CAPS LOCK NOCTURNE:
THE GAMEFAQS GUIDE TO PWNING NOCTURNE LIKE A SPEEDRUNNER
BY SHINERCCC
CAPSLOCKTURNE

SO YOU HEARD NOCTURNE IS PAIN AND YOU WANT TO FEATURE DANTE FROM THE DEVIL MAY CRY SERIES. WELL YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. IN PERSONA YOU TEAM UP WITH YOUR FRIENDS TO KILL SHADOWS. WELL HERE IN SMT, YOU TEAM UP WITH DEMONS TO KILL YOUR FRIENDS. SO BUCKLE THE ♥♥♥♥ IN IT'S TIME FOR THE WORLD TO END AND TO CREATE THE NEW ONE.

THIS GUIDE WAS INSPIRED BY "CAPS LOCK LEORIC" AND "CAPS LOCK WARWICK" WHICH APPEALED TO MOBA NERDS, SHOUTOUTS TO THEIR AUTHORS THAT I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF. OKAY I LOOKED IT UP AND CAPS LOCK WARWICK HAS BEEN BURIED UNDER THE ♥♥♥♥ AVALANCHE OF THE INTERNET IN THE SECOND DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY, CRIMSONQUESO WROTE CAPS LOCK LEORIC AND CAN STILL BE FOUND IN SOME FORM ON THE STEAM COMMUNITY AND IMPLEMENTED AS AN INGAME BUILD GUIDE IN DOTA 2, ♥♥♥♥ YEAH.
WHILE DOING FURTHER RESEARCH I DISCOVERED A "CAPS LOCK TRYNDAMERE" GUIDE THAT STILL EXISTS ON MOBAFIRE.

IT IS GEARED TOWARD HARD DIFFICULTY BECAUSE IT'S EPIC AND YOU HAVE A 0% CHANCE TO RUN AWAY SO YOUR LEVEL WILL BE HIGHER THAN WHAT IT WOULD BE ON NORMAL. I FIGURE YOU MUST BE PLAYING ON HARD IF YOU WOULD READ A GUIDE LIKE THIS FOR SOME HELP SO HERE I AM TO HELP YOU. I USUALLY WON'T PROVIDE MUCH DIRECTIONS THROUGH THE DUNGEONS SO YOU CAN EXPLORE ON YOUR OWN AND ENJOY THE NOCTURNE EXPERIENCE IN AN AUTHENTIC WAY, NOR MAKE EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS TO "FUSE THIS DEMON OR DIE", BUT I WILL PROVIDE HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS TO REDUCE AGONIES. STRATEGIES FOR BOSSES WILL BE GENERAL RATHER THAN SPECIFIC, YOU CAN USE WHATEVER DEMONS YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE THEM. IF YOU WANT SPECIFIC RECIPES FOR VICTORY THERE'S ALWAYS MY SPEEDRUN NOTES AND VIDEOS.

AS FOR MY CREDENTIALS, I'M SHINER OF THE CAR CRASHING CHANNEL AND I'VE BEEN A POWERGAMER ALL MY LIFE. WHEN COVID CAME IN 2020 I DEFINITELY WANTED TO PLAY A GAME ABOUT THE END OF THE CURRENT WORLD AND THE CREATION OF THE NEW ONE, SO I SAT DOWN AND ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ENJOYED THE ♥♥♥♥ OUT OF THIS GAME, THANK YOU NYANLATHOTEP MY FRIEND FOR LENDING ME THIS GAME AND AFFECTING THE HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT FOR THE BETTER. BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE 7 HOUR SPEEDRUN OF DRAGON WARRIOR IV FOR THE NES (BETTER KNOWN AS DRAGON QUEST IV, YES THAT DRAGON QUEST SERIES) I DEFINITELY DECIDED TO TRY MY HAND AT THE NORMAL ANY% SPEEDRUN OF NOCTURNE AND WAS HOOKED FROM THERE. I'VE GOT A DECENT TIME OF THE MORE FAMOUS HARD TRUE DEMON ENDING RUN AND HAVE COOKED UP ROUTES FOR MANY MORE CATEGORIES FOR THIS GAME, AND YEARS LATER MY DREAMS CAME TRUE AND A NEW CROP OF SPEEDRUNNERS FLOCKED TO THE GAME AFTER THE HD RELEASE. I PERSONALLY THINK NOCTURNE IS A PRETTY BASED SPEEDGAME, THE ONLY RPG SPEEDRUN I WOULD RECOMMEND MORE (TO LEARN AND EXECUTE FOR YOUR OWN FUN AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT, NOT WATCH) IS DRAGON QUEST 3'S SUPER FAMICOM VERSION, JUST RUN IT IN JAPANESE WITH AN AUTOFIRE CONTROLLER AND IT'LL BE GREAT, THE ENGLISH PATCH IS SLOWER AND YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME BY MUSCLE MEMORY WITH MINIMAL INVENTORY MANAGEMENT. IT'S ALSO WAY SHORTER THAN NOCTURNE, UNDER 4 HOURS IF YOU'RE REALLY GOOD, THE SHORTEST NOCTURNE CATEGORY THAT ISN'T FOR THE GAME JOURNALIST MEME DIFFICULTY OF MERCIFUL, IS ABOUT THE SAME LENGTH AND I CALL IT GEIS RTA, YOU JUST RUN TO ASAKUSA WITH WHATEVER POKEMANS YOU GET, BIG MIZUCHI IS THE LAST BOSS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ♥♥♥♥, AND THEN YOU BEAT PUZZLE BOY AND IT'S GG. TRUST ME WHEN I SAY I KNOW MY ♥♥♥♥, I CAN PLAY THE SOUNDTRACK ON OTAMATONE AND SING SMOKE WEED ERRY DEY ALONG WITH EVERY SONG.

IF YOU CAN'T FIND ♥♥♥♥ JUST CTRL+F FOR IT, SUCH AS NAMES OF AREAS, BOSSES, GAME MECHANICS, "HOW TO BUILD MC" OR "FANCY FUSIONS". OTHERWISE ENJOY THE ENDLESS WALL OF TEXT. NO TABLE OF CONTENTS IT'S A WASTE OF BYTES. YOU CAN KINDA READ THE WHOLE THING IN ORDER, NOCTURNE IS PRETTY LINEAR. SKIP OVER THE OPTIONAL LABYRINTH OF AMALA SECTIONS AND FIEND BATTLES IF THEY AREN'T RELEVANT TO YOU, OR USE CTRL+F TO SEARCH FOR SECTIONS YOU NEED TO COME BACK AND READ LATER.

(I ACTUALLY WROTE THE WHOLE THING IN A SINGLE NOTEPAD FILE IN A FEW DAYS. STEAM GUIDE FORMAT FORCES ME TO BREAK UP ALL THE SECTIONS LIKE THIS. IT WAS MEANT TO BE READ IN ORDER SO SOME GENERIC TOPICS MIGHT BE FARTHER DOWN THE LIST THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.)

*NEW GAME*

ONE IMPORTANT DETAIL IS THAT THE "NEW GAME" MENU OPTION STARTS THE GAME WITHOUT ANY DLC, WHICH IS NOT EVEN POSSIBLE OUTSIDE OF THE STEAM VERSION, THE CONSOLE RELEASES COME WITH ONE DLC OR THE OTHER PRE-INSTALLED DEPENDING ON YOUR REGION. PICK MANIAX FOR DANTE AND CHRONICLE FOR RAIDOU FROM SOME OTHER FATLUS GAME, BOTH OF THEM COME WITH AN AWESOME OPTIONAL DUNGEON AND SOME VERY SPOOKY BONUS BOSSES. NOTE THAT CHRONICLE WILL MAKE THE SECRET FINAL BOSS BASICALLY IMPOSSIBLE BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE PLAYING ON HARD MODE, BUT I'LL SAY NO MORE FOR NOW UNLESS YOU SOMEHOW GET THAT FAR.

