Board 8 > TP Link continues to plays Trails: Copaganda Edition

(+) Yeah! (+)

Tio waking Lloyd up is amazing

Tio failed at doing it by saying "Nudge Nudge" so she cast a high level ice spell on him

the new music is great

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/4/6/AAO9CbAAE0by.jpg

The menace is here too

I'm investigating a series of robberies in food stalls and its clearly it were two young men. It's those two, isn't it

In apparently guess the wrong stall being attacked next, but wolf-kun guesses right and catches the criminal for us.

Is this chapter only gonna be stronger and more skilled characters doing our job?

It turns out the culprits did it because they wanted to prove they were bad enough dudes to the local delinquents. Wow, that sucks.

we are going to the ancient battlefield to track some idiot tourists, and a bracer is going too. I'm thinking we are going to split into teams of 2 and 3, but nope, the bracer goes along and we stay as a 4-man party. Ok...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/4/7/AAO9CbAAE0bz.jpg

... no.

The bracer finds Idiot Tourist #1. We have to find Idiot Tourist #2 ourselves, though

after crossing an entire dungeon, we find him in the natural habitat of Idiot NPCs:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/4/8/AAO9CbAAE0b0.jpg

Hmm, those monsters are weak to water. That's when I decide to test my new toy: Genesis Flood

Tio drowns them into near 0 hp and the party cleans whats left

but the game cheats and they get a cutscene revival. Now bets on who bails us this time. I'm gonna go with Noel

It's Arios. He does the thing. Monsters are vaporized.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/4/9/AAO9CbAAE0b1.jpg

Randy is perceptive.

Arios's speech praising Lloyd is weird since the later did nothing but attack monsters than cower in fear when it was clear he couldn't win

Though I get Arios, he sees those kids have potential and wants to mentor them

I complete the tour guide photo quest, the longest and most guide requiring of the game so far, but Grace drowns us in praise which is nice. And the photos look great

Mr. Kind Looking Merchant is calling us for another quest. Hmmm

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/0/AAO9CbAAE0b2.jpg

The 4th wall can't take anymore

ZeldaTPLink posted...

The TL;DR is that Giliath Osborne is behind everything

Truly no Trails player could have seen this coming

Sergei is definitely the best boss. Sometimes wish he had a more active role at times but that might also make him less good. Idk.

so glad you found anton

seriously, this song is so good

Lloyd treating Renne as a kid when she is just one year younger than Tio is still weird

I mean, its not like 13 yo is an adult or anything, but it lacks consistency. Then again, he spent a long time trying to treat Tio as a kid before she made him stop

Renne looks at the missing kid as if she saw a ghost. Interesting

Someone she met in a certain Star Door, maybe?

Renne joins the party! Well not really, but she's following me now

cant use her in battle since Lloyd can't know she has the ability to deal 10k damage per turn

Renne successfully bullies some kid into remembering the kid we are looking for. Atta girl.

She then practically admits she is the hacker from the previous quest, knowing Lloyd can't focus on that because he has to look for the missing kid

Forvget it, Lloyd. This kind of foe is for the Estelles and Joshes to face, not you.

Which is why I'm crossing my fingers and hoping we randomly bump into those. Though knowing Renne, she'll ninja out of it before the game screen even reaches them

Renne figures out the entire case for me and at this point the PCs should just retire. They have already gotten humilliatted by Arios, Wolf-Kun, Kilika and now Renne, all in the same chapter.

We learn the kid sneaked into a random car then jumped out of it into the wilderness while the driver wasn't looking

Ok this kid is bad news. Enforcer Number 37 or whatever. Interrogate him.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/7/1/AAO9CbAAE0dv.jpg

Tio's room is now properly decorated

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/7/2/AAO9CbAAE0dw.jpg

Never change Renne

We find the kid, who promtly gets attacked by monsters. And that prompts Renne to reveal she has Power Levels in order to save him. Interesting.

We kill the boss and now the question is who the hell is this kid who got Renne to reveal her soft side?
Renne realizes she let it slip and throws a tantrum herself

Girl, you already revealed you are a pro hacker with an IQ of 200, the gig has been up for a while now. Just cut your losses and count on the fact these PCs have about 50 characters more suspicious than you they have to deal with first

Renne: "Why do I have feelings?"
Estelle, somewhere: "All part of the plan" [Laughs]

back to the base, Lloyd just goes and reads Renne like a book

I'm guessing he has a natural advantage over Estelle and Josh because he doesn't know the background involved, so he can just go "I don't know whats up with you kiddo but if you need help, I'll help". And that's more inviting than "I SWEAR I WILL REDEEM YOU, EVEN IF I HAVE TO CHASE YOU TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CONTINENT!"

Also he's lowkey one of the most intelligent characters in this series so far

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/7/3/AAO9CbAAE0dx.jpg

What... the hell... is going on here

OH SHIT

Now that's a plot twist

Yeah ok Harold is hiding something. "Entrusted our daughter to an old friend". And the old friend just happened to own a child brothel. Yeah right.

I mean, I'm assuming the building that got burned down is the brothel, since we know Loewe and Josh burned it. It could be that she was taken from somewhere else to the brothel first. But occam's razor is that Harold is just hiding the fact he sold his daughter to prostitution

Renne leaves after a heartfelt goodbye and Estelle/Josh arrive 10 seconds later from the other door. The timing.

Estelle's sprite can now cry. The sprite technology is growing by the day

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/7/4/AAO9CbAAE0dy.png

The characters of this game now know the plot of the previous games. this is a very... huh... casual way for them to learn it

Renne gives us tickets for the auction. Boss told us to avoid the auction, but he did not expect a major character from Trails 2 showing and and giving the plot coupon to his subordinates. Boss should learn not to underestestimate player characters.

In Renne's chapter in SC you meet the Hayworth puppets

NFUN posted...

In Renne's chapter in SC you meet the Hayworth puppets

lol no way I'd remember what the puppets look like at this point.

