c5swzFzW

1<b><u>Story Update 23: It Has To Be This Way (Etreant)</u></b>
2
3!BATTLE2
4[1]
5
6<div class="quote fetus">
7!FETUS Something I want to bring up are these enemies. Not because they're a Petaloid variant and suck (they do). But their conditional drop is to kill with Instant Death. Said drop makes [b]Formaldehyde.[/b] Unfortunately there are only 3 sources of player-based instant death in this game. The Highlander's Head Pierce skill, which is exclusive to Story Mode, and the Ronin's Severing Slash and Beheading Cut skills. But this isn't a popular way to farm for Formaldehydes. Since its introduction in 3, the drop that made Formaldehydes was always tied to a specific FOE. Not so in this game, and you can encounter multiple of said enemy in battles. So if you use a Formaldehyde in such formations, and then make sure to kill all the enemies, get multiple copies of their drops at once!
8
9In short, you can use Formaldehydes to create more Formaldehydes.
10</div>
11
12<div class="quote cross">
13!CROSS Wait, you can get Formaldehydes aside from duping? That sounds like a tedious grind only available to suckers by the meridian line!
14</div>
15
16!STRAT5
17[2][3]
18[4]
19!FREDERICA02 Look, Dude. This vine's made of solid crystal...!
20!SYSTEM Just as Ricky says, the vine on the wall catches the light and glimmers beautifully.
21!SIMON2 Shilleka would be overjoyed if we brought this back for her shop. Think of what she might make with it...
22!SYSTEM Though the vine is securely attached to the wall, you don't think that it would be impossible to tear free.
23
24[5]
25
26<div class="quote fetus">
27!FETUS I'll never say no to a free item.
28</div>
29
30!RAQUNA01 Yah, we found it, so we might as well take it with us!
31!SYSTEM You work with the others to rip the vine away, but it doesn't go as smoothly as you'd hoped. Just as you are about to redouble your efforts, Simon stops you.
32!SIMON1 That's enough, Dude. If we keep this up, our hands will be cut to ribbons.
33!SYSTEM It is only then that you notice the many wounds on your hands left by the vine's fine, crystal thorns...
34
35[6]
36!SYSTEM But the injuries to your hands were not entirely futile; you can see that the crystal vine has come loose a bit. If you continue to work alongside your allies, you may be able to pull it completely free...
37
38[7]
39
40<div class="quote fetus">
41!FETUS Sunk cost fallacy, let's go!
42</div>
43
44!ARTHUR7 Do we have to...? Isn't it gonna mess up our hands?
45!FREDERICA01 Maybe if we wrap our hands a little before we grab it, we can keep from hurting our hands more. Let's just try a little harder...
46!SYSTEM You work as one, determined to rip the vine from the wall this time! Thanks to Ricky's idea, you are able to apply your full might without feeling the pain of the thorns... At last, the vine comes free!
47!ARTHUR2 Woo-hoo!
48!FREDERICA19 Wh...Whoa!
49!SYSTEM However, since you were pulling so hard, you all tumble backward when the vine is pried away!
50
51[8]
52!SIMON4 ......
53!RAQUNA04 Oww... I bumped my head...
54!SIMON1 Raquna... Dude... Will you kindly get off me?
55!SYSTEM You have suffered a bit in the process, but in your hands is a beautiful, crystalline vine. You help each other to your feet to celebrate your newfound treasure before moving on.
56
57[9]
58
59<div class="quote fetus">
60!FETUS Eh, -60 HP to everyone isn't anything a few medicinal supplies can't fix.
61</div>
62
63<div class="quote cross">
64!CROSS Just love ripping threads from the ceiling.
65</div>
66
67[10]
68
69<div class="quote fetus">
70!FETUS The floor 23 Take points are when Metopons and All Mists finally become available for purchase. Yeah they waited until after Ren and Tlachtga to give you the Metopons. But you still have access to Cleansing Ray and Eerie Chorus to dispel Ren's stance if you're playing Classic Mode, so they didn't get rid of every method! Metopons are definitely handy items to pick up for the post-game. Before then? Ehh...
71</div>
72
73[11][12]
74[37]
75
76<div class="quote fetus">
77!FETUS Before we continue on with this Let's Play, first, a word from our sponsor:
78</div>
79
80<div class="enemy">
81[img]http://lpix.org/2057762/Prince2c2.png[/img] This Let's Play is sponsored by MEGAQUEEN industries! Do you want POWER!? Then we have all the POWER you could get instilled in these very stones! Be just like a dragon! Or a QUEEN! Live your wildest dreams to the fullest!
82</div>
83
84<div class="quote fetus">
85!FETUS Thank you, MEGAQUEEN. A 7 slot Grimoire stone is insanely valuable to have. And now our potential is nearly unlimited! With the duplication bug, you can easily create several stones for your party, right off the bat!
86</div>
87
88<div class="quote cross">
89!CROSS The skills are hot garbage, but the slots are oh so creamy and light, get yours today!
90</div>
91
92[13][14]
93!RAQUNA08 What do you think, Dude?
94!SYSTEM You take a closer look at the fruit in order to render a verdict to Raquna. It has a sheen you've never seen before on a fruit... almost as if it is made of glass...
95
96[15]
97
98<div class="quote fetus">
99!FETUS You better not betray me this time, floor food.
100</div>
101
102[16]
103
104<div class="quote fetus">
105!FETUS You found it, you eat it!
106</div>
107
108!RAQUNA02 It's so pretty that it feels like a shame to eat it...
109!RAQUNA01 Then again, looking won't get us anywhere, eh? Let me give it a taste...
110!SYSTEM Raquna carefully bites off a small piece of the fruit to preserve its shape.
111!RAQUNA03 Oh...!
112!SYSTEM The moment she tastes the fruit, Raquna crams the rest of it into her mouth!
113!RAQUNA02 Ish sho good!
114
115[17]
116!RAQUNA04 Oh no... I was thinking about saving some for later...
117!SYSTEM Raquna slumps her shoulders and apologizes for losing herself in the sumptuous flavor. You chat about how nice it would be to find another as you go on your way.
118
119[18][19]
120
121<div class="quote fetus">
122!FETUS Nothing more we can do on this part of floor 23. Let's move on.
123</div>
124
125[20][21]
126[22][23]
127!SYSTEM Soon after descending the stairs, you notice Raquna lost in thought as she takes up the point position. Could something be on her mind...? You wonder whether or not to broach the subject.
128
129[24]
130
131<div class="quote fetus">
132!FETUS Another skippable scene. And another one we won't skip.
133</div>
134
135!RAQUNA01 Oh, I'm sorry. I was just having a bit of a think.
136!RAQUNA06 ......What could have possessed Visil to go down into the Labyrinth by himself? After those two showed up to get in our way, I get the feeling Visil has plans we can't even imagine.
137!RAQUNA04 Then again, it's not like we'll figure out what they are on our own here...
138!SYSTEM Raquna shrugs, faces forward, and begins walking again. You follow her example and carry on with the search.
139
140<div class="quote fetus">
141!FETUS Unlike with the other floors, we aren't given a set of stairs to have a sneak peak at floor 25 early so we can trigger the town dialogue and the quests.
142</div>
143
144[25][26]
145[27]
146!SIMON1 Best to leave it here. We do have a limit on what we can carry, after all.
147!SYSTEM You agree and return the ankh to where you found it before returning to the investigation.
148
149<div class="quote fetus">
150!FETUS You know I always wondered why the hell your party didn't bother picking these up other than "it doesn't look valuable", but that's actually a fairly plausible explanation. Inventory space is at a premium in the EO series after all!
151</div>
152
153<div class="quote cross">
154!CROSS Firstly, they're not very heavy or large, so that's bullshit, secondly quest items go in their own pocket that has as many slots as there are quest items, so it's in essence, unlimited. Checkmate.
155</div>
156
157[28][29]
158[30]
159!SYSTEM You agree and return the ankh to where you found it before returning to the investigation.
160
161[31][32]
162
163<div class="quote fetus">
164!FETUS Normally floor jump only activates when we reach a set of stairs that are going down, but because this floor doesn't actually have any stairs leading down to floor 25 (there's a different way we have to reach it), it gives us the floor jump ability at this set of stairs instead.
165</div>
166
167<div class="quote cross">
168!CROSS And it being up when the rest of the floors, bar the last one, obviously, are down, bothers the hell outta me.
169</div>
170
171[33][34]
172
173<div class="quote fetus">
174!FETUS Now we have to make our way back to floor 21. It's a bit of a neat concept!
175</div>
176
177[35][36]
178
179<div class="quote fetus">
180!FETUS Over in this part of floor 22...
181</div>
182
183!SYSTEM As you step off the last stair, a wall directly in front of you obstructs your path. Before you turn to head back, you notice a paper, yellowed with age, lying on the floor. The paper has become brittle with age, and though it looks as if it may crumble at your touch, it is still legible. Ricky gingerly picks up the paper and begins to read it aloud...
