Part 14: Ye Olde Highe Technologye Weaponye

Last time we cleared up Port Timney, had a fake wedding with Cecilia and Captain Bartholomew, kicked Zed's ass, Jack got his ass kicked by Lady Harken, and we lost the third seal so now Mother is alive and well and ready to commence the destruction of all creation. Oh, and there was something about monkeys.


The area outside of Sand River isn't all that exciting. Mostly desert and more desert. Over there on the edge where there's wasteland instead of desert is where Ship Graveyard is.


I swear...Wild ARMs monsters are strange sometimes. I haven't the slightest clue what that's supposed to be. These little buggers don't do much and they have low HP so they die very fast. They can apparently use an attack that reduces people to 1 HP, but I never had that happen to me. Oh, and they can sometimes summon more of them, but as I said, weak. I manage to Fuck You RNG!! a Heal Berry out of this one I Voyeured (it shows their current HP, Max HP is 115).



There are chaff and grain together on the beach.
Grain? I don't see any grain here, unless it's referring to the grains on wood or something like that. Although I'm glad they are using something other than Row of Houses again. This game has a lack of interesting town themes.


Norman: And, it turns out she was the famous "Calamity Jane!" ...I lost a rare chance to modify an ARM that is well-used...
While you were away...taking wanderer? What?
Fuck-Up Count: 15
I don't get what that's supposed to mean at all... Anyway, I stopped by the local ARM Meister to check on upgrading Rudy's ARM some more, but it's still too expensive for now. Standard town looting gets me a Force Carrot, which is always nice. I don't know if I mentioned this, but normally the games split it up into Mini Carrots with 25 FP and Full Corrots worth 100 FP. AC:F only has Force Corrots, which are worth 100 FP. Quite powerful, but the lack of Mystic makes them less useful. Dammit, I miss Jane.
Also stopped by the local Magic Guild and picked up Freeze Frostbite, the standard Ice-elemental spell.


Claudia: I decided to live here in the hopes of finding his dead body... But, it's not easy, you know?
There's a book in her house that explains her reasoning quite well. (And a Heal Berry)


Dan: I want you to find from amid the ruins a keepsake of my wife, whom I deserted... I am ashamed in my request, but you're wanderers... Won't you accept my plea?
: Yes || No
Dan: I was very eager then to become a famous wanderer. It was the Guardian Blade that I was seeking... A legend in this region. I was young, and I believed that putting myself in danger was courageous, but it quickly led us to ruin. [bows head] Furthermore... There was no Guardian Blade at Gento Soen. Before long, I was separated from my wife, and I barely survived to return... All I am left with is this crippled leg... I ask you to please go to Gento Soen and find my wife's keepsake, the last evidence of her life. Gento Soen is southeast of this town... In the desert is a strangely shaped rock; Gento Soen is directly south of that. Please don't let me down...
Honestly, I see this quest as filler, but we can't progress through the game unless we do it. If they had given a bit more information on the Guardian Blade, I might be able to see it as relevant. Oh well, lets get this overwith.


Screw that, side quest activation first!
Jocelyn: Somewhere on Filgaia, there's a very strange and ancient set of ruins. No one knows who built them. They say the Puzzle Box holds within it the essence of all puzzles and that its solutions are equally beautiful and artistic... Please! Go find the mysterious Puzzle Box ruins! And, share with me its secrets! Then, I can create an even greater puzzle!
This lady is completely puzzle obsessed. Just looking around her house you can see various places where she has miniature blocks for Millennium Puzzles placed. I'm rather creeped out, honestly. Doesn't stop me from looting another Heal Berry and reading her bookshelf.
Huh, I was expecting it to be about the Puzzles, oh well. I don't know how much was mentioned already, but pretty much the history of Filgaia says that basically every stretch of desert across the land (except maybe the part around Port Timney, there's no legends about it so maybe that's natural) was caused by the Guardian Blade.


Hanpan can almost make it to that chest, but there's a drop down cliff that Hanpan can't go down. According to the guide I'm using along the way so I don't miss any chests, you can somehow open this chest with Hanpan, but I haven't the slightest clue how. I know how you solve this, so I'll just wait till I get the proper tools later.


