Part 35: BF30 – Nyllard Desert - South

The Royal Army advanced down Minel Road while stopping at oases along the way, battling the shifting sands and scorching heat of Nyllard Desert. After fending off rampaging bandits, they reached the halfway point.

Their next stop was the trading city of Ranquet, but it had fallen under attack by bandits.

Meria Parish's Temple Knights who normally protected the city were nowhere to be seen, leaving the citizens to fend for themselves against the bandits.

On top of this, Emelia's aerial division had arrived, leading the Royal Army to wonder what was happening in the Diocese.





It's so damn hot. This is the pits!

Our soldiers are also quite exhausted, but... We must persevere for the Princess' coronation. We must all do our best for her.

…......... ...So many people pour out their sweat and blood for me... How can I live up to their expectations of me? It's not an easy thing to ascend the throne...

Princess, I see a group to the west! It looks like... the Imperial Army.

Huh... They don't look like they're after us for once.

...Let us proceed. If they wish to fight us, then we shall oblige them.

What are they up to? Weird...





It's a good a time as any to pull this out. Yggdra will catch up on all the combat she missed last mission, and then some. The Atk UP is nice, but I'm looking at it for the 1 on 1 = win.

Milanor, there's some bandits in the town up ahead!

Looks like it's up to us to bust 'em up again.





Emelia gets the first turn, and just leads her forces to the exit. We're entirely free to ignore her.



She is holding an item, though. If we skip it now she'll bring it with her to the next level anyways.



Where's the fun in that, though? Kylier rushes ahead through the sand to lead the union. Yggdra moves onto the desert to link Milanor in. Kylier will Ace Steal, and Milanor will steal from Emelia.

We do have one concern, though. Because the Zolfy drops Yggdra's Gen to 2, the regular Griffon Riders can use Gravity Chaos and curse Yggdra, in addition to the Fatal Damage. If Yggdra's cursed, she won't be able to get to the town in a decent timeframe, and someone else will have to liberate the village.



Kylier remains Passive as long as possible, in hope that the enemy Griffon will use their card skill on her.



It works, and the enemy quickly falls afterwards.



Yggdra has more than enough time to take out her opponent, and remains safe.



Milanor steals from Emelia simply enough.



The desert makes moving incredibly annoying. Mistel and Elena start moving south, of all places, away from the road. They won't be needed to free the town, but will come in handy when the map changes if they continue going south.



Yggdra will charge into battle alone here. Mind Change will break any advantage the Assassins have, and the Bandits remain jokes through and through. And just in case the RNG favours the enemies...





Yggdra walks out with 5 victories, and 5 enemies are eliminated.



The road to town is broken up by the sand, so it will take two turns to get to the next group.



I think a girl wrote this.



Mm, food!

Kylier can collect some of the harder items, unhindered by the sand penalty. Milanor and his group continue the long trek south, to the border of the map.



When Elena reaches the edge, she also finds an item.



This Bandit is the one defending the town. Once he's defeated, we're free to liberate it and move on. Kylier is close by so she can claim it once the Bandit is removed, but just in case Yggdra can't one-shot him, she's also part of the union.



And I was right to be cautious – Yggdra doesn't quite have the strength to do it. Kylier finishes him off, though, and retakes the town.



Town Chief: This used to be a major city, but... Recently, Dort and his gang have been raising hell... It's ruining our business. If you're on a journey through the desert, beware.





Why are the bandits so active?

Governor: This area used to be protected by the knights of the Church. The guards were known as the Temple Knights. The instant they vanished, the bandits saw their opening...

Where did the Temple Knights go off to?

Governor: Well... I hate to say this, but... There's a problem with corruption in the Church...

The Church?

Governor: Yes. The Temple Knights live to uphold divine justice. The corrupt officials didn't care for their zeal... I hear the Church disbanded the Temple Knights.

That's more of less what I've heard, too. That explains why this place is infested with bandits.

Governor: That's not the worst of it... The Empire is behind the corruption somehow.

…...!

...Is there anything the Empire doesn't have its fingers in? I bet they've got something to do with the bandits, too.

...We should investigate the matter as soon as possible.

Let's do it.

Normally the level ends right here. However, if you have enough Total Reputation, 20+ I believe, a new section of the map opens up. We started the level at 16, and only Yggdra had a really low Rep. By clearing out the town, she earned the max of 6 Rep, and pushed us over the limit.

If the ambush in the previous level goes poorly, or a character like Milanor does too much work, it may be harder to reach the Rep required.

Hey, Milanor! We took one of the bandits alive for you!

H-Help me! Please... D-Don't kill me!

Tell us where your hideout is, and I'll spare your life.

R-Really!?

Really. Simply promise that you'll commit no more crimes.

I-I've heard a lot about you guys. An army with a fierce sense of justice...



You're not just telling us what we want to hear, are you?

I-I'm not lying! I swear!

...Alright. Remember, you'll commit no crimes from now on.

Yes, Ma'am! Th-Thank you!

We don't want those guys popping up at a bad time... Let's take out their base and finish 'em off!

Our target is Dort's fortress. Make ready, everyone!

Now that's more like how a princess should act!



I'd say that looks like their stronghold.

Boss! They're here! The army with the wanted princess!