I thought Harold's purple hair was distinctive enough that I went back and looked when I met him. Think he was also in Door 15 but I'm not sure

Been a while since I played 3rd but IIRC at the end of Star Door 15 Renne sees Harold/Sophia/Colin (but they don't see her) when she's with Loewe and/or Joshua after she's joined Ouroboros.

But yeah, if you remember who they were from SC/3rd it adds a whole bit of intrigue to them because you know they're her parents from the jump.

In fact, if you are extremely persistent in tracking down NPC dialogue up to this point (this has all already passed but I'll put it in spoiler tags I guess) you'll note that Estelle and Joshua are investigating them (and Renne) and eventually meet up with Harold in Mainz. You can walk in on them talking to him and then after some time passes Estelle and Joshua are at the Inn and Estelle is uncharacteristically fretting and the SSS notices and Joshua *almost* tells them the story then and there. They also can be found at the Rosenberg Studio gates at one point (earlier than that) debating if they should enter.

Wow ok I certainly missed those scenes.

I just dont want to go to every location in the world map whenever something changes tbh. It's nice to bump into those from tine to time, though.

if you want to see everything in crossbell, especially as you unlock more of the map, you really have to go everywhere, every time

it can be kind of exhausting, honestly

i definitely remember some hour-plus sessions that were purely catching up on NPC dialogue

great game though

ZeldaTPLink posted...

Wow ok I certainly missed those scenes.

I just dont want to go to every location in the world map whenever something changes tbh. It's nice to bump into those from tine to time, though.

For the Bracers there's actually a way to kinda cheat to some extent. At the Guild, one of the interactable boards on the first floor is a Shift Assignment that states where every Crossbell Bracer is at the time.

It's not foolproof because sometimes their dialogue will update while they're still in the same place so the Bracer Guild Board will simply say something like "Estelle & Joshua: Mainz" when that covers both them finding Harold and talking to him and then a bit later when they're at the Inn afterwards but generally speaking it can point you in the right direction.

catesdb posted...

if you want to see everything in crossbell, especially as you unlock more of the map, you really have to go everywhere, every time

it can be kind of exhausting, honestly

i definitely remember some hour-plus sessions that were purely catching up on NPC dialogue

great game though

This is just more effort than I'm willing to put into a videogame tbh. Especially a series that is already over 1000 h long.

Well I checked the board thing (didn't know it existed) and caught Estelle randomly playing with some kids at the cathedral. Gonna use that more from now on. Shame that the game is past the halfway point.

it's alright, you'll still catch lots from here with that

I remembered catching onto the bracer board late as well. Gives me something to look forward to if I ever get around to replaying this game (lol)

A statue has been stolen from the city hall. It can't be... him. Please.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/1/5/AAO9CbAAE0xL.jpg

FOR FUCK'S SAKE

This is why you kill bosses when you get the chance to fight them, Estelle and Joshua.

We run into Dudley, who is mad he won't be able to do anything about the auction. I want to see the look on his face when he finds out the SSS cracked down on it

We go to the airport and meet some guys who are apparently from the Capua Company. They keep mentioning "Her Ladyship". Looks like Josette has moved on to tormenting some NPCs now

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/1/6/AAO9CbAAE0xM.jpg

Not yet, Randy

Though Beaublanc has surpassed himself. How did he even get this statue inside this room?

His final letters informs us he will stop messing with us because circustances have arrived. yeah, Phantasmal Blaze Plans and stuff

But he drops one more time to give us a rare quartz while pretending to be someone else. heh.

The party is worried they will stick out in the auction. Tio presents a solution:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/1/7/AAO9CbAAE0xN.jpg

if this was an anime convention a teenage girl wearing a cat suit might blend in, but alas, its not

We are going to Mishelam when this menace shows up again

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/1/8/AAO9CbAAE0xO.jpg

Lechter, back for another attempt at making out of the "Actually a Bad Character" tier of my list. Will he stop being fucking terrible? We'll see

At last, I hope it doesn't take too long for the party to realize he's a literal gestapo agent

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/1/9/AAO9CbAAE0xP.jpg

Which is why Randy is a great character, and that prick is not. You can't be TOO uncaring about everything and everyone.

And then Kilika arrives. This is getting good.

I just realized we have both Calvard and Erebonia intelligence agents entering the same boat rn

Kilika's speech about Arc en Ciel is so good I'm here wondering if she actually works as an entertainment producer besides just using it as a decoy

Kilika is also way more human when she gets a voice actor. And when she's talking about art instead of just being an efficient drone. I love this character

cool quote about how a professional works, too. From the most professional character in the whole series.

Lechter just goes and admits he works for Hitler when first asked. Huh.

That's not a uh... conventional way to do spy work. Though he doesn't outright admit he is a spy. Well that's our "hidden genius" character for ya. He will be completely useless for the entire game then we'll learn he fulfilled his mission by the time the story ends.

Then he pretends he's about to kill them all and the entire party falls for it

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/1/AAO9CbAAE0xR.jpg

that would be troublesome (he totally knows doesn't he)

And he adds the part of working for Hitler as part of the joke, and now the characters don't believe it anymore. Sharp.

yeah ok Lechter gains a few points for me. Dude is Campanella levels of clever. I mean, Lloyd saw through Renne, but he couldn't see through Lechter.

my favorite meme is random npcs realizing Kilika is a spy but having no power to do anything about it

Tio's reaction at seeing the theme park is priceless

we scout the place where the auction is going to be held, and find the mafia preparing the security. heh

suddenly Lloyd hears a voice. "Find me"

I think that was in the game's intro? The plot develops

I do a quest for finding some guy's lost engagement ring. Standard stuff, except a bunch of people happened to drop rings all over the place in the same day, so I spend the time bringing wrong rings over and over. creative.

We fail to get a hotel room we can use to make plans (why don't we just go to some corner of the dock or something). Then Wazy shows up and offers his room. You know, the local delinquent. Offers his room in the mega luxurious hotel.

nice sequence with Wazy entering his room and the hotel maid fangirling

Wow ok, the guy is a host. Did not expect that

Who does it "for free". Wait, thats not a job, thats just picking up girls

I have to pick one person to go with Lloyd to the auction. I pick Elie, because I've already read on the game's friendship system and the fact it's connected with shipping. And I'm totally shipping those two at this point.

