No Charm moves?
Ascensions and Transgressions: the Tales of Keris Dulmeadokht (Exalted game)
- Thread starter Aleph
- Start date
No Charm moves?
1) I decided that the Charm condition wasn't necessary to include. The Confuse condition covers its role well enough.
2) Rathan is an attention-seeking brat. He's perfectly happy with being reviled so long as he's the star of the show.
3) ... It didn't occur to me. Dammit.
SMT5 DLC - Keris Eko
So, I am not satisfied with this. What I've got is terrible, and I still have the urge to continue it. However, I think, instead of putting it all in one post, I'll write up one at a time, see how it works.
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DLC: Keris Eko
HP/11564
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Resist
Shot: Normal
Fire: Normal
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Reflect
Terra: Null
Light: Null
Dark: Weak
Press Turns: 6
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1-4 hits
Attack 2: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit, + Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: All targets, Slash
Moveset:
-(Passive) Love of Keris
--At start of combat: Raises hit/avo by 4 levels (to max); deals minor Almighty damage to all foes
-(Status) Joyful Wind
--MP 150; resets hit/avo to base: for each level of buff lost this way, gain an Extra Press Turn.
-(Status) Sukukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' hit/avo by 1 level; cuts all enemies' hit/avo by 1 level
-(Force) Mazan Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Force by 2 tiers.
-(Force) Zandyne
--MP 12; deals heavy damage to 1 foe
-(Force) Mazandyne
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to all foes
-(Slash) Oromi Windcutter
--MP 75; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; dekaja effect; nullifies Charge effects, Smirk, and Shield effects
-(Strike) Occult Flash
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
Eko is arguably the most deadly foe in this DLC. She has six (!) press turns, can and will get herself up to nine (!!!) on the first turn, and has the attack power and status effects to decimate your party even if she can't use Joyful Wind.
Seem impossible? Well, it's not. Eko does not get an ambush turn against you, so you have one turn to either use Dekaja on her, or use the Banter command. Either one will keep her from using Joyful Wind.
Now, you might be wondering, "Why would Banter keep Eko from using Joyful Wind?" Well, the answer here is that Eko only uses Joyful Wind during her first action, and only if she can get the full 4 Extra Press Turns out of it. The key here is that she only uses it on her first action. Using the Banter command successfully means that the enemy wastes their first action talking with you. If Eko wastes her first action this way, she won't use Joyful Wind at all during the turn.
Now, to be clear, I believe this is a feature, not a bug. Why? Because Eko is astoundingly vulnerable to the Banter action. This really can't be anything but deliberate - the designers intended for you to talk with Eko to distract her. Why, I don't know.
Of course, even with Joyful Wind disabled, Eko is still a formidable foe. Mazan Break is a DLC-exclusive skill, and is basically Zan Break spread across the entire party. Now, like Zan Break, Mazan Break can't reduce your Wind Resistance below Normal (low as that is), so you don't need to fear her doing that. However, it does mean that you can't bring in a Force-weak demon with Zan Shield, since Zan Break and Zan Shield counteract each other. If you have a Force-weak demon you'd like to bring to this fight, do it and yourself a favor and don't.
Sukukajanda is a real headache inducer. Let her get off four of those, and you'll be missing left and right - and I hardly need to remind you that each miss costs you 2 Press Turns. You're going to want to equip the Dekunda skill - or if you're starved for skill space, just replace Dekaja with Silent Prayer, though that could play havoc with your own strategy just as easily as it will Eko's.
Lastly, we come to Eko's physical attacks. Her standard attacks are strong, but they won't instagib your demons unless she gets multiple criticals with a single action (which is possible, but extremely rare - if you're lucky, it won't ever happen). Occult Flash is somewhat more worrisome, but a good Tetrakarn should keep her from using it.
Oromi Windcutter, Eko's signature skill, is a different kettle of fish entirely. It deals a lot of damage, removes any defensive buffs you have, and otherwise just screws with any strategy you might have. There really isn't a good way to predict or prevent Oromi Windcutter, so the best you can do is cross your fingers and hope she never uses it.
Well, that's it for Eko's write-up.
Edit: No, it's not. I need to write her up as a summonable demon.
Keris Eko
Special Fusion (Element Aeros + Dragon Quetzalcoatl + Jack Jack Frost + Foul Mad Gasser)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 6.7/level
MP: 40 + 3.3/level
Strength: 90 (15%)
Agility: 120 (50%)
Endurance: 75 (7.5%)
Magic: 88 (15%)
Luck: 94 (12.5%)
Moveset:
-(Force) Zandyne
--MP 12; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; knows passively
-(Status) Sukukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' hit/avo by 1 level; cuts all enemies' hit/avo by 1 level; knows passively
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Force) Mazan Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Force by 2 tiers; learns at Level 89
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Slash) Oromi Windcutter
--MP 75; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; dekaja effect; nullifies Charge effects, Smirk, and Shield effects; learns at Level 95
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
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SMT5 DLC - Keris Rathan
Now I'm going to remake Rathan. Why? Because I'm not happy with him.
DLC: Keris Rathan
HP/13415
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Normal
Fire: Resist
Ice: Reflect
Elec: Normal
Force: Null
Terra: Resist
Light: Weak
Dark: Null
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Strike, 2-3 hits
Attack 2: 1 target, Ice, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Envy of Keris
--Starts battle with both Makarakarn and Tetrakarn active; skills Makara Break and Tetra Break cannot be used
-(Curse) Charming Smile
--MP 40; targets all foes; inflicts Charm (55% chance); affected targets lose 1 level Attack (40%)
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level
-(Status) Makarakarn
--MP 50; next non-Almighty Magic attack this turn is Reflected
-(Status) Tetrakarn
--MP 50; next Physical attack this turn is Reflected
-(Almighty) Personality Cult
--MP 30; affects all Charmed enemies; drains exactly 100 HP/50 MP from affected enemies
-(Ice) Cold World
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Ice) Mabufu Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Ice by 2 tiers.
-(Ice) Frost Moon
--MP 75; deals severe damage to all enemies; reduces Atk/HE/Def by 1 level
-(Ice) Bufudyne
--MP 12; deals heavy damage to 1 enemy
Yes, you read that right; Rathan has both Tetrakarn and Makarakarn. With unlimited MP. And he begins battle with both of them on. And yes, he will use them both each turn, at least until you get him to half HP or less. And you can't use Tetra Break or Makara Break. Where's a Deus Ex Machina when you need one, right?
As a matter of fact, your miracle is right back in the Crystal Moon (yes, that's what Rathan's section of the DLC dungeon is called). You may have noticed (assuming you haven't just been avoiding the random encounters) that your enemies in this dungeon have been dropping these things called Tetra Talismans and Makara Mandalas, at least one per encounter. These items replicate the effects of Tetra Break and Makara Break, respectively, and Envy of Keris doesn't cover them. (Now if only their descriptions said anything about what you're meant to use them for...)
All in all, Rathan's battle feels a lot like Kusumi-no-Okami from P4 Golden. You fight a seemingly invulnerable boss by using items gained from the boss's dungeon to make it vulnerable. Unfortunately, this strategy only covers a specific portion of Rathan's moveset.
Charming Smile is a dangerous move. Has anybody played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance? For those who haven't, one of the bosses has a unique spell called Logos that simultaneously lowers ATK and inflicts the Charm status, as well as targeting everybody in an area. This is Charming Smile in a nutshell, except you can't avoid it by simply getting out of the range. Probably the best thing to do is load up on demons that are immune to Charm, which will also shut down his Personality Cult move.
And let's not forget Rakukajanda, which is a headache to deal with; bring in a demon with Silent Prayer, you're going to need it for this move alone.
Rathan's Ice skills don't show up until he's at half HP or less, the same as he stops using the 'Karns. Frost Moon is by far the worst, being essentially an Ice version of Antichthon as it was when it was introduced in 4. However, that doesn't mean he isn't a headache and a half without it. (Insert brain freeze joke here.) Cold World does as much damage as Mabufudyne, and can instantly kill your demons regardless of their HP; and since Rathan has Mabufu Break, you can see Eko's section regarding Mazan Break and extrapolate from that. (Basically, take those plans you were making regarding taking Surt to fight Rathan, and put them on ice.)
Rathan doesn't have much in the way of physical attacks, and the ones he does have are weak and rarely used, so you really shouldn't worry about them.
Keris Rathan
Special Fusion (Element Aquans + Vile Angra Mainyu + Fallen Shax + Wrath Alice)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 5.7/level
MP: 40 + 4.3/level
Strength: 75 (5%)
Agility: 90 (10%)
Endurance: 107 (35%)
Magic: 105 (35%)
Luck: 90 (15%)
Moveset:
-(Ice) Frost Moon
--MP 75; deals severe damage to all enemies; reduces Atk/HE/Def by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Ice) Mabufu Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Ice by 2 tiers; learns at Level 88
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Curse) Charming Smile
--MP 40; targets all foes; inflicts Charm (55% chance); affected targets lose 1 level Attack (40%); learns at Level 89
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Almighty) Personality Cult
--MP 30; affects all Charmed enemies; drains exactly 100 HP/50 MP from affected enemies; learns at level 92
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
DLC: Keris Rathan
HP/13415
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Normal
Fire: Resist
Ice: Reflect
Elec: Normal
Force: Null
Terra: Resist
Light: Weak
Dark: Null
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Strike, 2-3 hits
Attack 2: 1 target, Ice, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Envy of Keris
--Starts battle with both Makarakarn and Tetrakarn active; skills Makara Break and Tetra Break cannot be used
-(Curse) Charming Smile
--MP 40; targets all foes; inflicts Charm (55% chance); affected targets lose 1 level Attack (40%)
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level
-(Status) Makarakarn
--MP 50; next non-Almighty Magic attack this turn is Reflected
-(Status) Tetrakarn
--MP 50; next Physical attack this turn is Reflected
-(Almighty) Personality Cult
--MP 30; affects all Charmed enemies; drains exactly 100 HP/50 MP from affected enemies
-(Ice) Cold World
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Ice) Mabufu Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Ice by 2 tiers.
