Final Fantasy V Challenge Megathread Part #27 - Post 2

Part 27: Post 2 - Helium

Post 2 - Helium

Like his buddy Zerky!, Walter needs to power up. Oh no, not levels (per se), but ability points. When you either murder every monster in a group or every monster in the group has run from you (or some combination thereof), you get Ability Points. The amount is not determined by the monster like XP and gil are, but instead just by the formation that it is.

This formation of two Steel Bats was in the pirate cave. Them and the formation of two Devil Crabs are who Walter murders - he could murder the same monsters in the canal that Zerky! did, but that would probably level me past Zerky!. I'd like to stay at least somewhat close to his levels. I may have to pull ahead for damage output until !Mix fully comes online, but I'll do my best.

Speaking of Mix...

It's time.

As it says, I can combine items in battle to do all sorts of crazy shit. Just how crazy? Take a look at this mix chart that we in the Fiesta IRC put together:

So many wonderous tools available, and lots of them don't even require the special chemist ingredients! Look at this - adding just a simple potion to a Phoenix Down turns it from a 1/16 HP revive into a full HP revive! And I haven't even begun to address things like Succubus' Kiss, Dragon Kiss, or similar. Let's just say that you should buckle up, because once Walter has his full lab of ingredients, shit's gonna get wild.

Syldra is pissed about something. What could it be?

Oh, this asshole.

code:

Karlabos (Heavy)
HP: 650
Weak to Bolt.
Vulnerable to Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
{Fight,Specialty,Specialty}
{Fight,Tailscrew,Specialty}
{Fight,Tailscrew,Specialty}

So many instances of Feeler. While I do have the advantage over Zerky! in that I can heal myself, it doesn't matter that much if I'm paralyzed indefinitely with no recourse. At least Walter is a bit faster than Zerky!.

And here we are - the first demonstration of !Mix. In this, I mixed two potions together for a 1.8x Potion. Now my chart above says that should only heal 90 HP - what gives? The Chemist passive Pharmacology. When using HP/MP restoratives that fixed amount, the Chemist restores twice that. Our 1.8x potion is healing for 180 HP (and during my Wing Raptor video, you saw a standard Potion heal for 100, twice its default amount).

Realistically this is more for turn economy than anything - two potions by themselves are 200 HP, but that takes two turns. If I need to be maxed on HP right now and don't want to blow an Elixir, 1.8x Potion does the job. Not enough of a job, though.

So yeah. All those "Specialty" entries up there? That's Feeler, as mentioned. And Karl Boss has a goddamned fetish for using it over. And over. And over. And...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2496jnmgDU

This is at level 13, even! At 70 HP a swing (average), I'm still looking at 9 slashes to take him out. No such luck of being able to throw on Barehanded like Zerky, and no real mixing ingredients yet.

All Walter gets to do is throw himself at the problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7lyiL0rDw

Holy crap finally.

FINAL LEVEL: 13
RECORDED MIXES: 13
DEATHS: 19

Anyways, Syldra is snared by the dying gasp of Karl Boss in a final fuck you, and we end up drifting to the Ship Graveyard.

Like Mega64, I am scared shitless of having to redo Karlabos. Luckily I can heal in-battle and potions are worth 100 a pop. I do need to make one detour that Zerky! didn't, though.

The Flail is a staff-type weapon that behaves like an Axe! It's also usable at full damage from the back row. That said, it has some problems:

code:

WEAPON: Flail
ATTACK: 16                    DAMAGE FORMULA: 3A
HIT%: 70                      CRITICAL%: 0

70% hit is uh... a bit awkward. It'll have uses, though. Like Zerky!'s axes, it has the effect of quartering enemy defense, which will be useful later on.

Never have I ever been so happy to say "yes" to that.

Like Mega64, I considered having the map stalk me, but then I remembered using the stupid sub without a map and no thank you.

On my way forward, and here's our next boss, Siren.

code:

Siren (Human, Heavy)
HP: 900
MP: 200
Vulnerable to Death, Stone, Poison, Blind, Old, Paralyze, Confuse, Berserk, Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
{Mute,Slow,Haste}
{Cure,Ice,Scan}
{Armor,Sleep,Bolt}
No Interrupt{
     Display Text: Changes to an Undead!
     Unhide Monster: Siren (2nd form)
     }

She is annoying in this form because I get a lot of Sleeps... normally. In this run she didn't realize she had it.

