Part 40: Battle: Rampaging Randomized Roros Rumpus

Update 24: Rampaging Randomized Roros Rumpus (Battle)

So like, right off the bat I want to mention that this chapter didn't really go as planned. I had a pretty cool plan of getting Merric up to level and Navareallifeisalieweliveinthematrixbarl and Ogma back to their former glory...but after several hours of getting smacked upside the head by Roros I went for the cheap and easy win with less XP grinding.

This chapter pretty much requires you to get lucky at a few points, since Roro's mechanics (Berzerker, Killer Axes, Devil Axes, Randomized Real Roro) all rely on some form of RNG. This really only comes into play on Hard and above, since the way reinforcements works there makes this chapter WAY harder than it normally is.

That said, here's a run where I complete the map and nobody suffers a horrible death. Close enough for me.

Right off the bat, How's Everyone?





Maris we are paying you. That said, this is nice for Jeorge.





This is a decent bow.









Arran I know you want to help too but...buddy





That oughta help.



Drill Grounds level here. Pretty good one too.

If you're, for whatever reason, reading the URLs for these links, you see this jump from "capture_011" to "capture-094" here. You can tell this chapter gave me some issues.



Using one of these so Marth can hurt the Roros some more.

(the urls now switch from "capture_xxx" to "fuckrorocapture_xxx". I really don't like this map.)



Okay, new team. Sorry Maris and Merric, you guys weren't quite cutting it. Bringing in the heavy hitters Luke and Steve.

How's Everyone again because this attempt was like 3 days later!





Jeorge can you stop finding shit



that's four punctuations in a row.



More real good bows! Still very few archers up to level! (and not speed fucked, R.I.P. Wunderkind)









The map begins!



A few things I want to note about this shot. First is that Horace is at full health when this map starts, meaning that he's apparently quite the offscreen badass. Second is that here's Horace's portrait in this game.

Here it is in Shadow Dragon.



In this year or so span between games, something surprised Horace so much that he widened his eyes considerably, and it has never gone back.





: Weeheehee. Who knows? I sure don't. But really, poor you! You'll be killed by me, and won't even know the reason.

: My life isn't my own. Ever since I became a knight, my life is for my liege and my people. I cannot be defeated by cowards like you.

Oh, Horace, you very much can.

: Weeheehee. Then bring it on. We are Roro. One is all, and all is one. Want to know how to defeat me? Simple. Just kill the real me. But, can you find the real me? Weheehee.

I can. But before that...



Horace is in our party now, and he's about as generic a prepromoted unit as you can get. He's a General, so he's tanky, but his growths aren't as good as Draug's, so if you've been using him, there's not too much use for Horace. Natural B in Lances means he can use Silver Lances off the bat, though, so that's a bonus for him.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning that Generals can use Lances and Bows in this game. That seems to change every couple FE games.

Now here's the thing about Roro. As theshim mentioned above, there's a way to find out which of the three top Roros is real immediately. Placing your cursor on an enemy unit and pressing L will scroll through the list of enemies. I haven't brought this up before because I don't really use it, but it has special utility here. The real Roro always shows up first in the internal list of enemies, so if I put the cursor on one of the lower Roros and hit L until it displays an upper one...



This is our guy. You could get here through trial and error too, of course, but this is faster. Also worth mentioning is that the top row of Roros, unlike all the others, do not respawn.



Starting things off nicely with a crit to down the first Roro.



Malicia gives Barst a bit of a buff, mostly just because I can.



Steve finishes off the left side Roro...not that it really matters, since he's coming back as soon as my turn ends anyway.



Here's my current setup. The Roros will respawn on those sun things. If they are blocked, they'll respawn on an adjacent tile. No blocking the spawn points here.



Since the two remaining Roros are Hammer wielders, I have to position Horace out of their range.



And all the dead Roros are now back.



Roro's shit accuracy is your best friend in this battle.



Swing and a miss!



Marth is not so lucky. When the Roros respawn, they have Devil Axes instead of hammers, a much deadlier choice.



Not for Horace, though, who can soak a few hits from these (so long as he isn't crit)





Finishing the job for a good level.



Devil on Devil weapons. This was risky, but it paid off.





No more Hammer Roros. Thanks, Luke.



Steve can have a conversation (sort of) with Horace! Since I didn't want to waste any turns (although you can still attack after talking, which I forgot because I was tired as hell), I didn't do it in game. Here's the transcribed version from Serenes:

: You are Steve, Prince Marth's Royal Guard, correct? 'Tis an honor to meet you. I am Horace, an Archanean knight in the service of Princess Nyna. Prince Marth saved me in the previous war. For Princess Nyna's sake, please allow me the privilege of fighting alongside you.

Steve didn't even get a word in. She did take out her frustrations on that Roro though...



See? He's gone! And here's Malicia's purpose for this whole map, hide in the corner and spam Physic.



