Part 106: Episode CII: War and War

Episode CII: War and War


Music: Grandma (Destruction)



Use your flight unit to travel there and meet up with 9S.
Will do.
We’ve repaired and reinstalled the weapons damaged in the fight against Eve. Be careful, okay? The mission will be in full swing by the time you get there.
I will... And thanks.
<disconnects>





Before we can get to the mission proper, we’ve got another shmup section. We’ve already seen just about everything these portions have to offer. It’s no different here. While 2B is going through the motions of smashing another couple dozen enemy fliers, we get a transmission from a really bored android stuck on the moon doing his best radio drama voice the Council of Humanity.



Our elite YoRHa forces, the pride of humanity, have defeated two enemy network units known as Adam and Eve. This victory is a giant leap forward in our quest to reclaim Earth. The moon rings out with the cheers of the entire human race! We look forward to your continued combat exploits. Glory to mankind.







After the transmission from the androids’ fake space parents is concluded, 2B drops below cloud cover and has a second round of fighting the same three enemies while flying over the ruined cityscape. Again, we’ve seen this all before. After the first chapter, Route C at least cools it with shooter missions for a good long while.





Music: ENDS



Kept you waiting, huh?


Music: War and War (Instrumental) (This track only ever plays here. You should probably listen to it!)



What’s our status?
The operation is underway, and a few squads have already engaged the enemy. Our orders are to function as a kind of guerilla unit that provides support as necessary. I forwarded our squads current positions to your map. You should head over there ASAP.
Sounds good.



We’re back to playing as 2B. Her YoRHa battle armor doesn’t actually provide any differences mechanically. It’s just a new costume and a voice filter on 2B’s voice. Anyway, as 9S said, our task is to link up with the three other squads already engaging in combat around the City Ruins and provide support as necessary. They’re located down the street from the path to the Desert Zone, in the central crater and the pond in front of the Resistance Camp.

Let’s head to the squad near Jackass’s camp since that’s is closest. As we approach, 2B gets a communication from the squad leader.



This is 4B, captain of Vanguard Squadron Alpha. We’re being worn down by a fierce enemy attack.
This is guerilla unit 2B. We’re on our way.
Roger. And thanks.



Unlike 9S’s earlier session in which the City Ruins were nearly devoid of machines, the entire area is now a complete chaotic warzone jam packed with as many machines as they can roll off the factory assembly lines accompanied with random mortar fire explosions. Our task is to eliminate all machines attacking the YoRHa red shirts in the area.



While the YoRHa allies do try their best to contribute to the fight, they’re all reserve troops that have been sitting around in the Bunker gossiping and trying weight loss diets they read about in old human documents and whatnot. So they are woefully under-leveled (Level 20 almost exclusively) in compared to the Route C machines which are in the level 45-55 range.





It doesn’t help they don’t have particularly great AI. Mechanically, they behave identically to the resurrected android corpses of other players we can find out in the field. Just without the ghoulish robot corpse looks. YoRHa allies can and will die while 2B (and to a lesser extent 9S) do all the heavy lifting destroying the machines. Indeed, it’s entirely possible to get a squadron wiped out if we’re not quick enough clearing the area. There’s no penalty for failing an objective other than 2B getting bummed out she pulled a Chris Redfield with a full team kill.



Once we’ve cleared the area, 2B will briefly be prevented from attacking to avoid friendly fire and she’ll get a transmission from the squad leader survivor.



Thanks for the assist.
We’re heading out to support other squadrons.
We’ll joint you and provide further backup.

Any surviving YoRHa units will now join 2B and 9S as AI allies for the rest of the mission. At least... as long as they can keep up. Remember, it’s the spotty revived corpse AI. Double jumping and rooftop hopping is beyond the scope of their locomotive skills. It’s best to stay on street level if we want them to keep up.

As soon as we move out, we get a transmission from another squadron...



Heading out now to provide support elsewhere.



It’s nice to hear other unseen squads are having success without 2B’s help. It makes it feel a bit more like there’s a huge battle being waged and not 2B rushing around to help a bunch of ill-equipped dipshits like it actually is... Such as the folks who decided the giant sinkhole in the middle of the city is a good stop to brawl with a bunch of machines.



<panicking> The enemy machines are multiplying in front of us. We can’t hold this position!





Theta Squadron, why on earth did you think going into a giant hole was a sound tactical decision for launching an offensive? There’s exactly one unstable path out of this crater and a ton of machines are funneling down it. Be thankful the electric worm machines aren’t still down here, you dumbasses.






We’ll join you, if that’s all right.

Shockingly, I actually managed to make this squad survive for once. When I played the first time and watched a couple other people play this segment, this squadron almost always ate it since the AI absolutely cannot deal with the Goliath Biped if it starts doing that spinning arm move that basically one shots them as they rush in repeatedly to attack.


New Music: War and War (You should listen to this since it only plays here too.)



Alert: Detecting an unusually high number of hostile machine lifeforms.
Why are they going nuts like this? I thought Eve’s network was destroyed.
All we can do is fight.

That’s not true, 2B. You can always just run off and fish. Always. But since you’re committed to combat, we’ve got another transmission as we approach the third squad by the Resistance Camp.