-(Ice) Frost Moon
--MP 75; deals severe damage to all enemies; reduces Atk/HE/Def by 1 level
-(Ice) Bufudyne
--MP 12; deals heavy damage to 1 enemy
Yes, you read that right; Rathan has both Tetrakarn and Makarakarn. With unlimited MP. And he begins battle with both of them on. And yes, he will use them both each turn, at least until you get him to half HP or less. And you can't use Tetra Break or Makara Break. Where's a Deus Ex Machina when you need one, right?
As a matter of fact, your miracle is right back in the Crystal Moon (yes, that's what Rathan's section of the DLC dungeon is called). You may have noticed (assuming you haven't just been avoiding the random encounters) that your enemies in this dungeon have been dropping these things called Tetra Talismans and Makara Mandalas, at least one per encounter. These items replicate the effects of Tetra Break and Makara Break, respectively, and Envy of Keris doesn't cover them. (Now if only their descriptions said anything about what you're meant to use them for...)
All in all, Rathan's battle feels a lot like Kusumi-no-Okami from P4 Golden. You fight a seemingly invulnerable boss by using items gained from the boss's dungeon to make it vulnerable. Unfortunately, this strategy only covers a specific portion of Rathan's moveset.
Charming Smile is a dangerous move. Has anybody played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance? For those who haven't, one of the bosses has a unique spell called Logos that simultaneously lowers ATK and inflicts the Charm status, as well as targeting everybody in an area. This is Charming Smile in a nutshell, except you can't avoid it by simply getting out of the range. Probably the best thing to do is load up on demons that are immune to Charm, which will also shut down his Personality Cult move.
And let's not forget Rakukajanda, which is a headache to deal with; bring in a demon with Silent Prayer, you're going to need it for this move alone.
Rathan's Ice skills don't show up until he's at half HP or less, the same as he stops using the 'Karns. Frost Moon is by far the worst, being essentially an Ice version of Antichthon as it was when it was introduced in 4. However, that doesn't mean he isn't a headache and a half without it. (Insert brain freeze joke here.) Cold World does as much damage as Mabufudyne, and can instantly kill your demons regardless of their HP; and since Rathan has Mabufu Break, you can see Eko's section regarding Mazan Break and extrapolate from that. (Basically, take those plans you were making regarding taking Surt to fight Rathan, and put them on ice.)
Rathan doesn't have much in the way of physical attacks, and the ones he does have are weak and rarely used, so you really shouldn't worry about them.
Keris Rathan
Special Fusion (Element Aquans + Vile Angra Mainyu + Fallen Shax + Wrath Alice)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 5.7/level
MP: 40 + 4.3/level
Strength: 75 (5%)
Agility: 90 (10%)
Endurance: 107 (35%)
Magic: 105 (35%)
Luck: 90 (15%)
Moveset:
-(Ice) Frost Moon
--MP 75; deals severe damage to all enemies; reduces Atk/HE/Def by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Ice) Mabufu Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Ice by 2 tiers; learns at Level 88
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Curse) Charming Smile
--MP 40; targets all foes; inflicts Charm (55% chance); affected targets lose 1 level Attack (40%); learns at Level 89
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Almighty) Personality Cult
--MP 30; affects all Charmed enemies; drains exactly 100 HP/50 MP from affected enemies; learns at level 92
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
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SMT5 DLC - Keris Calesco
And, continuing my streak of one SMT writeup per day...
Keris Calesco
HP/11439
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Resist
Shot: Null
Fire: Resist
Ice: Weak
Elec: Null
Force: Resist
Terra: Null
Light: Reflect
Dark: Absorb
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Shot, 2-5 hits
Attack 2: All targets, Shot, 1-2 hits per target
Attack 3: 1 target, Light, 1-4 hits
Attack 4: Multiple targets, Light, 1-3 hits
Attack 5: 1 target, Almighty, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Judgment of Keris
--Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, and Tetraja cannot be used; gains an Extra Press Turn for each time the opponent gained Extra Press Turns in the previous turn
-(Status) Sukukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' hit/avo by 1 level; cuts all enemies' hit/avo by 1 level
-(Status) Equalization
--MP 30; inflicts Brand on all participants in the battle (100%)
-(Status) Eternal Critic
--MP 75; user gains Smirk status; user gains Crit-Up status; user's hit/avo raised by 1 level
-(Almighty) Just Rewards
--MP 60; deals heavy damage to all foes; deals extra damage to foes with the Brand condition
-(Almighty) Judgment
--MP 75; deals severe damage to all foes; deals extra damage to 'Evil' demons; deals reduced damage to 'Good' demons
-(Light) Unveiling of Truth
--MP 75; halves all enemies' HP and MP; inflicts Brand (65%)
-(Light) Mahama Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Light by 2 tiers
-(Light) Hamaonga
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; Smirk: 35% chance of instant kill
-(Light) Mahamaonga
--MP 56; deals heavy damage to all foes; Smirk: 25% chance of instant kill
-(Shot) Cursed Arrow
--MP 25; deals medium damage to 1 foe; inflicts Brand (100%)
Compared to the previous two bosses, Calesco is rather simple. Her sole trick is both non-devastating and comparatively easy (read: possible) to figure out just by fighting her enough times, and her strategy is relatively straightforward.
Of course, simple doesn't mean easy. Her damage output is nothing to sneeze at, and both Makarakarn and Tetrakarn can't be used. Also, aside from her weakness, almost everything you could attack her with is at Resist level or higher.
First, though, her trick. Anytime you gain Extra Press Turns, so does she. One Extra Press Turn gained this way won't kill you, but keep in mind that this is on top of however many Extra Press Turns she gains through her own actions - and Eternal Critic boosts her crit rate. So don't exploit her weakness, don't use skills with a high crit rate (not that you should be doing that anyways, since Calesco has Sukukajanda and as a general rule crit rate is inversely proportional to accuracy), and don't use Beast Eye or Dragon Eye (though if you have Beast Eye, then what are you even doing here?)
As for her exhaustive list of resistances, my sole advice is to use the various elemental Breaks since she doesn't have Break Restore. (Of course she wouldn't, that's in a completely different DLC.)
Also, the Brand condition from 4's DLC is back. Don't worry, though, it's been nerfed slightly. Yes, it still keeps you from healing, and yes, this is just as devastating as it was in 4, but the way Salvation works has been changed. In 4, it healed you first, and then removed your status conditions, meaning that a Branded demon would be unBranded, but only a single HP healthier to show for it. In this game, however, Salvation cures your status first, and then heals you, meaning that a previously Branded demon will be at full health one Salvation later.
Incidentally, the Smirk Stealer DLC skill is next to worthless here, even though Calesco makes frequent and effective use of Eternal Critic, because she rarely retains the Smirk condition past the turn she gains it. Instead, she uses Eternal Critic near the start of her turn, and follows it immediately with Hamaonga or Mahamaonga for the insta-kill. The only time she will retain the Smirk condition past the end of her turn is if she scores a critical (or exploits a weakness) right at the end of her turn, and only if she does so with an Extra Press Turn.
And it's a shame she doesn't, because when you try to exploit the weakness of a demon under the Smirk condition, the extra damage is halved and you don't gain an Extra Press Turn. Now, under any other circumstances, that would be a bad thing; however, Calesco's passive ability gives her Extra Press Turns equal to the number that you gained the turn before. The opportunity to deal extra damage to Calesco without the threat of retribution on the following turn is too good to pass up, on the rare occasion that it happens.
As always, have a demon with Silent Prayer in your party, and don't bring anybody weak against Light attacks.
On a side note, you may be wondering where you can get the regular Hama Break. The answer: DLC. The skill card is a semi-rare drop from the Crank-a-Devil machine.
Keris Calesco
Special Fusion (Element Luxes + Avatar Anubis + Divine Cherub + Tyrant Loki)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 6.1/level
MP: 40 + 3.9/level
Strength: 96 (25%)
Agility: 88 (20%)
Endurance: 86 (10%)
Magic: 97 (25%)
Luck: 100 (20%)
-(Status) Sukukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' hit/avo by 1 level; cuts all enemies' hit/avo by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Shot) Cursed Arrow
--MP 25; deals medium damage to 1 foe; inflicts Brand (100%); knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Light) Unveiling of Truth
--MP 75; halves all enemies' HP and MP; inflicts Brand (65%); Learns at Level 90
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Light) Mahama Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Light by 2 tiers; learns at level 93
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Status) Eternal Critic
--MP 75; user gains Smirk status; user gains Crit-Up status; user's hit/avo raised by 1 level; learns at Level 95
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
Keris Calesco
HP/11439
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Resist
Shot: Null
Fire: Resist
Ice: Weak
Elec: Null
Force: Resist
Terra: Null
Light: Reflect
Dark: Absorb
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Shot, 2-5 hits
Attack 2: All targets, Shot, 1-2 hits per target
Attack 3: 1 target, Light, 1-4 hits
Attack 4: Multiple targets, Light, 1-3 hits
Attack 5: 1 target, Almighty, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Judgment of Keris
--Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, and Tetraja cannot be used; gains an Extra Press Turn for each time the opponent gained Extra Press Turns in the previous turn
-(Status) Sukukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' hit/avo by 1 level; cuts all enemies' hit/avo by 1 level
-(Status) Equalization
--MP 30; inflicts Brand on all participants in the battle (100%)
-(Status) Eternal Critic
--MP 75; user gains Smirk status; user gains Crit-Up status; user's hit/avo raised by 1 level
-(Almighty) Just Rewards
--MP 60; deals heavy damage to all foes; deals extra damage to foes with the Brand condition
-(Almighty) Judgment
--MP 75; deals severe damage to all foes; deals extra damage to 'Evil' demons; deals reduced damage to 'Good' demons
-(Light) Unveiling of Truth
--MP 75; halves all enemies' HP and MP; inflicts Brand (65%)
-(Light) Mahama Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Light by 2 tiers
-(Light) Hamaonga
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; Smirk: 35% chance of instant kill
-(Light) Mahamaonga
--MP 56; deals heavy damage to all foes; Smirk: 25% chance of instant kill
-(Shot) Cursed Arrow
--MP 25; deals medium damage to 1 foe; inflicts Brand (100%)
Compared to the previous two bosses, Calesco is rather simple. Her sole trick is both non-devastating and comparatively easy (read: possible) to figure out just by fighting her enough times, and her strategy is relatively straightforward.