Talking to Jocelyn has now activated all of the Puzzle Boxes throughout Filgaia, so now I can find them. You won't find them on the map as dots, you have to search for them. Which really isn't too bad, because now it makes world map searching have a point! The red dot to the southwest of my current location is Gento Soen.


Someone beckons to you beyond the puzzles.

Creepy...anyway, the msuic here plays in the Lobby area of the Puzzle Boxes. The crystal there will warp you to the puzzle, whereas the sign gives you instructions.
Puzzle Number 01/30
Level ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
This is the puzzle labyrinth. Place the same color blocks next to each other. Be careful not to push them off the edge. The only ones you can move are the single cube blocks - the other blocks are not movable with your power. To exit from the puzzle room, either jump off from the sate or choose Retry by pressing (Square). Ok, now, good luck!



Oh this song! I don't know what it is about this song, but I love it. I think I just love the sound of the harmonica here, and as the song goes on, you can hear brief moments where the theme for To The End of the Wilderness pops in.
Anyway, as you can see, there are lots of cubes of one of four colors. I can push/pull the cubes, I can't push/pull the larger blocks. When you put two blocks of the same color together, they'll vanish. The trick is to clear blocks to progress forward, and try to make combinations of 3 when necessary so as to make sure you get rid of ALL the blocks. This puzzle is the first, so it's really easy. I'm not going to go over how to solve them. Just showing them, and mentioning tricky parts.. The big thing here was to remember to make combinations of 3 for a few colors.



After every Puzzle Box, a chest warps in from out of nowhere, giving you your prize. Some are worth the effort, some...not so much. Like these 3 Potion Berries! Yeah, I'm just going to hoard these for when I have a use for them (not going to happen since I have healing magic).


Oh the way back, I run into this guy. Right now, he drops no Gella, but if you'll notice, he Activates to elemental damage, meaning he also absorbs elemental damage. Activation tends to increase stats, but Melchom doesn't do anything with his. You get a few rounds to attack him with elemental attacks, before he'll run away. I usually destroy him on the third round, which has worked so far.


He drops gella equal to three times the amount of damage he was healed by the elemental damage. I basically had Cecilia spam Frostbite and had the boys throw elemental gems at him. Made quite a bit of money here, could have made more if I didn't waste a turn on Voyeur. Actually...I don't think I'm going to sell my Gella Cards from now on. I could make more by using them on this guy.


There's also these...creepy scorpion type guys... their HP is 240, and their basic attacks can cause poison sometimes. They can also cause sickness, but these guys are not very tough. Frostbite also murders them.



Wandering Hearts... we are at a loss in our mind.
Ooh...I like this one. Anyway, this the first room of Gento Soen. Not much to do here, go up to the Ark Scepter and...


WOAH! Holy shit! Alright, this dungeon may be filler, but there is always something cool about going into a dungeon that's floating high above the planet. In the original game, you could even make out familiar landmasses in the scrolling background below. You don't get that here, but the effect stays.


The big gimmick here is that this dungeon is based around "illusions." Basically meaning spam Radar to get through.


This Revive Fruit, Nectar and 5 Light Gems. Not much. Not great, but not bad. There's a switch hidden around the corner that lowers a wall showing the way forward.


These guys are definitely a step up in difficulty. Clap Puppets have a decent physical attack that they will almost always counter attack with. That's pretty much it, since they tend not to appear in large groups so you don't see other attacks. Apparently they can even use Rock Gazer (single target downloadable earth elemental attack) and Earth Zone (more on zones when they appear in battle) but I never see this happen.


There are also Fairylights, which are...annoying to say the least. Low HP but high Evasion. They have a basic physical attack, and Bright Blast (downloadable, single target light elemental).And then they have three very interesting moves. (@[]@) is a powerful non-elemental attack they'll sometimes use. (>_<) skips their turn, and then there is m_(..)_m which is their verison of Guard...which also boosts the power of (@[]@) whenever another uses it that turn. Kill these fuckers fast.


You aren't doing a good job hiding the button when you put four gems right around it. Seriously.