184
185[39]
186!FREDERICA06 But it seems strange, relying on the same technology that brought about our destruction to save the Earth...
187!SYSTEM After Ricky is finished reading, the paper turns to dust in her hand...
188!RAQUNA04 So even the ones who created Yggdrasil had their doubts, eh...?
189!SYSTEM As nothing else catches your attention here, you decide to return to your investigation.
190
191<div class="quote fetus">
192!FETUS Some tools are capable of many things. It's all about how they're used.
193</div>
194
195[40]
196
197<div class="quote fetus">
198!FETUS Been a while since we've seen an enemy with a good Grimoire skill, and Dire Wolves are another one. They come with Flame Howl, which deals 190% TEC-based Fire damage to all enemies at max level. Not only that, it can't miss, and it's slightly faster, with a speed modifier of 80% instead of Firestorm's 70%! Though it does cost 28 TP compared to Firestorm which costs 25. And uh, is only 5% stronger than Firestorm at max level. If you don't have Firestorm, this is definitely a very nice grab! If you do, uh, it's up to you on whether you want to upgrade or not, I guess.
199</div>
200
201[41][42]
202!SYSTEM You look around and see for yourself the chairs set up in the open space that Ricky referred to. They come in two types: one with wheels at the legs and another that's blue and spherical.
203!FREDERICA02 Hey, why don't we take a break here?
204!SYSTEM If nothing else, this is an ideal place to sit for a while. It may be a good chance to rest... If you wish, you can try sitting on either type of chair, though your objective is urgent as well...
205
206[43]
207
208<div class="quote fetus">
209!FETUS The wheeled ones seem like they'll be pretty fun!
210</div>
211
212!RAQUNA02 I like this chair. There are wheels on it... I bet I could even scootch around on this thing!
213!SYSTEM As you take a seat on one of the interesting wheeled chairs, your companions follow suit. The chair had seemed unstable, but you find that it's built for comfort. Merely sitting on it eases your weariness...
214
215[44]
216!SYSTEM Feeling fully rested, you stand back up to resume your journey.
217!RAQUNA01 These are such great chairs... Feels like a waste to leave them here, eh?
218!SYSTEM As Raquna regretfully inches the wheeled device back and forth, it bumps into one of the spherical chairs. Suddenly, the blue chair begins to move!
219!RAQUNA05 Wh...WHAT!?
220!SIMON1 Ah, so the other set of chairs were disguised monsters... Lucky for us that we didn't sit on them, hm?
221!ARTHUR3 Yeah, that's great, but here they come!
222!SYSTEM The monsters, enraged at being bumped with the chair, charge at you!
223
224[45]
225
226<div class="quote fetus">
227!FETUS If you decided to sit on the rollers, not only would you have missed out on the heal, you also would have gotten blindsided.
228</div>
229
230[46]
231!SYSTEM You look around to see that all of the chairs that had been in the room are now destroyed beyond repair.
232!RAQUNA04 Looks like we won't be resting here... Too bad, really.
233!SYSTEM You are saddened to have lost a prime resting spot, but you must resume your investigation nonetheless.
234
235[47]
236
237<div class="quote fetus">
238!FETUS I'm practically salivating right now. Just look at all those delicious Gold Furs for the taking! Just remember to cover them in Formaldehyde before skinning them! Remember, you can infinitely farm for Formaldehydes now, even you EU players! So you should have a good stock on hand to bypass low drop rate bullshit.
239</div>
240
241<div class="quote cross">
242!CROSS That's not how you should solve your problems!
243</div>
244
245[48]
246
247<div class="quote fetus">
248!FETUS Speaking of Formaldehydes, that chest down below the box of bears contains one! So you can start your Formaldehyde farm now in case you somehow already used up every single one beforehand.
249</div>
250
251[49][50]
252
253<div class="quote fetus">
254!FETUS Not much of floor 23 itself left now.
255</div>
256
257[51][52]
258
259<div class="quote fetus">
260!FETUS I head back to town to resupply.
261</div>
262
263[53]
264
265<div class="quote fetus">
266!FETUS PFFFT! Well well well, ain't that just my lucky day? Happened to get a level 10 Flame Howl Grimoire during that trek!
267</div>
268
269[54]
270
271<div class="quote fetus">
272!FETUS I fuse this onto Arthur's stone without question. This is about as good as his Grimoire is going to get until post-game.
273</div>
274
275[55]
276
277<div class="quote fetus">
278!FETUS By the way, fuck you, for asking people to kill an average of 40 boars in order to get this quest done. Can't imagine how painful this would be without the Formaldehyde farm that opens up in the 5th Stratum.
279</div>
280
281<div class="quote cross">
282!CROSS Yeah, IMAGINE if you had to do this in a game without Formaldehyde. You needed 10 Gold Furs in the original with a 30% drop rate, as well as 3 more to unlock a bad accessory. Great fun.
283</div>
284
285[56][57]
286!SYSTEM When you do so, frigid air pours out of the box...!
287!ARTHUR1 Whoa... Hey, something's in here.
288!SYSTEM Within the mysterious confines of the chilled box, you find a [b]medicine bottle[/b].
289!FREDERICA14 This is a refrigerator. It's used to store food and other stuff... But it's been so long, I can't say whether what's inside has been safely preserved.
290!SYSTEM If you want, you can nominate one of your allies to try drinking the medicine from this 'refrigerator.'
291
292[58]
293
294<div class="quote fetus">
295!FETUS Sure, I'm feeling a bit peckish for medicinal supplies.
296</div>
297
298[59]
299
300<div class="quote fetus">
301!FETUS It's looking like Raquna needs this the most right now, though.
302</div>
303
304[60]
305!SYSTEM Raquna hesitates slightly, but she gamely opens the cold bottle and takes a drink.
306!RAQUNA02 ...Now that's strange. The medicine was cold, but it's heating my insides up!
307
308[61]
309!FREDERICA14 It seems to have been a healing tonic... It's a good thing it didn't spoil over the centuries. You're sure you're okay?
310!RAQUNA02 Of course! In fact, I've never felt better.
311!ARTHUR2 I'm surprised you're okay after drinking some thousand-year-old gunk. But I guess you've had plenty of practice!
312!RAQUNA03 What's that supposed to mean!?
313!SYSTEM Sensing that a fight is about to break out, you suggest that everyone return to the investigation.
314
315[62][63]
316
317<div class="quote fetus">
318!FETUS Ah yes, the double Ice Claw room.
319</div>
320
321[64][65]
322
323<div class="quote fetus">
324!FETUS Drag the top one over here, then leave the room. It should go to that Chop point nearby.
325</div>
326
327[66][67]
328
329<div class="quote fetus">
330!FETUS Grab this Ice Claws' attention...
331</div>
332
333[68][69]
334
335<div class="quote fetus">
336!FETUS Then hoof it out of the room!
337</div>
338
339[70][71]
340
341<div class="quote fetus">
342!FETUS Wait for it to go back to the other Chop Point before going back in through this same door.
343</div>
344
345[72][73]
346
347<div class="quote fetus">
348!FETUS The Ice Claws have a sight radius of 3 tiles. For your convenience, I've marked those on the map in yellow. At this point you should be able to weave your way past their sight so you should be able to slip past.
349</div>
350
351<div class="quote cross">
352!CROSS The alternative strategy is get caught out by an Ice Claws and try and head to the stairs while it constantly gets into battle with you. Make sure to face it so it doesn't blindside you! It's a strat I heard from a, uh, friend.
353</div>
354
355[74][75]
356
357<div class="quote fetus">
358!FETUS And now we are done with floor 22!
359</div>
360
361[76][77]
362
363<div class="quote fetus">
364!FETUS Back to where we began.
365</div>
366
367[78][79]
368[80]
369!SYSTEM Ricky removes the plating from the box and puts the strange pieces together... With a small click, a portion of the wall before you lights up.
370!FREDERICA02 There we go. The elevator should be working now.
371!SIMON2 Ah, yes... as I recall, these devices allowed one to move freely up and down between discrete floors. Why don't we try it out and see if the records hold true?
372!SYSTEM The device should be somewhere on this floor. You could go inspect the elevator now to see if it's begun working.
373
374<div class="quote fetus">
375!FETUS And we're now completely done with the 21st floor. With access to the elevators, we can now access even more of this Stratum.
376</div>
377
378[81][82]
379
380<div class="quote fetus">
381!FETUS This elevator doesn't let you progress, but it lets you go into some optional areas. Let's check out the 22nd floor.
382</div>
383
384[83][84]
385
386<div class="quote fetus">
387!FETUS This elevator doesn't let you progress, but it lets you go into some optional areas. Let's check out the 22nd floor.