Of course, simple doesn't mean easy. Her damage output is nothing to sneeze at, and both Makarakarn and Tetrakarn can't be used. Also, aside from her weakness, almost everything you could attack her with is at Resist level or higher.
First, though, her trick. Anytime you gain Extra Press Turns, so does she. One Extra Press Turn gained this way won't kill you, but keep in mind that this is on top of however many Extra Press Turns she gains through her own actions - and Eternal Critic boosts her crit rate. So don't exploit her weakness, don't use skills with a high crit rate (not that you should be doing that anyways, since Calesco has Sukukajanda and as a general rule crit rate is inversely proportional to accuracy), and don't use Beast Eye or Dragon Eye (though if you have Beast Eye, then what are you even doing here?)
As for her exhaustive list of resistances, my sole advice is to use the various elemental Breaks since she doesn't have Break Restore. (Of course she wouldn't, that's in a completely different DLC.)
Also, the Brand condition from 4's DLC is back. Don't worry, though, it's been nerfed slightly. Yes, it still keeps you from healing, and yes, this is just as devastating as it was in 4, but the way Salvation works has been changed. In 4, it healed you first, and then removed your status conditions, meaning that a Branded demon would be unBranded, but only a single HP healthier to show for it. In this game, however, Salvation cures your status first, and then heals you, meaning that a previously Branded demon will be at full health one Salvation later.
Incidentally, the Smirk Stealer DLC skill is next to worthless here, even though Calesco makes frequent and effective use of Eternal Critic, because she rarely retains the Smirk condition past the turn she gains it. Instead, she uses Eternal Critic near the start of her turn, and follows it immediately with Hamaonga or Mahamaonga for the insta-kill. The only time she will retain the Smirk condition past the end of her turn is if she scores a critical (or exploits a weakness) right at the end of her turn, and only if she does so with an Extra Press Turn.
And it's a shame she doesn't, because when you try to exploit the weakness of a demon under the Smirk condition, the extra damage is halved and you don't gain an Extra Press Turn. Now, under any other circumstances, that would be a bad thing; however, Calesco's passive ability gives her Extra Press Turns equal to the number that you gained the turn before. The opportunity to deal extra damage to Calesco without the threat of retribution on the following turn is too good to pass up, on the rare occasion that it happens.
As always, have a demon with Silent Prayer in your party, and don't bring anybody weak against Light attacks.
On a side note, you may be wondering where you can get the regular Hama Break. The answer: DLC. The skill card is a semi-rare drop from the Crank-a-Devil machine.
Keris Calesco
Special Fusion (Element Luxes + Avatar Anubis + Divine Cherub + Tyrant Loki)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 6.1/level
MP: 40 + 3.9/level
Strength: 96 (25%)
Agility: 88 (20%)
Endurance: 86 (10%)
Magic: 97 (25%)
Luck: 100 (20%)
-(Status) Sukukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' hit/avo by 1 level; cuts all enemies' hit/avo by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Shot) Cursed Arrow
--MP 25; deals medium damage to 1 foe; inflicts Brand (100%); knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Light) Unveiling of Truth
--MP 75; halves all enemies' HP and MP; inflicts Brand (65%); Learns at Level 90
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Light) Mahama Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Light by 2 tiers; learns at level 93
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Status) Eternal Critic
--MP 75; user gains Smirk status; user gains Crit-Up status; user's hit/avo raised by 1 level; learns at Level 95
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
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So, my SMT write-ups of Keris's pantheon are a little less than half-done. I have ideas for Zanara, Pekhijira, and Dulmea, but I'm mostly drawing a blank on Haneyl and Vali. Haneyl I want to be a boss where you don't exploit their weakness or you just make them stronger, but I don't know how to go about that. Vali I have no idea.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well, I don't know much about SMT (though I am enjoying the strategy comments on these writeups), but both Haneyl and Vali as full siblings are multi-stage bosses who shuck more and more of their restraints as a fight goes on (Haneyl throwing off her pretence of sophistication to become the Queen of Fanged Maws and then the Orchid Dragon and Vali loosing his self-imposed restraints and powering up against opposition to become the Brass-and-Stone Brawler and then the Thunder Dragon), but who also suffer from stamina issues (Haneyl running out of food/fuel and Vali getting tired with no constraints to stay pressurised against). So it may for both siblings be a case of outlasting them as they go through their three stages and exhaust themselves - you survive long enough to wear them down, then kill them when they're weak. Heh. Which implies that in some ways their "health" might more accurately be their mana bar, and once they've mostly exhausted that, that's when you start chewing away at their health - trying to knock their health bar down before that point is ineffective because they both regrow or regenerate from damage.
In the same vein, maybe Zanara is actually two bosses with different skillsets in one that 'tag out' with each other as needed but still share the same health bar?
Pekhijira very likely uses Fog to change the game every now and then and gain a nuts damage and evasion boost; Players have to survive these Fog phases until either the timer runs out or they manage to dispel it somehow, say via fire or ice spells targeted at the environment?
Dulmea is definitely a crowd boss that summons more of her Chell and Chords every now and then, and you have to kill her summons quickly enough that they can't simply grind you down with numbers.
And possibly Haneyl has a special where, if she can stack enough Poison on someone, she can Charm them, representing the Self-Seeds. And another special that makes her go berserk with a damage boost but also an inability to use her more tactical skills every time one of her weaknesses is exploited, so it's still a valid approach to control her actions if you think you can survive it.
Pekhijira very likely uses Fog to change the game every now and then and gain a nuts damage and evasion boost; Players have to survive these Fog phases until either the timer runs out or they manage to dispel it somehow, say via fire or ice spells targeted at the environment?
Dulmea is definitely a crowd boss that summons more of her Chell and Chords every now and then, and you have to kill her summons quickly enough that they can't simply grind you down with numbers.
And possibly Haneyl has a special where, if she can stack enough Poison on someone, she can Charm them, representing the Self-Seeds. And another special that makes her go berserk with a damage boost but also an inability to use her more tactical skills every time one of her weaknesses is exploited, so it's still a valid approach to control her actions if you think you can survive it.
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The only suggestion here that I find viable is Zanara's. I get the impression that you don't know much about SMT.
You would be correct, but I do know a bit of Persona. What exactly is the mechanical problem with a prolonged damage/evasion buff on Pekhijira, with a buff that's autocast when hit with a certain type of attack, or with hardcoding Haneyl's behaviour to not use certain skills while under a custom damage buff/evasion debuff? Does SMT not have a Poison effect, or multiple enemies per battle?
The problem with a prolonged damage/evasion buff on Pekhijira is that, in SMT, all buffs (and debuffs) are permanent until cancelled or until the battle ends. So your idea for Pekhijira, while a good one, is actually a little underpowered for my taste. The fog thing is something I had considered, but discarded due to it being a little too similar to P4's gimmick. Rest assured, when you fight Pekhijira, the arena will be foggy, but it will have no mechanical effect on the battle itself.
A buff that's autocast when hit with a certain type of attack is fine (in fact, I actually had that idea for Haneyl myself), but I don't want to make her a total berserker. I mean, sure, under my current plans she will be, but only in her final form.
SMT does (almost always) have multiple enemies per battle, but its Press Turn system is... weird. Having multiple enemies is actually a mixed bag of pluses and minuses. Spamming wide-area physical skills with a reasonably high crit rate would net you extra actions up the wazoo. SMT is supposed to be hard as (bleep), and so is DLC. Therefore, SMT DLC is supposed to be 'throw your gaming console against the wall' hard, and it can't be if there's an obvious exploit. (Rathan and Eko don't count because their exploits are anything but obvious.)
As for the poison idea... upon further reflection, it seems to have merit. Not as written, but a Terra skill that both Poisons and Charms the foe... It's worth thinking about.
