Part 84: Episode LXXXII: Wandering Gold

Episode LXXXII: Wandering Gold



Back to it! Those sidequests ain’t gonna do themselves. Today’s excursion will take us back to Pascal’s Village for a spell. There’s a couple reasons for returning here.


Music: Pascal (Vocal)



Chiefly, we want to speak with Pascal to trigger the next story beat in which he points us in the direction of his weird neighbors, the Forest Kingdom fellas. This opens up the Forest Zone as well as unlock Emil’s Shop once we return there. There’s a handful of sidequests in the Forest Zone that aren’t even tallied with the rest that were already on the map. But we’re going to try to avoid traveling there just yet since the region does have several new main plot scenes. We’re just saving some time while we’re in the neighborhood.





The reason we’re actually here is to sort out these idiots whose quest failed in Route A because it’s literally the only one that has a cut-off point of unlocking the Route A unofficial point of no return, not actually triggering said point. Which is still dumb as hell and actively annoying to me. I never said this game was perfect.



Let’s right the wrongs of failing that quest today by doing it all at once as soon as possible so there’s no threat of these two spontaneously evaporating when 2B and 9S are a block away. If you’ll remember, these two were intent on deserting the Resistance and were hiding out until they could skip town. 9S and 2B are part of YoRHa and don’t actually care about anyone AWOL in the older runs of androids. Fuck the police.



However, one of the androids needed some materials to repair a bum leg. They saw just the thing, some Elaborate Gadgets, back at the Abandoned Factory but didn’t bother to collect them because every android on earth aside from 2B and 9S are evidently lazy as hell.







We do need to repeat this first part of the quest. Thankfully, the material in question just respawns in the same spot and it’s just a matter of teleporting to the Abandoned Factory, running upstairs to grab a glowey thingy and FedExing it back to Pascal’s Village. We even get rewarded for it again, which is nice. The couple claims someone is going to ship smuggle them out of the region and vanish after that.



Friendly machines hanging out where the Wandering Couple were found mention the pair talking about going across the sea. Which means taking a trek to the Flooded City. Just as reference, the first part of this quest unlocks the second time Pascal’s Village is entered (so just before the dual-Engels boss battles) and there’s no indication given the Flooded City zone actually exists until past the point the mission fails.


Music: Rays of Light (Quiet)



It’s possible to go to the Flooded City immediately after the giant hole is created in the middle of the City Ruins. Good luck finding the sewer pipe leading into it on your own when playing the game normally. Especially since there’s actually a second sewer pipe that leads to a secret area we’ve yet to explore. But forget that. This is Route B. We can simply Fast Travel here at any time.



The Wandering Couple is hanging out by a building just before getting to the crumbling highway over the ocean. We’re not actually going to talk to them just yet because there’s kind of a conflict of interest here that makes it a touch difficult to initiate the next leg of that quest. Hey, remember how we saw the first golden machine here back in Route A? Guess what’s hanging out here again...



This machine type purposely seeks out androids in order to enact revenge. It should be dispatched immediately.
Got it.

The final leg of the Golden Machine unmarked quest has spawned here. Technically, all three spots we’ve seen (also a fourth one in the Forest Zone we won’t encounter) will spawn the golden stubbies and their shiny back-up. These machines have a massive aggro radius, given their lust for revenge and all. So if 2B had managed to piss off one back in Route A when it was effectively immortal, good luck talking to the Wandering Couple! Especially since the next leg of that quest spawns the couple even closer to the Golden Machine hangout spot.

Anyway, let’s see what the final Golden Machine, the Vengeful Child, has to say. Yep, we’re doing a robot child murder! Drakenier!



If I cannot avenge them, then I have no right to live. Now... we fight!





Unlike the other Golden Stubbies, where they were just regular stubby machines with a stylish spray job and a wall of HP, the Vengeful Child actually a unique attack – a flying rocket head butt that kinda hurts coming from a machine we’ve got 17 levels over. The flame aura doesn’t do anything. It’s just a stylist flare which... thank fuck. Enemies in melee focused video games with constant elemental auras that will damage you just by being in proximity are the goddamn worst. Lookin' at you, electric worm robots!


Music: City Ruins (Chiptune)







Other than avoiding a Cyber-Psycho Crusher from the Vengeful Child, the flow of this fight is much the same as its processors insofar as the minion is far easier to take out first before focusing on the Hacking Resistant/Bullet Sponge golden stubby. The Golden Goliath Biped is the exact same enemy. It’s a guaranteed spawn alongside the Golden Tank as parts of this mission pointless cycle of revenge.



