Part 21: BF17 – South Paltina

The Royal Army took North Paltina with Kylier's help, and moved on to South Paltina. Baldus, the God of War, had received word of the assault on Paltina and quickly returned from the Lenessey Mountains to shore up the defenses.

Gulcasa, the Emperor of Carnage, arrived at the southern gate and began preparing for the showdown for the liberation of Paltina.







Baldus, the God of War! So he has finally arrived.

If this were the GBA game, this would likely be the first time the player has ever fought with Baldus. The first time we saw him were avoided him, and we only battled in the PSP exclusive missions.

General Baldus, we have them outnumbered. This'll be easy.

The Lenessey Mountains have weakened them much. But they made it this far. Don't underestimate them. Keep them occupied until the Emperor's forces arrive!



The intro is short and sweet, so let's get into it.



Durant will use Leon's Catastrophe here. It ups 3 stats, and ups Dark damage. A great combo with Gravity Chaos.



I needed something that upped Milanor's Tec, but could only last for this and next level. Anything 3 maps or higher would do. The GEO +10 can come in handy too.

Rosary still have the Black Brand, giving her more Tec and Dark Damage Up. Yggdra doesn't need any items for here.

Rosary and Durant both take a few medallions, and go to 3590 and 4372 morale respectively. We still have 13 medallions left, so we're good.



Baldus isn't anything new here. He has good stats, except for Luk. His weapon also prevents him from using skills, so he won't use Ace Guard when he's in the lead. His luck is so low, and we're powerful enough to deal with his stats, so we won't steal it. We'll just take it from him after the battle.

Gravity Chaos will get a lot of use here, but Baldus is immune to half of it – his Void Ailments prevents him from getting the curse. We'll still roll him with the damage, though.

Cannon, fire at will!





Most of Baldus's forces take damage, except for that lower Griffon Rider.



We rush in with Gravity Chaos first. Any of the regular troops that survive will be cursed, and next to useless.





Milanor curses the first Griffon, and it just barely survives. Causing status ailments also gives us a bonus in the morale calculation.

Yggdra kills the Hunter she's up against in clash 2.





Rosary has issues against Baldus, but uses Gravity Chaos to defeat Baldus himself. Using an item that Ups an elemental damage works the same way as hitting a weakness. The target takes Fatal Damage.

Baldus is brought to 4067 morale, and Durant kills his Hunter as well.



The Griffon Riders lead the charge, and head towards Milanor.

Milanor curses the first Griffon, and Yggdra kills the second. The battle between Rosary and Baldus goes the same – victory through Fatal Damage.



This puts a cursed Griffon against Durant, which normally would be bad for us.



He didn't even need to use his card to win.

On our turn, Milanor and Durant both charge towards Baldus.

You must be Esq. Milanor... I salute you!

Let's do this!

Baldus, the God of War! You face a Royal Knight!

Ah... Sir Durant. I am ready for you!



Al? What's wrong, boy?

Al: Squawk squawk!

Think there's omething here?



You're the greatest, Al!

Al: Squawk!



The battle against Baldus won't be difficult. He will be unable to use Ace Guard, for staters. Durant also took the road that ran along the south of the map, and is in good form.

Baldus takes two losses, and is brought to 935 Morale.

How do you like that!

Well struck, young thief!



Baldus counter attacks against Durant, but is easily brought down.

Ugh...!





More of them!? They're nothing if not persistent...

It seems like they're stalling for time...

Be on your guard! They've got to be up to something.



Wh-Whoa! Hey, M-Milanor! There's more of 'em!



Damn! So they were after the cannon... You okay, Kylier?

Don't worry about me! I won't let them take it!

Elena leads the special forces to Kylier.

My orders are to take the cannon from you.

I won't let you have it!

And as usual, she does not attack the Royal Army.





Neither one of them are threatening in the least. This mission is locked to evening, so they can't use Bloody Claw, and neither one of them have very high stats. We'll have to use Steal against Elena, though.



So Kylier leads the charge, followed by Yggdra. Elena will be against Milanor on the third clash, so we'll have an easy time stealing.



Kylier brings down Elena no problem, and she stays passive the entire time. Assassins deal Dark damage in Rage, so we want them to be at Max before Yggdra gets into combat.



Yggdra wins against Zilva with no problem, thanks to avoiding the Dark damage. Milanor steals from Elena, and she has just enough morale to stay in there. This is good for us, so we don't have to deal with being attacked on their turn.

Here we go!

Ugh!



We'll go in for the kill with Shield Barrier this time. Before we start the fight, though, Durant and Rosary move up to block the next wave of reinforcements. Shield Barrier helps our attack, but will also help our defense when the situation changes.





No problem.





Video – The Situation Changes



Zilva's unit has failed to secure the cannon.





Go forth, my warriors! Fly to your enemies!



And now the mission really starts.



Phew! Looks like some big shot's on his way over!

Oh, my... That's Gulcasa! He's leading their main force!

