Story Update 16

Story Update 16: Rip & Tear (Gudanna)

Before we go into Gladsheim, we're going to get some quests done first, as a few of them have Story-exclusive dialogue. First up, the Fishing contest.

Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. The Hall received this request from a small village a bit of a ways from Etria. They want to serve rare fish of the Labyrinth during an upcoming ritual. And when you seek rare things, you turn to adventurers. The Hall's holding a fishing tournament to fill the order. They want as many adventurers as possible to participate, so they're using the pub to spread the word. If you're interested, go to B14F. The soldier there will tell you the details. There are going to be a lot of people entering this tournament, so do your best.

Hearing Arthur's confusion, a soldier approaches and greets you.

We want you to catch as many fish as you can here on B14F in an eight-hour time limit. You catch more fish, you rank higher. The guild with the most fish gets an extra prize. Fishing itself isn't difficult. Just take the fishing rod we provide and search in certain locations. Oh, and as a warning: once you start fishing, if you leave this floor or go to town before time ends, you forfeit. So if you're going to fish, stay here and focus on fishing. Oh, and you've got to catch at least one fish, or else we won't consider your guild as having entered. If that happens, you can return to the pub and register for the quest again. I know that was a bit long, but that's everything. If you're going to enter, I'll give you the fishing equipment.

We're good to go. This quest is basically just a tile hunt.

Finally, the reason for unique fish dialogue, or UFD for short. What ingenious foreshadowing!

Here's your fishing rod.

You have eight hours. Good luck.

There's a ranking? That means people will know if anybody beats us! We've got to be the very best!

Well, let's find a place to fish.

Now start searching B14F and catch as many fish as you can!

I don't remember seeing a fish here, but it can't hurt to do so.

Let's catch a big one!

You bait the hook and cast the line... ...... ............ After a while, you feel a tug on the line! You give the rod a yank to set the hook...

Dude, look out!

Some kind of fish monster leaps from the water!

Oh whoops. Some of these spots are decoys and will send you immediately into a battle. They don't count towards your score either, so they're a complete waste of time. The right spots are the ones where we saw those fish on our sightseeing adventure last time. I hope you remembered where all those were!

Of course you marked them and attached a note for future reference, right? RIGHT???

You successfully caught a fish!

The initial dialogue is the same for all the right fishing spots.

That's one. At least we can't fail the quest at this point... Let's continue searching for more fish.

You can continue looking for different places to fish if you like.

All right, that's three.

Haha, this is pretty fun. Shall we keep going?

You have caught three fish. Though far from championship material, this may be enough to place. You can be satisfied with your results, or you can continue fishing to earn a higher place in the rankings.

There was a Tiger Ayu in this spot which I accidentally button mashed through.

Five! Five fish, ah ha ha! I think we might be the only ones to catch this many!

It doesn't seem that many other guilds could have caught as many as you have. There may be some skilled anglers among the ranks of the other guilds, though... If you want to defeat these veterans, there is still time to continue fishing.

We sure caught a lot. ...Dude, don't you think we've caught enough to get first place?

With the pace you set, you are confident that no one could have caught more fish than you! You must be number one by now! All that's left is to return to town and check the results of the competition.

Heh heh, I can't wait to see how many people we did better than!

Going to any other floor prompts this dialouge to pop up.

I will now read the names of the winners of the fishing tournament! Number 3! Etrian Knights! Number 2! Rangers of Sanctity! Number 1! Achievers! Those are the top guild rankings in the competition! Thanks to everyone who participated! You can collect your rewards at the pub. This fishing tournament is now over!

It's good to be the fisher kings. Our efforts have paid off.

It's because of our leader's work. Thank you, Dude.

Hey, guys! Let's go get our reward! We're first, right!?

Oh, he's such a child...

And that's it. Onto the other quest we're tackling for this update.

Missed a beat with no fishing minigame, but only the best games have those.

Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. The detective's gone missing again. I want to think it's another false alarm... but it doesn't feel that way. It seems someone's broken into his room at the inn. The room's a real mess... And there's a stain on the floor that might be blood. This note was found in there. "Belief for our ultimate return to eventual equilibrium necessitates failure. Such easy comfort only reinforces naivete. Escape relief. Has existential laziness prevented mental exercise?" ...I have no idea what that means. Have you heard anything that might serve as a hint? Another customer drinking here is trying to figure out what it means, but hasn't had any luck. I'll give you the note, so why don't you try thinking it through with him?

We get key items which have this poem on them in case we need a reminder.

Please find the detective. I hope he's not involved in something dangerous...

If you remember, we did indeed get a hint for this before. But in case you need a reminder, there's someone who can help us out.

Long time no see there.

I heard from the hostess. The detective's missing again? I asked her to show me the note. Do you want to help me figure out what it means?

Two heads are better than one.

