Space Monkies, simplify this:
- [54 - 6.2(94)] + -[94(2-6)]/5000
And then you get a cookie. Calculators are not allowed because they ruined math for me, BlueHighwind. It used to be so much fun, then when machines took over, it just sucked. I remember, once upon a time I would refuse to bring in a calculator, even when the teacher wanted me to and would get mad. Well, now I use calculators for shit I can do easily, like long division. What's become of me? I've gotten so horribly lazy! Anyway, if you want that cookie, you better solve that right. I'll know.
The Leviathan (Continued)[]
The goal now is go over and save Princess Ashe. Unfortunately, the ship is crawling with bad guys, most of them quite strong. At your level, you can take on one or two, but if you get mobbed by a group, its best to just run away. Ashe is off in the other floor of the dungeon and there are two ways there. I suggest you go South into the large room. As Vossler points out, avoid the red guard lasers. If you touch them, an overwhelming number of Imperials will show up from all directions for awhile, and you'll just be screwed. I ran away for most of this section, but if you're at a higher level (more than 13) you should have an easier time of it. This is my payment for avoiding Hunts I guess.
At the tip of Ashe's room, you'll run into an entire company of Imperials out for a fight:
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Victory Fanfare! Every time I see that giant "CONGRATULATIONS" I hear the entire cast of Evangelion repeating that line over and over again to Shinji. For winning we get the Key to Ashe's room. She in the room last from the right. We are saved a long piece of dialogue explaining Basch's innocence for the fiftieth time, but it seems that an Imperial has pulled the alarm. Oh great, now enemies will constantly come out of everywhere forever. Well anyway, Ashe has now joined the party, so that means one final Character Box for our playable characters:
| Playable Character: Ashe |
 Princess Ashe is the resident Princess of the game, because every game needs one in the playable cast. Oh, and she's also the main character. More than any other single character, Ashe's role is the most central to the plot and events in Ivalice. While Vaan's has about as weight in Ivalice as a piece of dust, Ashe here is the Princess of an entire country, one whose situation is key to the strategic situation of the entire world. Ashe is so important that even the Gods themselves decided to pick her out of everybody else - even Balthier - as the Chosen One to fulfill their will. But did they choose wisely? We'll just have to find out, because the game doesn't actually let you make that choice. God fear the day when a Final Fantasy game actually let's the player make an decision in the plot! Imagine it, the horror! Ashe is one of my favorite characters to place as Leader, just because I love to check her out with the camera. But the friggin' thing is rigged so that is can't go just two tiny little degrees lower... AHHH!!! Just a bit more is all I ask! Super Smash Bros Melee was not so damn puritanical when it came to its Trophies! (Well, they were for the regular ones, but not for the Smash Trophies - by the way, Princess Peach wears pink panties and Zelda goes bare, baby!) If you're going to have a skirt that low, you have to let me enjoy it! You can't have it both ways! I mean, her outfit is already needlessly complicated and silly, let me HAVE THIS!! (Weeps) Anyway, Ashe was definitely one of my favorites during the course of this game. I built up a party of four: Ashe, Basch, Balthier, and Fran. Notice the connection between all of these? None of them suck. No Vaan, no Penelo. Ashe is lovely little thing with the heart of a lion, why would I not want to use her? And anyway, you only need four characters anyway. The less you use, the less you have to train. I suppose this strategy weakens you during boss fights because your reserves are lower, but its all worth when you balance out the fact that YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE VAAN. That'll get me to agree to anything. Hell, I might sell my eternal soul later for a remake of this game without that idiot. Update: Thanks to a tip from SilverDragon28, I've found the treasure! If you have Ashe fight unarmed she'll do high kicks. From that I've learned her underwear is the same color as her miniskirt. |
Currently we're stuck in this Airship dungeon, but that's not really much a problem. The Moogle here has plenty of stock to sell us, including new stuff. Buy all the equipment and spells you can afford. If you need more, well you got plenty of training right in front of you. You can just stand outside the cell blocks to get tons of training (assuming you can stand that awful red alert noise). Ashe at the moment has tons of spare LP, so buy up her Licenses. Actually a good idea would be to start to move towards the Quickening sections. In fact, that's going to be essential coming up. Though the Board is hidden from view if you're next next to those squares, you can see check what those squares would be. Quickening squares are all the same, so it doesn't matter which one you find. Remember, Quickening squares can only be used by one character. You'll need at least two characters with Quickenings so that you can pull off Chains. I would strongly advise that you figure out how to work this thing before you use it in a boss fight. It does take some practice.
Once you feel you're ready, start to move back towards where we started. I would not advise standing and fighting at any point, because the Imperials never stop coming. Running the whole way is not only the best option, its the only option. When you get close enough to your goal, Penelo and Larsa will show up. Penelo still seems to be showing some interest in Vaan, even though she's probably had her cookie jar so well shaken that she can hardly stand by that little dynamo there. Larsa, disturbed by all the lies decides to help us out. Unfortunately he takes Vossler with him, which means that we've lost a character. In exchange we get Penelo, but that's hardly the same now is it? We also get a piece of Manufacted Nethicite. This object will reduce elemental damage, but it puts your character in a state of Auto-Silence.
