And they reward no experience but offer AP.

This is kind of important, but there's a better source of AP soon enough that this is only really for the next few bosses. Not that that's a minor goal.


There are other encounters. Flee like normal.


"Heh, that's why I stay at level 1. Can't get any worse than I am now!"


This room has the moogle, so I do a lot of my Epitaph grinding in here.


Shiva may or may not be important.

I'm planning something. It may or may not pan out.


Clear Headed is short-term necessary. All four have it.


I save a lot during this part.


After all, due to the randomness of ATB, the Epitaph might summon mirror Gitan who keeps him dead forever, and regular running is too goddamn slow.

This causes 4 resets.


Eventually, Gitan masters Thievery because... I felt like it?


That's enough AP grinding, time for Ark. Like Hilgigars in that Gitan shouting and the screen shaking is all the justification, but I don't mind this one as much.


Owen Wilson smashes into it for hella damage. Between Bird Killer, MP Attack, and the Kaiser Knuckles's sheer attack and element, Ark would fall in moments.


Tinhank's attack isn't as good but it's respectable, I guess. He doesn't have the stack o' passives that Owen Wilson has.


The entire team has Clear-Headed. This and Photon are the free turns.


Whirlwind is a pain, since Gitan only survives if he's at full HP and not floating. Tinhank and Owen Wilson don't survive.

Kukri is effectively indestructible, though. The Light Robe & other defense gear makes her take single-digit damage, as Ark's two damaging attacks are physical, and Auto-Potion takes care of that and Photon.


This fight is much more complicated than most, as I have a steal to steal.


Boomerang is nonelemental and thus gets through Gitan's wind resistance.


She can whiff on items, too, not just magic.


Eventually Ark does something other than one-shotting Gitan.


I try Soul Blade. It works, technically, since Ark is open to blind, but it doesn't work, in that propeller and whirlwind don't miss.

Bollocks.


Eventually Gitan gets the steal that matters. The next place to get one is the end of the disc, long after things where I'd really, really like it.


Kukri's damage with the Tiger Racket isn't very high, but she can plink Ark to death.


Let's check how Gitan's Thievery is doing!


oh my god


Well, since I have the Holy Lance, I might as well let Owen Wilson do some work.


And with one last jab he took the car keys, waow.


Shadow immunity is Important. Egoist's Armlets, Demon Mails, and Pumice Pieces let everyone get in, so it all works out.


And then everyone gets naked.


I thought I could get the other dungeon in this update but then AP grinding and the Ark play-by-play took too long.

And sorry I forgot the register last time, turns out there weren't any resets to add.


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.