SMT5 DLC - Keris Haneyl
Keris Haneyl (1)
HP/7777
MP/777
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Weak
Force: Resist
Terra: Absorb
Light: Absorb
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Terra, 1-3 hits
Moveset:
-(Passive) Greed of Keris
--Whenever its weakness is exploited, gains MP equal to half the damage dealt; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Haneyl (#+1)
-(Passive) Counter
--When attacked physically, has a 20% chance of attacking back
-(Healing) Salvation
--75 MP; fully heals all allies; removes status conditions of all allies
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Status) Crown of An-Teng
--MP 40; user gains Smirk status; user's Atk/Def boosted by 1 level
-(Fire) Maragidyne
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to all enemies
-(Fire) Maragi Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Fire by 2 tiers
-(Fire) Trisagion
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 enemy; Smirk: Pierces Fire Resistance below Reflect
-(Terra) Mamagnadyne
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to all enemies
-(Terra) Mamagna Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Terra by 2 tiers
-(Terra) Eruption
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 enemy; Smirk: Pierces Terra Resistance below Reflect
-(Terra) Infestation
--MP 40; deals light damage to 1 enemy; inflicts Poison (100%) and Charm (100%)
Keris Haneyl (2)
HP/8000
MP/777
Slash: Normal
Strike: Resist
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Null
Elec: Weak
Force: Normal
Terra: Absorb
Light: Absorb
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: All targets, Terra, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1-3 targets, Fire
Attack 3: 1 target, Strike, 1-3 hits
Moveset:
-(Passive) Greed of Keris
--Whenever its weakness is exploited, gains MP equal to half the damage dealt; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Haneyl (#+1)
-(Passive) Counterattack
--When attacked physically, has a 35% chance of attacking back
-(Healing) Salvation
--75 MP; fully heals all allies; removes status conditions of all allies
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Fire) Inferno
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Fire) Firestorm
--MP 25; deals medium damage to enemies 2-4 times
-(Terra) Overgrowth
--MP 25; deals medium damage to enemies 2-4 times
-(Terra) Infestation
--MP 50; deals light damage to 1 enemy; inflicts Poison (100%) and Charm (100%)
-(Strike) Deathbound
--MP 20; deals HP-dependent damage to all foes
-(Strike) Akasha Arts
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces Strike Resistance below Reflect
Keris Haneyl (3)
HP/10000
MP/1000
Slash: Resist
Strike: Null
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Reflect
Elec: Weak
Force: Normal
Terra: Reflect
Light: Reflect
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: All targets, Fire, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Slash, 1-2 hits
Attack 3: 1-3 targets, Terra
Moveset:
-(Passive) Avarice of Keris
--When its weakness is exploited, raises Atk/HE/Def by 1 level; when at 25% HP or less, gains 1 Extra Press Turn per round
-(Passive) Counterstrike
--When attacked physically, has a 50% chance of attacking back
-(Fire) Inferno
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Terra) Magma Drop
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Terra) Titanomachia
--MP 45; deals severe damage to all foes
-(Slash) Eat Whole
--MP 20; deals light damage to all foes; restores user's HP
-(Slash) Devour
--MP 40; deals medium damage to 1 foe; restores user's HP; KO'd foes gain MIA condition
-(Strike) Deathbound
--MP 20; deals HP-dependent damage to all foes
This is one of two multi-stage boss fights in the Ascensions And Transgressions DLC. Make sure you have lots of items, because it's a doozy.
First of all, Salvation. This is an unprecedented game-breaker of a move on its own, as it fully heals Haneyl and removes all status conditions from her. It basically resets the entire battle. (Ancient of Days, eat your heart out.) And no, you can't just use Cursed Arrow, because the Brand condition doesn't affect Salvation, as detailed above. She's also immune to the Mute condition, so that's not an option. Incidentally, Haneyl won't use Salvation unless she's at 25% HP or less.
Now, this doesn't mean the battle is hopeless. Unlike almost all of her DLC-mates, Haneyl does not have unlimited MP. Simply weather her attacks, and she'll eventually be too low on MP to heal herself. This applies to her first two forms, but not to her third form (which we will get to in a moment).
The problem is, as always, her passives. When Haneyl gets hit by a Fire or Elec attack, yes, you do increased damage, and yes, you gain an Extra Press Turn, but also, Haneyl gains MP. 150 damage (which, incidentally, is very easy to do even if you aren't exploiting a weakness) translates to 75 MP, and that's all she needs to cast Salvation and undo all your hard work. So, yeah, turtle up and don't exploit her weaknesses.
Now, you may have experienced some measure of success using demons with Reflect level Resistance against the boss's specialized element. After all, the Element Break skills reduce the corresponding Resistances by 2 stages, and can only be applied once, so a demon with Reflect Ice against Rathan, for instance, would be at Reflect until he used Mabufu Break, at which point the demon would be at Null - which is to say, they would still be immune, they just wouldn't send the attack back at Rathan. Of course, there's no need to remind you, dear reader, that hitting a demon with an attack it's immune to (or missing it with any kind of attack at all) costs you two press turns, instead of the usual one.
Against Haneyl('s first form), however, this strategy is not quite as useful. For one thing, Haneyl has two specialized elements. It is significantly harder to find demons that reflect two specific elements, than it is to find demons that reflect one specific element. Of course, the Reflect (Element) passives go a long way in that regard, but they're very hard to find.
For another thing, see the skills Trisagion and Eruption on her skill sheet? As long as Haneyl is Smirking, those pierce all levels of Resistance except Reflect. Now look at Crown of An-Teng. It allows her to give herself the Smirk status. (It also jacks up her stats, but that's secondary.) Sure, she needs two actions, but she can essentially pierce any resistance your demons have to the Fire and Terra elements.
Now, don't give yourself over to despair just yet. Just having those demons as part of your combat party can keep her from targeting your whole party with one action unless she wants to waste an additional Press Turn. (Unfortunately, this is occasionally the case. When she gets down to a single Press Turn, it doesn't matter how many she wastes with her last action, so she will sometimes just go for broke and use Mamagnadyne or Maragidyne if you only have one demon that's immune. Regardless, the strategy is still viable.)
One last thing. You may have needed Silent Prayer against Eko or Calesco, you likely needed it against Rathan, but you will definitely need it against Haneyl in the first stage. You just can't get along without it. You're also going to need a little Salvation yourself (or at least Amrita) to deal with Infestation, which isn't really a major issue unless you let it become one.
Stage two is more of the same... technically. If you try turtling up like you did for the previous stage, you're most likely going to die to Deathbound, which is absurdly broken at Haneyl's maximum HP value. So you go on the offensive instead, except you stop before you hit the 25% mark since that's when Haneyl uses Salvation. 30% HP is ideal if you can manage it, but anywhere below 50% is survivable.
If you have any demons that are immune to both Fire and Terra, now's the time to use them. Inferno, Firestorm, and Overgrowth can all kill you if you aren't careful, and she will often use several of them per turn. Good news, all these powerful attack spells have the effect of draining her MP like a New Yorker in a desert drains his water bottle. Bad news, you're getting pelted with powerful spells.
Aside from the above, this battle is basically just a reprise of the first stage. It's at the third stage that things start to get... interesting.
Haneyl's third stage drops Salvation entirely. While this is a good thing, she replaces it with Eat Whole and Devour, both of which are powerful offensive moves that heal the user. She starts using them only when she's at 75% health or less, but she uses at least one of them every turn. In the case of Devour, try not to let her kill anything with it, or you'll be out that demon for the rest of the fight.
Now, the above thing about healing wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for Deathbound. It deals more damage the higher your HP is, yes, but even accounting for the 2000 HP difference between the second form and the third, the increase in damage is disproportionately large. Use Tetrakarn every turn to keep her from using it, and hammer away at her weaknesses like there's no tomorrow.
That's right, I said to hit her weaknesses. Third-stage Haneyl swaps out Greed of Keris for Avarice of Keris, which doesn't restore her MP. (Not to mention, she no longer has Salvation to take advantage of this.) Instead, it raises her stats when her weakness is exploited. Those who've played SMT 4A may recall Maitreya doing something similar with his Enlightenment ability. Have a Dekaja user at the ready to clear out these buffs. Luckily, Haneyl no longer has Tarukajanda, so you don't need Silent Prayer and therefore can simply buff your party once you've found a party configuration that works.
Keris Haneyl
Special Fusion (Element Erthys + Amatsu Amaterasu + Wilder Peallaidh + Fallen Bifrons)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 7.4/level
MP: 40 + 2.6/level
Strength: 107 (30%)
Agility: 86 (10%)
Endurance: 107 (30%)
Magic: 87 (20%)
Luck: 80 (10%)
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Terra) Infestation
--MP 40; deals light damage to 1 enemy; inflicts Poison (100%) and Charm (100%); knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Slash) Devour
--MP 40; deals medium damage to 1 foe; restores user's HP; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Terra) Mamagna Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Terra by 2 tiers; learns at Level 89
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Fire) Maragi Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Fire by 2 tiers; learns at Level 90
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Status) Crown of An-Teng
--MP 40; user gains Smirk status; user's Atk/Def boosted by 1 level; learns at Level 93
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
HP/7777
MP/777
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Weak
Force: Resist
Terra: Absorb
Light: Absorb
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Terra, 1-3 hits
Moveset:
-(Passive) Greed of Keris
--Whenever its weakness is exploited, gains MP equal to half the damage dealt; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Haneyl (#+1)
-(Passive) Counter
--When attacked physically, has a 20% chance of attacking back
-(Healing) Salvation
--75 MP; fully heals all allies; removes status conditions of all allies
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Status) Crown of An-Teng
--MP 40; user gains Smirk status; user's Atk/Def boosted by 1 level
-(Fire) Maragidyne
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to all enemies
-(Fire) Maragi Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Fire by 2 tiers
-(Fire) Trisagion
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 enemy; Smirk: Pierces Fire Resistance below Reflect
-(Terra) Mamagnadyne
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to all enemies
-(Terra) Mamagna Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Terra by 2 tiers
-(Terra) Eruption
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 enemy; Smirk: Pierces Terra Resistance below Reflect
-(Terra) Infestation
--MP 40; deals light damage to 1 enemy; inflicts Poison (100%) and Charm (100%)
Keris Haneyl (2)
HP/8000
MP/777
Slash: Normal
Strike: Resist
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Null
Elec: Weak
Force: Normal
Terra: Absorb
Light: Absorb
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: All targets, Terra, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1-3 targets, Fire
Attack 3: 1 target, Strike, 1-3 hits
Moveset:
-(Passive) Greed of Keris
--Whenever its weakness is exploited, gains MP equal to half the damage dealt; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Haneyl (#+1)
-(Passive) Counterattack
--When attacked physically, has a 35% chance of attacking back
-(Healing) Salvation
--75 MP; fully heals all allies; removes status conditions of all allies
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Fire) Inferno
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Fire) Firestorm
--MP 25; deals medium damage to enemies 2-4 times
-(Terra) Overgrowth
--MP 25; deals medium damage to enemies 2-4 times
-(Terra) Infestation
--MP 50; deals light damage to 1 enemy; inflicts Poison (100%) and Charm (100%)
-(Strike) Deathbound
--MP 20; deals HP-dependent damage to all foes
-(Strike) Akasha Arts
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces Strike Resistance below Reflect
Keris Haneyl (3)
HP/10000
MP/1000
Slash: Resist
Strike: Null
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Reflect
Elec: Weak
Force: Normal
Terra: Reflect
Light: Reflect
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: All targets, Fire, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Slash, 1-2 hits
Attack 3: 1-3 targets, Terra
Moveset:
-(Passive) Avarice of Keris
--When its weakness is exploited, raises Atk/HE/Def by 1 level; when at 25% HP or less, gains 1 Extra Press Turn per round
-(Passive) Counterstrike
--When attacked physically, has a 50% chance of attacking back
-(Fire) Inferno
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Terra) Magma Drop
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Terra) Titanomachia
--MP 45; deals severe damage to all foes
-(Slash) Eat Whole
--MP 20; deals light damage to all foes; restores user's HP
-(Slash) Devour
--MP 40; deals medium damage to 1 foe; restores user's HP; KO'd foes gain MIA condition
-(Strike) Deathbound
--MP 20; deals HP-dependent damage to all foes
This is one of two multi-stage boss fights in the Ascensions And Transgressions DLC. Make sure you have lots of items, because it's a doozy.
