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Update 6: Grow! (Nameless vs. Golem)
For all your deer-repelling needs, Lope-Away! Works on Furyhorns AND Furyfawns! Guaranteed to extend your lifespan by a few floors! Note: depending your locale, may also be known as Ragelopes. Does not work on Furylords or Golden Deer. Lifespan extension not guaranteed.
Mmm... Not catchy enough. That name's clumsy, too.
Kinda hard for me to change what's already on the label.
Where did you find this stuff, again?
That weird guild we keep meeting in the Labyrinth. Their tall, orange-haired Herbalist gave me boxes of this stuff. ...I think he said something about "finally being free of those stupid deer," though.
Maybe see if it kinda works on any quadruped? Those boars, perhaps?
Ooh, good idea.
First order of business: block off the upper four Mini-Golem spawn points with these two rotating statues.
Second order of business: go over the party's skill builds.
Sasha has level 5 Line Guard now (8 TP, 41% phys damage reduction), level 4 Material Guard (6 TP, 39% elem damage reduction), and level 1 Gun Mount. Gun Mount is a pretty unique skill: it can only be used the turn after using a shield skill. When used, it replicates the effect of the shield skill used last, and also attacks one enemy. At level 1, it costs a measly 2 TP, meaning you can, say, effectively use Line Guard two turns in a row, but for only 10 TP instead of 16, and deals 110% damage.
Raven has Miasma Weapon maxed out--it now costs 3 TP instead of 2, and only costs 5% of his current HP instead of 25%.
He also has 3 points in Frail Miasma (6 TP, 14% attack reduction), and 1 point in Feeble Miasma (6 TP, 25% ail/bind resist decrease). I don't use either of these in the upcoming fight.
I left Scythe of Numb Stasis at level 4, where it costs 7 TP, deals 168% damage, and has a 40% base paralysis chance with Miasma Weapon--level 5 would've bumped the TP cost up to 11.
Kaelin has 4 points in Lightning (7 TP, 110% INT-based volt damage), 6 points in Amplifier (9 TP, 33% INT damage buff for one row), and 1 point in Magic Shield (8 TP, reduces INT-based damage by 34% for 1 turn). The solitary point in Magic Shield is to help ensure that everyone can survive the initial Explosion from Golem.
Gram has the same 3 points in Hawk Whistle, 4 points in Flash of Both Wings (8 TP, 86% user damage, 221% hawk damage to one row), and 6 points in Target Arrow (7 TP, 157% damage, reduces defense by 20% for 5 turns).
Dosen has 5 points in Cure Herb (5 TP, 210% healing power), 4 points in Line Herb (7 TP, 117% healing power), 3 points in Refresh Herb (6 TP, removes ailments from one person), and 1 point in Resurrection Herb (8 TP, revives dead character at 10 HP).
...Aww, do we have to beat it up?
That cool and edgy act didn't last long.
Snide remarks aside, I wonder if you could market a plush doll of that thing...
I'd put my money on plushes of the small ones selling like hotcakes.
Hmph. If you all will cease acting like imbeciles, perhaps we could attend to the task at hand?
VIDEO: Boss: Golem
Sasha uses Material Guard to reduce Explosion's damage.
Raven preps Miasma Weapon for the next turn.
Kaelin uses Magic Shield to further reduce Explosion.
Gram uses Target Arrow on Golem Body, mostly to debuff it.
Dosen does nothing.
"Local Brownie Does Nothing."
Ta-da! One Material Guard, ready to go.
Why is it called Material Guard, again?
Stands out against the other types!
Amateurish. Allow my mastery of the elements to truly protect us.
Hah. Good to see the softening arrows still work on rock.
Okay, uh, I think I put the vial on like...this?
(Explosion.)
Get behind me!
Hmph. Why should I? My Magic Shield is more than enough for--
MOVE.
It's...just a scratch, I will be...quite fine.
