For some reason I just… couldn't get past that writer's block. But now I've shed a little crystallised tear, I'm putting it behind me, so let's get this (extremely belated) show back on the road! Part 9.
The Gapra Whitewood[]
Mission: Make our way through the Whitewood towards Palumpolum.
We're back with our favourite duo (ha) in the Gapra Whitewoods, which is like FFX's Macalania Woods devoid of its soul. Lightning's ready to press on, but Hope wants to take point on this one, which almost coaxes a slight-lip-spasm-you-could-possibly-mistake-for-a-smile from Lightning.
We regain control with Hope as our leader in the Ecological Research path. Remember you'll want to visit your Crystarium and spend all your CP (you should have accumulated quite a bit) - Hope has access to some second level spells (lush) and try to get Lightning to Launch (lush: the sequel), but other than that, just plug in at your role development, aiming for your Role Level. Oh, and remember to go equip a new Accessory if you've just bought an Accessory Slot.
Battle Team Change...
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We can pretty much just use the same Paradigms from before. The only thing to keep in mind now is that we are controlling the primary Medic - it's really not all that safe just to presume Lightning can do it.
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Now onwards! Save Up and head down the path and you'll face a group of Frag Leeches. You might be able to run past them because upon seeing you, they decide to like, backflip over your head. Apparently the lights here are supposed to act as a guide to keep us in the right direction but the fact it's a pretty straight path sectioned by gigantic roadblocks kinda renders that navigational mechanic redundant. Anyway, more Frag Leeches, this time with a Thexteron. Nothing new. There are two other Thexterons just ahead.
Follow the path round and you'll reach the first possible directional-deviation. The path to the right just leads you through the Whitewood, but the one to the left has an Alpha Behemoth on it (easy enough to pre-empt), guarding a Treasure Chest with Antidote x3.
Go back onto the main path and follow it round for a cut scene. PSICOM zooms past, but Hope whines that they're not even looking for them, since his quest for attention never ends. Lightning explains that PSICOM has a huge pride complex which means they won't be sending their whole (actually competent) forces out after us because they're too busy trying to save face. How convenient.
Back to gameplay. Follow Lightning round to the elevator and head down to the Research Corridor. Save Up, obv. Keep to the path and there's a flank of Frag Leeches waiting, but they're easy to pre-empt, if you wait until the front row turn their backs. You'll want to open with like, Fira so you can target them all and hopefully push them all to Stagger at once for Lightning to sweep in and Blitz them out swiftly. There's another Alpha Behemoth round the corner. Up ahead, there are two Vespids guarding a Treasure Chest with a Hawkeye in it for Hope. You should go ahead and equip it: it boosts his Magic at the cost of his Strength, but Hope never actually uses any physical attacks, so it doesn't make any difference.
Back on the main path, you're forced to fight numerous other groups of enemies that are too repetitive for me to list. It's just Thextrons and Vespids so you know what to do. The last group you'll encounter is a Behemoth with two Thextrons. Approach the Bulkhead Fal'Cie that also doubles as a door to trigger a cutscene. It's all going fine until Hope brings up Snow again and resumes his stupid angst. Hope's smack talk essentially amounts to calling Snow and his friends "irresponsible" (don't hold back, now) before he stalks off through the door.
Save Up, then take the elevator down to Bioweapon Research Site D. The ominous change in music should be signal enough that the enemies here are tougher. We'll have to cut our way through them all to disable the biorhythmic fence things. It's just Silver Lobos, for the most part, and they're weak to Fire. Make your way through the pens - there's an 'optional' group of Crawlers standing in the way of Antidote x6, but other than that, just cut through them all. The worst is a Feral Behemoth, just get it to Stagger and then incapacitate it with Launch.
Apparently the Observation Battalion is coming. "Let them come." lolkay Hope. Jump up the steps and the leaves to another batch of Crawlers. You'll want to pre-empt them because there's hundreds (like, ten) so whip out Fira to deal with them quickly. Head toward the Point of Interest for Lightning to take mercy on Hope and the game to take mercy on me by switching our Party Leader. Hope's out; Lightning's in. This is like, the one time the game decides to not be a dick and it leaves your Paradigms from your previous set-up, so let's keep the momentum going and plough on.
Hop down the leaves towards the Point of Interest; there's a Save Point, so obviously do the usual, then take out the monsters in the pens. To the right of the first pen are two Lobos - kill them to deactivate the fence and find a Treasure Chest with a Star Pendant inside. Hop back up onto the walkways until you're interrupted by another cut scene. Hope asks if he can use a gun blade and Lightning's just like "bit too heavy for you, bitch." Hope just flicks out his dagger and looks it at hopefully, which triggers a memory in Lightning's mind.
Worst Birthday Ever.[]
Flashback, Day 12: it's Lightning's birthday and she's displaying some expert-level sororal sentiment. She seems to think Serah being a l'Cie is some elaborate ruse to get Lightning's permission to marry Snow or something, so Lightning responds with her usual threats and anger prompting both lovebirds to flee and leaving Lightning to brood, swish her cape and open Serah's present: the dagger. It's at that point that the TV clicks on with a Sanctum bulletin that provides a little validity to Serah's story, packing a huge punch of guilt straight to Lightning's puckered sourface.
