Adam R. Wood (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} zotmeister) wrote in ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} disgaea,@ 2008-01-05 23:10:00 |
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Hardcore, Episode 10
[For links to earlier entries, visit my journal's listing.]
Gordon and company have a nasty trek ahead of them. This episode is their chance to get up to par and be able to handle the rigors of Don Joaquin's upcoming challenge. But it still isn't going to be easy: sure, it starts with a very abuseable battle, but Vyers is waiting at the end...
Before I even commence the chapter, I have some decisions to make; I have three new party members and 5 blank equipment slots among them. The first thing I note is that Jennifer's Mach Punch is rare; unfortunately, all it matches is a Leather Jacket, but I hand it over anyhow. I do consider having Laharl and Jennifer switch weapons, but I like Jennifer more, and she does have a greater affinity for fist weapons. (Yes, I know, I have to face Episode 13 without her, but she's still very useful. Note to self: if a future run is required, consider giving her a sword; it's not all that efficient for her, but at least that way someone will make use of that Diabolic Sword gifted in Episode 14...) Gordon's weapon I do swap to Flonne, and I give him that Stamina Axe I was holding onto instead. Gordon's unique special attacks are the most damaging in the game, and their effectiveness is based on his ATK, so the gun is inefficient for him. Noting it has a HIT bonus to help counteract the Axe's deficiency, not to mention a sizeable ATK boost, I fill Gordon's last slot with the Horse Wiener. For Jennifer's last slot, I take a Dark Orb from the Prinnies, mainly due to its Statistician 13. Noting how low Gordon's resistance is - that, and he'll be using his specials mainly anyhow - I give him the Moon Orb one of the weaker Zombies had in place of the Bulletproof Vest; I'd have given him the King Orb, but there's an Armsmaster 22 in the Moon Orb.
Thursday is something of a special case. Those aptitudes of his make him the strongest of my monsters, even if his level isn't as high. I basically put him at the top of the monster hierarchy and perform hand-me-ups as necessary. With Robo Bazooka, Thursday is the new Hoggmeiser - that is, the party member I send out as a decoy, letting the enemies surround it and get punished for it while my humanoid protagonists are off doing what needs to be done. I often struggle with just how much to give Thursday - it's very tempting to give it Etna's equipment! - but I don't tap into the humanoid's stores this time. I figure that those capable of throwing are the ones that need to be tended to first, as they are the ones that need to take point in the tricky battles.
Fervent Melody: Invinci-BLIT-y! And... No Lifting? That, of course, doesn't hurt one bit - I can just merge them together when they're standing on the lava rocks. No Lifting means you can't lift what's on it, not that you can't lift things yourself when you are on it, so there's still no risk involved. I bring out the five humanoids and put them in a plus shape in order to leech weapon mastery while the Guardians waste their SP, three of them burning up their Cannonball first turn (it's a plus-shaped attack). Once they're tapped out, I move the party back and forth from one side to the other, luring the enemies into the areas where they can be lifted, eventually merging them into one. Then I pin it against the lava and do what I do best with Invincibility around: whore weapon mastery. I shamelessly keep it going until all five are at a minimum of level 20. Jennifer finally gets access to Big Bang - not that she has the maximum SP to use it, it turns out - some eight hours later (it wasn't all straight playing...) for turn 454. For those keeping score - or those who want to try to undercut me in the future, assuming they can make it this far themselves - Gordon is at 22, very near to 23; Flonne is at 21 and halfway to 22; Laharl is at 30 and halfway to 31; Etna (whose Sofia's Mirror and Feather Token have a total of 50 Armsmaster levels, in my defense) has a whopping 40 (TRIPLE!), being about two-thirds of the way to 41.
