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Update 82: The True Path
Lemme guess. You died. Again.
Yep.
So we have to go through the entire Labyrinth. AGAIN.
Yeeeeeeep.
Actually, I'll take the blame for that. I specifically requested for Faye to bring us back to the beginning of this adventure. There was something I wanted to see resolved.
Ch-Charlotte? Is that really you?
Indeed. Worry not, for I have returned- ROSE PLEASE, YOU'RE CRUSHING MY SPIIIIINE!
She tends to do that when she's in such a joyful mood. For the sake of everyone's backs, I suggest staying away from her in such cases.
...Moving along, why did you want us to start all over again? It better be a damn good reason!
Well...
Okay, time to tackle the 3rd path. This is actually the path required for the True Ending, and I'll be covering that in this update. I'll be mostly skipping ahead since we saw most of the content already in the last two playthroughs.
Oh, I realized I forgot to show off this book when we got it, so here it is.
Time travelers, huh? Never thought something that crazy would be possible, but that would explain all this nonsense I went through.
...You're just going to accept this and move on?
Yep! The alternative is waaayyy too messy. So you're that Charlie everyone was always talking about!
Indeed. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Smith. By the way, the name is Charlotte. ...Wait, how are you even erm, blending in with the populace here?
Oh, we're passing him off as someone who's wearing really weird armor.
Yep! I'm hard on the outside, but with a soft delicious center. Oh, and don't forget the “prosthetics.”
We're veterans. End of story.
...Someone mind telling what her beef is?
You... shouldn't worry about it so much.
Mmmm, nope! Nuh-uh! In fact, I think you should go home and all that. You really don't seem cut out for this whole exploring thing.
The boy’s face sours into a sulk on hearing your answer that you decline his cooperation.
Fine, then... We’ll just look for some other explorers.
You decide to follow the way forward en route to defeating the fish-beast.
...That was mean.
Hey, if it's gonna keep them from dying again, I'm fine with being mean.
I don't know if that really accomplished anything. It doesn't look like they're giving up.
Saying no to Agata's question here locks you out of any future scenes with them. They no longer appear in the story (and won't give you advice about Narmer as a result.) I suppose you could try twisting this into saving them from dying later, but really, this is just opting out of their story. Whatever happens to Guild Murotsumi now, your guild no longer gives a damn about them.
Okay, enough messing around. Time to unlock the True Ending.
Unlocking the True Ending is a lot more convoluted than going for the Armoroad and Deep City endings. For one thing, the latter two only require you to make one major choice. The True Ending has a number of requirements for you to fulfill. One of which happens when you enter the Deep City for the first time.
Sure, I won't tell anyone!
Thank you. Now then...
First off, this question? Say yes. Yes, you really do have to make a promise you have absolutely no reason to keep, given that Olympia tried to murder you before to keep this whole place a secret. Oh wait, but there's more.
Yeah we found it. You can't miss it, there's a big tree in the center.
Hey, you broke your promise!
I'm the only one that promised I wouldn't tell anyone. No promises broken her-
...Okay, fine. I broke my promise.
After turning in your mission for killing Ketos, you also need to say yes to Flowdia's question. Yes that's right, you have to make a promise to a murderer (which you had no reason to do in the first place from a story standpoint) and then break said promise. Makes perfect sense! Anyways, the next requirement won't be seen for a long time.
Ohhh, we have to pick a side, don't we?
Ugh, I don't see a way around him. Hey Akatsuki-
Before you ask, Miss Faye, the Ninja arts cannot make anyone lava proof!
My friends don't like lava either!
...Darn, two plans busted before I even said what they were.
Hmm... I believe it will be fine. It shouldn't matter who we side with if I'm right about this.
Ooh! Ooh! You know, I never really got to see Armoroad's side of things. Could we go with them?
You still have to make the BIG CHOICE in the 3rd Stratum on who to side with, but if you're gunning for the True Ending, it doesn't matter which side you pick, so don't worry about that. All it really affects is if you fight Kirin or Shin in the 4th Stratum, so just make your choice based on that.
I threw up a minor vote to see who I should side with, and people wanted to see me dunk on Kirin.
But before we move onto the next requirement, there's one more loose end to tie up. Gatekeeper still has a couple of conditional drops that we haven't received yet (Kill the Keeper Head while it's head bound, and killing the Keeper Body while it's leg bound), so let's get those.