Back to the Whitewood[]
And we're back in the Gapra, so head back to following the lit path. Crawlers and Silver Lobos are hanging about to welcome us back, but you'll make quick work of them. There's a Barbed Spectre, that you haven't come across yet. It's just like a Vespid on steroids, though. Uh... yeah, at one point you'll spot a Treasure Chest with an Edged Carbine for Lightning (don't equip it) on your way... and... uh... I don't really know what else to tell you. There's a Feral Behemoth guarding a fence... for winning, you get given the shop Magical Moments.
Hop back down into the pens of Environmental Regulation. There's a Save Point down here - go check out the new store we acquired, if you so wish, but it's not worth buying the Auric Amulet. Save Up, then head out: it's a similar set up from the pens beforehand, you have to clear out the hordes in order to deactivate the fences. On your left is another Feral Behemoth - guarding a chest with 1500 gil, and on the right is a three-way battle between another Feral Behemoth and some Crawlers, standing between you and Fragrant Oil x8. Those are the only battles that warrant pointing out, the rest are just standard.
Once you reach the giant leaf-staircase-thing, pass it and head up the other steps to the pen area at the back. A fence will activate behind you, so we have to clear out whatever's here first. It's just a Feral Behemoth and a Barbed Spectre, and you'll find a Treasure Chest with a Watchmen's Amulet for your troubles. The fence has deactivated again, so go back to the leaf and climb up to the walkways again. There's nothing up here except for an elevator, so hop on and head up to Bioweapons Maintenance for a change of soundtrack.
Save Up, then take on the Lobos for a real treat: a Hope-centric cut scene. Oh yeah. I'm sure you live for these. Our duo approach the dead soldiers, and Lightning rather dramatically declares "They came looking for us... they found something much worse." Like a level four Crawler? This is a military force falling at the feet of slugs. Jeez, PSICOM is the worst. You know what else is the worst? Operation Nora; Hope's new strategy. It's just giving him a buzz term to whine with now. Anyway, they fail to notice the dead soldier's cell or something beeping away beside them, likely giving away their current location. I don't know, maybe he was tweeting his location pre-death like "in the Gapra, looking for l'Cie but it's just loads of slugs. I'm going to touch one #yolo."
Back in control, and it looks like the PSICOM troops have stopped pissing about and decided to actually make at least an attempt at doing their jobs. Good for you, PSICOM, nice to see you trying to get your shit together. Sure, it's just Corps Watchmen, Corps Marksmen and those weird aggro-motorcycles that they have in their ranks just now, but you know, baby steps, PSICOM, baby steps. Follow the path around until you find a Save Point right next to a vial of Ethersol.
There's some more PSICOM babies up ahead, so take care of them, then be sure to check you've used any CP you might have hanging around when you hit the clearing. Set your default Paradigm to Super Soldier (Syn - Com). As a heads up, if you've been struggling through the last slew of battles, I recommend you whip out some Fortisol and Aegisol before you go ahead and activate that weird red thing. "Why do I have the feeling something bad is about to happen?"
| Boss Battle: Aster Protoflorian | ||
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Level: 59 | |
| HP: 129,600 | ||
| Common Drop: Tungsten Bangle | ||
| CP: 1,000 | ||
| Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Strategy: | ||
| This bastardisation of Bulbasaur isn't an easy fight. Remember to open with Libra/'Librascope to get its vitals for the trophy before we begin.
Open with a round of buffs from Super Soldier, before switching to Slash and Burn as your primary offence. The Aster Protoflorian's elemental affinities are constantly changing: it changes its elemental affinity (whatever element it absorbs) through its move Exoproof, but if you cast Libra at the beginning, Hope will be kept up to speed and attack accordingly. Obviously you want to get it to Stagger so you can incapacitate its attacks with Launch. It gets more aggro the closer it gets to death, so just keep an eye on HP (you'll want to heal post-Efflorescence) and your buffs, should they fall. | ||
So for getting repeatedly suplexed by a Bulbasaur, we get a Tungsten Bangle, CREATURE COMFORTS!!! (THE ONLY SHOP YOU WILL EVER NEED. SERIOUSLY. THIS IS THE BEST SHOP. THE ONLY SHOP. THE SHOP.) and a Crystarium Expansion, woo, whatever, but seriously, Creature Comforts will be the hand that you hold that guides you through no I've messed up this metaphor basically you will die without Creature Comforts it is your only friend in this game.
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Creature Comforts looks like it sells the most random of shit but it's actually your only consistent source of the best components to upgrade your weaponry and accessories. Now you have access to it, you should really start to think about maximising your best equipment and begin crafting your end-game best weapons. Since it's quite a complex process, it's not something I can just go tell you to do at certain points in the game, it's something you'll have to manage yourself. I've put together a guide on Equipment Upgrades that you should have a quick read through: it details the cheapest and most effective ways to gain the highest multipliers, as well as which weaponry and accessories you should be funnelling your hard earned cash into building up, and what useless equipment you should be dismantling to put to use. Seriously, check it out. Now. |
I couldn't think of a single picture caption for this whole page. For shame.
Lightning and Hope casually recover, just for Hope to be all: "Operation Nora, stage one, complete." Why is he implying Operation NORA is a concrete, strategically planned thing with stages and objectives? You came up with it like, three minutes ago. So what, you decided Stage One of getting revenge for your Mum dying would be cutting up a bulb of garlic on wheels? Shut up, you little ferret.
Finally, open skies! We're at the Maintenance Exit. Hallelujah. Save Up, then follow the walkway to freedom, and a view of Palumpolum.
→ "Well, I guess this is better than homicidal scorpion robots and mountains of trash."
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