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Part XXVI: The Strength of a Knight
And we return to Tales of Zestiria. This time, with a special bonus DLC chapter, Alisha's Story. This was released alongside the game's actual launch back in 2015, and was even available as a pre-order bonus from some places. I personally didn't get around to it until a couple years ago, and there's something in particular about it that inspired this thread to kick off in general, as I alluded to when we started this game.
As long as you have this DLC installed, you can play it at any point you want, but you'll get an in-game pop-up if you select it that warns you it takes place after the conclusion of the main story, which, as I mentioned, it technically does, but there is a post-credits scene that's set afterwards, so that's only mostly true, but we'll make that scene the final update. Sound good? Good. Also, this DLC chapter is officially titled "The Strength of a Knight", hence the update name, but the naming scheme for the Zestiria half of this thread was a total coincidence. I suppose there's some small corner of my brain that might have remembered that and chosen the naming scheme because of that, but if I had to swear on a stack about it, I came up with it on my own.
But before we get to the meat of this update, why don't we take a look at the Grade Shop? Since I didn't mention the specifics during the main body of this LP.
First up, you need to choose which NG+ you're technically going to start from. The 2016 data was back when I had played the game for hundreds of hours more than on the playthrough I used for this thread, so it's got a lot more available to me on it in terms of spendable Grade.
You know what the sum total of my Grade is on the playthrough you've seen? 6276. Yeah... To be fair, I think Zestiria refunds all your Grade after you complete a playthrough, and this save was from the end of an NG+ as I recall, so the two numbers aren't exactly comparable.
Anyhow, the bonuses.
Zestiria Grade Shop posted:
Carry Over Blessing Levels (0): As the box says, carry over the blessing level for each Lord of the Land, including Hexen Isle's Easter Egg Lord.
Carry Over Library (5): should be self-explanatory. Carry over everything from that menu.
Carry Over Shop Levels (5): again, pretty obvious. You'll inherit the current level of all the shops and inns, mostly beneficial in terms of expanding what's available at each.
Carry Over Normin (5): all Normin found are immediately available again, including Phoenix.
Carry Over Mystic Artes (5): carry over all learned Mystic Artes. Instead of being available after Sorey fights General Landon at the end of Act I, now they're available after you get the tutorial for the Blast Gauge.
Carry Over Titles (100): take a guess. It also inherits the Title levels and such.
Carry Over Talents (20): referring to the Support Talents and their levels.
Carry Over Battle Actions (5): carries over the Battle Action perks. Armatization-related ones will be available once their base functionality is available. So, for example, the one where you can use insta-cast Banish Blasts on a Stunned enemy is available once Armatization is.
Carry Over Arte Usage (50): again, pretty obvious. I think artes will improve somewhat the more you use them? That's a usual Tales thing, anyway. Not a huge deal.
Expand Item Capacity (250): now goes from 15 to 30.
Carry Over Consumable Items (50): again, everything within that item category, including stat-enhancing herbs, will be available immediately again.
Carry Over Fashion Items (10): inherits all the fashion items, outfits and accessories included.
Carry Over Herb Enhancements (400): means that any stat increases gained from using herbs on a character will carry over.
Carry Over Special Items (50): basically lets you use the Wind Step perk from the start, since Mikleo has the applicable Support Talent to make use of it if you carry over Support Talents. Love that thing.
Carry Over Unnamed Equipment (50): I *think* these are the official name for all the junk items we've been picking up the last couple updates from the last couple dungeons.
Treasure Navigation (100): holding R1 in a field map will give you a pop-up that indicates the number of treasure chests unopened on the current map. Berseria had a function like this enabled once you got a specific Glacite.
Boon of Boons (200): adds +5 blessing points to each Lord of the Land, letting you set more / expensive ones.
Half (20) / Double (200 / Triple Style (1000): adds Battle Actions that changes EXP gain to 0.5x / 2x / 3x respectively. 2x and 3x can be activated at the same time for x6 EXP.
Gald Style (20): gives you a Battle Action that gives bonus Gald in proportion to how much EXP was earned in the current fight, though parameter increases will be smaller upon leveling up. Aside from learning artes, character levels really do not count for much in this game, so this is probably worth it.
Double Gald (700): pretty simple. Battle Action that doubles Gald gain at no downside to you.
Speed Arte Learning (300): another Battle Action that speeds up arte learning gauge. I guess it halves required arte learning levels? That's the way you get most artes in this game, that's for sure.
Double Normin (500): Battle Action that "doubles the effect potential when Normin are set". Uhhh... This one is translated...strangely. It actually doubles the rate at which an applicable Normin will appear on gear dropped within the region, making grinding easier. Had to look this one up, actually.
Double Drops (30): from now on, you should just assume anything I mention are Battle Actions unless I say otherwise. Double Drops simply gives you a perk that doubles item drop rates, which I assume stacks with the drop rate boons gained from Lords of the Land. Another of those "really no reason to not get them", especially since it's very cheap, unless you enjoy grinding, of course.
Skill Extension (8000): this is the special skill I mentioned during my big item dissertation that allows 2x and 3x Normin skills to count as stacks of the applicable number on their own, rather than the standard one. Very expensive, but if you really want to power game, you can't go without it. Not a Battle Action.
