Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

9 hours ago, Armagon said:

@Falcom Knight not sure if you've done this but i recommend doing this as it makes thing easier: prioritize the Fallen Arm quests for now and get the area Affinity to Lv.3. Doing so will unlock a questline that rewards you with Monado Armor. Monado Armor is the best Art in the game as it reduces all damage taken. At it's max level, Monado Armor reduces all damage taken by 75% so it's really worth investing in.

Thanks for reminding me.

I will do it.

Quote

I also suggest doing all the timed quests (the ones that have a clock marker next to them), they will all expire after a certain point and it's not far off from where you currently are. I can link you a list, if you'd like.

I'd appreciate a list, so yeah, please share.

 

Generic question: How to increase the skill level?

Game says that an adapt book is needed for unlocking skill level after 4.

How to get it?

By fulfilling certain quests?

A few characters surpassed this level for a few skills, even could max out, but I couldn't see how they did it.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Decided to make a new desktop backround (accordingly to my current gaming situation):

Spoiler

 

[Acacia Sgt]

I'd say, I don't think I could ever have so many icons on my desktop. Specially when they get in the way of the background image.

[Armagon]

25 minutes ago, Falcom Knight said:

I'd appreciate a list, so yeah, please share.

Here.

There's a lot but the main ones you wanna look out for are the ones marked with "expires after Mechonis Core". I would also suggest focusing on all of Agniratha's quests, when you get there.

29 minutes ago, Falcom Knight said:

Generic question: How to increase the skill level?

Game says that an adapt book is needed for unlocking skill level after 4.

How to get it?

By fulfilling certain quests?

A few characters surpassed this level for a few skills, even could max out, but I couldn't see how they did it

Intermediate Art Manuals can be purchased from almost any shop. Each shop will usually have Art Manuals for one or two characters though so you may need to travel around.

Advanced Art Manuals are mostly dropped from Unique Monsters.

There's also the new Master Art Manuals which can only be gotten from Time Attack but only after completing Future Connected iirc. As this is your first time playing Xenoblade 1, you obviously don't have this option yet.

[Caster]

I'm gonna reveal my biggest secret.
I don't really like how Xenoblade games play. Everything else is there for things I enjoy, but I don't really like the battle system or mechanics. 

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

18 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Here.

There's a lot but the main ones you wanna look out for are the ones marked with "expires after Mechonis Core". I would also suggest focusing on all of Agniratha's quests, when you get there.

Intermediate Art Manuals can be purchased from almost any shop. Each shop will usually have Art Manuals for one or two characters though so you may need to travel around.

Advanced Art Manuals are mostly dropped from Unique Monsters.

There's also the new Master Art Manuals which can only be gotten from Time Attack but only after completing Future Connected iirc. As this is your first time playing Xenoblade 1, you obviously don't have this option yet.

Many thanks!

I assume intermediate art manuals refer to skill level 4-8.

 

Kinda sad that I won't be able to continue this game today since I'll be out the entire day. And my little vacation ends today. So my gaming time will be heavily restricted from now on, just when the game becomes tense. :<

[Armagon]

22 minutes ago, Caster said:

I'm gonna reveal my biggest secret.
I don't really like how Xenoblade games play. Everything else is there for things I enjoy, but I don't really like the battle system or mechanics. 

Aight jokes aside though, I can understand the sentiment of playing a game and liking everything about it except the combat system, thus preventing you from fully enjoying it. I feel exactly the same way about the Tales series. Tales combat just doesn't do it for me (Zestiria/Berseria seem to be the sole exceptions) which is a bummer since it feels like a franchise I would be into otherwise.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

As a piece of advice, I think it's possible in principle to softlock yourself against the first boss after Anuenue- as in you might not be strong enough to defeat it and be screwed out of being able to get stronger. But in practice I doubt this, the boss wasn't that difficult for me, though won't hurt to make a separate save pre-departure while in Anuenue just to be safe if it turns out you need to grind. The real infamous boss battle is not until the 1st dungeon of Disc 2 as a reminder.

(I forgot to respond to this) thanks for the heads up. I still remembered about the first dungeon of the second disk but I didn't know there's another potential (if small) instance of it earlier. I'll keep that in mind.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And soon after Anuenue, there is one minigame that you'll never encounter in the rest of the game. It's basically a shump, enemies can't kill your ship, but if you don't destroy an entire wave of 4-5 enemies, you'll be forced to fight them in a normal battle. If you fail too many times, you'll be forced to redo the minigame from the start, though I think you get to keep any Magnus you obtained in battle. When you fully destroy a shump wave, the last enemy drops a Magnus you must fly over to obtain. The 10th wave gives you Lyude's fourth finisher Diminuendo, which might be useful. Completion of the Gathering of all 1000 Magnus demands you both fight and take pictures of the enemies, and obtain the Magnus of the last two waves as well, but the Gathering isn't worth completing- you can't sell it online to a card fanatic.

