Part 37: An Apple A Day Keeps The Krysm Away
I'm going to post this to-do list every update, with crossing off each item for what happened last time. Most of the items on the list are side-quests in disguise. So as you can tell with the orange, last time we rebuilt Bartholomew's ship, and resurrected Elmina, though she seems to have a case of amnesia....whatever that is.
First objective is to get a couple MP Repairs so I can upgrade Rudy's ARM properly. He doesn't quite have 18 bullets at the current time, so I need to get them on there. Note that Zed's in the party, he's going to remain there for a while.
I also poke a few Creeping Chaoses...Chaosi...Chao...these creepers. You need to use Sweet Candy to land on completely destroyed island by Ka Dingel with a beach, and you'll find these guys, along with their upgraded version, which I didn't fight. These buggers have Anti Matter Bomb (single target and multi target, non-elemental damage, TC of 2.5) and Hollow Voice (Sickness and Poison to all enemies, more status effects also hit allies if used on us for some reason) as downloadable skills, so Emma nabs them. You can also farm these creepers for EXP because they drop 10k a pop...but there is something better. Muuuuuch better.
But first, I'm going to stop by the Arena. Really, by this point of the game, I had so many things I need to grind, that I had no idea what I wanted to grind first. Gella? Duplicators? EXP? I decided to tackle the Arena and see how far I could get at this level with minimal difficulty.
Henry: Under the rules of the Novice League, you have 25 turns to finish 5 rounds. If you win, prizes will be given for each round, as well as a bonus prize. The bonus prize is 10000 gella and a rare item called the "Surprise Guard." Sounds good, huh? How about it? Are you in or out?
: Yes || No
Judy: The most highly anticipated battle of Immoral Island is about to begin!! Let's hear it for... "Battle Carnival on the Spider Web!" Sponsored by Count Pegucchi!!
Great, even in western-scifi-fantasy universes, we can't escape corporate sponsorship.
Judy: Before we begin, allow me to explain a few rules for all of you newcomers! The first, and most obvious, is that you will be matched against our in-house monsters! If you make it through five rounds, you will receive the grand prize! But, if you lose just once, you're out!
Specifically, Game Over out.
Judy: But, that's not all... There's a time limit! So fight your battles quickly!! That's right, if you don't beat them quickly, you'll be disqualified! No excuses! No exceptions!! Beat all five monsters in 25 turns, and the grand prize is yours!! Now, let's get to the novice league! Are we ready? Battle Carnival... Begin!!!
The first round is 3 Wights, easy enemies. They are Lv. 35, and are weak to Light elemental attacks. They use party-wide Darkness for decent damage, HP Buster which reduces maximum HP (a status effect exactly like the one if I leave a party member K.O.ed after a battle), and HP Robber, which restores them back to max HP by draining ours for exactly that amount.
No Downloadable skills this round, and you can't steal anything from Arena fights to my knowledge, so I just Flash Hit them and they are gone.
Good job!! But, Count Pegucchi isn't impressed. Maybe the match was too boring... Well, there's still another match! Perhaps the sound round might be a little more exciting for him!
: Yes || NoA clarification here, we can back out after any round we want. But this is pathetically easy, so I'm going all the way.
Second round against 4 Geldams, again easy enemies at Lv. 37. They are Soft, so all physical damage is reduced by 90%...but they have a fire Weakness which I exploit with Fiery Rage. They can do basic physical attacks, and different physical attack with 100% chance of Sickness. They can also skip turns. No downloadables.
By this round, I cement my plan of action. Manual order of Jane, Emma then Cecilia. Jane uses What Can You Do?☆ to cancel attacks and maybe pull off a Finest Arts for fun, Emma downloads, and Cecilia wipes them away.
This is getting exciting! I'm starting to see the fire within Count Pegucchi! Just keep going and going, until you can't fight any more! Let's go to the third round!