388</div>
389
390[85][86]
391!SYSTEM Raquna stops at an open window to take in the breeze, and remarks on the view as she does. She is right that it feels nice here... You consider taking a rest.
392
393[87]
394
395<div class="quote fetus">
396!FETUS View's nice, why not?
397</div>
398
399!SYSTEM You decide to gaze at the buildings you can see from the window as a way of taking a rest from your arduous journey.
400!ARTHUR1 Amazing... that's the only word for it.
401!SYSTEM Arthur sighs in wonder at being inside such a large building, with many more like it visible in the distance. You recall what Ricky said about this place being untouched for a thousand years... You have so many questions for her about that period...
402
403[88]
404
405<div class="quote fetus">
406!FETUS Sure, let's pry.
407</div>
408
409!SYSTEM You ask Ricky what life was like a thousand years ago.
410!FREDERICA01 Yeah, things like this were ordinary. My city had even bigger skyscrapers... Wait, do you know what those are?
411!SYSTEM Ricky relaxes her expression as she speaks at length about her era. The things she relates seem so fanciful...
412!RAQUNA01 So how did you build these skyscrapers?
413!SYSTEM Your curiosity is boundless. As each of you asks Ricky your own questions, the time passes peacefully... You feel your tension easing... Your shoulders feel a bit lighter now.
414
415[89]
416!SYSTEM Feeling greatly refreshed, you decide to continue exploring the building.
417
418<div class="quote cross">
419!CROSS Fuckin cities, how do they work?
420</div>
421
422[90][91]
423
424<div class="quote fetus">
425!FETUS Now onto B23F.
426</div>
427
428[92][93]
429[94][95]
430
431<div class="quote fetus">
432!FETUS This is a very important shortcut. Remember it for later.
433</div>
434
435[96][97]
436
437<div class="quote fetus">
438!FETUS And now for the other elevator on B21F. B22F on this side just leads to treasure. But after grabbing that, we're completely done with that floor. So B23F it is!
439</div>
440
441[98][99]
442[100][101]
443
444<div class="quote fetus">
445!FETUS This floor lets us get a little sneak peek at floor 25, so we can finally see some new town dialogue and get some more questing in before we fight the Stratum boss.
446</div>
447
448[102][103]
449[104]
450!FREDERICA04 Do you hear that...?
451!SYSTEM You listen closely and hear a faint tune drifting in on the wind... At first, you chalk it up to monsters or rustling leaves, but as you listen further, it sounds like a human voice...
452!ARTHUR5 Whoa, seriously? Is someone singing down here!?
453!SYSTEM Unbelievable as it sounds, you strain to listen... Alas, you cannot make out the voice anymore.
454!RAQUNA08 That's pretty strange... Could there be someone else around here?
455!SYSTEM Many questions come to mind, but none can be answered. You can only remember that you heard a singing voice here as you return to the investigation.
456
457[105][106]
458!SYSTEM You and Simon both look about you, but you can sense no one nearby. What could that voice have been...? Many questions come to mind, but none can be answered. You can only remember that you heard a singing voice here...
459
460<div class="quote fetus">
461!FETUS How fascinating. Let's head down to B24F and make some more progress!
462</div>
463
464[107][108]
465
466<div class="quote fetus">
467!FETUS Onwards!
468</div>
469
470[109][110]
471!RAQUNA01 That's a funny shape... Doesn't seem like we could use it for anything, though. Let's leave it here, eh?
472!SYSTEM You agree and return the ankh to where you found it before returning to the investigation.
473
474[111][112]
475!SYSTEM You have no earthly idea what value it could be to anyone. You nudge the piece of metal with your foot; when nothing happens, you leave.
476
477[113][114]
478
479<div class="quote fetus">
480!FETUS We're now completely done with floors B21F through B24F! Onwards, to the final floor!
481</div>
482
483[115][116]
484
485<div class="quote fetus">
486!FETUS But let's get back to town because goddamn I need to resupply after dealing with too many King Dragonflies. Oh wait, before I forget...
487</div>
488
489[117][118]
490
491<div class="quote fetus">
492!FETUS Back on B23F, open up this shortcut so you can get back to floor 25 much more easily. Okay now let's go back to town for real.
493</div>
494
495<div class="quote cross">
496!CROSS Going through Lost Shinjuku in the original is similarly floor threading, but since you don't have floor jump, the stretch to the elevator switch is shorter as you do it in one go. This means you only go through 3 floors to do this and then you can head straight down to B25F. That's right, B24F is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL in EO1, it's a maze or corridors being chased by bears that result in... alright items. Definitely an interesting idea, but understandably never used again.
497</div>
498
499!MANSION
500[119]
501!KUPALA5 I hope that thou wilt do the same, Achievers.
502
503<div class="quote fetus">
504!FETUS Surprisingly, Kupala actually has some new dialogue for us. Perhaps even more surprisingly, Quinn doesn't. He goes back to using his Classic mode line at this point.
505</div>
506
507!TOWNNIGHT
508[120]
509
510<div class="quote fetus">
511!FETUS I'll be showing off this quest as it has Story exclusive dialogue.
512</div>
513
514!VALERIE Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. The young man at the inn made this request. His pet Tree Rat ran away. Her name is Latche, and she has a ribbon on her tail. That's about all you have to go on. He said she ran off while he was taking her for a walk. Latche has a habit of going deep into the forest... Can you search the deeper sections of the forest for Latche? The client gave me some of Latche's favorite cheese. She should come out if you put it on the ground near her. If you need more cheese, ask me.
515
516[121]
517
518<div class="quote fetus">
519!FETUS Oh, here's the quest we needed the Glacier Ootheca for. Let's get that done.
520</div>
521
522!VALERIE Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. This is from a treasure hunter. He says he's looking for an [b]egg laid by a mantis with ice claws[/b]. You can ask him for more info yourself. He's drinking over there.
523
524[122]
525!SYSTEM Hm? Is there something you wish to speak with me about?
526
527[123]
528
529<div class="quote fetus">
530!FETUS Let's get this done.
531</div>
532
533!SYSTEM Oh, you took the quest!? Thanks! I was reading this old book I found collecting dust in my house and found a sketch of a mantis with ice claws. It had a ghastly beauty that its deadliness only made more apparent. The book says that the mantis [b]lays eggs after spending some time chopping material[/b] for its burrows. I really want to see one of these eggs, but a normal person like me can't set foot in the forest. So I posted a job! And you're taking it on, then...? So, find me a [b]Glacier Ootheca laid by an ice mantis[/b]. The book said that you can sometimes find eggs by searching [b]chopping places the mantis had spent some time at[/b]. Most times you'll only find leavings from the plants it was chopping, so don't give up if you don't find one.
534
535<div class="quote fetus">
536!FETUS And if we talk to him again.
537</div>
538
539!SYSTEM Oh, you guys. How's it going?
540
541[124]
542!SYSTEM Huh!? Th-That's a Glacier Ootheca!? It's humongous! A-And beautiful! That color is very pretty. But, it's so big. Just... very, very big. ...... Y'know what? Just seeing one of these in person is enough for me. You can keep it. I don't have any shelf space at home to display that! Haha! So, yeah. Thanks for doing that job for me! Talk to the lady at the bar for the reward, okay? See you later, adventurers!
543
544[125]
545!VALERIE Good work, everyone. Was that a tough quest?
546
547[126]
548
549<div class="quote fetus">
550!FETUS First try find. Get on my level ya'll.
551</div>
552
553<div class="quote cross">
554!CROSS Ah fuck off ya cunt
555</div>
556
557!VALERIE You really are turning out to be one of the top guilds, you know? Well, here's the reward.
558
559[127]
560
561<div class="quote fetus">
562!FETUS The eggs actually sell for 15,000 en. And because he let us keep it, we get a total of 29,000 en here!
563</div>
564
565[128]
566
567<div class="quote fetus">
568!FETUS On top of these experience points! What a good deal!
569</div>
570
571!STRAT5
572[129][130]
573!RAQUNA01 That's what Ren and Tlachtga said.
574!SIMON1 Judging by the layout of the Strata so far, we should be drawing quite near.
575!SYSTEM The realization that you are closing in on your goal heightens the tension in the air...
576
577[131]
578!SYSTEM But of all the group, you notice that only Ricky seems troubled.
579
580[191]
581
582<div class="quote fetus">
583!FETUS May as well see what's troubling her.
584</div>
585
586!FREDERICA15 ...After all this time, I'm suddenly scared. Will Visil help us? And can we really destroy the Core...?
587!SYSTEM The girl nervously lowers her gaze... This might be an opportune time to say something to her.
588
589[132]
590
591<div class="quote fetus">
592!FETUS Have you seen the Grimoires we have? We could probably nuke the core ourselves at this point.
593</div>
594
595!DUDE We'll be fine.