Sasha switches to Line Guard, since all we'll be eating is Mini-Golem normal attacks on this turn.
This is basically all Raven will do until the end of the fight now.
Kaelin casts Amplifier on the back row.
Gram targets the leftmost Mini-Golem with Flash of Both Wings, which means the front row will be hit by the hawk follow-up.
Lastly, Dosen uses a Soma to bring everyone back up to full after Explosion.
Falz!
Perfect, just like we practiced. Good bird.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the hawk doesn't have an ATK stat beyond its STR, the thing hurts. You'll understand more once we see Raven and Kaelin's damage outputs.
Hyyyagh!
Surely there's a better way to use that thing than spinning around.
It's a bit too heavy to just swing...
(Red Mini-Golem attacks.)
You can't just ignore Mini-Golem attacks, by the way. They aren't insignificant and can build up quickly if there's too many of them in play.
(Amplifier.)
Awaken your meager latent magical powers.
...Thanks?
(Call Allies.)
What's that stomping sound behind us?
...Ugh, more Mini-Golems.
Let them march to their deaths. All shall fall before me.
(White Mini-Golem used Combine.)
(Golem Legs have appeared!)
Rule of thumb with Dragoons is to just use Gun Mount after using a shield skill, unless you need to swap which one you're using. Saves a boatload of TP in the long run.
Kaelin gets to actually use Lightning now.
My general strategy with Magic Heal is to just use it as soon as at least four party members are missing a small amount of TP, so you'll have it sooner in the fight.
No-one needs healing right now, so I just have Dosen toss a Volt Jar onto the Red Mini-Golem.
Especially in a potentially long fight like Golem, you need to give your party as much TP as possible.
(Volt Jar.)
It's kind of paltry, but any damage on the Mini-Golems before they use Combine helps.
(Lightning.)
Wex magnelectros.
...Maybe your braggart nature isn't entirely without merit.
(Gun Mount.)
Dragoons kind of suffer from artillery having overall bad ATK, but whatever, it's some damage plus a shield effect for 1/4 the cost of Line Guard.
(Stomp.)
I've lived through worse...after all these years.
(Black Mini-Golem used Combine.)
(Golem Arms have appeared!)
And here's where things could start to get really nasty.
The Golem Legs have a long way to go until death. These next few turns are going to be difficult.
Just gimme a little help, and this shield'll make us mostly-invulnerable!
If it means my apparel will suffer less wear, then very well, I will lend your metal lump some of my power.
Might as well save Sasha a little TP by making my party effectively invincible for a turn.
(Tri-Shield.)
We are invincible! Mostly.
(Defeated Red Mini-Golem!)
At least I don't have to worry about a potential Explosion for a few turns.
(Fire Palm.)
(Sasha negated the attack with Tri-Shield.)
I'm generally more scared of Fire Palm and Ice Palm than I am Stomp or Sumo Stomp, so I have Sasha switch over to Material Guard.
I told you this fight can take a while.
(Call Allies.)
Ooooooookay, what? All of the Mini-Golem spawn points have a Mini-Golem out on the field, this does literally nothing but waste Golem's turn.
(Yellow Mini-Golem has joined the battle.)
Well, that's concerning.
Here. Don't tire yourself out yet.
Oh, th-thanks.
Raven's getting slightly low on TP, so I had Dosen toss him a Hamao. Hamaos in EO5 restore 100 HP and 25 TP. They're actually not too bad to have around, and you can make them quite a bit earlier than you can Amritas.
It helps that Kaelin can just knock off almost 1/3 of a Mini-Golem's HP in one hit.
(Stomp.)
Agh... Oh, my aching...everything...
(Yellow Mini-Golem has joined the battle.)
This is less than ideal...
Oh sweet merciful gods, the Legs are close to dying.
(Defeated Golem Legs!)
Fucking p h e w.
(Defeated Yellow Mini-Golem!)
(Call Allies.)
