Part 129: Tarqaron Optional Area

Hey, everyone!

Starting off today's update is a scene in Aurnion, which triggers once Raven has learned 100 or more Skills.



Mission? Whaddaya mean...?
Sir Raven, word of your formidable success has reached our ears, even here!
Enough with the formalities.



This is a gift of encouragement to Sir Raven from Master Ioder. Please take it, that it may serve you well in the final battle.
An outfit for the final battle, eh?
It's given by the emperor to a distinguished commandant to recognize their loyalty and great deeds.
He's probably trying to get you pepped up by giving it to you before the final battle.
But shouldn't you be givin' it ta Flynn, then? I'm not one of the Imperial Knights!



I think that's Flynn's way of saying, "I'll clean up for Schwann's mistakes. Go and give 'em hell." He'll be pretty steamed if you turn it down.
...I understand. Then I'll accept this gladly, as an imperial gift from Master Ioder.
Once you accept it, you have to wear it.
Right here?
Yes. It's the custom.



I'm glad ya like it. Now, let's get out of here.
C-Captain Schwaaann...





Wow...
That's why I wanted us to get out of here!
Everyone has such high hopes for us.



It's a pretty nice costume!


With that, we have everything we need for some more dungeon crawling!

Remember back in the final dungeon, there was a side path on the last screen we didn't explore?





Well, we can actually go there, and it leads back outside, to the right side of the tower.





Which we're then allowed to run back down, all the way. Yay.





All the way.





Back down.





At least it skips one of the inside rooms, I guess? (the big broken roulette table thing)





Around here, there's a quite confusing scene with Raven if you have him as the on-screen character with the Shining Star costume equipped.






Come on, let's take a load off! A little nap in the lovin' lap of sweet Judith and I'll be back ta full health in a jiffy...



And just when I thought you'd turned a new leaf, Raven.
That outfit doesn't look so believable on you anymore.
Hey hey, Judith baby, whaddaya say?
I know a much better way to get some nice sleep than lying in my lap.
Ohhh? ♥



Whatever it takes, Judith, just make him shut up!
You're sure cold. Treat yer elders a little nicer, won't ya?
It's nice to know we've still got the same old Raven with us.
I can't imagine Raven as Captain Schwann anymore...
Yeah, maybe he was only plain old Raven, after all...


I have no idea why this is here, it almost seems like they messed up the map or event trigger and this was supposed to happen when going up instead of on the way back down. Whatever.




Anyway, back to going down. We're already in the town-ish area here.











And finally, we're back in the entrance area. Unfortunately, if you think we're getting done with this, you'd be wrong. We're just getting started.









After a few more straightforward platforms and a lift, we finally reach...



Welcome to the worst screen in the entire game.

This screen sucks. It's convoluted, big, and most of all slow because of all those ladders.

It's a pain.



And if that wasn't enough, there's these random nets holding rocks all over the place, and you have to burn them to drop the rocks to form platforms below.



Enjoy this mass of screenshots from the area.



















Okay game, now you're just fucking with me.





















Eventually we reach this bridge back to the first area.





And shortly after that, this red-ish area!





There's two switches here that turn on bridges back in the ladder area. Great.



There's also two treasure chests here holding the last two Fell Arms. Well, in the 360 version at least, the PS3 version still has two more that we haven't encountered yet (and won't for a while).





Going back up on the other stairway here leads, after a short walk...







Back to the awful screen, fantastic.









Alright dungeon designers, if it wasn't obvious before, now it is, you've clearly run out of ideas.



The left button drops a random enemy on you.



The right one activates this stairway here. Also in case you wonder, I missed activating the left bridge, ignore that, it's just a shortcut.







And with that stairway, we can finally exit this dumb ladder screen.





Just a short track through here, and...







Done! Opening this treasure, for some reason, activates a way back to the entrance, so let's get out of here.





Oh and it also activates this lift here, but whatever, we're not coming back.






Notable treasure:


Super Chain 2: Able to link arcane to altered artes.
Combination 3: Increases damage and recovers TP for a combo: 3-hit normal → base → altered → arcane → mystic


Vitality 4: Increases Max HP by 1200.
Steel Defense: Reduce damage received to 10% when near K.O.


Resilience: Avoid staggering while casting a spell.








And, of course, the two Fell Arms:


No Skills


No Skills


Boarding the airship with all seven Fell Arms triggers a scene.

