The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
[Let's Play] The Ark of Immortality; Etrian Odyssey II Heroes of Lagaard
Dragonatrix
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I am but a humble Alchemist, in charge of a band of adventurers. We are a small guild, but a guild is still a guild. We are based in a small town known as Lagaard; we attempted to conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. Many had tried before, but just as many had failed. What made us any different? I knew none of my teammates before beginning this quest, and I feel that hasn't changed now. Our attempt was doomed from the start, but I didn't let that stop me. I made my preparations and gathered up my life savings, a mere 500en, and set off for Lagaan.
My name is Noah. I hope you learn well from what I am about to tell you, and do not make the same mistakes that I did. This is my story... no, not just a mere story. This is the Etrian Odyssey.
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is a Nintendo DS dungeon crawler released in 2008 by Atlus and it is balls-crushingly hard at times. Then again, it's made by Atlus so what did you expect? It's still more forgiving than the first in general, even though it does have a more difficult early game in my opinion. The game is played from a first-person view the entire time, and the combat is as bare bones as the plot. Remember the good old days where you drew out maps for dungeons? You have to do that here so as to not get lost. To call it a roguelike would be inaccurate since the dungeon floors aren't randomly generated. They're still pretty complex though, since there's a ton of things that you'll need to remember on pretty much every floor for later in the game and such. Fortunately, rather than waste paper and the like on such a thing you get to have the full cartography experience with the touchscreen. This is part of the reason why I opted to go for Heroes of Lagaard rather than Etrian Odyssey; it's much easier to draw out the map in Heroes of Lagaard. You can see part of the area around where you're mapping, whereas in the first you couldn't and it made everything much more complex than it needs to be.
Also, combat feels much more streamlined in this occurance. For starters, when you're strong enough to handle a fight pretty easy you can press the L button and auto-fight rather than hold down A. Second, you have access to more classes (a whole three new classes!) and the two classes you had to unlock in the first game, Ronin and Hexer, are available from the start here. They're actually made more usable as well, the Ronin in particular... though more on that if and/or when it becomes important.
Table of Contents
Emperor 01: Welcome to Lagaard (below)
The Guild
Noah is the party leader, founder of the Guild and is an Alchemist (offensive spellcaster) by trade. He is naturally inclined towards Fire elemental spells, however he is not opposed to dabbling in other elements if he needs to.
~~
Emperor 01: Welcome to Lagaard
Legends say that the central city of Lagaard is home to Yggdrasil, gateway to the floating castle. The residents of that metropolis have discovered a labyrinthine dungeon within the legendary tree. High Lagaard's Duke is currently researching the Labyrinth to find the truth behind the floating castle. The castle and the Labyrinth drew adventurers to High Lagaard from far and wide... But none among them were able to master the Labyrinth and find the truth of the ancient legends. You are among the legionsof explorers eager to penetrate the Labyrinth's mysteries. Your quest is to find the floating caslte and make your fortune. The city of Laagard ([sic]) awaits!
Well, I made it at last... Lagaard's a lot smaller than I expected it'd be, though. That explains why I got lost on the way here twice, though.
It seems that the city is full to bursting with explorers. Since you yourself came to make a name as an explorer, you should register at the Explorers Guild. ...But first, indulge a bit of curiosity regarding your history. Have you, perchance, led another guild in some other town? If so, surely you have a password from those days as a memento of your adventures. Now is the time to speak up! If not, of course, pay it no mindand head for the Guild.
If you use a password obtained from the first game, you start with an extra item that gives you a bit of a stat boost, some dialogue changes at the start, and you get a few extra optional events on some floors... though, the password system is slightly glitched. Some passwords don't work for no reason; since only the first game got a European release any password obtained from those won't work, though some North American passwords don't work either. To compensate for this, Atlus released a stock password on their forums though I won't be using any for this.
