Part 67: Trial of the Kings.
So, in the last update, we got the Green star (defeat BassGS) and the Purple Star (collect all MegaChips). Two stars in one.
Man, we're just knocking these things out, aren't we?
What GigFldr1 lets us do should be pretty obvious. However, it will automatically cause a bug when you run it! After running to GameFAQs to input the right Error Code, you'll still get a passive bug in battle. That is, you'll create a Poison Panel with every step you make. This is the fourth program to do this.
HubBatC: halves your HP
GigFldr1: Causes poison panels at every step
DarkLcnc: Custom-1
BustrMAX: Automatically uses each chip you have lined up in your queue.
BugStop will fix these passive errors, but is it worth it? Outside of maybe HubBatC, not really.
Oh well.
It's almost like the more powerful programs have a lot of downsides that make them unappealing unless you specifically plan around then. Huh. Fancy that. It's like game balance is a thing.
Bass+ is one of those rare "Dark Chips" I mentioned. Our first Dark Chip!
This is before 'Dark Chip' has been forever ruined, of course. That being said...
In case you forgot, we need to put down a Hole chip, and then wait for the hole to open fully. Or, just equip DarkLcnc and use them for free! All Dark Chips in BN3 are GigaChips, so in order to use them, we'll need either the special program, or the special BattleChip and take up our 1 and only GigaChip slot.
Bass+ does 550 Breaking damage to the closest enemy. It hits pretty hard.
The entire column, right? Not just the enemy. At least, that's the way the animation looks.
Yes, column. It's Bass' EarthBreak attack.
Defeating BassGS on White Version nabs us the vanilla Bass chip. This one is exactly like the NaviChip from BN2. Bass will fire AirBursts randomly down the rows. Stack a bunch of Atk+ on it and watch everything die.
Or not.
Heh. That sucks. Does it always hit all rows, or is it just your row plus minus one? Either way, it seems a bit... unwieldy.
It'll hit all rows at least once. But unfortunately it's X code and requires setup. So, how can this compete with the likes of Folderback or Navi Recycle? It can't.
This can. Just like Punk, this chip was only distributed via Capcom-sponsored events. You can grab this by just going into the "Network" function in the Start Menu on the Wii U version, however. While it's still in X code, this chip does NOT require any special chips or programs to work.
Why yes, that does mean this thing is available straight from the start. (No, they probably didn't think that through very well when making the port.)
And it does a whopping Invis-piercing 700 damage. The range is the same as normal Vanishing World. Amazing chip. No, there are no super special nigh-frame perfect inputs that double the damage of the chip with a super special, secret item this time. Why do you ask?
Because you're a robot, and you pull these stupid tidbits out of your ass with surprising regularity? Or maybe because this stupid chip is broken enough already that we just kinda assume that there's a way to make it even more broken?
Wait, who are these guys cluttering up the Secret Area?
They're jerks, that's what. Horrible jerks.
It looks like we'll have to fight the V2s of most Navis in the game. Think of this as a "Trial of the Kings" of sorts.
Some people pull a sword from a stone, some people are prophecied to become king, some people have to kill a bunch of random ghost robots right quick
Ouch. They've got tight record times, too.
Annnnnd the kicker. This is probably the most annoying part of the postgame for a lot of people. You have to kill all the Navis in the game with one of those weak folders that random NPCs give out. If you know how to use your chips very effectively, this isn't a huge issue. If you're like Yeti and only use one strat the whole game, yeah, this will halt your progression until you figure out what you're doing.
Oh fucking bite me. If it works it works.
It only works until it doesn't, Yeti.
We are allowed to use whatever NaviCust and style setup we want. And that's good since we'll be pulling everything we got to complete these challenges. If you're the type of player who stuck with Custom Style all game, then the Time Trials will also be a huge pain! This is the game nudging you to branch out and try multiple Styles just to get the useful programs they give.
Styles you want to max out before doing this:
Shield: The final program, Reflect, is something I've hopefully made an excellent case for. A free 100 damage when you're not attacking? It can easily be a damage supplement. Plus, it can utilzie Custom Style's programs.