: Yes || No
Third round against 6 Leprechauns at Lv. 39. They are split into two groups of three, but that doesn't matter for the Elemental Materials. They have two attacks, 16 Tons for basic damage, and 480 Tons for "Reduce to 1 HP" damage. Because of my manual order, and their numbers, they manage to get some hits in, though only Cecilia drops to 1 HP. A Vapor Blast later against their fire weakness, and it's over. No downloadables. I guess they can also cancel ARM basic attacks 40% of the time, but I didn't see that here.
A victory using splendid tactics! Who's next? The scientist, the minister? Is it the war monster, or the Count? Let's go for the fourth round and watch as the tension builds! Are you ready?
: Yes || No || What the fuck if she talking about?
Fourth round against 2 Fankelvines at Lv. 40...whatever those are... They are weak to lightning, but have 5000 HP so they can take a few hits. They've got Morning Star as a physical attack, Optical Havoc as a non-elemental non-downloadable attack, and Panic Siren with 50% chance to confuse each party member. Actually, because of the high HP and the confusion, it takes me a few rounds to do this because I switch in the three guys, but have to wait for them to build up enough FP to kill them. I tried Zed's instant kill attack, but it didn't work. I think every enemy here counts as a boss.
Wow, these wanderers don't hold back! Count Pegucchi is quite pleased! Ohh!!! Look at Count Pegucchi!! He's stroking his beard proudly!!! Between you and me, the Count is in his greatest mood if he's stroking his beard. OK! Let's go to the final round!! Do not disappoint us, kids!! You must finish this up!!!
: Yes || No || ...now I want a goatee...
Final round verses Marshman (who is clearly a Kappa), at Lv. 42. This buddy has a 30% chance of blocking all basic physical attacks, has pretty good ATT and DEF, and also loves to counter attack. He also uses a party-wide Pressure, and uses Water Zone, which Emma already has. Oh, and he's got 11k HP, and that Thunder weakness won't last with Water Zone.
So to take this bugger out, I bring out Rudy and the good ol' Gatling Raid. I swear, if I had a quarter for every time I used Gatling Raid, I'd have enough to buy myself an avatar of Rudy using Gatling Raid. Not that I'm going to do that...although I wouldn't mind a new avatar...I'll have to think about what to do for that.
Judy: Even our sponsor Count Pegucchi, "the battle fanatic," is speechless!! Anyone you want to thank for the win, maybe mom and pop back home? Let me present the wanderers with their well earned cash and prizes!!
Obtained Item Medicine x3, Heal Berry x2, Revive Fruit, Nectar, Gimel Coin, PS Surprise Guard, and 10,000!
Good. That's another Surprise Guard down. It prevents the wearer from getting caught in Danger! Battles, which is like an Ambush, except only that single character. In the Abyss, this is a death sentence, and all six party members need one. Unfortunately, you can't get more from the Arena, but I know the perfect place to get them, which is why I'm here in the first place.
The door ahead is still open...let's go in.
You can use the Magic Staff on this box.
Chuck: I feel like I should tell you a story that will be of use to you. A boy visiting from Adlehyde a while back brought an item called the "Dispellado." It's also known as the "Time Key." With the Time Key, you can open up the Perpetual Engine and meet the Guardian of Time, Dan Dairam. But, I do not think there are any wanderers who would give up such an important item... It is difficult to get the key as it is to restore Adlehyde to its former beauty.
Elmina says Hi.
Oh how time goes by indeed...This song is the Feeling Wind version of Wild ARMs 4's ending theme song. A nice simple tun to pass the long long time I spend doing this.
Anyway, I decide to do some preliminary grinding against Mega Apples. Jane uses Follow Me☆, Emma uses Great Booster, and Rudy murders with Gatling Raid. Right now Rudy has 18 Bullets in his ARM. I'm so glad this game doesn't have a stupid damage limit at 99,999. I'm currently believing this game doesn't have a damage limit, which makes it more fun. Why should numbers hold you back from pure raw destruction?
Anyway, this gets us 4-5 levels each. Another Grow Apple later gets another 3 levels. A third gets another 4. It's a bit random because Gatling Raid is Luck based, and I think I used a different cartridge by accident one of the times.