I see. I might actually enjoy this minigame. I don't really play shmups that often but when I do, I can get enjoyment out of them..... provided it's not like, Touhou or something super intense.

7 minutes ago, Falcom Knight said:

Many thanks!

I assume intermediate art manuals refer to skill level 4-8.

 

5-8 but yeah. And then the Advance Manuals are for levels 9-11.

Btw, if you find and use an Advance Manual for an Art before finding the Intermediate Manual, that's ok. It'll unlock both the intermediate and advanced levels of that Art. I imagine the same can be done if you use Master Manuals early but that requires farming a lot of Noponstone.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Yeah, as mentioned a few characters could unlock level 12 skill already.

 

The only problem I have with 1's battle system is there are too many icons to click. Clicking the one with the ! in time is really difficult.

[Caster]

27 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Aight jokes aside though, I can understand the sentiment of playing a game and liking everything about it except the combat system, thus preventing you from fully enjoying it. I feel exactly the same way about the Tales series. Tales combat just doesn't do it for me (Zestiria/Berseria seem to be the sole exceptions) which is a bummer since it feels like a franchise I would be into otherwise.

It's the reason I have never finished Xenoblade 1 or X. Ironically I did push myself hard enough to finish 2, and enjoyed the characters a lot, so.

Zestiria and Berseria, huh? Fair enough, I guess. Zestiria has my least favorite combat in the series, and is my least favorite in the series that I've played. Berseria I'm still a bit iffy on but it's a big improvement. Also Berseria is amazing in every other category, so I can forgive it.

[Shrimpica]

[DragonFlames]

I actually like the areas in FFXII. Sure, they're nothing too particularly special compared to some other JRPGs I could name (two games I've played recently in particular; see spoilers below), but I loved exploring that world all the same.

Bonus:

11 hours ago, lightcosmo said:

Is going for plats something you enjoy focusing on or do you just complete those along the way?

It's just something that happens. I didn't even intend on 100%ing that game in particular. It just sort of happened on its own. Sure, I try to do as many things as I can in a game, but if I don't have all the trophies by the end of that, I'm not gonna be too mad about it.
The only game I ever actually consciously got the platinum trophy for is Megadimension Neptunia VII. And I intend to do the same for Nights of Azure, as well; considering it's my favorite game of all time, I think trying to 100% it is a must-have.

1 hour ago, Shrimperor said:

Is this that new hack Mangs announced recently?

[Shrimpica]

14 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Is this that new hack Mangs announced recently?

yeah.

seems quite fun 😄

[DragonFlames]

24 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

yeah.

seems quite fun 😄

I watched the showcase he did a while back. It looked interesting for sure.

And speaking of Mangs

lol

Edited June 21, 2020 by DragonFlames

[Shrimpica]

24 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

lol

Someone calculated the chance on reddit

It was like a 0.1% chance or something lol

Truely never punished

Edited June 21, 2020 by Shrimperor

[DragonFlames]

5 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Someone calculated the chance on reddit

It was like a 0.1% chance or something lol

Truely never punished

FE6 RNG bugged.
I love how cocky he was about that 16% hit, too.

And then, there was that Lilina death... oh boy. XD

[Shrimpica]

3 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

And then, there was that Lilina death... oh boy. XD

Yeah lmao

[DragonFlames]

Just now, Shrimperor said:

Yeah lmao

I especially love how the chat wanted to screw with Mangs by saying she's dead, only for her to actually die.

In retrospect, I'm kind of sad I didn't catch that live.

[DragonFlames]

I've been listening to the Dragon Star Varnir OST a lot recently. Gotta say, this boss theme is probably one of the most intense and frantic I've heard in any game. It transports that feeling of facing off against an overwhelming enemy, an almost invincible monster that operates only on instinct, perfectly. I especially love that beginning part. It basically says "Yeah, you're f***ed. Deal with it".

[Lightcosmo]

5 hours ago, Falcom Knight said:

The only problem I have with 1's battle system is there are too many icons to click. Clicking the one with the ! in time is really difficult.

I wouldnt reccomend just letting artes fly as soon as they charge, at least if your not used to the combat entirely yet.

Sure, they give party gauge for artful execution, but sometimes patience is a virtue.

[Armagon]

7 hours ago, Falcom Knight said:

The only problem I have with 1's battle system is there are too many icons to click. Clicking the one with the ! in time is really difficult.

I think the way 2 and Torna handled Art selection kinda spoiled me because i think it's really more convinient to map the Arts to the face buttons. I understand why DE didn't do it but when the next new Xenoblade game rolls around, i'd like to see the 2/Torna method of handling Arts continued.

But Xenoblade 2 is my favorite game of all time so i could just be wanting some of it's elements to be implemented in the next game.

6 hours ago, Caster said:

It's the reason I have never finished Xenoblade 1 or X. Ironically I did push myself hard enough to finish 2, and enjoyed the characters a lot, so.

