Part 25: Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Gameplay Notes: Slouching Towards Bethlehem

This is it, we're finally almost at the end of the game. So let's talk about some important things we want to keep in mind preparations wise:

2v2 Arenas: Oh Shit I Was Supposed To Use Metis?
The game was telling you all along to use Metis (she's awesome, she cries if she's left behind, etc.) but you just HAD to defy it, and now you're realizing your folly when your party is just you and her. So what's the plan? Fortunately, the game has two factors that make this recoverable. First of all, if you go into the Abyss with two people they both get twice the normal exp they'd gain. Second, exp gains are greatly increased for characters that are below the level of what you're fighting. So your best bet is to go into some door that's much higher than Metis but low enough that you can Akasha Arts things down instantly. Once you start getting Metis up to speed, go to Empyrean and again Akasha Arts the shit out of things. She'll be a good level in no time flat.

Preparations: Do I Have To Grind That Shit?
So last time I told you how I ground out all the best equipment. This isn't really strictly necessary, though. You could probably get away with the best gear that's purchasable without any real issues. That said, you can actually get through the Empyrean floors to the rare chests in about ten minutes a run, max. It's worthwhile to kill some time on it.

You'll also want to buy some things. First of all, get 99 of every status restoring item and such from the Pharmacy. You'll have the money and there's no reason not to. Now go blow all of your gems. Buy Homonculi (saves you from instant death), Precious Eggs (full SP restore on someone), Sutras (group buff items), and anything else you feel is useful. Attack Mirrors are useless on the last boss but Magic Mirrors aren't necessarily. Don't leave anything on the table, go all out.

Personas: My Persona Can Beat Up Yours
So what are good Personas for that arena, anyway? Well my full physical immune Spell Master Kohryu was more than a little effective, as you saw. You at least would like to be immune to Slash, though you can do that with an item. For the Ken and Akihiko fight you definitely want to null Light, and for Koromaru and Junpei you'll want to null Dark. Physical attacks are unreliable against the first two fights and magical attacks are unreliable against the last one, so you'll want a good mix.

Mythology Fun Facts: The Colosseo Purgatorio is named to evoke the Purgatorio, the other book of the Divine Comedy. I don't know that it's actually named after a specific place in said book, though.