Due to unforeseen issues, alcharagia will no longer be commentating alongside me. Instead, I will be joined by Crosspeice. (This may seem familiar to some of you...)
Hello hello, pleasure to be here at the... Untold LP?! I was told this was the line for Nexus! Ah, well, since I'm here, let's talk about this trash heap.
Thanks to you, I was relieved by backup at once. I can't express to you the burden that you lifted for me...
The guard seems to have regained his composure and bows politely to you. By the way... did that explorer live?
Yes, he'll survive. Though I don't believe he's awakened yet. I see... I am aware that explorers face constant danger, but I pray nonetheless that he'll see better days.
Your task is to delve further and defeat Cernunnos, the monster named for a god.
Finally done with floors 8 and 9.
You turn and meet the gaze of those you have shared your struggles and victories with.
We're almost there.
Heh, yeah. We've come this far, so we can't stop now! Let's keep it up! Your companions regain their confidence upon hearing your words and you nod to each other before continuing the journey. Time for the final floor of this Stratum! No one in town has any new dialogue in Story, so we're just gonna stick to this floor for the update.
Just as Arthur says, countless insects are nestled on the room's walls, watching your every move...! The insects make no move, as if waiting for a signal. You have no way of knowing when they may attack.
I don't know if we could survive if they all attacked... Let's not stay here too long, okay? You nod at Frederica's caution and go warily on your way, so as not to agitate the insects.
Raquna stops abruptly and closes her eyes with a relaxed expression. You stop as well, only realizing now that you are drenched with sweat. You seem to have exhausted yourselves while walking through the humid forest Labyrinth... This breezy space may be just the place to take a rest. I'm gonna need this after several encounters with 4 Petaloids! Knowing that work must be punctuated by rest, you set down your belongings and sit. Only Raquna remains standing. Someone needs to stand guard, eh? It's fine. It's so cool here that I'm getting plenty of rest even standing. While it is true that a watch must be posted, Raquna's heavier equipment must surely tire her more than the others...
She's pretty much the only character I actually like in Story mode, so let's be nice to her. Her only real trait is "Canadian, eh", but that's always a winner.
Oh, you don't have to, you know. But if you're offering... Thanks! You stand guard in Raquna's stead. A dry, cool breeze blows through the dense, humid forest... Before long, you notice that the sweat that had soaked your clothing has dried completely. The rest seems to have done the party a world of good, since everyone feels refreshed upon resuming the journey.
What a nice change of pace! Though we should be going now, eh? Oh, but why not note this place down on the map? It's not often you find such a nice breeze in this forest. You can note this spot on the map as Raquna suggests, or ignore her advice and return to the investigation.
I would like to have words with the people responsible for EOU's escape rates.
Hey, Dude. I just saw something fall into those leaves on the ground. She does not seem to have made out what the object was, but you can try searching the mound of leaves for it.
I don't see the harm in doing that. As you dig through the leaves, you find a large fruit. Could a passing bird have dropped it...? The fruit is big enough to split amongst the party. You can share it with the others or have one member try it.
Sharing is caring. Even though I don't care about most of these people. If we go down, we'll all go down together, hm?
I don't think you're using that right. Don't assume we're going to die... You indulge your curiosity by dividing the fruit equally for everyone to try at the same time.
Ooh...!
Dang! This is super good! The moment you bite into the fruit, its intense succulence washes away all your exhaustion!
Handy. Yum, floor fruit, my favourite.
You nod grimly to Simon while brushing away a leaf that fell on your head. Ever since entering this room, you have heard a faint rustling of grass and felt as if something is watching you... But you can find no enemy. Could it be cleverly concealed...? You think carefully as to where it might be.
Well a leaf fell on Dude's head, so it must be somewhere above. Recalling the leaf that drifted from above, you look up, squinting cautiously at the forest ceiling. That is when you discover the plant writhing ominously amongst the branches... That seems to be a man-eating plant... It mimics its surroundings well, but I think there can be no mistake. That must be what's been giving me those odd vibes... Might as well deal with it now. But whether the plant senses Raquna's drawing of her weapon, or the failure of its ambush, it slinks quietly away. All at once, the menacing presence filling the room disappears, as if abandoning you as a target.