This one is more difficult, because this portion of the wall on the bridge will phase out when it is currently being hit by the Radar, but will solidify afterward. Also there are three chests right past it with a Gimel Coin, 3 Potion Berries and PS MP Up 1. The MP/HP Ups increase the stat by 10% for each level, meaning this gives +10% MP. Natrual instinct would be to put it on Cecilia, but Jack needs the extra MP way more!
...even if it is only a 3 MP boost at the moment...


The trick here is that the center one wasn't visible at first, so you had to use Radar to find it. This gives Cecilia a use in a dungeon where you otherwise wouldn't use her tools. Same with Jack, as there are a few posts outside that use the Hook Shot (and then I always use Hanpan on chests). Otherwise, this is a very Rudy heavy dungeon.


There's also this creepy humming crystal on a side-path with loot (Lucky Card, Gella Card, Witch Ch.3), similar to the crystal found in Perpetual Motion. There's a tool that can open this up...but not now...
Besides, I'm not ready for these guys yet. I don't have my death routine ready.


This room is completely empty with the exit ahead closed...until you scan the room and discover this!



There are not one, but two Gigamantises...Gigamantisi...Gigamantid...there are two of these things! Wait... Dan said they were only attacked by one...you don't think his wife...


They are really easy except for this one attack, Mantis Fist, which alwasys reduces the target to 1 HP. Fortunately, they don't have great of stats and my typical strategy of Quick Step on Jack and Rinse & Repeat on both Rudy and Jack just rips them to shreds. I saved just enough MP throughout the dungeon for Jack to get enough Speed Fangs to deal some great damage. Seriously, really easy.
Total rewards come to 1700 EXP, 700 Gella, Anna's Bracelet and PS HP Up 2 (goes on Rudy, since he has most of the defending stuff).



Seriously? Covered? Considering we found a simple radar that probably doesn't even work that well because it was stuck inside a cave with constantly flowing sand, I'm sure other adventurers have tools that can "uncover truth" plenty find. Not like you covered that much to begin with.
Shaman...release me... Cast light over the world with my power... Before this world is covered with fear, sorrow, and despair. Open the future with my light...
Obtained Medium [Flash Hit]!
Polsy? I know you got the Japanese version somewhere...could you lend and hand and tell me what this translates too more exactly? Specifically the "Fear, sorrow and despair" part.
Anyway, we got a new Medium here, an Ark Scepter appears behind the party, which I use to warp out of this yawntastic dungeon.


On the way back I hit another Melchom, and used a Gella Card on it. Got a chest after battle with a Gimel Coin in it. You know, I haven't used a single Gimel coin this entire game so far. Which is good, I need to save these up. With my newfound riches, I get another Bullet upgrade for Rudy's ARM, now giving him 7 bullets? Why? You'll see...
Also, I return Frostbite and pick up Spread WaveMotionBeam, a much weaker spell compared to the rest. The elemental spells have a TC of 1.5, but WaveMotionBeam only has 1.2...and has no element so it's actually really really weak. But I use it anyway so everyone in my party has some kind of group option. I'm not sure why I gave it this name considering how weak it is, but it hits a lot of stuff, and that's something most wave motion beam type weapons do very well.


Dan: ...Well done. I appreciate that you brought this back... ...Thank you... If we did not mistake courage for recklessness, we would have led a different life... It is such irony that you don't realize you have the power to protect something precious until you lose it...
: Courage...and...recklessness...
Dan: Anyone can believe that flaunting power is courageous, but it is meaningless. Only if you use your power to protect that which is truly precious... Then, that is something you can truly call courage.
: (If you call it courage...then I...)
Dan: This is... the sword I used when I was a wanderer. It is old, but it has a secret power. I am sure you will find it very useful... Please accept it as a reward.
Obtained Fast Draw [Acute Angle]!

Yes, you read that right. One part Jack's ATT, one part Jack's REA (doubled with Accelerator) and one part enemy's DEF. Instead of being weakened by an enemy's DEF, it instead gets stronger with higher DEF! This is a truly strange Fast Draw that I enjoy using, although no too many enemies have high DEF to make it worth not using Speed Fang instead. It costs 15 MP at the moment, but will reduce by 3 with every skill level. After four uses, it'll be worth 12 MP.
Actually, I really like this exchange though. Learning new techniques from the memories of another sword is actually pretty interesting, but it could have been fleshed out a lot more. Most of Jack's skills come from random swords found in caves, but this...it makes me wonder how badass of a treasure hunter Dan used to be.