FIRST THING YOU WANNA DO AFTER NAMING YOUR DEMIFIEND AND YOUR TWO PARTY MEMBERS WHO NEVER JOIN, HANG A LEFT AND CLICK ON THE VENDING MACHINE FOR A FREE SACRED WATER. YOU CAN ALSO TALK TO STATION HAND TO JUMP FORWARD ONE STEP IF YOU WANT TO FEEL LIKE A COOL GAMER. GO TO YOYOGI PARK FROM THE 3 OCLOCK SIDE AND TALK TO FUNNY FISH SCALE MAN. ENTER THE HOSPITAL'S FARTHER RIGHT HAND DOOR IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE MAP, AND FUN FACT YOU CAN WALK STRAIGHT FORWARD INTO AN INVISIBLE CUTSCENE TRIPWIRE AND CHIAKI WILL START TALKING YOUR EAR OFF ANYWAY. THEN YOU APPEAR LIKE THREE STEPS TO THE LEFT AND WOW WE JUST TRAVELED THE LEG OF A TRIANGLE INSTEAD OF A HYPOTENUSE AND SAVED SOME DISTANCE, AMAZING. GO UP THE ELEVATOR TO 2F (PRESS CANCEL TO SKIP THE ANIMATION) AND PRESS A ON THE VENDING MACHINE ON YOUR LEFT FOR A FREE SOMA, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO SELL ONCE WE GET TO THE FIRST SHOP AND IF YOU DIDN'T DO THIS YOU MIGHT AS WELL RESTART.

ANYWAY ONCE YOU FINISH EXPLORING THE HOSPITAL AND MEETING THIS DOTA ALLSTARS MATCH FIXER MULTIBOXING SIX MACHINES ON HIS AGP GRAPHICS CARD WITH HUGE SPINNING HEATSINKS THE WORLD ENDS AND YOU GET TO START PLAYING THE GAME FOR REAL. MAKE SURE TO SAVE AT THE FIRST TERMINAL, BECAUSE THE 'TUTORIAL' CAN KICK YOUR ASS AND YOU'LL LOSE 15 MINUTES OF YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU GET KICKED BACK TO THE TITLE SCREEN AND HAVEN'T SAVED.

LUCKILY YOU WIN BY JUST USING AUTO TO ATTACK BUT MAKE SURE TO USE THOSE 2 MEDICINES YOU GOT FROM THE CACHE CUBE TO WIN IF YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET ♥♥♥♥♥♥. TALK TO THE SUSSY SURGEON BETWEEN EVERY FIGHT TO HEAL FOR FREE. THOSE TWO KODAMAS HAVE HIGH AGILITY AND CAN DEFINITELY DODGE YOUR LETHAL SWING.
ON HARD, YOU SHOULD LEVEL UP VITALITY. YOUR HP IS GOVERNED BY (LEVEL PLUS VITALITY) TIMES 6, EVERY POINT IS AN EXTRA 6 HP, AND YOU GAME OVER BACK TO THE TITLE SCREEN WHEN YOUR LAD DIES SO PAD YOUR HP TO PREVENT YOUR LOSS CONDITION, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING GOOD SUPER EARLY GAME ANYWAY.
ON OTHER DIFFICULTIES, LEVEL UP MAGIC BECAUSE IT'S REALLY GOOD, ESPECIALLY EARLY ON. IF YOU WANT TO LEVEL STRENGTH ANYWAY, USE THE PRESS TURN MECHANICS TO GIVE YOUR GUY WHO GOES LAST TWO TURNS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, JUST PASS TO WHOEVER GOES SECOND FOR WHAT I CALL A 2424 TURN ORDER. TRUST ME YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT IF YOU COUNT ON YOUR FINGERS.

*SHINJUKU MEDICAL CENTRE*

AFTER THAT TAKE THE ELEVATOR TO 2F, GO TO THE RIGHT AND TALK TO PIXIE. ONCE SHE JOINS YOU YOU CAN GO BACK AND HANG A LEFT TO FIGHT THE TRIPLE PRETA ROOM, USE ZIO AND YOU CAN WIN IN TWO TURNS. AFTER THAT GO TO THE NEXT DOOR. IF YOU WATCHED A SPEEDRUN AND KNOW WHERE TO GO AND HAVE GOOD PATHING, IF YOU GET LUCKY YOU CAN MEET WILL O'WISP, ALSO KNOWN AS WILLY, AT FULL O'CLOCK AND HAVE A CHANCE TO RECRUIT HIM BY TALKING, THAT'S ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ GOOD BECAUSE YOU GET RIBERAMA AND MAKAKAJA SUPER EARLY, AS WELL AS A NICE PIECE OF FUSION MATERIAL OF THE UNUSUAL FOUL CLAN. OH YEAH THAT THING IN THE TOP LEFT IS LIKE THE TIME OF DAY, TECHNICALLY CALLED THE PHASE OF KAGUTSUCHI, BUT THAT'S A ♥♥♥♥♥♥ LOT OF KEYSTROKES SO I'LL JUST CALL IT THE MOON CLOCK FOR SHORT, OR REFER TO NEW OCLOCK OR FULL OCLOCK FOR VARIOUS REASONS.

IF YOU DON'T GET WILLY NOW IT'S NO BIG DEAL, WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE LATER. DO RECRUIT KODAMA AS SOON AS YOU SEE ONE. BEFORE YOU KILL THE FIRST BOSS YOUR RECRUITS ARE GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED, JUST AGREE TO EVERY TINY LITTLE DEMAND AND THE NEW DEMON WILL BE YOURS, GRANTING YOU ADDITIONAL PRESS TURNS SO YOU CAN KICK MORE ASS. DATSUE-BA IN THE HALLWAY WILL HELP EXPLAIN IT TO YOU IF YOU'RE A PERSONA SCRUB WHO ONLY KNOWS "I'VE BEEN WAITIN FOR THIS!" AND THEN THE DUST CLOUD THAT QUAGMIRE GOT TOO CLOSE TO WINS THE FIGHT FOR YOU. ANYWAY THIS ISN'T POKEMON EMERALD AND YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE YOUR STARTER AND FIVE ZIGZAGOONS PICKING UP RARE CANDIES FOR YOU, YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE OF WHATEVER DEMON, TALKING TO THEM AGAIN WILL JUST SHOO THEM AWAY HARMLESSLY WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, WHICH IS NICE FOR SAFELY WALKING THROUGH AREAS. BUT YOU DO WANT ONE OF EVERYTHING IN THIS PLACE FOR HELPFUL FUSION MATERIAL FOR LATER.

WHEN YOU GET THROUGH THE HOSPITAL CORRIDORS AND BACK TO THE TERMINAL ROOM THROUGH THE DARK SOULS ONE WAY SHORTCUT, IT SHOULD BE RISING 6/8 ON THE MOON CLOCK AND YOU'LL WANT TO SAVE AGAIN AT THAT TIME. WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW IS MANIPULATE AN ENCOUNTER WITH WILLY AT FULL OCLOCK AND HAVE A CHANCE TO RECRUIT HIM. YOU'LL REALLY WANT TO DO THIS TO RECRUIT HIM AND/OR PRETA. IT'S EASIER TO RECRUIT WILLY FIRST AND USE RIBERAMA AFTER THE FIRST BOSS TO RECRUIT PRETA AT THE OTHER TERMINAL BUT WHATEVER JUST GET IT DONE HOWEVER YOUR SCRUB ASS WANTS TO.

ONCE YOU HAVE SHIKIGAMI YOU CAN FIGHT FORNEUS WITH PIXIE AND KODAMA SUMMONED, SO YOU DON'T HAVE ANY ICE WEAKNESSES EXPOSED. BUT BEFORE YOU DO THAT MAKE SURE TO TALK TO THE SOUL IN THE HALLWAY TO WIN HIS RETIREMENT BUX AFTER YOU WIN. IT'S 850 ON THE ORIGINAL PLAYSTATION 2 RELEASE FOR SOME REASON BUT 750 EVERYWHERE ELSE, NOT LIKE THAT 100 MACCA MAKES A DIFFERENCE ANYWHERE. JUST PASS KODAMA'S TURN AND DO ZIO, THIS CREATES A WAFFLE OF ATTACKING 7 TURNS IN A ROW WITH YOUR ELEC ATTACKERS GENERATING A BONUS TURN FOR THE NORMAL ATTACKS IN BETWEEN. WELCOME TO NOCTURNE, PRESS TURN COMBAT IS FUKKEN AWESOME. IF FORNEUS GETS STUCK IN THE AIR YOU JUST INFLICTED "SHOCK" STATUS, ALL PHYSICAL ATTACKS ARE NOW GUARANTEED CRITS FOR THE REST OF YOUR TURN. WHEN FORNEUS SLUMPS AND USES ICY DEATH SUMMON WILLY OVER KODAMA BEFORE YOU WIN GO GIVE HIM A NICE 150 EXP BONUS THAT WILL TEACH HIM RIBERAMA OR DEATHTOUCH MORE EASILY THAN USING HIS WEAK TO ALL MAGIC ASS IN RANDOM ENCOUNTERS.