Plus let's be serious, it makes more sense story wise for Elie to be at the high class auction than soldier dude or tech girl

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/2/AAO9CbAAE0xS.jpg

Yeah ok the pick is already paying dividends. She looks hot

Lloyd and Elie manage to fool the guards by just by so soapy the guards get annoyed and let them pass

man, I feel like there is so much different dilogue you could get by picking Randy or Tio here that i'm just not seeing. This game goes the extra mile.

ngl, this section is fun, but it's the most plotless one in the game so far. They wanna go into the auction to "see crossbell's darkness". Like, it's obvious this is going to turn out to be important, but the initial excuse to come here is kind of forced

mafia grunt: "Rest assured, the securiry has everything under control"
undercover cops: "keep up with the good work, dude!"

We meet Kilika (again), who makes an info dump about hos this auction is one huge money laundry for elites from both Erebonia and Calvard

ofc, considering who she works for, I'm wondering what she came to launder. Or what launder she came to check on

She implies she is rooting for us to tear this whole place apart. Maybe. You're never sure with Kilika

Having her not be on the player's faction is kind of a refreshing experience, because until now, Kilika was a good guy by default, and now I'm not sure. In that sense, she is a reverse Lechter (who works for the big bad, but has all sorts of hints of anti-villainy going for him)

Lechter shows up out of nowhere and starts FISHING in the mansion pond

The Fisherman Guild... it seems their claws have reached even Erebonian intelligence

Lloyd hears the voice again, near the room where the goods are. They are selling people in this auction? Figures.

next, we walk into Hypocrisy: The Scene. With a couple finding out they are cheating one another at the same time

Next we jump into lechter feeding the mansion owner's fish (which he just stole) to the mansion owner's cat. lol

Garcia: "I have a feeling someone besides Heiyue is messing with us"
NOPE. It's just in your head. Move along.

Lloyd's disguise of Guy almost fails because Garcia might lowkey be the one who killed him. But then the daughter of the richest man in the series shows up to bail them

Auction time

Uh why does Imelda have a target on the back of her head? Oh wait it's a hair net.

Wazy shows up and reveals there are a bunch of guard dogs sleeping outside

The other mafia is attacking, apparently

Yup, there's Yin

Hey Yin we can't see the darkness of Crossbell if you wipe it out by yourself

Yin jumps out of the window. No Yin, stay and join our party danmit!

the game lets me rest on the sofas in this room to recover HP. While it's some nice QoL, I find it hilarious those characters would stop to nap on a sofa while breaking into the secret safe of the freaking mafia

The object we are looking for is inside a trunk right in the center of the room, without any other objects touching it. obviously

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the girl from the opening

this is some quality sprite animation

Her name is KeA. I'm guessing her dad is Elon Musk.

The alarm sounds. Yeah ofc they are not letting us leave without a fight or ten

But I wanted to see the auctiooooooon

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/3/AAO9CbAAE0xT.jpg

Does Lloyd get a penalty in battle for fighting while carrying a little girl

Welp, at least we get Wazy again

oh ok Lloyd droops her on the floor before battles

The girl follows rule #1 in the guide not to be a terrible escort: follow orders

also she jumps with joy when we kill bad guys. this girl is cool.

Wazy lampshades that Lloyd and co are friends with every weirdo in Crossbell

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/4/AAO9CbAAE0xU.jpg

You know you need to start focusing when Lechter tells you to get serious

Oh yes, the classic cat decoy. How many times has this series done that already? 3? 4?

I think only SC didn't do it but I could be wrong

I never thought I'd say that, but Lechter is a bro. Not that I have any idea what his motivations are

KeA keeps getting all my Team Rushes for some reason

Nobody:
Wazy: "Arrivederci!"

We are attacked by a bunch of mafiosos. i'm just getting read to drop the s-crafts on them when they pull out machine guns

Aaaaand time for another "who will bail us out this time" guessing game

I'm gonna go with the darkhorse and say "KeA reveals superpowers and knocks them out/teleports everyone to somewhere else", because that's a classic trope

Random boomerangs show up and hit the enemies. Ok.

I'm guessing Yin then. That was gonna be my guess before I thought of the darkhorse

The mafia has good publicity in this setting. But I think terrorizing tourists in the most popular resort of the country will do a lot of damage to it. Who the hell is KeA to make them willing to do all that to get her back? That's the million dollar question

We are cornered with no means to escape the island. Then a mafioso with a face portrait shows up. I guess we have to take him down to unlock a bridge to the next area or whatever

He comes with a big squad but I have the only thing more broken than and s-craft: a combo craft. it cleans house

KeA jumps in joy and raises everyone's attack and speed mid battle. i'll take it

Boss has very high stats but this is one of the cases where high stats don't help if your minions are made of paper and you aren't immune to chrono down. which Wazy is able to spam as a craft

Boss gets up again and I'm tired of this routine. Especially because it just means someone will bail us out AGAIN. For like the 7th time in this chapter

He casually drops that Randy used to be a jaeger. Nice, I love when bosses do that

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/5/AAO9CbAAE0xV.jpg

Randy and the boss go Super Saiyajin

But before they can make a 50 episode long fight, police dog and police chief show up, the later doing anything at all for the first time in this game

Plot twist: the mafia didn't know the girl was in there. Or at least Garcia didn't

Hartmann leaves and almost everyone follows him. Auction: busted

Oh yeah the boomerangs (actually chakrams) were from Kilika. I knew I'd seen them before

The two spies have a heart to heart. International treaties are made.

the party doesn't give any fucks about Randy's dark backstory. They are nakama

Chapter 3: "The longest and most confusing filler in history": beaten

We get a cutscene of Elie and Tio pampering KeA with new clothes and stuff. It's cute

meanwhile the guys talk, and I guess the gist of it is that the "bomb" Yin mentioned was KeA, because someone slipped her among the auction items without the mafia knowing, and when they opened that trunk, it would have looked like Revache/Speaker Hartmann are selling humans. As much as this is an illegal auction, a lot of the people in it are civilians. It could have caused a massive political shitstorm.