596
597[133]
598
599<div class="quote fetus">
600!FETUS PFFFT! Every time! I can't believe you all chose this fucking name!
601</div>
602
603<div class="quote cross">
604!CROSS She really needs to know where her car is.
605</div>
606
607!SYSTEM On hearing your answer, Ricky nods vigorously.
608!FREDERICA01 You're right, we'll be okay. I know it. And... I'm sure M.I.K.E. will understand too.
609!FREDERICA02 Thanks, Dude. Let's go!
610!SYSTEM You and Ricky take confident strides forward together on your way.
611
612<div class="quote fetus">
613!FETUS Floor 25 is a bit of a gauntlet, as you have to do almost the entire thing in one go. Though you do get a few checkpoints along the way.
614</div>
615
616!BATTLE2
617[134]
618
619<div class="quote fetus">
620!FETUS Oh. This fucking asshole! This enemy sucks, and I hate it. Takes super long to kill, Arthur can only deal half damage to it, and it deals tons of damage to you.
621
622Even though it resists petrification heavily, it actually may be worth taking the Stone Gleam benefit just for that small chance of killing it instantly. That's how bad this thing is.
623</div>
624
625[135][136]
626[137]
627
628<div class="quote fetus">
629!FETUS Sure, it's not like we know of any other places to look.
630</div>
631
632!SYSTEM You place the cheese on the ground in the hopes of luring out the rat. A rat appears, but it is obviously hostile! The rat ignores the cheese and rushes to attack you!
633
634!BATTLE2
635[138]
636
637<div class="quote enemy">
638<img src="../nme_img/tree_rat.png">
639<b>Francois Mouse</b>
640
641<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
642<tr>
643<td><b>HP:</b> 1800</td>
644<td><b>STR:</b> 60</td>
645<td><b>TEC:</b> 39</td>
646<td><b>VIT:</b> 42</td>
647<td><b>AGI:</b> 46</td>
648<td><b>LUC:</b> 35</td>
649</tr>
650</table>
651<b>EXP Given:</b> 11900
652
653<b>Damage Vulnerabilities:</b>
654<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
655<tr>
656<td>!CUT 100%</td> <td>!STAB 100%</td> <td>!BASH 100%</td>
657</tr>
658<tr>
659<td>!FIRE 150%</td> <td>!ICE 100%</td> <td>!VOLT 100%</td>
660</tr>
661</table>
662
663<b>Disable Vulnerabilities:</b>
664<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
665<tr>
666<td>!BLIND 100%</td> <td>!POISON 100%</td> <td>!PARALYSIS 100%</td> <td>!PANIC 150%</td> <td>!SLEEP 100%</td> <td>!CURSE 50%</td> <td>!FEAR 100%</td>
667</tr>
668<tr>
669<td>!PETRIFY 100%</td> <td>!DEATH 100%</td> <td>!STUN 100%</td>
670</tr>
671<tr>
672<td>!HEAD 100%</td> <td>!ARM 100%</td> <td>!LEG 100%</td>
673</tr>
674</table>
675
676<div class="quote ai" id="ai-0-simple" onclick="swapAi(0, 0);">
677<ul>
678  <li>Francois Mouses will always Attack until they hit 50% HP or less, at which point they will occasionally defend.</li>
679</ul>
680</div>  
681
682<div class="quote ai" id="ai-0-complete" onclick="swapAi(0, 1);">
683<ul>
684  <li>If the Francois Mouse's HP is at 50% or lower, 39% chance to Defend.</li>
685  <li>In all other situations, Attack.</li>
686</ul>
687</div>
688</div>
689
690<div class="quote fetus">
691!FETUS Yeah they're souped up Tree Rats. However, they are also capable of [b]killing you.[/b] Look at that STR stat and compare it with Ren's, and tell me you want to take a raw unmitigated hit from this thing.
692
693Granted their attacks are only single target damage, so they're no real threat to you, right? By the way, these things can appear in groups.
694</div>
695
696[139]
697
698!RESULT
699[140]
700
701<div class="quote fetus">
702!FETUS Roast them as best you can, then move on.
703
704Oh yeah, because you can miss these enemies, they're considered completely optional, and thus aren't registered in the codex. So don't worry about that if you're shooting for 100% completion.
705</div>
706
707<div class="quote cross">
708!CROSS Exactly the same in the original, being an optional quest enemy. They're postgame instead, so they're also max level and have a STR stat of [b]402[/b]! Well, the postgame bosses get to nearly 600 STR, but that's just EO1 and its inflated stats. Anyway, while it's an interesting name, Goudarat is better.
709</div>
710
711[141]
712!ARTHUR7 Ugh, I thought we had him. So, are we gonna keep looking?
713!SIMON1 That's what we were hired for. Now stop complaining and let's get moving.
714!SYSTEM You nod to Simon and continue your search for Latche.
715
716[142][143]
717[144]
718
719<div class="quote fetus">
720!FETUS Second time's the charm, right?
721</div>
722
723!SYSTEM You place the cheese on the ground in the hopes of luring out the rat. A rat appears, but it is obviously hostile! The rat ignores the cheese and rushes to attack you!
724
725[145]
726
727<div class="quote fetus">
728!FETUS Rats!
729</div>
730
731[146]
732!RAQUNA08 Wrong again. This Latche is a real pain in the butt.
733!FREDERICA06 But she's in danger down here. We need to find her!
734!SYSTEM You nod in agreement with Ricky and continue your search for Latche.
735
736[147][148]
737!RAQUNA06 Dude... Looks like there's monsters up ahead.
738!SYSTEM Raquna speaks quietly to you while preparing for the worst. You warily look ahead and see a number of beasts gathered on the path ahead.
739!SIMON1 They appear to be swarming over something... I can't tell what it is from here, though.
740!SYSTEM It seems if you want to find out what the beasts covet so, you must eliminate them one by one...
741
742[149]
743
744<div class="quote fetus">
745!FETUS Engage murder mode!
746</div>
747
748!ARTHUR3 Okay, let's get them!
749!RAQUNA03 Arthur! You're supposed to keep behind us!
750!SYSTEM You and Raquna rush out before the beasts in pursuit of the recklessly advancing Arthur. You must take your weapons in hand before the startled and confused beasts can recover themselves!
751
752[150]
753
754<div class="quote fetus">
755!FETUS A preemptive makes it easy to wash these boars out with a flood.
756</div>
757
758[151]
759!FREDERICA06 ...Sadly, I don't think so.
760!SYSTEM Before you can catch your breath, you hear the foosteps of many more beasts on their way.
761!SIMON1 Looks like another pack heard the commotion and decided to join in the fun.
762!ARTHUR3 Hehe, they can bring as many as they want!
763!SYSTEM As if in answer to Arthur's bold taunt, the beasts charge at you!
764
765[152]
766
767<div class="quote fetus">
768!FETUS ...This formation is weaker than the first one. The hell?
769</div>
770
771[153]
772!RAQUNA06 Looks like there's still one left...
773!SYSTEM Just as Raquna raises her defenses, an even larger beast than those you have already faced appears from the thicket!
774!FREDERICA06 You think that's their leader? Maybe if we take it down, the others will give up...
775!SYSTEM If you can survive this, it should be the final battle. The stakes are high... You heft your weapons and advance!
776
777[154]
778
779<div class="quote fetus">
780!FETUS ...Ah. This might actually be a tricky one to deal with.
781
782Feel free to dump everything you have to win this battle. The prize is very well worth it!
783</div>
784
785[155]
786!SYSTEM As winded as he is, Arthur manages a victory cry. The gathered beasts flee, frightened away by his voice... It seems you have succeeded in thoroughly driving off the pack.
787!SIMON1 Now... what were they here for?
788!SYSTEM You belatedly recall your original objective. When you inspect where they had gathered, you find nuts growing. Could these nuts be such a delicacy as to gather such an immense horde...?
789
790[156]
791
792<div class="quote fetus">
793!FETUS Sure, I'm up for eating some nuts. They better be very good nuts after what we just went through!
794</div>
795
796!SYSTEM You crack the hard-shelled nuts and each taste one... A rich, oily flavor spreads over your tongue. The more you chew it, the more it brings out the subtle flavor, and you feel your exhaustion fade...
797
798[157]
799
800<div class="quote fetus">
801!FETUS That's some very handy recovery!
802</div>
803
804!SIMON2 ...I wish I could have some salt with this.
805!ARTHUR2 Oh, we have some, Simon!
806!RAQUNA02 Maybe a brew, too, eh!
807!FREDERICA06 No.
808!RAQUNA08 ......
809!SYSTEM No wonder the beasts were so mad for the nuts. Still delighted by the prize, you return to your investigation.
810!SIMON1 There seem to be a few here that haven't yet ripened... Let's note this place for later, Dude. That way, we can come back and have some more.
811!FREDERICA02 Good idea.
