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Update 25: Guild Tidehunt, Ace Defectives
That was an easy case. Maybe we should go into the detective business after we're done exploring the Labyrinth.
We are the worst detectives ever.
I predict that there will be a large snowstorm on the battlefield!
Binary Ice is an AOE Ice attack that deals 30% damage at level 1. Like with the Stars, you should leave them at level 1 since they don't scale well. The damage only increases to 55% at level 10, and the cost increases from 16 TP to a whopping 35 TP at that level. A really bad tradeoff at this point in the game!
Yes, we're fine.
When I passed by the Senatus a minute ago, I saw a bunch of injured guards... I overheard them say something really dangerous happened in the Labyrinth. As soon as I heard that, I got real worried about you. But I’m glad to see you’re safe!
Mm, thanks for the concern, kid.
I approve of investigating the forest and laud the explorers who do, but so many have fallen... I expect you to hang in there for the sake of the guards on the casualty list.
Who are you, and what have you done with the shopkeeper?
Here's all the equipment I unlocked in the last trip.
This is the shield that I unlocked after getting Hammerhead's Gold Drop. But it's really pricy, so I don't buy it for now.
Each Speed forge on a piece of equipment will grant the character +2 Action Speed. Handy. Anyways, that's all the equipment I unlocked. Let's check in with Missy.
Yes we are.
Look, don’t be spreading this news around, okay? I hear that B8F is really dangerous! Everyone who comes to the bar says they’ve never gone to B8F because it’s so risky. Wait... If nobody goes there, how do they know it’s so dangerous?
Ugh, it’s completely broken off from the base. It’s useless now. What a piece of crap...
What happened?
That stupid Zodiac I was going out with! Wait’ll you hear this! So there’s this Iron Turtle on B8F with a really hard shell. I asked him to do his thing, y’know. Guess what he said to that! “Durr, sorry, I don’t have enough TP.” Seriously!? What the hell!? He’s always so stingy with money and TP, but when it matters most, he’s just a big lump. I eventually had to beat the crap out of him with my sword...
Oh, I mean the turtle, not him. Hahaha!
Welcoming! Did your investigation on the starfish go well? Ooh, you have a report!
Yes. You see, this is what happened...
At this point, Missy's responses differ depending on how long you stayed to observe the starfish. If you left at the first opportunity:
...Huh? There were lots of starfish, just lying on top of each other? How oddness!
If you left when the game asked you to stay for the 2nd time:
...The starfish were all eating coral, you say! How interesting! The world is full of all kinds of crazy things, is it not?
If you left when the game asked you to stay for the 3rd time:
...Huh? The starfish began to eat one, but it grew back, even bigger? I have no idea what you are speaking about. It sounds impressive, though!
If you stayed for the whole time:
...Huh? The starfish began to eat one, but it grew back, even bigger? I have no idea what you are speaking about. It sounds interesting, though! Oh... And then you killed them all? Business as usual, then, I am seeing! Hahaha!
In any case, well done. Here’s your reward, so take it. Well done as always!
You get less Pole Stones and less exp if you didn't stay for the whole time.
Pole Stones make a return in this game, but they got a bit of a tweak. Instead of just taking you back to the Submagnetic Pole, it'll take you back to one or stairs, depending on which one you used last. It's less redundant than an Ariadne Thread, but I still don't find them that useful.
Antifire reduces Fire damage by 42%.
Unbind now works on the whole party. And this is when I'm going to stop leveling it up. All leveling up this skill does now is just lower the TP cost from 16 to 10 at level 10. Whoop de do.
He has another one already?
Ah, you are accepting this request? The monster biologer Scott put that one up. He says that the “formerly stable ecosystem” of B8F has gone all wacky lately. He says a mutant monster is eating too much, upsetting “nature’s balance” or somesuch. Scott is wanting to research this, but he is a scientist! He is a pathetic weaking! That is why he made this request, so strong explorers like you will do it for him! He is wanting you to write a report on what you see on B8F and turn it in to me. You are understanding this, yes? Good! Now, go! Explore and report!