Double Grade (500): doubles Grade. Shocking, I'm sure.
Advanced Divinity (100): so remember when I said that armatizing will not combine skills sheets and such, except for raw stat increases? This one nullifies that qualifier, so now when two characters combine, they combine *everything*. Very very powerful, especially for only 100 Grade.
Double Effect Potential (700): doubles the chances of both enemies and allies inflicting status ailments and Stuns.
Double Damage (100): doubles the damage everything does. Works for both enemies and allies.
Max HP +1000 (1) (500): increases starting max HP by 1000. Not a Battle Action.
Max HP +1000 (2) (500): increases starting max HP by 1000. Stacks with the previous. Not a Battle Action.
And that's it. Because of the whole Battle Actions system, unless you can't afford them in the first place, there's really no reason not to get many of these perks, since if like, Double Damage is making the game too hard, there's nothing at all stopping you from just turning that option off.
But now time to get to the action. New Game+ with Alisha's Story allows you to carry over the equipment / items you acquired in the main game to bring over into the DLC. This option may be more important than you think, at least for my purposes. New Game starts you off with a pretty decent loadout for the DLC's playable cast, but decent grinding in the main game will very quickly outpace what the game will gift you with if you choose this option. For the playthrough you shall be seeing today, I'm carrying over my main game 2016 data.
I should also mention that any Battle Action choices that are on the NG+ or post-game file you choose to use for Alisha's Story are carried over into the DLC. The inspection
Alisha is *supposed* to be wearing her standard game outfit here, but clearly the Alisha I last used in 2016 was wearing Rose's Sparrowfeathers outfit when she left the party for the last time. She fills it out pretty well.
The inspection of Lastonbell and Marlind has been very fruitful. All of Hyland deeply appreciates your cooperation.
Thank you kindly. I hope His Majesty is pleased.
Such formalities are unnecessary. It is we who ought to be thanking you. *turns to Alisha* Princess, I plan to submit my letter of resignation shortly.
*mild surprised look*
We no longer, erm... Chancellor Bartlow may not have been entirely scrupulous, but I cannot deny his efficacy at pursuing national interests. Now that he has passed away, the council is no more than a redundant appendage of useless grey-hairs, as this inspection has demonstrated to me.
If you forget this guy, and I wouldn't blame you, he was Mathia, one of the chancellors we met with alongside Bartlow when we went to Ladylake's castle near the start of the game. He was only in that one scene, but yeah.
I very much doubt that, Chancellor.
Come now, there's no need to pamper the old guard with the new guard standing before you.
Lord Mathia...
Next I will call on the entire council to view your operations as I have done. I trust they too will come to the same realization. That it is not we on the council ushering in the new era, but a pair of knights. I leave our nations and our world in your capable hands. *leaves with his attendants*
Chancellor Mathia is known for his backbone. When he commits to something, he won't back down.
Meaning we're close to a peace treaty.
Yes.
I will return to Pendrago. I would like to report the results of our tour and our dialogue to the emperor as soon as possible.
Very well.
*leaves with his men*
Anyway! I think I've earned a night's rest, and then some! Back to the inn.
So yeah, I left off on my last through with some cheddar.
Should note that you inherit your entire inventory from the main game if you choose a NG+, including Sorey's exclusive equipment. But, spoiler alert, Sorey is not playable at any point in this DLC, so just enjoy his armory while you can. Also, no matter what, Alisha is going to always be kind of hobbled in this DLC, because grinding stuff for her is difficult since so few enemies, understandably, drop things she can use. She can still use women's armor and accessories, of course, just that weapons and ribbons are going to be another matter. Also, you can use the Lord of the Land menu with Rohan here in Marlind, even though Alisha can't see seraphim right now, but hey. Whatevs, right?
And actually, I was wrong. Rose and Alisha do share absolutely every costume between them, including the Scattered Bones costume. The reason the idol costumes aren't there are because I haven't *used* them in the DLC or the main game I'm taking data from.
If only he'd drop back in once in a while...
Well, we'll see how that all turned out, in good time. On the way back to the inn... Hard feelings
Heh. As if he needs me. He and the others yet journey on. I'm sure they've stopped in here more than once. *stops and sighs*
Who goes there?!
Alisha! You'll pay for your treason!
A pro-war extremist!
I mean, it's just a generic foot soldier, and I'm hardly doing any damage with a level 130 Alisha, so very possibly, yeah.
Sorey!
??? Heh-heh-heh-heh... Pray all you like, princess. It won't save you.
Where are you? Who are you?
??? Sorey can't come running, my dear.
What are you saying?!
??? I'm saying your precious Shepherd boy...is gone!
Wh-What?
Oh hey. Yeah, if you watched that Armatized Heldalf video on Chaos that I linked in the last update, you'll already recognize why Rose is dressed like this here.
Rose!
*fade to Neif's house*
*flashes back*
That was a close one.
Rose!
This is a critical time for the peace process, Alisha. Don't ever let your guard down.
My apologies. And thank you very much.
Cool. *turns away*
W-Wait! Where's Sorey! Aren't you with him?
Uh... You all right?
I was... I was told that the Shepherd was gone.
You were told? By who?
I couldn't say... I only heard his voice.