Hmm... We didn't strike it down, so it's probably best we don't stick around here. Raquna's right in that the man-eating plant is only in hiding and no doubt still lurks nearby. You make a note to remember that there is a dangerous plant here before leaving the area.
Oh, if you're wondering how to get past this Jungle Killer without fighting it (since Ragnar opted to brute force this puzzle.)
Treat this Giant Moa like a pillar and kite the Jungle Killer around it without being caught by the Giant Moa.
And there you go! I actually wonder how many people actually solved this the proper way, since almost everyone I know decided to just kill the Jungle Killer and move on. I kept getting caught by the Moa, so yeah I just killed them both...
You think at first that it is a nut fallen from the trees, but what you see at your feet is a medicine bottle.
What in the world? Do bottle trees grow around here? There's no such thing! Maybe it was stuck in the branches? When Raquna looks up to investigate, something cries energetically in answer and another bottle falls before you. A closer look at where it came from reveals a baby monkey with a bandaged leg, jumping up and down...
Is that the same monkey we helped out before?
A favor repaid by a monkey, hm? Well, the medicine seems of high quality. We may as well keep it. Happily surprised by the reunion, you wave to the baby monkey as you march on with your investigation.
Once I reached the end of the floor shortcut, I decided to go back to town. And as it turns out, Rosa gained enough exp to let us see her next scene.
Oh, my apologies. I seem to have been distracted for a moment... Welcome back. Is something wrong? You look a little down...
I am all right. More importantly, I have received a letter from Master Sheldon. It's for you... Father wrote back rather quickly... Let's see... Oh, he's asking a lot about you, Dude. Father must be interested in learning about a Highlander because he's a knight. Let's see... He says he's glad to hear about us, and it looks like my brother's doing well, too. Fun fact, the Highlander class was originally planned to be a "Dark Knight". Considering the entire sacrificing the user's HP aspect, it's really easy to see the influences. A shame, then, we didn't get EO3U, where the Dark Knights Returned. You have a brother, Raquna? Yeah, he's my kid brother. My parents had him a lot later than me, so it's been kind of a handful. Father has a lot of nuisances, like who's going to take over the family name...
Hmm, I guess nobles have their problems, too. ...... Hm...? Is something the matter, Rosa? Um... well...
If you witness this scene after a certain point in the game, a 3rd choice shows up. Which is "True justice for all!" It's an entirely pointless choice, because all the choices in this part lead to the same bit of dialogue. Won't you tell us? Master Dude... ...... I must tell you... I received an order from Master Sheldon to return to Ontario. I keep forgetting about Dude until just the right time. So do I, and it's great.
As you read, Ms. Raquna, it appears that they are short-handed at the mansion at the moment. They want me back at Ontario because of my experience, and someone else will take over Treehorn.
What are you going to do? I... I do owe Master Sheldon for what he has done for me back home. He has treated me very kindly. However, I... ...... Rosa... ...Please, let me think about it a little more. ...Thank you for listening to the troubles of a lowly maid such as myself. Now then, is there something you would like me to do? We don't get a new prepare option out of this. There's one more scene we have to see before that happens. As for her talk dialogue after this scene...
......
Hmm... She is a skilled maid, and if my family needs her back, there's really nothing I can do. Good help is hard to find, you know?
Man, just when we were starting to become friends. Does this mean no more cordials?
...I'm going to miss her.
Me, too. Yeah... We can only wait for her to decide. Let's let her think about it in peace.
Hahahahahaha.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
AHaha-okay. As great as getting this is, I can't really use this right now. Arthur doesn't have enough room on his Grimoire Stone yet to abuse this, and I really want to keep his current set of skills on his Grimoire Stone. And Dude's skill build hasn't matured enough to abuse this yet. But getting this now will save me some time later. As first I was like, oh level 20 Action Boost this early, cool! But that's next game, so then I was like, oh, now someone else can become a fucking monster.