Now getting Gatekeeper's conditional is fairly easy. Getting the Keeper Head's and Keeper Body's conditionals, much less so.
First off, you want to deal as much damage to Gatekeeper as possible without actually killing it. To make this even trickier, Gatekeeper's HP gets halved when it splits up, and there aren't any binding skills that deal no damage in this game.
Okay, it should be easy to kill off the Keeper Head, but with this team, the Keeper Body is a different story.
Aww, you did your best!
Unfortunately, Fang failed to land the head bind on the Keeper Head 3 times in a row. He has a 45% to 47% chance of landing them, and thanks to their resistances, he only has one shot at this. Now due to Gatekeeper's pattern, I'm forced to wait until they rejoin and separate again to get another shot at binding them.
Good birdie!
One drop down, now to get the other one.
Fang, please. I only have one more turn to do this.
Just in time!
You know, I'm really concerned about the Deep City's method of handling the Deep Ones if this was there best way of quarantining them.
Maybe the fish people are stupid.
I... think they would have been wiped out some time ago if that really was the case.
And there we go! Snagged both of their conditional drops!
Okay, let's see what both of these items unlock.
The Quake Leg unlocks the Ascalon. It's not the ultimate Rapier, but it is the 2nd strongest.
The Magic Circuit unlocks the Orion Epaulets, which is the Zodiac's ultimate armor. I suppose 2 points of TEC and 5% extra TP is nice.
Anyways, after entering the 14th floor and going back to town, something happens.
Kujura will tell you the tale about the Porcelain Offering, and give you the Sky Bowl. He only does this if you told Flowdia about the Deep City.
Okay, we have both the Sky Bowl and the Starry Shard. Now what?
Hmm, now we just- oh wait, we don't have the Moon Key yet. Never mind.
Once you enter the Deep City, Olympia will do the same thing and give you the Starry Shard. She only does this if you promise to keep the Deep City a secret.
I said before that these items were useless to Tidehunt. If you don't get both of them, they are. If you only have one, they do absolutely nothing but serve as a reminder of how you screwed up. Obtaining both of those items is required for the True Ending, however doing so doesn't lock you into it quite yet. There's one more requirement that needs to be fulfilled.
But first, beating the everloving tar out of Kirin since that's what was voted for.
First, preparations!
Second, even more preparations.
Ohohoho! Were you hoping to lay a hand on my subjects?
And making sure that Scott and Rose do not get horribly murdered before they can get healed. Finally...
Stabbing at the speed of light!
Sheesh, I can barely keep up with you!
MURDER TIME!
HA! That, my friends, is why metal will never die!
And after the battle, we get the Moon Key again. Now the next requirement is coming up very soon, and boy this one really doesn't make sense.
No matter who you sided with, hand in your mission report.
Another mission will pop up immediately after you do so.
Uhhhh... we're gonna take a moment to think about this.
But whatever you do, 
DO NOT ACCEPT THE NEXT MISSION! Instead...
You need to head to the 3rd Stratum. Yes, I'm serious.
Faye, are you sure this is a good idea?
It's the only lead we have.
I don't think it'll hurt to give it a try at least. If it's a dead end, I suppose we'll have to commit regicide again.
I really hope it doesn't come to that. I mean I'd probably be fired from my job- wait, what am I saying? My job sucks! ...Screw it, if this doesn't work out, I'll stick with you all anyways.
And talk to the Eldest One at the back of the room. You know, the character you would have very likely forgotten about by this point in a normal playthrough. Your only hint that you could do this was the fact that you got the Moon Key, and you need it to talk with him again. And the fact that out of all the keys, the Moon Key was the only one that disappears when you start a New Game Plus. Not only that, you have to do this in a very small time frame. In that you need to turn in the teleporter mission (trying to come here beforehand results in the Eldest One dismissing you until you do) and trying to come here after accepting the next mission also results in him dismissing you.
Yeah, I seriously have no idea how they expected anyone to figure this out. But enough ranting, let's get on with the True Ending.
The outwardly human, yet utterly alien, creature is there, staring at you as before.
The Eldest One’s rasp grates on your ears, as his mocking manner grates at your pride.