All this did was summon one Mini-Golem at the bottom left. The bottom right didn't spawn a new one, because the right Yellow Mini-Golem is still in the battle.
(Call Allies.)
Okay this one did literally nothing.
I don't know how that Yellow Mini-Golem went three turns without becoming a body part, but hell if I'm gonna complain.
(Flash of Both Wings.)
(Defeated Yellow Mini-Golem!)
Dosen tosses Gram an Amrita, since she was getting fairly low and we're not quite done yet.
(Call Allies.)
You could, I dunno, fucking hit us with those giant magic arms of yours.
Golem is a nice boy.
Turn 10, and the Golem Body's at a little less than half HP. Golem Arms are getting close to death.
WHAT
EVERY MINI-GOLEM SPAWN POINT ALREADY HAS A MINI-GOLEM IN PLAY
THIS IS LITERALLY JUST WASTING A TURN
WHY IS THIS ANNOYING ME
If it comforts you at all, this annoys me too. I hate it when bosses don't get a chance to show off during an LP.
(Yellow Mini-Golem has entered the battle.)
Golem Arms gonna die on this turn.
(Lightning.)
(Defeated Golem Arms!)
Mere hardened clay can do nothing against my magics.
And Golem ends up doing nothing because it wanted to cast an Arms skill.
(Combine.)
(Golem Head has appeared!)
The Golem Head is, like, the least dangerous body part.
It spawned at less than half HP too.
I don't think this battle's gonna take much longer.
HOW MANY FUCKING TURNS HAS THIS THING WASTED ON JUST USING CALL ALLIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-uTocAlIyw
(Lightning.)
(Defeated Golem Head!)
It literally didn't get to use a single Head skill before dying.
Okay, it tried to on this turn. Going by speed modifiers relative to Lightning, I'd say it was probably Brittle Breath.
(Combine.)
(Golem Legs have appeared!)
Too little, too late.
This was way easier than I thought it'd be.
(Raven attacks.)
(Golem collapsed!)
I... I actually did it! ...I-I mean, of course I did it.
I did most of the work.
It was a team effort, dear.
(Defeated Black Mini-Golem!)
(Defeated Golem!)
We...actually managed to break the glamour. I...didn't think that was possible, actually.
You're starting to see the value in my shield now, right?!
Hoho, yes, yes. That thing helped quite a bit, Sasha, dear.
(Received 1 Piece of the Eternal Barrier.)
I don't know what the fuck happened there, honestly. Why did Golem waste so many damn turns on just using Call Allies instead of actually killing us? Were we really that effective at controlling the Mini-Golems and body parts?
The ancient, magically animated statue crumbled before you with a loud noise... You've safely dispelled the Lunarian magic that had been acting as a wall! With this, your mission is complete. You should report back to the council in town.
Not quite yet. We should go see the 2nd Stratum before we go back to town, I feel.
Raven, dear, are you alright? You seem nervous.
...Kinda, I guess. It's just... Um, well...
It was all thanks--
Mostly thanks.
ALL thanks to my brilliance.
[url="http://polsy.org.uk/play/yt/?vurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DofYgNLV3bKI]
VIDEO: 2nd Stratum Intro[/url]
(Floor subtitle: The journey continues, with your gaze aimed high)
Your arrival in the new stratum is greeted by dreary scenery completely unlike anything from the first stratum. The arrangement strangely shaped boulders gives you an uneasy feeling in this new Labyrinth. You'll have to be more careful than ever as you advance.
Wait, this was just above the forest? This is an entirely different...everything!
Look at all of that, too! I knew that Yggdrasil is big, but this doesn't make sense.
After beatin' several animate lumps of clay that formed an even bigger lump of clay, I'm gettin' ready to toss sense aside.
You cautiously advance along the dreary path surrounded by large boulders. Suddenly, an eerie looking girl carrying a large scythe appear in front of you without a sound.
Explorers?
Her tone seems strangely hostile.
