Part 15: Lil' Adventures III

We're taking another break from the story to check in with friends. We're also going to pick up some DLC Mirages, take a look at the Champion Jewel system, and start clean with our stacks.





First of all, I drop back to the Coliseum to pick up DLC variants of Mirages we have.



It then occurs to me that I don't think I showed the Cactuar's description when I transfigged it from a Cactrot. I am deeply ashamed, because the description is awesome.

Speaking of Cactuar, M.C.Hammer gained access to a new Transfig.



Gigantuar is a huge Cactuar enemy that first showed up in FFVIII where it was called Jumbo Cactuar. It was an optional boss that had a version of the Cactuar's 1,000 Needles called 10,000 Needles, which would deal 10,000 damage. It also had a special animation for getting hit by Squall's Renzokuken limit break.



It's awesome.



It's also time we changed up the stacks a bit and cycled in some new Mirages. The thread coughed up some nickname suggestions, so we'll slot those in and remove some of the Mirages that have been with us for a long time.

Lann's stack gets reworked with M.C.Hammer on the bottom and Boco on top. Boco hasn't had a chance to contribute since being rechristened.



Reynn was originally going to get a stack with Smaug, which is the name the thread came up with for the Red Dragon we caught in The Dragon Scars. Beowulf, the Holy Dragon we caught in the secret area of Icicle Ridge was also a contender. However, I realized that Mugsy had not gotten a chance to get in on the fun.

So Reynn's stack for now will include Mugsy on bottom and Babyhamut on top. Babyhamut is the name given to Dramut by the thread. It is a new Mirage for Maxima and has a very good selection of abilities, including great elemental coverage and field abilities (Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, plus the field skills Chill, Sizzle, and Zap). The drawback is that it has no Transfigs. Still, it's a really good S Mirage. The field abilities alone means that it will probably remain on the roster for the rest of the game just for utility purposes.



I train up the new crew, and this is what we will be rolling with for a while. Dingldoink hangs around for coverage skills, Floating Eye gets Transfigged into Blood Eye (because it's still the only thing with Flutter at the moment), Wark and Magus also stay on board (Magus has a lot of Transfig potentials and Wark hasn't had a chance to shine yet). Foozles is taken out mainly because we're already overloaded on Chocobos. Dutch Oven stays on because it has two Transfigs coming in the near future.

Also, Cerberus gets renamed to Clifford. Clifford the Big Red Dog from the gates of the Underworld.



With that out of the way, let's get cracking on some of these Intervention Quests.

Lil' Update 3 Highlights - Underdog Day



[Moogle]: It's Underdog Day, kupo!


Aye! When any pirate can challenge his betters. Only the strongest can captain us! Do any of you have the pom-poms to dispute me?



Oh, well aren't you full of fire. So what have you got for me this time?


[Moogle]: I've seized a most ancient, forbidden spell, kupo. Cap'n, you're sharkbait, kupooo!




Hm? That's it?





Why does saying "kupo" a lot summon Ifrit?


[Moogle]: Ku-kupo? It was a summoning spell, kupo?!


Don't you "kupo" me. Fool! You didn't know what it was?

So you're the one? You dragged me to this place?!



*One wacky misunderstanding explanation later*

Ohhh... "Underdog Day," is it? Sounds like my kind of diversion. Very well... I shall be your opponent, human one! This ship of yours, all of you-- soon you will bow down before Ifrit as your master!


[Moogle]: But, but that isn't fair, kupo! If it wasn't for me, you would be--


Grrraaah! Only the strongest can lead this pathetic crew. Now, we begin!

Ha! As you wish. Come on, you animal!



Well, is it Underdog Day or isn't it?!

If you think you're stronger, shouldn't you be ready to prove it?

Ha ha ha ha ha! Once you have felt my true wrath, you'll regret those words!

Why do they call it "Underdog Day" anyway? "Dark Horse Day" would sound a hundred times cooler.