ANYWAY RECRUITING PRETA AFTER THIS IS OPTIONAL, AND PRETTY EASY IF YOU USE RIBERAMA AND SAVE THE GAME AT RISING 7/8. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT BECAUSE PRETA HAS SUKUKAJA WAY EARLIER THAN ANYTHING ELSE, THERE'S ONLY TWO OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE AT LEVEL 15, AND TRUST ME YOU'RE GONNA ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WANT SUKUKAJA EARLY, IN SPITE OF PRETA'S OTHER DRAWBACKS. HE ALSO LEARNS SOME REAL NEAT ABILITIES IF YOU DECIDE TO BE NOT LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS AND KEEP HIM AROUND.

IF YOU'RE PLAYING ON HARD (AND I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD BE TO MAKE NOCTURNE A BEAUTIFUL AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE IN THE NEWBORN VORTEX WORLD INSTEAD OF YET ANOTHER RPG YOU MIGHT FORGET) STAY IN THE HOSPITAL JUST GRINDING AWAY UNTIL PIXIE TRANSFORMS INTO HIGH PIXIE AT LEVEL 6. START LEVELING MAGIC ON MC INSTEAD SO THAT ICE BREATH WILL BE REALLY GOOD ONCE YOU LEARN IT. A GOOD PLACE TO STOP IS A NATURAL 7 POINTS IN MAGIC.
IF A DEMON ASKS TO CHANGE SKILLS, GENERALLY IT'S ACTUALLY BETTER TO SAY NO, BUT IF YOU'VE SAVED THE GAME RECENTLY THEN YOU CAN GO FOR IT.

YOU CAN SPIN IN THE HEALING ROOM WHERE THERE'S NO ENCOUNTERS (THE RADAR IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT WILL BE BLUE) UNTIL NEW OCLOCK TO MAKE RIBERAMA WEAR OFF. ALSO BEWARE IN HD, THE RADAR SHOWS YOU INFORMATION THAT IS LIKE 2 SECONDS OLD BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE BEING PORTED TO UNITY AND SOMEHOW THEY MADE THE DECISION TO UPDATE THIS AT A SLOWER TICK, SMALL INDIE COMPANY ATLUS OVER HERE. DAY_NAVA, ANOTHER NOCTURNE SPEEDRUNNER, COMMISSIONED A MODDER TO FIX IT IN LIKE ONE HOUR, SOMEONE PLEASE COMMENT DOWN BELOW TO POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF IT TO RESTORE PROPER FUNCTIONALITY TO A ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 20 YEAR OLD PS2 GAME.

*YOYOGI PARK WEST*

ONCE YOU HAVE HIGH PIXIE HEAD TO YOYOGI PARK.
ON NORMAL I WOULD RECOMMEND PARTING WITH PIXIE TO GET THE ANKH MAGATAMA FOR FREE AND AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, TO LEARN SOME NICE HEALING MAGIC ON DEMIFIEND (I WILL CALL HIM MAIN CHARACTER, MC FOR SHORT, FROM NOW ON TO SAVE BYTES).
BUT ON HARD YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY KEEP HIGH PIXIE, SHE WILL CARRY YOU AND ALLOW YOU TO CARRY AROUND AN EXTRA FAIRY FOR FUSION MATERIAL. IF YOU'RE A PIXIE SIMP YOU'LL WANT TO AVOID PARTING WITH THIS DEMON, OR USING IT AS THE SACRIFICE COMPONENT IN A 3-WAY SACRIFICIAL FUSION AT FULL OCLOCK (MORE ON THIS LATER), YOU CAN GET A STUPID REWARD WAY LATER IN THE GAME.
EITHER WAY RECRUIT ANOTHER PIXIE HERE IN YOYOGI PARK AS YOU OPEN ALL THREE CUBES. THE PIXIES GIVE GARBAGE EXP BUT THEY DO DROP SOME VERY NICE CHAKRA DROPS AND REVIVAL BEADS, WHICH ARE NITROUS AND SPARE TIRES FOR THE ENGINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE RESPECTIVELY. THESE WILL HELP PATCH UP YOUR BOOBOOS AS YOU ♥♥♥♥ UP AND LEARN THE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME.

*SHIBUYA*

WHEN YOU GET TO SHIBUYA YOU CAN SAVE THE GAME AGAIN AND VISIT THE FIRST SHOP. THE SOMA YOU GOT AT THE BEGINNING SOUNDS LIKE A HELPFUL RECOVERY ITEM BUT TRUST ME MONEY IS HARD TO COME BY IN THIS GAME, YOU WILL FEEL THE PINCH ON HARD WHERE VENDOR PRICES ARE TRIPLED. YOU SHOULD HAVE ABOUT 11000 MACCA BY NOW (AFTER YOU GET THE 1000 MACCA CUBE DOWNSTAIRS) AND THAT LEAVES YOU THE OPTION TO BUY EITHER IYOMANTE OR SHIRANUI. I RECOMMEND BUYING SHIRANUI FIRST, YOU CAN DELAY IYOMANTE UNTIL LATER BUT THE SOONER YOU HAVE IT THE BETTER. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS OUT THERE WAITING FOR YOU THEN NULL MIND IS A WONDERFUL DEFENSE TO HAVE ON MC. IT ALSO TEACHES YOU HELPFUL DEBUFFS, YOUR DEMONS HAVE THESE AS WELL, BUT YOU CAN BE A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENT IF YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
SHIRANUI TEACHES MC FIRE BREATH BUT TRY NOT TO INGEST IT UNTIL YOU'RE CLOSE TO LEVELING UP OR YOU WILL GET ROYALLY ♥♥♥♥♥♥ UP BY MOU-RYO'S FORCE MAGIC. FIRE BREATH IS ACTUALLY STRONGER THAN ICE BREATH BECAUSE ICE BREATH HAS A SLIM CHANCE TO FREEZE THE ENEMY, WHICH IS IMPROVED IF THE ENEMY IS WEAK TO ICE.
I ALSO RECOMMEND BUYING 1 DIS-STUN, STUN IS A NASTY STATUS AND YOU REALLY WANT TO NOT HAVE 0 DIS-STUNS AT ALMOST ALL TIMES.