And for whatever reason, Yin helped prevent it by giving us the hint.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/6/AAO9CbAAE0xW.jpg

now I wish this happened because an army of A-rank bracers sounds fun

And the mafia makes a truce with us. Convenient

I gotta agree with the PCs, KeA is adorable

Lloyd shows massive character development and announces he'll ask the bracer guild for help with the KeA thing.

Just what Estelle and Josh need, another mysterious child

Intermission: KeA - begins
An intermission? Interesting

I gotta pick another character. I pick Randy, basically taking turns now

Ok let's be real now. KeA is totally getting kinapped. Probably at the end of this intermission. The In medias res section at the start mentioned rescuing a girl (could be Renne, but I don't feel it). Plus it's too soon to get a happily ever after. This girl is important and someone will come to get her.

kea is so cute

her voice actor saying ne ne lloyd-o will be burned into my memory forever

The original line from Randy at seeing the statue was "If this ain't a bruh moment, I don't know what is"

NISA robbed us

It's worth to go everywhere with KeA just to see her reacting to cast members. Some priceless interactions come from it. For example:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/8/6/AAO9CbAAE0z2.jpg

or this:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/8/7/AAO9CbAAE0z3.jpg

Or of course, this:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/8/8/AAO9CbAAE0z4.jpg

Imagine if Anelace met her. She might explode.

The guild offers to take care of KeA in the place of the SSS, since they have more resources. KeA then just goes and rejects Estelle's offer since she likes the PCs more. The later tries to hide it but it's clear she's not used to being rejected by kids

Sorry Estelle, no longer being a protagonist has its price

Apparently KeA is also one of the few people in the verse who likes acerbic tomatoes

We take her to the church to see if they can restores her memories

I'd call Zin, but his techniques tend to involve punching so it's probably not a good idea

she only remembers a dark place with a light above her. Well in the opening she appears in what looks to be a glass tube, so maybe its that

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/8/9/AAO9CbAAE0z5.jpg

No, it was an internet hidden quest guide that did

cuz otherwise I'd never go back to church again after going to the town

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/9/0/AAO9CbAAE0z6.jpg

And this is how copaganda begins

I have to answer a quiz and the one answer I get wrong is, ironically, when I say the police's role is to protect citizens. Still thinking as a bracer, I guess

KeA makes Lloyd answer why he joined the police, and we get a late development on his plot from the prologue

KeA can summon Zeit in battle. Sure, why not

We meet Cecile, who has a shipper's meltdown over the idea Lloyd may have a daughter

Called it. The lazy doctor is pivotal to the plot.

Well, not really. He doesn't have an easy answer, and the little kid doesn't really enjoy the idea of spending a week in a hospital

Silly PCs, the only way to learn the truth about McGuffin girl is to tackle the plot

The kid leaves the hospital alone. Of course this would happen
.
The kid wants to fish. Don't let the guild learn that, or they might recruit her

Nope, she doesn't get kidnapped just yet. Instead she makes friends with Arios' daughter

So what I'm understanding here is that KeA has Estelle levels of social ability

meanwhile, in the mafia night chat, evil plans are made

Intermission: beaten

we learn KeA is either a genius chef or has magical learning abilities. I'm going with the later
next quest is to investigate some haunted ruins. To Elie's horror

Chapter 4: "Who you gonna call? Not the police, obviously"

Noel joins the party again! And this time shes available for overworld stuff. We are gonna have an actual playable cast of more than 4 characters by the time this duology ends, book it.

NFUN posted...

The original line from Randy at seeing the statue was "If this ain't a bruh moment, I don't know what is"

NISA robbed us

bruh

I love that KeA debuffs the dog enemies by literally yelling "Bad doggie!"

KeA is something special, that's for sure!

Auction Elie is a winner for sure.

Auction Elie is something special, that's for sure!

I'm using a guide to check for major optional dialogues which I've missed, and watching a let's play video to see them.

I love how whenever Lloyd and co go to a particularly remote place to meet other characters, they usually get asked "what the hell are you doing here?" and their answer is always some lame excuse like "I dunno just stretching my legs". Because logically, there is zero story justification for say, going to Rosermberg studio in the middle of the festival. You just go there because you read a guide saying Estelle/Josh will be there at a certain point of time and you can read a nice piece of dialogue.
I's almost as if the game designers are lampshading how stupid this is

nice set of scenes, though. Particularly all the Bestelle stuff

Well back to chapter 4, and this time I intend to at least use said guide and trust that it lists the more important scenes. I've also learned from this endeavor which characters are more likely to be treasure troves of content and which aren't, so I don't have to talk to everyone every time

so I spend a good one hour optimizing quartz configurations (including catching a fish that has an EP Cut 3 inside it), now that I can buy lv 3 quartz on shops. I'm satisfied with the outcome. Tio can now cast high level AoE space, mirage and time arts, which will be op next dungeon. Elie is a bit less stacked in power but she has more element variety (and Elie spends half the time spamming holy bullet anyway). The other 3 get the standard physical attack package

also for the first time in the series, you can frely switch party members between one battle and the next. So instead of equipping 4 characters and swtiching quartz whenever I decide to go to base and switch characters, I went and equipped all 5 characters for the whole chapter. This requires a bigger inventory of quartz, but I'll spend less time reequipping characters in the long run

I walk into a funny scene where a nun is trying to convince the local weapon smuggler into sending her daughter to sunday school. But the woman disagrees since the kid can already calculate the profits from selling rifles so she doesn't need anymore studying

I do a quest in the hospital to make a necklace so Arios's daughter can give it to her dad. She rewards me with a stone she found. The stone is one of the best accessories in the game.