Gulcasa...!?

I dunno, I bet we've faced worse... Haven't we?

Gulcasa... My mother and father's murderer!

Murderer? What...? Who the Hell is this guy!?

… The Emperor of Bronquia, and the one who stole our Capital...

Emperor!? You're telling me... I mean, that's the enemy's... Let me get this straight... We beat him, and the war ends? Ha! Let me at 'im!

No!

...Huh?

… He's mine... When he dies, it will be by my sword!

Yggdra...!?





The first two encounters go as would be expected.

Video – Gulcasa in Combat







But Gulcasa shows up third, and immediately uses Genocide.







He sacrifices his own units to become stronger. It also breaks our gauge, preventing any card skills, or aggressive mode.



It doesn't take long for Rosary to fall.



And he gets a hefty 30% bonus just for winning with Genocide. Thankfully he loses his surviving units bonus. The town Rosary is on will save her life by providing that 30% Geo bonus.



Durant wins the next round, against Aegina, but Rosary loses round 5 against another Witch. Her battle penalty was stacking up too much.



Two units are completely destroyed, but Gulcasa and Aegina advance to take their spots.



Aegina is part of Gulcasa's force now, so can't use Revolution. Thankfully, because fuck that weapon.



Here's the big man himself. He uses a Scythe, and as we've seen before it's strong against all melee, and weak to nothing. He's large, so carries those benefits / weaknesses, and rides a dragon. For the most part, Dragon movement acts the same as Horse, except Dragons can cross water. There are also a few specific abilities that target Dragons.

His Atk and Tec are both quite high, but he doesn't have any low stats. It would be good to steal his Early Drive to lower them, but I don't intend on keeping him alive that long.





Kylier's cannon shot brings him down to 5056 – he's still a monster.



Kylier moves in to assist in the union. Rosary will be up against Gulcasa again, and will likely take a loss. Since Gulcasa is so late in the Union, he will assuredly have full Rage and be able to use Genocide right away. At this point, it's pretty much a guaranteed loss. We can pray for a critical hit, but even then we might not win with Rosary.

Fighting Gulcasa used to be one of the deciding factors on who you picked between Rosary and Roswell. Rosary is immune to Gulcasa's Rage, but Gulcasa is likewise immune to Rosary's. Roswell can safely go aggressive. It's not a big deal now since we'd have Mistel if we wanted. Either way, all three of those characters are terrible against Gulcasa at this point, just because their stats are so low.



The first three battles go fine, and all three units are eliminated. Rosary loses to Gulcasa as expected, but survives. Milanor will advance beside Durant to end the turn.



Gulcasa is a bad enough dude to fight alone, apparently. He sends his Knight on a suicide mission.



I have no time to waste on weaklings like you!



The cannon barrages really help, and if you are having trouble try to go one on one against Gulcasa for a few turns, making him eat cannon shots. When you're ready, charge him with a large union and power card.



A child must have buried this.

Durant runs by the Emperor to go treasure hunting. Milanor will advance to Gulcasa.

So you're the big man around here, huh? Get ready!





Milanor leads this attack with Gravity Chaos, which is a key tool in defeating Gulcasa. Once cursed, Gulcasa is still stronger than damn near everyone, but beatable.

Durant and Rosary can still cause Fatal Damage against him. Worst case scenario, they kill his troops and Gulcasa uses Genocide by himself. He doesn't power up much if he can't sacrifice anyone. If we can bring Gulcasa down to the head alone, which is possible if he's cursed, we can just finish him with Gravity Chaos.

It will take 3 victories to kill him, so Rosary should be able to collect his item.



Milanor's opening goes poorly, but at least defends the counter well.



Gravity Chaos evens the score, and makes the fight manageable for Milanor.



It's a 2 on 1 by the time Genocide is started.



But Milanor puts a stop to it. As a quick note, 1-on-1 = Win items do not work during Genocide. Gulcasa is brought down to 2622 morale.





Durant nukes Gulcasa, and finishes him before he can use Genocide. Rosary will have enough time to get a Gravity Chaos off, as well. Depending on her charge damage, she might be able to kill him immediately.



It doesn't quite work out that way, but she still have the numbers to take him out during genocide.







His Majesty has been injured!

Your Majesty! Speak to me!

Accursed Fantasinians... They are dead men! Ugh...!



The Imperial Army is retreating!

...Our deepest wish has finally been granted... Our homeland is free once more!

Long live the Princess!

Princess, we did it!

Never mind! Where is Gulcasa!?

...I'm sorry, Princess. Amidst the chaos, I...

I will find him. I'll make him regret what he did...!

Princess...!



Let's get outta here and live real life again, Milanor...

...They promised me this castle. Our old base was lost to the Empire's torch... I was hoping for a new place we could call our own... But now that I've got it... I don't know, I feel restless.

…...?

This is all wrong... I want to see the world with my own eyes... I want to be more than I was.

...Don't tell me you're falling for that...