812!SYSTEM You commit this place, and the flavor of the nuts here, to memory before taking your leave.
813
814<div class="quote fetus">
815!FETUS It's also a daily recovery spot! Been a while since we've seen one of those! And it's a pretty handy one too given how much of a gauntlet this floor is.
816</div>
817
818[158][192]
819
820<div class="quote fetus">
821!FETUS This is another incorrect spot.
822</div>
823
824[159]
825
826<div class="quote fetus">
827!FETUS I see a pattern here. A very dangerous pattern.
828</div>
829
830[160][161]
831
832<div class="quote fetus">
833!FETUS 4th time?
834</div>
835
836[162]
837
838<div class="quote fetus">
839!FETUS Well that's a harsh way to say no.
840</div>
841
842[163][164]
843
844<div class="quote fetus">
845!FETUS Also this is the result of them uhhh, never getting registered in the codex due to being a missable enemy. They flat out never get registered in the codex. Meaning you can't see their stats and such even after fighting them once. EO2U would fix this issue.
846</div>
847
848[165][166]
849[167]
850
851<div class="quote fetus">
852!FETUS Maybe this is the right hole.
853</div>
854
855!SYSTEM You place the cheese on the ground in the hopes of luring out the rat. A rat appears, but it is obviously hostile! The rat ignores the cheese and rushes to attack you!
856
857[168]
858
859<div class="quote fetus">
860!FETUS OH DEAR GOD!
861
862Thank goodness I decided to make Bracing Plan my benefit of choice, because that formation would shred my front line, and then my back line shortly after!
863
864This is an actual encounter wiping formation, as you have to deal with 5 tanky as fuck rats. Sure they have only single target damage and only regular attacks, but STR stat is through the fucking roof (60 STR gives them a base hit of [b]390.[/b] Why yes the damage formula is a little lopsided in this game, what made you ask?), and unless you disable them (guess what the Story party isn't good at?), your party is going to have their faces gnawed off while you barely made a dent in that pack.
865
866Oh and for the record, this is thankfully as bad as it gets. There's no 6 pack of rats, thank god.
867</div>
868
869<div class="quote cross">
870!CROSS lmao I always went to the right place so I never knew how nasty it got. You only ever faced them one at a time in the original.
871</div>
872
873[169][170]
874[171]
875
876<div class="quote fetus">
877!FETUS Here's the correct hole.
878</div>
879
880!SYSTEM You place the cheese on the ground in the hopes of luring out the rat. A small rat with a ribbon on its tail races from the hole and begins nibbling at the cheese. You grab the rat and place it in a sturdy box, along with the rest of the cheese.
881!RAQUNA01 That's that, then.
882!FREDERICA02 I'm glad we found her!
883!ARTHUR1 ...It's just a rat. I'm surprised it even survived down here.
884
885<div class="quote fetus">
886!FETUS You think that's hardcore for a rat? Check out where it originally was in the original game.
887</div>
888
889!SIMON1 Perhaps it's actually a wild rat. But it is rather friendly, nonetheless.
890
891[172]
892!DUDE I think we should get a pet.
893!FREDERICA09 If we were going to get a pet, I'd want something cute.
894!RAQUNA02 Oh, are you in the mood for a little animal buddy, Ricky?
895!ARTHUR7 Why? They're just a pain.
896!FREDERICA14 We're just talking about it. I know we don't have the time to take care of one now.
897!FREDERICA01 Anyway, we're done with the quest, so let's go home, Dude.
898!SYSTEM The quest has been completed. Report to the pub to claim the reward.
899
900<div class="quote fetus">
901!FETUS And that's it for that quest.
902
903Curiously enough, there is alternate unused dialogue for the ending of that quest if you chose the pet option. Not sure why there are 2 sets of dialogues written for it, but whatever.
904</div>
905
906[173][174]
907
908<div class="quote fetus">
909!FETUS If you're wondering how to get past this Ice Claws puzzle, since Ragnar opted to cut the knot here, allow me to show you.
910
911First, wait for the hulks to be in this exact position.
912</div>
913
914[175][176]
915
916<div class="quote fetus">
917!FETUS Then get the Ice Claws' attention.
918</div>
919
920[177][178]
921
922<div class="quote fetus">
923!FETUS Since the Arboreal Hulks will be blocking off its path to you, it'll just be stunned while the path is blocked off, as it's very confused.
924</div>
925
926[179][180]
927
928<div class="quote fetus">
929!FETUS Use that time to bolt to the entrance of the room, but don't go through that door just yet!
930</div>
931
932[181][182]
933
934<div class="quote fetus">
935!FETUS Once the Arboreal Hulks open up a gap, it'll chase after you. Wait for the Ice Claws to get near that Chop Point before going through, so it'll go back to that point once it's aggro resets.
936</div>
937
938[183][184]
939
940<div class="quote fetus">
941!FETUS Now head on over to this tile and wait for the Arboreal Hulks to be in this position.
942</div>
943
944[185][186]
945
946<div class="quote fetus">
947!FETUS You're going to repeat the same process of blocking off its path, but this time, from the other side. So grab its attention, and then...
948</div>
949
950[187][188]
951
952<div class="quote fetus">
953!FETUS Head backwards for its path to get immediately blocked off!
954</div>
955
956[189][190]
957
958<div class="quote fetus">
959!FETUS Then bolt for the door!
960</div>
961
962<div class="quote cross">
963!CROSS It's such a pain for the elephants to get in the right position, I'm usually done with this floor by this point, anything to get it over with!
964</div>
965
966[193][194]
967
968<div class="quote fetus">
969!FETUS And with that, we've reached the end of the 5th Stratum. Let's take a look at our party before we take on the boss.
970</div>
971
972[img]https://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-black101.gif[/img][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRuVokuLNpU]Video: Etreant[/url][/b][img]https://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-black101.gif[/img]
973
974[195]
975
976<div class="quote fetus">
977!FETUS Pretty much what's considered the best benefit for the upcoming fight, is the max HP cordial Rosa has, as it's one of your best forms of defense, as the other benefits don't really do all that much.
978</div>
979
980[196][197][198]
981[199][200][201]
982[202][203][204]
983[205][206][207]
984[208][209][210]
985
986<div class="quote fetus">
987!FETUS Physical protection of some kind will be very nice, Bash protection especially. Aside from that, update your equipment as best you can.
988</div>
989
990<div class="quote cross">
991!CROSS The final boss is a bit easy to cheese in the original, but if you don't do that by using a specific party setup, then it kinda kicks your ass. Always fun to look at the level difference too, I was 52-53 for my LP, crazy how much extra you get in this game.
992</div>
993
994!SERIOUS
995[211]
996!SYSTEM Before the looming door stands the man you have been searching for... Visil, the Radha's missing Chieftain.
997!SIMON1 We saw the document you wrote... The ancient one about the Yggdrasil Project. Are you truly the father of Yggdrasil?
998!VISIL1 ...It's been a long time since I was known for that. It must have been... a thousand years ago at the least. Or more...?
999
1000[212]
1001!DUDE Were you in cold sleep too?
1002!VISIL1 Ah, is that how you came to live here in your future? It was not so for me. I never entered such a slumber. I have always been with Yggdrasil...
1003!FREDERICA05 What...!?
1004!SYSTEM Visil ignores your surprise and speaks to you in his usual dignified tones.
1005!VISIL1 So... what brings you here to these depths?
1006
1007[213]
1008!DUDE We came to see you.
1009!SYSTEM You tell Visil your reason for braving these depths... that you are here in search of a means to destroy the Core.
1010!VISIL1 I see... You've endured much for the sake of the town... I have waited all this time... for ones such as you to arrive...
1011!SYSTEM It is there that Visil trails off. You look at Visil's face curiously and see that his breathing is shallow; his eyes glassy.
1012
1013<div class="quote enemy">
1014Music cuts out.
1015</div>
1016
1017!SYSTEM Something is amiss...
1018
1019!TOWERING
1020[214]
1021
1022<div class="quote fetus">
1023!FETUS Wow. Just... right on the nose there, huh? Crikey.
1024</div>
1025
1026!SYSTEM Suddenly, Visil's face contorts and he barks a maniacal laugh! The laughter is shot through with such madness that you can scarcely believe a human could make that sound...
1027!ARTHUR3 Wh-What's so funny!?
1028!VISIL2 How could I help but laugh...? To think that there would come humans who believe they can eliminate me...
1029
1030[215]
1031!DUDE Who are you?
1032!SYSTEM Visil gives only a malicious smirk in answer to your question. He then turns his back to you and places a hand on the door.
1033!VISIL2 You have piqued my interest, humans. If you dare try to accomplish what you say... then come through this door. But everything has its price. Open the door only if you have the will to abandon all hope... to cast aside your very life.