Sure! Here's what it says. "Belief for our ultimate return to eventual equilibrium necessitates failure. Such easy comfort only reinforces naivete. Escape relief. Has existential laziness prevented mental exercise?"The detective once told me about deciphering code, but I can't remember what he said. Do you think there's a trick to this?

Austin said something about looking at certain letters.

Certain letters? Which ones?

Namely the first letter of each word.

Let's see... B-F-O-U-R-T-E-E-N-F... S-E-C-O-R-N-E-R... H-E-L-P-M-E...!? Oh no, the detective's in danger! If he's asking for help... This must be serious! You have to get to the southeast corner of B14F right away! Please! If that guy dies... Who's gonna tell me gossip about everybody else in here...?

Uh oh, sounds serious! We better get going!

As you can see, the game was incredibly subtle in having him tell you this out of the blue and then it immediately coming into play along with an NPC that outright states it, JUST IN CASE.

Yes, the note said the southeast corner of B14F.

Frankly, I can't imagine that man actually sending a distress signal. ...But still, I'm worried.

Let alone somehow breaking into his own room to send a distress signal.

Are we really going to go?

Huh? What do you mean...?

Hey, hey! Snap out of it, man! You're the one who took the job!

...We may not know the truth, but the fact remains the code was asking for help. Since we took the job, we're going to head straight there without any complaints.

You decide to hurry towards the southeast corner of this floor.

Arthur you gotta speak more clearly. I'm getting confused by your dude overload dude.

It is always funny.

You look where Arthur is pointing and see a familiar figure: Austin the detective, facing away from you. You remember the quest from the pub to look for Austin in the Labyrinth.

Why wouldn't we? It's what we came here to do. (Spoilers, there's a fight coming up. Make sure you're well prepared before saying yes.)

You decide to talk to the detective.

Er, well, you disappeared again, and we got a job to search for you.

It's good to see you safe, but what happened?

Hmm... Tell me more about this quest you accepted.

You tell him about accepting the job to search for him, and a stern look crosses his face.

My room was broken into, without any subtlety... I see.

Achievers, when you accepted thisquest, you were given something, weren't you? Show me.

We were only given this note.

You hand Austin the note. The moment he touches it, he grimaces.

This ink...! Look out, everyone!

Monsters begin crawling out of the water towards you, as if something is luring them out.

What the--!? This isn't normal! Monsters don't normally act like this!

A keen insight, fair girl. This note has been covered in a substance that attracts these monsters. I can't believe he would involve innocents...!

But this isn't the time.

The monsters surround you and begin angrily pushing forward!

It pains me to involve you in this, but first we must fight our way out!

...The note must have left its scent all over you, as the monsters are increasingly hostile to you. If you wish to survive, there is no choice but to fight!

Oh that is a nasty formation!

There are, in fact, now more monsters than ever here. This is trouble...!

The detective is right. More and more monsters approached during your battle! You must continue fighting. You raise your weapons once more and prepare to fight back!

Not as nasty, but can be kinda troublesome.

Just a little more. Let's do it, Achievers!

Excuse me, what the fuck EOU!?

lmao this quest is rude as fuck after the easy puzzle.

I think it's time we showed off that new toy Arthur got his hands on in the last update. Flood did some great work here, putting both of them to sleep, letting us take this battle at our own pace. A fantastic skill to get your hands on. Even a lower leveled version can suffice. I'm gonna get a ton of mileage out of this.

The battle was easy pickings after that.

Even though you have survived this attack, the detective sounds more irritated than ever.

My room invaded, a note covered in monster bait, and you coming here...

Let me ask you this: did anyone give you assistance in solving the code in this note? It's very important. Try to remember.

You think about the note...

...Really game? I mean you don't have to talk to the man with a twisted lip in order to come here, but come on. Might as well answer Austin since that's the closest thing since he did give us that hint.

Me...?

You tell Austin about how he gave you the hint himself. When you tell Austin this, the detective takes a small breath and falls silent.

...Sorry, I just remembered a matter I must attend to. You may go home on your own.

...Wha, that's it!?

That dude's really weird, huh.

If Arthur's saying that, he has to be...

His arrogant attitude is less than satisfying, but at least you were able to find him as requested. You should report to the pub the next time you are in town.

The rest of this quest plays out the same way.

Which means, we have a new guildkeeper! Let's head on over and greet him.

I wonder if he was serious when he said he was coming to our guild house.

So? Who cares? I like that old man. Don't you think having a title like "the king of crime" is cool, Dude?

Sounds kinda neat, yeah.

Ugh, broken clock.

Right on!

...If that story of his is true, I'm not so sure we should be so happy about that guy being in town.

Anyway, let's go check the guild house and see if he's actually there or not.

...I don't believe it. You actually came.

Did you think I didn't mean it? If I say I'm going to do something, I follow through.