I guess that's a reasonable question. When did you learn a fancy expression like "dark horse"?

Since we're in Grymoire, wouldn't it the-have to be "Dark Chocobo Day"?

Ohhh, that's a great idea! We could blindfold a bunch of chocobos-- no, put boxes on their heads-- and then we can have them race!

That's mean. Don't do that to Chocobos. Regardless of how adorable it may be to imagine it.

Maybe he doesn't the-know what "dark horse" means after all.

Why me...

Poor the-Reynn...

She kind of brings it on herself as far as I'm concerned.



This Ifrit absorbs fire and is weak to Ice and Water. HP is pretty solid. Attacks range in the 300's, but that will vary based on levels.









Like Shiva and Ramuh, Ifrit has a special attack as well. Hellfire is Ifrit's signature move from the series. Make sure you are prepared for it, especially if one of your stacks is weak to Fire.

Not a difficult fight overall. I think it's likely the easiest of the three, assuming your stacks aren't focused heavily on Magic Defence at the cost of Physical Defence.





Heh. Ha ha ha, aha ha ha ha! Now that's what I call a challenge, Mog! But, don't go slinging spells without knowing what they do.


[Moogle]: Sink or swim, I say, kupo! That's why I don't taste the food I cook, kupo!


Well, you should! The muck from your galley makes me want to jump overboard!

And that's all for Faris and her crew of irritating Moogle pirates.



Next up, we have a quest that I'm really looking forward to.

Lil' Update 3 Highlights - Cranberry Knights








Boooo! Go away!


[Tonberry]: And I knew that you would... my old friends.


So, let's hear it. What's wrong, Tondawg?

Also, since we've got these three as side-characters that have their own quests and stuff, I guess I should mention who voices each of them.

Cactuar Conductor - Andrew Morris (English), Shigeru Chiba (Japanese)

Master Tonberry - Steven Barr (English), Jouji Nakata (Japanese)

Moogle - Bailey Gambertoglio (English), Sumire Morohashi (Japanese)

Unfortunately, I only have a character portrait for CC.


[Tonberry]: Oh-- Hm? Did I just hear you refer to me as "Tondawg"?


[Moogle]: What's the sitrep, kupo? Tonnypoo!


[Tonberry]: Wait. What is this? Since when you have you called me such ghastly names?


"Since when," he says. Listen to you! We just started now!




[Tonberry]: Now hold on. I don't even know where to begin. I mean, let's say I called you two...




They're getting off topic, but I don't care to stop them.

Not at all, Tonbuddy!


[Moogle]: I love it, kupo! Tonchops!


[Tonberry]: Ugh... You win. Call me whatever you want. As long as they're not the kind of nickname that you have to squeak.


*The scene fades out as Tonberry explains the situation*


Ohh. What a pickle. So this coliseum, which hides within a strange and mysterious mist that can connect it to whole other worlds...


[Moogle]: ...Was suddenly struck by an unexpected and chaotic phenomenon that caused a bunch of Mirages to run amok. Right, kupo?


[Tonberry]: ...Thank you for the exposition. So now that you know the problem, I would very much appreciate your assistance.


......


[Moogle]:......


[Tonberry]: Hm? All right then?


......


[Moogle]:......




Tonberry does a little spin and "kawaii" pose every time he says their nicknames.


Woo-hoo-hoo! Count me in! Everything's going to be peachy keen!

GODDAMMIT, I WANT YOU ON MY DESK!



Oh, screw you Square-Enix... (Not to mention that's in USD, so it's like 50 bucks CAD for a little 4-inch figurine, plus $30 shipping. Kiss my ass, SE.)


[Moogle]: Darn tootin', kupo! Friends stick together, kupo!


[Tonberry]: Uh, yes. Um, thank you.




And so begins the battle, which is against... Huh. Not exactly a strong showing.

Yeah! Just lemme at 'em!


