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Non-elemental melee attack, combos up to four attacks

Asrai is the third basic melee Folk, analogous to Pouke and Hawk, and can be used about the same way once you've built up its Karmas - it starts with only a single attack per combo, so you'll need to capture a bunch of them. It's stronger than Hawk, but it attacks more slowly and doesn't have much more reach, so they each have their uses.

How to fight it: Any non-elemental or Destroy attack should do the job - the only real threat is Asrai's charge attack, which you should be used to by now from fighting Hawk. I haven't experimented much with elements, because there's no need to, but they're immune to Earth for whatever reason, so don't use that. They also tend to fall down after a couple of hits, so it may take a few iterations of damaging them before you can capture them.



Ice elemental short-range ground attack with wide area effect

Afanc is handy for taking care of large groups of Folks vulnerable to Ice - if you can find any such groups. It's got a low MC cost, but it isn't very strong, so while it's more useful than Poury, it's not by much. Almost anything you can use Afanc on can be more easily dealt with using other Ice Folks from this chapter, so it becomes obsolete pretty quickly.

How to fight it: Afanc's attack patterns are the same as Poury's, but its ground pound attack leaves ice crystals in its wake that will damage you even if you walk into them after the attack finishes. I recommend staying at a distance and using Bullseye, after you've dealt with any other Folks in the area. Capture it with the Timing method.



Ice elemental medium-range attack, combos up to 3 attacks (each attack is farther away)

I haven't really found a reason to use Selkie since building up its Karmas enough to make it useable. That should tell you how useful it is. It actually has a pretty neat effect - provided that you've captured enough Selkie Ids, it brings up a stalagmite of ice a certain distance from Keats, and any enemy it hits will usually be thrown just far enough away to be in range of the second and third attacks in the combo. However, it's a bit expensive for how little damage it does, and the range doesn't adjust based on where your target is - if you're too close, you won't hit it at all. Between having to get used to the distance, the somewhat painful process of building up its Karmas, and the lack of Folks weak to Ice in this chapter, I don't think many players will add it to their arsenals.

How to fight it: Gird your loins - you're in for a rough fight. Selkie moves quickly, drops ice blocks on your head from a distance, and uses a Charm attack if you get too close. It's also small and hard to hit with most attacks. Fortunately, its main weakness is Earth, which mainly uses attacks that hit targets on the ground. Poury is handy for keeping your distance as much as possible, and Quasarilli can use a combo attack to stun a Selkie before it can attack. The biggest problem with Selkie is that if you're actually trying to defeat it, it'll fall down after a few hits, and you'll have to wait for it to get up before you can attack it again. The most important thing is to be ready to dodge falling ice blocks whenever there's a Selkie in the room - watch for the ice crystals to form at Keats' feet. A dodge will usually be enough if you can pull it off in time, or you can block with Killmoulis as long as there aren't any other attacks coming your way.



Earth elemental short-range attack

Drarucu is a slightly stronger Poury with less range. It's another useless Folk - for any application where Poury doesn't work, Quasarilli should.

How to fight it: I'm honestly not sure what leads Drarucu to pop out of the ground, but an Earth attack seems to work - use Poury to keep far enough away that it won't hit you as it emerges. Once it's on the surface, it'll charge at you - attack it mid-charge to knock it off its feet. It can also leap up and slam the ground for an area attack, so keep your distance from it. There's no reason to let it get close if you use Bullseye, and that will keep you out of reach of most of its attacks.



Ice elemental medium-range projectile attack, combos up to four attacks

Annwn is a pretty good choice for Ice attacks until you get Kraken, and even after that, it gives you more adaptibility with its low cost - you can use Annwn like you use the basic melee attacks. It doesn't hit Folks that are too close to Keats, though, so keep a respectable distance from your target. (We're talking melee range, though, not the giant gap Selkie requires.)

How to fight it: Annwn is to Asrai as Bullseye is to Hawk - watch for its charge attack as well as its ice projectile. Annwn falls down after a few hits, so you may need to attack several in turn to keep them all occupied while you wait for red Ids.



Ice elemental medium/long-range projectile attack with an arc and wide spread

Aughisky is an interesting Folk - it's got more vertical range than most Ice attacks, so it can hit flying enemies, but for ground-based threats, it's difficult to aim properly. That matters a bit more than the similar attack from Gargantua, since it doesn't have an explosion effect, but if you build up its Karmas, its projectiles cover a wide area. It's very powerful as well, so I expect it would be useful in some contexts. For me, it's mainly for fighting Brigantia.

How to fight it: The most important thing to watch out for, naturally, is its projectile attack. It covers a wider area than it appears to, so dodging is tricky. You might want to use Killmoulis to block. Aughisky also has an ice shield that will damage you if you get too close. Your attacks will go right through the shield, though, so you might as well just keep as far away as you can and attack with Bullseye - which is probably going to become a catchphrase by the end of this LP.