Ground: White Version gets a nice edge, here! With SetGreen and SetIce, you can stack the field to your advantage, allowing double damage off of whatever elements the folder likes to run.
Guts: If you can't deal with KingMan's obstacles, or DrillMan's drills, then I could see the programs you obtain for this style being of some use. BreakCharge and BreakBuster are useful for doing just that. BreakCharge is given out for free by an NPC, but BreakBuster is something you can really get behind.
Custom: Obvious. But you definitely want to be attempting the Time Trials with this.
The rest are either pointless, or are less consistent than just using Custom Style. While it's true Bug Style has a good chance of granting a 10-chip draw, it's better to have a consistent 10-chip draw with Custom Style programs.
Elements and their viability:
Fire: With sufficient WeapLv+1 Navicust parts, your flamethrower can deal 100 damage. With okay range and sizable damage, it's probably the best overall element you want.
Aqua: Fast charge, and doesn't cause mercy frames to proc. 80 damage with a maxed Weapon. I could definitely see this working out.
Wood: A possible 80/120/160 damage buster. Albeit limited range. Still, it's good on bosses with very predictable patterns.
Elec: The worst one to have. Yes, it has free utility, but you don't need to S-rank this, you just need to win in a certain timeframe. Your HP gets fully restored at the end of every try, and you cannot get a Game Over here. All you need to worry about is damage output. If you have this element, it's not the end of the world. You just can't rely on your buster as much.
Here's my NaviCust setup. Everything has been compressed. It's always a good idea to try and use every single square of space you have. Notice the random Charge+1 just to fill an empty slot. Reflect, FastGauge (remember, you can get this from the Number Trader!), Custom+2, Custom+1 and UnderShirt just to fill space.
Hell, if you don't equip the FastGauge Navicust Program for this, then you are just flat-out stupid. It reduces the turn count from 8 seconds to 4. You need every edge you can get. Don't tunnel vision.
And if you really really want, you can replace UnderShirt with Press! Just THINK of all the places you could go!
fuck press
Once we got our setup, we need to choose the right folder. We have 9 folders to pick from. So let's do a quick run-through to assess and analyze our options.
This is the starter folder. Literally, chip for chip. NEXT!
The PreFoldr we used for the N1. It has H-Burst and LifeSword as your power options. A random Lance and Dash Attack that don't share codes with anything. And stupid V-Guns, SideGuns and Shotguns. No.
Remember this allll the way back before we first fought DesertMan. I'm not gonna be using this; we've seen it already. Saying that, yes, I'll try and use the previous two folders...somehow.
Better! It has VarSword as the really powerful option, allowing 640-800 points of damage. But beyond that, it doesn't have much. You'll just be slowly cycling through the folder to get to VarSword. You want something a bit more consistent than that.
Oh, it has damn good folder fluidity, I'll say that. None of the chips cause mercy frames, so you can pelt your opponent with attacks all day, all night. Damage output is a bit low. You'll want to use this on someone weak to HeatShot or Bubbler.
I thought HeatShot triggered mercy frames? Huh. Faulty memory, I guess.
Behold, the best Extra Folder in the game. See those Snakes? The folder comes with 4 PanelOut3's. Meaning, with proper setup, you can have Snakes coming out of every single broken hole you made. Snake does 40 damage. 40, multiplied by 3 holes per PanelOut3 chip, means you could deal (40x12=480) total damage PER Snake. Now factor in the Wood+30 and Attack+10. That could raise Snake's damage to 80. 80x12=960. 960+480+480 = 1,920 best case scenario. Not to mention the other chips in the folder.
Snek snek snek
Garbage. BubbleMan with an Attack+10 can do alright damage, but the rest just doesn't mesh at all.
Not bad! This folder is designed to have multiple combos running through it, and abuse all of the elements. There's BeastMan, BubbleMan, FlashMan, PlantMan and FlamMan for your NaviChips. We've got all the elemental stages, and some Tornado chips to use over SandStage. One of more fun folders to use.