[Moogle]: Bring it on, kupo!




None of these are very strong. You can probably one-shot them by this point. Useful if you haven't caught one of these three, I guess. None of them are difficult to track down though.



A second battle starts immediately after the first.

Right! All aboard now!


[Moogle]: I can do this all day, kupo!


Same as the last battle, none of these Mirages are difficult. Right Hand is a tiny bit harder to track down, so this is a good chance to grab one if you didn't in Pyreglow or Icicle Ridge.



Ugh! I can't move my arms! Wait, that's normal.




[Moogle]: I'm... so... pumped up, kupo!


Third battle straight after the second. This group is a little tougher because of the Cockatrice (potential Death Beak) and Ahriman (might confuse).

Let's take the opportunity to mess around with the Mega Mirage feature by summoning Clifford. Clifford requires 12 AP between Lann and Reynn in order to summon.

World of Final Fantasy Music: Mega Mirage Melody
















So Mega Mirages will stick around until their HP is reduced to 0 or their AP runs out.



A regular attack will cost 2 AP.



At the moment, Clifford only has 2 abilities unlocked. A Fire spell that hits all, and an Ice spell that hits all. He can also get Thunderbolt.

As you can see, his only real use is as a damage sponge.



His damage isn't boosted or anything either. I could honestly be doing far more damage if I had just stuck with Lann and Reynn in separate stacks. To be slightly fair to him, Clifford's level is lagging a little behind the others. He's level 22 at the moment.



Still, Mega Mirages do have some uses. Clifford is also only our first one. We'll get others with different ability boards that may be more useful.




[Moogle]: So they're not just acting up, kupo?


Hmm, you're right. I get the distinct impression that we're getting in their way more than vice-a versa.


[Tonberry]: Our Mirage opponents have been getting steadily stronger.


Heh, hoo, hah... I know I'm tough, but even I'm starting to feel the burn here. Hot dang!


[Moogle]: Oh! Let's stack, kupo!


[Tonberry]: Stack what?


[Moogle]: Us, kupo! I mean if those twin goobers can do it, we can too, kupo!


You're right. They do get a lot stronger when they stack, now don't they?


[Tonberry]: Hmm... So how do we decide the order?


[Moogle]: First, we have to pick a leader, kupo. How 'bout... we do rock-paper-scissors for it, kupo? Me and the cap'n do it all the time, kupo!


[Tonberry]: Are you sure?


[Moogle]: Rooock... Paperrr... KUPO!


Guys? How are we supposed to figure out who won?




[Moogle]: Yippee, kupo! Mog takes the prize, kupo!


Huh?


[Tonberry]: Heh?


[Moogle]: So with that settled, your new leader will assign the positions, kupo.


.....


[Tonberry]: Ohhh... All right.




I must say, my head's getting kind of itchy...


[Tonberry]: I can't move.




Oh, hey Tifa. What uhh... how did you get here?

Ugh! How does master expect this to help me train?!


[Tonberry]: Wait, is that a human?




Somersault is Tifa's second Level 1 Limit Break. The way Tifa's Limit Break works is by stopping a series of slots with "Yeah!", "Hit!", and "Miss". "Yeah" and "Hit" will allow her to chain her limits together. So by the time the end of the game rolls around, Tifa's complete Limit Break is Beat Rush->Somersault->Waterkick->Meteodrive->Dolphin Blow->Meteor Strike->Final Heaven, for a total of seven attacks.

Hmm... Now we know what got into the Mirages. The young lady is a bona fide public menace!


[Tonberry]: Yes, I would agree.


[Moogle]: Okay, then we have to stop her, kupo!


I mean, she's doing what we do all the time. This is the Coliseum. I come here sometimes just to beat up Mirages to test stacks out. Then again, I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean we aren't public menaces.

I'll take you all on! Let's do this!




[Tonberry]: Oof. She's too... powerful...