Love based quests always give OP rewards for some reason

Wazy when meeting Noel for the first time:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/8/AAO9CbAAE1Gy.jpg

those people need to join the party permanently so I can get more interactions like this

and apparently he enjoys having women yell at him. Too much information.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/9/AAO9CbAAE1Gz.jpg

Hmm not sure if I ship it yet, but I thank Randy for bringing up the possibility

Time for another Ricky and Anton quest. Ugh.

Anton is in love with Fran. Because he's always in love with the receptionist of the organization the PCs are part of. I guess that's the pattern the series is going with

The joke is that Fran's sister is in the party now, so if Anton ends up being a creep about it, he's gonna suffer

the entire quest is some dumb romcom routine that leads to nowhere. though it does give some nice characterization on both the sisters

fighting one of those challenge chest monsters. The ice ones. The strat is to have Randy and Noel spam at delay while the other two girls use magic.

I love how Shadow Blade was incredibly lame in the Sky games, now its this super cool, super poweful time spell

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/0/0/AAO9CbAAE1G0.jpg

I win, but the chest has one last revenge

Also beat the lv 25 boss from ursula road, this time by benching Randy since its immune to all status. It's somehow harder the the other boss, who was lv 30

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/0/1/AAO9CbAAE1G1.jpg

I run into a wallmaster

advantage of having a party member who is a military official: a party tank

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/0/2/AAO9CbAAE1G2.jpg

the tank will warp me anywhere I wanna go. would be nice if I had figured out where it was parked before doing almost every quest for this day, though

I do a quest for recovering books. When I'm met with the classic Trails Boss that Spams Earthquakes When Hit. I look online and apparently the only easy way to beat it is to farm everyone to 200 cp and delete the boss in the first turn. That's how you know the devs screwed up a boss design

yeah you can attack 1 by 1, but there are 5, they take a long time to die and their attack is already high when not spamming earthquakes (and one of them will always be doing it). Also they are immune to the entire status table.

this chapter in a nutshell: do humiliatting chores while Noel tags along and reacts with "wow I didn't know THAT was part of you guys' job too"

ZeldaTPLink posted...

so I don't have to talk to everyone every time

does not compute

ZeldaTPLink posted...

You just go there because you read a guide saying Estelle/Josh will be there at a certain point of time and you can read a nice piece of dialogue.

Or be me and just be incredibly anal about checking LITERALLY EVERYWHERE for every single new scrap of dialogue ever.

That's how I found it.

th3l3fty posted...

does not compute

Pass.

Well I suppose I'm talking to nocs more often lately.

But I'm still trying to filter what seems relevant and what is not. I e. random shopkeepers are more likely to be ignored, unless it's the ones Ive noticed have ongoing plots (like ice cream girl).

Well, for Estelle and Joshua at the studio, again, the Bracer Board comes in clutch. For that one it says something like "Estelle & Joshua: Personal Business (Mainz Mountain Road)" or something. I don't think it gives you the studio outright, but it does tell you they're in a weird place.

but yes like tcaz i personally just check fucking everywhere lol

Thorn posted...

Well, for Estelle and Joshua at the studio, again, the Bracer Board comes in clutch. For that one it says something like "Estelle & Joshua: Personal Business (Mainz Mountain Road)" or something. I don't think it gives you the studio outright, but it does tell you they're in a weird place.

but yes like tcaz i personally just check fucking everywhere lol

I suppose that gives the dialogue a creepy subtext then, since Estelle asks them what they are doing there and Lloyd says they are just stratching their legs because he doesn't want to admit they are stalking her and Joshua.

if theres one mechanic I never give a damn about in rpgs, it's cooking. which is why I'm stroingly considering skipping the cooking quest from chapter 4. or at least half-assing it.

Well I half-ass it, but making Elie make a ton of ultra dangerous food was funny

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/4/9/AAO9CbAAE1Sh.jpg

Mystery Inc arrives at a new haunted house

this place feels like a zelda dungeon

Lloyd's Rising Sun scraft is really cool. And strong.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/0/AAO9CbAAE1Si.jpg

I remove Elie from the party for a while because I feel bad for her being afraid of ghosts, but I can't. She's too OP. The party sucks without her

and other members aren't bad, they just arent an infinite CP battery who also gives people extra turns

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/1/AAO9CbAAE1Sj.jpg

when you know the game doesn't care about keeping resources from you anymore

we end the biggest infestation of ghosts ever by stopping a bell from moving

this was basically the way the devs found to reuse the bestiary from Trails 3rd

next mission is to find a guy who sent to Crossbell to gamble and never returned. I'm guessing he became indebted to the wrong people.

Noel drops us at the city and leaves the party. Meh. It was fun while it lasted.

so the story is that the miner was blessed with infinite luck and is now living a life of luxury from the casino, and no one knows how thats possible

this game is getting more supernatural by the minute

ok, minor spoiler time. I've looked at the list of sept-terrions out of curiosity (though I didn't look at details), so I know the next element is mirage. Mirage is knowledge.

So far we have KeA who has the ability to learn how to cook without being taught, and a gambler who can predict the cards in a game. It seems the name of the game will be characters having the ability to know things they shouldn't.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/2/AAO9CbAAE1Sk.jpg

this is it. She finally got kidnapped, didn't she

She did not. I feel like the devs are doing it on purpose. Like any veteran videogame player should be expecting keA to become a damsel in distress any minute.

Grimwood has been investigating a story about kids who were kidnapped, to see if KeA is among them. She's not. |'m betting Renne was, though

Aaaaand more cases of businesspeople learning info they shouldn't. That's the pattern. Our mcguffin dunnit.

Sergei and the lawyer say the PCs need to send KeA to a foster care, to their dismay.

Just send her to Cassius, I'm sure he won't mind adopting yet another mysterious child
meanwhile, at the Chinese mafia...

we learn the other mafia has also been getting more skilled at fighting

This Cao guy has nitroglicerine instead of blood

ZeldaTPLink posted...

I've looked at the list of sept-terrions out of curiosity

dude don't spoil anything FOR US

ZeldaTPLink posted...