Huh? You gotta speak up, Kylier. Those cannons...

...I-It's nothing!

…...?



Loot


Cat's Eye: Not a bad item, since a lot of levels are locked to night. Lasts 2 maps.


Ipponki: I don't find the unusable skills worth the stats bonuses, and loss. 3 maps.


Rainbow Arc: Lasts 2 maps, has decent stat gains, and a decent ability. You can use this to cut right through annoying Fort bonuses.


Nightmare: You lose some stats, but you saw how Gravity Chaos and Dark up wrecked up the place, so it's easily worth it. Lasts 3 maps.


Hero Badge: Lasts one map, has good stat ups, and Always Ace is useful. This can be traded for something later, I believe.


Zolfy: Equip this on Yggdra, pick Revolution, and throw her into the middle of the enemy. Win fights. Who cares about the stats? 2 maps.


Early Drive: Decent stats, and Instant Charge can be useful. 2 maps.

Notes

There's really only one thing here that needs talking about – Gulcasa.

There are usually two keys on taking out this guy – Gravity Chaos and Steal / Item Break.

The Curse on Gravity Chaos makes him so much more manageable. He may still use Genocide, but you can still defeat him.

He also generally has good items equipped. It would be nice to steal them, but breaking them works in a pinch as well. Not now, obviously.

If you're having trouble on this mission - most people do - here are a few tips.

Get Milanor to at least 4 Atk, but 5 is nicer. The Brave Ring is perfect for this. It ups Gen and Atk, and heals your morale if you drop below half. This gives him a pretty good chance to win against Gulcasa, especially if he's cursed, or has lost his item. The first couple unions against Gulcasa's force will be a pain, but once you clean them out get Milanor to fight Gulcasa one on one for a couple fights, and let the cannon deal the damage.

The two choke points I used are good for this, since the AI doesn't use their mounted movement to move through you. If you can't force him there, you should be able to retreat your other units away so he'll go after Milanor. A Golem could also tank him in Milanor's place, to get Gulcasa to eat cannons. You can't summon Skeletons in this mission, unfortunately.

During this time, steal from him, but don't curse him right away – it only lasts a couple turns. Even if you repeatedly lose, the Brave Ring will continue healing you. Gulcasa should stay put, and keep hammering on Milanor. Move your units closer, but not into Milanor's union yet, until the cannon hits him a few times.

When you're in position, and ready to finish him off, use Milanor to curse him. This may or may not be in the turn you plan on killing him. It's ok if you wait a turn. When he's cursed it's time to bring in your big union to finish him. You may need to put a sacrificial character in there somewhere, like Milanor, Rosary, Durant. Rosary might lose, but she'll provide some skill for Durant, and give Gulcasa the battle penalty. There is no perma-death, except for Yggdra, Milanor, and Kylier. If someone has to retreat so you can beat Gulcasa, it's not a big deal. Except for some Exp loss, there is no penalty for this.

If you have a good one on one situation between Milanor and Gulcasa, you might find it's easier to deal with him with just Milanor. Go ahead and do it. Especially while cursed, Milanor has the best chance of ever winning thanks to his stat growths, and probably MVPs.

Regardless, the short window in which he's cursed is the time to strike. If you have any Element Up items and use Elemental cards, use Dark or Ice if you need them. Mind Change would work with Durant, if your Tec is high enough. Shield Barrier doesn't do shit against Genocide, but can give you the manpower advantage to kill him afterwards. If you use Mistel, Oblivious Dawn is great to bring the Rage bar to empty before the Gulcasa fight. She's probably not strong enough to deal with him herself, yet.

This is one of the hardest levels in the game, easily. There's not a better time to be using some of the better items you're hoarding. Brave Ring, Kill Blade, Ogre Blade, Catastrophe, Black Brand, Lucky Broom, and Ice Javelin are all very good items you could use here.

Aegina - I've seen Aegina cause a few issues here as well, thanks to her hard-to-steal Zolfy. Gravity Chaos with a Dark UP item will Overkill her for an easy win. Regardless, it causes Fatal Damage. Give someone the Boss Bandana for All Ace if you can't risk Milanor getting close at this point. Shield Barrier, Mind Change, Ace Guard and any damage card give you the man power advantage to keep it from a 1 vs 1. If Yggdra is strong enough, she'll have an easy fight thanks to Void Holy. Either Spear user should have no issue if they've been levelled, or have an item. The special weapon users are weak, so they might need the extra push.


O ancient wyrm, shrouded in a blazing aura, thy flames shall unleash the furies of Hell. - Brongaa, Dragon of Purgatory
Genocide – Fuck. It sacrifices Gulcasa's own units to give him a sizely power up. Unless he starts this grossly in your favour, you'll most likely lose to it – and take a 30% Genocide bonus in damage. 1-on-1=Win items don't work, nor do any protective measures. Either stop him from using it, or have a huge lead ahead of time. We'll find a semi-useful card in the future that can help us out, but not for a while.