There's not many times you'll ever visit the Explorers Guild. Aside from the beginning, where you're railroaded there, the only time you'll really go there is much later when you'll want to adjust your character's skills. Flaus Inn is where you restore HP/TP and save, Lagaard Hospital is where dead characters get brought to life through science though we won't ever be going there (not because I'm good at the game or anything, it just won't be used), Sitoth Trading is one of the two places in town where a lot of time will be spent since it's where you buy and sell things. As money is NOT earned after battles, you'll be selling things there an awful lot. Stickleback Bar is the other place you'll go to a lot, as it's where you get optional quests that are worth doing since they help you gauge your progress, as well as give you nice items at times, along with some cash and in a few cases help you learn how to unlock new equipment. The Duke's Palace is where mandatory missions are undertaken; it's also where a bestiary can be viewed as well as information on every item and unlocked piece of equipment. The Forest Entrance leads to the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.
: Of course I have! I'm Noah, the soon-to-be legendary explorer and Alchemist extraordinaire!
: I see... If you want to work as an explorer, you must first establish a guild. The Guild is a support network for explorers to help one another in the Labyrinth. Today is the 1st of Emperor. Would you like to establish a guild?
: Why else would I be here? I'm gonna be famous after all!
: A wise decision. Enter the desired name of your guild on this line. There's quite a backlog of explorers waiting for a new guild to join...
Stock name I use. Nothing fancy here.
: Yes; it's latin fo-
: Well, that aside, it's time for you to induct explorers into your guild. There is nothing preventing you from registering yourself as a guild member, of course. But there is one rule you should know. Guilds in Lagaard are not allowed to exceed 30 members.
Register is where new characters are created, Organize is where existing characters are removed from the guild or rested which allows you to rearrange their skill points at a cost of 5 levels, Formation allows you to rearrange the party you take into the dungeon with you and it must contain at least one person. Talk and Leave are self-explanatory, I would expect.
Landsknecht through to Hexer were all in EO1 and aren't that different in my experience. Landsknecht are seen in the image above, and Noah is an Alchemist so let's skip those two. Survivalists are capable of being in either the front or back row and use bows; a common practice is to run a team of 5 of them for monetary purposes, though more on that later. Protectors are tanks and are the only class capable of coming close to being able to solo... though it's still impossible. They have exceptional damage dealing capabilities and can take a hit worth a damn. Dark Hunters are one of the few classes I've never used, so I'm not entirely sure how useful they are but the game claims they're good frontline fighters who use whips. Medics are hopefully self-explanatory enough to not warrant a description. Troubadour are the other class I've never bothered with, but they apply buffs apparently. Ronin are pretty awesome, and I've never not used one; they're effectively the best of an Alchemist and a sword-based Landsknecht rolled into one... though without any multi-target damage. Hexers apply negative status effects etc. on enemies, Gunners are able to use elemental damage but it's not quite as effect as an Alchemist in my (limited) experiences and War Magus are an interesting combination; they're capable of using some spells from a Hexer and some spells from a Medic, as well as having decent melee capabilities. Beasts aren't available for a while.
: 30, eh? Well, that's not going to be a problem since I'm the only one who's a member so far.
: The Labyrinth is dangerous. Don't enter with less than five members without a good reason. Before you enter, you should head to the Duke's Palace. That's all for now.
: The... Duke's Palace? Where's that?
: It's in the centre of town. You can't miss it.
: So, where's the Duke? It's not you, is it?
: I am Minister Dubois, faithful servant. My duties range from managing the citizens to overseeing exploration of the Labyrinth.
: The Labyrinth, huh? That explains why I was sent here then.
: You are, I see, another hopeful explorer come to make your mark in the forest. However, only official citizens of Lagaard are allowed past the Labyrinth's 1st floor. You must pass a test of our devising in order to register as a citizen.
: Alright, so what do I gotta do?
: Yes, that's the spirit! Our only goal is to make you stronger.
: Wait, what? Why?
: You see, it is the Duke who wishes that the Labyrinth be explored. Our ultimate goal is to find the legendary floating castle. Perhaps it's only a myth... But chasing a myth should be the very fabric of life for an explorer, shouldn't it? If you find the floating castle, you will be greatly rewarded... Possibly even ennobled.