See? Like I said, filler dungeon. Would have been more interesting if Gento Soen had some information on the Guardian Blade. Anyway, doing this triggers the ship to appear, so now let's check out whose at the harbor.


God dammit!
: They said that a ship just arrived... It was your Sweet Candy, huh?
: Whoa, talk about friends with perfect timing! I'm so glad I ran into you guys. You're sure to rescue me from my troubles!!
: Oh my, it sounds serious.
: Don't say that. You'll lend me a hand again, right? Don't worry, it won't be like last time.
: First tell us what your request is, then we'll make a decision.
: OK, you won't regret it! Well, my request is that... Well, see, I encountered a... ...a ghost ship in the outer sea... For a long time, a ghost ship legend existed in this area and bothered the sailors. Now we cannot sail and trade safely! If we lose business, it will impact lives here! That would be bad, right? This is where you come in! I want you to put an end to the ghost ship legend.
: Resolve the ghost ship trouble. || We cannot take this job.
: That is more like it, my friends! I knew you would take this job!!


I really like this exchange for some reason. Once again it shows how kind Rudy is.
: But, not me. I think negotiating a reward for the request is the natural thing to do.
: ...Yeah, of course...
: We want to cross the inland sea and head toward the Arctica region. We are looking for a ship. You know that, don't you?
: ...Ugh, hmmm... ...Yeah... This is the second time you've helped me... If I don't return the favor now, I am not worthy of being a sea man! It's a deal!!
: Yes!
: We somehow managed it.
: Not so fast! No ride until you complete this job. Don't rush. Anyhow! Let's solve the ghost ship trouble. Tell me when you are ready.
Hey Bartholomew, we're ready.
: We'll get close to them in the Sweet Candy, then sneak right aboard with this dinghy. Actually, it's you guys who'll do the sneaking. Anyway, ready?
: We are ready to leave. || We need a little more time.
: OK, now! Let's get that ghost ship!!



Bartholomew's text in this scene is really weird. I can't tell if he's actually shaking in his boots, or making his voice all spooooooky trying to scare people.
: Maybe it's a battleship... It may have been built during the period of wars, from our history.
: In that case, this has wandered without peace since then. ...Is there anything we can do?
: To do anything about it, we'll first have to get there. Captain, check the surroundings of this ghost ship a little more. Find a place where we can board!
: ...I, I can't get a hold of myself. ...I will leave it to you.


Everyone sail their own voyage, in the hearts.
That's a nice sweet line, for a FUCKING GHOST SHIP.
...ahem.
Sorry, I get scared easily and I don't like ghost ships normally, and the original game spooked me quite a bit. Fortunately, they drastically changed this dungeon's appearance, to make it an old Battleship from ye olde high tech days. This is something this game does a lot more than the original. Instead, now I love this dungeon.


The blocks here are super heavy and we can't move them at all, while the buttons are rusty and need heavier weight on them to activate. Natrually, we can't solve this just yet, so let's go deeper down a side-passage.


But first, monsters! Rachael is pretty simple, she just has a physical attack and casts Quick Step on other enemies...which is pointless in my eyes because random battles go too quickly. I even manage to Fuck You RNG!! a Potion Berry off of one. I'm getting more of those recently.


...Oh?
Rudy sets his finger on the trigger, closes his eyes and connects his heart to it, as he uses ARM...
Suddenly, computer screens in the room light up, and the ship has power again.
: It started...?!
: Did Rudy start it?
: This is a battleship built 1000 years ago to fight against monsters... In other words, this is a super ARM. Because of that, Rudy could start it just like he uses his ARM...
: But... How can Rudy's heart and ARM connect? Would it be possible for me if I practiced or received some kind of special training or something?
: Probably impossible for you to connect your heart to ARM. It requires a born compatibility or a natural gift. Rudy and Calamity Jane are probably born with a very rare talent. ... ... ... But, honestly, I'm surprised by Rudy's ability. I know of no human written in folklore who can connect his heart to a complex machine like this.
: You look innocent, but you really are a genius.
: Even if he is a genius, Rudy is Rudy. I don't think of him any differently.
Aww....But it does bring to question just what an ARM is now. Only certain people can use it properly, but if they could impose that trait on a gun, it's no surprise they could impose it on a fucking battleship. Anyway, the computer screens are working so we can read them now.
Interesting, so there's stuff on the Golems here too? Don't tell Emma!
Oh crap, that's right, they took the Golems...I really hope they didn't get them working again, I'd hate to have to fight Lolithia.