IN SHIBUYA THERE'S SOME STUFF WE NEED TO DO. THERE ARE A NEW KIND OF CHEST CALLED MYSTICAL CHESTS, THESE MIGHT HAVE A REALLY NICE ITEM THEM AND YOUR CHANCE OF GETTING IT IS EQUAL TO THE PHASE OF KAGUTSUCHI, MEANING IT'S GUARANTEED AT FULL OCLOCK, 7 OUTTA 8 AT 7/8 AND SO ON, AND AT NEW OCLOCK YOU'RE BASICALLY GUARANTEED TO GET THE 1 LIFE STONE BUT I HAVE A CLIP ON MY TWITCH CHANNEL OF PULLING A MAGIC INCENSE IN THE CEMETERY AT NEW OCLOCK SOMEHOW. THE MYSTICAL CHEST BY THE TERMINAL HAS AN AGATE WHICH YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT IF YOU DIDN'T RECRUIT PRETA. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE AFTER GOING UPSTAIRS, THIS ONE CONTAINS AN AMETHYST THAT I WILL DISCUSS LATER BUT IS DEFINITELY GOOD TO HAVE EARLY.
THERE ARE TWO NEKOMATA MINIBOSS FIGHTS THAT YOU ALSO WANT TO FIGHT. THEY ARE WEAK TO ZIO SO BLAST THEM WITH YOUR SHIKIGAMI WAFFLE AGAIN. APSARAS (A FUSION OF PIXIE AND KODAMA WHO IS UNDERRATED, MAKE SURE TO PASS DIA) AND HIGH PIXIE CAN HELP TOO. THE NEKOS REWARD A POINTLESS 20 EXP BUT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT IS THE AQUAMARINES YOU CAN GET FROM THEM.
RECRUITING DATSUE-BA IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, SHE'S NICE FUSION MATERIAL, BUT THIS CAN WAIT UNTIL WE FINISH THE NEXT DUNGEON AND COME BACK. SHE'S STILL HELPFUL JUST FOR NULL MIND WHILE WALKING THROUGH IT, HONESTLY. ONCE YOU ALREADY HAVE HER YOU CAN USE HUA PO'S PLEAD ON HER, AND BECAUSE DATSUE-BA IS AN OLD LADY TALKING TO LIL GIRLY HUA PO, GRANNY TAKES PITY AND GIVES HER NICE ITEMS FOR FREE.
OR YOU CAN FUSE SHIKIGAMI WITH APSARAS TO MAKE DATSUE-BA LATER. THE OTHER POSSIBLE RECIPES TO MAKE HER INVOLVE A FOUL (WILLY/SLIME/MOU-RYO) WHICH IS HARD TO RECRUIT.

SOME PLAYERS LIKE TO FUSE PIXIE AND SHIKIGAMI INTO LILIM TO PUT SUKUNDA ON A STURDIER BODY THAT ISN'T WEAK TO FIRE. PERSONALLY I PREFER TO KEEP SHIKIGAMI AROUND BECAUSE PICKING UP TARUKAJA EARLY CAN BE REALLY REALLY NICE. BUT THE OTHER BENEFIT IS YOU CAN STAY IN SHIBUYA LONGER AND RECRUIT ANOTHER PIXIE AND KODAMA IF YOU USED THEM.
ONCE YOU TALK TO CHIUNKI KONG AND VISIT THE CATHEDRAL OF SHADOWS FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU'LL FIND OUT HIJIRI MAILED HIMSELF TO THIS COMPUTER AND ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED THE DEMON INTERNET KNOWN AS THE AMALA NETWORK. HE HATCHES A PLAN TO 3D PRINT YOU OVER IN GINZA TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIKAWA'S PLANS SO YOU HAVE TO GO FOR IT TO ADVANCE THE PLOT, JUST SAVE BEFORE YOU GO IN, BY MY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ UNHOLIES THIS IS WHERE NOCTURNE STARTS TO SHOW ITS TRUE COLOURS.

*AMALA NETWORK*

OF COURSE THE PLAN ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ SUCKS AND YOU FALL THROUGH THE FLOOR INTO THE SERIES OF TUBES AL GORE BUILT BACK IN THE NINETIES. I HOPE YOU SAVED BECAUSE YOU CAN'T LEAVE THIS DUNGEON NOW, YOU HAVE TO FIGHT YOUR WAY THROUGH IT, DON'T SAVE AGAIN IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND. THE VERY FIRST CHALLENGE IS A ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ LOST WOODS MAZE WHERE YOU HAVE TO GO THE RIGHT WAY, JUST GO LEFT AND GET THE DIS-STONE THEN TAKE THE RIGHT FORK. THERE'S A BEAD ON THE LEFT THEN KEEP GOING TO A FREE HEAL ROOM AND A TERMINAL TO SAVE AT.
GO LEFT LEFT LEFT AT THE NEXT FORKS TO OPEN THE WAY TO THE NEXT AREA.
HERE'S A BIG HINT FOR ENCOUNTERS IN THIS PLACE. THERE'S NOTHING HERE YOU CAN RECRUIT, EXCEPT MOU-RYO AND CHORONZON AT FULL OCLOCK. THE ELEMENT CLAN IS NOBLE AND REFUSES TO JOIN YOU NO MATTER WHAT. BUUUUT YOU CAN USE HUA PO'S PLEAD SKILL TO GET THEM TO GIVE YOU NET POSITIVE MONEY OR VERY HELPFUL ITEMS. A MEGIDO ROCK WILL LET YOU CHEESE THE BOSS OF THIS PLACE. THIS SKILL WORKS BEST WHEN THE ENEMY IS ISOLATED OR YOU MIGHT GET INTERRUPTED. STILL WORTH IT GOING FOR THE INSTANT KILL WITH THIS MOVE, ESPECIALLY VERSUS AEROS WHO IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND WILL RESIST YOUR MAGIC.
THEN GO LEFT, RIGHT, STRAIGHT UNTIL YOU GET TO A DOOR, BAM YOU JUST OPENED THE WAY TO THE END. TURN BACK AND GO RIGHT TWICE IF YOU WANT TO SAVE, OR GO STRAIGHT THEN LEFT FOREVER TO REACH A MYSTICAL CHEST WITH A BEAD CHAIN.

*SPECTER*

SO SPECTER IS THE FIRST REAL BOSS OF THE GAME. INGESTING SHIRANUI WILL HELP YOUR MC SURVIVE ITS FIRE MAGIC. IF YOU HAVE A MEGIDO ROCK YOU HAVE THREE TURNS TO USE RAKUNDA AND SUKU MAGIC TO TRY TO KILL 5 OR ALL 6 SPECTERS ALL AT ONCE WITH ALMIGHTY DAMAGE, THEY HAVE RESIST MAGIC AND ABOUT 140 HP EACH. YOU CAN SUMMON WILLY OR PRETA FOR A FAT CHUNK OF XP FOR THEM WHEN YOU WIN TOO.

OTHERWISE THIS FIGHT KINDA SUCKS. TO STAND A CHANCE, YOU HAVE TO KILL ONE SPECTER IN 3 TURNS, TO MAKE THE KING SLIME THEY COMBINE INTO MUCH WEAKER. IF YOU CAN SOMEHOW KILL 3 OR 4 IT WILL BE EVEN EASIER BUT KILLING 2 WILL MAKE THEM COMBINE EARLY ANYWAY. START THE FIGHT WITH PRETA SUMMONED IF YOU HAVE ONE TO ESTABLISH TWO SUKUKAJAS ON TURN 1 TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHANCE OF DODGING SPECTER'S ATTACKS AND ROBBING THEIR PRESS TURNS. IF PRETA DIES IT DOESN'T ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ MATTER, SUMMON SOMEONE ELSE TO START YOUR NEXT TURN WITH 4 ICONS.
ONCE SPECTER COMBINES HIT HIM WITH EVERY DEBUFF YOU'VE GOT AND ZERG RUSH KEKEKEKE TO THE FINISH. A TEXT MESSAGE WILL POP UP WHEN HE'S ALMOST DEAD, TELLING YOU IT'S SAFE TO SUMMON ANOTHER DEMON TO CASH IN ON THE FAT 600 EXP AT THE END.
LEARN FIRE BREATH IF YOU HAVEN'T YET, OR MANA BONUS FROM WADATSUMI IF YOU'RE A BALLER.

*GINZA*

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WE MADE IT TO A NEW TOWN AND WE CAN WARP BACK TO SHIBUYA TOO. GO BACK AND BUY IYOMANTE IF YOU CAN, YOU CAN SELL THE BEAD CHAIN FROM THE AMALA NETWORK IF YOU WATCHED ONE OF MY SPEEDRUNS TO FIND IT. THIS PLACE HAS RAG'S JEWELRY, YOU CAN TRADE YOUR GEMS HERE FOR FANCY ITEMS, BUT HOLD OFF ON THAT FOR NOW, I'LL EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT TO USE HIM FOR AFTER THE NEXT BOSS.