And the amount of EXP needed increases with every new level, but fortunately Rudy get's stronger as well. Another 4 level ups from this. Then 3 from another...keep in mind, that I'm not finding these Mega Apples as fast as it sounds. There's like a good 15 minutes in-between, to the point where I start finding things I can do while I grind. Like catch up on shows on Hulu or other LPs. Heck, I even posted in the "What LPs should I read?" thread for "Insomnia" LPs, which combined with this made for a very potent recipe for sleepless nights.
I also start working on a new Ex. File Key, one that requires 100% Mapping. You have to map every single tiny square on the minimap by walking/sailing/flying over it. So while I'm doing this, I map out the Outer Sea, and pick up the loot in it. This is good for a couple hours, before I finish Mapping the entire thing while deliberately starting every random encounter on the way, which isn't that bad because Jack, Rudy and Zed crush them pretty fast.
One final Mega Apple kicks the average party level past 70, and I decide it's time to return to the Arena.
Clearing the Novice League opens up the Veteran League.
Henry: In the Intermediate League battles,
You just called it the Veteran League! Make up your mind! Fuck Up Count: 33Henry: you have 20 turns to finish 5 rounds. If you win, prizes will be given for each round as well as a bonus prize. The bonus prize is 20,000 gella and a rare item called the "Life Charger." Sounds good, huh? How about it? Are you in or out?
: Yes || No.
...no-age-limit? You don't need the hyphens there at all. Fuck Up Count: 34. Although I appreciate the personality given into this NPC.
Judy: Please give it up for the "Battle Carnival on the Spider Web!" Sponsored by Count Pegucchi!! After this, we will be holding the Intermediate League. The rules are simple: Defeat all five monsters within 20 turns and the grand prize is yours!! Now, without any further adieu, Let's start the... Battle Carnival!!
This first round can be quite the trouble if you're not expecting it. These enemies are Annaberge, at Lv. 54. They are weak to wind, and only have 1600 HP so Gale Claw rips them to shreds. Dash is their basic physical attack, and then they've got another one that reduces the victim's HP to 1. As well as Baking Breath and Toxic Breath...with a 0% chance of success?
Regardless, they aren't a threat to me. Baking Breath and Toxic Breath are downloadable, but I already have them.
Only the most experienced fighter can surpass the Veteran League with style!! Count Pegucchi has high hopes for you! Let's go to the second round!
: Yes || No
Second round against 6 ungrouped Shambling Mounds at Lv. 55. Weak to fire with low HP, so it's Fiery Rage again. They've got a basic attack they'll rarely use, as well as Slumber Fog, Luminous Moss and Petrify Cloud; Sleep, Confusion and 1-turn Countdown Petrify respectively, each at 75% success. I haven't gone over Petrify yet. When a character becomes petrified, they'll either turn into a statue (lose all FP, no actions, dies when hit physically), or get a countdown of couple turns, or less. Drops their REA to 0, EVA to 1, and they can't use Force or their special commands. When that countdown reaches 0, they'll become a statue. I didn't have Luminous Moss or Petrify Cloud, so now I've got them.
F is for Fight!! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight until one of you drop!! Fight for Count Pegucchi!! Fight for the prizes! Let's go to the third round!! Fight!!!!
: Yes || No || Fight stops looking like a real word when you read it too much in a row...
Third round against Undead Servant, Lv. 57. Slightly more HP than the last round, but still weak to Light so they go down fast. They've got "Primary Target Designation," meaning that all enemies will attack the same target. Also Stick Cloud for Sickness at 65% chance. Yawn. Flash Hit wipes them away.
What an outstanding performance!! It inspired Count Pegucchi to write a poem...
"Cold sweat,
pouring down,
with no regrets"
That was one dark poem! While Count Pegucchi is still poetic, let's go to the fourth round!
: Yes || No || That's not a real haiku!
Six Nightmares, ungrouped. Lv. 59, a bit more HP than last time, still weak to Light, and they die by Flash Hit. They've also got the rare Anti-Magic Zone to Download, which I nab. It reduces all magic damage by 40% for about three rounds. Very helpful. They also use Screaming Mad, Sleep and Panic Siren. The status effects happen with 70% chance.