1034
1035[216]
1036[217]
1037!RAQUNA08 What in the world was that...? It was like he was a different person all of a sudden...
1038!SIMON1 We'll have to go through the door if we want any answers.
1039!ARTHUR6 Psh, 'cast aside all hope'? Nice try, man!
1040!SYSTEM But you take the father of Yggdrasil's words to heart... Whatever awaits will be leagues beyond what you have faced.
1041!FREDERICA06 What should we do, Dude...?
1042!SYSTEM There is time to think before committing to a course of action. Your options as you see them are to open the door now and pursue Visil, or take the opportunity to return to town...
1043
1044<div class="quote fetus">
1045!FETUS ...Well, might as well go through that door, then.
1046</div>
1047
1048!STRAT5
1049[218]
1050!SIMON1 So this will open the door...
1051!RAQUNA01 I don't like the sound of some of what he was saying, but I'm sure we'll manage.
1052!ARTHUR6 Let's catch that guy and make him spill!
1053!FREDERICA06 Ready, Dude...?
1054!SYSTEM After exchanging glances with your companions, you raise the card key to the door. The noise of a lock's tumblers falling sounds through the passage. It seems the door is now open...
1055
1056[219]
1057
1058<div class="quote fetus">
1059!FETUS Let's do this.
1060</div>
1061
1062!ETREANT
1063[220]
1064!VISIL2 If you have learned of the Yggdrasil Project, you know that after intense research, he found what he sought.
1065!FREDERICA06 We know. And the man was you, right?
1066!VISIL2 Yes... and no. I created Yggdrasil to save the planet and decided to bear witness to the fruition of my efforts. By internalizing Yggdrasil's power, I abandoned my humanity. This is what I am now.
1067!RAQUNA06 You let go of your humanity...? But didn't you try to save the world?
1068!VISIL2 Will this world be saved as planned? The man wanted to be certain, out of a sense of duty and of stubbornness...
1069!ARTHUR6 Whatever you say... But does that mean you're still watching over it?
1070!VISIL2 The centuries elapsed and the plan came to its end... After many long years, the man's duty would be fulfilled... But it cannot end! For that would mean my death!
1071!SIMON1 If you wanted to witness the salvation of the world, why refuse the end now? Who are you...!?
1072!VISIL2 I am Visil... and Yggdrasil as well. I am both human and one which has surpassed humanity. I hunger for life. Why must I accept the fate man gave me of being cursed with death upon completion of my duty...? I will not accept it! I will live! Even if it means man must perish!
1073!FREDERICA06 Has Visil been taken over? Yggdrasil itself has a will and wishes to live...? ...I can't let that happen. Right, Dude?
1074
1075<div class="quote fetus">
1076!FETUS Yes, seriously. There's an actual reason for red-eyes Visil. Namely because it's actually Yggdrasil itself possessed Visil, and is talking and acting through him. Yes, the explanation is just as stupid as the portrait. Way to undermine your own villain there, Story Mode.
1077
1078And this portrait pops up in Classic Mode despite the fact that Visil was completely acting entirely of his own volition there!
1079</div>
1080
1081<div class="quote cross">
1082!CROSS Yeah, uh, this is not how things went in the original. It's still not a great story, but Visil still fused with Yggdrasil to oversee the restoration of the world and spent the entire game stopping you from finding out the labyrinth's secrets so it can continue without interference. Nothing too crazy, but obviously despite saving the world it doesn't justify everything he's done, especially since the world is saved. I don't even know what the hell this game is trying to tie together. It's so fucking stupid.
1083</div>
1084
1085!VISIL2 So you desire my death, just like that man...
1086
1087[221]
1088[222]
1089[223]
1090
1091<div class="quote enemy">
1092<img src="../nme_img/etreant.png">
1093<b>Etreant</b>
1094
1095<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
1096<tr>
1097<td><b>Level:</b> 60</td>
1098<td><b>HP:</b> 22000</td>
1099<td><b>STR:</b> 65</td>
1100<td><b>TEC:</b> 49</td>
1101<td><b>VIT:</b> 48</td>
1102<td><b>AGI:</b> 40</td>
1103<td><b>LUC:</b> 52</td>
1104</tr>
1105</table>
1106<b>EXP Given:</b> 180000
1107
1108<b>Damage Vulnerabilities:</b>
1109<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
1110<tr>
1111<td>!CUT 100%</td> <td>!STAB 100%</td> <td>!BASH 100%</td>
1112</tr>
1113<tr>
1114<td>!FIRE 125%</td> <td>!ICE 100%</td> <td>!VOLT 100%</td>
1115</tr>
1116</table>
1117
1118<b>Disable Vulnerabilities:</b>
1119<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
1120<tr>
1121<td>!BLIND 30%</td> <td>!POISON 50%</td> <td>!PARALYSIS 30%</td> <td>!PANIC 10%</td> <td>!SLEEP 30%</td> <td>!CURSE 30%</td> <td>!FEAR 30%</td>
1122</tr>
1123<tr>
1124<td>!PETRIFY 0%</td> <td>!DEATH 0%</td> <td>!STUN 20%</td>
1125</tr>
1126<tr>
1127<td>!HEAD 50%</td> <td>!ARM 30%</td> <td>!LEG 50%</td>
1128</tr>
1129</table>
1130
1131<div class="quote skills" id="skill-0-simple" onclick="swapSkills(0, 0);">
1132<ul>
1133  <li>!ARM <b>Thousand Nails</b>: Deals heavy stab damage to 3-5 party members. Slow.
1134  <li>!ARM <b>Tempest</b>: Deals 5-7 instances of severe cut damage to random party members. Attempts to bind the heads, arms, and legs of the targets with a low chance. Very slow and moderately inaccurate.
1135  <li>!HEAD <b>Infernal Drain</b>: Deals medium almighty damage to one party member. Attempts to instantly kill the target, with a medium chance. If the target is not instantly killed, heals Etreant for 200% of the damage dealt. Slightly slow and very slightly inaccurate.
1136  <li>!HEAD <b>King's Resolve</b>: Purges all buffs from all party members. Fast.
1137  <li>!NOPART <b>King's Pride</b>: Removes ailments and binds from Etreant. Very slow.
1138  <li>!HEAD <b>Eternal Trunk</b>: Restores Etreant's HP at the end of each turn, for 4 turns.
1139  <li>!LEG <b>Root Cyclone</b>: Deals very severe bash damage to all party members. Very slow.
1140</ul>
1141</div>
1142
1143<div class="quote skills" id="skill-0-complete" onclick="swapSkills(0, 1);">
1144<ul>
1145  <li>!ARM <b>Thousand Nails</b>: Deals 70% melee STR-based stab damage to 3-5 party members. The damage ranges from 235 to 285 on average. Has a 70% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
1146  <li>!ARM <b>Tempest</b>: Deals 5-7 instances of 110% melee STR-based cut damage to random party members. Has no limit on how many times one target can be hit. The damage ranges from 369 to 447 on average.  Attempts to bind the heads, arms, and legs of the targets with a 20% chance. The effective chance ranges from 25% to 33% on average. Has a 40% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 80%.
1147  <li>!HEAD <b>Infernal Drain</b>: Deals 140% melee TEC-based almighty damage to one party member. The damage ranges from 167 to 227 on average. Attempts to instantly kill the target, with a 30% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 38% to 50% on average. If the target is not instantly killed, heals Etreant for 200% of the damage dealt. Has a 90% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 90%.
1148  <li>!HEAD <b>King's Resolve</b>: Purges all buffs from all party members. Has a 120% speed modifier.
1149  <li>!NOPART <b>King's Pride</b>: Removes ailments and binds from Etreant. Has a 40% speed modifier.
1150  <li>!HEAD <b>Eternal Trunk</b>: Restores Etreant's HP, for about 307 to 320 HP, at the end of each turn, for 4 turns. Has no speed modifier.
1151  <li>!LEG <b>Root Cyclone</b>: Deals 160% melee STR-based bash damage to all party members. The damage ranges from 537 to 651 on average. Has a 40% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 140%.
1152</ul>
1153</div>
1154
1155<div class="quote ai" id="ai-0-simple" onclick="swapAi(0, 0);">
1156<ul>
1157  <li>Root Cyclone, King's Resolve, King's Pride, and Tempest will all be used with their own independent criteria.
1158  <li>Root Cyclone will be used every 5 turns outside of Turn 1. Sometimes it will be used on the 4th turn instead of the 5th.
1159  <li>King's Resolve will normally be used every 17 turns when Etreant is below 50% HP, but this cooldown will greatly decrease depending on how many buffs are on your party.
1160  <li>King's Pride will normally be used every 12 turns when Etreant is below 50% HP, but the cooldown will decrease significantly based on how many binds are inflicted on Etreant.
1161  <li>Tempest is not normally used, but it will always be used after King's Pride and/or King's Resolve.