Watch the cutscene! / Baldurdash



Sounds about right.
We finally got 'em all!
...What's the deal guys? Isn't that exciting?
It's not like they're some lost treasure, or anything.
Yeah, but they're ancient relics! They've gotta have something cool hidden inside, right?
...They're not givin' off any vibes that I can feel.



Maybe. I want to know why they were hidden in the first place. Why are they treated so differently from Dein Nomos?
Do you think there's something bad about them?
I don't know. Anyway, at least we know we've got all of them together now. Now all that's left to do is give them to Flynn, and let him deal with the mess.
You know...you've got a real winner of a personality.
Hah hah. It took you long enough to notice!
There can be no doubt that entrusting the fell arms with him is our most reliable option.
Exactly. Next stop, Aurnion.


Sure, why not. To Aurnion!

Watch the cutscene! / Baldurdash





Understood. Thank you. Now, go and get some rest.
No, Sir! I'm just fine! I will continue my watch.
Taking breaks is part of the job. You can't protect people with enthusiasm alone.
B-but...
Go get some rest.
Y-yes, Sir...



Very good. I'll be right there.



Yes, I haven't forgotten. However, I'm just on my way to supervise the food distribution. I'm afraid you'll have to come with me. We can discuss it on the way.
Yes, Sir.



Huh? Why the change?
I think Yuri's tryin' ta say that we've all got a job ta do.
Flynn wouldn't be able to look after the fell arms with all this stuff going on.
How kind of you.
Kindness has nothing to do with it. Let's get going.



Wow. Now I've seen everything.
Hah hah hah. And thus, through friendly teasing, the youth of today form the bonds of tomorrow.

Seeing this scene unlocks the final hidden super powerful boss fight, sorta like Abyssion or Nebilim in previous Tales games. But we'll leave that for later.


To finish this update, let's take a short trip back to Nam Cobanda. With all the new treasure chests we opened in the final dungeon we can finally trigger:



Hey, not bad! You collected a ton of treasures!
We went all over the world!
Show me, show me!

Ooo, this is very nice! Oh, I've heard of this! Oh, this one is pretty useless... Great! Thank you! This should help a lot!
Huh? That's all you need?
It's enough, it's enough! I've stored everything I've seen up in this noggin of mine!
Then you'll be able to get the treasure fishing up and running soon?
But ya'll need some time to get things rollin', won't ya?
Yes, indeed. To fill it up I think...100 treasures should do the trick?
Even making 100 treasures sounds like pretty daunting work.
No, not at all! It's fun!
You're really something, you know that?
You're really something yourself, kid.



By now, most of the treasure chests in the world are empty!
You make it sound like I'm a thief, or a miser, or something.
Indeed! In your quest for treasure, you leave no stone unturned...in fact, you leave no stones at all! You take them all! ♥




And while we're here, I missed an event that triggers when you play the Tales of Draspi minigame (that weird fake-8-bit pseudo-shmup) 30 times.






Hey, looks like someone's playing our games! Looks like someone's having fun! Eh? Eh?
I tell ya, once I start doin' this kinda thing, ya can't pull me away from it.
Me too, me too! This is super fun!
Yeesh, you all are so immature...



Hee hee. Oh, Rita...
That's right, Flatty! You looked like you were quite into it.
That was just... I was just looking to see how poorly they were doing, is all!
Right, right. Of course, of course. But you know, Papa Ponytail...
Huh? Ya mean me?
You're pretty talented, Papa Ponytail! You've got some pretty slick skills.
Well, I am pretty good at this kinda thing.
You like games, do you?



Me too, Papa! Me too!
Nice, very nice! I see ya got yer priorities straight!
Oh great, they're bonding...
Papa, I like you! I'm going to let you play for free from now on. No chips needed!
Hey hey, that's mighty kind of ya! I can tell we're on the same wavelength... It already feels like I've known ya fer years!
I agree! I think I'll give you a nickname now, since we're already such chums. How about "Ponytailed Gamer?" Sounds good, eh?
Hey, how about that! That's a pretty wild and crazy name... Suits me!
These two are beyond help...


Raven gets the title "Hardcore Gamer" from this. It seemed off to me how that title differs from the one the Kowz mentioned, so I checked, and sure enough:



It's the same both times in Japanese.

And while we're at it, you also get the Ultimate Blue Cape from this event.



Nice typo.


Next time, we're gonna clear out the remaining events in Aurnion. Well, except for one small thing, at least.