With that done, it's time to get serious (hopefully before there's a power outage...). I need to make a decision, and make it now: do I give Etna the kill as usual (allowing for a party wipeout as well - at this point I could have the Pravda Necklace in about three battles), or do I let the 100%-guaranteed team attack split the experience among the newcomers (who need less to level, and would let Etna be in the bunker for a capture attempt)? What I decide to do is let Etna do the finishing, but in swapping the Statisticians to her I also give all of Etna's equipment to Thursday, who will be able to make the most of it (and this time I remember to send a Candy to the warehouse first so that I actually have the space in the item bag to do this). I also invest in actually using some of the healing items I've been stockpiling to bring Thursday up to full health (note to self: use SP healing first, dummy) before going to toss the level-170 enemy with 84 HP and zero SP into the Base Panel, just in case I get ludicrously lucky...
...and then I realize that given the presence of No Lifting and the layout of the level, that I actually can't just toss it in. Oh, but there is a way, yes, there is: I let counterless Flonne keep the Guardian occupied while Laharl makes a break for the back corner where the No Lifting Geo Symbol is. Since it's in a corner, only Rising Dragon can start it moving. Two of those get it away from both outer borders, and a King of the Beasts gets it onto lava rock, lifting the restriction (no pun intended). I then have Laharl break it for good measure (and EXP) before he returns to the Base Panel.
Now then. Yikes, and awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...
...bonk. Base Panel destroyed. Oh well, I tried. Again.
Even with 45 levels of Statistician, Etna only gains two levels, to 55. There's nothing but crap in the Bonus Gauge as well. Piffle. At least the power doesn't go out before I save. If I need a next time, maybe I should split the EXP among the Earthling team. Then again, maybe not. I have no idea.
Wasteland of Woe: There Be Dragons... and no Angel to toss them into. Yeah, this is a scary battle, alright. Early on, Demon's Breath is my greatest concern, so it's diagonal-line formation for me. Laharl gets the Hobbit on the right with King of the Beasts; Flonne and Etna get the one in the middle; Maderas plugs up the left end of the formation while the Earthlings take the right. Flonne takes two Demon's Breaths, and somehow manages to avoid being poisoned; she promptly retreats off the front rank in order to serve as sniper, while Choux fills the gap. Unfortunately, Maderas, Choux, and Axis leave the left Hobbit barely alive. Laharl gets the drop on the group to the right with Overlord's Wrath, and then uses a Blazing Knuckle to help mop up along with Gordon. The Fafnir heads right; it proves to be weak to fire, so Laharl uses Blazing Knuckle against it as well. Meanwhile, on the left, the first Dragon almost falls in one turn to Maderas, Etna, and Flonne's Inferno; two Blue Novas take out Choux and put Axis on the ropes. Etna's Spear Storm finishes it off, along with one of the Pucks. Back to the right, Flonne's Totenkreuz and Gordon's Gordon Punch take out the Fafnir, reducing the battle to one front. Two Pucks and a Dragon remain, and I can't help but think about merging... but just my luck, the Pucks split up, one heading for the center while the other accompanies the Dragon on the left. I basically wait for them to converge, softening up the Dragon while I'm waiting. Over the next two turns I soften up the Pucks, merge them, and then add in the Dragon to make a level-91 Puck. Everyone rebunkers but Etna, and in the Puck goes, coming out with a mere 20 HP. It went in with more like 170... maybe I should have tried to soften it up a bit more! Oh well, Etna's counter ends the battle.
Pravda Necklace in six knockouts...
River of Lava: There are two ways to fight this one. One, as seen on GameFAQs, is to travel along the periphery of the map destroying or removing all the Geo Symbols, then tackling the Sentinel while it's unaided. This is known as the DUMB method. The other is to simply Triple Strike the Sentinel off its throne and use it yourself to finish him. This is known as the PROPER method. Naturally, I opt for the latter. My first turn sees Etna and Flonne boosting Laharl to right in front of the Sentinel, which is promptly dethroned. Laharl occupies it himself before ending turn. Healing over 800 HP per turn means he isn't going down any time soon, even if he is poisoned, although on the first enemy turn a Brownie manages to put Laharl to sleep up there. Humorous. Flonne and Etna advance close enough to attack the Sentinel (with Prinny Raid in Etna's case) and, with Laharl's double attack (after he woke up) to soften it up, they combo it away in a few turns. Flonne then takes the throne to harass that Brownie while the party tries to lure the others out of the corners for a grand merging. Etna has little difficulty getting the one on the left to join in, but Gordon finds himself poisoned and asleep when waking up the two on the right; Jennifer successfully launches a rescue mission, with Laharl and Etna helping with the throwing, putting Gordon safely back in the Base Panel. Flonne manages to fall asleep for a long time on the throne, but eventually she wakes up (around turn 20) and with Laharl's help makes a level-132 Brownie, bring it down to 122 HP, 23 SP, and making it forgetful (not that that lasts). She then goes around gunning down all the Geo Symbols for experience. Finally, she lures the enemy to the Base Panel, and Etna swaps places with Flonne before tossing the Brownie in. It emerges having taken no damage. Well, I think I know where the capturable line is currently drawn then, but that will have to wait. Etna's counter finishes the battle.