[Moogle]: Oh! Hey, I have an idea, kupo! Whisper whisper, whisper whisper...


Right then! Let's go ahead and give it a shot!


[Tonberry]: Oh, it's on.




Huh? Not you again! Beat it, cactuar!

*Tifa goes to punch him, but he zips away*

Zip!

Huh? I missed?




[Tonberry]: Guess who? Tonberry in the house. Poke!


*Tonberry appears behind Tifa and pokes her in the back with his knife*

---------!! Hey! That didn't feel good!


[Tonberry]: Now, friends!




Ack! Uhhh...



Not that I want to question Cactuar Conductor and Tonberry's contributions, but if you were just going to put her to sleep then you could have just opened with that.


[Tonberry]: Whew... I think we had better send this young lady back to Grymoire.


[Moogle]: Seems to me... that the three of us make one dashing duo, kupo!


Indeed!


[Tonberry]: Heh?




The "Cranberry Knights" is a reference to Final Fantasy Type-0. In that game, the Cranberry Knights is a group of 13 Moogles that represent the 13 classes.

At this point, Dutch Oven and Mugsy get their new Transfigs. Let's have a look.





Sweet.



Back to interventions. There's two left available for now.

Lil' Update 3 Highlights - Rikku Interventions



[Adamantoise]: So, Rikku, was it? Where might you be headed this fine day?


Adamantoise is voiced by William Knight in English, Hiroshi Iwasaki in Japanese.

Hee hee hee. Do you really need to ask? Treasure Island!


[Adamantoise]: Ahhh. So the Low Seas have managed to keep a few secrets from me.


It's full of treasure chests! Now that's what I call a paradise! The currents are so strong, I never could have made the trip all by my lonesome. It sure is a good thing I found you, Addy-boy.


[Adamantoise]: You'd risk your life to reach this place? I wonder if treasure hunting is as fun as you say.


It sure is! All those little trejies have been around way longer than I have. I'll be the first person to touch them in years upon years... Ooooh, I could just squeal!

Please, don't.


[Adamantoise]: Hmm... I see now. I had that same spark ages ago. How I miss it.


Yeah? Well, why don't you come along on this treasure hunt with me?




[Adamantoise]: I envy you. Living life as you please-- now that is a true treasure.


Hmm... if you say so. Oh! There's the island! I see it!



That's Treasure Island? I guess it's technically correct. Kind of disappointing looking though.




[Adamantoise]: No trouble at all. How will you get home?


Look at all the stuff lying around here! There's gotta be some relic that'll help me. Oh, hey. Why don't you take something with you? I don't know what's in that chest there, but it's sure gonna be something good!




[Adamantoise]: Rikku. I will help you.


You'd do that? You're so sweet. Now... get that cheeest!



Yeah, I never the-liked jack-in-the-boxes.

Yes! It stinks! But the only way to know what we'll find is to jump right in!

Thanks for making it sound like we're dumpster diving. Very uplifting.

This battle is against standard Mimics. Nothing difficult. I have a move I want to try out though...













You rock, M.C.Hammer.




[Adamantoise]: Your job's full of surprises.


Ha ha ha. Well, sometimes. Yeah.


[Adamantoise]: Despite the danger, you still mean to continue with it?


Of course! It's in my blood. I live for treasure hunting! All my trejies need me! I can't stop now!


[Adamantoise]: Heh, I see. Then I wish you a safe and fruitful journey.


Mm! Thanks again, Addy! I'll see you real soon!




[Adamantoise]: Perhaps my kin have been missing out. Perhaps it's time for an adventure of their own. I wonder... Would those Mirage keepers help us?


If by "help" you mean Imprisming you and your friends/children, then the answer is yes.



One last quest to take care of.

Nnnrrrggghhh!



Why is every single chest I find a stupid mimic?! Why're you trejies playing hard to get? HELP ME OUT HEEERE! Ugh... Well... As long as there's one more chest to crack... I'm not gonna give up now!