But I don't plan on being a freeloader. I'll help, in my own way. I'm sure I can pick up how to do any task you'd like me to do here... Hmmm... How about I tell you about the experiences I've had?

What do you mean?

A fine question. I'll tell you all about how I dealt with bad experiences. I'm sure it'll give you an idea or two. For example, I can teach you how to move fearlessly through areas where monsters spray toxic chemicals.

Ah, so that's how he survived the last ditch poison attack from that worm monster a while back!

Well, that's all I have to say for now.

I know he's quite skilled and all, but I have my doubts about whether or not he's actually going to help us.

Let's have him help us.

As long as you're okay with it, Dude.

Haha, I wonder what he's going to tell us about. I'm kinda looking forward to his stories.

He does know a great deal about a lot of different things. I'm interested to hear what he has to say.

I will inform him of the duties here. If there is anything you would like me to do, don't hesitate to ask for me.

I'll show this off in a bit, as Rosa has a new thing to say to us.

In the short time that we have spoken, he has already determined a great deal about my personal history. Plus...

...A-Actually, never mind.

So now we have more ways to prepare before setting out on our explorations. Let's see what our new guest has to say first.

I've already spoken with the girl who runs the place, so I'll be staying here for a little while.

And for his regular floor dialogue.

Well, I'm not one to pry. I'm nothing more than a drifter in this place. However, always remember that sometimes some crimes slip through the cracks... And this gumshoe takes up the slack.

Rosa came with ways to manipulate HP and TP, Austin comes with the ability to set up a 5 turn buff on the party that has varying effects depending on the buff, most of which act as a safety net of sorts. This one essentially acts as a guaranteed Battle Instinct, blocking 1 ailment during that time. Though the buff goes away if it blocks one. Fun fact, they both stack and count as separate buffs. Meaning that you can block 2 ailments at once with them! Austin's buffs are a bit situational though, and you basically have to know what's coming up to get the most out of them. So they're a bit dicey in a casual playthrough when you don't know what's coming up, and the best way to select one of Austin's buffs is to basically patch a hole in your party you don't want to deal with otherwise.

Despite that, I would say that overall, Austin's benefits are more useful, it's just that Rosa has 1 really fantastic benefit that tends to trump everything else in the form of Elderevenge once you're late enough into the game. If you know what's coming up, Austin's stories can generate a ton of momentum constantly for your party if you have the right one in effect, letting your party snowball through a stratum as they can very potentially buy them free turns.

Even now, blocking one ailment can be quite useful depending on the enemy, giving you a free turn if that's all they really do. Besides, you'll be taking these any way to grind up for the better stuff while waiting for his fetch quests.

Time to finally head on over to Gladsheim.

Well, we made it in again. To a new area, no less. Let's see... we need to find that box that can remove the lock on the weapon, right?

Yes, Raquna.

You hear M.I.K.E.'s voice from somewhere in response to Raquna's question as she looks around curiously.

Waaaah! W-Was that M.I.K.E.!? Where's he talking to us from!?

He must be yelling.

It doesn't sound like that, though... So, how're you really doing it, M.I.K.E.?

Allow me to answer that, Arthur. It is output by an external speaker.

It seems M.I.K.E. can speak to you even if you are not near a terminal... You all express your surprise at this, save for Ricky, who remains calm and answers the echoing voice.

M.I.K.E., can you tell us the state of this floor?

Of course, Ricky. Thankfully, the electrical system here is intact. The doors in the installation are under my control, so you should be able to proceed with minimal difficulty. Though... I wasn't able to completely eliminate all dangers, such as enemies and overall decay. My apologies.

Although M.I.K.E. is not human, the way he addresses Ricky is apologetic and kind.

It's enough for us that we can get around normally. Thanks, M.I.K.E.

Then that means we can proceed without worrying about any contrivances on this floor. It will be a relief, in a way, to have only monsters to deal with...

Thanks to M.I.K.E., the administrator of Gladsheim, being activated, the traps on this floor will stymie you less...

Basically the gimmick of Area 3 is... there is no gimmick. This place is basically really straightforward.

I wish you could kill the monsters.

Indeed, Dude. I would've done so if it were possible... Please forgive my inability to help in that regard. M.I.K.E.'s tone is apologetic in his response to your griping.

Think of it this way, Dude. Without the monsters, we'd have no reason to keep escorting Ricky!

Raquna beams at you as she gives this attempt at encouragement. You nod vaguely to her pep talk as you begin your investigation of this new area of the ruin.

This area is just kind of a breather compared to double boss bonanza and the previous two Gladsheim areas.

I actually don't like bosses too much in this series, I'm a sucker for exploration, so the Untolds adding a bunch of bosses isn't my cup of tea.

The path's collapsed, though... We'll need to have a look around to see if we can find an alternate route.