No matter how reluctant you may be to fight, you will come out as a winner!! Oh!!! Look at Count Pegucchi!! He just uncorked one of his most expensive bottles of wine!! You know, they say that the next match after Count Pegucchi opens his wine is always bloody. But don't be afraid! It's just an absurd superstition! Keep going, I can't get enough!!
: Yes || No || Save some wine for us, the next round will be over too quickly.
And as in uffish thought they stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
The last enemy here is the Jabberwocky. It's got very high DEF and 15k HP. It even starts with DEF and RES Up as status effects. It's got Flare Bomb as a new downloadable skill, with a TC of 3.5 against a single target, as well as Petrify Stare which deals 1-turn Petrify Countdown to a single target. The difference between this and Petrify Cloud is when Emma uses them. Stare is 1 turn, single target and 12 MP, Cloud is 2 turn, all enemies, and 18 MP. It's also got Discouraging Voice, which I can't download but causes 60% chance of Helpless to all allies.
So how do I take him down? Switch out Jane for Rudy, have Cecilia use Castle Defense to prevent the status effects, Emma uses Great Booster. Second Round, Cecilia uses Shining Star + Infinity to keep the Status Lock and Great Booster permanent. Third round, Cecilia uses Cancel to make an opening for Rudy.
One, two! One, two! and through and through
The gatling raid went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its heads
He went galumphing back.
Judy gives the same victory speech here as she did last time. Prizes are an Antidote, Potion Berry, Peppy Acorn, Revive Fruit x2, Gella Card x2, 20000 Gella and PS Life Charger. Life Charger restores 10% of your HP every time you Guard. This is is pretty useless because there's another PS with the same equip-cost that restores 25% at every Force Level Up. Life Charger might be worth it if it stacks with Defender though, which activates a one-attack Guard to protect someone else. I'll have to test with that.
...I think I can take this one. Let's do it. Master League ahoy!
Henry: Under the rules of the Expert League
Really? Twice in a row? Fuck Up Count: 34Henry: you have 20 turns to finish 5 rounds. If you win, prizes will be given for each round as well as a bonus prize. The bonus prize is 30,000 gella and a rare item called the "HP up 4." Sounds good, huh? How about it? Are you in or out?
: Yes || No.
Judy: All of tonight's festivities have been preparing us for this... A battle so big... Even the demons want to watch! Please give it up for... "Battle Carnival on the Spider Web!!" Sponsored by Count Pegucchi!! On to the rules of the Expert League... Win all five rounds of matches within 15 turns, and the grand prize is yours!! Are you ready?! Battle Carnival... Go!!!
Hoo boy, that's a lot of them. 12 Bombardiers, in three groups of four, at Lv. 74. They each have 2100 HP and are weak to Ice...but they have 800 REA which is more than Jane has. So I put FP Advance on Jack instead, so he can use Accelerator Blade Pulse to wipe them all away.
Uh-oh...
Each group has a chance of using a move called "Angry." This causes the entire group to suicide on a single target, dealing damage to their combined HP. Cecilia didn't stand a chance.
They ALMOST take out Jack as well. Fortunately, they have low ATT, so their basic attack does 0 damage to him. Next round, he finishes them off with a second Blade Pulse. Holy fuck that was scary. This is not a good start.
Ha, ha ♪ How did you like that monster? Well, it's not quite over yet... There are stronger monsters on the way!! Let's go to the second round!!
: Yes || No || I'm going to regret this, aren't I?
Round two, vs 6 Pumpkin Heads, in three groups of two at Lv. 74. They're weak to Wind, oddly enough. They've got three moves. Destructive Hit, which deals damage with Confusion at 35%, Ash Reducer, a downloadable party-wide Fire elemental attack, and Spontaneous Combustion which just fucking sucks. And they've got 2800 HP, which a Blade Pulse can't take down in one turn.