Oof, someone had their stuff stolen? There's no way we're letting this stand, right?
Eh, work is work. Sure.
Ooh! You’re going to accept that request? Ruffalo’s keepsake knife has gone missing. I want you to find it for him.
While we would love to help, why can't he do it himself?
Hm? You are asking why Ruffalo is not out looking for his own damn knife his own damn self?
Oh. Anyways, what does this knife look like?
The knife has a lion on the hilt and the blade is made out of a blue crystal. Ruffalo said he was talking to a guard by the waterfall on B1F. You go check with him, yes? I am counting on you, explorers! Chop-chop! Be going!
Mainly everyone who made it that far got murdered. But that shouldn't be happening anymore.
Maybe you folks really will be the ones to find the drowned city... Just don’t get cocky.
Yeah...
Oh yes, it's very pretty!
When the fish aren't trying to kill you.
I’ve sailed the high seas for many years, but I’ve not once walked along the bottom. I envy you.
The situation has been changing rapidly... and your guild is at the center of it all. I suppose our only path forward is to leave it to you. Keep at it, then. I’ve waited a hundred years for this. You can be certain I won’t let this opportunity slip by! Ah, but I shouldn’t say too much, or you’ll get too many clues as to my true age...
Now let's see if we can find the missing knife.
You suddenly recall the request you accepted to find Ruffalo’s knife... You can ask the guard about that if you like.
Excuse me! Did a person named Ruffalo talk to you?
You assume that a guard on duty inside the Labyrinth may know something about what’s happening.
Ruffalo? Yes, I saw him. He was on his way back to the city because he ran out of medicine.
Do you know anything about his knife?
What about his knife...? No, I remember that he had it with him when I saw him last.
Do you know what it looks like?
Yes, I remember the lion on the hilt. It’s very distinctive. He definitely had his knife.
What about the blade?
...No, I didn’t see the blade itself. It would have to be made of metal, though, right? You might try talking to Ruffalo himself. His guild is based out of Aman’s Inn.
You thank the guard for his help and decide to seek out Aman’s Inn to continue.
You can talk to the guard again for more dialogue.
Like I said earlier, you might want to try going to Aman’s Inn to meet with Ruffalo yourself. I’m rather sure that his guild is based out of that inn.
You thank the guard for his help. You should go to Aman’s Inn to continue your search.
Is an explorer named Ruffalo staying at this inn?
...Mr. Ruffalo? Yes, he is staying here. Is something the matter?
His knife went missing, and we're looking for it.
...Huh!? He lost his knife!?
Yes. Do you happen to know what it looks like?
Yes, I know the knife you’re talking about. Mr. Ruffalo’s been staying here for a while. He showed it to me once, when he was praying. It has a beautiful blue crystal blade. He says that he only unsheathes it to pray before he goes out into the Labyrinth. One of our maids was with me when he showed it to us, so I remember what he said. ...Oh, I’m sorry. What were we talking about?
He lost his knife. Look, can we just talk to him? He thought he lost it in the forest, but we didn't find it there.
I’m afraid he doesn’t want visitors, but I can tell him you didn’t find it in the forest.
The boy leaves and comes back.
He said that if it isn’t in the forest, then it might be at the bar. He was drinking with a man with long blond hair last night... At least, that’s what he said. I do hope you recover Mr. Ruffalo’s knife for him!
A new bar patron shows up after talking to the Innkeeper's son about the knife.
Yo, what’s the haps? I was just having a glass by myself. C’mon, park yourself and join me.
Maybe later. Do you know of a person named Ruffalo?
...Hm? Ruffalo...? Who’s that?
He said he drank with you last night.
Ohhh, the fella I drank with the other day. Why do you ask?
His keepsake knife went missing. He believes he may have lost it in this bar.
Huh...? He lost that heirloom knife!? Man, that’s rough. That’s the one he was so proud of where the blade was made of blue crystal, right? He said he dropped it here, did he...? Well, I dunno what to tell you. I haven’t seen it. Couldn’t it be in the forest after all? You should go ask him again.
