Part 42: Episode XXXIV: Luminous
![](1-music.jpg)
Music: Relentless Advance
![](2-lumin_(11).jpg)
Im shocked they actually let you get a Game Over in this fight. Lets try this again for real this time. Were now locked in pseudo-boss battle/playable cutscene against Sayagi with Setsuna.
![](3-lumin_(12).jpg)
![](4-lumin_(13).jpg)
All Sayagi does is continuously cast Lightning II every turn. Thats it. Thats her entire move set. Just spamming Lightning. And since shes ancient, the ol ATB meter aint filling up like it used to. Setsuna could probably take two turns for every one Sayagi takes.
![](5-lumin_(16).jpg)
![](6-lumin_(17).jpg)
All Setsuna has to do is just cast Cure every third Lightning strike. Not even Cure II. Vanilla earliest healing spell we gain access to in the game Cure still heals 100 more HP than Setsunas max at the moment. Hell that still fills up Nidrs HP to max and hes the partys tank that has fought in every battle since weve got him. Also, with a Momentum buff, Cure fills 66% of Setsunas ATB bar instantly. So its almost impossible to lose this fight unless youre actively trying.
![](7-lumin_(14).jpg)
In case youre wondering, despite her age, Sayagi is a spry old timer and is able to flawlessly evade or just completely no-sell all physical and magical attacks. Its impossible to hit her with anything or deal any damage to speed along the process.
![](8-lumin_(15).jpg)
Nope. All there is to it is face-tanking eight Lightning II casts for a couple minutes and healing occasionally.
Music: ENDS
![](9-lumin_(19).jpg)
After surviving the eighth lightning cast, the battle abruptly ends. Setsuna has gained zero experience for discovering Lightning can and in fact will strike the same place multiple times... when that specific place is targeted by a mage.
![](10-QFmTByv.gif)
And so with the power of about 300 MP of Light elemental spells dumped on her head, Setsuna powers up and...
![](11-lumin_(22).jpg)
![](12-lumin_(23).jpg)
...Immediately faceplants in the snow. By the way, the entire party was apparently just hiding behind nearby trees watching Setsuna get owned.
Setsuna picks herself up...
![](1-music.jpg)
Music: A Moment of Respite
![](13-lumin_(24).jpg)
![](14-Setsuna.png)
![](15-Sayagi.png)
![](16-chronotriggerreference.jpg)
And so we gain the Luminaire Tech for Setsuna. You might remember this spell name as Cronos ultimate Tech and the strongest magic spell in Chrono Trigger. Also the mid-range Tech for Serge in Chrono Cross. Now Setsuna gets one of her own. Is it as good as its contemporaries? Well, well need to go give it a test drive later... Yes, its fucking amazing.
![](17-chronotriggerreference2.jpg)
![](18-Aeterna.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](18-Aeterna.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](18-Aeterna.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](14-Setsuna.png)
![](15-Sayagi.png)
![](15-Sayagi.png)
![](20-lumin_(27).jpg)
![](21-lumin_(28).jpg)
With that out of the way, we are now done with Gatherington for good. Back we go to the Magna Valley to hopefully sort out Juliennes whole situation. Or explode her in the direction of the ruins gate so it gets a nice coating of royal blood spray. One of the two...
![](22-lumin_(26).jpg)
Although it is plot specific, Luminaire is a new spritnite in our inventory we can and ABSOLUTELY should immediately equip on Setsuna. Lets give it a whirl on the way back to the ruins, eh? Were also gonna want to throw a Gagnrath Support Spritnite on Setsuna.
![](1-music.jpg)
New Music: Rare (This plays whenever theres a rare owl monster in the second half of the game. Its pretty great battle theme and you only ever hear it for like 20 seconds!)
![](23-lumin_(29).jpg)
So, remember how Ive been saying our mages kind of sucked? Well that changes now. I mean, Kir still sucks. Even if you load him up with Support Spritnite to make tougher than a wet paper bag, hes still got pitiful HP, hes kind of slow, and he has zero in the way of healing. Unlike, Setsuna who is now awesome thanks to Luminaire.
![](24-lumin_(30).jpg)
So this bad boy deals Light elemental damage to all enemies. Quite a bit, in fact. To the ballpark of around 200+ damage. But thats not all! It also heals the entire party for 300+ HP. Thats a pretty nice top-off. And if you happen to use Momentum to buff Luminaire?
![](25-lumin_(31).jpg)
Yeah, it just throws Auto-Revive on the entire party too. Fuck it! Why not? Really, the only downside to Luminaire is that it costs a hefty 46 MP a cast.