Now this kosmemophobe naturally dislikes the idea of any party member wearing a necklace, but I'm not stupid. The very first Pravda the hospital offers is rare (WOW!), with a Gladiator 68 to sweeten the pot. Of course, the accursed thing doesn't match the rarity of any other item the party has (PFFT!), but it's a great help on its own. I would give it to Flonne (who of course wears a pendant anyway), but given the Gladiator (which would be useless to her as a gun-wielder), I give it to Laharl in place of the old Devil Ring. I give that to Gordon in place of the Power Jacket he started with, which goes to Ozmyere in place of a lowly Bulletproof Vest. That, naturally, goes to a Prinny.
I'm only one KO away from the Immortal's Pill - which basically gives Etna one rescue - and fifty-one away from the Royal Ring, which may be only four battles' worth. The Testament might be a tough one, though.
Searing Tyranny: Twelve Treants, all level 35... and plenty of EXP +100% to go around. Thing of beauty. Laharl uses Overlord's Wrath on the three lined up on the right (why didn't I use it on the four to the left!?), Gordon tosses the front one into the middle one, and Etna Avalanches it away. On the left, Jennifer tosses Thursday into the center, who then... probably curses me for failing to notice that his SP maximum is less than what he needs for Robo Bazooka. You know what, screw it - I swap equipment, replacing Thursday's Cross-Trainers with the King Orb, and give him a Garlic Water to power the Bazooka. It gets those enemies down about half. A couple of Pounding Sprees later, Flonne throws the one on the left that decided to move into the other Pounding Spreer, Gordon throws it onto green, and Etna Avalanches it away. I actually bring out Hoggmeiser to use Darkness Slash to help soften up the other three on the left a little more. Sadly, Laharl gets one with a counter (although it's still on green). He then heads back to the right, where he, Gordon, and Etna do exactly what they did first turn to two of the five that came down from the back corner; one of the two on the left surprises me by retreating, leaving me to wait for it to come back for merging, which it does next turn when I give it Flonne as a Stomp-O-Rama target. A single Putrid Breath rather obnoxiously both poisons and paralyzes Laharl; I simply use Faerie Dust so as not to have to alter my rhythm. Hoggmeiser is also paralyzed, but as he's serving as a barricade anyhow, it doesn't concern me much. Two more get merged and Avalanched; I figure a triple is in order to finish it. A few tosses and an Avalanche result in a level-105 Treant with 39 HP... hmmm... lots of SP still, but Hoggmeiser is still paralyzed anyway... I could easily get double EXP for the KO, but this looks VERY capturable if I can just get some of that SP spent. I do something I normally never do: invite trouble. I put Etna next to Hoggmeiser and have both defend in the hope of drawing out special attacks. They lure out a Paranoia before Hoggmeiser gets too weak to take any more; he regained use of his feet, which take him back to the Base Panel. Etna manages to stomach a Putrid Breath without being poisoned, but this makes me realize just how very risky this tactic is, and I decide to just toss it in as is and hope for the best - I know I could bring out, say, Prinnies to try to lure out the specials, but they may end up getting smacked with standard attacks and I'd have one less unit to fight the thing inside the bunker. I wish I knew better how this whole monster-capture thing was calculated. Anyhow, I take my chances and Etna throws the Treant into the Base Panel...