No. We couldn't find it at the bar.
Huh? It wasn’t at the bar, either? Hmm... I’ll go tell him what you said.
The boy leaves and comes back.
He wonders if one of the people you talked to is lying to you! ...That’s what he said. Who could it be, though? Who do you think it is?
This quest actually has a bigger reward if you accuse the right person the first time. Accusing the wrong person will lower your payout. But I'll show off all the choices anyway. Anyways, this is just a simple logic puzzle. The answer is obviously the blond man since he wasn't supposed to know about the blade. But what happens if we accuse someone else?
The bar owner:
I figured it out! It's Missy! How could she have known what the knife looked like without seeing it?
The lady at the Butterfly Bistro? Really? I’d never suspect her... Well, if you’re going to go check, I’m not going to stop you.
If you pick the bar owner option after already accusing Missy:
Huh? Didn’t you already go to the bar?
The boy at the inn:
You are a crafty one little boy, but the evidence proves that you were the one that did it!
N-N-No way! What would I get out of lying about this!?
Uh, what evidence?
Well, um... I don't know where I was going with this.
If you pick the boy at the inn option after already accusing him:
I’ve already said that it’s not me! Stop messing around like this, or I’m going to get angry! Do you want to talk to the maid I was with when Mr. Ruffalo showed us the knife?
The guard:
I don't know why, but something about the guard's story seemed fishy to me.
Hmm... Really? You might be able to learn more if you talk to the guard about it.
If you pick the guard option after already accusing him:
Huh? Didn’t you already talk to the guard about that?
The blond man:
Hmm, if you take the time to think things through, there's only one choice.
The blond man, yes?
Correct. He knew what the blade looked like, but there was no opportunity for him to see it since Ruffalo only unsheathes it when he prays.
...Hey! Hold on a moment! How would that person know what the blade looks like? That doesn’t make sense! I see... You could be on the right track! You should go to the bar right now and follow up on this!
Whenever you accuse someone (that isn't the person you're talking to,) you have to go confront them about the knife. So let's confront Missy.
Yeah! You have it! You lied to us so you could have it for yourself!
This is gonna be ugly.
I can't watch.
...What? I’m lying to you? Ahahahahahaha! How dare you! You sit down and listen up right now!
Eep.
Requests depend on a bond of trust between the people of the city and the explorers! I am the intermediary for these requests! I can’t break that trust by lying to people! Stop being a fool and get back to work!
Whenever you make a wrong guess, you get the opportunity to accuse someone else:
The bar owner:
Uhh, give up the knife? Pretty please?
You’re still saying this garbage!? Stop this nonsense and get back to work!
Huh, I was sure it was her. I mean, how could she have known what the knife looked like?
Maybe because Ruffalo had to tell her so that we could find it?
...Oh.
The boy at the inn:
Perhaps the boy at the inn is deceiving us. He may desire the knife for himself.
You doubt the word of that little boy? That’s sad. Well, fine! Get outta here, then, and go talk to him!
If you pick the boy at the inn option after already accusing him:
You already said that you talked to him! Stop messing around and get to work!
The guard:
I'm not too sure, but maybe the guard is lying to us.
...You suspect the guard? Why are you not doing your job, then? Go check with him! Go go go!
If you pick the guard option after already accusing him:
Did you not already speak with the guard? Why don’t you stop messing about and get to work?
The blond man:
You know, the blond man let slip that he knew what the blade looked like. Even though Ruffalo only unsheathes it to pray.
Hmm. You may be on to something. How would he know about the color of the blade? It is quite sad that one of my customers is a low-down dirty thief, but you have a job to do! Steel your hearts and go get him! Do your duty!
And now let's confront the guard.
You approach the guard to confront him about your suspicions...
Oh, it’s you again. Did you ever find Ruffalo’s knife?
Yes. You have it.
...Eh? You think I have it? You have to be joking. I am a sworn servant of our princess! I take pride in my duty! Why would I do that!? It’s just a fancy knife, right? Why would I risk my job to steal it!?
The guard has become enraged and leaves before you can anger him further.