THERE'S A REPULSE BELL IN THE ROOM ATTACHED TO THE WEST HALL. USE HUA PO'S PLEAD ON APSARAS, ANGEL, AND LILIM FOR NICE ITEMS. ANGEL IS ACTUALLY A NICE RECRUIT IF YOU CAN GET HER, ONE OF THE SPEEDRUN ROUTES USES HER BRIEFLY. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE MANY DEMON SLOTS AVAILABLE THIS EARLY ON SO CHOOSE CAREFULLY. JACK FROST IS ACTUALLY WAY MORE IMPORTANT TO RECRUIT BTW. HEE HO MOTHER ♥♥♥♥♥♥.

OUTSIDE THERE'S A SOMA DROPLET IF YOU GO AROUND THE NORTHEAST BRIDGE TO JOJO ARIAKE COUNTRY. IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, I DUNNO, OR JUST GO GET IT WAY LATER WHEN YOU'RE HIGHER LEVEL AND CAN REPEL ALL THE ANNOYING ENCOUNTERS. INGEST WADATSUMI OUT HERE BY THE WAY OR FOMORIAN WILL KICK YOUR ASS WITH MABUFU AND BERSERK. HE'S WEAK TO ELEC, AND HAS 20% PHYSICAL RESIST AND NOWHERE IN THE GAME TELLS YOU THAT, AND A TON OF HP (200), TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY OR DIE.

ENTER HARUMI WAREHOUSE BEFORE NEW OCLOCK AND SAVE THE GAME. HANG ON TO THE MUSCLE DRINK YOU CAN FIND IN THE FIRST ROOM, WE'LL NEED IT LATER.
SUDAMA IS WEAK TO FIRE AND ATTACKS WITH MAZAN SOMETIMES, BE CAREFUL ABOUT MARCHING WITH WILLY OR PRETA OUT OR YOU'LL PROBABLY DIE. THESE ARE LEVEL 13 SO THEY GIVE VERY NICE EXP, AND CAN DROP VERY USEFUL TURQUOISE GEMS.
YOU CAN GET THE MARAGI ROCKS AND IF YOU WENT THE RIGHT WAY, IT SHOULD BE FALLING 1/8 AT THE UNDERPASS TERMINAL, SAVE THE GAME AND TRY NOT TO GET OWNED BY ISORA THE JAPANESE GOD OF THE SEASHORE WHO CAN CONTROL WATER. HOLD THE CANCEL BUTTON TO KEEP THE CAMERA BEHIND YOU AND MOVE FASTER THROUGH THE WAIST HIGH WATER BY THE WAY, SHOUTOUTS TO FUUKATABA FOR DISCOVERING THIS AND WANTING TO CALL IT OBAMA SWIMMING FOR NO REASON.
TRY TO LEAVE THE PLACE THROUGH THE DOOR AT THE BACK FIRST ONLY TO GET COCKBLOCEKD BY THE BORDER GUARD. THEN GET THE BEAD CHAIN IN THE MYSTICAL CHEST IN THE BATHTUB, THEN TALK TO THE COLLECTOR MANIKIN WHO TELLS YOU TO SEEK POKEMANIAC BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY IN A CITY SOMEWHERE. THIS CONVERSATION GETS A LITERAL TROLL TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY AND ALLOW THE GAME TO CONTINUE. HEAD BACK TO GINZA WHERE IT SHOULD BE NEW OCLOCK AND SAVE AGAIN.
GO OUTSIDE AFTER YOU HEAL AND ENTER GINZA'S NORTHEAST ENTRANCE AT RISING 6/8. THE THREE MYSTICAL CHESTS IN LOKI'S ROOM CONTAIN POKEMON EMERALD, POKEMON SAPPHIRE, AND POKEMON PEARL, ALONG WITH POKEMANIAC BILL, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WE HIT THE BIG TIME BOYS. BUT ON THE WAY OUT THE TROLL GUARD COMES BACK IN FROM HIS SMOKE BREAK AND ATTACKS YOU.

*TROLL*

HE WILL ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ YOU BUT IT'S OKAY BECAUSE HE'S WEAK TO MIND. THE USUAL OPTION IS HUA PO'S SEXY GAZE BUT IF YOU SOMEHOW RECRUITED MOU-RYO THEN YOU CAN USE PULINPA TOO (NO IT'S NOT CALLED PLUPINA ♥♥♥♥ THAT ONE YOUTUBER GUY). KEEP HIM STUNLOCKED EVERY TURN (HD CHANGED ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS THE LUCK STAT DOES AND MADE IT SO BASICALLY EVERYONE ALWAYS RECOVERS FROM STATUS AILMENTS EVERY TURN, MAKING IT EXTRA USELESS BY BUFFING IT, JUST INCREDIBLE STUFF FATLUS) USE SHIKIGAMI'S TARUKAJA AND HIGH PIXIE'S RAKUNDA TO WHITTLE HIM DOWN FASTER BEFORE YOUR MIND HAXXOR RUNS OUT OF MP. IT'S ONLY WORTH 100 EXP SO DON'T BOTHER GETTING FANCY WITH IT AND SUMMONING ANOTHER DEMON TO CASH IN UNLESS YOU ARE JUST ADDICTED TO SWAG LIKE I AM.

*SACRIFICIAL FUSION*

NOW YOU CAN HEAD BACK INTO GINZA'S NORTHWEST ENTRANCE. IF YOU HAVEN'T FUSED ANYTHING YET, THE UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENE OF YOUR VERY FIRST FUSION IS GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED. THIS IS ALSO WHERE MIDO EXPLAINS SACRIFICIAL FUSION TO YOU, WHERE YOU CAN OFFER A THIRD DEMON AS FUSION TO (TYPICALLY) GET THE SAME RESULT, BUT ADDING ITS SKILLS INTO THE POSSIBLE POOL AND ALSO MULTIPLYING THE SACRIFICE'S ENTIRE POOL OF ACCRUED EXPERIENCE POINTS BY 1.5 AND DONATING IT TO THE NEW DEMON. THIS IS REALLY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ AWESOME BECAUSE IT SLIMS DOWN YOUR STOCK COUNT AND LETS YOU PASS WHATEVER MOVES YOU WANT REGARDLESS OF THE LAWS OF FUSION, X FAMILY WITH Y FAMILY MAKES Z FAMILY. YOU CAN JUMP THE LEVEL CURVE WITH CAREFULLY CONTROLLED EXPERIENCE BUT THIS IS A GUIDE FOR CASUALS NOT SPERGLORD SPEEDRUNNERS SO I WILL ONLY GO INTO EXPLICIT DETAIL WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT.

SACRIFICIAL FUSION OFTEN MAKES A DEMON WITH TOO MANY BONUS LEVELS TO CREATE, IT CAN'T BE HIGHER THAN MC'S LEVEL, SO THINK OF IT AS A WAY TO MAKE WEAKER DEMONS VIABLE BY SUPERCHARGING THEM, OR FILLING SKILL SLOTS WITH GOOD SKILLS RATHER THAN THE GARBAGE THEY LEARN NATURALLY. IF YOU'RE READING THIS GUIDE YOU'RE PROBABLY PLAYING ON HD BECAUSE YOU FOUND THIS GUIDE ON THE STEAM COMMUNITY PAGE, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN DO DISGUSTINGLY OVERPOWERED FULL CUSTOM FUSIONS THAT SHOULD BE LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE ON THE PS2 VERSION WHICH RANDOMLY ROLLS WHAT THE NEW DEMON IS GOING TO LEARN, WHERE THEY ALL HAVE SECRET AFFINITIES FOR WHAT SORTS OF SKILLS THEY DO AND DON'T LIKE TO LEARN, INFLUENCED BY A HIDDEN INTERNAL RANK FOR EVERY SKILL, WHERE ♥♥♥♥♥♥ SKILLS LIKE AGI AND SUKUNDA ARE RANK 1 AND THE ACTUALLY GOOD STUFF LIKE RAKUKAJA IS RANK 7. INSTEAD OF COMPROMISING ON LOSING SOME ABILITIES IN EXCHANGE FOR GETTING A STRONGER DEMON OR THE RESISTANCES YOU NEED FOR AN UPCOMING AREA OR BOSS, IN HD YOUR TEAM GRADUALLY SNOWBALLS INTO AN EVER STRONGER UNHOLY AMALGAMATION, WHILE CASUALS GET TO PAT THEMSELVES ON THE BACK SAYING "I WAS GOING TO REROLL 1000 TIMES FOR THAT ANYWAY". BUT SOME THINGS AREN'T POSSIBLE ANYWAY, FOR EXAMPLE ELEMENT DEMONS DON'T HAVE A MOUTH SO THEY CAN'T USE WAR CRY OR FOG BREATH, DEMONS WITHOUT HANDS CAN'T USE VENOM CLAW, THEY NEED TO BE HOLDING A STICK TO USE THE "WEAPON SKILLS" THAT SCALE ON MAX HP LIKE HEAT WAVE AND MIGHTY GUST, AND SO ON. IN HD ALL IS REVEALED, IF IT'S NOT IN THE LIST YOU CAN'T ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ LEARN IT.