...and it doesn't come back out! Capture successful. I spend 32,530 HL (less than a tenth of my bankroll) for Olive the Treant to join the party. I also claim my rare Immortal's Pill!
Even unequipped, Olive is impressive, with stats right up there with Etna's (except for only having about two-thirds the HP). Due to its level, it gets a 2.5% boost to its equipment - of course, Thursday still gets a 50% boost in everything but RES, so Thursday still counts as "top monster". Nonetheless, there's a certain sense of comfort in knowing I now have a party member that's a higher level than the game's final boss. Who'd have thought that possible in a hardcore? However, I mustn't let that make me complacent. It's still plenty easy to screw up and throw it all away. I simply hand up Ozmyere's trappings to Olive, filtering everything else up as well. In my party top ten, Andrealphus is actually tenth, at level 30; Etna is now second-place at level 60. Hoggmeiser and Maderas were tied for tenth, but now they're tied for eleventh. You've done well, gents.
Inferno: Right - eight Pucks all knowing Mega Heal in the back, supporting Vyers who is now wearing legendary Falcon Shoes so he runs faster than Etna - guess he finally learned his lesson. I bet he didn't plan on - or prepare for - Olive the Treant! Of course, the first order of business is the two Fafnir in front. My first turn is simply to bring out Olive and Etna and have them defend at the edges of the movement ranges of the dragonkin to lure them out. Minimal damage is inflicted, but Etna is put to sleep, and more importantly I end up luring out more than just the Fafnir. Icky-poo. Seems like I could use a better tactic here. At least it lined up two Pucks with the left Fafnir for Olive to dismiss via Paranoia. On the right, Vyers and two Pucks are all in a line; noting Mid-Boss is weak to fire, Etna (after Andrealphus administers Faerie Dust) flanks them with Spear Storm, followed with Laharl's Big Bang. This takes out one Puck; Jennifer then throws Thursday up to where he can move in with a Robo Bazooka, which takes out the other Puck. The Dark Adonis is now down to slightly more than half his HP - not bad given he hasn't attacked yet. Rather than risk a three-way enemy combo on my weaker units, I leave the still-untouched Fafnir on the right alone and end turn. Thursday sucks down Adonic Fury, losing just over a quarter of its HP; Jennifer gets comboed by the Fafnir, but holds on. After retreating Jennifer and Andrealphus, I notice that the remaining four Pucks have begun to advance... and are currently all standing in a diamond shape in the center. How very convenient! Olive is just in range to Paranoia them all at once - they all fall down. Thursday's Robo Attack comboes into Etna's Spear Storm, severely weakening Vyers and the right Fafnir; Laharl, Jennifer, and Gordon eliminate the left one. I end turn; at this point I'm convinced I can get away with tossing the remaining Fafnir into Mid-Boss and still drop him in one more turn. Gordon gets comboes by the enemies, but his counter leaves the Fafnir with a two-digit HP total, so I go for it. Gordon merges them, Olive and Laharl soften him up, Etna tosses him into the Base Panel for a few extra KOs, and Thursday uses Robo Crush to try to deliver the final blow. ...Vyers has 9 HP left. Technically, I still do it in one turn, though: Gordon finishes the battle with a counter. The jump to level 45 isn't the only thing he gets out of it, either; slot 0 of the Bonus Gauge (which mysterious was entirely filled with equipment) held an Enchanted Axe.
After getting through the episode transition, I waste no time in picking up the Vile Brilliance off of Manty. Etna's ATK goes from the 600s to the 1100s in one fell swoop. I am also greatly pleased to see a Marksman in there, which gives her the highest HIT stat in the party. A Coach also gives her the top party SPD, which will hopefully help make up for her seemingly low DEF of 378.
I seem to recall my last campaign possessing a string of battles around this time that consisted of Laharl being the sole survivor. That isn't happening this time around, or at least hasn't happened yet. The next chapter is particularly challenging, with the final battle especially heinous. I may have just received a LOT of assistance, but failure is still a distinct possibility if I make any mistakes. - ZM
[For links to earlier entries, visit my journal's listing.]
