Mega Man Battle Network 4-6 Part #55 - (Liberation) Mission All Over!

Part 55: (Liberation) Mission All Over!

Not shown: Offscreen chip grinding in order to build up an improved folder for this. I've switched to an S-R folder instead of an S-P folder now, minus the outliers like JusticeOne J, LeaderRaid L, and Phoenix P.

And boy is this one a doozy.

Since this is the last chance the game gets, we'll finally have an explanation for all this.

"King Chaos" is another translation error, unfortunately. The proper name for the ruler of NebulaArea is The Lord of Chaos, AKA ChaosLord. He's referred to by the correct name in several other places, including, yes, the fight with him.

Emotions and things like friendship and synchronization have tangible effects in Cyberworld. Ever wonder where the negative stuff goes? It's all drawn into the final area past here: NebulaArea6.

All that hate aggregates and condenses together under what must be some strange CyberHateGravity. CybHatGrv?

Basically, Gospel was to BugFrags what ChaosLord is to hate. I rather like enemies that have this theme of being composed of a ton of minor things that collectively become powerful.

_{Destoroyah was the coolest Godzilla monster and I will deny anyone who says otherwise.}

As promised earlier, let's have a look at this place.

Holy fucking shit, man.

Rather than talk about all of it, here's an annotated version that has a step-by-step guide to my strategy.

There's 3 keys to find, and after examining the area, I could tell where they'd be hidden. Despite the look of the area, this mission is actually very linear. Without NapalmMan and with so few wide open expanses, it'll be difficult to get through this quickly. As you can see from my pieced-together screenshots, the target phase is 16.

The biggest issue with this area is the viruses, no doubt about that. They all have about 250-380 HP, and include such monstrosities as AppulEX (Apply3EX), ZymonEX (Zomon3EX), and BomBerEX (

BomBoy3EX).

You're basically at the mercy of the game's random number generator. Hope you've got a good folder and a knack for once-a-phase savescumming.

Let's begin. Since this is the very last Liberation Mission, I'll be going into greater detail.

Yes, I forgot to remove my FastGauge regular chip. I realized my error after taking the screenshot. And yes, I habitually select it first each fight, I curbed this impulse quickly. TimeBomb3 S is the star of the show for this Liberation Mission, really, 200 damage to the entire enemy field is a godsend.

MegaMan's weird HP isn't due to DarkChips. I'll remind you that there's no reason to use those normally, just in ChaosUnisons. BassCross Silver has a percentage-based HP increase is all.

As the strategy said, going up and to the left isn't as productive as the right, due to the DarkHole and ItemPanels you can snag up here.

Ah, the wonderous difference NOT having an utterly terrible folder makes. Team Colonel is back in asskicking action, folks.

I don't plan around 1-turn liberates anymore, not with these viruses, so this was a stroke of luck. 3 Order Points are going to come in very handy.

I missed the screenshot or IrfanView ate it, but ShadowMan begins his work further on towards an ItemPanel.

CosmoMan is the boss of the area, of course.

But BlizzardMan, as I mentioned way the hell back, is a miniboss here! He's counted more or less like a DarkGuardian, although he doesn't move.

KnightMan's presence is very appreciated here, there's a ton of DarkGuardians in a very tightly-packed area. Damage racks up fast, and given how getting hit by a virus usually deals about 200 damage or so, give or take 100, HP matters a hell of a lot.

ShadowMan kicks off phase 2 by continuing to work his way towards the lone ItemPanel. As I later find out, this is more or less a waste of his time, but given the narrow corridors of panels one has to work with in this area, he wouldn't be doing anything very productive otherwise.

I think if all the 1-turn liberations were tallied up, KnightMan would have the most of them. That said, the ZymonEX viruses make for an interesting Knight Vs. Samurai fight, as KnightMan moves slower than anyone else and can be cut up by the extremely speedy Zymons. In turn, KnightMan's Royal Wrecking Ball charge shot is fantastic at eliminating them and other viruses, due to its high damage and circular arc. Zymons have blind spots diagonally from them when they attack, so KnightMan can strike then. It's a pretty even match, making fights with them tough.