Agreed. Major bad vibes. We better look into this.
Rose?
Listen to me, Alisha. Have Neif put you up for the night---his house is pretty secure. Lock all the doors and sleep tight. See ya! *runs off*
Hey!
*returns to present*
The way she acted... Something must've happened to Sorey. I must discern the truth forthwith. Ah! *covers mouth* Too formal...
I do like how the whole "Extremely polite way of speech" thing isn't something Alisha does to talk to other people. She really does talk like that all the time, even to herself.
I think it's just an Alisha's Story thing, but Rohan also does gain some unique boons. Acceleration of the Mind in particular would be incredibly handy for the main game, but sadly, nothing doing there.
This skit is actually pretty important in setting up the main action for this DLC. To sum it up, Alisha *really* wants to know what all happened with Sorey, and while Rose certainly doesn't have the full picture of what happened (remember, Sorey forcibly separated himself when he want to finally finish off Heldalf), she probably has a pretty good idea of how it turned out, hence why Alisha figures the best way to get the story is from her, but Rose is not exactly forthcoming about what she knows.
Also, Alisha can hear Edna and Lailah a bit again, which would seem to imply Rose has, for all intents and purposes, become the new Shepherd, since she can serve as a conduit between the unseen seraphim and Alisha, like Sorey did early in the main game. Lailah actually does hint at Rose's Shepherd potential after we met Alisha at Griflet Bridge, so this certainly follows. In fact, Lailah hinted Rose might be more qualified as Shepherd than Sorey, but qualifications are only one part of the equation, of course. Rose and Alisha
Excuse me? Sorry, what?
Your friend. She requested a table and supper for the both of you.
O-Oh! Thank you.
Please wait here. The food is nearly prepared.
Alright, well, we already had one incident with the party not telling Alisha some crucial details, let's not hope for a repeat. Alisha's tougher than she looks, right?
Rose! *barges in*
Seriously? *pauses* Rose, I WILL get the truth from you!
Ghosting this girl, if she's really focused on something, yeah, I can't see that working out too well. Instead of having to hike to Lastonbell, which would take us through the Glaivend Basin, you can warp straight from either of Marlind's gates to Lastonbell. No reason not to. Even without Tiamat lurking around, it's a dangerous corner of the world.
A-Alisha?! You came after me?! That was fast...
*marches towards her* I'm determined. Now tell me what happened!
I'm not about to do that. You should have picked up on that by now, Miss Princess Knight. *raises hand to the air* Shut up.
I don't understand... Why?
Cause I won't.
That makes no sense!
It doesn't need to make sense.
I'm Sorey's Squire! I have the right to know!
There it goes. *raises hand again* I said shut up already!
You and I live in different worlds now. It was the path you chose yourself, remember, sweet Princess?
You're mocking me?
I had no intention of doing so, and if I upset you, I regret my error, Your Highness. Please accept my apologies.
Stop it! I'm not your princess, I'm your friend!
So logical. We've never been "friends".
What?!
Our paths are different.
Rose...
Got it?
I've... I've ALWAYS been--
What? you've never had someone fight back? Oh right, I guess not. Can't touch the pretty pretty princess.
I'm hoping Rose is just trying to rile her up, because that whole Maltran incident? Yeah, I'd say "someone fought back" against Alisha there.
You don't know the first thing about me! *slaps her again*
How would I? *slaps back*
You don't even understand how fortunate you are, Rose! *moves to slap her again, Rose grabs her arm*
I've always thought of us as friends! How can you say such cruel, terrible things?!
Then don't make me say them! *shoves her back*
*rushes back at her* How could you? How could you? How could you?!
Tears, huh? Aren't we girly.
Meh. They're both sorta right and they're both sorta wrong. And besides... Those two are only ever gonna be the bestest of friends or the worstest of enemies. No in-between.
True.
Still, I gotta admit, I never thought they'd take it this far.
I think these ladies are, uh...gonna need a moment. Let's skip ahead a bit...
Give me a break...
It's up to you.
My feelings aren't gonna change.
Nor mine.
*sigh*
As I've mentioned before, the relationship between these two is a lot more cordial in Zestiria the X than is portrayed here, but in that version of events, Alisha was also present at the final battle, unlike the game, so she has no particular reason to get on Rose's nerves like this, so it's also not exactly comparable. But my personal feeling is these two get along much better than either would probably admit, even in the game, so there is that. It is worth noting that we've very rarely seen Rose get riled up against anyone who didn't turn out to be a boss fight or something, whereas she was all animated here, when it comes to Alisha. She definitely strikes me as the type to not waste emotional energy on people she feels nothing towards.
*gets up*
Alisha?
*begins to leave* I'll be back tomorrow. You know by now you can't run from me. I suggest you wait here.
No, I mean, where are you going? It's dark outside.
I'm heading out to sleep in the barracks, just like any other knight.
But the anti-pacifists are after you! It's dangerous!
What do you care? You and I are strangers, no?
...
In a skit right afterwards, more crucial development, wherein Alisha seems to know why Rose is keeping things secret from her. Let's hope this logjam can be broken soon. It doesn't do anyone good for the two humans Sorey trusted to watch his back to be fighting like this.