Gordon and company have a nasty trek ahead of them. This episode is their chance to get up to par and be able to handle the rigors of Don Joaquin's upcoming challenge. But it still isn't going to be easy: sure, it starts with a very abuseable battle, but Vyers is waiting at the end...
Before I even commence the chapter, I have some decisions to make; I have three new party members and 5 blank equipment slots among them. The first thing I note is that Jennifer's Mach Punch is rare; unfortunately, all it matches is a Leather Jacket, but I hand it over anyhow. I do consider having Laharl and Jennifer switch weapons, but I like Jennifer more, and she does have a greater affinity for fist weapons. (Yes, I know, I have to face Episode 13 without her, but she's still very useful. Note to self: if a future run is required, consider giving her a sword; it's not all that efficient for her, but at least that way someone will make use of that Diabolic Sword gifted in Episode 14...) Gordon's weapon I do swap to Flonne, and I give him that Stamina Axe I was holding onto instead. Gordon's unique special attacks are the most damaging in the game, and their effectiveness is based on his ATK, so the gun is inefficient for him. Noting it has a HIT bonus to help counteract the Axe's deficiency, not to mention a sizeable ATK boost, I fill Gordon's last slot with the Horse Wiener. For Jennifer's last slot, I take a Dark Orb from the Prinnies, mainly due to its Statistician 13. Noting how low Gordon's resistance is - that, and he'll be using his specials mainly anyhow - I give him the Moon Orb one of the weaker Zombies had in place of the Bulletproof Vest; I'd have given him the King Orb, but there's an Armsmaster 22 in the Moon Orb.
Thursday is something of a special case. Those aptitudes of his make him the strongest of my monsters, even if his level isn't as high. I basically put him at the top of the monster hierarchy and perform hand-me-ups as necessary. With Robo Bazooka, Thursday is the new Hoggmeiser - that is, the party member I send out as a decoy, letting the enemies surround it and get punished for it while my humanoid protagonists are off doing what needs to be done. I often struggle with just how much to give Thursday - it's very tempting to give it Etna's equipment! - but I don't tap into the humanoid's stores this time. I figure that those capable of throwing are the ones that need to be tended to first, as they are the ones that need to take point in the tricky battles.
Fervent Melody: Invinci-BLIT-y! And... No Lifting? That, of course, doesn't hurt one bit - I can just merge them together when they're standing on the lava rocks. No Lifting means you can't lift what's on it, not that you can't lift things yourself when you are on it, so there's still no risk involved. I bring out the five humanoids and put them in a plus shape in order to leech weapon mastery while the Guardians waste their SP, three of them burning up their Cannonball first turn (it's a plus-shaped attack). Once they're tapped out, I move the party back and forth from one side to the other, luring the enemies into the areas where they can be lifted, eventually merging them into one. Then I pin it against the lava and do what I do best with Invincibility around: whore weapon mastery. I shamelessly keep it going until all five are at a minimum of level 20. Jennifer finally gets access to Big Bang - not that she has the maximum SP to use it, it turns out - some eight hours later (it wasn't all straight playing...) for turn 454. For those keeping score - or those who want to try to undercut me in the future, assuming they can make it this far themselves - Gordon is at 22, very near to 23; Flonne is at 21 and halfway to 22; Laharl is at 30 and halfway to 31; Etna (whose Sofia's Mirror and Feather Token have a total of 50 Armsmaster levels, in my defense) has a whopping 40 (TRIPLE!), being about two-thirds of the way to 41.
With that done, it's time to get serious (hopefully before there's a power outage...). I need to make a decision, and make it now: do I give Etna the kill as usual (allowing for a party wipeout as well - at this point I could have the Pravda Necklace in about three battles), or do I let the 100%-guaranteed team attack split the experience among the newcomers (who need less to level, and would let Etna be in the bunker for a capture attempt)? What I decide to do is let Etna do the finishing, but in swapping the Statisticians to her I also give all of Etna's equipment to Thursday, who will be able to make the most of it (and this time I remember to send a Candy to the warehouse first so that I actually have the space in the item bag to do this). I also invest in actually using some of the healing items I've been stockpiling to bring Thursday up to full health (note to self: use SP healing first, dummy) before going to toss the level-170 enemy with 84 HP and zero SP into the Base Panel, just in case I get ludicrously lucky...