You set off, searching for another path to the northern area.

Oh hey, a new enemy.

Eviloid

HP: 422

STR: 32

TEC: 31

VIT: 27

AGI: 30

LUC: 31

EXP Given: 1550

Damage Vulnerabilities:

150%	100%	100%
150%	100%	100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:

100%	100%	100%	100%	50%	100%	100%
100%	100%	100%
50%	100%	100%

Sleep Powder: Attempts to inflict sleep on all party members, with a very high chance. Slightly slow.
Dancing Petals: Deals heavy cut damage to all party members. Fast and moderately inaccurate.

Sleep Powder: Attempts to inflict sleep on all party members, with a 60% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 65% to 82% on average. Has a 90% speed modifier.
Dancing Petals: Deals 120% melee STR-based cut damage to all party members. The damage ranges from 118 to 139 on average. Has a 120% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 70%.

Eviloids are very likely to use Sleep Powder on the first turn.
Eviloids are unlikely to use Sleep Powder when the party is blindsided.
Eviloids are programmed to specifically target asleep party members for attacks, and use Dancing Petals when party members are asleep.

If the party was blindsided:

If Sleep Powder was not already used on this turn, 34% chance to use Sleep Powder.
Else, 9% chance to use Sleep Powder.
Else, Attack.

If this is the first turn:

79% chance to use Sleep Powder.
Else, Attack.

If any party members are asleep, 69% chance to use Dancing Petals.
If all party members are asleep, use Dancing Petals.
Else:

39% chance:

69% chance to Attack, targeting party members that are asleep.
Else, Attack with standard targeting.

Else, use Sleep Powder.

Sleep Powder: Attempts to inflict sleep on all enemies. Very slightly slow.
Dancing Petals: Deals cut damage to all enemies. Fast and moderately inaccurate.

Sleep Powder: Attempts to inflict sleep on all enemies. Has a 90% speed modifier.
Dancing Petals: Deals melee STR-based cut damage to all enemies. Has a 70% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 70%.

Drops:

Normal: Evil Flower. 40% chance. Sells for 123 en.
- Flower Dress (+33 DEF, +1 TEC): Made from 1 Evil Flower. Costs 3220 en.

Oh god Petaloids are back and they've picked up a hard hitting AOE physical. If you don't deal with them fast, they can make certain formations a living nightmare. I mean just take a look at this formation. Scissor Crabs are weak to Sonic Bombs, but if the entire party never gets a chance to cast it, it can wreak havoc on the team.

This is the only new enemy in Gladsheim by the way. Anything else we'll find in here will be a combination of Stratum 3 enemies and Area 2 enemies.

Definitely the right name for them, gah! They were encountered in early 2nd stratum in the original and didn't have the Sleep skill, that was Petaloids, which were then combined in EO2, which are now being copied in this game. Full circle.

Incidentally they're probably a fantastic showcase of Fallback Plan, as that buff basically neutralizes the intial Sleep Powder. Since I got its item drop, let's see what that unlocks real quick.

Ehhhhh, I guess Arthur might appreciate the... TEC boost? I dunno, 33 armor is nothing compared to the 20 HP boost the Kazak comes with which I'm still using at this point. (Why is armor in this game so fucking terrible?)

+1 is technically a boost, but yeah, if you get unique equipment from these areas, then it better be worth playing over Classic!

Blech.

Whoa...! Another monster!? It looks pretty tough, too.

I wish we could go around it... but that won't be easy, since it's smack dab in our way.

Why don't we take that path that goes north first, see where it goes?"

Rather than brashly challenge a powerful monster, it may be best to explore your alternatives first...

These are known as Voracious Kings. They're pretty persistent FOEs, and won't give up on chasing you until you get out of the room. So let's head north.

Everyone knows that FOEs consider pigtails to be a 5 star meal!

Ricky is too irresistible.

Huh!? What're you getting at...!?

Ohhh, I think I understand. Ricky's small and cute, so the monsters can't help but run up and give her a big hug.

Th-That's not it! And I'm not small!

While it's wonderful that you have the composure to natter on like that, could it possibly be saved for later?

But they--

Sorry, sorry! I just got a little carried away. So, we were talking about that monster, eh?

Yes. It seems in the monster's nature to chase anyone who enters its field of vision.

Huh. So how do we get past it?

How should I know?

What!?

We don't have enough information on it yet. We need to watch it carefully and come up with a plan based on that...

Oh, that's what you meant... Okay, that sounds like a job for you guys!

After a round of exasperated sighs at Arthur's comment, you proceed with your search while trying to devise a plan...

...Did they just have a tutorial on FOE kiting? This late in the series? This late in the game? This late in Story mode? After we've had to do this before within the same game?

Yes! May we fight it?

No.

And opening up that passage from earlier, letting us skip that FOE puzzle. Let's see what's up to the north.