![](26-lumin_(32).jpg)
But, if we have Setsuna with the Gagnrath spritnite, as long as she kills a single enemy during a cast, the MP net loss is only 8 MP. If she kills more than one enemy? Welp. The entire party is probably fully healed and she regains all MP from the exchange. Not too shabby. But there is a bit more to Luminaire.
![](27-grandcross_(1).jpg)
![](28-grandcross_(2).jpg)
Luminaire is also a component in what is probably the best Triple Tech in the game: Grand Cross. We need Endir with his trusty Cyclone, Aeterna with Charge, and Setsuna with, of course, Luminaire. At 40 MP a pop for everyone it results in Grand Cross...
![](29-grandcross_(3).jpg)
Grand Cross only targets a single enemy, but it has an AOE of roughly fuck everyone in the tristate area and hits everyone effected 9 times for damage that ignores any elemental resistances. Oh and the Momentum buffed version causes guaranteed critical damage on most of the hits.
![](30-grandcross_(4).jpg)
If everyone involved has the Gagnrath spritnite (Combo Techs doll out MP rewards to everyone involved), this Tech in fact, has solved the entirety of trash mob battles for the rest of the game since it WILL kill everything in a single use and full restore everyones MP in the process. Even most Spritnite Eaten Monsters this will just absolutely melt them. That crystal headed gorilla thing we avoided the first time through? Yeah. Sent straight to another dimension instantly. Its real good and INCREDIBLY broken with that MP on kills restoring spritnite set-up.
![](1-music.jpg)
Music: The Kings Valley
![](31-lumin_(33).jpg)
So yeah. Setsuna is a pretty solid party member now. Will Kir get a similar late game usefulness redemption? Im going to go ahead and spoil this one for you:
No.
![](32-lumin_(34).jpg)
Back on task, it looks like Cornelius and the knighthood of two are out poking the crazed Julienne with a stick and asking her politely to please calm down. Lets see if the third times the charm with fixing Juliennes mean case of the blood riot.
![](33-lumin_(35).jpg)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](14-Setsuna.png)
Setsuna heads to the front.
![](36-lumin_(36).jpg)
![](14-Setsuna.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](1-music.jpg)
Music: Faith
![](37-lumin_(37).jpg)
Setsuna powers up the cutscene version of Luminaire. Takes a bit longer to warm up the engines out in the cold like this, you see...
![](38-lumin_(38).jpg)
![](39-lumin_(39).jpg)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](40-Nidr.png)
![](41-Kir.png)
![](18-Aeterna.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](42-lumin_(40).jpg)
As soon as Julienne is free, she briefly charges up her Super Meter and lunges for Setsuna in a blood rage.
![](43-WaFfQpK.gif)
But Setsuna has this handled and blasts Julienne in the face with Luminaire at a decisive moment. Cornelius looks on from the sidelines with a look of the fuck is all this about?!
![](44-lumin_(44).jpg)
![](45-nli2uXK.gif)
And... faceplants for everyone involved. Julienne almost certainly has a severe concussion from rocketing twelve feet in the air headfirst into a thick layer of ice below.
![](46-lumin_(47).jpg)
![](14-Setsuna.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
Julienne sits up...
![](47-lumin_(48).jpg)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](18-Aeterna.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](14-Setsuna.png)
Setsuna slowly gets back to her feet...
![](48-lumin_(49).jpg)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](49-GenericSoldierD.png)
![](50-GenericSoldierE.png)
![](49-GenericSoldierD.png)
![](50-GenericSoldierE.png)
![](49-GenericSoldierD.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](51-lumin_(50).jpg)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](49-GenericSoldierD.png)
![](50-GenericSoldierE.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](18-Aeterna.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](35-Cornelius.png)
![](49-GenericSoldierD.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](52-lumin_(52).jpg)
Julienne approaches the gate, pulls out her lance and starts getting things done.
![](1-music.jpg)
Music: Last of the Blood
![](53-lumin_(53).jpg)
Julienne raises her lance higher...
![](54-lumin_(54).jpg)
![](55-lumin_(55).jpg)
![](56-lumin_(57).jpg)
![](57-lumin_(56).jpg)
And... ta-da! Turns out the ruins were an old Fallout Vault this entire time. Whod a thunk it?
![](58-lumin_(58).jpg)
![](40-Nidr.png)
![](19-Endir.png)
![](41-Kir.png)
![](34-Julienne.png)
![](59-lumin_(59).jpg)
And with that, Julienne rejoins the party. And while the gates to ancient ruins weve been after for... well... just duration of this chapter... are finally open, the chapter itself draws to a close. Tune in next time for some tomb raiding and the search for a missing Water Chip. Or something along those lines.
![](60-extra.jpg)
![](61-video.jpg)
![](62-Yo8aLFt.jpg)
Video: Luminaire and Grand Cross Demo