Go forth, Marth!



They're all back



Horace's tankiness serves him well here!



Marth is not quite as lucky.



Nor is Navabblebabble



He borrow's Barst's Elixir to hop back up to full HP.



Barst helps too



Kind of disappointing from Barst here, but he's still holding his own.



Luke dispatches with another Roro.



As does Steve...and holy shit, is that Res? Wow.





Malicia and a Vulnerary keep the prince up.



Horace beats a quick retreat.

And all the Roros respawn.



Pfft. Devil Axes aren't always nice, pal.



OH SHI-oh wait he hit himself.







Now THAT is the Ogma I'm used to.



The Devil Axe Backfire train is still on the tracks.



No backfires here. Steve is just rad as hell. And now Luke has a straight shot...



Charge!

Powerful Foe (Roro's Battle Theme)

The description of that song contains both spoilers and a guy unironically using the words "traitorous wench", so, y'know, don't read it.



He whiffed this, but you can see how I'd have been in trouble if he'd managed a hit, or worse, a crit. Luck matters a lot on this map.





Ogma has taken a beating, so I move everyone in to protect him. Things look pretty bad, all the Roros are back...



But real Roro is an idiot and attacks first. Luke uses the power of all his secret training to pull off the most stylish clutch crit of all time, ending the battle and our first leader of the Assassins.

Fuck yeah.



Oh, I cheated.











: Good work. But either way, that was a strange enemy. Were they even human...?

We will never really know. No, really, this is about all we'll ever hear about Roro. He is really dead this time. The whole clone/hive mind thing is never really clarified. It's implied that...well, we'll see it in just a bit, so I won't spoil it.

: I've heard rumors about them. Those wicked assassins crushed their souls when they were young, and raised them as living puppets who follow orders without question...

: How pitiful...

Gonna assume Marth means the literal meaning of pitiful here, or he's just a giant asshole.

: Steve. I wonder if Katarina was raised under such circumstances, as well...

: ...

: However, we can't do anything about that now. Let us go ahead. To Anri's Way, where Lord Gotoh awaits.

Back to adventure! But first...



: It's this mask. It seems like a different type from the one those assassins wore, but what's it for...?

No, you don't get Roro's mask

: Heh... This is a mask for use in a masquerade ball, I believe.

: Masquerade ball?

: Yes. Noblemen once donned these masks in order to conceal their identities. They were probably used in this old castle a long time ago. So, it's unrelated to the assassins.

: I see...but, it sure is a strange mask.



Oh Jagen...



Sometimes it's like you don't know Steve at all.



: You are an odd one. Well, do as you wish.

I love that Steve is now just picking shit up off the ground and slapping it on her face.

Now for an...uh...different tone. And one of my favorite villains.



: I have a report. Roro, he...



Meet Eremiah, new to the remake and probably one of the creepiest villains in the entire series.

: Lady Eremiah, the Altean army is strong. Now that Roro has been defeated... Perhaps we should refrain from pursuing them.

: No. Crushing Altea was an order of his.

: But...



Oh, she's here too.

: Kleine...

: Lady Eremiah, please allow me the honor. I'll take care of them.

You didn't think Roro dying would mean we'd be done with assassin stalkers, right?

: My, you're a good girl, Kleine. Would you?

: Anything for you, Lady Eremiah.

: ... Lady Eremiah, about the remaining Roro brothers...



: Lady Eremiah...!





Eremiah is pretty fucked up. Also I guess there was one real Roro, and the rest somehow depend on him? This never gets explained.

: B-but, Lady Eremiah... They were with us in the orphanage... with you too, Lady Eremiah...

Yeah, what you're assuming is right. Eremiah is a murder nun.

: So what?

: ...

: Eine, you sure are useless, aren't you? Don't worry, Lady Eremiah. I'll get rid of them.





: Ah, Lady Eremiah...Your praise makes me happy.

: ...

That's where this chapter ends, but I fucked up and saved on the prep menu, so I'd skip this if I didn't show it, and I don't trust myself to remember to stick it onto the next one. So it's an extended preview for chapter 11!



That's what it's called!



Narrator: Thabes is an ancient city buried under the sands, along with many treasures. The legend of Thabes, city of illusion, lured many adventurous men to the desert. However, in the end... not one of them ever returned. As the sages once said... stay clear of Marmotord, the desert of death. There lies the cursed Dark City.

Thabes, original city, do not steal.

: Huh...?



YES IT STACKS WITH THE POPE HAT. Steve is blind again, and she's still the Pope. Marth seems less excited than I am.



: Oh, it's just you.... You had me startled for a moment. Especially with that mask on you...

: Is it that strange?

: Well... perhaps a little. Do you mean to fight like that?

: Yes.



: I-I see.

And that's a good point to end things. Next time.



fuck

Update 25: The Real Desert Chapter Starts Here