This Cao guy has nitroglicerine instead of blood

huh

catesdb posted...

dude don't spoil anything FOR US

I'm assuming you at least played zero and azure.

_stingers_ posted...

huh

My bad, I meant liquid nitrogen. That's a joke I had seen somewhere else. It means he's really chill.

I'd repost the whole thing but it's too much work with all those images.

News of the night mafia war has arrived, and the bracer guild is ready to deploy their biggest force:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/9/6/AAO9CbAAE1pI.jpg

time to go question Cao. We arrived at Dudley failing to get anything from him, lacking the proper protagonism to pull it off. Watch and learn, Dudley

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/9/7/AAO9CbAAE1pJ.jpg

Lloyd gives no fucks

We question Cao, and I somehow think he's giving truthful answers. While hiding a bunch of important stuff, ofc

Lloyd says they go to Revache next. Seriously, no fucks at all

We learn one of the Vipers also took whatever the mafia goons took and used it to beat up one of the stronger gang members.

Wald telling the guy to go to the hospital asap is kind of sweet

We dont get much info from Revache, other than another hint that this attack doesn't feel like them. But they are sworn enemies of the SSS at this point so help will be unlikely

A wild Grace appears. Time for the press to prove themselves useful before the game ends

It took 6 chapters, but we are FINALLY doing the Nial routine

Tio points out that mafia making moves that pull them away from making money is weird

Grace's reveal mostly boils down to the top brass of Revache not being behind this, but doesn't say who is

And Lloyd figures out everything else, as always

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/9/8/AAO9CbAAE1pK.jpg

I dunno Lloyd, a Fullitzer sounds like a big deal

we get a follow up on the gambler's case and Grace just announces shes joining the party. The lady understands the power of protagonism. If you want a Fullitzer, follow the PCs.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/9/9/AAO9CbAAE1pL.jpg

Grace has a funny reaction when we try to enter the theater

We go see who Gantz is having a heated poker match with... it's Lechter

Oh shit poor Gantz

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/0/AAO9CbAAE1pM.jpg

You idiot. Don't you know that's the weakest possible hand in fictional poker matches? You should have folded

Never play the second best possible hand in a dramatic scene about a card game

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/2/AAO9CbAAE1pO.jpg

Well shit

ok I take it back, Lechter is a good character. I'm sorry Lechter fans, wherever you are. This shit is hilarious

Lechter: "It's clear that this hand of mine takes that straight flush of yours and flushes it straight down the drain"

10/10

Gantz gives away that he's doing drugs. I was starting to think it was that after noticing all the people getting skill buffs were losers of some kind.

Lloyd decides to check Gantaz belonging for drugs and this is starting to feel like real police

Dude is taking some blue pills. Could be worse. They could be red ones.

Sergei figures out the cases are connected and I'm disappointed at Lloyd for not noticing it first

Dudley arrives and reveals the 1st div is onto the drugs too but politicians told them to stop investigating

Sergei then earns his character portrait in one scene by completely bending Dudley like wet paper and forcing him to work for us

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/3/AAO9CbAAE1pP.jpg

It's the Lloyd show now, Dudley. You did not learn the easy way before, so you'll learn the hard way now.

Sergei: "and don't forget to say thank you to the PCs"

Dudley: "I... don't like you guys but i'll let you help me, ok? BAKA!"

I do a little quest about stopping a woman from running away to Calvard. We follow her all the way into the train. Hey, isn't this 7 games too soon to see Calvard?

the Republican faction guy is a massive asshole, but unlike the Imperial one, he's an unimportant asshole

We go meet the Doctor with a Face Portrait, who says he'll tyry to find out what those blue pills do
He has something even better than science to offer us, though: rumors

This one is that the one behind all is a satanist cult. and possibly Orobouros

Tio seems to be connected to the drug somehow too. maybe they tested it on her?

Yep, shes connected alright. she faints on the way back

the entire party telling Tio she doesn't have to reveal her past if she doesn't wanna is precious

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/4/AAO9CbAAE1pQ.jpg

It's never not time to roast Lloyd

Welp, Tio just went and won the sad past contest, at least for this playable cast

An interesting thing about people that these games get right is how we are all full of traumas, but they don't hit at the same time. So while the other 3 are broken at times, they can support Tio when she is the one having a moment, and they do that well

I'm saying this because Randy in particular seems very traumatized by his own past, but he's managing to be chill when mentioning it himself. And Elie was having a breakdown two chapters ago, but here she can be emotional support just fine.

Anyway, satanist guys are complete assholes. Someone call Kevin

Such a great cast

Estelle and Joshua were better, but they were two. The rest of the cast was an amalgamation of great characters with one note arcs, and mediocre characters. But here there are 4 very good ones with a solid dynamic.

Heck, jury is still out on Estelle/Josh being better because they only reached those highs in the second game

Look at what you did, Lloyd. Your cheesiness made Tio cry

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/5/AAO9CbAAE1pR.jpg

Anelace: [pukes rainbows]

Time for more reveals. We learn Arios used to be a cop.

whats up with those god tier bracers and their former positions in military

it makes sense why Arios babysits Lloyd now, though

This cult's name is gonna be a pain to write in this diary. Imma just go with DG

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/6/AAO9CbAAE1pS.jpg

The cult thing was so serious they called God

Imagine Arios and Cassius working together

Sergei tries to join the party but Lloyd convinces him to stay behind as mission control. Damn!

ZeldaTPLink posted...

I do a little quest about stopping a woman from running away to Calvard. We follow her all the way into the train. Hey, isn't this 7 games too soon to see Calvard?

Did they get on top of the train though

So I'm facing a bunch of optional bosses that are available right now. Among them, I stumble upon a thing called Sage Creepy Sheep

It's one of the most horrible battles I've ever fought

This thing has huge HP and defense. It has 3 moves, one that deals massive damage and always puts your party member to sleep, one that deals even more damage, and one that raises the target's attack but lowers its defense. Its speed is also huge so it often gets double turns. It's immune to all status except AT delays, which sounds good until I remember there are TEN of them and they tend to spread around to surround your party members. They are weak to fire but with huge HP and speed, they can kill your fire caster before they finish casting.