I...
Uhh...
…
uh...
I think A▼@ means ARM?


Another new enemy here, Helterskelter is a recolor of the Spartoi that destroyed Adlehyde. They just use physical attacks, but their numbers and damage are concerning at times. The game is definitely picking up in enemy strength. I'm already using Fast Draws for random battles, but now I'm pulling out a few bullets every now and then. Maybe I should have picked up Gorun Nova.


I hate the power glove, it's so bad.
…
No really, I don't really like this tool that much. It gives Rudy a few things, that are kinda boring. One, it lets him punch things really hard. Two, it lets him lift really heavy things. Three, it lets him spin wheels that are tightly sealed. So it forces me to use Rudy for block puzzles which anyone could do before, and it forces me to use him for a device I've always hated interacting with before.


Well, okay, the first puzzle they use it with makes you use your brain. You see the blocks there and you think you just have to pick up the blocks and move them to the button...well, Rudy can only pick up and drop a block one "square" away from him, so you have to move the lower block up and the upper block down to match the tiles and move on.


This puzzle, I just find aggravating. You have to punch the block, and doing so causes them to rotate. Thing is, they only have that star symbol on the opposite sides and not on each other, so you have punch these blocks in circles to figure out how they will land on the tiles with the star facing down and up.


What's a first aid kit doing here? I don't see how this will help---
HP, MP, VIT, and ENC gauge are completely restored! (Also reloaded cartridges.)
Wait, MP restored? In a dungeon?


There we go...


That is all.


Yup, it's a battleship. Nice. Honestly, it makes sense for this to be a ghost ship, since it's a forgotten relic of the war with the demons from ages long ago. Nobody said ghost ships had to be old wooden rickety stuff. This room/area also has four chests I can't reach yet with the Radar, and as we approach the front of the ship, there's a purple boss sphere that appears out of nowhere (of course)!



Meet Captain Geist...he's an interesting boss. Sometimes he'll summon Hatred Souls to attack, and while they are active, his resistance to Light and Fire damage will change, so he's typically less weak to them. I'm not sure how it works, because Cecilia never attacked him. He also has physical attacks that he used quite a bit.


But the Hatred Souls sometimes act as well, using a suicide attack dealing damage equal to their current HP, which is 80 because I ignored them.


That's Acute Angle used with Accelerator. Seriously though...is it too hard to ask for a boss that survives longer than three rounds? Or am I just that good? I'm not even trying that hard to break the game in half yet!
Captain Giest drops 2000 EXP and 1000 Gella. Each Hatred Soul gives an extra 80 EXP and 50 Gella, which I only "killed" the one that happened to be active when I killed the boss. He also drops a Toolbox....which we don't have a use for yet.


Oh shit.
The ghost ship is not real and gradually collapses... Before it's completely collapsed, you have to escape from the ghost ship!
OH SHIT!


The game gives you 15 minutes to get back to Bartholomew at the beginning of the dungeon, but on the way back you'll encounter three forced encounters that you can't avoid with the ENC gauge. Fortunately, they are just basic encounters that go down fast. I don't waste time dicking around, and make it back with 11:10:53 to spare.



The souls of the dead rise from the Ghost Ship...


...then it sinks like the Titanic...


Then the soul of the ship itself flies up into the sky.