: You're going to make me nobility for becoming a legendary explorer? This is awesome!
: But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, you must accomplish this mission and prove yourself.
By accepting and completing these missions, you will receive various rewards. To take a mission, select Accept missions and read the description beneath.
: Well, hmm... seems easy enough. Sign me up then, Dukey!
: You have undertaken a mission to create a basic map of the Labyrinth's first floor. It is essential that you master mapmaking skills before going too far into the Labyrinth. Go forth to the 1st floor and speak to the guard on duty for more details. When you have proven your worth in this challenge, report back to me... I will confirm you as a citizen of the Grand Duchy and approve your travel through the forest. Take this parchment. It is blank now... but someday you will fill it with the forest's secrets.
: I think your map might be broken. Haven't other people been down there before? I expected them to get past the entrance...
: Weren't you listening? I told you that you have to map the area out.
: How am I supposed to do that?
: Go talk to the Guard and find out!
: If you are not properly prepared for exploring, your journey will be all the more difficult.
: Okay, okay, I'm going already.
: I think this is the place... I wonder if I can trick Dukey by buying a copy of the map from here.
: This is my father's shop. He makes equipment in the back, and I sell them up front. I'm just an assistant here, but I'm always on the job! Don't forget about me!
: I get the feeling we might be seeing a lot of each other in the future... how old are you anyway?
: I'm 12, why?
: ...Never mind.
What you start off with isn't that good, especially for an Alchemist, so heading here is highly recommended. The default armour for every class can't be upgraded at the moment, so we're stuck with that for the time being. I bought what I felt would be needed for the introductory mission, which was primarily based on increasing TP to a high enough value to get to cast 5 spells rather than 4.
The shop stock seems small right now, but by selling things you can gain acess to buying more things
This is pretty much a best case scenario for a character like Noah at this point. I opted for the Leaf Boot because, well, it increases Agility as well as Defence. I could've gone for an accessory instead for a higher Agility boost but since he's something of a glass-cannon at the moment that would be way too risky.
: Yeah, I'm gonna be a legendary explorer! What's the place like anyway?
: Just wait until you see it! I've only been to the entrance but I was still amazed! The lush greenery... Those beautiful flowers... Oh, but be careful! There are also a lot of dangerous monsters in the forest! You could be eaten! I'm sure you can handle them, but be careful anyway!
: You've only been to the entance, huh? That explains the map... Say, uh, speaking of maps.
: You want to buy a copy of one that's helpful, right?
: Yeah, how did you guess?
: I get loads of customers like that. Most never come again afterwards though. I think there's a copy of one around here somewhere... ah, here it is!
: How much?
: 1000en!
: Wh-what?!
: Just kidding! I'll give it to you for free. It's not entirely complete, but it should help you at least.
: Looks fine to me. At least it's better than the other one I was given. See you later, I guess.
: If you intend to stick around a while, you should go reserve a room at the Flaus Inn. It's the best place around, you know.
: I'll bear that in mind, thanks.
: Well, welcome to Lagaard! There are lots of inns here, but my place is the best!
: Yeah, that kid at the item shops said the same... sort of.
: Ooh, you're explorers, right? Great! You'll fit right in. Try to get along with the other guilds!
: So, uh, if I'm gonna stay here a while, d'ya mind if I stick a sign outside? It should be good for business.
: Sure, go right ahead!
Yes, yes, my MSPaint art sucks; this is probably the only time it'll come up though, so don't worry about it. That's probably more legible than my regular handwriting as well... If you can't read it, don't worry about it. What I want you, yes you, to do is recommend a character; their class, name and gender, as well as optionally a rough personality outline. A new guild name wouldn't go amiss either, unless you like the current one for some reason; 8 character limit for both guild name and character name. I'll go with the 4 most commonly suggested ideas, regardless of what they are.