Barrier

As far as I can remember, Agar-Agar is a unique Folk - rather than a Shield that nullifies attacks, Agar-Agar is a Barrier that reduces the damage you take from attacks for a short period. It would be great if the Karmas unlocked a longer period of effect, but they just reduce MC cost - most of the time, I find that after using Agar-Agar, I just stand still long enough for my MC to recharge before attacking again. In contexts where you don't need four Folks equipped, like many Folklore battles, Agar-Agar is very handy to stick on a spare button. Having it equipped will generally improve your survivability, but decrease your attack options.

How to fight it: There is only one way to fight Agar-Agar - freeze it with any Ice attack, then hit it with Destroy. Be careful to stop attacking before it thaws, because any attack while it's not frozen will cause it to split, and good luck capturing one while another one's active, even if you freeze or stun it first. They'd be great for grinding experience if it were possible to capture one after they split. As for attacks, it spits acid and probably has some kind of melee attack, but it's going to be frozen the whole time, so what does it matter? Just try not to get hit by whatever. Capture it with the Balance method.



Ice elemental medium/long-range projectile attack, chargeable

Exedra is a strong attack even without charging; charged, I have no idea how strong it would be because I've never bothered in combat situations. I guess it would be great if you know your target's going to stand still for a few seconds, but I think there are better options even in that case (see below). Exedra's attack being a single chunk of ice is a slight weakness, since the enemy can dodge more easily than more maneuverable attacks. On the plus side, it's pretty cheap for the power it has, and it targets pretty well.

How to fight it: Be prepared for a slog - this will take a while. There are two phases to the fight - first, you'll need to knock it out of the air with a Destroy attack, and once it's down, you can burn it with a Fire attack. I don't think there's any Folk more suited to the first task than Gargantua - you might be able to do something with Bargest, but getting that close to Exedra is dangerous. Your best opportunity to attack is when it swoops at you - block with Killmoulis or Patriot, because its wings can hit you from farther than it appears they should, and try to hit it at the end of its trajectory, when it rises. While it hovers, it can send trails of ice along the ground that will leave ice crystals - you can get between these, but Killmoulis is tricky to block with - you'll need to reactivate it as soon as it breaks, which is tough to do. Exedra can also attack with either a plume of ice breath, which you can avoid by being out of its range, or a single ice chunk, which you should dodge sideways - it will also leave behind an ice crystal that will hurt you if you block with Killmoulis. Once you've knocked it down, either Hinky-Punk or Volcano can damage it, but don't get greedy - it can hit you as it's getting up if you're too close. Capture it with the Timing method.



Ice elemental medium-range attack, steady stream that can be aimed freely

Kraken covers almost all of the bases of the Ice Folks that have been introduced so far and then some. On the surface, it's not the strongest attack in your arsenal, but it can deal that damage to each Folk in its attack range multiple times per attack. And what Folks AREN'T in its range? Just hold down the button, sweep it from side to side, and prepare to clean up the stunned Folks.

How to fight it: First, capture every other Folk above this one in the list. Second, return to the room next to Agar-Agar's room. Third, follow the steps under "how to fight it" for Exedra, but many more times. Finally, capture it with the Balance method. Nothing to it.



Non-elemental short/medium-range area attack

Bug-a-boo is surprisingly powerful for little cost, and if you build up all of its Karmas, it covers a lot of ground. If you think offense is the best defense when you're surrounded, it's one of the best attacks to use. It's not a Folk I'd bother to keep on hand any more than I did with Ellen, particularly since you can't get Bug-a-boo until pretty late in the game as Keats.

How to fight it: Get any Ice Folk from the Undersea City, then return to the Faery Realm and break the crystals in the dead-end room off Andraste's room. Theoretically, you should keep your distance from Bug-a-boo to avoid its spines and attack with Fire when you have an opening. In practice, you can run up to it, hit it twice with Hinky-Punk, and capture it with the Timing method while the other Bug-a-boo ignores you completely.



Destroy elemental medium-range attack, charges in a straight line and explodes

Tathlum is a handy attack for keeping your distance, and it's a bit easier to aim than Gargantua, but at minimum MC consumption, it takes exactly half of your MC bar. Then again, most Destroy attacks are pretty expensive. I'd be more thrilled to have Tathlum if I didn't have plenty of other Destroy options already. Give me another Slash attack, maybe?

How to obtain it: Complete the "Lost Annwn" quest in Chapter 3. This basically involves having Asrai maxed out and Annwn... captured at all, because it's useless for fighting. Have as much HP as you can stand to grind for and ignore almost every bit of advice above as you fight your way through hordes of Afanc, Selkie, and Aughisky with just Asrai.