First of all, Salvation. This is an unprecedented game-breaker of a move on its own, as it fully heals Haneyl and removes all status conditions from her. It basically resets the entire battle. (Ancient of Days, eat your heart out.) And no, you can't just use Cursed Arrow, because the Brand condition doesn't affect Salvation, as detailed above. She's also immune to the Mute condition, so that's not an option. Incidentally, Haneyl won't use Salvation unless she's at 25% HP or less.
Now, this doesn't mean the battle is hopeless. Unlike almost all of her DLC-mates, Haneyl does not have unlimited MP. Simply weather her attacks, and she'll eventually be too low on MP to heal herself. This applies to her first two forms, but not to her third form (which we will get to in a moment).
The problem is, as always, her passives. When Haneyl gets hit by a Fire or Elec attack, yes, you do increased damage, and yes, you gain an Extra Press Turn, but also, Haneyl gains MP. 150 damage (which, incidentally, is very easy to do even if you aren't exploiting a weakness) translates to 75 MP, and that's all she needs to cast Salvation and undo all your hard work. So, yeah, turtle up and don't exploit her weaknesses.
Now, you may have experienced some measure of success using demons with Reflect level Resistance against the boss's specialized element. After all, the Element Break skills reduce the corresponding Resistances by 2 stages, and can only be applied once, so a demon with Reflect Ice against Rathan, for instance, would be at Reflect until he used Mabufu Break, at which point the demon would be at Null - which is to say, they would still be immune, they just wouldn't send the attack back at Rathan. Of course, there's no need to remind you, dear reader, that hitting a demon with an attack it's immune to (or missing it with any kind of attack at all) costs you two press turns, instead of the usual one.
Against Haneyl('s first form), however, this strategy is not quite as useful. For one thing, Haneyl has two specialized elements. It is significantly harder to find demons that reflect two specific elements, than it is to find demons that reflect one specific element. Of course, the Reflect (Element) passives go a long way in that regard, but they're very hard to find.
For another thing, see the skills Trisagion and Eruption on her skill sheet? As long as Haneyl is Smirking, those pierce all levels of Resistance except Reflect. Now look at Crown of An-Teng. It allows her to give herself the Smirk status. (It also jacks up her stats, but that's secondary.) Sure, she needs two actions, but she can essentially pierce any resistance your demons have to the Fire and Terra elements.
Now, don't give yourself over to despair just yet. Just having those demons as part of your combat party can keep her from targeting your whole party with one action unless she wants to waste an additional Press Turn. (Unfortunately, this is occasionally the case. When she gets down to a single Press Turn, it doesn't matter how many she wastes with her last action, so she will sometimes just go for broke and use Mamagnadyne or Maragidyne if you only have one demon that's immune. Regardless, the strategy is still viable.)
One last thing. You may have needed Silent Prayer against Eko or Calesco, you likely needed it against Rathan, but you will definitely need it against Haneyl in the first stage. You just can't get along without it. You're also going to need a little Salvation yourself (or at least Amrita) to deal with Infestation, which isn't really a major issue unless you let it become one.
Stage two is more of the same... technically. If you try turtling up like you did for the previous stage, you're most likely going to die to Deathbound, which is absurdly broken at Haneyl's maximum HP value. So you go on the offensive instead, except you stop before you hit the 25% mark since that's when Haneyl uses Salvation. 30% HP is ideal if you can manage it, but anywhere below 50% is survivable.
If you have any demons that are immune to both Fire and Terra, now's the time to use them. Inferno, Firestorm, and Overgrowth can all kill you if you aren't careful, and she will often use several of them per turn. Good news, all these powerful attack spells have the effect of draining her MP like a New Yorker in a desert drains his water bottle. Bad news, you're getting pelted with powerful spells.
Aside from the above, this battle is basically just a reprise of the first stage. It's at the third stage that things start to get... interesting.
Haneyl's third stage drops Salvation entirely. While this is a good thing, she replaces it with Eat Whole and Devour, both of which are powerful offensive moves that heal the user. She starts using them only when she's at 75% health or less, but she uses at least one of them every turn. In the case of Devour, try not to let her kill anything with it, or you'll be out that demon for the rest of the fight.
Now, the above thing about healing wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for Deathbound. It deals more damage the higher your HP is, yes, but even accounting for the 2000 HP difference between the second form and the third, the increase in damage is disproportionately large. Use Tetrakarn every turn to keep her from using it, and hammer away at her weaknesses like there's no tomorrow.
That's right, I said to hit her weaknesses. Third-stage Haneyl swaps out Greed of Keris for Avarice of Keris, which doesn't restore her MP. (Not to mention, she no longer has Salvation to take advantage of this.) Instead, it raises her stats when her weakness is exploited. Those who've played SMT 4A may recall Maitreya doing something similar with his Enlightenment ability. Have a Dekaja user at the ready to clear out these buffs. Luckily, Haneyl no longer has Tarukajanda, so you don't need Silent Prayer and therefore can simply buff your party once you've found a party configuration that works.
Keris Haneyl
Special Fusion (Element Erthys + Amatsu Amaterasu + Wilder Peallaidh + Fallen Bifrons)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 7.4/level
MP: 40 + 2.6/level
Strength: 107 (30%)
Agility: 86 (10%)
Endurance: 107 (30%)
Magic: 87 (20%)
Luck: 80 (10%)
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Terra) Infestation
--MP 40; deals light damage to 1 enemy; inflicts Poison (100%) and Charm (100%); knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Slash) Devour
--MP 40; deals medium damage to 1 foe; restores user's HP; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Terra) Mamagna Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Terra by 2 tiers; learns at Level 89
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Fire) Maragi Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Fire by 2 tiers; learns at Level 90
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Status) Crown of An-Teng
--MP 40; user gains Smirk status; user's Atk/Def boosted by 1 level; learns at Level 93
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
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SMT5 DLC - Keris Vali
Keris Vali (1)
HP/8000
MP/1000
Slash: Resist
Strike: Resist
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Reflect
Force: Normal
Terra: Weak
Light: Null
Dark: Normal
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit, high crit rate, low hit rate
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1-3 hits
Moveset:
-(Passive) Second Restraint of Keris
--When it enters battle, Attack raised by 4 levels; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Vali (#+1)
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Status) Critical Eye
--MP 12; user's next Physical attack autocrits
-(Elec) Ziodyne
--MP 12; deals heavy damage to 1 foe
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers
-(Elec) Plasma Cloud
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
-(Strike) Akasha Arts
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces all Strike resistances below Reflect
-(Strike) Occult Flash
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; 5% chance of instant death
Keris Vali (2)
HP/7753
MP/894
Slash: Null
Strike: Resist
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Reflect
Force: Resist
Terra: Weak
Light: Null
Dark: Resist
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: Strike, 2-3 targets
Attack 2: Strike, 1 target, high crit rate
Moveset:
-(Passive) First Restraint of Keris
--When it enters battle, Attack raised by 2 levels; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Vali (#+1)
-(Miscellaneous) Threatening Stance
--MP 60; opponent loses 1 Press Turn during their next turn; Smirk: Opponent loses an additional Press Turn
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Elec) Validyne
--MP 50; deals severe damage to one foe; pierces Elec Resistance
-(Elec) Plasma Cloud
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers
-(Strike) Occult Flash
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; 5% chance of instant death
Keris Vali (3)
HP/7469
MP/647
Slash: Null
Strike: Null
Shot: Normal
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Reflect
Force: Normal
Terra: Weak
Light: Null
Dark: Resist
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: Strike, 1-5 targets
Attack 2: Slash, 1 target, 1-2 hits
Attack 3: Elec, 1-3 targets
Moveset:
-(Passive) Exultant Freedom of Keris
--At the start of the turn, consumes all its Hit/Avoid debuffs and gains an Extra Press Turn for each; once per battle, revives from death with 25% HP; max buff/debuff is 3 levels
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Elec) Validyne
--MP 50; deals severe damage to one foe; pierces Elec Resistance
-(Elec) Plasma Cloud
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers
-(Slash) Rending Claws
--MP 35; deals heavy damage to 1-3 foes
-(Slash) Vorpal Dance
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; 5% chance of instant death
And now we come to the second multi-stage boss: Vali.