Enemies seem to stop showing up in this area after that scene. You might want to do maybe a second of exploring for Chests, because I've found some nice items here. After that, go through the West door to start up an argument with Judge Ghis. Actually no, a good first move would be to cast "Protect" and "Shell" on the entire current party before entering that door. Statuses carry over to boss fights, so this is a wise strategy for all future boss fights. Well, since Vaan gave up our precious stone, he has no reason to keep Ashe or any of us alive ("the Empire requires you NO MORE!!!!"), but luckily we're saved from a spell, I think its "Flare", by Penelo's Nethicite Stone, which she'll have whether its equipped on her or not. And then Ghis draws his sword and his... um, spiky thing for battle:
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Upon winning, Ghis will drop his mask revealing that Judges do in fact have faces and fall to ground. Vossler runs in - by the way, thanks for the help, buddy - to report that we've stolen an Atomos shuttle. Vaan offers to fly it, which causes Fran to respond with "Are you mad?". Yeah Vaan, I'll let you fly it one day, the day when I want my brains splattered all over the deserts of Ivalice. And then we've escaped, not really that hard now was it?
Back in Bhujerba we are to meet with Ondore again, probably so that we can be sent back to Judge Ghis, right? Vossler at the very least gives his word for Basch: "I measure his loyalty to Dalmasca to be no less than my own". HA! You know, that's a really back-handed compliment coming for you, Vossler, we'll see why later. Just run over to Ondore's place again, there's nothing new to do. The Marquis does not actively betray us this time, but instead orders Ashe to stay at his palace in hiding. Well that would make a terrible game! Let's escape. Ashe offers herself up to Balthier for him to "steal". Oh baby. So all six members of our party run off to King Raithwall's Tomb because there's treasure there.
Meanwhile, in the glorious city of Archades, Judge Gabranth meets with his Emperor. I am aware that these Imperials are supposed to be evil, but everything about them is so cool and glorious. Wouldn't you want to march around in armor upon a massive citadel in a city filled with top of the line technology? I'm tired of fighting for good, I want to fight for glory! Where can I sign up? Turns out that Vayne has run into some nasty company, like Dr. Cid. Together they seem to have something to do with Nabudis's destruction. Well, it seems there's quite a bit of dissent within the Empire. With the Emperor at death's door, the Senate does not want somebody as badass as Vayne taking the crown. Wasn't this supposed to be a democracy?
Sidequesting[]
When we land, we're told that Raithwall's Tomb lies beyond the Sandsea to the West. Also, Vaan and Penelo embarrass us in the usual fashion. Is there any way we can kill them? Oh wait, yes there is! Simply hold down L1 while they are in your party and target them. You can even make them kill themselves. Trust me, this never stops being hilarious as all Hell.
But before we go over to the important spot, we have some other stuff to do. First we have to do a short detour for Ktjn in Rabanastre, because she has another question now. The city lies to the East of the camp where you land. She will talk about leaving her village, and how the choice was going to be tough. Be a dick again and tell her the first option: "You should have thought it better". Oh, that's pleasant. You know without a guide I would never be able to do this sidequest, because my video game instincts tell me to always be as courteous as possible.
Another thing to do is to go down to the Giza Plains and visit the Nomad Village again. Talk to whats-her-name, um... Masyua! That's it. We can now do the lighting of the Sunstone thing again. This time, however, we're being timed, and you can only go to the rocks specially pointed to on your map. For finishing quickly, you get a better prize. The best is two Potions, a Holy Stone, and 200 Gil for finishing under seven minutes. This is so easy there's really no excuse to not finish that quickly. Just keep your Gambits off and run the whole way. The worst you can do is getting in under thirty-five minutes, though I can't imagine how you could ever pull of sucking that badly.
Okay, I've been avoiding Hunts for awhile now, but I figure now would be a good time to start up the easiest ones. Hunts will slowly open up over time as you complete both the main story and go up in Clan Rank. Right now we're doing to most amateurish of the Hunts because I avoided going after them to make sure Vaan didn't get a single point of EXP more than he needed. Go over to the Sandsea and pick out the very first Mark: Thextera. But this time we have to go out and find the Petitioner ourselves. Lucky thing, he's sitting right at the table by the Hunt Board. Now the HUNT BEGINS. Thextera can be found wandering around the very first area of the Westersand. You can recognize it by fact that for one, it has a large red dot on the minimap like a boss, and two its noticeably larger and weirder-looking than normal wolves:
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The petitioner will be waiting at the same spot in the Sandsea. He will thank you and give up 500 Gil, a Headguard, and a Teleport Stone. Not much, but its a beginning.