It could be interesting to play around with, and it's a good place to grab the chips for your library if you don't feel like getting them yourself.
Behold, the second best folder in the game. We've got two Program Advances: HeatSpread and BubSpread. We also got the Prism chip. GeneralYeti showed off what happens when you hit a Prism with an AOE attack. Long story short, the damage doubles. Factor in a GrassStage(courtesy of Ground Style!) and you're doing insane damage. Beyond that, it's got MetalMan V1-V3 and Random Meteors to lay down support damage. it also has Mine, meaning 300 damage. AND it has RockCube+AirShot combo for another 200. Really, what's not to like.
Prism plus AOE, recall, equals EXPLOSIONS. I also like to think that Appr stands for Appropriate.
And now, here's Area 1's Time Trials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0NDsviTVqc
FlashMan:FamFldr. 10 seconds is pretty tight, so this is less skill, and more luck. I chose FamFolder just for the PlantMan chip you get. Plus, the Boomer chips help.
BeastMan: FamFldr. 30 seconds for 700 HP is a LOT of time. This is definitely one of the easier ones. Really, I could have rocked a way weaker folder and gave those more screen time. BeastMan shouldn't be hard at this stage in the game. Wait until he attacks, then attack with what you got.
BubbleMan: ApprFldr. BubbleMan is a stalling piece of shit. The folder I used allowed direct contact with MetalMan, and Random Meteors to block the bubbles. Obstacles REALLY stop BubbleMan in his tracks
DesertMan: ApprFldr. A staller just like BubbleMan. But still, 1,200 HP in under 45 seconds is not that easy. MetalMan is a solid choice to get past the defenses. As is Random Meteor. The Bubble Spread PA will deal a solid 300 AND keep him frozen in his tracks. Hitting DesertMan with water causes him to stay in one spot, don't forget!
PlantMan: N1-FldrB. PlantMan's AI is garbage. He'll do 3 waves of thorns, then try to attack with his vines. If you interrupt the vine summoning, he'll just go back to using his thorns. Reflect Trials
FlamMan: ApprFldr. Those candles will be the bane of your existence. The top candle goes from Green-->Yellow, and the bottom one is Green-->Green-->Red. That's all you need to know. Just keep the candles off green. Let them both get to Red if you must. The red candle's HP regen isn't too bad, provided you know how to keep up the damage. Bubble Spread PA+Prism will do 1,200 points of damage. Prepare this to execute him.
DrillMan: FamFldr. Yeah, this will be an issue, even with N1-FldrC or ApprFldr. I would say ApprFldr has a better time, simply because MetalMan is a good chip to use here. I went with FamFldr because PlantMan and FlashMan lets me get off a free stunning blow.
I got that from an earlier take and just decided to leave it in. These bugs, man."I MUST GO! MY PLANET NEEDS ME!"
Alternate joke: something something Gurren Lagann
Area 1 had all the WWW Navis, so Area 2 has Friendly Navis. I even loaded up my White Version just so I could get footage of fighting MistMan.
As much as I despise Giver for being a prick, I will admit he goes above and beyond for the call of LP. he's still an asshole though
OK, let's begin!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=676C87N5rSs
GutsMan: XtraFldr. Surprisingly, this is one of the harder ones! 700 HP in 15 seconds is actually a semi-tall order considering. Of course, I say that, and yet I do it with the Starter Folder. Reflect Trials
Again, it's more luck than skill for this one.MetalMan: XtraFldr. 800 HP in 20 seconds seems tight, but this is MetalMan we're talking about. He will take more shots to the face than a nun. This one I don't think you really need any help with.
MistMan: N1-FldrD. No, I didn't use the folder at all. If you interrupt MistMan after his 6th movement step, he won't use PoisMist. Then I just block all day for free damage. If you don't want to spam Reflect, then this could easily be hard, even with 45 seconds. Go for N1-FldrC
BowlMan: N1-FldrA. BowlMan's AI is also terrible. Just interrupt him at the right times and he can't touch you. I used a weak folder to show that all you really need is good chip execution. BowlMan will try and go for his Gatling Pin 3 times before he summons pins. (In his Beta version, he'll go for Gatling Pin 2 times and then summons the pins twice).