...and then I realize that given the presence of No Lifting and the layout of the level, that I actually can't just toss it in. Oh, but there is a way, yes, there is: I let counterless Flonne keep the Guardian occupied while Laharl makes a break for the back corner where the No Lifting Geo Symbol is. Since it's in a corner, only Rising Dragon can start it moving. Two of those get it away from both outer borders, and a King of the Beasts gets it onto lava rock, lifting the restriction (no pun intended). I then have Laharl break it for good measure (and EXP) before he returns to the Base Panel.
Now then. Yikes, and awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...
...bonk. Base Panel destroyed. Oh well, I tried. Again.
Even with 45 levels of Statistician, Etna only gains two levels, to 55. There's nothing but crap in the Bonus Gauge as well. Piffle. At least the power doesn't go out before I save. If I need a next time, maybe I should split the EXP among the Earthling team. Then again, maybe not. I have no idea.
Wasteland of Woe: There Be Dragons... and no Angel to toss them into. Yeah, this is a scary battle, alright. Early on, Demon's Breath is my greatest concern, so it's diagonal-line formation for me. Laharl gets the Hobbit on the right with King of the Beasts; Flonne and Etna get the one in the middle; Maderas plugs up the left end of the formation while the Earthlings take the right. Flonne takes two Demon's Breaths, and somehow manages to avoid being poisoned; she promptly retreats off the front rank in order to serve as sniper, while Choux fills the gap. Unfortunately, Maderas, Choux, and Axis leave the left Hobbit barely alive. Laharl gets the drop on the group to the right with Overlord's Wrath, and then uses a Blazing Knuckle to help mop up along with Gordon. The Fafnir heads right; it proves to be weak to fire, so Laharl uses Blazing Knuckle against it as well. Meanwhile, on the left, the first Dragon almost falls in one turn to Maderas, Etna, and Flonne's Inferno; two Blue Novas take out Choux and put Axis on the ropes. Etna's Spear Storm finishes it off, along with one of the Pucks. Back to the right, Flonne's Totenkreuz and Gordon's Gordon Punch take out the Fafnir, reducing the battle to one front. Two Pucks and a Dragon remain, and I can't help but think about merging... but just my luck, the Pucks split up, one heading for the center while the other accompanies the Dragon on the left. I basically wait for them to converge, softening up the Dragon while I'm waiting. Over the next two turns I soften up the Pucks, merge them, and then add in the Dragon to make a level-91 Puck. Everyone rebunkers but Etna, and in the Puck goes, coming out with a mere 20 HP. It went in with more like 170... maybe I should have tried to soften it up a bit more! Oh well, Etna's counter ends the battle.
Pravda Necklace in six knockouts...
River of Lava: There are two ways to fight this one. One, as seen on GameFAQs, is to travel along the periphery of the map destroying or removing all the Geo Symbols, then tackling the Sentinel while it's unaided. This is known as the DUMB method. The other is to simply Triple Strike the Sentinel off its throne and use it yourself to finish him. This is known as the PROPER method. Naturally, I opt for the latter. My first turn sees Etna and Flonne boosting Laharl to right in front of the Sentinel, which is promptly dethroned. Laharl occupies it himself before ending turn. Healing over 800 HP per turn means he isn't going down any time soon, even if he is poisoned, although on the first enemy turn a Brownie manages to put Laharl to sleep up there. Humorous. Flonne and Etna advance close enough to attack the Sentinel (with Prinny Raid in Etna's case) and, with Laharl's double attack (after he woke up) to soften it up, they combo it away in a few turns. Flonne then takes the throne to harass that Brownie while the party tries to lure the others out of the corners for a grand merging. Etna has little difficulty getting the one on the left to join in, but Gordon finds himself poisoned and asleep when waking up the two on the right; Jennifer successfully launches a rescue mission, with Laharl and Etna helping with the throwing, putting Gordon safely back in the Base Panel. Flonne manages to fall asleep for a long time on the throne, but eventually she wakes up (around turn 20) and with Laharl's help makes a level-132 Brownie, bring it down to 122 HP, 23 SP, and making it forgetful (not that that lasts). She then goes around gunning down all the Geo Symbols for experience. Finally, she lures the enemy to the Base Panel, and Etna swaps places with Flonne before tossing the Brownie in. It emerges having taken no damage. Well, I think I know where the capturable line is currently drawn then, but that will have to wait. Etna's counter finishes the battle.