Ah, uh, urm, y-y-y...
If you'll let someone far more composed do the talking... Perhaps you should introduce yourself first, in light of my wondrous countenance.
Stunned by force of her question, you manage to return her sharp glare and ask that she introduce herself first. She seems momentarily surprised before twisting her mouth into a wry smile.
What, you haven't heard of me? Here I thought every man, woman, child, and household pet in the whole town knew me better than I know myself. Soleil. Reaper.
If anyone cares, Soleil uses the Japanese pronoun 'ore', which is a hyper-masculine way of speaking and is very unusual coming from a woman. She talks like a manly-man, probably closest to Edgar out of anyone else in the cast.
After she introduces herself, you introduce yourselves in turn. When she hears your guild name, she gives a nod of recognition and continues.
Ah, I see. So you're on your post-stratum high. What's coming is head and shoulders more dangerous than anything you've ever experienced. Start patting yourselves on the back and you'll be in an unmarked grave before long. I won't tell you you can't. Just that your chances are horrid. In any case, that should be your first priority.
With a rude tone, she points north with her scythe.
There, you see a mysterious pillar of light the likes of which you've never seen. Once she confirms that you've seen what she was pointing at, she leaves, as if her role here is finished. You can either do as she suggests and investigate the pillar of light, or ignore her and keep exploring.
Geomagnetic Poles make a return. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, or for those of you who just forgot, Geomagnetic Poles function as in-Labyrinth checkpoints. We can either return to town or save from these things. They also used to be points you could directly warp to in previous games, but in EO5 they don't actually do that due to how the "start from a floor after you cleared the last one" system works.
Back to town we go, then.
Hey, I hear you guys got to the 2nd Stratum! That's so cool... Oh hey, do you mind if I use that to advertise the inn?!
People staying at this inn got to the 2nd Stratum!
I heard all about it! Guess you guys've cleared the 1st Stratum! Congrats! Now, after the 1st obviously comes the 2nd. But man, you know, the deeper you go, probably means the rarer the materials you'll bring back to the shop, huh?
It only stands to reason.
You guys're really helping me out here! Keep up our mutual business relationship and the whole place'll be conquered before you know it!
Megalith 5006 (+20 ATK, +55 MATK, Barrier Wall, Silver x4) is made from 1 Piece of the Eternal Barrier. Barrier Wall isn't half-bad, honestly--it's an all-party target cut/stab/bash reduction that reduces by 34% at max rank, and costs 15 TP at max rank. Its downside is that, well, it's a coffin, so only Necromancers can use it.
So, were you shocked by the sudden change of scenery in the 2nd Stratum?
A little. Okay, a lot.
That's Yggdrasil for you. It's a place that doesn't follow common sense, a world without reason. That's precisely why everyone's so eager to conquer it and uncover its mysteries. You're the same, aren't you?
If by "uncover its mysteries" you mean "find its treasure," then yes.
#1 is Hansuke again.
#2: Short-haired young scythe user:
Young'un: Oh, are you all rookies? Hahaha, then keep it up and just try to stay out of the way of the veterans!
...We just beat Golem though.
Young'un: By the way, you know how some monsters in the Labyrinth are clearly just stronger? Like those giant caterpillars? Well, even if you kill them, there'll be back in the same spots after a few days. I'm guessing that it's actually just different ones claiming the same territory, but either way they're just as strong. Welp, try not to die!
This is a semi-tutorial on the fact that FOEs respawn about a week after you kill them.
#3: Slender-eyed doctor:
Doctor: That's it, I'm done. Who'd have thought that moles, even giant ones, would put up such a fight? They just suddenly dived underground so our attacks couldn't hit them, and when they popped back up they did this powerful attack! Hmm, maybe sleep or panic would have worked... Or binding their legs? Well, either way, I'm just glad to be alive!
We will see moles on 6F.