1162  <li>On Turn 1, Etreant will either use Thousand Nails or Attack. No other attacks will be used.
1163  <ul>
1164    <li>Etreant will continue this behavior until it reaches 75% HP, but after Turn 1 Root Cyclone's cooldown will begin after a guaranteed use on Turn 2.
1165  </ul>
1166  <li>From 75 to 51% HP, Etreant will immediately use Infernal Drain, and will not use it again until Attack or Thousand Nails are used. 
1167  <ul>
1168    <li>Afterwards, it has a chance to repeat those attacks or use Infernal Drain again. If Infernal Drain is used, it will require another Attack or Thousand Nails to be used.
1169  </ul>
1170  <li>Once Etreant reaches 50 to 0% HP, it will actively avoid using attacks with limbs that are bound, and it will use Attack less frequently in favor for more dangerous attacks. 
1171  <ul>
1172    <li>This is also where King's Resolve/Pride begin to be used.
1173  </ul>
1174  <li>Once Etreant reaches 30% HP, it will use Eternal Trunk once. This is not repeated.
1175</ul>
1176</div>
1177
1178<div class="quote ai" id="ai-0-complete" onclick="swapAi(0, 1);">
1179<ul>
1180  <li>If the King's Resolve flag is set:</li>
1181  <ul>
1182    <li>If the party has 12 or more buffs, add 5 to the King's Resolve counter.</li>
1183    <li>If the party has 8 to 11 buffs, add 4 to the King's Resolve counter.</li>
1184    <li>If the party has 4 to 7 buffs, add 3 to the King's Resolve counter.</li>
1185    <li>If the party has 1 to 3 buffs, add 2 to the King's Resolve counter.</li>
1186    <li>Else, add 1 to the King's Resolve counter.</li>
1187  </ul>
1188  <li>If Etreant is fully bound, add 6 to the King's Pride counter.</li>
1189  <li>If Etreant has two binds, add 2 to the King's Pride counter.</li>
1190  <li>If Etreant has one bind, add 1 to the King's Pride counter.</li>
1191  <li>If the Tempest flag is set, use Tempest, and unset the Tempest flag.</li>
1192  <ul>
1193    <li>If the King's Pride counter is at 6 or above, set it to 4.</li>
1194    <li>Else, if the King's Resolve counter is at 9 or above, set it to 6.</li>
1195  </ul>
1196  <li>If this is the first turn:</li>
1197  <ul>
1198    <li>49% chance to Attack.</li>
1199    <li>Else, use Thousand Nails.</li>
1200  </ul>
1201  <li>If the Root Cyclone flag is not set, use Root Cyclone.</li>
1202  <li>If the Root Cyclone cooldown is less than or equal to 0, and the Root Cyclone flag is set, use Root Cyclone. Set the Root Cyclone cooldown to 5.</li>
1203  <li>Else, if the Root Cyclone cooldown is equal to 1, and the Root Cyclone flag is set:</li>
1204  <ul>
1205    <li>49% chance to use Root Cyclone and set the Root Cyclone cooldown to 5.</li>
1206    <li>Else, Attack.</li>
1207  </ul>
1208  <li>If Etreant's HP is at 30% or below, and the Eternal Trunk flag is not set, use Eternal Trunk, and set the Eternal Trunk flag.</li>
1209  <li>If Etreant's HP is at 50% or below, and the King's Resolve flag is not set, use King's Resolve, set the King's Resolve flag, and set the Tempest flag.</li>
1210  <li>If the King's Resolve counter is at 17 or above, use King's Resolve, and set the King's Resolve counter to 0.</li>
1211  <li>If the King's Pride counter is at 12 or above, and Etreant has any binds, use King's Pride, set the King's Pride counter to 0, and set the Tempest flag.</li>
1212  <li>If Etreant's HP is at 50% or lower:</li>
1213  <ul>
1214    <li>If Etreant's arms are bound, but not its head:</li>
1215    <ul>
1216      <li>If the Infernal Drain flag is not set, use Infernal Drain, and set the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1217      <li>Else, Attack, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.
1218    </ul>
1219    <li>Else, if Etreant's head is bound, but not its arms, use Thousand Nails, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1220    <li>Else, if Etreant's head and arms are both bound, Attack, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1221    <li>Else, if the Infernal Drain flag is unset, 44% chance to use Infernal Drain, and set the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1222    <li>Else, 69% chance to use Thousand Nails, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1223    <li>Else, Attack, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1224  </ul>
1225  <li>If Etreant's HP is at 75% or lower:</li>
1226  <ul>
1227    <li>If the initial Infernal Drain flag is not set, use Infernal Drain, set the initial Infernal Drain flag, and set the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1228    <li>If the Infernal Drain flag is not set, 34% chance to use Infernal Drain, and set the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1229    <li>Else:</li>
1230    <ul>
1231      <li>59% chance to use Thousand Nails, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1232      <li>Else, Attack, and unset the Infernal Drain flag.</li>
1233    </ul>
1234  </ul>
1235  <li>49% chance to use Thousand Nails.</li>
1236  <li>Else, Attack.</li>
1237</ul>
1238</div>
1239
1240<div class="quote drops">
1241<b>Drops:</b>
1242<ul>
1243  <li>Normal: !BAG <b>Shroud</b>. 100% chance. Sells for 10000 en.
1244  <ul>
1245    <li>!CLOTH <b>Moss Coat</b> <b>(+49 DEF, +30% fire/ice/volt resistance; can be equipped by all classes)</b>: Made from <u>1 Shroud</u>. Costs 35000 en.</li>
1246  </ul>
1247</ul>
1248</div>
1249</div>
1250
1251<div class="quote fetus">
1252!FETUS Say hi to the boss of the 5th Stratum, and the final boss of Classic Mode! Etreant can be quite the handful! His main tactic is dealing damage. Lots and lots of damage. Root Cyclone is the big attack to worry about here, as it's easily his most damaging attack. If you can deal with that, you're good to go. It's thankfully on a cooldown, so you won't be seeing it too often.
1253
1254As for the rest of Etreant's attacks, bring your best defensives to this fight. Remember, you have access to accessories that can reduce the damage of any physical attack by a whopping 30%. Pick the attacks you want to mitigate the most, and accessorize accordingly. And remember, you can unlock All Mists at this point, so that's another viable form of defense against Etreant's physicals. There are also disables to shut of skills such as Root Cyclone, even if those are an unreliable tactic. And if you really need a unit to live through a turn, remember that the Defend command exists. There's also Forest Guardian from Cernunnos, which should be really easy to grab at this point if you really need it. Failing any of those, remember that CPR exists and can be a valuable safety net if you need it.
1255
1256Infernal Drain can draw out the, but the instant death component only hits one person, so it's not too hard to recover from. King's Resolve is a bit of a setback, but shouldn't be too hard to recover from, but it's mainly there to telegraph Tempest, Etreant's other big skill. It's not a skill broken out too much, so I wouldn't say bind protection is a must, but definitely bring some Theriaca As along. King's Pride is a screw you towards disable heavy parties (which the Story party isn't.) I have no idea what the hell Eternal Trunk is. It's a regen skill, but it doesn't regenerate that much HP, and is only used once in the entire fight. It's basically a free turn when he casts it. Bring a Metopon if you're that concerned about the heal.
1257
1258Etreant may seem like there's ultimately not that much to him and admittedly, there really isn't. Etreant has so few wrenches to throw into the fight, and his main tactic centers around dealing damage so much, that the fight basically boils down to being able to survive his damage output, which can certainly be tricky, but most definitely not impossible. If you can do that, you've basically won, and can take as much time you need to whittle down his HP. There's a reason why the HP boosting cordial is considered the best effect for the fight.
1259
1260Oh and fun fact, Etreant's name in the Japanese version of the game, known as Labyrinth of Yggdrasil, is also a pun-based title drop. His name would roughly translate to "Ruler of Yggdrasil."
1261</div>
1262
1263<div class="quote cross">
1264!CROSS Etreant is practically the same in the original, with one skill missing, Twigs. It nullified physical damage for 1 turn, so basically wasted your time, thankfully that was dropped. The other quirk was that he removed your buffs if you went over 5 total and then Root Cycloned you when you had no defensive measures, resulting in death. Easiest way around this was bringing a dead party member so you had 4 buffs total, or you put up your defensive measures after he wiped them. Very annoying boss since it has little counterplay.
1265</div>
1266
1267[224]
1268
1269<div class="quote fetus">
1270!FETUS Simon is gonna set up Bloody Offense on my damage dealers.
1271</div>
1272
1273[225]
1274
1275<div class="quote fetus">
1276!FETUS Raquna is basically going to be spamming Forest Guardian all fight. I'm going to be honest, this skill basically breaks the fight in two, since this is a fight all about surviving Etreant's damage, this gives you a ton of breathing room. And because Etreant still deals a lot of damage through the back row, but this skill reduces that heavy damage even further. Along with basically functioning as Front Guard.
