Well, our data being stolen got me thinking. I thought it might be a good idea for me and Mio to update our documents on the techniques we all use.
That's not a bad idea, no.
Are you busy?
No, I'm not. I was just thinking.
Unremarkable Changes
Accuracy
Flying Slash (née Diagonal Slash): Rescaled.
Old: 1.5x at all levels
New: 1.3x/1.4x/1.5x/1.6x/1.7x
Woodwind Duet: Increased from 1.5x to 2.0x.
Dragonfly Slash: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Sheath Spin: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Maple Assault: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Blizzard Assault: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Battering Gale: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Shadowless: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Payback: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Garuda Whirlwind: Reduced from 1.5x to 1.0x.
Oh, hey, what are we doing?
Chisa is demonstrating for me.
Oh, I'll get my notepad!
Skill Changes
Renki First Aid:
Now an initial skill.
SP costs for levels 2 through 10 are unchanged.
Battering Gale:
Damage reduced by 50% at all levels.
Carnage Strike:
Activation chance reduced to 25%.
Garuda Whirlwind:
Exhaust gain reduced from 1.5% per hit to 1.0% per hit.
Mate in 16:
Damage reduced by 50% at all levels.
Sakura Cyclone:
SP cost reduced from 9500 to 9000.
MANA cost increased from 15 to 25.
Effective damage reduced from 1275% to 1200%.
Sei!
You're beating the shit out of that dummy. What'd it do to you?
I'm imagining it's Sakuraba.
Any changes to a returning class that I don't have much to say about will be collected at the start here. As you can see, there was rebalancing to make accuracy more of a thing in this game, and a few minor nerfs.
The old EX skills having their effectiveness reduced, MANA costs increased, and SP costs minorly reduced, will be a recurring pattern with 2020-II. Note that when I say "effective damage," I'm referring to the damage after the 1.5x multiplier from EX is applied.
Noteworthy Changes
Stats
Changes:
SPD increased.
At level 1, samurai have +2 SPD compared to 2020.
At level 99, samurai have +12 SPD compared to 2020.
You're faster than you used to be.
I think that's only natural. If my baseline capabilities remained stagnant, I wouldn't be much of a True Dragon.
My body remembers the battles it fought. If I reach my maximum, I just have to be broken down and start again from the new baseline. It's the fate of all incarnate beings. Nothing which 'exists' can grow forever without regressing.
So you're an idle game, that's what you're saying?
Sure.
She's still not as fast as Satsuki, but Chisa's boost in Speed is pretty noticeable. Going before your enemy is usually a good thing, you see.
This is the only notable change to a class's stats in 2020-II. The other classes do have different stat values at some levels compared to 2020, but those are, honestly, just differences in how fractional values at different levels in the stat curves are rounded up or down. Every stat table was redone in order to combine the individual DB.BIN files into PLAYER_DB.BIN, which is where this chance for small differences in rounding most likely occurred.
Tier 1 Skills
Aerial Slash
Initial skill. Requires the Battou stance to use. Deals ATK-based aerial damage to one enemy.
Changes:
Name changed from "Diagonal Slash".
Now deals aerial damage.
I've noticed the slantwise cut you used as a trainee has largely left your skillset in favor of that, er, flying spin maneuver?
The slantwise cut I was using wasn't very useful in situations like this. Frankly, I'd want to front-kick my opponent to break their guard before using it, or something of that sort, but using it against monsters who don't have any concept of the defensive stance of a swordfighter was silly—so I opted to use it instead as the opening move of a maneuver to counter aerial enemies.
Why?
It's just a natural evolution of what I can do with an unsheathed sword. The iaido I practice is ideal for grounded foes and elemental manipulation, so the specialization of my unsheathed techniques against flying enemies simply made sense. It came as naturally to my arms as breathing comes to my lungs.
That slice wasn't 'mine'. This move is mine. My body possesses it, it's memorized it. It won't be satisfied until all of my style is mine and mine alone, until my body is itself a testament to the memory of the style I practice.