SO YOUR NEW GOAL IS TO FUSE CHORONZON, THAT PURPLE FAT ♥♥♥♥ BALL WITH WAY TOO MUCH HP AND RESIST PHYSICAL YOU MIGHT HAVE MET IN THE AMALA NETWORK. HE HAS VERY AMUSING STATS SUCH AS 2 MAGIC AND 1 AGILITY, BUT HIS REAL VALUE WILL BE REVEALED IN TIME, AS IF BEING TANKY AND LITERALLY UNKILLABLE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH THIS EARLY ON. THERE'S A FEW WAYS TO MAKE HIM:
PRETA + AEROS (PASS SUKUKAJA)
YOU CAN MAKE PRETA BY FUSING PIXIE AND WILLY; PASS RIBERAMA IF YOU DO.
YOU CAN MAKE AEROS BY FUSING ANY TWO FAIRY DEMONS, THAT WOULD BE PIXIE/JACK FROST/HIGH PIXIE. YOU CAN ALSO GET AEROS BY TRADING THE AGATE FROM SHIBUYA AND TWO TURQUOISES AT RAG'S JEWELRY BUT YOU ACTUALLY SHOULDN'T DO THAT JUST YET. SAVE THE AGATE FOR AQUANS AT LEVEL 15.

OR YOU CAN DO A SACRIFICIAL FUSION AT FULL OCLOCK FOR A LEVEL BOOST AND THE KAJA ABILITY YOU REALLY NEED FOR BOSS FIGHTS:
USE ANY FAIRY (PIXIE/JACK FROST/HIGH PIXIE) (PASS POSUMUDI/PARALADI IF USING HIGH PIXIE, DARK MIGHT IF USING JACK FROST, ZIO IF USING PIXIE)
AND WILL O WISP OR DATSUE-BA (PASS RIBERAMA IF YOU USE WILLY, IMO SAVE DATSUE-BA FOR SOMETHING BETTER AT LEVEL 13)
SACRIFICING PRETA (PASS SUKUKAJA)
SACRIFICING HUA PO (PASS RAKUKAJA)
♥♥♥♥ I'M NOT SAYING PASS IN FUSION DIRECTIONS ANY MORE IT'S SO REDUNDANT

ANYWAY TL;DR YOU NEED BOTH SUKUKAJA AND RAKUKAJA, AND CHORONZON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OF THEM. NEXT HIGHEST PRIORITY ABILITIES ARE POSUMUDI/PARALADI, DARK MIGHT, ZIO, NEEDLE RUSH, RIBERAMA.

ONCE YOU FUSE OFF YOUR FAIRIES YOU'LL PROBABLY WANT TO RECRUIT MORE OF THEM. THEY'RE THE BEST FUSION MATERIAL EARLY GAME AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T FUSE THEM THEY AT LEAST HAVE DIA AND CAN HEAL YOUR TEAM AS WATER BOIS FOR A BIT. HUA PO IS NICE TO RECRUIT AGAIN TOO.

**********************
*RAG'S JEWELRY*
**********************
SO THIS GUY SELLS SOME AMAZING STUFF, NOT FOR MACCA BUT BY TRADING RARE GEMS. HOWEVER YOU CAN HAMSTRING YOURSELF BY BUYING THE WRONG THING AT THE WRONG TIME. THE INVENTORY CHANGES EVERY TIME YOU WALK IN, SOMETIMES THERE ARE BIZARRE HIGHER-LEVEL VARIANTS OF THE ELEMENTS AND MITAMAS HE SELLS. THE BEST ONE IS PROBABLY THE AQUANS WITH NULL ICE BUT EVEN WHEN PLAYING CASUALLY I DON'T BOTHER LOOKING FOR THESE THINGS ON PURPOSE.

THE ONLY THING I RECOMMEND *NOT* BUYING IS THE BEAD CHAIN FOR 3 AQUAMARINES BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SELLING THOSE FOR 5000 MACCA IS ALWAYS TEMPTING, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET EVEN BETTER THINGS WITH THEM INSTEAD: AQUANS ELEMENTALS AND SMOKE BALLS.

IF YOU'RE READING THE GUIDE IN ORDER AND THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME SHOPPING HERE, YOU'RE SAFE TO BUY 1 CHAKRA POT (UNLESS YOU KILLED SPECTER WITH A MEGIDO ROCK THEN HE DIDN'T DROP THE SECOND SAPPHIRE YOU NEED). YOU CAN SAVE THE PEARL FOR FLAEMIS AND THE AMETHYST FOR NIGI MITAMA FOR LATER WHEN YOU'RE A HIGHER LEVEL TO GET SOME NEAT DEMONS FOR FREE, OR 1 BALM OF RISING AND 1 SOMA DROPLET INSTEAD IF YOU WANT SOME EXTRA RECOVERY ITEMS FOR EARLY BOSS FIGHTS, I RECOMMEND GETTING THE DEMONS INSTEAD IF YOU'RE PLAYING CASUALLY.

IF YOU GOT VERY LUCKY USING PLEAD ON THE ELEMENTS IN AMALA NETWORK AND GOT SOME OPALS, YOU CAN GET AN EARLY ATTACK MIRROR OR MAGIC MIRROR TO HELP WITH SOME EARLY BOSS FIGHTS.

ONCE YOU GET A NICE COLLECTION OF GEMS THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO COME BACK TO. SAVE THE GAME AND TRY BUYING RAG'S ELEMENTS TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN UPGRADE YOUR DEMONS INTO IN THE SAME FAMILY.

*PREPARING FOR MATADOR*

SO EVEN THE SPEEDRUNNERS HAVE TO GRIND HERE, BUT THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WHEN GRINDING IN NOCTURNE MAKES SENSE. IF YOU'VE BEEN EXPLORING YOU MIGHT BE A DECENT LEVEL ALREADY. BUT IN NOCTURNE, RAW POWER DOESN'T HELP YOU, CHANGING YOUR TEAM COMP AND MAGATAMA TO SOLVE PUZZLES IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE SOLUTION INSTEAD.
NOTE THAT I'M PROVIDING ONLY MINIMAL DIRECTIONS HERE TO MAKE THE GUIDE EASIER TO BREEZE THROUGH, HAVE FUN PLAYING THE GAME DAMNIT. MY SPEEDRUN ROUTE NOTES ARE EASY TO FIND ON SPEEDRUN DOT COM AND YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH ONE OF MY MANY COMMENTATED RUNS ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL AS WELL AS VODS FROM REALLYREALLYLONGATHON, THE YEARLY SPEEDRUN MARATHON THAT SHOWCASES THE MOST BIZARRE AND EXTRA LONG SPEEDRUNS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF. EITHER OPTION CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE DUNGEONS, OR JUST ENJOY RUNNING AROUND AND BEING AHEAD OF WHAT LEVEL I THINK YOU SHOULD BE AT.

ANYWAY MATADOR WON'T EVEN BE THERE IF YOU PICKED THE NEW GAME MODE WITH NO DLC SO THAT'S NICE, JUST WALK ON AHEAD TO THE NEXT AREA AFTER GIVING THE BILL TO THE COLLECTOR MANIKIN. OTHERWISE BUCKLE YOUR ASS AND GET READY FOR ONE OF THE MOST INFAMOUS MEMES OF SMT HISTORY.