...You know, I really didn't think this through.
Faye must be rubbing off on you.
Hey!
The bar owner:
A suspicion forms in your mind regarding the woman who runs the bar... It’s difficult to believe that she would lie to you, but you ought to speak with her.
The boy at the inn:
A suspicion forms in your mind regarding the clerk boy at Aman’s Inn... His account is reliable. You doubt he would be lying, but it may be worth checking back with him.
If you try to accuse Missy/the boy at the inn again:
No... You have already pursued this suspicion. This avenue of thought is fruitless.
The guard:
No... You have already discussed this with him. This avenue of thought is fruitless.
The blond man:
You feel ashamed for angering the guard, and try to engage him in rational conversation.
We're sorry about accusing you. But I think I figured it out. There was someone at the bar who knew what the blade looked like.
Ah yes. But Ruffalo only unsheathes the knife when he prays!
If Ruffalo only takes out his knife to pray, how would that man know what color it is? ...An interesting point. Go back to the bar and find out the truth!
And now it's time to confront the actual culprit.
We know you have the knife! Hand it over, now!
Huh? You’re saying I stole the fella’s knife? That’s a serious claim. Where’s your proof, huh?
You told us you knew what the blade looked like, But Ruffalo only takes it out when he prays. Which you probably weren't around for.
I think I’ve had about enough outta you! I’m out of here! ...Oh, crap! ....................................................................................Uhh, fellas? I can’t leave if you’re gonna block the way like that...
You're not going anywhere.
Give up the knife, or you're getting punched. In the face.
....................................................................................Ugh, fine! I stole it! Happy now!? It was his goddamn fault to begin with! That bastard picked a fight with me when I was just tryin’ to enjoy my drink! Pissed me off so much that I swiped it while we were grappling with each other! And that’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothin’ but! Serves you right! I think I’ve about had my fill of you jokers. See ya ’round!
And justice prevails!
Missy has different dialogue depending on how many wrong guesses you made. If you made 3 wrong accusations:
I hope you are feeling ashamed of yourselves! Doubting people makes others less likely to trust you, you know! This is a big dealing! It’s a scandal! There is much gossip going on now! Well, at least you got the knife back from that bastard. It is not a job well done, but you got it done. You should be feeling lucky to get a reward at all! Here! Take it! If you are feeling like drowning your sorrows, the first round is on me, okay?
If you made 2 wrong accusations:
Well! You certainly have learned your lesson, yes? But, I saw with my own eyes how you got the knife back from that duplicitous dog. I think that makes us even. You are agreeing? Good! I sent word to the guards a moment ago. That bastard will be in jail licking-splitly! In any case... Good job. I will be seeing that the knife gets back to its owner. I won’t be making mistakes like you, either! ...Hahahaha! I am just being messy with you! Here, take this! It’s your reward!
If you made 1 wrong accusation:
Ah, nice jobbing. I saw you doing your best to get the knife back. I’ve already reported that guy to the guards. I’m crafty like that, you know! In any case, I will be returning this to Ruffalo. I am sure he will be happy to get it back! Here’s the reward, like always. Let us do further business in the future, yes?
If you accused the blond man right away:
Ah, it’s you! It seems you are getting Ruffalo’s knife back safely, yes? I saw it all unfolding with my very own eyes! The lying bastard won’t try the funny business anymore here! We’ve got super-sleuths! The truth can be slippery as a fish, but you can noodle it out if you try hard enough. In any case, thank you. Ruffalo will be happy to have this back. Here is your reward! Be proud of your detectiving!
This is the best possible reward. Wrong accusations will lower the amount of Amrita IIs you get.
And the highest amount of exp you can get from the quest. Each wrong accusation will reduce the amount of exp each party member gets by 100.
Fun fact, this was originally supposed to be part of a quest line that involved some contests. In one you had to create the best weapon, and the other one was a forging contest. I'm not sure how those would have worked, and the dev team probably didn't either, which might have been why they were cut.
Rain or Shine lasts for 20 steps.