The only silver lining is that they spam the defense lowering move more than it's practical, so their DPS is manageable, and the fight tests your ability to heal and revive your party. Elie once again saves the day with a gladiator belt.

I won, but at what cost. I think I revived my party members at least 8 times and uses s-crafts at least 20 times.

It drops a Cancer Gem. Which is part of a horoscope series, but i'm pretty sure this one being the award wasn't a coincidence. This boss fight was cancer.

Creepy Sheep power escalation is the biggest hazard of Zemuria. I feel like by the end of this series they will be spamming s-crafts and casting Avalon Gate every turn.

the first division is investigating the airport but refuses to say what for. Hmmm

I do a quest for helping the gravekeeper get some flowers for Lloyd's brother grave. It's an emotional scene that comes out of nowhere, but it's nice

And we also see a scene of Estelle and Joshua taking Arios's blind daughter to get ice cream, and it's cuteness overload

I do a bunch of endgame objectives

• Catching every fish in the game. With the help of a guide, ofc. Lloyd is not the greatest fisher in all of Crossbell. This is useful too since I trade one of the fish to the local cat for an Action 3 (my fourth one), and apparently the ultimate fish can be traded for a Scent next chapter

(which is lowkey the best quartz in the game. Which is weird until you realize that must be compensation for removing Haze)

• I beat 3 quests monsters which give manuals for extra combo crafts with the non-Lloyd party members. They are hard, though. Especially the two beholders that spam mirage spells

• I also beat the remaining challenge chests, including the aforementioned Cancer Sheep, and also a couple others. Weirdly, the lv 40 battle, which I leave for last, is the easiest (even though my party is only lv 33). It's tough, but it's very predictable and it helps that I did this last cuz now I have 6 combo crafts to pick from.

now back to the main game

we start investigating the people who took drugs, but it turns out all of them are missing
that's a pattern all right. but not a particularly useful one

Dudley calls us: "You idiots. Are you guys the reason shit is happening at the mafia?"
Llloyd: "what shit happening at the mafia?"
Dudley: "Uh never mind. Just stay away from it!"
PCs: [go check it]

The mafia building is completely empty except for Dudley. This is getting more convoluted by the minute.

Someone placed bombs in the airport which forced the entire first division to stop watching the mafia and go deal with it. Which is when the mafia left

Ok I know bombs at an airport are a big deal, but I'd have left at least a beat cop or something near the mafia building. The fact a simple distraction ploy was THIS succesful doesn't say good things about the 1st div's competence

though I'm guessing the top brass who ordered the entire police to stop watching the mafia are the ones behind this

Yeah, that was it. Wow I'm sorry for those guys

weird that the state has a tight grip over the police EXCEPT the SSS though. I'd figured at this point they would have started trying to control it too.

Lloyd does an epic speech where he announces he'll investigate the building even if it's illegal. It even has the classic "I'm ready to surrender my badge" cop show stuff

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/9/8/AAO9CbAAE2Am.jpg

Dudley arranges his glasses. I think that's a sign he liked it

We are gonna make you a nakama sooner or later, Dudley

Dudley joins the party!

Or rather, we have become his party

Dudley's orbment is time element. The other times we have time orbments they belonged to some real broody heroes with tragic pasts. Let's see if this is the case too

Dudley has a healing craft called Tough Love. lol

We found a porn magazine some mafia goons were reading. Randy stops to fulfill some important business

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/9/9/AAO9CbAAE2An.jpg

Lloyd: "wait, I saw something between the pages"
No Lloyd you didn't. Please.

Or nvm it's a note with a password

this dungeon has no enemies, instead it's one big puzzle game

oh there aren't mafiosos, but there are monsters. Fair enough

one of Dudley's crafts deals instant death at 100% chance. That's it. He just goes and kills the enemy. If it's not immune to deathblows, that is. And it looks very cool too.

Tio has learned Kevin's s-craft and lowkey climbed 3 positions in the party member usefulness rankings

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/0/AAO9CbAAE2Ao.jpg

... whyyyyyyyy

We learn Don Marconi just loves dumb dungeon puzzles. Figures. He always sounded like a creep
Oh hey, Orobouros archaisms. Took long enough

the question is whether the mafia just bought them in the black market, or if Orobouros is actually supplying them

we find a t-material and I leave the dungeon to go upgrade Tio's staff. Dudley is NOT PLEASED at the detour

Dudley my dude, pointless sidequests in the middle of important missions is how PCs roll. Didn't you want to be a PC? Get used to it

Is it just me or are those archaisms way weaker than the monsters in the other side of the dungeon?

or maybe it was because I was using scent so it was harder to get battles with advantage. Still, they are going down rather easily

give Dudley a Leo gem and spam the insta kill bullet. OP as fuck

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/1/AAO9CbAAE2Ap.jpg

That's... a good point

I gain a steam achievment from killing 8 enemies in one move. Thanks to Tio and her Genesis Flood versus a bunch of robots

we are attacked by a mecha on the way to Maconi's office. The kind that used to appear in SC.

We face the boss of Chapter 4. Compared to the 10 optional bosses I just killed, this is a massive joke. It ends with Dudley taking off his coat to punch it so hard it sinks to the ground (cool s-craft)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/2/AAO9CbAAE2Aq.jpg

Yes I get it Lloyd

there is a funny interaction where Elie accidentally lets out that they have been to the auction and Dudley is surprisingly sporting about it

the room is full of files proving the mafia's all crimes, but we can't use anything since we are invading without a warrant

well, we can't use anything for proof but we could always use it to find out where shit will go down next and stop it

Lloyd finds the files he needs, but also his bro's badge inside a mafia chests. The plot thickens

so there is one mysterious person behind everything. Is it someone I know?

I'm gonna go and guess the doctor because it would be yet another twist with an evil blue haired dude

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/3/AAO9CbAAE2Ar.jpg

The difference between the hero and the non-hero

Yes, let's bring the bracers!