A lot less pleasant a night than the last time night passed in Lastonbell, but to the barracks it is. It's on the far side of the city from the inn, near the exit to the Meadow of Triumph.
Even a puppy hellion might be a bit much to ask of Alisha right now. Not just any idiot can fight them, after all. The power to purify
I really am just a silly little girl... *sigh*
What in the world is she saying? Is she still angry?
This is pointless. Please cease at once.
Traitooooor!
Hellions... Are we not both human? Do we not both seek the well-being of our world? So long as our quarrel continues, those we cherish can never be at peace! We can never show them we're all right!
What?
I think she doesn't wish to drag you any further into the societal problems caused by the war.
But they're hellions. Alisha won't stand a chance.
Shut up!
Please! You must listen to me!
Even so, she wants to settle this herself, without relying on you. Perhaps she hopes it might inspire you to relax and talk to her without worrying for her safety.
Alisha, you big doof...
If she could purify them herself, it'd be two-birds one-stone win-win happy-happy dead-birds fun-times. Just, y'know, saying.
Come, Rose. Let us form a Squire pact with her.
Gahhh! Fine, if I have to!
Alisha's not the only doof.
*giggles*
I told you not to--
Hey. Wanna be my Squire?
Huh?
So you can do it yourself!
Yes!
Lailah!
A new bud forms on the holy branch. Its flowers bring fruit. Its fruit begets seeds. The circle of destiny turns once more.
Iyslvia Amekia! (The Crying Alisha)
Huh?
Well, THAT'S a mouthful.
Lailah! Edna! It's lovely to see you again!
Now. Show me what you can do!
Gladly! Just you watch!
These are guys are fairly hardy, at least on Chaos, but completely unremarkable other than that. The power of purification ain't no joke, or so I've heard.
Yeah, coulda been worse.
Hardly... Had you two not been here, I would have been entirely overwhelmed. I am unready...
Yeah. That wasn't enough to prove yourself.
Good night. *turn away from each other*
R-Rose? Alisha?
Fun times indeed.
The next morning...
No hard feelings between these two, at least, but again, I think we need to give them a moment.
Daaaaang. That is a badass hat. And yep, Alisha's avatar I used in this thread was taken from this outfit, but given I almost always grab from fan art, unless you knew that already, you wouldn't be able to guess it was an official outfit.
But yeah, this is why Rose barged into Alisha's room while she was changing, basically to shine a bright light on the popular princess to lure her violent detractors out of hiding. Classic Rose.
Like in the main game, the protagonist being able to talk to the main heroine is a thing, to expand a little on the world, or get directions on where to go to progress sidequests or the main quest. Here, though, since there are no sidequests, you can just get little flavor conversations with Rose. Let's do that, shall we?
It sure is cumbersome getting around in these clothes.
Is it really that much harder than moving around in that armor of yours? Maybe it's because of the skirt, I dunno.
For the time being, I'll just act normal in town.
Sounds good to me. The extremists' attempts failed in both Marlind and Lastonbell, so I can't imagine them harassing you in town. I'll just focus on travel preparations for now, and we can worry about our little "bait" operation once we head out.
Just a little glimpse at the item grinding I did more than 5 years ago, y'know. Interestingly, I also had Igneet on Lailah's Faira slot; I guess even back then, I thought being able to fight nearly every enemy well with Fire!Form was badass.
Also, yeah, my not armatizing in that last fight was not by choice; as we've seen before, Alisha's affinity with the seraphim is not much stronger than it was while she was Sorey's Squire, so she can't use that form. That said, Alisha doesn't suffer *as* much as in the main game because she can't, but as should be expected, Rose will be doing most of the damage here.
And yeah, Mistiq is a very very powerful Stack to get for any of the seraphim. One of the best, to be sure.
Also, the reason I have those Lindworm Talismans in particular is because of the final boss on Chaos. You need all the anti-Dragon firepower you can get.
Yeah, well, you can thank the fact you're still yourself you don't.
Alisha's gotten so much bolder, hasn't she? And yes, there are save point skits, like in the main game, though don't get too excited about the expansiveness of this DLC. As this skit informs you, the anti-peace nutters we're after appear to be lurking somewhere in the Glaivend Basin area, so it stands to reason we should start there.
Near the Volgran Forest exit... Operation: Bait
Well then. Alisha, the knights haven't found where the extremists are hiding, have they?
No, the military buffer zone is quite large. But we doubt they're near Lastonbell. That area has been thoroughly investigated.
Then the next most likely candidate would be Glaivend Basin...
Yeah. They certainly weren't at Falkewin Hillside.
*turns to the gate*
Something wrong?
There'a a hidden spot in Glaivend Basin that was sealed off by Edna.
Not liking this.
Let's check it out.
Gotcha.
A nearby save point skit. Well, I can certainly see the appeal in that. This conversation about the dreaded "slumbering party" came up because Alisha asked why Zaveid and Mikleo weren't there. I actually had to look back at previous updates to see if Alisha had ever heard the name "Zaveid" before, and yeah, she did. Lailah briefly re-activated Alisha's Squire's Pact shortly before we dropped that truth bomb about Maltran on her, which was after Zaveid joined the party. No continuity error here.