I’m surprised you had the stomach to return. Was it your whim to speak with me? How comical...
The Eldest One laughs, but its expression suddenly darkens as if remembering something...
I met a Girl... once. She spoke to me without Fear--I, the Eldest One of the Deep Ones... I ask you this, Children of Man. Do you believe it possible for our two Races to live in Harmony?
The question from this cracked, hoarse voice that seems to echo from the depths surprises you. You are taken aback and honestly unsure of how to answer...
Oh, and as one last screw you or whatever, answering this question wrong will lock you out of the True Ending as well. Though in this case, the answer is really obvious. Just say yes. Note that if you don't have both the Sky Bowl and Starry Shard at this point, The Eldest One will just dismiss you.
Sure, I mean if that's what you really want.
The Eldest One gives a wry smile on hearing your answer, followed by a heavy sigh.
That was the Answer I expected. Perhaps I asked the Question in Hopes of hearing it...
Oh no no no, please don't let this be a dead end!
The Eldest One mutters to himself and points to your pack before continuing quietly.
I know not where you found it, but that Sky Bowl you carry was once mine. It is a Crown which gives Form to that which is immaterial. What is more... you have even the Starry Shard. It seems that you came prepared...
Music stops.
When the shard settles inside the bowl, it releases a blinding light that suffuses the room!
Three white flashes occur.
Hey, is this...?
The Porcelain Offering! To think both Kujura and Olympia had the pieces of it all this time.
Wow, talk about irony! ...Wait a minute, what the hell are we supposed to do with this?
Present that to the whimpering Princess. Tell her it is a 100-year old Gift from me. It will put an End to one of my Schemes... but on Balance, that is not so bad.
The Eldest One falls silent as it closes its eyes and slowly leans back against the wall.
Make Haste. Should the Princess encounter the Yggdrasil-possessed King, a tragic End awaits...
Oh fiddlesticks, we spent too much time here already! He's probably already on the move!
Hey fish prince! You still haven't told us what to do with this!
Deliver that Offering to the Pair and their Fate may take a Turn for the better.
The Deep One opens its scarlet eyes again and locks its glare on you.
Children of Man. When my Powers are again at their Height, Man will then know true Despair... I will brand thy Palm. When you have delivered the Offering, come to me... for the Princess’ Sake.
As the Deep One speaks, a burning pain flares in your hand!
AAAAHHHHHH!
SUDDENLY, I IMMEDIATELY REGRET THIS DECISION! ...Huh?
However, when you look at it, you can see nothing amiss... The pain subsides as if nothing happened. You have misgivings about this, but the Eldest One’s eyes are closed and its lips silent.
You decide to act in deference to the unnerving creature and leave this place.
We can talk with him again.
The outwardly human, yet utterly alien, creature is there, staring at you as before.
You aren’t entirely satisfied, but the Eldest One has already closed its eyes and lips decisively. You decide to act in deference to the unnerving creature and leave this place.
You know, I'm starting to have second thoughts about all this.
Maybe it's not too late to to back out.
...Or maybe it is.
At this point, you are officially locked to the True Ending. There is no way to back out now. Anyways, to summarize what you have to do to get to the True Ending:
Step 1: When you reach the Deep City for the first time, promise Olympia, who tried to murder you earlier, to keep the Deep City a secret.
Step 2: Break said promise and reveal that it exists to the Senatus once you hand in your mission report.
Step 3: Side with either Armoroad or the Deep City during the 3rd Stratum. It doesn't matter who you pick. Pick up the Sky Bowl from Kujura and the Starry Shard from Olympia once you reach the 14th floor.
Step 4: After killing the boss of the 4th Stratum, hand in your mission report to your respective faction. Do not accept the next mission they hand out.
Step 5: Instead, head to the 10th floor to the Eldest One's room, who you have absolutely no reason to believe is capable of solving this conflict between Armoroad and the Deep City. Say yes to The Eldest One's question if people and the Deep Ones can coexist, despite the fact that all of the Deep Ones tried to kill you.
Yeah, unlocking the True Ending makes absolutely no sense from a story and a gameplay standpoint. It's just utterly convoluted and pretty much requires a guide to figure out. I partly understand why it was designed that way, given that you are definitely not intended to get the True Ending on your first playthrough. It is a legitimately bad idea for several reasons, one of which is that the final boss of this path is the toughest one in the game.