First things first: Vali is, uniquely among bosses in this game, IMMUNE to Brand. That's right, you have to put up with Vali's unique healing spell Second Wind undoing all your hard work in an instant. In all three forms. Luckily, it explicitly isn't as effective as Diarahan, and he never uses it more than once per turn, so it's not that big a headache. Except, you know, it comes with a built-in Heat Riser effect. Keep Silent Prayer handy, because you're going to need it.
Just like with Haneyl, Vali's battle is very much about who can keep healing longer. Have Energy Drain/Spirit Drain on all your active demons, because MP leeching skills work very well to both drive Vali down to 0, where he can't heal himself, and also to keep your demons from the same fate. (The reason I didn't suggest this against Haneyl is because... I didn't think to try it until afterward, and therefore don't know for sure how well it works. AAARGHH!)
Aside from that, keep plenty of recovery items on hand, and don't bring anybody who's weak against Electric attacks. That's right, Vali has NO GAME-BREAKING TRICKS besides his healing. (Though special mention goes to Validyne, which pierces every possible level of resistance and deals as much damage as Thunder Gods, but the Red Rider does exactly the same thing with its signature skill Heavy Blade, so you should know how to deal with this.)
Keris Vali
Special Fusion (Element Fulmina + Kishin Thor + Jaki Ogre + Vile Abaddon)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 8.4/level
MP: 40 + 1.6/level
Strength: 100 (35%)
Agility: 100 (20%)
Endurance: 100 (20%)
Magic: 100 (20%)
Luck: 67 (5%)
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Status) Critical Eye
--MP 12; user's next Physical attack autocrits; knows innately
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level; learns at Level 87
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers; learns at Level 88
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Elec) Validyne
--MP 50; deals severe damage to one foe; pierces Elec Resistance; learns at Level 91
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
HP/8000
MP/1000
Slash: Resist
Strike: Resist
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Reflect
Force: Normal
Terra: Weak
Light: Null
Dark: Normal
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit, high crit rate, low hit rate
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1-3 hits
Moveset:
-(Passive) Second Restraint of Keris
--When it enters battle, Attack raised by 4 levels; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Vali (#+1)
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Status) Critical Eye
--MP 12; user's next Physical attack autocrits
-(Elec) Ziodyne
--MP 12; deals heavy damage to 1 foe
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers
-(Elec) Plasma Cloud
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
-(Strike) Akasha Arts
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces all Strike resistances below Reflect
-(Strike) Occult Flash
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; 5% chance of instant death
Keris Vali (2)
HP/7753
MP/894
Slash: Null
Strike: Resist
Shot: Resist
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Reflect
Force: Resist
Terra: Weak
Light: Null
Dark: Resist
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: Strike, 2-3 targets
Attack 2: Strike, 1 target, high crit rate
Moveset:
-(Passive) First Restraint of Keris
--When it enters battle, Attack raised by 2 levels; when reduced to 0 HP, summons Keris Vali (#+1)
-(Miscellaneous) Threatening Stance
--MP 60; opponent loses 1 Press Turn during their next turn; Smirk: Opponent loses an additional Press Turn
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Elec) Validyne
--MP 50; deals severe damage to one foe; pierces Elec Resistance
-(Elec) Plasma Cloud
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers
-(Strike) Occult Flash
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; 5% chance of instant death
Keris Vali (3)
HP/7469
MP/647
Slash: Null
Strike: Null
Shot: Normal
Fire: Weak
Ice: Resist
Elec: Reflect
Force: Normal
Terra: Weak
Light: Null
Dark: Resist
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: Strike, 1-5 targets
Attack 2: Slash, 1 target, 1-2 hits
Attack 3: Elec, 1-3 targets
Moveset:
-(Passive) Exultant Freedom of Keris
--At the start of the turn, consumes all its Hit/Avoid debuffs and gains an Extra Press Turn for each; once per battle, revives from death with 25% HP; max buff/debuff is 3 levels
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level
-(Elec) Validyne
--MP 50; deals severe damage to one foe; pierces Elec Resistance
-(Elec) Plasma Cloud
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all enemies; 5% chance of instant death
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers
-(Slash) Rending Claws
--MP 35; deals heavy damage to 1-3 foes
-(Slash) Vorpal Dance
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; 5% chance of instant death
And now we come to the second multi-stage boss: Vali.
First things first: Vali is, uniquely among bosses in this game, IMMUNE to Brand. That's right, you have to put up with Vali's unique healing spell Second Wind undoing all your hard work in an instant. In all three forms. Luckily, it explicitly isn't as effective as Diarahan, and he never uses it more than once per turn, so it's not that big a headache. Except, you know, it comes with a built-in Heat Riser effect. Keep Silent Prayer handy, because you're going to need it.
Just like with Haneyl, Vali's battle is very much about who can keep healing longer. Have Energy Drain/Spirit Drain on all your active demons, because MP leeching skills work very well to both drive Vali down to 0, where he can't heal himself, and also to keep your demons from the same fate. (The reason I didn't suggest this against Haneyl is because... I didn't think to try it until afterward, and therefore don't know for sure how well it works. AAARGHH!)
Aside from that, keep plenty of recovery items on hand, and don't bring anybody who's weak against Electric attacks. That's right, Vali has NO GAME-BREAKING TRICKS besides his healing. (Though special mention goes to Validyne, which pierces every possible level of resistance and deals as much damage as Thunder Gods, but the Red Rider does exactly the same thing with its signature skill Heavy Blade, so you should know how to deal with this.)
Keris Vali
Special Fusion (Element Fulmina + Kishin Thor + Jaki Ogre + Vile Abaddon)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 8.4/level
MP: 40 + 1.6/level
Strength: 100 (35%)
Agility: 100 (20%)
Endurance: 100 (20%)
Magic: 100 (20%)
Luck: 67 (5%)
-(Status) Tarukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Attack by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Attack by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Status) Critical Eye
--MP 12; user's next Physical attack autocrits; knows innately
-(Healing) Second Wind
--MP 60; heals user's HP by 25% maximum; boosts user's Atk/HE/Def 1 level; learns at Level 87
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Elec) Mazio Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Elec by 2 tiers; learns at Level 88
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Elec) Validyne
--MP 50; deals severe damage to one foe; pierces Elec Resistance; learns at Level 91
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
Last edited:
SMT5 DLC - Keris Zanara
Keris Zanara (1)
HP/9973
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Normal
Fire: Normal
Ice: Null
Elec: Resist
Force: Weak
Terra: Null
Light: Normal
Dark: Absorb
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: Strike, 1 target, 1-2 hits
Attack 2: Dark, 1-3 targets
Moveset:
-(Passive) Artistry of Keris
--Begins battle with Smirk status; when HP reaches 75%, 50%, or 25%, tags out for Keris Zanara (2)
-(Talk) Talk
-(Status) Happy Paint
--MP 60; restores user's HP by exactly 1500; user gains Smirk status
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level
-(Almighty) Artist of Nightmares
--MP 80; deals variable damage to all foes; damage depends on Dark resistance (Weak/Normal = Severe, Strong/Null = Heavy, Absorb/Reflect = Moderate); Smirk: Inflicts Terror (80% chance)
-(Dark) Mudoonga
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; Smirk: has a 35% chance of instant kill
-(Dark) Mamudoonga
--MP 56; deals heavy damage to all foes; Smirk: has a 25% chance of instant kill
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers
-(Dark) Paintstorm
--MP 90; deals heavy damage to random foes 1-5 times; Smirk: inflicts Confuse status (100%)
Keris Zanara (2)
HP/9973
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Normal
Fire: Normal
Ice: Null
Elec: Resist
Force: Weak
Terra: Null
Light: Normal
Dark: Absorb
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: Strike, 1 target, 1-2 hits
Attack 2: Dark, 1-3 targets
Moveset:
-(Passive) Art of Keris
--Begins battle with Smirk status; when HP reaches 75%, 50%, or 25%, tags out for Keris Zanara (1)
-(Talk) Talk
-(Status) Happy Paint
--MP 60; restores user's HP by exactly 1500; user gains Smirk status
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level
-(Almighty) Artist of Nightmares
--MP 80; deals variable damage to all foes; damage depends on Dark resistance (Weak/Normal = Severe, Strong/Null = Heavy, Absorb/Reflect = Moderate); Smirk: Inflicts Terror (80% chance)
-(Dark) Dissolution
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Dark) Malicious Grudge
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces Dark Resistance below Reflect
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers
-(Dark) Paintstorm
--MP 90; deals heavy damage to random foes 1-5 times; Smirk: inflicts Confuse status (100%)
So far, the A&T DLC has had five different bosses; two that were untouchable because they healed themselves, one that was untouchable because you couldn't get to him, one that was untouchable because she got to you first, and one who wasn't untouchable, but however hard you touched her, she touched you back. (Mind out of the gutter, people.)
Zanara is different. Yes, they heal themselves, but that isn't what makes them dangerous. So what does? They make liberal use of the Talk command.
Now, this is a little more disconcerting than it sounds. Why? Because they're programmed to read your internet history and gaming preferences and use that information to attack you, the player. This is some Psycho Mantis bullshit, here. In fact, on one of my attempts on this boss (the second one, I think), Zanara actually carried on a one-sided conversation (apparently, since I didn't get to read PM's side) with the actual Psycho Mantis from my Metal Gear Remastered save file.
As with all mid-battle conversation breaks, you will have to make a choice at the end. The first choice (the one your cursor automatically lands on) is always some variation of "Freak out," and choosing it automatically skips your next turn because (according to the game) you're too busy panicking to fight. Aside from that, though, the rest of the choices have reasonable, if somewhat hefty, consequences (one side or the other losing/gaining a press turn, all stats being raised/lowered 1 stage, etc.)