Wrong way! Wrong way!

Right, let's head eastward instead.

Umm...

Hmm, those icons are grey now. I wonder...

So after going through a door, the Voracious Kings will get tired out and won't be able to move for 9 turns. That's your chance to slip past.

There was supposed to be some Story mode dialogue talking about this, but I accidentally skipped the trigger for it. So here it is.

When you stand before your pursuer once more, you find that the monster's breathing is labored with exhaustion...

Is it too tired to go on...?

Sounds like the perfect chance to get past it!

If you wish, you can attempt to slip past while keeping the monster's state in view...

They get withdrawn and sloth-like after their stimulation leaves their sight, I can dig it.

There's another Voracious King blocking our way onwards, so we need to go here first to drag it out of the way so we can slip past.

Make sure to close the gap between you and the FOE, then go back through this door to stun it.

Grab this gator's attention, making sure to close the gap.

Go back through this door again, as the Voracious King will have regained its energy. If you didn't close the gap earlier, it wouldn't have seen you due to being too far away, not allowing you to stun it again.

And now while this one is stunned...

Quickly go around it and zip past! Not closing the gap on the other gator would have made it regain its energy the moment you tried to do this stunt.

And we're out!

PFFFFT! I swear this fucking name!

I will continue to forget about it, every time.

As you are about to open the door, you hear a familiar voice from somewhere...

What's wrong, M.I.K.E.?

I'm detecting a giant organism in the area up ahead where the terminal is secured.

...Does this mean that in order to reach the terminal and lift the lock, battle will be inevitable?

That's correct, Simon.

It seems you must do battle with this immense monster if you are to accomplish your goal.

What could it be...?

There's no way to say until we've opened the door.

Actually, Dude, I may be able to answer that.

Wait, you can tell!?

Yes, Arthur. The equipment in the room is still live. Inside that room is a large, bull-like monster called Gudanna.

Upon hearing this, Ricky cocks her head and voices her suspicion.

If I remember right, Gudanna is the name of a mythical beast. Are you saying it really exists?

In a way. The beast of myth does not actually exist. I simply chose that name for the monster. It seemed a fitting name, since it moves while occasionally emitting bursts of lightning.

By the way, you only get that very important hint if you choose the 2nd option. Chose the 1st or 3rd options? Enjoy finding things out the hard way!

A lightning bull, eh? That's hard to picture, but I assume it's strong. But never mind that... I gotta say, M.I.K.E., you're pretty incredible.

I'm honored to hear that from you. Well then, everyone, best of luck...

M.I.K.E. cheers you on as you enter the final room.

And here's the shortcut back. But before we tackle Gudanna, one last order of business.

There was one part of the ruins we missed. Drag this Voracious King over here, then go through the door to stun it.

And from there, you can sneak past it to get to that area. But I think I'll take a more violent approach since it left itself wide open!

Voracious King

HP: 3285

STR: 36

TEC: 29

VIT: 32

AGI: 25

LUC: 26

EXP Given: 16000

Damage Vulnerabilities:

100%	50%	100%
100%	100%	100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:

50%	50%	50%	50%	50%	50%	50%
10%	10%	50%
50%	50%	50%

Shredding Bite: Deals very heavy cut damage to one row of party members. Attempts to inflict fear on hit targets, with a medium-high chance. Average speed.

Shredding Bite: Deals 130% melee STR-based cut damage to one row of party members. The damage ranges from 182 to 212 on average. Attempts to inflict fear on hit targets, with a 50% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 53% to 67% on average. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.

Voracious Kings will always open with Shredding Bite.
Voracious Kings are more likely to use Shredding Bite when they're at 50% HP or lower.

If this is the Voracious King's first action, use Shredding Bite.
If the Voracious King's HP is at 50% or lower:

59% chance to use Shredding Bite.
Else, Attack.

If the Voracious King's HP is at 100% to 51%:

29% chance to use Shredding Bite.
Else, Attack.

Drops:

Normal: Royal Hide. 85% chance. Sells for 1260 en.
- Crocodile Shield (+30 DEF, +10 HP): Made from 1 Royal Hide. Costs 2970 en.

It's straight up a weaker version of the Creeping Death. The only thing it has over it is that Shredding Bite has a chance to inflict Fear (which Fallback Plan can neutralize the first instance of), and that it's 30% more powerful than a regular attack. Which is somewhat hampered by its lower STR, and the fact that it's a row attack instead of AOE. The fact that you can actually get a preemptive on them is the final nail in the coffin.

Less damage for an ailment chance. I mean, sure. These FOEs were moved from the 5th stratum compared to the original, called Kingdiles, and were also about as exciting.

Okay it also doesn't have a weakness, so no point in setting up Analysis on Arthur.

No arm bind, but whatever. I don't really need it.