We’re currently pinned down by a number of machines that appear to have lost their minds.
This is unit 2B. We’re heading over now to provide support.
Roger, 2B. Much appreciated.





The androids by the Resistance Camp have it rough since it is nothing but angry, axe-wielding Medium Bipeds with 25+ levels on the generic YoRHa troops (with one being Level 58 thus having a good 7 levels on even 2B.)



Yet by this point it’s like eight YoRHa troops running around alongside AI 9S and 2B which is a scenario the machines’ AI absolutely is not programmed to deal with and results in them constantly whiffing attacks as they decide on a new target in a different direction every time.

Once the machines are all annihilated, we get another couple of communications over the radio...



We’re heading out to support the next squad.
Understood. We’ll join you there and lend a hand.
All right.



They’ve got Attack Squadron Omega surrounded and are giving them one hell of a fight. Can you get over there and provide support ASAP?
We’re on it.
<disconnects>
Man, this is tougher than I thought it would be.
We need to hurry.





Now that we’ve cleared the first three squadrons and saved who we could from getting their asses handed to them, we’re heading back to the southwestern corner of the area to bail out one last squad having some trouble.



We’re in position to provide support for Attack Squadron Omega.
Are we ever glad to see you! They came out of nowhere. We were fighting for our damn lives!
<destroys a few machines> If this keeps up, we can win. 9S? Scan the area to see if any reinforcements are on the way.
<rushes off> You got it.





9S leaves the area, leaving 2B and the surviving YoRHa troops to finish mopping up the last of the machines in the area. However, as we start clearing out most of ‘em, more are air dropped into the battlefield and...



Music: ENDS





...Well that’s new.



!?





AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!



Welp. Guess it’s a good thing we sent 9S away to go do some nerd shit or this could have gone really rotten. Control now shifts back to Hackerman up on the nearby rooftop.



<groans> Let my... guard down... EMP hit me point-blank... I gotta... reboot...
I’ll provide backup!


Music: Grandma (Destruction - Vocal)



9S is coming in hot to save the day...



...Still needs to work on his landings. One day you’ll get it right, 9S. One day... Anyway, we need to go help out 2B... and I guess our other YoRHa comrades if we have time... But mostly 2B. There are some issues with accomplishing that goal!





The Stubbies present still have their EMP attacks and will mess up 9S with status effects such as messing up his visual sensors so all the machines appear as pixelated censored sprites like they just all stripped naked. 9S’s lock on is disabled and he can sometimes straight up whiff attacks like a 99% accuracy lock-on in XCOM.







There are other status effects that can be inflicted such as disabling physical attacks, Pod fire/programs, the ability to evade/jump and hacking. These can all stack up if 9S is within the Stubby EMP range.



They can also straight up inject him with E-Drugs to briefly send 9S on a bad trip and make combat very difficult for 20 seconds until it wears off. There’s actually been items sold that can remedy all these status effects. I never bought any because I wanted to show off all this junk here because status effects almost never get utilized ever again.





In order to win this fight, we just need to have 9S pull back and focus Pod Fire/Programs on the EMP Stubbies. Though we can’t run too far (read: anywhere beyond this street and the field next to it) or else that earlier bad ending will trigger.



I gotta finish ‘em off and help 2B!





More enemies will be dropped into the combat zone to replace the EMP Stubbies once they’re destroyed. But thankfully, the resupply of enemy troops aren’t equipped with EMP units after the initial wave, so it becomes a fairly standard battle towards the end.





Get rekt, nerds. By a nerd... It must be super embarrassing for you all to get ruined by 9S after having taken out an entire YoRHa squad.



9S rushes over and helps 2B to her feet. Given a few other YoRHa androids have back to the standing position, I like to think 9S took a few attempts helping other identical looking androids before finding the one that was actually 2B.



2B tears off her helmet to get some air and also so we can easily identify which one is actually her. I like to think she has an even tinier mask under her normal one that was beneath the helmet.





Before the situation has a chance to stabilize for even a minute, all the YoRHa soldiers begin clutching their heads and screaming...



...All of them. Including 2B. Uh-oh.





I gotta do something... I have to save 2B!



2B’s health begins rapidly depleting from the virus (granted her plug-in chip kicks in replenishing it just as fast so she’s in a bit of a limbo.) 9S has to hack 2B in order to halt it from spreading. We can actually hack any of the YoRHa soldiers, but it’ll just stop their health from depleting briefly and pfft... we don’t care about those red shirts.



As it turns out, it’s a really simple hack to disable a virus spreading through an android’s body. 9S has 2B sorted out in no time.



<nods and rises to her feet>

Music: ENDS



Heh heh...
Hahaha...
<looks around confused> ......
<looks around> The hell...?



HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!



...Well shit. Tune in next time as 2B and 9S have a good laugh with the virus infected YoRHa invasion forces. You can just hack them too and they’ll be fine. Right, 9S...? R-right...?






Video: Episode 102 Highlight Reel (You should probably watch at least the end of this.)





Bunker Concept Art – They do get some pretty spacious dorm rooms.