Oh and Ragnar didn't cover this room full of scorpions and treasure, so let's see what they were guarding.
All this contains is Holy Gift at level 5. I guess that's an okay skill to have on a stone?
This was not worth killing 2 scorpions for. We don't even need this for any big enemies coming up! Well at least it's not 2 scorpions leading to a locked door, a gathering point, or another FOE...
Is that... Ren and Tlachtga? Could they have come to help us take care of Cernunnos? If you wish, you can hail them, though you could also simply ignore them and proceed onward.
You can hear satisfaction in Ren's voice as she looks toward you.
The Radha is having us aid explorers working to defeat Cernunnos. With that, Ren searches through her pack and produces a small bottle of medicine. We've prepared a special salve to heal wounds. Use it in battle.
Ooh! That'll be useful! And no, this isn't the Story advantage kicking in, if you saw that Ragnar got a Hamao from Ren. Ren just gives out a random medicinal item here.
Cernunnos' lair is just around the corner... Come back here if you're hurt. We'll be waiting... You thank the pair and leave this place. But that's not all! You'll want to talk to them again. Especially if you're hurt.
May you find luck against him... luck, and victory... Tlachtga motions for you to show her your hands; when you do so, she sprinkles some shining droplets onto them.
It's healing medicine from the spring. Effective, no? You challenge a powerful foe, so be fully healed before you go. You thank the pair before leaving this place. Once again, Shilleka, how did you turn that springwater into a shittier Hamao?Anyways, Ren and Tlachtga will stay here until you beat Cernunnos.
Very nice for when you Floor Jump to B10F and maybe fight one thing on the way to Cernunos.
Looks like this Cernunnos is going to be a tougher customer than we expected. The foreboding presence makes even your steps heavier... It can only be the Jungle King, Cernunnos! If you are prepared, then open this door!
Oh, I'm more than prepared! Heh heh heh... Man, what's it like fighting bosses with a Medic? Oh it's not too bad. The amount of extra defense through healing is nice. Though he has room to do other stuff when he isn't healing.
Hey, it's that guy from the opening. Standing within the room is an enormous monster at the ready!
That must be Cernunnos!
It's so big...! I had expected a fearsome creature from the explorer's wounds... but nothing this immense. The grandly horned monster casts a withering glare at you and draws itself up to its full majesty! Regardless, this is the monster Cernunnos that you are bound to defeat! Draw your weapons and challenge it to battle!
I'm afraid my setup doesn't allow me to record videos, so I'm afraid these are going to be screenshots only.Round 1, fight!
Once again, I'm doing the row micromanagement tango with the mistress known as Bloody Offense. I usually forget to shift rows all the time, even though it's super easy. But I put Ri- er, Frederica in the front row anyway, so at least Raquna got buff.
Just having everyone set up their stuff for now.
This is to ensure that Cernunnos' attacks go after Raquna. Both she and Dude can take what it can dish out.
Silent Stare is pretty much a free turn. The only party members it will actually affect are Arthur and Simon. Though I already have some Theriaca As on hand, so it's not a big deal if they get tagged.
Bahahaha! It missed everyone!? Okay, I'll take that!
Setting up Dude's combo.
What Raquna will be doing for most of the fight.
What Simon will be doing when he doesn't have to heal. Yo dawg, I heard you like buffs.
And these two will be going on the offensive.
Oof, Combo Smash came out. I was hoping for Horn Rush or a regular attack.
Very good damage being dealt to Cernunnos here. Those are similar numbers to my party in the 5th stratum. Power creep, yo. It started in EO2 and would only get more crazy from here. Remember when 200% damage used to be considered strong?
Okay, I'm just gonna have Simon heal off the damage Dude and Raquna just took.
Wow, good thing I queued up Delayed Heal.
Time for the combo finisher.
Good grief, just look at all that damage!
Horn Rush happened here. Though I'm not particularly worried about the damage now.
This is effectively a free turn for everyone, so I just take the time to set up everyone's buffs again.