My name is Noah. I hope you learn well from what I am about to tell you, and do not make the same mistakes that I did. This is my story... no, not just a mere story. This is the Etrian Odyssey.
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is a Nintendo DS dungeon crawler released in 2008 by Atlus and it is balls-crushingly hard at times. Then again, it's made by Atlus so what did you expect? It's still more forgiving than the first in general, even though it does have a more difficult early game in my opinion. The game is played from a first-person view the entire time, and the combat is as bare bones as the plot. Remember the good old days where you drew out maps for dungeons? You have to do that here so as to not get lost. To call it a roguelike would be inaccurate since the dungeon floors aren't randomly generated. They're still pretty complex though, since there's a ton of things that you'll need to remember on pretty much every floor for later in the game and such. Fortunately, rather than waste paper and the like on such a thing you get to have the full cartography experience with the touchscreen. This is part of the reason why I opted to go for Heroes of Lagaard rather than Etrian Odyssey; it's much easier to draw out the map in Heroes of Lagaard. You can see part of the area around where you're mapping, whereas in the first you couldn't and it made everything much more complex than it needs to be.
Also, combat feels much more streamlined in this occurance. For starters, when you're strong enough to handle a fight pretty easy you can press the L button and auto-fight rather than hold down A. Second, you have access to more classes (a whole three new classes!) and the two classes you had to unlock in the first game, Ronin and Hexer, are available from the start here. They're actually made more usable as well, the Ronin in particular... though more on that if and/or when it becomes important.
Table of Contents
Emperor 01: Welcome to Lagaard (below)
The Guild
Noah is the party leader, founder of the Guild and is an Alchemist (offensive spellcaster) by trade. He is naturally inclined towards Fire elemental spells, however he is not opposed to dabbling in other elements if he needs to.
~~
Emperor 01: Welcome to Lagaard
Legends say that the central city of Lagaard is home to Yggdrasil, gateway to the floating castle. The residents of that metropolis have discovered a labyrinthine dungeon within the legendary tree. High Lagaard's Duke is currently researching the Labyrinth to find the truth behind the floating castle. The castle and the Labyrinth drew adventurers to High Lagaard from far and wide... But none among them were able to master the Labyrinth and find the truth of the ancient legends. You are among the legionsof explorers eager to penetrate the Labyrinth's mysteries. Your quest is to find the floating caslte and make your fortune. The city of Laagard ([sic]) awaits!
Well, I made it at last... Lagaard's a lot smaller than I expected it'd be, though. That explains why I got lost on the way here twice, though.It seems that the city is full to bursting with explorers. Since you yourself came to make a name as an explorer, you should register at the Explorers Guild. ...But first, indulge a bit of curiosity regarding your history. Have you, perchance, led another guild in some other town? If so, surely you have a password from those days as a memento of your adventures. Now is the time to speak up! If not, of course, pay it no mindand head for the Guild.
If you use a password obtained from the first game, you start with an extra item that gives you a bit of a stat boost, some dialogue changes at the start, and you get a few extra optional events on some floors... though, the password system is slightly glitched. Some passwords don't work for no reason; since only the first game got a European release any password obtained from those won't work, though some North American passwords don't work either. To compensate for this, Atlus released a stock password on their forums though I won't be using any for this.
There's not many times you'll ever visit the Explorers Guild. Aside from the beginning, where you're railroaded there, the only time you'll really go there is much later when you'll want to adjust your character's skills. Flaus Inn is where you restore HP/TP and save, Lagaard Hospital is where dead characters get brought to life through science though we won't ever be going there (not because I'm good at the game or anything, it just won't be used), Sitoth Trading is one of the two places in town where a lot of time will be spent since it's where you buy and sell things. As money is NOT earned after battles, you'll be selling things there an awful lot. Stickleback Bar is the other place you'll go to a lot, as it's where you get optional quests that are worth doing since they help you gauge your progress, as well as give you nice items at times, along with some cash and in a few cases help you learn how to unlock new equipment. The Duke's Palace is where mandatory missions are undertaken; it's also where a bestiary can be viewed as well as information on every item and unlocked piece of equipment. The Forest Entrance leads to the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.