#4: Grass-stained explorer:
Explorer: Hey, you guys heard of Nameless? They're supposed to be some dauntless and invincible new guild.
Why, you're--
Nope. Never heard of 'em.
Explorer: But us, we ain't got talent like that, so we're stuck taking crappy jobs gathering herbs just to get by. Geez, it just makes me so jealous. Why can't I ever get a break like that?! Just once!
#5: Full-bodied woman:
Woman: My, you wouldn't be explorers, would you? Then do you know Lily? She's always helping find things in Labyrinth, whether as favors for the townsfolk or requests from the Council. She's such a good girl. Why can't my daughters be more like her? They never want to help out at the store, and are always off playing around somewhere...
Two quests for 6F.
#1: Hunter's pride:
This request is from a monster hunter who specializes in hunting with magic. He uses a very unusual technique: invisible magic sigils that serve as traps. The monsters step on them and BAM! No more monster. Unfortunately, the client got injured the other day, just after setting up some traps. He's in no condition to move. And that's where you come in. He wants you to head to the 5th floor and disarm the traps set up there. He says they should be in this area.
Um...
I have my reservations--
Next, you'll need this to find the traps.
(Obtained 
Mana Detection Device!)
That's a device that detects magic. It should react when near a trap, which should let you narrow down their locations. Unfortunately, it's a bit lacking in precision. The best it can do is tell you how many tiles immediately next to you have traps on them. It'll show that many lights. So, for example, even if you see two lights, you won't know which two directions the traps are in. So, did you get all that?
No!
What the simpleton over here means is "of course."
Good. I'd hate to have to explain it all over again. Next, you'll need this too, to actually disarm the traps.
(Obtained Mana-Absorbing Talisman!)
Stick one of those talismans on the ground, and it'll absorb all the mana out of the sigil, effectively destroying it. For the record, there are 3 traps. And there are 5 talismans. If you use them thoughtlessly, you'll run out, so try to pay attention to where you're putting them, please. Oh, I know, if you're really having trouble you could always just put someone who can perceive mana into your party. Well, good luck with all that.
On my first few playthroughs, I had no clue what the fuck this quest wanted until I gave in and just pinged Clarste and asked him what was going on. When he told me that this involved basically playing Minesweeper and reading text, I gave up and just deliberately stepped on all of the mines. This results in Melina all but asking if you're mentally well enough to keep doing quests.
Why aren't you learning the language of this game you're playing, geez Ragnar.
#2: Loves monsters more than regular meals:
This request is from the director of the Monster Research Society. As you can probably tell from the name, it's an organization that researches monsters. They're also the ones who created the Monstrous Codex. They want you to deliver 3 Triangular Kitten Ears, from Pouncing Caracals. That's it. Good luck with that.
Pretty simple "get enemy drops" quest.
...You actually got rid of the Lunarians' ball of clay. Hmph, well, congratulations are in order, I guess. You cleared the 1st Stratum. But remember; you're still barely hanging by a thread off of the pinky toes of that massive tree. Who knows how many floors you have ahead of you? Don't let your guard down--ever--and keep going at your own pace.
I hear you've cut through the Lunarians' barrier and eliminated the Golem. Thank you very much. It still feels like we first met just yesterday, but before I knew it, you've already become seasoned explorers. Members of Nameless, please keep it up.
Thank you very much, Your Grace.
...Oh, I almost forgot. The council will reward you for finding your way through to the 2nd Stratum.
(Obtained 1500 en.)
For reporting in all of the 1st Stratum floors, we get a 
Luck Necklace (+15 TP, +12 LUC).
So you've reached the second stratum? Then, does that mean you've seen that mysterious pillar of light that binds the Labyrinth and the city together? We call that the Geomagnetic Pole. With that, you can return to town in an instant. Be sure to keep it in mind if you ever find yourself stranded in the Labyrinth without an Ariadne Thread.
And with that, we're done with the 1st Stratum.
Next time: we begin the 2nd Stratum.