BASICALLY YOU HAVE TWO GOALS: REACH LEVEL 13 AND FUSE INUGAMI, BY COMBINING EITHER
APSARAS + KODAMA (ZIO, ZAN) (IN CASE YOU'RE NOT PLAYING ON HD THE FIRST SKILL I LIST IS THE ACTUAL IMPORTANT ONE)
SHIKIGAMI + DATSUE-BA (TARUKAJA, ZIO)
THIS LOYAL GHOST DOGGO WILL SERVE YOU WELL FOR THE WHOLE GAME, TRUST ME ON THIS. MIGHT BE THE ACTUAL BEST DEMON IN THE GAME. START LEVELING HIM UP FOR MEDIA RIGHT AWAY. AND KEEP HIM AROUND FOREVER.

YOU COULD ALSO DO LIKE ONE OF THE SPEEDRUN ROUTES AND FUSE A FANCY SHIISAA EARLY, YOU NEED TWO FAIRIES TO FUSE HUA PO INTO APSARAS WITH RAKUKAJA, THEN FUSE APSARAS WITH THE OTHER FAIRY TO MAKE SHIISAA WITH RAKUKAJA. IF YOU USE PIXIE SECOND YOU CAN ADD DIA. IF YOU USE JACK FROST SECOND YOU CAN ADD DARK MIGHT. HOWEVER RECRUITING TWO MORE FAIRIES MIGHT BE PAINFUL, NORMALLY I PREFER TO MAKE SHIISAA LATER WHEN IT'S A LOT EASIER, YOU'LL SEE WHY IN THE NEXT TOWN.

THE BEST PLACE TO GRIND IS THE RIVER BY UNDERPASS TERMINAL, YOU'RE RIGHT BY THE TERMINAL SO YOU CAN GO TO TOWN AND HEAL. EVERY ISORA GIVES EXACTLY 40 EXP AND CAN DROP HELPFUL CORAL GEMS. THIS ALSO MAKES IT EASY TO CONTROL HUA PO'S EXPERIENCE IF YOU HAVEN'T SACRIFICED HER YET, READ ON TO GET THE JUICY DETAILS.

HOWEVER IF THIS SOUNDS BORING, A MORE FUN PLACE TO GRIND IS "NIHILO'S HIGH SECURITY AREA" AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN THE OUTDOOR GINZA PLATE (THE OUTDOOR AREAS ARE CALLED PLATES BECAUSE LOOK AT THE LIL "MAP" IN THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER SHOWING WHICH PLATE OF THE INWARD-FACING VORTEX WORLD YOU'RE STANDING ON). THIS IS NOCTURNE'S "PENINSULA OF POWER" JUST LIKE IN FINAL FANTASY 1-- WAIT A SECOND THAT GAME IS OLDER THAN EVERYONE READING THIS GUIDE RIGHT NOW, WHO EVEN REMEMBERS THAT LITTLE CHUNK OF LAND NORTHEAST OF PRAVOKA?!? ANYWAY, HERE HIGH-LEVEL DIVINES AND THE ♥♥♥♥♥ BIRD BADB CATHA (PRONOUNCED "BAIBU KAHA" ACCORDING TO WHEN I PLAYED THIS GAME IN JAPANESE, WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥ EVEN IS GAELIC) CAN REALLY ♥♥♥♥ YOU UP, AND IT'S A LONG WAY AWAY FROM A TERMINAL TO SCUTTLE HOME WITH YOUR REWARDS, MAKING THIS A MORE THRILLING WAY TO LEVEL UP. ALSO WATCH OUT FOR THE CUBE UNDER TOKYO TOWER, GO IN WITH NULL MIND, YOU'LL GET A RUBY IF YOU CAN BEAT SUCCUBUS AND TRADE THIS FOR EITHER 1 MEGIDO ROCK, OR AN EARLY ARA MITAMA ONCE YOU BEAT A CERTAIN BOSS OR VENTURE INTO THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. I'D RECOMMEND THE MITAMA.

ANYWAY THE SOONEST YOU CAN BEAT MATADOR IS LEVEL 15. YOU *NEED* SUKUKAJA TO STAND A CHANCE. IF YOU DIDN'T PUT IT ON CHORONZON, YOU HAVE TWO OTHER OPTIONS.
ONE IS USING THE AGATE FROM SHIBUYA'S MYSTICAL CHEST AND THE 2 AQUAMARINES FROM THE NEKOMATAS YOU PLAYED WITH TO PURCHASE AQUANS FROM RAG'S JEWELRY. BUT ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ THIS DEMON SUCKS. ONLY 6 VITALITY?!? ATLUS PLAYED A FUNNY PRANK ON US!! AND EVEN IF YOU LEVEL IT UP, MABUFU IS THE WEAKEST SPELL IN THE GAME. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE USE OF IT EARLY IS TO FUSE IT WITH ANGEL TO MAKE ARCHANGEL, A NICE BOSS KILLER WITH TARUKAJA AND SUKUKAJA. ALSO AN EARLY SOURCE OF ESTOMA IF YOU WANT REPEL TO CANCEL ALL ANNOYING WEAK RANDOM ENCOUNTERS. BUT JUST GODAWFUL IN RANDOM ENCOUNTERS.
ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THIS PATH IS OBTAINING ANGEL. YOU EITHER HAVE TO RECRUIT HER, OR FUSE APSARAS AND LILIM. FUSING PIXIE AND INUGAMI IS NOT AN OPTION, KEEP INUGAMI.

THE OTHER IS BICORN OF THE WILDER CLAN, BUT THIS GUY IS HARD TO FUSE, LIKE DAMN. I HAD TO OPEN MY FUSION CALCULATOR PROGRAM CALLED HERETIC MANSION AND HATED WHAT I SAW. THE ONLY OPTION THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE RECRUITING A FOUL OR HAUNT (WHICH YOU CAN ONLY RECRUIT BY TALKING TO THEM DURING FULL OCLOCK, OR HAVING THEM SURVIVE ONE OF YOUR PRESS TURNS WHILE ALONE WITH 20% OR LESS HP REMAINING, WHETHER YOU SCORED A HIT OR MISSED THEM OR EVEN USED ANALYZE)
...IS HUA PO AND DATSUE-BA, WHICH YOU PROBABLY ALREADY USED SO YOU'LL HAVE TO RECRUIT MORE OF THEM. AT LEAST BICORN MAKES FOR A BETTER PARTY MEMBER THAN ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ AQUANS.

IF YOU ALREADY USED HUA PO FOR RAKUKAJA, I THOUGHT OF HOW YOU CAN GET A SECOND RAKUKAJA USER, WHO WOULD ACTUALLY BE DECENT VERSUS MATADOR. RECRUIT ANOTHER HUA PO AND FUSE IT WITH KODAMA TO MAKE ERTHYS, THEN LEVEL UP THE ERTHYS WHILE YOU RECRUIT ANOTHER HUA PO. FUSE HUA PO WITH ERTHYS TO MAKE SUDAMA WITH RAKUKAJA AT LEVEL 13, BAM THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE AMAZING. SUDAMA CAN BE USED FOR A NICE FUSION LATER TOO. HE LEARNS NEAT ABILITIES, SACRIFICE SOMETHING IF YOU CAN.