: Of course I have! I'm Noah, the soon-to-be legendary explorer and Alchemist extraordinaire!: I see... If you want to work as an explorer, you must first establish a guild. The Guild is a support network for explorers to help one another in the Labyrinth. Today is the 1st of Emperor. Would you like to establish a guild?: Why else would I be here? I'm gonna be famous after all!: A wise decision. Enter the desired name of your guild on this line. There's quite a backlog of explorers waiting for a new guild to join...Stock name I use. Nothing fancy here.
: Yes; it's latin fo-: Well, that aside, it's time for you to induct explorers into your guild. There is nothing preventing you from registering yourself as a guild member, of course. But there is one rule you should know. Guilds in Lagaard are not allowed to exceed 30 members.Register is where new characters are created, Organize is where existing characters are removed from the guild or rested which allows you to rearrange their skill points at a cost of 5 levels, Formation allows you to rearrange the party you take into the dungeon with you and it must contain at least one person. Talk and Leave are self-explanatory, I would expect.
Landsknecht through to Hexer were all in EO1 and aren't that different in my experience. Landsknecht are seen in the image above, and Noah is an Alchemist so let's skip those two. Survivalists are capable of being in either the front or back row and use bows; a common practice is to run a team of 5 of them for monetary purposes, though more on that later. Protectors are tanks and are the only class capable of coming close to being able to solo... though it's still impossible. They have exceptional damage dealing capabilities and can take a hit worth a damn. Dark Hunters are one of the few classes I've never used, so I'm not entirely sure how useful they are but the game claims they're good frontline fighters who use whips. Medics are hopefully self-explanatory enough to not warrant a description. Troubadour are the other class I've never bothered with, but they apply buffs apparently. Ronin are pretty awesome, and I've never not used one; they're effectively the best of an Alchemist and a sword-based Landsknecht rolled into one... though without any multi-target damage. Hexers apply negative status effects etc. on enemies, Gunners are able to use elemental damage but it's not quite as effect as an Alchemist in my (limited) experiences and War Magus are an interesting combination; they're capable of using some spells from a Hexer and some spells from a Medic, as well as having decent melee capabilities. Beasts aren't available for a while.
: 30, eh? Well, that's not going to be a problem since I'm the only one who's a member so far.: The Labyrinth is dangerous. Don't enter with less than five members without a good reason. Before you enter, you should head to the Duke's Palace. That's all for now.: The... Duke's Palace? Where's that?: It's in the centre of town. You can't miss it.: So, where's the Duke? It's not you, is it?: I am Minister Dubois, faithful servant. My duties range from managing the citizens to overseeing exploration of the Labyrinth.: The Labyrinth, huh? That explains why I was sent here then.: You are, I see, another hopeful explorer come to make your mark in the forest. However, only official citizens of Lagaard are allowed past the Labyrinth's 1st floor. You must pass a test of our devising in order to register as a citizen.: Alright, so what do I gotta do?: Yes, that's the spirit! Our only goal is to make you stronger.: Wait, what? Why?: You see, it is the Duke who wishes that the Labyrinth be explored. Our ultimate goal is to find the legendary floating castle. Perhaps it's only a myth... But chasing a myth should be the very fabric of life for an explorer, shouldn't it? If you find the floating castle, you will be greatly rewarded... Possibly even ennobled.: You're going to make me nobility for becoming a legendary explorer? This is awesome!: But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, you must accomplish this mission and prove yourself.By accepting and completing these missions, you will receive various rewards. To take a mission, select Accept missions and read the description beneath.