This area is quite generous, I didn't find a single trap in the whole thing. Which is in sharp contrast to the previous mission! So ToadMan is free to power up the team with impunity, as the ItemPanels are all safe, though fairly few in number.

This line of panels connects the area the team is working on and ShadowMan's little nook.

It also allows Colonel to make a direct course for the first of the DarkHoles. There's only 5 of them in this mission.

See, this is why it's best to stay around KnightMan. As you can imagine, this mission is even worse for Team ProtoMan players in the GBA versions. MagnetMan's team defense costs an Order Point, although it has infinite range.

It's rather funny what this item here turned out to be.

So ShadowMan's HP is fully restored, bringing him right back to where he started. Nothing accomplished, maybe a few more panels he could have been liberating elsewhere lost.

This fight had a pair of ZymonEXs, so you can see how they really tear into KnightMan's bulk.

ToadMan has the most issue with FlashlitEXs (Flashy3EX) and EleGaiaEXs (EleOgre3EX), as both love to bathe the field in electricity. If ToadMan gets hit by any of that, it's basically an instant deletion.

I'm not even going to bother trying to plan for the long term with the Order Points, so Colonel goes in for a ScreenDivide to make the DarkHole accessible.

Colonel got hit once in that fight and took 200 damage. Still, success is a success.

ItemPanel contents are preset in stone for each mission, and without NapalmMan or TomahawkMan available here, you're guaranteed to get this AntiWood M chip.

MegaMan makes his attack, and you can see right away that it isn't as evil as the DarkHoles in the last mission. Then again, who knows what I'd be saying if I went into this with that folder! TinHawk6s are flying lumps of HP, EleGaiEXs only really threaten ToadMan, and why the hell are Mett3EXs included!? I have the sneaking suspicion that they're around because Capcom had pity for the player.

That's one DarkHole down.

This makes the TinHawk6 that was harassing ShadowMan fade away. Since it would have attacked him next DarkLoid phase, this means he stays at full HP, so there really was absolutely no point in sending him up here. I guess maybe it distracted the TinHawk6, but DarkGuardian fights are always 1-on-1, so it'd have been easier than the standard DarkPanel fights!

Hey! You can't do that! Since when could Bladias cross BarrierPanels!?

Best to get rid of him now rather than later, or he'll clog up the vicinity in DarkPanels.

Colonel manages to scrape by the next fight without taking a hit, although I'd been hoping for a 1-turn. In hindsight, I should have used ScreenDivide here, as usual I'm underestimating how many Order Points I'm going to have. Probably so that Team ProtoMan players can use MagnetMan's ability without being punished.

ShadowMan's very useful, but let's recall he's a genocidal mercenary assassin. What do we do to make him more effective?

"CROAK CRORROAK GROAK RIBBIT"

He probably liberates better just to make it stop.

MegaMan's going to recover HP. I learned how important it is to do that periodically, to say the least.

Cosmo Planet is a ridiculous name for this attack, I just realized. It's like naming something "Ocean Island" or "Sky Cloud".

Jokes aside, the space between CosmoMan and BlizzardMan is quite dangerous. CosmoPlanet deals 100 damage to a single target.

And then Snowball hits everyone in range for 80. Poor Colonel was the target for both, being in an unfortunate position. He survives because he's Colonel.

Another TinHawk6 decides ToadMan looks delicious. For once, the DarkLoid phase is actually worth covering because there's significant damage flying around.

Thank god for KnightMan. With the danger of this area demonstrated, now imagine what happens if you try to go after BlizzardMan unprotected.

Given how few places to stand there are in this corridor-centric mission, it becomes a lot more strategic where you place which teammate. KnightMan rests here so that BlizzardMan can be slaughtered without retribution.

Poor BlizzardMan. He doesn't even get a change in music or any pre-battle dialogue.

The battle music isn't even the boss fight theme.