Also, I switched some Support Talents around, and found out the max level for them depends on the talent. For example, Lailah's Fusion skill caps at level 30, whereas Snack Preparation caps at 35. Alisha, for her part, gets Snack Preparation, Remedy Preparation, Windstepping, and Point of Interest Detection. Which is curious, because there are no Monoliths or Landmarks in this DLC. Really lends credence to the theory that Alisha really was not meant to leave the party permanently in earlier versions of Zestiria's script.
I actually discovered this in Lastonbell's inn, because I was curious if there were inn skits here. There are, yeah. Just one, as far as I'm aware, though.
Since there's nothing of interest in Volgran, let's go ahead to the Basin.
For now, let's head to the north of the basin.
There's still garrisoned forces from both countries to the west and east of Glaivend Basin. If there are any suspicious types out there, they'd definitely be coming from the north since there are less people there. Alrighty, let's check it out!
Is it just me, or is the number of hellions increasing?
Sure looks like it. It's not too bad, but the malevolence is thicker around here too. Now you see why I said it'd be a good idea to check things out around here.
Some rather powerful hellions have migrated here, actually. Bird-of-paradise is from Hexen Isle, while Black Panther is from Artorius' Throne. Definitely not the type to fight idly.
That said, Primal Embrace might be a *little* over the top against a nearly dead Panther, Lailah.
Even while their countries were fighting, there was still a little camaraderie across national borders. Good to know.
There!
Operation Bait success!
Yeah...this one did not end well for him. Nothing at all to say about him.
Drat! *runs off*
Now we follow him, right?
*runs ahead*
Hey, Rose!
That man was a hellion. Could all the extremists be?
Probably safest to assume that, yeah. Keep your guard up.
As predicted, our target's heading north of the basin.
We don't want to lose them. Let's hurry onward.
The Dark Turtlez shop is still open no matter what quest line you're playing, thankfully. Alisha actually doesn't have her second Mystic Arte (she does get one), but will, uh...shortly.
Yep, this cave was not in the main game. But, this is explained by the skit; it's a cave leading to Camlann from Rolance's side and it only opened after the dust had settled after the final battle with the Lord of Calamity. Edna says she sealed it off, and I am liable to believe her, but doesn't change the fact it's open now. In we go.
We'll find Camlann past the dungeon...
There's no time for dilly-dallying. Let's hurry onward.
It doesn't seem like anyone knew there was a cave here.
Someone really should have noticed, don't you think? The armed forces from both countries are always around. But even so, you never hear anything about it. Something definitely seems strange about this. But if we keep moving forward, we'll get our answers...about the extremists, and everything else. Now chop chop, get your butt in gear, Alisha!
A dank cave filled with malevolence. Lovely. As for the name...not too sure, actually. My first guess would be Cornic = Cornwall, a county in far southwestern England (the same county that has the town of Tintagel in it, where Arthur was allegedly born), but not entirely sure. It also might refer to a corniche, which is the official word for a road alongside a hill or mountain, which would also be fairly fitting. Eh, either goes, far as I'm concerned.
Soon enough, you'll come across a group of extremists you can beat up if you so choose, but the overall goal of this dungeon is just to progress to the end. There's a Ribbon of Cosmos early on down a dead-end path, but let's see if Rose has anything to add to this gloomy setting.
The malevolence has grown so thick.
This level of malevolence is definitely abnormal. Looks like it's just as we suspected...
Well, I suppose we don't have much choice but to keep moving forward.
Yep! We'll cause such a ruckus those extremists will hear us miles away!
Uh, yeah, you could say that. Not that Rose will, of course.
In the second area, the party continues speculating on what might have happened here, but I have a feeling we'll get our answers before too long.
Yep, when the world goes black and white, that's usually who's behind it.
Aside from some minor treasures down your usual dead ends, not much to say about the dungeon. But it is a long-abandoned cave, what do you want? A changed woman
Alisha!
Do you still see a teacher when you look at me? Dull girl.
Symonne... What are you doing?
*takes out spear* Now, Alisha Diphda... Let me see you struggle!
Look out!
You're awful.
...
Want me to do this?
N-No... I'll take this one. I--I have to.
No one'll blame you if you can't. You sure?
Yes! *rushes ahead of Rose*
Man...
So I remember on my first time through this DLC, I found this fight incredibly hard, but remember, I was using prefab equipment because I couldn't use my 2016 main game save to bring over all my stuff, so I dropped the difficulty down to Moderate or something to win. And, of course, Maltran is naturally a pretty tough fight. That said, I didn't have too much difficulty here, probably because my equipment is so good. Alisha really is one of those kinds of characters I think the AI handles better than I ever could, even if they are kinda stuck with the occasional oddness of the AI in this game. Just something about it, I dunno.
The only other gimmick to this fight (despite being...probably a clone, Maltran can use her Mystic Arte), is that when low on health, Symonne will pull the ol' shadow clones trick to make two more of her appear, but I'd personally advise continuing to go after the original and taking her out. I don't know if that ends the fight there, even if the clones are still running around, but once she goes down, the fight is just about over.
Heh heh... I'm not letting you "purify" me. What truly needs purification...is this entire world!
It's the same thing all over again...
The real Maltran wound up killing herself, right?
Yeah, and with Alisha's lance. Looks like Awful Girl plans to re-enact the whole blessed thing. Should we intervene?