And heal up while Cernunnos does absolutely nothing. Honestly, what kind of devs would just leave an obvious T-pose in? It's clearly trying (and failing) to assert its dominance. However, my party is not cowed by its feeble attempt!
Look at how much HP I took off in just 4 turns!Oh, and this is effectively another free turn for the team. Now that Cernunnos is below 51% HP, it'll summon the Healing Rollers.
I have Arthur plan a welcoming party for said Rollers.
Heh heh heh, just as planned!
Frederica's Penetrator passive activated here while she was shooting Cernunnos with Action Boosted Volt Rounds.
Letting Arthur take out one of the Healing Rollers immediately with Thor Formula.Remember to take at least one of them out, since they do count for the Monstrous Codex.
Alright turn 7. How much more of the fight do we have left?
Wow, really!? I was that close to getting a 6 turn kill? If I didn't opt for the Healing Roller snipe, I could have just taken out Cernunnos then and there.Wait, this gives me an idea...
Like hell I'm getting that conditional drop legitmately! It's kill with Curse damage!And the Story party has no way to inflict Curse! If they did, I'd actually show off the drop the proper way. But such methods aren't coming for a long long while. And the later you try to attempt this, the harder it will be to snag that drop legitmately.
I just use a Formaldehyde on anything that moves. Conditional? Low percent drop? Gonna kill the enemy this turn? Formaldehyde!
Knockout!
Cernunnos as you can tell... is really not that strong when pitted against the Story party. The Story party has a ton of tools to utterly wreck it with, and this is around the point where the Story party really gets going.
Our trophy for winning that match.A clean dunk, but not as big as Ragnar's. Oh well, fairly decent for what the Story party is capable of pulling off.
Awimbawe
The Jungle King has met its end by your hand!
That was clearly a team effort. A victory for Achievers! Haha, I like the sound of that! Indeed. It's fitting, given that we've just overcome such a difficult fight. Oh yeah, that was totally difficult. I mean I couldn't get the 6 turn kill because I opted for the Healing Roller snipe. Hehe, it feels great! We really did pull this off on our own, huh! A lot of people suffered because of this monster, right...? Do you think everyone will be happy that it's dead?
Hell yeah murder I hope so.
Yeah! The Achievers Guild worked hard for this, after all. As you rejoice over the slaying of Cernunnos, Simon speaks up calmly. Now that the battle is over with... What next? Should we keep going and find the Geomagnetic Field? Or return right now to Radha Hall?
The Geomagnetic Field is always a few steps into the next Stratum. Let's find the Geomagnetic Field. Understood.
Sure thing! If it's just another two, maybe three steps away... I think I should be fine! ...That doesn't sound fine to me. Though the weariness from the intense battle remains, you harden your resolve to proceed deeper into the forest.
And now we're done with the 2nd Stratum! Onward to the 3rd one!
It's completely changed... So this is the third Stratum. Very odd. We're underground, but it's so bright... like we're underwater. Now, we found the second Stratum's Geomagnetic Field soon after entering. Will the pattern hold this time?
Like hell I'm risking losing my sick dunk on Cernunnos. Let's look for it at once. Yeah! After you, Dude! You take your first steps into the new floor, with the Geomagnetic Field as your objective.
Within it, you spy a familiar pillar of light...
With that, Simon begins speaking in the lost tongue of the ancients...
You have seen this phenomenon once before... You realize that it is now connected to Gladsheim. Now we can finally make some progress in our investigation of Gladsheim. Mike might be waiting for us... Could this man named Mike, who holds the clues to the girl's memory, truly await you deeper within Gladsheim? You are eager to step into the Geomagnetic Field in order to find out the truth of the affair...
Let's go back to town first, before we head to Gladsheim.Oh, and most of the townsfolk don't have any new dialogue until we turn in the mission.
Cernunnos' conditional drop unlocks... a piece of armor that the Story party can't even use. Thanks game. Landskechts will love this, though.
...I am sure that it has dangers that are unlike those in the forest. Please, be careful. Let's look at that King Grimoire we got from Cernunnos.