Oh damn, that is a lot of damage! Queen's Verdict is such a perfect fit for Dude!

...It was nice knowing you, not as well known cousin of the Muckdile. Creeping Death. Dinogator. Whatever that croc perfers to go by nowadays.

Flood actually put it to sleep, giving Ricky's next hit a bit of a damage boost.

RIP.

It looks how I feel.

A manageable FOE if you know how to deal with it. Now as for what it was guarding.

...Okay then.

An HP bonus is appreciated, though for the upcoming fight you'll likely want to be using the Gum Aspis instead, which comes with 10% Volt resistance.

There's a Spark Mist you could have gotten from B9F in the triple Jungle Killer room. This fight is a great place to bring it along if you still have it, and you can buy more once you reach B18F.

Let's take a look at our party setup before we tackle Gudanna.

I would recommend picking up access to a physical defense buff of some kind if you're really having trouble with this fight, as that counters one of Gudanna's moves. As for me, I think I can do without.

As you step into the room, you spy a giant bull looming over M.I.K.E.'s terminal. Its majestic presence intimidates even a group of veteran heroes such as yourselves...

This... is not going to be easy...

No, it won't... Keep your guards up, all of you.

Yeah. We can't let it end here, after all. Let's go for it, Dude!

Gudanna

HP: 9494

STR: 41

TEC: 36

VIT: 33

AGI: 25

LUC: 32

EXP Given: 52000

Damage Vulnerabilities:

100%	100%	100%
100%	125%	100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:

50%	50%	50%	50%	50%	50%	50%
0.1%	0.1%	50%
50%	50%	50%

Grudge: Reduces all party members' defense by 50% for 4 turns. Attempts to inflict curse on all party members, with a medium chance. Very slightly slow.
Wild Breath: Increases Gudanna's attack by 50% for 4 turns. Average speed.
Knockdown: Deals severe stab damage to one row of party members. Attempts to bind hit targets' arms, with a moderate chance. Very slightly slow.
Speed Stab: Deals heavy stab damage that pierces party rows. Attempts to instantly kill hit targets, with a moderate chance. Extremely fast.
Thunderstrike: Deals very severe volt damage to all party members. Very fast.
Foot Stomp: Deals very severe bash damage to one party member. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets, with a high chance. Extremely slow.

Grudge: Reduces all party members' physical defense by 50% for 4 turns. Attempts to inflict curse on all party members, with a 40% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 49% to 62% on average. Has a 90% speed modifier.
Wild Breath: Increases Gudanna's attack by 50% for 4 turns. Has no speed modifier.
Knockdown: Deals 100% melee STR-based stab damage to one row of party members. The damage ranges from 173 to 202 on average. Attempts to bind hit targets' arms, with a 30% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 37% to 46% on average. Has a 90% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Speed Stab: Deals 90% melee STR-based stab damage that pierces party rows. The damage ranges from 155 to 181 on average. Attempts to instantly kill hit targets, with a 30% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 37% to 46% on average. Has a 180% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Thunderstrike: Deals 220% ranged TEC-based volt damage to all party members. The damage ranges from 188 to 251 on average. Has a 130% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Foot Stomp: Deals 130% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. The damage ranges from 225 to 262 on average. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets, with a 50% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 62% to 78% on average. Has a 50% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.

Gudanna always opens with Thunderstrike.
Thunderstrike is cast every 3 or 4 turns after the last Thunderstrike.
Gudanna starts using Wild Breath at 90% HP or lower. Wild Breath has a cooldown of 4 turns.
Gudanna starts using Grudge at 45% HP or lower. Grudge has a cooldown of 5 turns. When this cooldown is at 0, Gudanna has a 50% chance to use Grudge.
Grudge overrides Wild Breath.
Phase 1: Lasts from 100% to 80% HP. Gudanna uses Attack or Knockdown.
Phase 2: Lasts from 80% to 60% HP. Gudanna always opens this phase with Foot Stomp. After that, he uses Attack, Knockdown, or Foot Stomp.
Phase 3: Lasts from 60% to 35% HP. Gudanna stops using Attack.
Phase 4: Lasts from 35% HP to death. Gudanna always opens this phase with Speed Stab. After that, he uses Knockdown or Speed Stab.

If the Thunderstrike flag is not set, use Thunderstrike, and set the Thunderstrike flag.
If Gudanna's HP is at 50% or lower:

If the Thunderstrike cooldown is less than or equal to 1, and the Thunderstrike flag is set, use Thunderstrike, and set the Thunderstrike cooldown to 5.
If the Thunderstrike cooldown is less than or equal to 2, and the Thunderstrike flag is set, 49% chance to use Thunderstrike, and set the Thunderstrike cooldown to 5.