No.
Lady Maltran...
*begins approaching Alisha* So you stay your hand and sympathize with your enemy. Soft to the core. Of all your flaws, that might be...
What you hate about me the most... Isn't that right?
Maltran... Farewell!
So it was an opportunity to make a clean break with her past.
You are such a doof.
Why?
Symonne.
Why do you smile?
Who are you?
This is Symonne, a seraph with the power to create illusions.
Everything just now was the work of Creep Girl here.
It was her?
Why do you smile when I tear open your wounds? How do you endure?
Thank you.
H... Huh?
For allowing me a chance to right my mistakes.
...
I'm truly grateful. Thanks to you, I can step forward with a clear mind and no regrets.
*pained grunts*
That's our Alisha.
*steps forward*
Symonne.
I see now what great potential our world has lost.
Hey! Get back here and tell us what you know.
*stops* Dear girl... You too carry a heavy burden. This was mere prologue. Will it be tragedy or comedy, I wonder?
What's her damage?
I think Symonne may be questioning her place in the world. You can tell that she's trying to make a reassessment.
Of Alisha?
And you.
I imagine she's quite concerned. Concerned about those who walked with Sorey... Which path we will take, which beliefs will guide us.
With Sorey...
*turns around* Whoa! Malevolence! *turns around, exchanges nods with Edna*
Well? Haven't you tortured her enough?
Rose?
Alisha! How 'bout a trip?
Huh?
To where Sorey is.
What?!
Huh? You don't want to?
No, I--I do! But why now?
You comin'?
Yes! Of course I am!
Cool. Let's get moving. *begins leaving*
Whoa, wait up! *follows after Rose* Why did you suddenly change your mind?
I dunno.
Huh?
*shrugs to Lailah*
Maybe it's the resolve you showed back there.
I'm not sure I follow.
I mean you're radder than I thought.
Ratter? I'm a rat?
The promise has been kept.
??? Nyeh-heh-heh...
One fate leads to another, and on, and on. Such is the way of this transient world. You and I are but jesters, madly dancing through Destiny's tangle. But know that this may be the last time our paths intersect.
??? Heh-heh-heh-heh... I see how it is. I see very well.
We all have burdens. *teleports out*
??? The girl and her sniveling companions still place hope in the Shepherd brat... Fate, eh? Gyahahahah... Makes me sick. Urk... *continues cackling*
Well, uh, at least he's having a good time? For helping Alisha overcome her master once and for all, she gains the Azure Apocalypse Mystic Arte, meaning everyone now has their full suite of Mystic Artes. Yay.
Rose, what should we do about her?
You mean Symonne? What really can we even do about her? We'll just have to let her be and keep doing what we gotta.
I thought that Alisha's Story enemies don't go in the Enemy Book, but I was quite wrong. For Maltran...
I know... I know this must be an illusion. But even so-- No, it's precisely because it's an illusion that I must win against it! So this is all an illusion made by Symonne. I think it's about time I heard the straight story on what happened while I was gone.
You uh...you missed a lot, girl. Thankfully, as long as you don't piss Rose off too much in the meanwhile, she can relate most of what happened from first-hand experience. In fact, the whole thing with Maltran is pretty much the only thing of particular relevance that she did miss.
So after that scene, basically nothing else of particular note in Cornic. There is a skit further on showing Lailah definitely knows how to clear the air, but we knew that already, right? As before, this skit does prompt another couple conversation choices.
Hey, could you explain what the meant earlier?
You're better off not knowing. If you knew, you'd just end up like Lailah.
Do the extremists really prefer a seraph like Symonne?
Who knows? Although I'll bet she's definitely the one responsible for gathering the extremists here in this cave.
Hey, Alisha's senses do pay off sometimes, deducing that the origins of the Age of Chaos lay in Camlann, which was why she was in Elysia early in the game. It's not entirely clear how much knowledge about Camlann existed outside of Elysia, and why Sorey had never really heard the name before Mayvin brought it up at the end of Act 2. I'm guessing certain well-connected individuals on both sides of the former conflict knew about it, and Alisha probably heard the broad strokes from certain members of the royal family / council, but the specifics of what happened had been lost.
Another skit a little further in reveals the exact chain of events in the endgame, and how Bartlow ended up dead. Heldalf attacked first, to capture Zenrus and lure everyone in, then Bartlow and his goons fell right into the trap. 'course, it didn't all go as he hoped, of course. Rose being here is proof enough of that.
So we're headed to Camlann, huh.
That's right. Just keep heading north and we're sure to get there. Just so you know, the malevolence is only going to get worse the further in we go. This ain't gonna be the peaceful, holy land of legend you've been told about. Watch yourself.
True enough. Even though Heldalf himself has been purified, kiiinda, the fact malevolence still exists here in Cornic is proof enough that destroying the Lord of Calamity isn't the end of the world's malevolence. Far from it, and it's likely going to be a long, long time until the Camlann / Artorius' Throne region is clear of it.
And we've finally made it to the Stolat Mountains, the unnamed mountain range that Camlann was nestled deep in. "Stolat" is a village in Bulgaria, actually, but probably just some wild coincidence. Probably. This is actually where we'll be leaving off today, but there was a very good reason for the me who recorded the content for this update to do that.