Zed recovered consciousness here because the damage broke his Confusion. Spontaneous Combustion deals damage equal to your current HP, which then gets mitigated by your Fire Breaks. So if you have 10% Fire Resistance, you take 90% of your HP in damage. If you have none, like I do...instant kill.
I bring Rudy out and pull out an Arc Nova. I would never use this without Lock-On...but this is an emergency. This takes out three of them, and I have Jane use Follow Me☆ every round to get those first hits in.
It gets to the point where I have to use Mystic and a Revive Fruit because Jane is the only one left alive. Then she gets Spontaneous Combustioned, but the last enemies dies shortly after.
From the look on Count Pegucchi's face, I can tell this is a great matchup! We may just see the first casualty of the day!! Why don't we go to the third round!
: Yes || No || First casualty? You mean losing half the party didn't count?
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Krysm, you're an idiot for going another round!" And my response to that is...you're exactly right. But these enemies have something I need. These are Apostates, and they are tough. Lv. 75, 7500 HP each, half damage from all elements, and very high DEF. High enough that I don't think Gatling Raid will have too good of an effect. They have five attacks, and only one of them deals actual damage. First is the good stuff: Hazardous Material 666, which reduces HP to a single target or group to 1. This skill is downloadable, get it! In fact, this is practically the only place in the game you can get it. Unfortunately, each enemy has a certain resistance to it, and these guys are flat out immune. Their third attack is Unlucky, which harmlessly reduces Luck one step, and is status effect so it can't drop everyone's luck to Worst after being used enough. Gravity Hole halves our REA, hurting Jack mostly because they have 620 REA already and will move faster than everyone but Jane. Their last attack is Baryon Corrida which deals a weak TC 1.25 Non-elemental damage to a target. This, however, will kill us.
I had Cecilia use Mirror Mirror on everyone, in hopes it would reflect Baryon Corrida, but it didn't. Oh well, Emma got her skill, which is what I went this far for.
Their high DEF means Jack's Laser Silhouette is useless against them, even before he gets struck with Gravity Hole.
Maximum Risk is better, but they don't seem to want to aim Hazardous Material 666 at Jack. Also, if I was smart, I would have healed Cecilia right now.
This is Star Blast, with Zed cutting a gigantic Z in the enemies face.
...and then it misses...
They finally drop Jack's HP to 1...right after I used up all of his MP and he can't use Maximum Risk anymore. Again, if I were smart here, I'd be pulling out the healing items.
With just one left, after a long slugfest that took more than 10 turns, I break down and use Gatling Raid, only to realize it doesn't suck against them.
A recent poll shows that the most popular goal among kids is to become a count! It's all thanks to Count Pegucchi!! If you want to be like Count Pegucchi, why don't you go for the fourth round? Come one, keep the kids' dreams alive!
: Yes || No || Fuck this, I'm out of here.Also, come one guys, I was hoping you'd be better at this. Fuck Up Count: 35
You pathetic wanderers are... You're ruining the dreams of children!! I think you are a bunch of quitters!!
Huh, so they have unique messages for quitting after each round? Curious.
Judy: Well, you can't win every time. You did well, don't look down. Take the consolation prize!
Just Heal Berry x2, Revive Fruit, and Antidote x2. Three prizes for three rounds...holy shit that was rough. I'm waiting until I hit Lv. 100 to come back... I'm going to end the update shortly, but I'll play the arena's background music because I didn't play it yet this update, and it's a nice tune.
Anyway, remember these folks all the way up in Malduke? The Doppelgangers with 6666 HP?
They are 100% weak to Hazardous Material 666.
They drop PS Surprise Guards and PS Initiatives. Both are awesome PS to have. Surprise Guard, as I mentioned, prevents Danger, and Initiative gives you a higher chance of taking the first round if it isn't an Ambush. When you're grinding for Mega Apples, the Initiative is nice to have against the random encounters you have to fight through.
However, I'm not done with the Doppelgangers yet. You can also steal FP Advances from them, which sell for just as much as MP Repairs! This is their only stolen item so the chances of getting it are significantly higher!
Err...I said they were higher...