Keburi no Sue reduces the TP costs of all the Ninja's skills by 4.
Now with all that over with, let's start preparing for the Sea Quests.
Kirikaze
Class: Ninja
Weapon: Dagger
Skillset:
-Keburi no Sue: Level 6
-Karuwaza: Level 3
-Nikudan: Level 5
-Kagenui: Level 5
-Tagen Battou: Level 3
-Bunshin: Level 1
Supplies:
-2 Medicas
-1 Amrita
Kirikaze makes a return, and she doesn't really make that much of an impact. She's an offensive party member, but she's not really a powerhouse. She's not useless since she can help whittle down the boss. Just bring whoever you want for the fight, but don't expect her to carry your team to victory.
Dezerte
Class: Princess
Weapon: Sword
Skillset:
-Royal Lineage: Level 5
-Royal Veil: Level 4
-Reinforce: Level 5
-Nobility Proof: Level 5
-Ad Nihilo: Level 3
-Protect Order: Level 3
-Inspire: Level 5
Supplies:
-2 Medicas
-1 Amrita
Now the bar patrons are getting in on the fun. You'll see some of them join in on certain Sea Quests. Anyways, Dezerte here is a fantastic party member for the fight. Unlike Victoria, she'll focus on supporting the whole party. Not just her own row. She'll try to keep your party alive with Protect Order, Reinforce, and Royal Veil, which is a decent chunk of healing. However, she'll also eliminate the boss' buffs, and your party's debuffs. Which is a very good thing because the boss likes to use some deadly ones.
Toma
Class: Farmer
Weapon: Dagger
Skillset:
-Earth's Bounty: Level 5
-Brave Heart: Level 3
-Persistence: Level 3
-Strange Seeds: Level 7
Supplies:
-8 Medicas
-3 Amritas
While Dezerte is a valuable party member, Toma is just kind of there. But that's pretty much the nature of a Farmer. He's mainly there to keep Dezerte and your party going. He'll try to keep your party alive, and their TP topped off, which is good since the fight can take a while. He's not really useful, but he's not dead weight either since he's basically Dezerte's battery. Overall I'd say that this Sea Quest is the easiest of the bunch since you get some good support here. But because the NPCs are supports, you should definitely bring offensive party members for this one.
Zaby
Class: Buccaneer
Weapon: Rapier
Skillset:
-Swashbuckling: Level 3
-Chase Saber: Level 8
-Chase Blow: Level 8
-Chase Thrust: Level 8
Supplies: None
Zaby here is one of the main damage dealers for the fight, and she can deal a decent amount of it depending on how lucky you get.
Ivil
Class: Arbalist
Weapon: Crossbow
Skillset:
-Giant Kill: Level 3
-Extend: Level 3
-Double Action: Level 3
-Heavy Shot: level 5
-Armor Piercer: Level 5
Supplies: None
Galver
Class: Arbalist
Weapon: Crossbow
Skillset:
-Giant Kill: Level 3
-Extend: Level 3
-Double Action: Level 3
-Heavy Shot: Level 5
-Front Mortar: Level 5
Supplies: None
This party is pretty much all about the damage. Ivil and Galver are pretty much about the same, except for their last skills. They deal a hefty amount of physical damage, so you should bring some supports for this one. Especially since none of them brought supplies. Let's take a look at our guild to see our options for these Sea Quests.
Monks are a fantastic support to bring along since a level 7 Unbind will be very handy for one portion of the fight, and because the boss deals a lot of multi target damage. Party Heal will be very very handy for the fight.
I'm gonna say this right now. Going into this fight without Antifire at a decent level (read: at least level 5) is suicide. The boss has a very hard hitting Fire attack, and at this point, Antifire is the only way to mitigate that damage. You might as well do the fight later if you don't have a Hoplite with Antifire. If you don't, I hope you brought a lot of healing. And I mean a lot of healing.
Leveling up Heavy Shot to 5 (which deals 153% damage) unlocks the Arbalist's best skill.
Ohhh yes.
This will be explosive!