However.
Making small talk isn't the only thing Zanara can do during the fight. Have you ever heard the saying, "If a whale tries to sell you a pumpkin, don't"? No? Then I suggest you look up the absurdist Harry Potter fanfic "HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH", often abbreviated to "Thirty H's". It's an interesting read.
Now, the whale thing isn't strictly relevant. I mentioned it only to inform you that I am making a reference when I say, "If Zanara tries to sell you anything at all, don't". I made that exact mistake, three times. Each time, Zanara prompted me to sacrifice one of my demons, presumably chosen at random, in exchange for a "really awesome item."
The first time, I was prompted to sacrifice my Vile Abaddon. I did so, and got a Platinum Death Mask for my troubles. (Did I mention that this was the ugly-ass male Zanara, the one that looks like 4's Yaso Magatsuhi without the odd charm of Claymation?) Then I lost (not on purpose), and once I got back to the main game (I was in Minami Senju, by the way), I took a trip to the local shop, and... there was no Platinum Death Mask to be found.
Second time. (Zanara-Man again.) I was prompted to sacrifice Amatsu Amaterasu. I did so, and received a Dragon's Eye Skill Card. Naturally, I was ecstatic, and lost on purpose to try and use it on one of my demons. When I got back to Minami Senju, I took a look through my inventory and... no Skill Card.
By this point I suspected something was up, but I went back in and tried again. This time, it was the female Zanara that prompted the sacrifice of Vile Yaldabaoth. I did so, and I was expecting something amazing because Abaddon had been Level 69 and I had received the most expensive piece of vendor trash in the game, while Amaterasu had been Level 82 and I had received a Skill Card containing a skill that I hadn't even been aware was in the game (to be fair, it probably isn't), and meanwhile, Yaldabaoth was Level 99 - the maximum.
What did I get? A Medikit.
Now, I actually had 20 medikits (the maximum) in my inventory, so I thought it was just a disappearing prize like the others, just way more obvious. So when I opened my inventory to use a Zanma Stone on her, imagine my surprise when I found the Medikit entry sitting at twenty-one.
So, curious cat that I am, I used one.
Now, I was in a pretty good position when I did this. My HP and my demons' was in the range of 60-70% across the board, nobody had an ailment, and Zanara wasn't Smirking, so I felt comfortable making this a purely offensive turn instead of using Salvation. (I would have used Zandyne or Floral Gust, but I didn't have them on my character, hence why I was digging around in my inventory for a Zanma Stone.) When I saw the extra Medikit, I figured that it might be something more valuable disguised as a Medikit, like a Bead of Life or somesuch.
I was half right.
Normally, Medikits heal you and all your active demons by 100 HP. When I used the 21st Medikit, I instead got sapped 100 HP... and so did my demons... and I lost all my Press Turns... and to add insult to injury, Zanara gained the Smirk status, which was (aggravatingly) appropriate given that she'd just tricked me into using a sabotaged healing item.
I got gibbed the very next turn.
But enough of my ranting. Let's discuss the actual strategy you're going to need to use.
Salvation/Amrita is an absolute must, given that Zanara's two signature skills both inflict status conditions. The Terror condition has a chance of keeping your demons from acting based on their HP percentage, while the Confuse condition either does the same, turns them against you, or spontaneously cures itself based purely on RNG. Both are aggravating (and Confuse is potentially devastating), but they're strictly temporary, so if you think you're lucky, you can wait them out instead of potentially wasting your MP.
The Smirk Stealer DLC skill is helpful here, but not essential - Magaon works just fine, and it's a lot cheaper to boot. It's a cold day in Hell that Zanara isn't Smirking between turns, so you'll be getting a lot of use out of whichever you pick. (Ironically, if you want to keep Zanara from Smirking entirely, you may want to consider using a status condition, since you can't be Smirking while you've got one. I recommend Brand, since that neatly takes care of his healing as well.)
Finally, Zanara's form-switching business. Zanara switches between a 'he' and a 'she' each time you hit a certain damage threshold. Each time it happens, Zanara gets an ambush turn, while Smirking. Great. Very classy, MegaTen.
Interestingly, effects like status conditions and buffs/debuffs and are tracked by the avatar instead of being unified between them, and status conditions on the swapped-out Zanara don't progress toward being cured. If you're feeling ambitious, you can use Cursed Arrow to damage/Brand Zanara right before they switch out, so that the Zanara you're dealing with gets Branded right before it swaps out.
Apart from that, standard A&T protocols apply - don't bring anybody weak against Dark, always have somebody with Silent Prayer, and focus on vitality before violence. And, since it bears repeating, if Zanara tries to sell you anything at all, don't. Just don't.
Keris Zanara
Special Fusion. (Element Tenebrus + Crime Dorian Grey + Tree Narcissus + Vile Pales)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 6.5/level
MP: 40 + 3.5/level
Strength: 80 (7.5%)
Agility: 90 (12.5%)
Endurance: 90 (15%)
Magic: 100 (35%)
Luck: 107 (30%)
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Dark) Dissolution
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Almighty) Artist of Nightmares
--MP 80; deals variable damage to all foes; damage depends on Dark resistance (Weak/Normal = Severe, Strong/Null = Heavy, Absorb/Reflect = Moderate); Smirk: Inflicts Terror (80% chance); learns at Level 87
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers; learns at Level 88
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Dark) Malicious Grudge
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces Dark Resistance below Reflect; learns at Level 90
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Dark) Paintstorm
--MP 90; deals heavy damage to random foes 1-5 times; Smirk: inflicts Confuse status (100%); learns at Level 92
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
HP/9973
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Normal
Fire: Normal
Ice: Null
Elec: Resist
Force: Weak
Terra: Null
Light: Normal
Dark: Absorb
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: Strike, 1 target, 1-2 hits
Attack 2: Dark, 1-3 targets
Moveset:
-(Passive) Artistry of Keris
--Begins battle with Smirk status; when HP reaches 75%, 50%, or 25%, tags out for Keris Zanara (2)
-(Talk) Talk
-(Status) Happy Paint
--MP 60; restores user's HP by exactly 1500; user gains Smirk status
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level
-(Almighty) Artist of Nightmares
--MP 80; deals variable damage to all foes; damage depends on Dark resistance (Weak/Normal = Severe, Strong/Null = Heavy, Absorb/Reflect = Moderate); Smirk: Inflicts Terror (80% chance)
-(Dark) Mudoonga
--MP 30; deals heavy damage to 1 foe; Smirk: has a 35% chance of instant kill
-(Dark) Mamudoonga
--MP 56; deals heavy damage to all foes; Smirk: has a 25% chance of instant kill
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers
-(Dark) Paintstorm
--MP 90; deals heavy damage to random foes 1-5 times; Smirk: inflicts Confuse status (100%)
Keris Zanara (2)
HP/9973
MP/infinite
Slash: Normal
Strike: Normal
Shot: Normal
Fire: Normal
Ice: Null
Elec: Resist
Force: Weak
Terra: Null
Light: Normal
Dark: Absorb
Press Turns: 4
Attack 1: Strike, 1 target, 1-2 hits
Attack 2: Dark, 1-3 targets
Moveset:
-(Passive) Art of Keris
--Begins battle with Smirk status; when HP reaches 75%, 50%, or 25%, tags out for Keris Zanara (1)
-(Talk) Talk
-(Status) Happy Paint
--MP 60; restores user's HP by exactly 1500; user gains Smirk status
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level
-(Almighty) Artist of Nightmares
--MP 80; deals variable damage to all foes; damage depends on Dark resistance (Weak/Normal = Severe, Strong/Null = Heavy, Absorb/Reflect = Moderate); Smirk: Inflicts Terror (80% chance)
-(Dark) Dissolution
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death
-(Dark) Malicious Grudge
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces Dark Resistance below Reflect
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers
-(Dark) Paintstorm
--MP 90; deals heavy damage to random foes 1-5 times; Smirk: inflicts Confuse status (100%)
So far, the A&T DLC has had five different bosses; two that were untouchable because they healed themselves, one that was untouchable because you couldn't get to him, one that was untouchable because she got to you first, and one who wasn't untouchable, but however hard you touched her, she touched you back. (Mind out of the gutter, people.)
Zanara is different. Yes, they heal themselves, but that isn't what makes them dangerous. So what does? They make liberal use of the Talk command.
Now, this is a little more disconcerting than it sounds. Why? Because they're programmed to read your internet history and gaming preferences and use that information to attack you, the player. This is some Psycho Mantis bullshit, here. In fact, on one of my attempts on this boss (the second one, I think), Zanara actually carried on a one-sided conversation (apparently, since I didn't get to read PM's side) with the actual Psycho Mantis from my Metal Gear Remastered save file.
As with all mid-battle conversation breaks, you will have to make a choice at the end. The first choice (the one your cursor automatically lands on) is always some variation of "Freak out," and choosing it automatically skips your next turn because (according to the game) you're too busy panicking to fight. Aside from that, though, the rest of the choices have reasonable, if somewhat hefty, consequences (one side or the other losing/gaining a press turn, all stats being raised/lowered 1 stage, etc.)
However.
Making small talk isn't the only thing Zanara can do during the fight. Have you ever heard the saying, "If a whale tries to sell you a pumpkin, don't"? No? Then I suggest you look up the absurdist Harry Potter fanfic "HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH", often abbreviated to "Thirty H's". It's an interesting read.
Now, the whale thing isn't strictly relevant. I mentioned it only to inform you that I am making a reference when I say, "If Zanara tries to sell you anything at all, don't". I made that exact mistake, three times. Each time, Zanara prompted me to sacrifice one of my demons, presumably chosen at random, in exchange for a "really awesome item."