As before, the Golden Stubby doesn’t take its minion’s death well. Indeed, this one is SUPER pissed. This might be the most passionately angry as hell machines in the game outside like endboss Eve. Probably more so considering Eve was kinda pathetic by the end while this little shit literally a burning ball of anger.





A few hacking attempts and some Pod Program back-up (we’re actually leveling enough to the point we could take this thing down with melee/Pod Programs in only 5-10 minutes) finally the last of the Golden Machines falls and it’s NOT happy about it...


New Music: Mourning (Choir)



Even if I achieved my revenge, I was planning to die regardless. My friends are dead. My family is dead. You killed them all and left me alone. I don’t have the strength to continue. It... hurts... I’m sorry, everyone... I couldn’t avenge you... Accursed androids... How much longer will you torment us!? You damn monsters! Glory to us... Glory to my family!





Data shows that humans often engage in similar activities throughout mankind’s history. Such attempts at revenge were often seen as justified.
And yet... I...



Right... That’s the end of the Golden Machines subplot. No big reward or pay-off. The first two machines gave necessary unique Pod upgrade materials that only spawned there. Killing that last one was just being a dick. No moral.

So anyway, how are you two doing? Sorry about that. Just had to finish systematically murdering an entire machine family. What’s crackin’ with you two?



Thank you again for your help.
I know this is awkward, but if you have the time, we could actually use your assistance again.
Don’t you dare ask for more help!
But...
No, what is it? Do you need more parts to repair yourselves?
I won’t accept—
Put your pride aside, you foolish man! We need the help and you know it.
I know, but...
Why must you always be so stubborn!? Just let me handle this. Yes, we need your help, but not with finding parts. We’re actually trying to flee to a land across the sea.
Oh. How’s that going to work?
There’s a sympathetic figure in the Resistance who’s offering to help us. People refer to him as “The Emancipator.” However, he doesn’t work for free.



To progress the next part of this quest we need to cough up a hefty 50,000 G to the couple. Right now we have 175,538 in the YoRHa retirement fund. I guess we can spare some charity for these two. This has gotta be a hefty tax deductible contribution. Although a foreword warning: This cash is just gone if this quest fails again! No refunds on charitable donations.



I don’t know what to say. We really don’t deserve such generosity... But we’ll pay it back someday. I swear we will!



We’re not done with the Wandering Couple quite yet. But in order to progress the quest we need to leave the area. It might take a couple fast travel teleports to trigger the next beat. I don’t know why this quest has so many odd quirks to it.


Music: Peaceful Sleep



Personally, I had to teleport to the Amusement Park Zone, the Resistance Camp and the Desert Zone before it finally decided to update here. However, I did do a bit of maintenance work back at the Resistance Camp.





Particularly, we cleaned out the final Pod Program available for sale at the Maintenance Shop – the R070: M Shield. One would hazard a guess the M stands for Magic. Just ignore the part where magic doesn’t exist in this world in any real form – just cutting edge technology that is functionally indistinguishable from magic. Also energy orbs.





The M Shield is the much more useful if still underwhelming companion piece to the P Shield. It grants 9S about five seconds of immunity from projectile attacks (read: energy orbs) with a hefty 10-12 second cooldown time. The fully charged up version grants 10-12 seconds of projectile immunity with a 25-20 second cooldown timer. The M Shield is definitely more useful than the P Shield if only because most projectile attacks are just haphazardly spammed everywhere for extended periods of time while physical attacks are mostly highly choreographed and fairly easily evaded. Still, it’s near bottom tier if just playing on Normal in terms of overall usefulness.



In any case, that’s all for Pod Programs we can obtain through purchasing. The rest are sidequest rewards or found in hacking chests out in the field. But that’s for another day. For now, we need to return to the Flooded City and check up on the Wandering Couple.


Music: Rays of Light (Quiet)



This time the couple has moved err... a little bit further down the street and seem to be having a bad time. Also this guy is totally within the aggro radius of the Golden Machine if that quest were still active. So good luck chatting with him in Route A! Let’s see what happened...



Are you all right? What happened?
The Emancipator... attacked... He was swindling us from the start.
What happened to the woman who was with you?
She fled... She was trying to act as a decoy in order to keep me safe... P-Please... You must help me find her!
<Help the man.>
Thank you. Here’s her bio-code—it should help you find her.



Exact position unknown. Data regarding her last known location does exist, however. The unit in quest was most recently seen in the amusement park ruins.
Got it.



That’s a hell of a dash to just act as a decoy. OK. The Amusement Park... got it! Heading out again. Thank goodness for Fast Travel...


Music: Amusement Park (Quiet)



We find the woman just outside the park entrance close to the sewer manhole that led us here initially. So what’s your half of this story, lady...? You better not have lost that loan or I swear...