Damn straight!
: Please use my ship. Do you have a special reason for going? My ship can easily take you across the inland sea! But, if you don't mind my asking, why in the world are you traveling all over Filgaia?
Rudy and the others told Bartholomew what had happened... About the demons, the Guardians, and the Teardrop that was stolen...
: Whoa... It's hard to believe all that happened, and I never heard about it... This is really exciting! Well, while you're at sea, anyway, you can trust in my partner Sweet Candy!
: Captain!
This scene made me decide Tom is worthy of a picture. He walks off the ship to speak with Bartholomew.
: Captain Bartholomew, sorry for interrupting, but I must ask you for a huge favor! As you have heard my hometown Adlehyde was destroyed by those demons. Everyone's banded together to rebuild, but a lot of critical people are gone... Everybody's worried... So Captain... I'm asking to leave. I'm sorry to ask this of you now...


: Oh yeah, you were gonna be an architect, huh? Well, I'm sorry to hear that... You're a fine sailor, and a sailor should always be there for his mates! And, you're needed at home! So, get going to Adlehyde! Me an the Sweet Candy will be just fine.
: Thanks, Captain! Thank you very much! I will always remember this.
: Tom, I am the one who should be thanking you. I know you will help restore Adlehyde to her former glory. Thank you.
: I'm just a carpenter, but I'll do my best to meet your expectations! Oh yeah! A while ago, I noticed you guys had a tool box, right? If you're not using it now, can you sell it to me? It would be very helpful.
Rudy nods and hands over the toolbox. It's just a standard red metal toolbox, nothing special.
: Thank you! I will leave for Adlehyde right away with this tool box! Well, Captain, thank you for everything. I wish you fair sailing, sir!
: I'm quite familiar with Tom's repair skills. We never had to fix the same thing twice with him aboard. You can count on him. He'll restore Adlehyde to what it was... No, it will be even better than before! Well, we have supplies to stow and rigs to get ready. We'll be ready for the sea in no time! Come by when you're ready!
First, things wash up on the beach, right? Let's check to see if those chests from the Ghost Ship made it.


Normally, you get Blue Virtue at the Tripillar in the original game, but it appears in a chest in this game, because that dungeon was just removed from Alter Code: F. The other two blue chests have a PS Ice Break 2 and PS Defense up 2. And the fourth chest?


Alright. Let me calmly explain that this particular cartridge does. It attacks by firing every single bullet in Rudy's ARM at once.

First, it checks to see how many hits you get, by making an basic hit check for each bullet.
Then it multiplies that by Rudy's ATT value. (With some random variance here, 90-110%)
Then it subtracts the Enemy's DEF value.
So instead of firing multiple times, you get an insane multiplier as the ARM's Tech Constant.
Lock-On makes all those bullets hit.
Rudy's ARM can hold a total of 18 bullets.
Oh, and Lock-On makes it even more powerful.

When I get all 18 bullets, it'll be come something akin to this. Evil laughter included. _{Also, fuck the DMV.}
Sadly, because it uses up all the bullets, it is incompatible with Rinse & Repeat. However, it's still the key component of breaking the game in half.


End of update status:
: Level 19→ 21
--ATK Bonus: 46 (Lv. 4)
--Bullets: 6 (Lv. 3) → 7 (Lv. 4)
--Obtained Gatling Raid.
--Hoarding 4 Alter Parts
: Level 19 → 21
--Speed Fang: Lv. 4 (? / 225)
--Strike Buddy: Lv 3 (? / 90)
--Burst Breaker: Lv 2 (? / 32)
--Obtained Acute Angle: Lv. 2 (? / ?)
: Level 19 → 21
--Leaned Frostbite
--Obtained Flash Hit
Gella: 2930
Migrant Seals: 4
Ex. File Keys: 2/25
Fuck-Ups: 15

Version Differences:
Two Gigamantis...Gigamantid...Gigamantises.... Two bosses for the price of one!
Ghost Ship was made Ye Olde Highe Technologye Weaponrye
Blue Virtue is a prize from the Ghost Ship, no Tripillar.


Guardian Roll Call:

The Guardian we got this Update is Stare Roe. This Guardian has appeared in the first three Wild ARMs games as the Guardian of Light.



His Medium is Flash Hit, and in this game his Material is Augoeides...whatever that means. All I know is that it translates to a nice gigantic explosion of light-elemental damage for 50% FP.


Next Time:

Uhh.....Fuck! Where do I go now??