To start us off, we have another couple of conversations with Rose and a nice skit mostly between Lailah and Alisha at the nearby save point. She'll just have to find what she's looking for on her own.
Rose, I must confess I don't always get your slang.
Yeah, well you know what? I don't get why you don't get the jive I'm talking. So there!
The Stolat Mountains, huh. Quite a strenuous hike.
Well yeah, we're smack dab in the middle of a mountain range. Plus, this area's been sealed off for a while now and the roads just aren't equipped for travel. But there's a huge ruin deep in these mountains. Keep moving forward and we'll hit our destination.
Near the exit to this first map, there's a skit. We're certainly getting a lot out of this one, though, on whether Sorey was aware of the whole situation in Camlann and why it had been sealed off. Better try asking...
Edna? Well...why not? Although she does get off-topic, and bites off a little more than she could chew with THIS audience.
You've been through so much, and yet I couldn't help...
Oh, gimme a break with the self-pity. It's not like we were any different, since we couldn't help you out either while you were caught up in the country's political mess.
But before we get to the "huge" ruin in the mountains, we have to pass through the Stolat Mountain Cave. It's completely unremarkable aside from an Elixir and a skit near the exit (they really love delivering skits like this in this DLC, don't they?) about the fate of Zenrus. Unlike Zaveid, she definitely never met that guy, so must have been told his name at some point.
Alright, yes, there is a Malevolent Crucible in this DLC, and it's the reason this thread got started, at least if you ask me. So it's time for a little backstory, children.
So a couple years ago, I decided to finally sit down and play Alisha's DLC. I was always in the camp who liked (and still likes) Zestiria more than most folk, and hey, I remember liking Alisha a lot, so why not? So because of the aforementioned save / DLC issue, I had to play with prefab equipment, and while I was able to get past Maltran, I ran into a brick wall here. Not because the crucible is that hard, certainly not, but because of a certain...thing about it. See, one of the trophies in this DLC set is to beat this crucible under 2 minutes. If you have any appreciation for this task, it is *enormously* hard to do that without powerful equipment from the main game. Keep in mind, it is just Alisha / Rose, so there's no armatization you can use to make it easier.
But, again, the solution to the DLC issue was simple enough; just redownload everything so that all the DLC still lines up. The reason that was an issue at the outset was because, as I mentioned in the thread, for some reason when Zestiria gets an update file, it uninstalls all the DLC you had on that copy of the game. Between the time when I got the Plat for this game and when I did Alisha's DLC the first time, Zesty got an update for...some reason, which leads to the DLC issue.
So that all leads to why I had to play with a prefab set. Well, I tried really hard, trust me, but I decided at some point it was simply out of the question to try. One time I was able to get under 3 minutes, I believe, but when I saw the actual time was 2 minutes, I must have been like "Welp". When I was thinking about getting this trophy, though, I didn't *just* want to replay Zestiria for the sake of a single trophy (especially since I'd need to grind good equipment), and when I looked at whether a Berseria OR Zestiria thread had been done before here in the LP forum, and discovered neither had, well, the result is what you see before you. Plus, it was a good reason to revisit both titles. I certainly remembered the broad strokes of what happened in Berseria, but as a general rule, how Velvet got from Point A to Point B, I completely forgot much of the in-between stuff. Kind of the same thing with Zestiria, but I felt like I remembered more of what happened in this game. But now, we're about to finish that very thread off. Very exciting.
Now, the greatest irony of all is that that "productive" playthrough of the game isn't the one I'm currently on, but ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Point is, this trophy was two years in the making. Sheesh. Let us get to it, shall we?
First up, there is absolutely on shame in doing this sub-2 minutes challenge on anything other than Simple. There's no difficulty specified for the trophy, and you have very, *very* little time to spare. 2 minutes is a very harsh time limit. Also, remember when I said main game Battle Actions, including the ones from the Grade Shop, can carry over into the DLC? Well, that includes Double Damage, too. If you are really struggling, or just don't have the equipment necessary, Double Damage will make this very easy, actually. I will not be using that, however, just to prove a point.
Also, to prepare, eat an Ice Pop so you get +8% Arte Attack. Again, absolutely every little bit of power you can scrounge up, you're gonna need it. As for me, even with all my advantages right now, it still took me about three hours to manage it. Also, for one of the waves, a Battle Action called Snipe Charge is very helpful. It's basically a marginally powerful front-step that can actually stagger an enemy, but as the cost of a front-step costing more SC.
Also, and I cannot stress this enough, do not play as Alisha. She is way too slow, and abusing Rose's Dream Slasher (the one where she leaps up and throws five daggers downward) is how you win this challenge. There's another arte that's also very helpful for one of the big time-wasting waves. Just switch Alisha's battle strategy to targeting a different enemy than the one you're currently targeting, so she can at least chip away at weaker enemies so Rose doesn't have to do *everything*.
Also, this is Azure Apocalypse. Anyway, now time a breakdown of all the waves you'll face. That, again, you have to beat under 2 minutes. Also, Mystic Artes do *not* pause the timer, so don't use them, except if you have a ton of enemies bunched up together.