Front Mortar is the Arbalist's best damage skill. However, this skill requires the Arbalist to be in the front row in order to deal the full amount of damage. If it's used from the back row, the amount of damage dealt is worse than what the Arbalist's regular attack could dish out. It's a high-risk, high-reward skill since Arbalists are very squishy. However, Hoplites take a lot of risk out of that since they can just Bodyguard them. So despite the risky requirements, I think this skill is very well worth it. At level 3 it deals a whopping 246% damage when the Arbalist is in the front row, and a mere 77% when used in the back row.
Arbalists are a very powerful physical damage dealer to bring to the fight. Though at this point, I'd advise against trying to use Front Mortar since it's hard to play around the front row requirement at this point in the game.
Ninjas are kind of not good for boss fights in general. They excel more in taking down random encounters than in handling big fights. Though having a 6th party member to make use of can be helpful.
Zodiacs? Still good. Now the boss has a resistance to Fire attacks, so Hellfire isn't gonna work all that great here. But the boss has a massive weakness to Ice attacks, which Asteria is very capable of exploiting. She's by far the best damage dealer in the team.
Leveling up Guard Order to 3 unlocks a new skill.
Sadly I won't take this one just yet, but it's a very good skill.
Now leveling it up to 5 unlocks more skills. Guard Order reduces the damage from physical attacks by 30%.
This is a good one.
This not so much.
What Rally Order does is increase the max HP of all the party members in a row by a certain amount, which could make them a bit more tanky. This really isn't worth it, but it's a prerequisite for a much better skill, so don't ignore it completely.
It is hopeless to stand against me.
Ad Nihilo is a very good utility skill. It's a single target TEC damage skill that deals Almighty damage, one of the few ways that a player can make use of it, and dispels all of an enemy's buffs (Everyone can only have 3 buffs at a time). Yes, all of them at every level. Not just 1 which eventually scaled up to 3 like in the previous games. The only part of this skill that actually scales is the damage component, and honestly that's completely unimportant. The main reason being is that the skill can only deal damage if the enemy has any buffs. If they don't, this skill does absolutely nothing. Just stick one point in it and never level it up again. The skill deals 130% damage at level 1, and 240% damage at level 10. The damage does not scale with the amount of buffs a target has.
Princesses are another good choice to bring along for the fight. In normal circumstances anyway. Unfortunately, with the way the queen is built, she can't really contribute much. Ad Nihilo is great, but that's all she can do. And its not really necessary. If she had Inspire, that would have made her a really valuable member for the fight. But she doesn't.
Leveling up Sword Mastery to 7 unlocks this skill.
Unlike Rush, Rampage is an actual AOE. It deals 110% damage to all enemies at level 1, and 140% damage to all enemies at level 10. I don't really find it that useful Rush is sufficient for mob clearing at this point in the game.
Sword Mastery increases the power of regular attacks by 9%.
Gladiators are another good choice for a physical attacks, especially since they can charge up any physical Limits. They're also very durable too, so they can take a beating.
Now that Eagle Eye is mastered, it lowers an enemy's physical defense by 35%. 5% more than Primal Drums, though the two abilities do stack.
Trickster restores 6 TP when an offensive skill is used.
Buccaneer's aren't really too great at this point. While head binds will help, Scott can only inflict them once on the boss, and the fight can last quite a while since Asteria can't just delete it with Hellfire. So Hanging isn't too useful, aside from damage. Eagle Eye can be a nice damage boost for any physical attackers, though.
Wild Mastery now gives a guaranteed 15% chance for ailments to land.
Call Elephant summons an Elephant with 155 base HP that has a 32% chance to confuse anything it attacks. Its initial attack deals 90% damage, and its AI attacks deals 135% damage.
Wildlings are a bit of an odd duck to bring to the fight. There's no need for AOEs since there's only one thing that the guild is gonna fight. And Ailments aren't too useful, though the animals can dish out a nice amount of damage and be a meat shield. They do have Primal Drums to help out any physical attackers, so they aren't dead weight.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Vote for up to 3 characters that you want to see participate in the fights. Votes must be bolded.