Tch! How'd they find this place? Give 'em all you've got, men! Show 'em what we're made of!

B-But, Boss... Are you sure about this? They were pretty strong last time...

Of course, morons! We've got the Protector on our side, remember!? There's nothin' to worry about if you just pray to him!

Th-That's right! I'm feeling stronger already!

That's the spirit! Now, let's crush 'em! Remember, the Princess ain't worth anything to us dead. You yahoos got that?

Yeah, Boss!



The average enemy isn't much to worry about here, but they are getting stronger. Regardless, because of their protector, they all have High status.



Dort is a little less bothersome than last time even, since his Atk has gone down.



And here's their big Protector... A Golem. His Gen and Atk are quite high, though, so he can actually put up a fight. He's the only enemy without High status, and if he's defeated the rest of the bandits will panic, and lose their special status.



And thus begins another long trip through the sand. If we stay more than one tile away from the enemy, they won't be able to attack us. With three catapults under their control, it's important to stay off the defensive when you're near the fort.



Alchemist: I see you've got both Stardust and a Desert Rose.





Alchemist: In certain situations, it can reverse the ravages of time. Unfortunately, that's all I can do for you. I'm still learning when it comes to alchemy. If you want to see a real artist, visit St. Meriata. That's where my master lives.



Dort spreads his units out, but none quite make it to us. The Griffons are the only ones that could've reached us, but the AI seems to like spreading movement when possible.



We'll pick Revolution, and Yggdra will step forward as bait. Kylier will back up to stay out of the way. Milanor and his group spread out and ready for combat.



Both opponents drop without issue.



Dort's men attack Yggdra. She's in the desert, and vulnerable to Sand Storm. 4 vs 1; hardly seems fair.







The first three encounters go smoothly.



But the Assassin wants to be a hero.

















Finally, Dort's Assassin wanders out into the desert.



Everyone advances forward. Shield Barrier should be a good card to use to finish off the Protector. Any damage we deal to Dort will be wasted otherwise.



And Elena does a good deal of damage.



Can't quite deal with the Protector, though.





The Golem leaves the fortress and attacks Milanor, to no avail.





What!? Th-That's not possible!

I-It's over...! Without our Protector... W-We're done for...!

H-Hey! Get back here, cowards! We're not licked yet!



We'll just get this Griffon out of the way, and then the path is open to finish Dort.





Kylier flies in to take an item, and then leaves.



It takes a couple of days messing in the sand, but eventually we get into position to finish this.
















So, are you guys working for the Empire?

Huh? We don't have anything to do with the Empire! We just jumped in since the knights were gone. Although...

“Although” what?

The Empire was sniffing around here not too long ago... I thought they came to kick us out, but that wasn't it. It seemed more like they were looking for something...

Looking... for what?


I see. The Empire has already been here...

If they've ventured out here, there must be something... I suppose we'll find out once we reach St. Meriata.

Then, let's hurry up and ditch this desert.

Indeed. Let us go.



Yggdra earned almost 1.5 levels out of this, as well as MVP. This will help greatly in catching her up.

Loot


Walnut Bread: This has Elena's name all over it. There are a few Gen increasing items, but many of them are meat. Elena's a vegetarian.


Yumina's Diary: This can also be traded for one of the, in my opinion, most useful items in the game. It's not worth equipping it.


Mepple: And this one will be going straight to Yggdra. While both her and Durant have terrible Luk issues, Yggdra gets priority being the main character and all.


Rokon Skull: Trade item.


Stardust Hourglass: Trade item.


Sun Orb: Can't complain with morale restoration, especially when it lasts 3 maps.


Golem Suit: Shitty.


Gaudy Turban: Not good.

Notes

This level is pretty slow paced, but not difficult. You may want to bring a couple high move throwaway cards, to help you slog through the sand on the combat free turns.

It's probably not worth it to take the Walnut Bread from Emelia, since you'll have a better opportunity next mission. And if you get cursed early, that can cause more issues than the early item will solve.

Vs Dort – This can be an issue, especially if you let Dort attack you. If Dort is in the enemy union, they will always use 3 catapults, which can hurt. Add that to their High status, with Sand Storm's Tec+2 damage, and defending can suck.

Vs The Protector – He's probably the strongest enemy on the map, and he grants everyone high status. He also starts on a Fort, so gets a hefty defensive bonus. You can lure him onto the sand, though, and he can't form unions. Yggdra and Russell (and anyone using Thunderbolt...) will rip him up. Banshee's Cry starts being excellent around this point, because it drops his power by 75%.

I prefer to wait back a little, and have them enter the desert to come after me. If you then jump in to start the attack, you won't have to worry about the catapults at least. Kylier can be really good for this. With her swooping in towards isolated units from difficult angles, she can lead your offensive unions while everyone stays safe.

Take your time if you need it. You have 30 odd tuns to get the quick clear bonus, which should give you ample time to position perfectly, or wait for a certain time.

It also didn't really matter that I was on the defensive while using Revolution / Zolfy. If I went down too fast, I'd use Revolution and end the fight with the Zolfy. Otherwise, I'd either win normally, or instant-win the 1 on 1. It may be difficult to charge and use Revolution every fight, though, since it's 10 Mov worth of gauge to fill up.