KingMan: PreFldr. Okay, this one is hard. 1,000 HP in under 40 seconds with a ton of defenses? Yikes. I barely made it, too. Use the FamFldr. The free PlantMan and FlamMan will help you enormously here. Plus, it has Boomers and some sweet shot Tornados if you can land them.
Last 3. DarkMan, JapanMan, ProtoMan. Oh boy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GntECCRwoxc
DarkMan: N1-FldrB. Take a look at what I do to his AI at certain points. Using AirShot causes DarkMan to attack with whatever elemental attack he has prepared. He'll even repeat his most recent attack if you hit him. So, if we know DarkMan is about to do a Fire move, we can block it (100), use AirShot (20), which causes him to do another Fire move that can be reflected (100). While the fire is traveling, we can sneak in another hit from Bubbler (60), and then follow it up with more AirShots! The only annoying part is the bats that fly around, blocking my hits. Oh, and we also see that sword chips will kill DarkMan's floating axes and swords.
DarkMan's AI:
Move 0: Attack (fire)
Move 1: N/A
Move 2: Attack (electric)
Move 3: N/A
Move 4: Attack (ice)
Move 5: Summon Batcaves
Move 6: Attack (fire)
Move 7: N/A
Move 8: Attack (ice)
...
The pattern then reverses at half HP. Capcom pls
It might catch you off guard if you're not paying attention. Or if you're high on anesthesia. Like I was.
JapanMan: N1-FldrB. 1,800 HP and under 40 seconds. This looks daunting, if JapanMan's AI wasn't complete trash. He's a tank, so copious use of B+Left will bring him down quick. If you're skilled, you can get off 2 Reflects before attacking with your own chip. N1-FldrC destroys him. The PanelOuts in that folder will stop his soldiers and let you attack freely.
ProtoMan: N1-FldrC. Oh man. ProtoMan is a nice little troll for this folder. He carries 3 AreaGrabs. So, I dealt with that by Areagrabbing (causing him to spam his until he either runs out or gets his area back), and then standing in the way of his chips! We must troll the troll. AI fuckery
It's only cheap if someone uses it against you, you know.
GIGACHIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!
DarkAura is 55 MB, but LifeAura is 77? OK, BN3, whatever you say.
Eh, probably because it's a GigaChip, so you can only have one.
Still, DarkAura is obviously another DarkChip, so you need to fulfill that special condition. But what's more interesting is what you can build with A code.
Sanctuary and DarkAura come in A code, as does PoisonPharoah and Hyper Ratton Program Advances. Hey, BassBS, I can do that strategy, too.
And if we add a Shadow to it, then this is a super annoying wall. Tell me, class, what can break this?
A move that deals at least 600 damage, and is sword type? Muramasa, GaiaSword and any moves that deal poison damage. You'd have to lose a lot of HP just to get a chance at breaking it, and GaiaSword can only be used by Wood Styles, plus they'll have to sacrifice a bunch of chips. Hell, if you want to be even more annoying, just spam B+Left shield. I've already said that there is no attack in the game that can break Shadow+Shield at the same time.
On White Version, you get Serenade's chip for completing the Time Trials. Apparently it's a DarkChip, even though it uses holy power. OK.
At least they're kind enough to tell you it's a DarkChip. And c'mon, the guy-girl is the leader of the UnderNet. Of course it's going to be a DarkChip.
Just like Meteor, it hits more times the less area the enemy has. Trap an enemy to 1 square and see what happens to his health. Be careful not to summon Serenade right next to an opponent. See that wave coming out of his hand? If that hits something, the attack ends prematurely.
And our second reward for completing the Time Trials is our 5th star! Now that we have the Light Blue one, what's next? Hmm.
Orange? We don't have an orange one yet. Or maybe a red one. We don't have either of those.