Rather than 'itto-ryu', 'hito-ryu', then?
'Hito-ryu-ryu' (人竜流)? No, that just sounds clunky. Hi, Koron.
Hi.
What's that thing you say before that one move? 'Haja Kensei'?
Ah, no, that's a description of the specific move, a technique with the power to vanquish evil. I don't practice Hokushin Itto-ryu, the style that originated the phrase, mind. ...What would you call that, then?
...I'm sorry, uh, what did you two just say? Mio, how do you write what Chisa just said there?
It's only one move, but it does a fair chunk to specifically show that Battou Stance's niche is taking on aerial enemies, as well as the multi-target.
Sunset Kata
Requires the Battou stance to use. Deals ATK-based aerial damage to one enemy at the end of the turn.
New skill.
If I swing wildly, I've got worse odds of hitting—Fomalhaut's spawn are nimbler, I'd say. So if I've been lagging behind on the battlefield, it's only because I've been focusing in to ensure I land.
You have awfully practiced form with it for someone who's 'lagging'.
Accuracy to the vital points is central for a fatal blow. Naturally, I've been practicing.
Yeah, for a few weeks before the whole apocalypse thing she'd just stare at this training dummy in our house for a few minutes and then she'd suddenly cut it clean in half. Like, really clean in half. Perfectly straight cut. It's wild.
It's a good move for hitting very evasive enemies, though the damage falls off later. There's one specific midboss against which it's invaluable, and it's always a nice treat to know you're basically guaranteed to hit when it pops up in Order Action.
The fact that you can't bypass its negative priority even with EX is both notable and annoys me a considerable amount.
Tier 2 Skills
Blade of Rage
When another party member is killed, the user has a chance to deal ATK-based damage to that party member's killer at the end of the turn.
Does not activate on deaths caused by ailments or other party members. Will not activate if the killer is killed before the end of the turn.
New skill.
Oh, that reminds me. She's also started doing this thing where, like, if I trip on a tree branch, I'll look back and it's in pieces.
I don't want to abide anything hurting you. I'll get vengeance no matter what it is. That extends to the rest of you, too, you know.
Aww, I'm flattered!
It's an Auto Skill. It's not a particularly useful one, and it can trigger counters if those are relevant, but it's an Auto Skill.
Did not use this at all, personally. It's ridiculous that this skill that only activates upon another party member's death only has a 12% chance of activating.
Tier 3 Skills
Woodwind Duet
Requires the Iai stance to use. If a psychic or idol uses an elemental attack on this turn, the user will perform follow-up attacks, of the same element as the initiating attack, on hit targets.
Changes:
Idol skills can activate Woodwind Duet, in addition to psychic skills.
Single-target damage reduced.
Old: 400%/450%/500%/550%/650%
New: 300%/350%/400%/450%/500%
Multi-target damage reduced by 50% at all levels.
I can't sync with your informational field as effectively as I used to, Koron.
Oh?
...It's a factor of my being a Dragon. When that happens, part of me is trying to consume the informational field I sync with. I need to make sure you stay safe, so I don't know that the Woodwind Duet will be as effective as it used to be—
That's fine. We'll just rope Mio into it, too.
Huh?
I don't see why not. Those megaphone tricks you use aren't that dissimilar to my spells. I have to imagine Chisa could sync with you, too.
...Huh. I hadn't thought about that.
A 'Woodwind Trio', huh? Interesting.
I think I made a good case in the first game as to why Woodwind Duet was absurd. It's now less unreasonably strong, but can still do a lot—especially since there's now two classes it can activate on! Mio's Pitch spells work for Aerial-element followups, so the utility of Woodwind Duet has increased a lot. The ability to double up on followups is a big plus to the use of the Samurai/Psychic/Idol team, too.