The first time, I was prompted to sacrifice my Vile Abaddon. I did so, and got a Platinum Death Mask for my troubles. (Did I mention that this was the ugly-ass male Zanara, the one that looks like 4's Yaso Magatsuhi without the odd charm of Claymation?) Then I lost (not on purpose), and once I got back to the main game (I was in Minami Senju, by the way), I took a trip to the local shop, and... there was no Platinum Death Mask to be found.
Second time. (Zanara-Man again.) I was prompted to sacrifice Amatsu Amaterasu. I did so, and received a Dragon's Eye Skill Card. Naturally, I was ecstatic, and lost on purpose to try and use it on one of my demons. When I got back to Minami Senju, I took a look through my inventory and... no Skill Card.
By this point I suspected something was up, but I went back in and tried again. This time, it was the female Zanara that prompted the sacrifice of Vile Yaldabaoth. I did so, and I was expecting something amazing because Abaddon had been Level 69 and I had received the most expensive piece of vendor trash in the game, while Amaterasu had been Level 82 and I had received a Skill Card containing a skill that I hadn't even been aware was in the game (to be fair, it probably isn't), and meanwhile, Yaldabaoth was Level 99 - the maximum.
What did I get? A Medikit.
Now, I actually had 20 medikits (the maximum) in my inventory, so I thought it was just a disappearing prize like the others, just way more obvious. So when I opened my inventory to use a Zanma Stone on her, imagine my surprise when I found the Medikit entry sitting at twenty-one.
So, curious cat that I am, I used one.
Now, I was in a pretty good position when I did this. My HP and my demons' was in the range of 60-70% across the board, nobody had an ailment, and Zanara wasn't Smirking, so I felt comfortable making this a purely offensive turn instead of using Salvation. (I would have used Zandyne or Floral Gust, but I didn't have them on my character, hence why I was digging around in my inventory for a Zanma Stone.) When I saw the extra Medikit, I figured that it might be something more valuable disguised as a Medikit, like a Bead of Life or somesuch.
I was half right.
Normally, Medikits heal you and all your active demons by 100 HP. When I used the 21st Medikit, I instead got sapped 100 HP... and so did my demons... and I lost all my Press Turns... and to add insult to injury, Zanara gained the Smirk status, which was (aggravatingly) appropriate given that she'd just tricked me into using a sabotaged healing item.
I got gibbed the very next turn.
But enough of my ranting. Let's discuss the actual strategy you're going to need to use.
Salvation/Amrita is an absolute must, given that Zanara's two signature skills both inflict status conditions. The Terror condition has a chance of keeping your demons from acting based on their HP percentage, while the Confuse condition either does the same, turns them against you, or spontaneously cures itself based purely on RNG. Both are aggravating (and Confuse is potentially devastating), but they're strictly temporary, so if you think you're lucky, you can wait them out instead of potentially wasting your MP.
The Smirk Stealer DLC skill is helpful here, but not essential - Magaon works just fine, and it's a lot cheaper to boot. It's a cold day in Hell that Zanara isn't Smirking between turns, so you'll be getting a lot of use out of whichever you pick. (Ironically, if you want to keep Zanara from Smirking entirely, you may want to consider using a status condition, since you can't be Smirking while you've got one. I recommend Brand, since that neatly takes care of his healing as well.)
Finally, Zanara's form-switching business. Zanara switches between a 'he' and a 'she' each time you hit a certain damage threshold. Each time it happens, Zanara gets an ambush turn, while Smirking. Great. Very classy, MegaTen.
Interestingly, effects like status conditions and buffs/debuffs and are tracked by the avatar instead of being unified between them, and status conditions on the swapped-out Zanara don't progress toward being cured. If you're feeling ambitious, you can use Cursed Arrow to damage/Brand Zanara right before they switch out, so that the Zanara you're dealing with gets Branded right before it swaps out.
Apart from that, standard A&T protocols apply - don't bring anybody weak against Dark, always have somebody with Silent Prayer, and focus on vitality before violence. And, since it bears repeating, if Zanara tries to sell you anything at all, don't. Just don't.
Keris Zanara
Special Fusion. (Element Tenebrus + Crime Dorian Grey + Tree Narcissus + Vile Pales)
Starting Level: 85
HP: 80 + 6.5/level
MP: 40 + 3.5/level
Strength: 80 (7.5%)
Agility: 90 (12.5%)
Endurance: 90 (15%)
Magic: 100 (35%)
Luck: 107 (30%)
-(Status) Rakukajanda
--MP 40; boosts all allies' Defense by 1 level; cuts all enemies' Defense by 1 level; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Dark) Dissolution
--MP 50; deals heavy damage to all foes; has a 5% chance of instant death; knows innately
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Almighty) Artist of Nightmares
--MP 80; deals variable damage to all foes; damage depends on Dark resistance (Weak/Normal = Severe, Strong/Null = Heavy, Absorb/Reflect = Moderate); Smirk: Inflicts Terror (80% chance); learns at Level 87
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers; learns at Level 88
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Dark) Malicious Grudge
--MP 30; deals severe damage to 1 foe; Smirk: Pierces Dark Resistance below Reflect; learns at Level 90
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive
-(Dark) Paintstorm
--MP 90; deals heavy damage to random foes 1-5 times; Smirk: inflicts Confuse status (100%); learns at Level 92
--Tags: DLC-Exclusive, Non-Heritable, Non-Transferable
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- Location
- my house
@Aleph on a few occasions I have heard you refer to Keris as fundamentally a creature of the swamps and marshes, her dual Kimberly and Metagos nature making her a place where the ocean meets the earth. Was this an aesthetic you had decided on before making the character and so you went out of your way to pick their charms? Or did it emerge organically from your charm selection?
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- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Specifically, Keris is wind, waves and swamp - therefore she's a shoreline creature where the coast is swampy and mangroves grow out into the sea and the wind is always blowing. This was not planned! Originally, Keris was actually going to be Adorjan/Malfeas - it's why her Urge is Malfean, though that does also just fit her personality and how she's best at breaking things. We may see the Queen of the Street Rats in a sidestory down the line somewhere, but both Kimbery and later Metagaos were a surprise in how naturally Keris took to them.
It's kind of freaky just how much of the seemingly-planned-out-exhaustively stuff in Kerisgame is actually emergent crap that we put no real thought into until it was halfway slotted together.
It's kind of freaky just how much of the seemingly-planned-out-exhaustively stuff in Kerisgame is actually emergent crap that we put no real thought into until it was halfway slotted together.
- Location
- my house
Huh, I would've put money on it being preplanned considering how well it works. Mind giving some thoughts on how she would be as Adjoran/Malfeas?
EDIT: As an aside, seeing how you mix and max various themes and Yoxi in Keris and her children as really inspired me when I make infernal Exalt. My favorite so far is a Malfeas/Oramus which dips a little into Isidorus. So he's themesld around space/ the heavens.
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A Silent Blade - Chapter 1
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It's back! After six months of hiatus, Kerisgame is back in business, and off to a roaring start with the Tairan arc in A Silent Blade! In this session: Keris starts out on a wacky adventure with her pet demon horse, her pet demon scribe/cook and her pet human while 12 months pregnant! Lilunu breaks several confidentiality agreements and gives her a secret mission! Kuha displays a worrying level of disassociation with her own body! Rathan gets punched in the face!
Oh yes, and:
Dead Slaver Convoy counter: 1
You can expect to see that number rise in the near future. And she's not even in Taira yet, ffs.
Extras!
Oh yes, and:
Dead Slaver Convoy counter: 1
You can expect to see that number rise in the near future. And she's not even in Taira yet, ffs.
Extras!
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Yay it back!
Also @EarthScorpion, since I'm working on typing up that Oramus charmset for some people, could you provide a link to your complete Kimbery stuff? I'll do that up as well.
Also @EarthScorpion, since I'm working on typing up that Oramus charmset for some people, could you provide a link to your complete Kimbery stuff? I'll do that up as well.
meianmaru
The Devourer of Fiction
I was just reading through Kerisgame archives once again when the alert popped up. I'm eagerly waiting for the further shenanigans she will likely manage to stumble into. Or ruthlessly cut through, which seems to be the current theme. Those poor, poor slavers, just trying to make a living for themselves. But more seriously, I'm interested if Keris will pick up that plot-hook of "Red Valah" later on. If I remember correctly, Keris hasn't had much interaction with any Dragonblooded where she isn't trying to kill, run away, or con them.
Also, there was a mention of a Keris-Gale on the background, that was at least at the level where it/she could teach Kuha. Have you managed to iron out the modified/add-on Gale -rules you were talking about (something about fusing Dulmea-Gale with Keris-Gale like in the Wave-and-Fire Possesion Rite?), or are they just plain-old Gales mechanically?
Also, there was a mention of a Keris-Gale on the background, that was at least at the level where it/she could teach Kuha. Have you managed to iron out the modified/add-on Gale -rules you were talking about (something about fusing Dulmea-Gale with Keris-Gale like in the Wave-and-Fire Possesion Rite?), or are they just plain-old Gales mechanically?
They're just Gales with the Unwoven Coadjutor background, with a Dulmea Gale in their head.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
First, so happy this is back.
Second, quick thoughts I had.
Second, quick thoughts I had.
- A demon breed created to be an air conditioning unit would be a valuable commodity in hell.
- It might be useful for Dulmea to create a battlefield-sized arena in the city so that non-adjacent Kerissouls have somewhere their armies can fight if neither of them can arrange passage through a sibling's territory and they don't want to expand the war.
- Kuha is going to leave a trail of baby owlriders everywhere she goes, isn't she.
It could be an beneficent being that is powered by having people praise and venerate it during the hottest times of the day.
You know, like IRL.