Part 64: Lagdou Ruins 9: At Least it's Not Gray

Lagdou Ruins 9: At Least it's Not Gray



Floor 9 is a shooting gallery in the worst sense. Every one of these Arch Mogalls has Shadowshot, and the path forces you to go in a direction where you're likely to take shots from two of them at once. Also, there are lava tiles everywhere, so you have to be careful where you step too.



Fortunately, we've got just the perfect character for this stage. Our reward for clearing the Ruins three times, Prince Lyon is a Necromancer, a unique class with many perks. For one, he comes with his infinite use dark tome: Naglfar. It's more powerful than Gleipnir and has 2 less weight. It's still heinously heavy, however, and Lyon's speed is, quite literally, going to get tanked to nothing if he uses it.

Secondly, his class is the only one in the game that can have two S ranks. That doesn't mean much when he can only use dark tomes and staves, but it's an interesting little gimmick.



His third and most interesting characteristic is his ability to summon Phantoms like the Summoner class, and since he starts at Level 14...



Yeah, there's potential for fun here.






Assisting Lyon in this endeavor is an intriguing selection of characters, most importantly Knoll. There's a particular strategy that I plan to employ on this map, and he's going to help me accomplish it.



Right off the bat, Lyon's Phantom demonstrates its worth by critting the first enemy of the stage. The guy's got pluck.



And then Caellach gets an instant kill with the Tomahawk. A nice beginning.



While it's tempting to have the Phantoms take hits from approaching enemies, they've got a better use on this map.



Yeah, I'm going to have them be decoys for the Shadowshots. They're actually quite good at dodging.



As always, enemies have no idea about how to approach flame tiles. It's fun just watching them kill themselves. Heck, the flame tiles are pretty much a blessing in disguise, as the Arch Mogalls are programmed to keep stationary around flame tiles. No worrying about them following us through the whole map.



Since Knoll's got 1 more Constitution and a whole lot more Speed, he's using Naglfar instead. The tome's an S rank instead of a Prf, so anyone capable of using dark magic can use it. And since it's infinite use, Knoll is pretty much one of the most powerful members of the party right now. Too bad about the weight penalty, though.



Moving right along, Eirika's hit her 20/20 now.



And in typical form, it's terrible.



In lieu of his personal tome, Lyon's using something more his speed.



I'll take it!



This one I'm a little conflicted on. Oh well, it's magic, at any rate.



You've got something that I want, friend.



And by that, I mean experience.



Sweet, sweet experience. Oh, and a Brave Sword, too.



A little fire damage is worth it if it means taking these guys out.



And if there's some profit on the side, all the better.



Lyon's proficiency with staves and his free Physic staff make him an effective healbot.



I don't know how this could be fixed, but seeing these guys die like that is just embarrassing.



So many nasty weapons in this crowd. You've really got to be careful.



This'll come in handy.



Get used to being double-teamed by Arch Mogalls. It really helps to have two Phantoms at once.



Though if you get lucky (and Lyon's Phantoms have luck oozing out of their pores), you can have one Phantom play for two.



No need to worry about Ismaire's low strength. She's got a magic sword.



And just on a lark, I decided to bring the Silence staff along. I usually look down on Silence, because the enemies you benefit most from silencing typically have high resistance.



See that? That's a horrible chance, and Lyon's got a decent amount of magic.



Still, it works. Doesn't change my opinion of status staves, but I guess it's a point in its favor.



Meanwhile, we're getting close to the final stretch now.



Silence doesn't work for the rest of the chapter. A shame, that.



Which means that we're going to be under fire.



Could be a worse target.



Well done...whoever's Phantom that was.



However, we do have to draw back a bit, since the enemies are a little sturdy, and we can't fight them while taking Shadowshot blasts.



Orson's not the worst paladin, really.



Though his levels could use some work.



Maybe in a few levels, he'll have the ability to not get doubled.



Despite appearances, we actually want to take these guys on with axes.



Yup. Gotta pay attention to what the enemy team is carrying.



Actually, this is a great place to hunker down and take some shots before advancing, although there are some drawbacks:



For one, there's a shortage of good places to stand.



In order to speed the process along, Ismaire contributes some magic. As we've seen already, the magic swords aren't technically swords at all when you're casting the spell.



And with this sniping, Ismaire can boost her strength up. She is such a good character.



Fast forward a few turns, and we're ready to advance.



Beautiful, just like the last one.



Caellach, not to be outdone, is using his newly-acquired Brave Sword to good effect.



Thank goodness for the twins' inability to acknowledge pain.



It's going to be tough choosing the Final 8.



And in no time at all, we're at the boss. Don't lament for the Tomahawk. We're pretty much at the end of the game.



There is one reason not to rush in, and not just because the Arch Mogalls are quite powerful.



But before the reason can manifest itself, there's one thing I forgot, and it's this guy in the corner. For shame, me.



Duessel and Selena, you've got a job to do.



...Figures. Plus, she gets hit by a flame tile.



Anyway, the reason why you don't want to rush ahead too quickly is reinforcements. Three turns of reinforcements, to be precise, and to be even more precise, it's only one guy. Still, it is a Cyclops.



I think I've got just the thing for a situation like this.



Who cares if the boss has a Brave Axe? That just means that he takes a little longer to die.



Matter of fact, I might as well play around these guys. Good ol' predictable AI.



Down in the corner, Duessel and Selena meet with some resistance.



Nothing to worry about, really, and the numbskull sets himself on fire in the process.



Hey, who's excited for another Ismaire level?



Let's keep this party going.



And after dealing with our monster-in-corner problem, Duessel and Selena take the fight to the enemy.



The enemy accepts.



Bad decision.



Sort of like bringing Selena.



Looks like the finale is closely upon us. I probably shouldn't have used Eirika so much, but I didn't feel like resetting half an hour into the fight again.



Come on, Orson. I know you've got the knack.



Not precisely the knack, but it'll do.



And with a little encouragement from Knoll's Phantom...



Duessel demonstrates for all of his excited fans...



That he's still got it. Either that or I've really lowered my expectations.



Last stop, ladies and gentlemen.

Next Time: No, I won't tell you what's coming for the finale. Let's keep it a surprise.

Extras:



Lyon
Class: Necromancer
Weapon Ranks: S in dark, A in staves
Affinity: Ice

HP: 44 (85%) Lck: 4 (30%)
Mag: 22 (50%) Def: 17 (45%)
Skl: 13 (55%) Res: 19 (55%)
Spd: 11 (55%) Con: 7

It's the prince of Grado! And he's slow as a rock! No worries though, his luck and speed deficiency is made up for by the fact that he comes with a super powerful tome, he can stay back and be a healer, and he's got his own Phantom friend. Speaking of which...

Lyon's Phantom

HP: 1 (0%) Lck: 20 (60%)
Str: 8 (60%) Def: 0 (0%)
Skl: 4 (45%) Res: 0 (0%)
Spd: 7 (30%) Con: 11

Look at that luck. It's compensated for by its low speed, of course, but the strength growth makes it a great little friend. Knoll's Phantom has more balanced growths, but worse bases, so it's hard to say which is better. I don't particularly care one way or the other, really, as their main role is to be attacked, not to dominate in combat.