BlizzardMan is easy, depleting 1300 HP in 3 turns isn't. Colonel, nevertheless, is going to rest rather than go on the assault.

ShadowMan's pretty good at finishing the job, appropriately.

The homing AntiDamage charge shot helps.

A TinHawk6 made the mistake of wandering in here during the DarkLoid phase. It's gone now.

Ah, beautiful golden key, you are mine.

Like I said before, despite the look of the area's branching pathways, you're pretty boxed-in. This way leads to the second key, which opens the way to the third.

How do I get myself into these situations?

MegaMan gets a break after BlizzardMan. The rest of the team is safe anyway.

Since I missed the screenshot of what ToadMan was doing, here's what they're up to. I can afford a ScreenDivide here, that way ShadowMan can liberate that last panel and open the route with little trouble.

I was hoping for something more, oh what's the word...useful.

Opening the path can wait, I had a hunch that this ItemPanel would be worthwhile. More Order Points is always a good thing. In a bit of a full circle, LongSword and ScreenDivide become very useful in these cramped conditions.

CosmoMan decides he just really hates Colonel more than ShadowMan. Yeah, this more or less confirms that the AI searches for the target with the lowest HP rather than factoring in distance.

KnightMan is swiftly moved over here, while ShadowMan takes care of opening the path.

What can I say? These viruses are nasty. ToadMan is around because MegaMan loves company, although my intent was to boost another teammate.

The thing is, that BigBrute6 is in the way, so ToadMan begins making a way towards it.

KnightMan and Colonel both recover. KnightMan will keep the BigBrute6 from being able to do any damage while Colonel's placement ensures that said BigBrute6 attacks anyway and doesn't move someplace else.

With a single point of HP left, MegaMan gets a phase off.

DarkGuardians do not stand a chance 1-on-1 with KnightMan.

ShadowMan also rests. Basically, anything below 200 HP is a suicide run, being able to take hits makes the 3 turn limit less imposing, though still difficult. Although you'll see me press the offense anyway periodically.

Doing the once-a-phase save is a lot less annoying with savestates than it is with the in-game save. I'll remind you that those take about fifteen damned seconds, which is absurdly fucking long for a game that's virtually identical to a GBA game that handled saves in an instant.

Given that Hog Butcher noted that DS games are a pain in the ass to code for, I'm going to assume that the DS has some completely ridiculous infrastructure that makes software on it really clunky. That or there's more copy-protection and whatnot in DS cartridges than in GBA cartridges.

The pointless 1-turn liberation is of course going to rear its head for the last mission.

Next phase opens with MegaMan getting a very useful 1-phase invincibility from the BonusPanel, although those seem to be the most common and heavily-weighted reward.

That's more like it, Colonel. Time for the next DarkHole.

BassCross MegaMan is the team powerhouse, so expect to see him take on most of the things I assume will be difficult. That said, Invis, TimeBomb3 S, Pulsar3 S, Skully1 S, Hell's Rolling charge shot.

Presto. This even means that I can go right for the key.

Intuition serves me well, who knows what's in the other IteamPanel. On one hand, I might be missing something useful, on the other, that's the perfect place for a trap. I'm not risking it.

Incidentally, with all the BarrierPanel2s cleared from the field, ShadowMan can go after a newly-opened DarkHole nearby. You might think I'd go for LeaderRaid, but remember that Apply viruses are immune to all non-fire damage when the shell is up. TimeBomb3 S, AirHoc S, DrillArm2 S, and SplitUp S is a much better idea.

Missing these Order Points is impossible because liberating that DarkHole gives them to you as well.

KnightMan needs HP.

Given my newfound abundance of Order Points, MegaMan can certainly afford to use LongSword here to start moving to the other side of the area for the 4th DarkHole and 3rd key.

"Success costs HP" is a pretty good rule of thumb for this area. Avoiding damage is nigh-impossible if you can't kill everything in a few seconds. You can sort of see the other side of this bunch of BarrierPanel3s.

It's a perfect spot to annoy ShadowMan with more croaking.