Even using Rinse & Repeat on the surprise round isn't helping. Okay, scratch that thought. There are two factors to stealing that I now realize. First, is the base steal chance. Doppelgangers have a 50% Steal Chance, meaning that half the time, I have the chance to steal something instead of missing outright.
Second, is what I steal, and each item they have has it's own chance of being nabbed. The FP Advance has 6.25%...so it really comes down to a 3.125% chance of actually getting it.
The Rat Monkey also has a base 50% steal chance, but the odds of nabbing the PS MP Repair is 12.5% on it's own. I think Jane's level compared to the enemy also factors into the base steal chance as well, but can't do shit against the item's individual chances.
I take a MP Repair, and sell it to improve Rudy's ARM. Now, you'll notice that I am not using 18 Bullets, I'm only using 10. The ATK bonus is actually a percentage instead of a flat bonus. So at Lv. 8, it adds 114% Attack to Rudy's stats. This means Gatling Raid gets theoretically multiplied 21.4 times instead of 19.8 times with 18 Bullets. (The ARM has a base ATK bonus of 10% if you don't upgrade it.) I did the math, and this is the most powerful I can make Gatling Raid against Ragu O Ragula, as well as Mega Apples. So it's a little more powerful, which is exactly what I need to get a little more EXP.
End of update status:
: Level 48 → Level 72--ATK Bonus: 114 (Lv. 8)
--Bullets: 10 (Lv. 7)
: Level 50 → Level 70
: Level 49 → Level 70
: Level 49 → Level 70--Learned Luminous Moss, Petrify Cloud, Direct Voice, Anti-Magic Zone, Petrify Stare, Ash Reducer, Spontaneous Combustion, Hazardous Material 666 (Single and Group), and Baryon Corrida
: Level 49 → Level 70--Bullets: 20 (Lv. 15)
: Level 49 → Level 70Migrant Seals: 14
Ex. File Keys: 5/25
Fuck-Ups: 35
Version Differences:
The Arena is split into multiple rounds, the latter two are tougher than the final dungeon.
Thank god for Mega Apples...
A Saying A Day
: (September 24th) Today's saying is, 'Alan Smithee lives!' Once every few years, journalists write that Alan Smithee is alive. But this saying doesn't mean that. It means that his name and achievements live on in the hearts and minds of others. Oh, I would like to be a celebrity like him. Everyone would know my sayings.: (September 25th) Today's saying is that you can see the world through a doughnut. A moon at sunset time looks bigger, but covering buildings with a doughnut, you can see it as it is. This is the meaning of the saying. It's not like that ingredients of a doughnut, such as flour, eggs and sugar, will affect the world economy.: (September 26th) Today's saying is that a man must have guts, and a woman, charm. A man can't live without courage. Only having courage's not enough. This is on the cover of a best selling book, titled 'Do not live.' I thought it means we shall die, but it's about how to be a man to be loved.: (September 27th) Today's saying is that if you steal a fork, steal a knife too. If you are going to commit a crime, you might as well do it thoroughly. Afternoon soap operas teach this. If a viewer watches from afternoon soap operas to evening talk shows, he can feel a sense of the saying.: (September 28th) Today's saying is, 'like a rice cake falling off a shelf.' A rice cake fell off of the shelf, once. Unfortunately, an old lady passing under the shelf fainted. You can't avoid all accidents, no matter how careful you are. That's the point. The rice cake makes me hungry, but actually the meaning of the saying is really horrifying.: (September 29th) The saying today's that enough boatmen can take a boat up a mountain. If enough people cooperate, even a boat can climb up a mountain. Usually that's impossible. But they need a charismatic boatman, who can convince many people that a boat can naturally climb a mountain.: (September 30th) Today's saying is that it's no use crying over spilt milk. If milk is spilt, a ghost will cry over it. Then the cloth used to clean up will stink. Misfortunes never come singly. It never rains but it pours. These sayings are all similar in meaning.Next Time:
I take on my first Bonus Boss a bit early to nab their loot for grinding. Also, this is what Anti-Magic Zone looks like..