Are you all right?
Uuurgh...
Well, you’ve certainly taken damage, but it’s nothing that can’t be repaired.
Alert: Memory alloy required to repair this unit.
Just wait here, okay? I’ll get what you need as soon as I can.



Memory Alloy is a rare drop from Enhanced Machines and Goliath Bipeds. We need a hunk of it to finish off this quest. Fortunately we already picked up some of it... somewhere. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth, eh? We’ll have to go grinding for material soon enough.



Oh err... hi, Pascal? You’re just going to rocket out of the sky, huh? I saw another machine do that trick earlier. It didn’t end well... What’s happening, my dude? We’ll check on those weird forest boys eventually. We’ve got some completionist business to attend to. It’s a human illness. You wouldn’t understand...



I was concerned about the two androids who were staying in our village, so I decided to look for them. During my search, I noticed that one of their signals had suddenly grown quite weak. You have the material she needs, yes? If so, please give it to me so I can perform the repairs.
You got it.
......
Something wrong?
The android is female. You are male... Perhaps you might close your eyes until I’m done?
Oh! Right! Sure, yeah. Lemme just... close my eyes then.



And done!



Thank you for helping me. Do you have any information about my friend?
He’s fine. You don’t need to worry—

In fact, he’s just off to the left of us. Hey, dude? Did you walk all the way here? That’s a hell of a hike! You should really invest in getting fast travel. Makes a world of difference.



Ah!
I’m sorry. I should have been stronger for you.
Please, don’t. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.
I’m sorry to have put this on you. I truly am.
Oh, it’s perfectly fine. However, what do you intend to do now?
Now? Well, I suppose we’ll try to find someplace safe.
And then what? Continue being pursued by our former friends and hunted by machines? I can’t take any more!
But...
If this is going to be my life, I’d rather return to the Resistance. If we reformat ourselves and reset our memories, I’m sure Anemone will take us back.
But if we do that, I’ll forget how I feel about you!
And if we don’t, I’ll eventually grow to hate you. Do you understand? Even if I’m reformatted, I know I’ll fall in love with you.
...All right.
Will you help us one more time? Will you erase our memories and bring us back to the Resistance Camp?
<Agree to help.>
Thank you. ...You can begin with me.
All right...



...So I take it we’re not getting that money back, huh? Goddammit. This romance better be worth it.


Music: Vague Hope



Me? No. I’m fine, thanks.
What?
Your formatting procedure was perfect. I’d expect nothing less from a cutting-edge YoRHa model.
Wait, what are you—
Don’t you understand? We’re too weak. That’s why I knew I had to convert one of us into a combat model. Then we’ll never have to run from anything again! But I can’t do that without a complete system reset, which is why I had you format him. Now it’s time to strengthen him up! Hmm... While I’m at it, I’d better delete all of his namby-pamby ways. I need someone more forceful in my life, you know?
......
Oh, don’t look at me like that! This is the sixth time I’ve had him formatted, and it’s never been a problem. I don’t know if this is enough payment for all you’ve done, but please accept it.



I mean... we lent you 50,000 G and this is maybe 20,000 G worth of shit... plus feeling kinda scummy about helping you out cuz BOY none of this feels good or cool. Was that Emancipator guy even real or did you just run off and gank yourself as an excuse for all of this?



Not that it really helps, but we do receive a new Pod Program for finally completing this quest – the A080: Wave.



This Pod Program causes 9S to leap up and slam Pod 153 into the ground, causing a shockwave. See bosses and Goliath Bipeds? Now we can do it too! Ours is just white instead of red.





Full charged, Wave’s shockwave greatly increases in damage and the err... well, wave spreads across a huge area. This Pod Program is actually real good for farming enemies since hell if any machines know how to deal with avoiding a shockwave and the fully charged up version will juggle most common enemies to death. Going to the Adam and Eve birth site or the Copied City infinite enemy spawn points and going wild with this is a good way to gain some levels quickly too.



Anyway, after handing off her savings which for all I know is just scrubbing this poor sap’s inventory of everything to give to us, the Wandering Couple departs forever. As with many sidequests, there’s no follow-up. We’re not going to see this guy turned into a memory-wiped Robocop. Just kinda mull that one over on your own time... I didn't not feel one bit good about this one's ending.



Women can be pretty scary sometimes.
I... see. I will bear that in mind...



And that concludes the Wandering Couple sidequest. Women can be scary sometimes. I suppose we at least got a moral for that one... Right?






Video: Episode 82 Highlight Reel (You should watch this if just for the last golden machine’s “fuck you!” monologue.)





Pascal Render – You think he’s distant cousins with IG-88?