Wait a minute, how are we supposed to get into that forest now!? There's a barrier in there we can't get past!
...I wonder if this brand will be enough.
Before we go to the 5th Stratum, there's something I want to point out.
I told you I saw Princess Gutrune the other day, right? Well, later I heard that some bad guys went into the royal forest looking for her! But I hear they asked you guys to go protect her, since you’re so good. Don’t let her down, okay?
...Did you all accept the mission or something while we were gone?
No, we were just waiting for you to come back.
What the heck happened down there anyway? All of our hands felt like they were on fire or something for a few seconds.
Oh, sounds like everyone in Tidehunt got their palms branded.
N-No...?
No? Whew... I heard you got through to the Deep Ones’ stronghold, so I was worried. Fixing up wounds I can do, but if you die, you’re beyond my help. There’s no harm in taking a day off from the grind to rest here, is there?
...Wasn't she kind of hounding us for not siding with the Abyssal King around this time?
I'm just as clueless as you. All of a sudden, she started being nice to us after our palms ignited with the great flames of pain.
Trust me, it's best not to think too much about this kind of stuff.
The moment you get locked to the True Ending, the town dialogue changes to the 3rd set, if they have it. Basically they all act like you sided with their faction, aside from the Celestial Palace, in which a Guard says the same stuff they did in the Armoroad route. It really doesn't make sense, since Aman will still say that line about you being asked to protect Gutrune, even if you sided with the Deep City before.
Anyways, once you have the Uncanny Seal, you can head into the Porcelain Forest with no problems. For the next part, just head through the 5th Stratum like before. As for the rooms where Kujura or Olympia popped up to summon the Mortal Hunters, no scene plays once you reach those rooms. However, the Mortal Hunters don't spawn until you enter those rooms, so they still have that weird AI quirk. As a result, you'll want to take the 1st solution I posted for those sections to get past the Mortal Hunters.
New town dialogue doesn't come in until the 20th floor. For the other floors of the 5th Stratum, they just reused dialogue from the other paths.
The Abyssal King and Olympia left for the battlefield... They’re out to slay the Deep Ones. But something tells me I’m not going to see either of them again...
But I have a terrible feeling they won’t be prepared for what they find... I hope they’ll be safe.
Ugh, we gotta hurry!
When you reach this door on the True Ending, you don't get a warning about what lies beyond. You'll see the reason why shortly.
Nearby are the Abyssal King of the Deep City and Armoroad's princess, facing each other. As you carefully approach, you can hear their words being carried on the wind.
The princess pleads desperately with the Abyssal King in the seclusion of the forest...
No abomination with the powers of a Deep One can dare call itself my sister.
You realize the truth of who this king and princess are now... But the Abyssal King has lost his memories, and the princess has lost her humanity.
Yeah uh, here's another reason why doing the True Ending first is a bad idea. You miss out on a lot of context considering both of those facts were revealed in the other endings and didn't exactly come out of nowhere like they do here.
There is only one way you can see to save the pair... You must present the Porcelain Offering, that legendary light which may yet heal them both.
Hey! HEY! If you're done yelling at each other, take a look at this!
You intercede between the Abyssal King and the princess and present the Eldest One's offering.
Please, Princess Gutrune. Take it.
You nod to the dumbstruck princess and urge her to take it.
Seriously, just take the damn thing! Little help here, Olympia?
The Abyssal King gives you a fierce look, but a figure beside him accepts the white object.
The girl mutters sadly and gives the Porcelain Offering to the befuddled Abyssal King.
Music stops.
A flash of white.
The Porcelain Offering should allow them to regain their human forms and memories.
Hee hee! Mission accomplished!
Hmm, we should leave them alone for a while.
However, much as you wish to do so, you cannot linger to watch over this reunion.. You remember the Eldest One's words and know that you are called to be elsewhere!
A flash of white.
Huh? What the- GAAHHHH!
As you try to orient yourself, you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your hand! You examine the back of your hand to find a strange pattern appear as if burned into the skin!
What's up with the Brand!?
The Abyssal Shrine... Come to the sealed Door of the Deep One. The otherworldly sea's Brand I gave to you shall lead you deeper within...