Forest Guardian has priority, and will reduce all incoming physical and elemental damage by 35% for 1 turn when cast. 45% when boosted. It's not as universally useful as Wolf Pack, but it's a nice skill to have. I suggest putting this either on Raquna or Simon. But once Raquna gets Bravery's Gift, you'll want this on someone that's not her. Preferably Simon. No Immunize, but baby priority version will have to do.
Okay, this quest? Don't take it. Let me say this now, the devs expect you to be around level 44 to tackle this quest! I have no idea why they gave it out this early!Let's turn in that mission report to the Radha.
Just swap in a Ronin and you'll be fi- oh, wrong game. There's always gotta be one quest to just sit in the queue for a few hours of game time. The EO1 version was at least intended to be taken at the time you get it. It's just a bad idea due to severe overtuning.
This will allow more explorers to venture further into the forest, down into the third Stratum. We are deeply grateful for your hard work. Especially yours, Dude. Our original request was to investigate the new ruin, so I'm sorry we must rely on you to delve into the forest as well.
Don't worry about it. It still seems shameful that we rely on you so heavily. Your Achievers Guild has gained prominence among adventurers, even in Etria. I believe we will be relying on you for some time to come... I hope that we can maintain cordial relations. Now... you'll be wanting to investigate the ruin further, no? It isn't much, but here is your reward for defeating Cernunnos. I hope it is of use to you in your journey.
Let's see what Quinn has to say normally.
It just goes to show how much we've come to rely on your explorations.
We came here as an investigation team, but it looks like we're making our names as adventurers. Maybe we're better off as adventurers. What do you think?
Well, we're doing a pretty decent job of that, I would think. Whatever puts food on the table. I don't even like drawing maps, b-baka! I know, right! We're getting used to exploring the Labyrinth, and it's getting funner and funner. Don't you think we're even a better team in battle now? Well, I suppose it is more interesting than endlessly poring through books at the Library. Even when on field work for the Library, there are endless regulations. It's good to be free of such things. I didn't expect an honors student like you to say that, Simon.
Um... could I have a minute? I want to go check the Inn. I want to tell that girl that Cernunnos is gone now, and everything's going to be all right.
Let's go to the Inn, then. Yes, let's go!
Congratulations on your defeat of Cernunnos.
Wait, you already know? Of course. Good news always spreads quickly. Oh, yes... I wanted to tell you that the adventurer you brought in earlier has woken up. That's good to hear. I'm sure it'll be some time before he's ready to go exploring again. Is he still staying at the inn? Well, the thing is... The moment he heard that Cernunnos had been slain, he jumped out of bed. Huh? He yelled that he was supposed to be the one to slay that monster, and went off to train. He seemed very upset. Well... That sounds like a great deal of energy for someone who is injured. I'd have to agree. I never thought someone who'd been in a coma for so long could move that quickly. Well, I'm glad the guy's all right now. I'm sure his daughter is happy. Oh yes, of course! That reminds me. I have something to give to you. Here it is. It's from the child for saving her father.
This... Aw. Looks like she put a lot of effort into writing this. See? It says, "Thank you for saving Daddy!" Let's keep this somewhere safe. Right, Dude?
Yes. Now then, it's time for a celebration! The usual place, eh?
Road trip with Rosa, of course, this solves all our problems! That would make for a much better story than what we got. But alas. The pub? That's right! Looks like great minds think alike. Come on, let's get going!
Haha, even more clients are going to be flocking here with jobs for you now. Keep up the good work, heroes.
Leave it to us. Yeah! We can solve any problem! You got that right! I'll be counting on you, then.
I like the sound of that. ...Yeah. And now everyone's happy and celebrating... That feels good. Hear, hear! Ha, looks like Frederica's finally getting the joy of being thanked by others! See, don't you feel better? ...It's not some childish reason like that. I'm not like you. ...The hell is your problem, Frederica? Huh? Well, what's different about you, then? Really, what's childish about liking being thanked?