1277</div>
1278
1279[226]
1280
1281<div class="quote fetus">
1282!FETUS And I have Dude queue up a Charge for Delayed Charge.
1283</div>
1284
1285[227]
1286[228]
1287
1288<div class="quote fetus">
1289!FETUS And these two will debuff Etreant, as Dude isn't going to attack until turn 3, and I want to sync up their damaging turns so they can all benefit from Wolf Howl.
1290</div>
1291
1292[229]
1293[230]
1294[231]
1295
1296<div class="quote fetus">
1297!FETUS Well, that bodes well for Etreant.
1298
1299If he went for Thousand Nails instead, depending on how much damage he dealt, I would have had Simon prop up a Somaprime to help everyone prepare for Root Cyclone.
1300</div>
1301
1302[232]
1303[233]
1304
1305<div class="quote fetus">
1306!FETUS But he didn't, so Delayed Heal it is!
1307</div>
1308
1309[234]
1310[235]
1311
1312<div class="quote fetus">
1313!FETUS Everyone else continues setting up.
1314</div>
1315
1316[236]
1317[237]
1318
1319<div class="quote fetus">
1320!FETUS Hoo boy! Those Tusk Charms are doing some damn good work! They cut off 80 to 100 damage on that attack! So we should be mostly good since we've passed the damage check.
1321</div>
1322
1323[238]
1324[239]
1325
1326<div class="quote fetus">
1327!FETUS Not much else for Simon to do, so he stacks one last damage buff on everyone. I should probably upgrade that skill at some point.
1328</div>
1329
1330[240]
1331[241]
1332
1333<div class="quote fetus">
1334!FETUS Everyone else should be safe to Action Boost.
1335</div>
1336
1337[242]
1338
1339<div class="quote fetus">
1340!FETUS Do your worst, Etreant!
1341</div>
1342
1343[243]
1344[244]
1345
1346<div class="quote fetus">
1347!FETUS ...Wow. Etreant really can't do much to us. That's... actually really sad. Thousand Nails is nowhere near capable of 2 shotting the party, and it doesn't even deal enough damage to perform a 2 shot combo with Root Cyclone. We're basically set for the first few phases of the fight.
1348</div>
1349
1350[245]
1351[246]
1352[247]
1353[248]
1354
1355<div class="quote fetus">
1356!FETUS Are you ready to see me immolate a tree!?
1357</div>
1358
1359[249]
1360[250]
1361[251]
1362[252]
1363
1364<div class="quote fetus">
1365!FETUS Ignition, ho! I wonder how the other pyromaniacs stack up?
1366</div>
1367
1368[253]
1369[254]
1370
1371<div class="quote fetus">
1372!FETUS Ah, the wonders of being stuck in phase 1.
1373</div>
1374
1375[255]
1376[256]
1377[257]
1378[258]
1379
1380<div class="quote fetus">
1381!FETUS Ooh my, just smell that burning wood!
1382</div>
1383
1384[259]
1385[260]
1386[261]
1387[262]
1388
1389<div class="quote fetus">
1390!FETUS Woof. If Dude had Analysis active, that would have been so much more damage!
1391</div>
1392
1393[263]
1394
1395<div class="quote fetus">
1396!FETUS Ahahahaha, wow! We just skipped all the way to the final phase already!
1397</div>
1398
1399[264]
1400
1401<div class="quote fetus">
1402!FETUS King's Resolve is going to come out this turn, so that's going to erase all of our buffs, severely hampering our damage output greatly. I can at least have Simon refresh Bloody Offense, but there's still a potential problem. If he casts Bloody Offense before Etreant casts King's Resolve, that buff will also get erased and Simon will have wasted his turn.
1403</div>
1404
1405[265]
1406
1407<div class="quote fetus">
1408!FETUS And that's where Queen's Mark comes into play! It'll force our party to move last, ensuring that we outslow Etreant and he's forced to cast King's Resolve before our party can act!
1409
1410Surprised that we actually managed to find a legitimate use for this skill? So am I!
1411</div>
1412
1413<div class="quote cross">
1414!CROSS Only because you're too damn fast!
1415</div>
1416
1417[266]
1418[267]
1419[268]
1420
1421<div class="quote fetus">
1422!FETUS Oh no, what a shame.
1423</div>
1424
1425[269]
1426
1427<div class="quote fetus">
1428!FETUS Sometimes the best tools for the job can be found in the most unlikely places. It's all about keeping an open mind, you see!
1429</div>
1430
1431[270]
1432
1433<div class="quote fetus">
1434!FETUS LET HER RIP!
1435</div>
1436
1437[271]
1438
1439<div class="quote fetus">
1440!FETUS Tempest will be coming out this turn, but just in case it outspeeds our party members, I'll have Raquna use her newfound time wizard powers to ensure our victory.
1441</div>
1442
1443[272]
1444[273]
1445
1446<div class="quote fetus">
1447!FETUS Oh that is some fantastic burst damage!
1448</div>
1449
1450[274]
1451[275]
1452
1453<div class="quote fetus">
1454!FETUS The world has turned.
1455</div>
1456
1457[276]
1458[277]
1459[278]
1460[279]
1461
1462<div class="quote fetus">
1463!FETUS And so many have burned.
1464</div>
1465
1466!RESULT
1467[280]
1468
1469<div class="quote fetus">
1470!FETUS And that's it for the 5th Stratum. Overall, Visil boils down to a defense check. Pass it, and you shouldn't have too many problems with the fight.
1471</div>
1472
1473!SORROW
1474[281]
1475!SYSTEM The small but clear sound marks the end of the old order. The body of Etria's Chieftain rolls down from the mighty tree Yggdrasil. The mind animating the tree fades; the Chieftain's body bears the signs as well...
1476
1477[282]
1478!SYSTEM Yet to your shock, he is still alive!
1479
1480[283]
1481
1482<div class="quote fetus">
1483!FETUS Man this name just has to pop up in the serious scenes, huh?
1484</div>
1485
1486!VISIL1 I have waited all this time... for ones such as you to arrive... Ones with the strength to brave the Labyrinth's depths... the resolve to fight the calamity slumbering within...
1487!SYSTEM Visil reaches to you with a trembling hand. His fingers clutch a small, glasswork object.
1488
1489[284]
1490!VISIL1 This is an ampoule I devised... I call it the Yggdra Virus... it is an Yggdrasil killer.
1491!FREDERICA20 An Yggdrasil killer...!
1492
1493<div class="quote fetus">
1494!FETUS Wait, you seriously had it for over a thousand years? And uh, during that entire timeframe, Yggdrasil somehow never found out nor gave a shit about this thing which could kill it, despite stating it didn't want to die?
1495</div>
1496
1497!VISIL1 It is only a sample... that has never been tested... The seed of Yggdrasil... its Core... has evolved monstrously over the last thousand years... There is no assurance... that this ampoule will have any effect... but it is our last hope... nonetheless...
1498
1499[285]
1500
1501<div class="quote fetus">
1502!FETUS I take back what I said about the previous peak. This is it. This is the true peak of Etrian Odyssey Untold Story Mode.
1503</div>
1504
1505[286]
1506!DUDE We will that it is done.
1507
1508[287]
1509
1510<div class="quote fetus">
1511!FETUS Once again, I can't handle the mental image of that name coming out from his mouth.
1512</div>
1513
1514!SYSTEM After ensuring that it is firmly within your hands, Visil allows a smile to crease his face.
1515!VISIL1 My time is at an end... Yet I go to my death content...
1516!SYSTEM His emaciated hand clutches yours. By the dryness of his skin, you gauge that his death is at hand...
1517!VISIL1 Please... protect this land...
1518
1519[288]
1520!SYSTEM With that, Visil closes his eyes. The man who has watched over the land since time immemorial has come to the end of his self-appointed task. He has passed his burden to you...
1521!RAQUNA04 He was fighting all this time... and his battle is finally over...
1522!SIMON1 That's right. We can't waste what he's given us... the proof of his victory.
1523!ARTHUR4 Dammit, what was with him!? He tried so hard, even spent the last thousand years all alone... ...... He was one hell of a guy...
1524
1525[289]
1526!DUDE Our final task is to destroy the Core.
1527!FREDERICA06 Yes. We owe it to Visil now to destroy the Core too...
1528!SIMON1 I'm in full agreement, but why don't we return to Etria for now? The Radha should know of the Chieftain's fate.
1529!SYSTEM You nod to the doctor's suggestion and decide to return to town.
1530
1531<div class="quote cross">
1532!CROSS Just cause you got taken over by a tree doesn't mean you get off scott free about advocating genocide, don't start playing this noble sacrifice angle on fucking VISIL GAME!!!
1533</div>