Wave 1: two Nagas and five Bats. The Nagas should take the vast majority of your combat power. The Bats can be defeated with one use of Snipe Charge, which is why you want to enable that option. Should also be noted but SC management is very important. You'll never have enough when it matters if you're just always attacking attacking attacking. I mean, you have to do that, just be smart about when you need to refill. Do keep in mind successful sidesteps will restore a lot of SC, so you might want to also turn on that auto-dodge option. For the Nagas, a good way to eliminate them very quickly is two neutral hits with basic attacks, then a Dream Slasher. Assuming, again, adequately powerful, this will kill them every time.
Wave 2: three Goblin Ballista, three Bats, followed by three Nagas once three enemies have been defeated. The Nagas and Ballista will spawn on opposite sides of the field, so you'll really want to Dream Slash the hell out of both enemy types to quickly eliminate them. Alisha will be of marginal help with this wave.
Wave 3: 7 or 8 Bloodsuckers. Rose's Blazing Tempest is going to be very helpful here as your go-to in taking them out. One Tempest should be able to kill one, and it's a fairly quick attack and will hit a very small enemy like the Bloodsucker, which most attacks will not do reliably.
Wave 4: another 7 or 8 Bloodsuckers. They'll start out separated and a number of them will gradually come together in a group. You'll want to be on the lookout for when that happens and capitalize, because even with Tempest killing them, that's a lot of time wasted just running after individual units.
Wave 5: Lizard Warrior x2. Unfortunately, these enemies will resist Dream Slasher, so if you're still playing as Rose, you'll need to use an applicable arte to actually open up a Power Combo and quickly eliminate them.
Wave 6: Wolf Berserker and Gargoyle x4. The Wolf Zerkers are annoying enemies who, if you're on Semi-Auto control mode, are annoyingly just out of the distance Rose throws Dream Slasher out, so its usefulness against them is markedly lower, including the fact that they'll resist it by default. Keep in mind, though, even if an enemy is resistant to Dream Slasher, a full hit with all 5 daggers is very powerful. In fact, if any enemy here can take more than 2 hits of Dream Slasher, you're probably not powerful enough to be attempting this challenge.
Wave 7: hanging in there? Two more Wolf Berserkers will join the party after...2 or three of the Wave 6 enemies have been defeated. Defeat enough of this wave, as well as any potential Gargoyles still lurking around, and three Lizard Warriors will spawn.
Wave 8: once everyone from Wave 7 but one is gone, a single Kylvern will show up as your final challenge. It's a large Dragon / Winged / Armored enemy, so a number of artes will begin a Power Combo, and it also fights similarly to Legendary Wyvern. You may think, at 25k HP and resistances against everything but Void, you'll be pulling teeth against it. But actually, no, this will one of the fastest waves if you do it right. Having so many types makes it easy to hit a weakness, and with both you and Alisha largely focused on it, its HP will drain very fast. And thank goodness, because it is the last wave. Don't want to run into the worst at the very end, right?
Yeah...this first run wasn't even close. That said, I didn't say my first attempt went well, did I?
Where did you learn to fight like that?
Not sure I remember. Before I was even old enough to have memories!
Is the other conversation you can get after you finish this crucible. Just for posterity.
Another thing you just have to keep in mind is sometimes you just will either get unlucky or very lucky depending on what the enemies will randomly do. Sometimes even with all the same ingredients, it just won't turn out the same through no fault of your own. This right here is an *incredibly* lucky sight, since all these idiots will get eliminated at once with a Mystic Arte. Assuming you can stagger one, of course. Lightning Tiger Blade is a good, quick arte to stagger a Wolf Berserker / Lizard.
And remember to also switch Alisha's BG usage to off. Mystic Artes, at least the way the AI chooses to use them, not overly helpful here.
Oh, speaking of Mystic Artes, I was watching the video I made, waiting for my successful run, and I'm glad I saw this one again. I managed to Mystic Arte nothing. Amazing. What happened was that I Dream Slashed a Goblin Ballista, and in the millisecond between when I killed it and when the first wave of Bloodsuckers was supposed to emerge, the Mystic Arte launched. Unfortunately, Rose didn't "snap" to an active enemy, because there were no active enemies during that very brief window, so there you go. Just a cute 'lil thing.
Oh, and if you remember the Dark Turtlez fight, this "snapping" thing, where a launched Mystic Arte will automatically target a living enemy if you kill an enemy with the attack you launched it off from, well, Dark Turtlez wasn't attacking anyone before he launched the arte, so I don't know what he would have been "snapping" off from. Just an inexplicable to me today as it was then.
But if you want to know what a successful run looks like, here you go. It was uh...right down to the wire, as you can see. Jeez louise. The other optional trophy related to this crucible is just for beating it 11 times for...some reason. For one of those runs, I decided to do it on Chaos, and it actually turned out to be a lot better of a fight than I was anticipating.
Phew, and that's 11 runs done, and all we have time for today. And also the end of my Zestiria trophy list. Actually one of the first PS4 games I even *got* trophies for. I think the first one was Ground Zeroes. But I certainly got my first Ground Zeroes trophy long before my first Zestiria. But it was 100% the very longest I've ever started a trophy list to when I actually completed one.
And speaking of memories, this last part of the DLC is the last footage to be recorded for this thread. After that, it's just the epilogue, and that's that. Memories...