This fight also brings out a new mix! Potion + Antidote makes Neutralizer, an antidote that also heals for about 150 HP. Very useful!

code:

Siren (Undead, Heavy)
HP: 900
Weak to Fire. Absorbs Poison.
Vulnerable to Death, Stone, Blind, Slow.

AI Script:
{Fight,Specialty,Fight}
{Fight,Specialty,Fight}
{Fight,Specialty,Specialty}
Unhide Monster: Siren (1st form)

In this form she just punches the hell out of me and poisons me. Poisons me way more than the two antidotes I have access to, mind you. It isn't good enough though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tchBczWcA_0

FINAL LEVEL: 13
RECORDED MIXES: 7
DEATHS: 0

Oh bullshit, he was dead the entire time. Anyways, fuck this, off to Carwen. They had armor for Zerky!, but for Walter, they have a far better prize.

Maiden's Kisses! Eye Drops! The real weapons that will allow me to ply more than just healing out of Mix! These Maiden's Kisses are going to be in high demand - they form a large bulk of my offense going forward.

Imagine this for every random encounter on North Mountain. (

)

Lenna unnecessary poisoning count: 1

The first half of the duo that makes up our second boss, Magissa!

code:

Magissa (Human)
HP: 650
MP: 200
Vulnerable to Poison, Blind, Silence, Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
Condition:V00=00 & HP < 300{
     No Interrupt{
          Display Text: Magisa:  Honey, a job for you!
          Unhide Monster: Forza
     No Interrupt{
          Change Target:Single Enemy, Not self
          Regen
          Set V00=01
          }
     }
{Fire,Ice,Bolt}
{Aero,Specialty,Drain}

That drain is pretty damn scary when your offense is limited. Well, my offense is limited. On the other hand...

code:

Forza (Human, Heavy)
HP: 850
Vulnerable to Poison, Blind, Old, Sleep, Paralyze, Confuse, Berserk, Silence, Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
{Fight,Specialty,Fight}

And now you know why I wanted Maiden's Kisses! Lamia Kiss (Antidote + Maiden's Kiss) is my ticket to an easy ride here - Forza is susceptible to Charm, so he either punches himself (and then I recharm him), or punches Magissa and makes my life easier. Woo!

Magissa down, all that remains is keeping Forza confused and punching himself to death. No sweat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCsVJTBE4yo

FINAL LEVEL: 13
RECORDED MIXES: 22
DEATHS: 0

Lenna unnecessary poisoning count: 2 (4 if you count every plant)

Anyways, now we have a dragon. Dragons let me go to many places, the biggest of which is Tycoon Castle. Zerky! wanted that Ashura katana (and so do I, for money, for chemicals), but Walter wanted something else.

The Healing Staff lets me heal myself in combat by attacking myself. It procs a Cure 2 spell, which is basically 350 HP or so. This will take care of most healing issues until the end of world 1, at which point I have Hi-Potions and more shenanigans.

Blah blah plot, a meteor fell at the tower, everyone

. On the way out, though, I grab this beauty:

God bless you, Elven Mantle. 33% evasion, great stat boosts, there is literally nothing bad about this item. I will love you forever and you will not leave Walter's back until he laces up his Hermes Sandals or slaps on a Reflect Ring. In fact, it'll be super useful against this asshole.

It's Garula!

code:

Garula (Creature)
HP: 1200
Vulnerable to Death, Stone, Toad, Poison, Blind, Old, Paralyze, Confuse, Berserk, Mute, Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
Condition:Status:Self:Toad{
     Change Target:Self
     Toad
     }
Fight
Condition:HP < 800 & HP Damage{
     No Interrupt{
          Fight
          {Specialty,Fight,Nothing}
          }
     }

Remember how I mentioned that Elven Mantle? With that 33% physical evasion? Yeah, you bet your ass that comes in handy, since everything he does is physical attacking.

Honestly, this is very easy for Walter. As long as I am smart to only attack when I'm over half HP, Garula can't do a damn thing. This is an one and done encounter.