The voice ends there and the oppressive feeling it carried with it disappears as well. You feel that you ought to obey the voice, but it may be best to take care of other matters first.
It seems there's one last duty we must fulfill.
If we try to reenter the room...
FAYE.
Alright alright, we'll head to the Abyssal Shrine. Sheesh. Can't blame a girl for being curious.
...I'm glad to see you've failed to learn what the concept of privacy is.
Hey, I only looked in your journal that one time. Speaking of which, did you write anything juicy in that thing lately?
Oh yes. I had to do something to pass the time when I was stuck in that dark place. I even came up with so many more- I mean, that's none of your business!
We need to head to the 16th floor.
Hey, remember this door?
This is only relevant in the True Ending.
When you approach, that unsettling voice once again echoes through your mind.
The voice thought to belong to the Eldest One continues speaking to you.
When my Power is at its fullest, I will lead my Kind to destroy Yggdrasil and the Sons of Man.
...HE GOT OUT!? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME!?
...Oops.
Wait, so you lied about the whole wanted our races to get along and all that!
I would so be saying “I told you so” if he didn't actually kind of help us out earlier.
You know, come to think of it, he never really said that he wanted that to happen. He was just wondering if it was possible.
...Screw you exact wording! 
No comment.
If you would stop me, travel past these Doors to the Place where the Deep Ones commune with their God. Your Brand shall open the Way.
Sounds of a mechanism working.
At that moment, the mark on your hand begins to burn. You hear some mechanism in the door open. You surmise that the door is open now, allowing you access to what lies beyond, if you dare.
...You know, I can't decide if going to him was a bad idea or not. On one hand, we stopped the conflict between the Abyssal King and the princess. On the other hand, Armoroad is gonna be inkvaded soon if we don't stop him.
Not the time for puns! Agh, anyway. We'll just beat him back, simple as that!
Holy hell, it is filthy in here! Must suppress... cleaning routines.
So the True Ending has one extra area for you to go through. I do like the little detail of this area being noticeably more dirty. Anyways, there are still random encounters in here, but the only enemies you can run into are Deep Ones.
No, this is not a Deep Prelate.
It's actually a “new” enemy.
Deep Believer
Level: 55
HP: 1050
STR: 51
VIT: 53
AGI: 40
LUC: 42
TEC: 55
Attack Type: Strike
Exp: 4320
Item Drops:
-Drop 1: Evil Staff - 25% Drop Rate. 1 needed for Steel Shield (Shield.)
--Engraved with intricate, unfathomable patterns.
-Drop 2: N/A
-Gold: N/A
Description: An otherworldly dweller that guards the depths of the Shrine, as if protecting something.
Damage Resistances: Slash: 100% Strike: 100% Pierce: 100% Fire: 50% Ice: 50% Volt: 50%
Ailment Resistances: Sleep: 150% Confusion: 50% Plague: 100% Poison: 100% Blind: 100% Curse: 100% Paralysis: 100%
Bind Resistances: Head: 50% Arm: 100% Leg: 100%
Other Resistances: Death: 50% Petrification: 50% Stun: 100%
Skills:
Zone Thunder: Uses the Head. Deals 60% Volt damage to the entire party. Has an action speed of +0. Has an accuracy of 99.
Zone Blaze: Uses the Head. Deals 60% Fire damage to the entire party. Has an action speed of +0. Has an accuracy of 99.
Zone Icicle: Uses the Head. Deals 50% Ice damage to the entire party. Has an action speed of +0. Has an accuracy of 99.
Deep Believers are easier to take down than Deep Prelates, but they hit a lot harder with their attacks. Still at this point, they should be fairly manageable.
Aww, that didn't help you at all, did it?
There's not much I can say about them because they're just Deep Prelates with rescaled stats. Anyways, Smith got a level up.
Overheat now increases his damage output by 40%, at the cost of taking away 89 HP per turn.
Nothing much to this section of the floor.
Gates make a return here.
Here's the switch to open them up.
There are some FOEs in cages here.
If you want to avoid them, just activate the switch in this room, and take this path. But honestly, you don't have to avoid them.
Because these FOEs are just Freed Savages. And they're not even scaled up, so I really don't know what the point of this puzzle is. If you want to brute force your way through these rooms, go ahead.