*Insert battle with a single standard Mimic that you can take out in a few shots*

You see what happens to trejie impostors? Rikku happens, and don't you forget it!

You know... now that I think about it, shouldn't we be helping the Mimics here? Rikku is invading their home and beating the shit out of them, then getting pissed off at them for being there. I think we're on the side of the bad guys for this one.



This is a call back to FFX. Rikku was terrified of lightning because her brother saved her from a monster one time by casting Thunder on it... while both of them were in the water.







Oh, I see. So all these mimics infesting the island, that was your idea? You...are...doomed! I'm taking you out, and ridding this island of all your little wannabes!

This is their habitat, Rikku. You're kind of fucking with their home. Don't try and claim the moral high ground here.



How sinister! Who wouldn't open a treasure chest this big?! It's like the mother lode!

It would be tempting. I guess this is what they mean when they say not to look a gift horse-- er, chest-- in the mouth...

Mimic Queen is not too bad of a fight. We can't imprism this one, but we'll get the memento for it from this fight. It's weak to Light, but strong against Thunder.

One thing to watch out for, it also knows Death, like Mimics do. If it connects, then revive right away. If it decides to pull it twice in a row then the battle could just end in two shots.









It also has a special attack that's kind of hilarious. It struts up with a come-hither look, then hauls back and stabs with the four hair drills, then does a sassy turn and walks away.



Man, that was a really cheap shot there, pulling out all those thunderbolts like that! I thought I was a goner for sure but, at least now I can fina-- Huh? ...What? Aaah! Wh-what happened to all of the trejies?! No waaay... Well, at least with the mimics out of the picture, I know every chest I open is the real deal!

This island is not that big. Where the hell are you finding all these treasure chests?

I'm not gonna let one little setback set me back!



I'd actually like it if you didn't thank us for our involvement. I'm kind of wishing we had a choice to side with the Mimics to be perfectly honest.

Ohhh-kay, the big treasure hunt is on! Ooh! Trejie spotted straight aheaaad!

Finally, to end off the update, we run back to the Coliseum for a special event and a feature showcase. While taking on the Test of Might challenges in the Coliseum, an event triggered for me where the battle is switched out for something... different.







Hm? Uh, right back at you.

Well, it's like... Hmm... Oh, I know! Didn't you use to call it a "part-time job"?

This is not the same as flipping burgers at some fast-food joint.

Hey, it is what it is. So, I hope that you're ready to go through us!

Ha ha ha ha! If you think you can!



This is the battle that allows us to capture the story versions of Shiva and Ifrit. These fights are pretty easy, although you'll likely have to stand around attempting to capture them multiple times before it actually works. They do not want to be Imprismed.

Shiva's capture condition is just like Ifrit's, except you use Ice. It's pretty easy to guess.





Come on! What is with you guys and food?!

Anyway, as for the feature showcase, let's have a look at how Champion Jewels work.



Champion Jewels have to be equipped in the Mirajewels menu.

As explained in the tutorial, the Champion you want to turn into has to match genders with the twin. So Reynn can take the form of the girls, and Lann can take the form of the boys.

Each Champion will change the stats in some way and they will also get access to a special ability.



Lil' Update 3 Highlights - Tifa Champion Jewel


For Tifa, this means we can use Beat Rush, which is her first Level 1 Limit Break from FFVII.







And that's it. The character models only change in battle, so Reynn still appears while running around the map and in cutscenes. Champion Jewels also cost Arma Gems, and those are in short supply right now. I need to save whatever I can for Intervention Quests.

Honestly, this is a poorly implemented feature. It's a novelty at best, a detriment at worst (you can't use Mega Mirages or Champion Summons when a Jewel is equipped). The fact that you have to use your limited Arma Gems for them (while also needing them for Medals and Intervention Quests) makes it even worse.