Final Fantasy V Challenge Megathread Part #30 - Post 5

Part 30: Post 5 - Boron

Post 5 - Boron

With Adamantite (which isn't a real element, what the fuck is this shit) reinforcing the airship's hull, we now have the capacity to fly even higher. This is completely useless aside from going up to the flying ruins (and once you beat Ronka, the ability goes away).

Floating defense platforms!

As you can see on the sides, there's four mini-turrets that have to go boom before the main gun (spoilers: there's a main gun) is revealed.

First up, these assholes. Rocket Launchers use precisely two abilities - Missile, which reduces my HP by 75%, and Rocket Punch, which inflicts Confusion and reduces my HP by 50%. Luckily, even though I don't have Dragon Kiss mixes available to me yet, I do have an ace in the hole.

Oh, Healing Staff, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Yeah, Walter still gets confused by Rocket Punches, but like he gives a shit, he'll just bonk himself with the Healing Staff, heal from it, and then be unconfused. Chemist wins again.

The other option for those mini-cannons are these. They do one thing: spam Flame Thrower. This Blue Magic spell is of no threat to Walter, since it only does 200-ish damage, and he can use the Resist Fire mix to heal from it. These don't get Succubus Kissed to conserve turtle shells - they just get knifed to death.

Walter's Mechanics Corner

By the way, if you switch out weapons (swapping from the Healing Staff to the Main Gauche, for example), any temporary buffs that grant elemental immunty/absorption end. Pretty sure it's related to something with how elemental boosts are stored, based on things Can of Worms has said about why, for example, the Magus Rod doesn't boost Water damage.

WARNING

The big enemy is approaching at full throttle.

Soul Cannon! I was an idiot and forgot proper screenshots, but this works well enough.

code:

Soul Cannon (Heavy)
HP: 22500 (effectively 12500 HP)
Weak to Lightning.
Immune to Water, Air, Poison.
Vulnerable to Slow.

AI Script:
Condition:V00=01{
     Display Text: Filling Multi-Surge Beam energy
     Nothing
     Display Text: Explosives pressure increased
     Nothing
     Display Text: Energy Level 128-
     Nothing
     Display Text: Fire!!!
     Surge Beam
     }
Display Text: Filling Multi-Surge Beam energy
Nothing
Display Text: Cross Gauge luminosity set to 20
Nothing
Display Text: Safety Lock released
Nothing
Display Text: Explosives pressure increased
Nothing
Display Text: Anti-Shock Anti-Flash Shield on
Nothing
Display Text: Energy Level 128-
Nothing
Display Text: Fire!!!
Surge Beam
Set V00=01
Nothing
Condition:HP Damage & HP < 10000{
     Change Target:All Enemies
     Punishment
     }
     
Launcher (Heavy)
HP: 10800 (effectively 800HP)
Immune to Water, Air, Poison.
Vulnerable to Stop, Slow.

AI Script:
Valiant Attack
React:HP Damage & HP < 10000{
     Change Target:Self
     Punishment
     }

Most solo variants want an Angel Ring for this encounter because of those Launchers on the side of Soul Cannon. That Valiant Attack ability? Yeah, it's a real pain in the ass. In addition to halving your HP (like Rocket Punch), it also inflicts the Aging status effect. This slowly reduces your level to 1, neutering your offense...

...unless your offense has 255 attack power. Then you ignore the Launchers (unless you mistarget one) and rely on the baseline magical M of 4 and Succubus Kiss's profound power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY_6ZylorZk

FINAL LEVEL: 1
RECORDED MIXES: 13
DEATHS: 0

Yes. YESSSSSSSS. Soul Cannon drops a guaranteed mote of Dark Matter. Dark Matter is used in some of the most exotic mixes - Antilixir, for example, is Dark Matter and an Elixir together, and does the same thing as Dud Potion 1's 25% chance to set the target to 1-9 HP. The even more potent Death Potion (Dark Matter + Phoenix Down) just outright instantly kills anything susceptible to the Dead status. It's even guaranteed (A%) to hit.

Before anything else, I dip over to Lix, Bartz's home town. Since his father was influential in some way, this means I get things half price. Primarily, this means Ethers. They're a very important tool for a lot of mixes, and I'm going to need way more than the 31 that my current funds can support. That means money grinding, which will come later.