Tbh, i'm not that surprised. I like Xenoblade 1's combat but it's easily the weakest out of the four games (Torna counts) and DE doesn't really make any major changes. X supposedly has the best battle system (i never played, no Wii U and my friends who did have a Wii U didn't have the game) but it also doesn't teach you anything. Which is probably why Xenoblade 2 really drives into your skull how the combat works, for better and worse. I'd say that was maybe a factor in contributing to you finishing the game.

7 hours ago, Caster said:

Zestiria and Berseria, huh? Fair enough, I guess. Zestiria has my least favorite combat in the series, and is my least favorite in the series that I've played. Berseria I'm still a bit iffy on but it's a big improvement.

I need to oust myself, i've only played like an hour or so of Zestiria and haven't played Berseria at all but i enjoyed that first hour of Zestiria combat much more than three hours of the combat in other Tales games (those being PS1 Phantasia and Abyss). Again, i haven't played Berseria but i'm told that it's basically Zestiria combat but much better so i'm on the lookout for when i eventually get to play it.

Honestly, my thing with Tales combat is that it feels strange to me. Phantasia aside, it's like they want to be actual 3D ARPGs but they lock themselves into a 2D plane (and i'm aware of the free roaming mechanic but the way it's done here feels more like a band-aid solution). On a side-note, i couldn't get into Star Ocean for the same reason. Zestiria actually embraces the 3D ARPG aspect fully from what i remember which is probably why i enjoyed it way more and it seems it set a precedent for Tales, with Berseria pulling from that and the upcoming Arise also seems to be an actual 3D ARPG.

In Phantasia's case, it was more of i just didn't like how the game played overall, if i was around when it came out and played it back then, i'd probably be saying the same things.

 

[Lightcosmo]

8 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Tbh, i'm not that surprised. I like Xenoblade 1's combat but it's easily the weakest out of the four games (Torna counts) and DE doesn't really make any major changes. X supposedly has the best battle system (i never played, no Wii U and my friends who did have a Wii U didn't have the game) but it also doesn't teach you anything. Which is probably why Xenoblade 2 really drives into your skull how the combat works, for better and worse. I'd say that was maybe a factor in contributing to you finishing the game.

 

Really, I had no idea X was considered to have the best battle system. I would argue the opposite, if only because to get endgame stuff, the grind is very long and very painful.

Also, the control status was not cute, it was mean.

Edited June 21, 2020 by lightcosmo

[Armagon]

2 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Really, I had no idea X was considered to have the best battle system. I would argue the opposite, if only because to get endgame stuff, the grind is very long and very painful.

I can't argue either way, i haven't played the game lmao. The only negative i know about the combat is that the game just throws you in and tells you to figure it out yourself.

I personally think the actual best battle system in the series is found in Torna. 

[Lightcosmo]

27 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I personally think the actual best battle system in the series is found in Torna. 

Obviously as it's my favorite Xenoblade game, I agree with this 100%. It's amazing, hands down.

I prefer the game with not nearly as much content as the others, I know, i'm strange.

Edit: it's also why I've played Torna so many times already. Probably like, 30 or so? Maybe more.

Edited June 21, 2020 by lightcosmo

[Interdimensional Observer]

If they do use the XC2 format for X2, how would they adapt it?

• Do time-based cooldowns stay, or do auto-attack ones take their place?
• Replacing the Blade Switch with your weapons would make sense- but no cooldown between switching I'd prefer, just like X. Secondary/Tertiary cooldown provides benefits already to try to stick with a certain weapon for longer period of time.
  • However, I am reminded of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, if you waited a little bit before swapping swords, you'd deal a quick draw strike to all enemies on the screen when you swapped IIRC. It wasn't a ton of damage, but it brings to mind the Vanguard Switch of Torna.
• And how to fit 8 Arts into the lineup?
  • Do you get two tabs to swap between via the left control pad? Or do we add a third and expand the available Arts to 9?
  • Are the two tabs divided into Melee and Ranged Weapon Arts, forcing me to equip 4 from each weapon? And if three tabs, does the third let me equip more of whatever I want? Or are these two-three tabs given nondescript labels of "I, II, III" and all are open to Arts of any kind?
• Do we add Specials? -I don't think they'd exactly fit, X as is is less flashy than XC2 (but XC1 wasn't flashy either). I not sure, but if exotic Rare Blades didn't exist, would XC2 have had its cool Specials?
• Overdrive deserves a more elegant solution for triggering than XC2. Not that XC2's approach was bad, only that it was slightly complicated because it was a DLC bonus than a fundamental feature.
• Similarly, does X2 find a way to squeeze in Chain Attacks, as DLC or base game? I do like the contrast between Overdrive and Chain Attacks: a state of being super-buffed for a time vs. a big burst of damage.
• XC2 got rid of Auras, and buff arts too. I'd prefer if X2 brought them back. I attribute the 3-4 Arts per Blade to the removal of Auras and buffs.
• And what of Skells? Thats its own can of worms, because even without XC2 in mind, Skell combat could be made better in X2.

[Shrimpica]

Daddy daddy do!