This is a very good example of how to nerf an overly-strong skill without burying it in the dirt. One hit of Woodwind Duet no longer deals the same amount of damage as the ultimate non-EX samurai attack skills—which, let's be honest, was ridiculous for a tier 3 skill—but in exchange, it is no longer solely reliant on the presence of a psychic, and if you have both a psychic and an idol, can dish out ridiculous amounts of damage in the midgame and even the early endgame. In my opinion, psychic-and-idol Woodwind Duet does fall off a bit into the endgame, but it'll still serve you very well up until that point.
Draw Whirl
Requires the Iai stance to use. Deals melee ATK-based damage to all enemies. Switches the user to the Battou stance after use.
New skill.
Sheath Whirl
Requires the Battou stance to use. Deals melee ATK-based damage to one enemy and dispels all ailments on the user. Switches the user to the Iai stance after use.
New skill.
The basic spins I use for sheathing and unsheathing aren't good enough, so I've been working on improving them. I've started being able to create a vacuum effect while unsheathing, and being able to dispel my own illnesses while sheathing.
What? How?
I visualize my illnesses within my informational field and slice through them. It allows my healing factor—and 119, I suppose—to prioritize my commands. Ideally, eventually I'll be able to do that without the visualization exercise, but for the time being that's what I need to do.
Being able to dispel illnesses through a swing, manipulate the elements onto your sword, bleed an enemy's informational field... Whatever your style is called, Chisa, it's a terrifying one indeed.
Not using my abilities would be folly. I'm either terrifying or I'm not doing my best, as far as I see it.
Nice upgrades to Draw and Sheath for later in the game. Draw Whirl is a cute multi-target option for if you're equipping the Iai Teachings, especially. Not too noteworthy, but fun little toys.
Tier 4 Skills
Serpent Thrust
Requires the Battou stance to use. Deals melee ATK-based damage to one enemy.
New skill.
I've been attempting to ensure that if I ever lose my sheath, I can continue fighting. I need to fight to the end. That's what this one is for. If I leave even one breath left in my enemy, they can still fight back.
Die!
I demonstrated upon the training dummy I was using, and left it a pile of splinters on the ground.
Eight thrusts to the vital points. Whether human or dragon, I'll tear them apart with my blade.
How brutal. You must be learning from Youka's example.
There are better things to be learning from me, I figure.
It's more accurate and more damaging than Battering Gale, but not that much more damaging. It's an a'ight skill, but at this level you probably just want to be Mate in 16'ing.
But this isn't enough. This isn't... 'it'. No matter what I do, I can never find 'it'.
Er, what is 'it'?
My body is screaming for a culmination of my style. A move that defines what it means to be a human dragon.
I don't have that meaning. I don't know what it means that I exist, so my style is just as aimless, no matter how powerful or brutal I become. There's something more, but I can't find it. I don't know it. I still... don't know myself, the 'real' myself.
Chisa...
Until the day I find that self, I'll still be searching for the technique that is me. My body will still yearn for it. So I can't stop now.
Super EX Skill
Earth Splitter
Deals ATK-based damage to all enemies. Attempts to inflict bleed on the targets.
New skill.
A straight upgrade on Sakura Cyclone, since it's multi-target, has a status rider, and does more damage. It's good.
It costs a token amount more MANA than Sakura Cyclone, so it's not the strict definition of a straight upgrade, ala the old Solemn Vow vs. the bonesaw, but...yeah.
Alright, I believe that's about all the data necessary. Thank you.
Oh hey guys, what's going on?
Oh, hi, Sumie, you just missed it.
Missed what
Richter and Mio were just taking down some notes on Chisa's sword style.
I MISSED THE FIRST CLASS OVERVIEW?!
Unacceptable. Show me everything new from the top, Chisa. I can't accept this.
Are you going to lug a new training dummy in here?
Eh, you didn't miss much, just a lot of waxing poetic about her quantum superposition or something.
But I love waxing poetic about quantum superpositionnnnnnn!