Now this kosmemophobe naturally dislikes the idea of any party member wearing a necklace, but I'm not stupid. The very first Pravda the hospital offers is rare (WOW!), with a Gladiator 68 to sweeten the pot. Of course, the accursed thing doesn't match the rarity of any other item the party has (PFFT!), but it's a great help on its own. I would give it to Flonne (who of course wears a pendant anyway), but given the Gladiator (which would be useless to her as a gun-wielder), I give it to Laharl in place of the old Devil Ring. I give that to Gordon in place of the Power Jacket he started with, which goes to Ozmyere in place of a lowly Bulletproof Vest. That, naturally, goes to a Prinny.
I'm only one KO away from the Immortal's Pill - which basically gives Etna one rescue - and fifty-one away from the Royal Ring, which may be only four battles' worth. The Testament might be a tough one, though.
Searing Tyranny: Twelve Treants, all level 35... and plenty of EXP +100% to go around. Thing of beauty. Laharl uses Overlord's Wrath on the three lined up on the right (why didn't I use it on the four to the left!?), Gordon tosses the front one into the middle one, and Etna Avalanches it away. On the left, Jennifer tosses Thursday into the center, who then... probably curses me for failing to notice that his SP maximum is less than what he needs for Robo Bazooka. You know what, screw it - I swap equipment, replacing Thursday's Cross-Trainers with the King Orb, and give him a Garlic Water to power the Bazooka. It gets those enemies down about half. A couple of Pounding Sprees later, Flonne throws the one on the left that decided to move into the other Pounding Spreer, Gordon throws it onto green, and Etna Avalanches it away. I actually bring out Hoggmeiser to use Darkness Slash to help soften up the other three on the left a little more. Sadly, Laharl gets one with a counter (although it's still on green). He then heads back to the right, where he, Gordon, and Etna do exactly what they did first turn to two of the five that came down from the back corner; one of the two on the left surprises me by retreating, leaving me to wait for it to come back for merging, which it does next turn when I give it Flonne as a Stomp-O-Rama target. A single Putrid Breath rather obnoxiously both poisons and paralyzes Laharl; I simply use Faerie Dust so as not to have to alter my rhythm. Hoggmeiser is also paralyzed, but as he's serving as a barricade anyhow, it doesn't concern me much. Two more get merged and Avalanched; I figure a triple is in order to finish it. A few tosses and an Avalanche result in a level-105 Treant with 39 HP... hmmm... lots of SP still, but Hoggmeiser is still paralyzed anyway... I could easily get double EXP for the KO, but this looks VERY capturable if I can just get some of that SP spent. I do something I normally never do: invite trouble. I put Etna next to Hoggmeiser and have both defend in the hope of drawing out special attacks. They lure out a Paranoia before Hoggmeiser gets too weak to take any more; he regained use of his feet, which take him back to the Base Panel. Etna manages to stomach a Putrid Breath without being poisoned, but this makes me realize just how very risky this tactic is, and I decide to just toss it in as is and hope for the best - I know I could bring out, say, Prinnies to try to lure out the specials, but they may end up getting smacked with standard attacks and I'd have one less unit to fight the thing inside the bunker. I wish I knew better how this whole monster-capture thing was calculated. Anyhow, I take my chances and Etna throws the Treant into the Base Panel...