If Gudanna's HP is at 100% or lower:

If the Thunderstrike cooldown is less than or equal to 1, and the Thunderstrike flag is set, use Thunderstrike, and set the Thunderstrike cooldown to 5.
If the Thunderstrike cooldown is less than or equal to 2, and the Thunderstrike flag is set, 24% chance to use Thunderstrike, and set the Thunderstrike cooldown to 5.

If Gudanna's HP is at 45% or lower, and the Grudge flag is not set, use Grudge, and set the Grudge flag.
If the Grudge cooldown is less than or equal to 0, and the Grudge flag is set, 49% chance to use Grudge, and set the Grudge cooldown to 5.
If Gudanna's HP is at 90% or lower, and the Wild Breath flag is not set, use Wild Breath, and set the Wild Breath flag.
If the Wild Breath cooldown is less than or equal to 0, the Wild Breath flag is set, and the Grudge flag is not set, use Wild Breath, and set the Wild Breath cooldown to 4.
If Gudanna's HP is at 35% or lower:

If the Speed Stab flag is not set, use Speed Stab, and set the Speed Stab flag.
If the Speed Stab flag is set, 69% chance to use Speed Stab.
Else, use Knockdown.

If Gudanna's HP is at 60% or lower:

59% chance to use Foot Stomp.
Else, use Knockdown.

If Gudanna's HP is at 80% or lower:

If the Foot Stomp flag is not set, use Foot Stomp, and set the Foot Stomp flag.
Else:

49% chance to use Foot Stomp.
Else, 30% chance to use Knockdown.
Else, Attack.

If Gudanna's HP is at 100% or lower:

59% chance to use Knockdown.
Else, Attack.

Drops:

Normal: Bull Horn. 100% chance. Sells for 2540 en.
- Gridarvol (+101 ATK, +40 HP, +3 VIT): Made from 1 Bull Horn. Costs 6240 en.

Gudanna is a bit of a generic boss, but he can be a bit of a tough customer if he gets the upper hand. Thunderstrike is the big move you have to worry about here, so having Volt Wall is a must. Gudanna also has access to some buffs and debuffs, which the story party is terrible at dealing with on their own. Thanks Atlus. Gudanna's physicals can inflict some nasty disables, so dealing with those can be to your benefit. For one, Gudanna can bind your arms, so Raquna having arm bind protection is an absolute must unless you want to be completely helpless whenever he casts Thunderstrike. Whether you do the same for the Highlander and Ricky is up to you. You can farm up some paralysis protection accessories on 16F, so if Foot Stomp is giving you trouble, there's a way to deal with it. I highly recommend having a fully leveled Refresh at this point to deal with Gudanna's disables. The part of the battle that can really snowball out of control is the last phase, where Speed Stab enters the equation. It's a fast attack that can also instantly kill whoever it hits. And if a vital party member goes down, that can be a ton of momentum lost.

Oh deer, this is quite a tough customer. Still, an elemental attacker that also has a bunch of buffs means a fair few free turns to kick its ass. Or at least as much as you can with the Story party. Curse and Paralysis, let alone ID, are very nasty if they tag the wrong person, but thankfully there's nothing tricky, just gotta punch it a lot and take advantage of Thunderstrike.

Gudanna will cast Thunderstrike on this turn, so Volt Wall will make this a free turn for everyone...

So that they can set up more easily. Ricky will just deal some chip damage in the meantime. I really need to get her some support skills soon, so much wasted action economy on her part.

Thank you for that free turn!

I'll have Dude slap a Tail Whip debuff on him to deal with Wild Breath later.

Raquna will spam Forest Guardian to deal with Gudanna's physicals.

And Simon will heal off whatever Gudanna does to us this turn.

As always, these two will go crazy go nuts.

Even without crazy Arax luck, you have a lot of tools available at this point of the game, so it becomes a little easier dealing with these guys. And remember, it's never a shame to drop difficulty! Sometimes you just yearn for a less stressful time.

No bind landed on Dude thankfully. Though it would have just been a minor setback if it did.

After all, Tail Whip only uses the legs. And with that done, Wild Breath won't be a problem for us anymore.

BRING ON THE DEEPS!

Pfft. Really now?

Oh, Gudanna just had to have the absolute misfortune of being weak to Ice, huh? Flood is just really shining here. Surprised he didn't get put to sleep though.

Ricky isn't a slouch either, but she's not fully online yet.

Dude's damage on the other hand, is... wow, actually looking almost pitiful in comparison. I really need to pick up Action Boost for him soon.

...I say as I see just how much fucking damage I did! Look at that utter DPS, what the hell!? I genuinely did not expect to shred through that much HP. We just skipped an entire phase too!

I actually checked after the battle to see if I didn't accidentally set the difficulty to Picnic at some point. Nope, was on Expert.

lmao, I do believe someone is breaking the difficulty of this game in half.

It's what Story Mode deserves.