Dudley is gonna get the 1st div to work behind the leadership's backs, we are gonna call the bracers, and now we have ourselves a task force

Lloyd and Dudley have a scene where they bond over Lloyd's bro, and Lloyd announces he's putting the mission ahead of any pursue of revenge. Atta boy

Chapter 4: "War on drugs always fails, fictional or real": beaten

Meanwhile, Renne is at her computer, which is about the most dangerous place she can be at. For everyone else.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/4/AAO9CbAAE2As.jpg

No. No parties. Bad Renne! Bad!

We meet the dollmaker, who is some old dude. Although the timing is convenient, I don't think he is our main villain, but I could be wrong.

She implies Orobouros is not behind this. Huh

Doubt.gif. Orobouros is always behind it, even if they are not behind it

We get a name drop. Professor Novartis. The guy who built the Peter Mater, I suppose. And who has always been supplying archaisms to the mafia for unknown reasons

It's that jerkass who appeared in Door 14 and was obssessing about wanting to continue to watch Renne

Note to self: when someone introduces themselves at The Professor, shoot on head immediately

Renne: "let's get some tea"
No. No tea! Tea is bad! Bad Renne!!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/5/AAO9CbAAE2At.jpg

That's a chapter name alright

Arios joins the "bonding over Lloyd brother" party

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/0/6/AAO9CbAAE2Au.jpg

You know a team up is powerful by the hair color variety

All those secondary bracers getting full voice acting out of nowhere is funny. Now all they need are face portraits to reach the Grant Tier of Relevance

ZeldaTPLink posted...

You know a team up is powerful by the hair color variety

the best part of a JRPG is finishing your rainbow

Dudley definitely has the best S-Craft in the series and no I will not be taking questions or comments.

pyresword posted...

Dudley definitely has the best S-Craft in the series and no I will not be taking questions or comments.

#WheelofTime4Life

pyresword posted...

Dudley definitely has the best S-Craft in the series and no I will not be taking questions or comments.

Kevin in 3rd.

And also CS3+ Machias.

ZeldaTPLink posted...

#WheelofTime4Life

me when telling people ASOIAF isnt that good

ZeldaTPLink posted...

Grant Tier of Relevance

Ooh... I'm updating my character sheet to use this.

(Cold Steel III notes:) There's been a whole bunch of characters that haven't any journal entries or name reveal scenes like major and minor characters, but they still get their own special close-ups whenever we talk with them... and now that I think about it, there've been a number of characters like that I may retroactively add...... nahhhh.

I've noticed Zero is a lot more picky about who gets to have character portraits compared to the Sky games. The bracers and the bracer receptionist, for example, are all characters who would have gotten portraits in Sky.

The internet says you have to give fish to the cat, Coppe, in all chapters including the prologue in order to gain a Gemini Gem at the end of the game

I'm positive the internet is wrong, because I did not give Coppe fish in the prologue, and the Gemini Gem is currently sitting in my inventory

It also greatly changes my plans for quartz because 50% cut on casting time is not easy to ignore. Tio is about to turn into a crazy powerful shadow blade casting machine

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/4/AAO9CbAAE2NM.jpg

a dog is a dog

TIme for the final orbment setups! I stopped doing this every chapter since the days of FC, but I'll be danmed if I don't at least show the endgame ones

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/5/AAO9CbAAE2NN.jpg

Tio is a merciless magical cannon. This setup strikes a delicate balance between pure damage and efficiency. Because cancer gem instead of mind 3 reduces damage output a little bit to release an extra slot, which guarantees both Genesis Flood and Shadow Blade (not the strongest AoE ever, but still really strong), as well as some secondary options in space, mirage and wind. And she casts fast. Really fast. And can cast all day too, thanks to all the extra EP. I also intend to give her one of the two ultimate pieces of armor I'm allowed to craft, since it raises ATS. The other one is probably going to Elie. Offense is the best defense.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/6/AAO9CbAAE2NO.jpg

Now I was surprised by this Elie, but it worked out. Fire and Wind just have good synergy in this game. Elie gets Thunder Cyclone, one of the best AoE options, and Crimson Ray, the highest damage spell in the game, which is just great for bosses. It is more physical than usual, but hey, Elie's Cross Mirage is good. Leo Gem allows me to give her a weaker gladiator item so the strongest one can go to Tio, who needs it since she's the new Kevin. Alternatively, keep the strongest one on Elie and make her an ever better CP battery. We'll see what works best.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/7/AAO9CbAAE2NP.jpg

I was going to place Yggdrasil somewhere. Lloyd is not a caster, but if someone weak to earth (or to fire) shows up, he can step in. And Taurus Gem makes him bulkier while giving the game's equivallent of Earth Wall (Aidios Bless Earth Wall!). Aries Gem + Attack 3 give him obscene offensive power, Invigorate makes up for the fact I gave everyone else the Gladiator items. I considred Sagittarius Gem instead of Evade for a while, but honestly I dont need more movement. Petrify likely being replaced for Defense at the final boss, though.

Update: I posted this image then realized I had lost Yggdrasil, so the version that went in has Lloyd with HP 3 instead of Taurus Gem, and the later goes to Randy, who puts it in place of Strike.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/8/AAO9CbAAE2NQ.jpg

And this is where I get to ignore the magic system. Virgo Gem could be good on Lloyd, but Lloyd is busy being a paladin so Randy can abuse it instead. HP is just an useful orbment that also lets Randy heal (ok I did not FULLY ignore the magic system), the rest is staple. Detection is too good in the overworld to miss, but it will be replaced by one of Defense or Sagit Gem when we get to the bosses (to be decided) .

I sell a bunch of unused sepith and buy two Evergreens from Imelda. Lloyd and Randy now have a nice 45% evasion

the girls get grails locket. Immunity to status is important when you are the main healers

everyone gets a gladiator item, but I only have 3, so Lloyd gets Shizuku's brooch.

ok now I'm done crafting the setup that will trivialize all of the game's remaining combat unless the devs are jerks. Back to the game.