...and it doesn't come back out! Capture successful. I spend 32,530 HL (less than a tenth of my bankroll) for Olive the Treant to join the party. I also claim my rare Immortal's Pill!
Even unequipped, Olive is impressive, with stats right up there with Etna's (except for only having about two-thirds the HP). Due to its level, it gets a 2.5% boost to its equipment - of course, Thursday still gets a 50% boost in everything but RES, so Thursday still counts as "top monster". Nonetheless, there's a certain sense of comfort in knowing I now have a party member that's a higher level than the game's final boss. Who'd have thought that possible in a hardcore? However, I mustn't let that make me complacent. It's still plenty easy to screw up and throw it all away. I simply hand up Ozmyere's trappings to Olive, filtering everything else up as well. In my party top ten, Andrealphus is actually tenth, at level 30; Etna is now second-place at level 60. Hoggmeiser and Maderas were tied for tenth, but now they're tied for eleventh. You've done well, gents.
Inferno: Right - eight Pucks all knowing Mega Heal in the back, supporting Vyers who is now wearing legendary Falcon Shoes so he runs faster than Etna - guess he finally learned his lesson. I bet he didn't plan on - or prepare for - Olive the Treant! Of course, the first order of business is the two Fafnir in front. My first turn is simply to bring out Olive and Etna and have them defend at the edges of the movement ranges of the dragonkin to lure them out. Minimal damage is inflicted, but Etna is put to sleep, and more importantly I end up luring out more than just the Fafnir. Icky-poo. Seems like I could use a better tactic here. At least it lined up two Pucks with the left Fafnir for Olive to dismiss via Paranoia. On the right, Vyers and two Pucks are all in a line; noting Mid-Boss is weak to fire, Etna (after Andrealphus administers Faerie Dust) flanks them with Spear Storm, followed with Laharl's Big Bang. This takes out one Puck; Jennifer then throws Thursday up to where he can move in with a Robo Bazooka, which takes out the other Puck. The Dark Adonis is now down to slightly more than half his HP - not bad given he hasn't attacked yet. Rather than risk a three-way enemy combo on my weaker units, I leave the still-untouched Fafnir on the right alone and end turn. Thursday sucks down Adonic Fury, losing just over a quarter of its HP; Jennifer gets comboed by the Fafnir, but holds on. After retreating Jennifer and Andrealphus, I notice that the remaining four Pucks have begun to advance... and are currently all standing in a diamond shape in the center. How very convenient! Olive is just in range to Paranoia them all at once - they all fall down. Thursday's Robo Attack comboes into Etna's Spear Storm, severely weakening Vyers and the right Fafnir; Laharl, Jennifer, and Gordon eliminate the left one. I end turn; at this point I'm convinced I can get away with tossing the remaining Fafnir into Mid-Boss and still drop him in one more turn. Gordon gets comboes by the enemies, but his counter leaves the Fafnir with a two-digit HP total, so I go for it. Gordon merges them, Olive and Laharl soften him up, Etna tosses him into the Base Panel for a few extra KOs, and Thursday uses Robo Crush to try to deliver the final blow. ...Vyers has 9 HP left. Technically, I still do it in one turn, though: Gordon finishes the battle with a counter. The jump to level 45 isn't the only thing he gets out of it, either; slot 0 of the Bonus Gauge (which mysterious was entirely filled with equipment) held an Enchanted Axe.
After getting through the episode transition, I waste no time in picking up the Vile Brilliance off of Manty. Etna's ATK goes from the 600s to the 1100s in one fell swoop. I am also greatly pleased to see a Marksman in there, which gives her the highest HIT stat in the party. A Coach also gives her the top party SPD, which will hopefully help make up for her seemingly low DEF of 378.
I seem to recall my last campaign possessing a string of battles around this time that consisted of Laharl being the sole survivor. That isn't happening this time around, or at least hasn't happened yet. The next chapter is particularly challenging, with the final battle especially heinous. I may have just received a LOT of assistance, but failure is still a distinct possibility if I make any mistakes. - ZM