W-Well... ...It's just different, okay? Seriously, what the hell is your problem, Frederica? Haha... You two get along pretty well. ...Sure, whatever you say, Simon. She's happy because the monster is deeeeeeeead! They do say that friendly banter is proof of being able to get along.
I guess you're right. Will you do the honors, leader?
To defeating Cernunnos!
Now everyone has new talk dialogue.
But Frederica doesn't eat much, does she? That worries me a little. I'll try to find something she'll like. Oh yeah, one thing...
Why the hell is this a key item!? This never comes up again in Story Mode! Was that little girl like, originally supposed to have a bigger role in the plot or something? Wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, since it seems like Story Mode is made up of bits and scraps of different plotlines so far. Shame we never see the result of that guy's training when he helps us take down a dragon or something.
Oh yeah, this quest also has some dialogue in Story. I'll cover it in a bit.
I try my best to make adventurers comfortable here, but there may be mistakes that I'm unaware of. When I do make an error, please don't hesitate to tell me how I can improve.
The problems just pile up... I wonder if the Guildmaster when I was running around had this many problems. Okay, let's cover that Pest control quest now.
Hmm... Come to think of it, we did take on a job about exterminating parasites on this floor. Are they here? If you have enough energy and gumption to eliminate these parasites, you should open the door and go inside...
Just as Frederica says, you can sense a countless number of things moving around out of view... The insects may be near...
Who's ready for some bug swatting? I know I am. You sprinkle Sugar Water around the surrounding trees. The air is soon thick with an almost suffocatingly cloying aroma. Is that really gonna make bugs come here? Shh! Here they come!
Already!? Lured by the sweet scent, a cloud of butterflies emerges and draws near...
This type is poisonous! Don't let them get too close! You take fighting stances and engage the butterflies!
Oh hey, butterflies. Ah, Thor, spell after my own heart.
Poison can't do anything if I can end battles in 1 turn!
A second rabble swoops in, attracted by the scent and the noise. You ready your weapons for this second battle!
Nothing Wolf Pack + Thor Formula can't handle.
Hey... That wasn't all of them? There's still more!? Undaunted by the deaths of their fluttery brethren, more butterflies gather around you and attack!
Arthur continues his duties as a bug zapper.
Simon is correct; the amount of insects in the area is visibly decreasing. You brace yourselves and take on what you hope to be the final swarm!
These battles can get hairy if you can't end them in 1 turn. That Poison damage stings!
The ground is strewn with butterfly corpses, but there are none alive... Mission complete. Still... I had no idea there would be that many of them. Now all you have to do is return to the pub and report your activities. And that's it for that quest. A few more things before I close off this update.
is that the real reason to not level up refresh to 10 is because it causes it to target all enemies instead.Nah, I'm just foolin'. But that's one heck of a mistranslation. For the record, I do advocate for leveling up Refresh to 10, because being able to get ailments off your entire party is pretty handy. Just not this early on, Simon can't really handle the TP costs right now.
No, what I actually want to cover...
Are Treefrogs. You want to farm for their conditional drops, which involves killing it with Ice damage.
Their drop, the Ice Sweat, unlocks the Tanglers. Which have a 50% chance to bind the respective body part. Not only do they allow the Story party to make use of binds (freaking finally!), you really, really want to stock up on the Tangler: Legs for something coming up very soon, just trust me on this! Woah, binding the legs? That's just crazy. A regular party wouldn't really make use of those, but when you're stuck with a balanced party that also involves 2 unique classes, you'll definitely miss out on some strategies. You know what they say, desperate times call for desperate measures!
Also you do have a bit of free reign before you're forced to explore Gladsheim. Take advantage of this!
And you can explore the 12th floor as well. Though no one's dialogue in town updates. We do get new quests, though.
The reason you want access to the 12th floor is because of the Forest Bats. Their conditional drop, the Iced Skin, is also something you want to farm for.
Which unlocks the Panic Guards, and grants the wearer immunity to Panic! You also want to stock up on these, as they'll be very helpful soon enough!
With all the preparations done in this update, we'll tackle Gladsheim Area II next time! Yaaaaaaaas, queens.Previous Update
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