: Well, hmm... seems easy enough. Sign me up then, Dukey!: You have undertaken a mission to create a basic map of the Labyrinth's first floor. It is essential that you master mapmaking skills before going too far into the Labyrinth. Go forth to the 1st floor and speak to the guard on duty for more details. When you have proven your worth in this challenge, report back to me... I will confirm you as a citizen of the Grand Duchy and approve your travel through the forest. Take this parchment. It is blank now... but someday you will fill it with the forest's secrets.: I think your map might be broken. Haven't other people been down there before? I expected them to get past the entrance...: Weren't you listening? I told you that you have to map the area out.: How am I supposed to do that?: Go talk to the Guard and find out!: If you are not properly prepared for exploring, your journey will be all the more difficult.: Okay, okay, I'm going already.: I think this is the place... I wonder if I can trick Dukey by buying a copy of the map from here.: This is my father's shop. He makes equipment in the back, and I sell them up front. I'm just an assistant here, but I'm always on the job! Don't forget about me!: I get the feeling we might be seeing a lot of each other in the future... how old are you anyway?: I'm 12, why?: ...Never mind.What you start off with isn't that good, especially for an Alchemist, so heading here is highly recommended. The default armour for every class can't be upgraded at the moment, so we're stuck with that for the time being. I bought what I felt would be needed for the introductory mission, which was primarily based on increasing TP to a high enough value to get to cast 5 spells rather than 4.
The shop stock seems small right now, but by selling things you can gain acess to buying more things
This is pretty much a best case scenario for a character like Noah at this point. I opted for the Leaf Boot because, well, it increases Agility as well as Defence. I could've gone for an accessory instead for a higher Agility boost but since he's something of a glass-cannon at the moment that would be way too risky.
: Yeah, I'm gonna be a legendary explorer! What's the place like anyway?: Just wait until you see it! I've only been to the entrance but I was still amazed! The lush greenery... Those beautiful flowers... Oh, but be careful! There are also a lot of dangerous monsters in the forest! You could be eaten! I'm sure you can handle them, but be careful anyway!: You've only been to the entance, huh? That explains the map... Say, uh, speaking of maps.: You want to buy a copy of one that's helpful, right?: Yeah, how did you guess?: I get loads of customers like that. Most never come again afterwards though. I think there's a copy of one around here somewhere... ah, here it is!: How much?: 1000en!: Wh-what?!: Just kidding! I'll give it to you for free. It's not entirely complete, but it should help you at least.: Looks fine to me. At least it's better than the other one I was given. See you later, I guess.: If you intend to stick around a while, you should go reserve a room at the Flaus Inn. It's the best place around, you know.: I'll bear that in mind, thanks.: Well, welcome to Lagaard! There are lots of inns here, but my place is the best!: Yeah, that kid at the item shops said the same... sort of.: Ooh, you're explorers, right? Great! You'll fit right in. Try to get along with the other guilds!: So, uh, if I'm gonna stay here a while, d'ya mind if I stick a sign outside? It should be good for business.: Sure, go right ahead!Yes, yes, my MSPaint art sucks; this is probably the only time it'll come up though, so don't worry about it. That's probably more legible than my regular handwriting as well... If you can't read it, don't worry about it. What I want you, yes you, to do is recommend a character; their class, name and gender, as well as optionally a rough personality outline. A new guild name wouldn't go amiss either, unless you like the current one for some reason; 8 character limit for both guild name and character name. I'll go with the 4 most commonly suggested ideas, regardless of what they are.
Dragonatrix on
0
Posts
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
His conditions allowed him a healer so it was basically B,W,T,S, and something else I can't remember.
:P
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Are troubadour/protector/medic still the way to utterly break the game and trivialize it from floor 11-25?
Protector eventually ends up being the best non hexer class in the game and the most important for beating a lot of challenges cheesily.
Medic is solid.
The best classes are Hexer, Ronin, Dark Hunter, Protector.
The worst classes are Beast, Troubadour, War Magus, Survivalist.
Medic, Landshark, Gunner, Alchemist are solidly in the middle.
Huh, I've found 3 to be the harder one to acquire. Go figure.
And, I just realised I forgot to mention when the vote thing closes, so let's see... posted on Monday, so... Saturday should suffice.