Part 60: Lagdou Ruins 5: I Love You Guys

Lagdou Ruins 5: I Love You Guys



This map is a little more sparsely populated than ones we've been seeing recently. There's only about 30 enemies, most of them axe users. That's probably so they can make room for those wall fixtures. More on them later.



Our guest for this chapter and the next is that nuttiest of nuts, Valter, awarded to players for beating the 7th Floor of the Ruins. He comes bearing an important gift for us: another Fili Shield. To be honest, what he needs is a Hoplon Guard, because that luck is just terrible.

And who will assist this crazy, CRAZY man with his antics?






A veritable grab-bag of character types, that's who. Notice that it's all physical types, by the way. We are rolling with a 100% magic-free crowd. I love it when people use their voting rights in a creative way.



Don't think that we can depend on just closing our eyes and using swords, by the way. The enemy's got the usual assortment of cheap tricks to deal with people like that, not to mention that there'll be Maelduin with bows roaming around too.



These guys are especially problematic, because unlike bows, there is no way for our wyvern riders to sidestep this. But I suppose we'll deal with that when the time comes.



Also, I didn't really need to split the group. As we'll see, the map is designed so that all paths converge in the middle eventually.



There's that guy I was talking about. Ephraim will soften him up though.



While Eirika spins her way into the first level of the chapter.



Capped skill and a point in strength. Normal mode Eirika, eat your heart out.



So here's the gimmick of this chapter. Every time someone is standing in front of one of the strange indentations in the wall, a spray of poison gas will shot three spaces out, poisoning anyone caught in it.



It also does minimal damage, but unless you're at 1 HP, there's no need to worry about that.



And it goes without saying, but the AI is terrible at dodging them.



First turn over, and the first thief is already on the move.



In retrospect, sticking Valter and Syrene on Ephraim's team wasn't the wisest decision.



Seriously, look at this nonsense.



And due to the characters' inability to finish this guy off, it's up to Ephraim. What a horrible waste.



I shouldn't have weakened the spider, since he scraps that too.



Oh well, at least he doesn't kill this one.



Unfortunately, Syrene runs foul of a Maelduin.



Doubled, no less. I can't emphasize enough how mediocre she is right now. Why is she on point while Vanessa is benched?



I mean really, if Marisa was able to work her strength back up, why not Vanessa too? Anything's possible.



More enemies getting gassed. This gets old fast, as you have to sit through every single enemy that's parked in the wrong place every single turn.



At any rate, at least Syrene can't mess this one up.



Spoke too soon.



Ephraim! Don't do that!



Oh well, at least Valter can snag this one.



I'm honestly glad that the chance numbers are more skewed towards hitting than missing. It means I can get away with stuff like this.



Meanwhile, Garcia's letting Garm roam free once more.



To good effect. That's three stats he could use more of.



Due to how previous recordings went, I decided to nip this one in the bud. I've got chest keys.



Unfortunately, it's also a great place to get a face full of poison.



Eirika isn't the only person spinning a sword today. Cormag can spin a sword too.



Even Valter is getting into it. Yes, we are all spinning together.



Strength is fine. I am okay with strength.



Here's a fun game to play: with Syrene at 1 HP, pick out the spaces she can stand on where she won't die instantly.



Seth's at a bit of a disadvantage, but he's got magic aiding him. Probably should have given him the Wind Sword or the Light Brand.



Oh, and another thief appeared just a turn away from a chest. That's a nice move, IntSys.

Silver Sword: 25%
Silver Lance: 25%
Silver Axe: 25%
Silver Bow: 25%

Notice a trend of chests giving us good items, guaranteed? That's going to continue.



Of course, we've got to catch the thief first.



These Cyclops don't move. They're effectively giant roadblocks designed to prevent us from catching the thieves.



They're also quite profitable.



Vidofnir's taken quite a beating on this journey. I fear that it may not last to the end of the Ruins.



So to save uses, I weaken this Gwyllgi first and use something more disposable.



At around this point, it occurs to me that Ephraim has access to the supply convoy, so our Syrene woes are over.



And the Silver Sword is ours.



Why didn't I give Seth a javelin? Using the Runesword is so...



Amazing!



I keep forgetting that Maelduin and Tarvos are technically horses. Maybe I should pull out the Zanbato that I've been carrying for so long.



Ephraim, no!



Also, more poisoning. Yay.



Valter gets the opportunity at this point to demonstrate Pierce which, if you remember, negates an enemy's defense for a single attack.



It's nothing that special to look at. He stabs the enemy and swiftly swoops up and offscreen. There is a problem, however, with how quickly the animation occurs. If a wyvern knight activates Pierce and does it again while the health bar is still ticking down, the game will actually freeze. With most other animations, the time it takes to finish will allow more than enough time for the health bar to decrease, but since Pierce goes so quickly, the health bar can still be going down when the next attack occurs.



Wow, another legendary weapon, coming out of mothballs for this chapter.



Gerik, you haven't capped a single thing. You don't get a break.



Not another one...



As the groups meet up, Garcia puts Garm's speed boost to the test.



More poison...



Yes, I know I'm using the legendary weapons a lot, but it's a lot faster than the alternative. Think of it like a savings in headache medication.



Garcia, my man! Welcome back to the team.



This isn't the Eirika I know. That's for sure.



And the groups are reunited. I told you that they all end up in the same place.



Now we can look at the final boss. As you can see, he's got some loot for us.



Swordspin 2013 continues.



And our last thief arrives.

Elfire: 25%
Fimbulvetr: 9%
Divine: 25%
Aura: 8%
Nosferatu: 25%
Fenrir: 8%

I have no complaints about this one, even if I can't pronounce it.



Another level for Syrene. Let's see what we got.



You're kidding me.



And Duessel weakens the boss who, in true form, is way weaker than his subordinates.



I knew you had it in you.



One use left. This Rapier has been an erstwhile friend through many troubles.



Farewell, Rapier. You served us well.



Dang! Talk about going out with a bang.



Ephraim!!



I like these odds.



Although I am a little concerned about where I sucked luck from for this hit.



Oh.

Restore: 20%
Silence: 20%
Physic: 20%
Fortify: 20%
Mend: 20%

Whyyyy...



Oh well, it could be worse.



For instance, I could have a Wyvern Lord refusing to gain defense.



Eirika just looks so ready to whack a thief. A spare icy tornado is now ours.



One enemy left. Make me proud, Syrene.



...Close enough.



Onward! To a level I actually enjoy!

Next Time: We split the party so we can kill the enemy faster.

Extras:



Valter
Class: Wyvern Knight
Weapon Ranks: S in lances
Affinity: Ice

HP: 45 (80%) Lck: 3 (15%)
Str: 19 (40%) Def: 13 (20%)
Skl: 17 (55%) Res: 12 (20%)
Spd: 17 (50%) Con: 11

It's hard for me to choose between Valter and Glen. On the one hand, Valter's base stats are a bit more balanced than Glen's (luck notwithstanding), and his speed is far better, but on the other, Glen is a lot more defensively focused and has a lot better growth in terms of defense, so while Valter is a lot better at striking and dodging, Glen could be used to hold a choke point better.

Hmm, you know what, let's just use them both. How's that?