Walter proceeds into Ronka Ruins, and proceeds to run from everything. I need to level that Chicken Knife eventually, and nothing that the enemies possess is of interest - I'd love a Lamia's Tiara if I could get one for that oh-so-desirous +3 Magic and Confusion immunity, but no such luck. Not until world 3, as Walter is not an omni, nor a thief.

But what's this?

No! It was predicted!

Luckily Walter took Mimir's advice and walks around the obvious trap. Success.

Along the way, I decide I might want just a touch more HP before Archaeoavis, a.k.a. Dr. Clapperclaw. I hit 25 by murdering Ghidras with Phoenix Downs, since I'm not using them for much else.

I love this line, and I have no idea why.

It's time to rumble.

Archaeoavis is a complex boss - it has wholly FIVE forms, and swaps between them at the "death" of each one. Each form sans the last has 1600 HP, and it has an interesting gimmick with its defenses. Archy starts at 30 Defense and 6 Magical Defense, and swaps these from physical to magical as the fight goes on. He also changes resistances and weaknesses, and ends up immune to most elements and with 6 Defense and 30 Magical Defense. Each of the first four forms has 1600 HP, and the final form has 2500 HP. All in all, 8900 HP to work through.

He also has a hell of a lot of attacks, and I'm going to ward against most of them.

You know Resist Fire, these are its cousins! Resist Ice (Phoenix Down + Antidote) and Resist Thunder (Phoenix Down + Eye Drops) cause me to absorb the three primary elements. Archaeoavis likes to use things like Blaze, that deal elemental damage equal to 25% of my max HP. This wards against them.

I also crack open my Drink command for some new goodies:

Goalith Tonic is both a drink and a mix that I can create (it's costly, though: Elixir + Dragon Fang), and its effects are simple.

It doubles my max HP. Very nice.

Iron Draft is simple - it's Protect in a bottle. Combined with Haste from a Speed Shake and the Elven Mantle, I'm proofed against a lot of Archy's attacks. In all, those are:

code:

Form 1:
AI SCRIPT:
{Fight,Breath Wing,Specialty} (Specialty is Slip, a physical attack that inflicts HP Leak)

Form 2:
AI SCRIPT:
{Fight,Blaze,Specialty} (Specialty is Wing, a physical attack that inflicts Poison)

Form 3:
AI SCRIPT:
{Fight,Flame,Specialty} (Specialty is Tail, a physical attack that inflicts Blind)

Form 4:
AI SCRIPT:
{Fight,Thunder,Specialty} (Specialty is Claw, a physical attack that inflicts Paralysis)

Form 5:
AI SCRIPT:
{Breath Wing,Maelstrom,Specialty}
{Entangle,Fight,Specialty}
{Flame,Maelstrom,Specialty}
{Entangle,Fight,Specialty}
{Thunder,Maelstrom,Specialty}
{Entangle,Fight,Specialty}
{Blaze,Maelstrom,Specialty}
{Entangle,Fight,Specialty}

He has a lot of nasty shit. I can't proof against all of it - Maelstrom will connect since I lack the Dragon Fangs to make Dragon Kiss. Breath Wing has no elemental immunity mix. Entangle will connect because we didn't get enough of this with Feeler, I guess! Specialty is Fang, a physical attack that inflicts Confusion.

The final form of Archaeoavis has 30 Magical Defense. While I could slug through it, it means that I might need three Succubus Kisses to kill. Rather than bother, I'll show off a new mix!

This cuts the target's physical and magical defenses in half. It's super useful. Six of these can take the mighty Omega's imposing 190 Defense and 150 MDefense down to 2 Defense and 2 MDefense. Super-powered robot my ass.

That's getting ahead of ourselves, though. I have an Archaeoavis to murder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQ6u0zLqZY

FINAL LEVEL: 25
RECORDED MIXES: 13
DEATHS: 0

He was even nice enough to drop a present.

Hero Cocktails are a drink that increases Walter's Level (in-combat only) by ten. This can be replicated by a mix, but we don't have the ingredients (Holy Water + Antidote) yet. Know how I said that Walter would eventually hit level 255? These and their big brother Dragon Power (Potion + Dragon Fang, adds 20 levels) are how.