"Okay, I'll do it! My ears!"

Colonel opens a route for KnightMan to make a strategic action: Stand in place and rest. Liberating that panel is a waste of HP and time, the Bladia6 is just going to reclaim it and attack from that panel.

This either worked perfectly because the Bladia6 didn't move to attack, or was pointless because it would have attacked this way anyhow. You be the judge.

MegaMan and Colonel get some very needed rest.

And so, ToadMan opens the way for the Bladia6 to get a beating.

In an inversion of the KnightMan-ZymonEX relationship, Bladias do terribly against ShadowMan. ShadowMan's auto-floatshoes make their attacks worthless, not to mention his sheer speed and AntiDamage charge shot.

More importantly, KnightMan has a full 900 HP right now.

He's going to need it. Jesus. First turn, JusticeOne gets used to deal 280 to the FlashlitEX and 100 to the fucking BomBerEX and Bladia6.

This turns out to go almost catastrophically wrong. Due to JusticeOne cracking the panels, the BomBerEX winds up right in front of my area, primed to spam me with unstoppable explosions. Thankfully, my flailing around to salvage the situation resulted in the Bladia6 cracking my front row as well, so the hole prevents the BomBerEX from being pure evil.

That was a close call. KnightMan took 600 damage, nobody else from the team would have survived that.

Given that one of these will be the final key, I'm willing to risk a ScreenDivide to liberate both.

Huh. Guess I missed out on whatever was in that other one, it's unlikely that there's only one trap in the whole area over there.

The final key! I never have to find another one ever again!

And likewise, behold, the final DarkHole. Given that these are the worst viruses the game has to offer, this may well be the hardest virus battle in the game.

KEEEER-ANTICLIMAX! Seriously, anything besides the Mett3EX would have made this very difficult. The TrumpySP at least isn't as fucking evil as Xylos, which fully heals every other virus. Capcom did not include those in any mission because that crosses the line into bullshit. TrumpySP just makes the other viruses invincible for a few seconds. Given the HP of those viruses, one of which spending most times out of range, this is basically a race against the timer. Fitting, that the last DarkHole is a challenge in terms of Liberation Mission mechanics rather than virus difficulty.

Murderrific. Look at the field, the poor Mett3EX didn't even get to attack once.

No more DarkHoles PERIOD.

Let the assault commence. Due to the leftover...abundance of Order Points, I'm going to splurge on KnightMan.

Rather than go right for CosmoMan, it's a better idea to make the field conditions better and prevent CosmoMan from regenerating too much HP at a time.

ShadowMan...well, at this point I realized I was on the verge of a great finish. That TimeBomb3 will cut 200 HP, and the second (with a pointless Atk+10) will kill everything.

Yes!

YES!

This is pure damnation for CosmoMan. He is completely fucked.

His response is to attack KnightMan for a whopping zero damage.

Rather than go right on the assault, I'll do some final preparations. KnightMan's position means the whole team gets protected.

ToadMan clears out this panel.

This was unintentional, but god, I love how the very last DarkPanel of the game is a pointless 1-turn liberation.

Colonel gets a rest for the next turn, which will be the assault.

Might as well snap off some HP, right?

FIVE HUNDRED DAMAGE!?

Holy shit, I'm so doing that again.

There went two-thirds of CosmoMan's HP in under a minute.

"Absolutely damned" is a good way of putting it.

Colonel gets the final attack.

Sort of.

I love how they call the same being Lord of Chaos and King Chaos in the same game, that right there is a consistency fuckup. I refer to it as ChaosLord for a good reason that will come up next update. Although he's also called that in battle.

This begs more questions than it answers. So, did Regal create the area? If not, why do the Darkloids serve him? If he did, why wasn't it open in the first place to cover the net in stronger viruses?

What did you expect from a NEBULA area? Intelligence?

Ah, finally, something that does make sense.

I like this, it makes out ChaosLord to be a sort of abomination that's a level above the standard enemy fare. Even if it's just a way for Capcom to be lazy and not give ChaosLord a unique sprite.