Oh hey, another “new” enemy.
Deep Sentinel
Level: 55
HP: 1150
STR: 60
VIT: 55
AGI: 40
LUC: 40
TEC: 50
Attack Type: Slash
Exp: 4160
Item Drops:
-Drop 1: Heavy Piece - 20% Drop Rate. 1 needed for Morning Star (Club.)
--Unusually dense iron from a Deep One’s sword.
-Drop 2: N/A
-Gold Drop: N/A
Description: A Deep One guarding the depths of the Shrine. The many minions there attack invaders ruthlessly.
Damage Resistances: Slash: 50% Strike: 50% Pierce: 50% Fire: 100% Ice: 100% Volt: 100%
Ailment Resistances: Sleep: 100% Confusion: 50% Plague: 150% Poison: 150% Blind: 100% Curse: 100% Paralysis: 100%
Bind Resistances: Head: 100% Arm: 50% Leg: 100%
Other Resistances: Death: 50% Petrification: 50% Stun: 100%
Skills:
Leaping Slash: Uses the Arms. Deals 80% Slash damage to the front row. Has an action speed of +0. Has an accuracy of 99.
Counter: Uses the Arms. A counterattack that deals 115% Almighty damage to whoever attacks it. Has an action speed of +30. Cannot miss.
Sea Guillotine: Limit Skill. Requires a Deep Sentinel and Deep Believer. Uses the Arms. A Slash attack that deals 180% damage to a row, and has a 20% chance to inflict Instant Death. Has an action speed of -5. Has an accuracy of 99.
Yeah, a rescaled version of the Deep Coistral. Nothing more to say. Same tactics will work on it, but it'll go down in a shorter time frame.
Ha. Ha. Ha. That was canned laughter.
Again, not much to say. But that's the last new enemy in this little section.
Another gate switch, another little cage puzzle.
If you want to avoid all the Freed Savages, just take this path. You're gonna want to step onto a tile near the 2nd cage, and then step back, so you can get its attention and then kite it around.
And that's it for this part of the floor. Now the 15th floor is finally complete!
There's a chest over here. And yeah, that's a lousy reward. It's actually the only chest in this area. Okay so, there's a guild card icon you can get by finding all the treasure chests in the Labyrinth. But this chest serves to screw you out of that if you don't go through the True Ending at least once, since this area can't be accessed on the other 2 paths. Though you can't get 100% completion if you don't play through all 3 paths anyway.
Must be getting rusty...
Oops. My desire to conserve resources led to Smith dying. That's the dangerous part about Overheat, it turns the Yggdroid into a fragile class if you don't offset the damage through healing.
There was a shortcut that couldn't be accessed during our trek through the 4th Stratum, but now we've finally opened it up.
I had a tent on hand, and decided to camp here because wiping while so close to the end would be very embarrassing.
Man, to think we're so close to the end here.
Yep! But boy, I feel like I missed out on a lot. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if you all sided with the Deep City first.
If that were the case, then I would have been the one missing out!
I do have to wonder if we would have even met Smith in the first place, even if we didn't side with Armoroad first. Perhaps someone different would have joined up with us.
Or if we would have met Charlotte at all if we did.
Eh, what happened, happened. But I guess things like that are fun to think about sometimes.
Okay, let's move out! There's not much room left on the map, so let's go!
The Eldest One must lie beyond in its full glory. You brace yourself before opening the door...
Oh, that was fast. But uhh, I think we should take a break. A bigger one than the one we just took.
Resting up would be wise. But we better not keep him waiting too long. Who knows when he'll start his invasion.
Alright time to go back to town to prepare for the upcoming fight. But first, let's take a look at the equipment we unlocked.
Nothing too special. But these are some nice upgrades if you're making use of those kinds of equipment.
Anyways, let's take a look at the guild now.
At last, we're gonna be taking on the true final boss, and hoo boy. The True Ending's final boss is considered to be the toughest final boss in the game. You really want to bring a good party for this fight. That's all I'll say on the matter for now. Let's get to voting.
For the record, I'm allowing both Charlotte and Smith for this fight. You can even vote both of them in at the same time if you wish. Like with the other final boss votes, vote for up to 5 characters to partake in this fight. Votes must be in bold.