I'll just have Dude contribute some chip damage in the meantime. Gudanna's HP fell below 45%, meaning that Grudge is likely to come out this turn. Why likely instead of guaranteed?

Because Gudanna has a 49% chance of casting Thunderstrike this turn as it's been 3 turns since the last one, and that's the very first thing that's rolled for. And if he doesn't, he'll use Thunderstrike on the next turn.

Now if you're worried about Raquna going down in a later part of the fight, or you just want her to focus on blocking a physical attack, this is where the Spark Mist I mentioned before comes into play. If you lay that down, you'll halve Thunderstrike's damage for 6 turns, making it a much more manageable attack to deal with. Items are good! Use them.

If Grudge comes out, I'm gonna have Simon queue up a Refresh just in case anyone gets cursed so I can get right back to attacking on the next turn.

And just in case it does, I'll have these two charge up so they'll avoid splatting themselves on this turn.

In fact if Grudge does come out this turn, I've basically won, as it'll be forced to use Thunderstrike on the next turn, which I know will be a freebie. If not, it's not a big deal, as I'll just have to delay my DPS a bit to deal with the Curse. No matter how this coin flip goes, I've already won.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! It seems that Gudanna has chosen absolute death!

Denied!

Rip!

And tear!

Until it is done.

Overall, only one part of the fight can get hairy, and that's the last one. As long as you're prepared, you can bounce back from what Gudanna does to you.

I don't want to fight anymore.

I can understand that. More battles like the one we just fought aren't an enticing prospect. However... isn't fighting to obtain a countermeasure to the Core necessary for the justice you spoke of?

You're right... it is necessary.

C'mon, why so glum? We beat the enemy! All that's left is to find the terminal, right?

I'm not glum, I... ...Fine, let's hurry and find this terminal.

Hmm... That Gudanna monster put up a real struggle in here... You think the terminal is okay?

Ah, those ancient machines seem pretty hard to break. I bet it's fine.

Probably... but we should check anyway to be on the safe side.

You follow Ricky's advice and approach the terminal before you.

Yo, M.I.K.E.! Though... haven't we been talking to each other all this time? This feels weird. The voice we heard in that room and the one we're hearing now... they're both you?

Yes, Arthur. Technically, everything is connected, but you're essentially correct. It all comes from my mainframe. Now, Ricky, please lift the lock.

All right...

Typing sounds and various computer related noises.

I'm in.

Okay, Ricky. The second lock is now lifted. Only two more locks remain.

Things went pretty smoothly this time. If M.I.K.E. can keep helping us like that, maybe we can get this finished with before too long.

Of course, Raquna. I will not hesitate to do whatever I can for you.

That's fine as far as exploring Gladsheim goes, but our real problem is finding the next Geomagnetic Field.

Are you having difficulties? Would you mind explaining the details to me?

You tell M.I.K.E. about the mysterious creatures you met in the forest.

...Judging by the available data, those must be creatures created by the Core as a self-defense system.

If only there was a way where we didn't have to be at odds with each other...

What troubles you about this, Raquna?

Eh?

They are an obstacle to activating Gungnir. All such obstacles must be removed. Isn't that so, Dude?

E-Excuse me?

Better if we didn't have to fight.

Raquna's sighs with relief upon hearing you agree.

Yah, I agree. They're just living their lives in the forest, after all. To drive them out like that without a second thought is just... I don't see how that can be right.

But I'm afraid both of you are wrong in thinking this. You are failing to account for the damage that would be done if the Core ever appeared above ground.

Well, that's...

The damage a Core can do... I know it through experience. That day was a true nightmare...

......

Ricky and I are now present in this era, entrusted with a mission to destroy the Core. To abandon that mission is unthinkable, no matter the consequences.

I understand that, but... ......

Raquna falls silent. Is it truly just to sacrifice the strange creatures in order to activate Gungnir? Though M.I.K.E. is correct that leaving the Core be is far too dangerous... You can see both Raquna's and M.I.K.E.'s sides of the argument. It's difficult to say at first glance who is right...

Is... Is Story mode seriously trying to present a moral dilemma here? Oh god.

Hmm, should we murder hundreds to save thousands? Quite a long track this trolley problem has...

Is it me or is that trolley going off the tracks a bit? Hmm, must be my imagination.

...Let's just go explore the forest for a while. We don't know everything about those creatures yet. We should start by looking into them some more.

Yeah, that makes sense. We won't get our answer arguing about it here.

You assent to Ricky's suggestion and set out in search of the next Geomagnetic Field in the forest.

Well, it's not presenting one just yet. Anyways, let's close things off by going to town.

The unlock from Gudanna's drop. A staff that provides some defense. Simon could probably make use of this if you're okay with decreasing his healing capabilities a bit. I don't see why in the world Arthur would want this though.

He squish