*FANCY FUSION ALERT FOR LEVEL 15*

WHAT I LIKE TO DO IN MY FAVOURITE SPEEDRUN ROUTE IS TO SAC FUSE A LEVEL 15 NOZUCHI, USING APSARAS + WILLY SACRIFICING HUA PO. MORE LIKE LEVEL 15.9, IF YOU GET HUA PO'S EXPERIENCE TO EXACTLY LEVEL 9 WITH 100TNL (100 EXPERIENCE NEEDED "TO NEXT LEVEL", TNL FOR SHORT). REMEMBER HOW I SAID EVERY ISORA RELIABLY GIVES 40 EXP EACH? USE THAT NOGGIN OF YOURS TO DO MATH AND CALCULATE HOW MANY HUA PO CAN SEE DIE. USE HER PLEAD SKILL TO CHASE AWAY THE LAST ONE AND GUARANTEED END THE FIGHT EVEN IF YOU'RE USING RIBERAMA FOR ENDLESS REINFORCEMENTS. IN THE SPEEDRUN THIS LETS ME CREATE A VERY POWERFUL NOZUCHI WITH RAKUKAJA, WHICH IS VERY MUCH NEEDED FOR MATADOR. EVEN THOUGH NOZUCHI TEACHES HIMSELF RAKUKAJA, THAT IS WAY TOO MUCH GRINDING FOR A SPEEDRUN, HUA PO IS STILL A WORTHY SACRIFICE FOR THIS. IN THE SPEEDRUN I LEVEL UP THE APSARAS TOO TO TEACH HER ANTI-MIND, WHICH ENDS UP BEING EXTREMELY USEFUL, AND I PASS:
DIA, ZIO, ANTI-MIND, RAKUKAJA, MAKAKAJA (FROM LEVEL 6 WILLY). ZAN AND MAZIO ARE GOOD OPTIONS TOO. I EVEN REROLL FOR PUTTING THE BONUS STAT POINT INTO STRENGTH OR AGILITY FIRST.
IF THIS IS ALL WAY TOO FANCY YOU CAN TRY RECRUITING NOZUCHI UPSTAIRS IN THE HALLWAY TOO. HIS VALUE IS IN ABSORB FORCE AND HE TURNS INTO A POWERFUL TURTLE IF YOU LEVEL HIM UP ENOUGH.

YOUR OTHER OTHER GOAL IS TO SELL BEAD CHAINS AND GET RICH ENOUGH TO PURCHASE THE HIFUMI MAGATAMA. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ THIS THING IS SO OVERPOWERED. EVERY SKILL ON IT IS AN ABSOLUTE BANGER, EXCEPT ANTI-FORCE WHICH IS A MEME LIKE EVERY ANTI- SKILL, ENEMY PRESS TURNS WILL STILL ACTIVATE FOR HITTING YOUR WEAKNESSES. PLUS YOU NEED IT ANYWAY FOR NULL FORCE VERSUS MATADOR. KAMUDO RULES TOO BUT YOU CAN BUY IT LATER, IT'S WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. ANKH HAS NICE HEALING SPELLS IF YOU'RE ON A MAGIC BUILD BUT BUYING THAT CAN ALSO WAIT UNTIL LATER, HIFUMI IS PRIORITY ONE. I WOULD RECOMMEND BUYING 1 SACRED WATER IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE THOUGH, IT'S CHEAP EVEN ON HARD MODE. ON NORMAL YOU CAN PROBABLY AFFORD SOME CHAKRA DROPS AND FLOAT BALLS.

IF YOU'RE HAVING A FUN CASUAL JAUNT AND HIGHER THAN LEVEL 15, NEKOMATA AND UZUME ARE IMMUNE TO MATADOR'S FORCE MAGIC AND SHOULD LEAD TO A FREE WIN. YOU CAN FUSE UZUME WITH SHIISAA + A FAIRY, AND IF SHIISAA IS LEVELED UP THEN PASSING BRAINWASH MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA. TYPICALLY I WAIT UNTIL LATER (AROUND LEVEL 22) AND SACRIFICE CHORONZON TO PASS TRAFURI, BUT IF YOU LEVEL UP HIGH PIXIE ENOUGH SHE ALSO LEARNS TRAFURI, USE HER INSTEAD.

SAVE THE GAME WHEN IT'S FALLING 5/8 THEN HEAD UPSTAIRS TO F

*MATADOR*

I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL, HE SAYS. OH BOY, HERE WE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ GO. YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD JUST WALK THROUGH THIS HALLWAY WITH NOTHING IN IT?! WELCOME TO SMT NOCTURNE!!!
MATADOR WILL USE MAZAN ALMOST EVERY TURN. WITHOUT AN ABUNDANCE OF FORCE IMMUNITIES OR MEDIA, YOU WILL GET GROUND DOWN REALLY QUICKLY. IF YOU GOT ANY MAGIC MIRRORS BY USING PLEAD ON LILIM, TURN 1 IS A GREAT TIME TO USE ONE WHILE YOU GET RAKUKAJA MAXED OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DON'T BOTHER DEBUFFING MATADOR OR HE WILL USE DEKUNDA; YOU HAVE TO BUFF YOUR SIDE INSTEAD. YOU CAN STILL USE SUKUNDA THREE TIMES TO REDUCE HIS STARTING RED CAPOTE DOWN TO JUST ONE STACK OF SUKUKAJA. HAVING SUKUNDA ON MC IS VERY NICE BECAUSE HE HAS NOTHING TO SPEND HIS MP ON IN THIS FIGHT OTHERWISE, REDUCING CHAKRA DROP STRAIN ON YOUR DEMONS.
IN PHASE 2 MATADOR STARTS USING SOME NEW MOVES. FOCUS AND TAUNT SHOW THE POWER OF THE SKILLS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR MAGATAMA LATER. TAUNT WILL LOWER YOUR RAKUKAJA STACKS BY 2 WHILE GIVING YOU 2 FREE STACKS OF TARUKAJA. MATADOR HAS ONLY 1000 HP SO I RECOMMEND DOING 499 DAMAGE THEN BURSTING HIM DOWN WITH YOUR PHYSICAL SKILLS AS HARD AS YOU CAN BEFORE THINGS DESTABILIZE. BY THE WAY THIS GUY'S SPECIAL ATTACK SENT ME DOWN A HUGE RABBIT HOLE OF THE HISTORY OF ISLAMIC SPAIN WHEN IT WAS RULED BY THE UMAYYAD CALIPHATE, THE SOUTHEASTERN COASTAL AREA OF ANDALUCIA WHERE JOHN CALE WAS BORN WAS KNOWN AS AL-ANDALUS, AND THAT'S WHY MATADOR HAS THAT BALLIN BLUE AND GOLD OUTFIT WITH THE ISLAMIC PATTERNS LIKE YOU SEE IN A MOSQUE, THE MOAR YOU KNOW.

AFTER YOU DEFEAT MATADOR GO STRAIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION AND OPEN THE MYSTICAL CHEST AT FULL OCLOCK FOR A BEAD CHAIN. IF HIFUMI DIDN'T HEAL YOUR PARTY, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY SAVE AND GO HOME AT THE S-TERMINAL.
THIS SECOND SECTION OF UNDERPASS IS MASSIVE AND VERY DANGEROUS. THE ONLY WAY TO HIT CHATTERSKULL'S WEAKNESS IS WITH NOZUCHI'S TOXIC CLOUD. ELEC ATTACKERS ARE WHAT YOU WANT OTHERWISE. THERE'S A DIAMOND IN A MYSTICAL CHEST HALFWAY THROUGH. I PREFER TO GO EXACTLY THE RIGHT WAY IN ONE TRIP TO POP OUT THE OTHER SIDE RIGHT AT FULL OCLOCK TO GET THE MAGIC INCENSE IN THE CEMETERY. OH YEAH THERE'S ANOTHER MYSTICAL CHEST WITH AN AMETHYST IN CASE YOU ALREADY SPENT YOURS ON A SOMA DROPLET TO HELP BEAT MATADOR, SO YOU CAN STILL GET NIGI MITAMA LATER.

WHEN YOU GET OUTSIDE YOU CAN HEAD NORTHWEST TO GET THE BEAD AND ENTER IKEBUKURO RIGHT ON TIME AT RISING 2/8.

*IKEBUKURO*

DON'T TALK TO THIS ONI WITH THE HOCKEY STICK OR HE'LL FIGHT YOU. JUST GET YOUR BATTERED ASS TO THE TERMINAL IN THE NEXT ROOM AND SAVE!!!
IF YOU GO THROUGH THE DOOR AND UP THE STAIRS AND TO THE RIGHT, THERE'S A ROOM WITH A STRENGTH INCENSE IN A MYSTICAL CHEST IF YOU CAN DEFEAT THE 2 ONI AMBUSH. THEY HAVE LOTS OF HP AND RESIST PHYSICAL, THEY ARE WEAK TO DATSUE-BA'S SHIBABOO. THE REAL VALUE OF THIS FIGHT IS THAT THEY DROP A BEAD CHAIN YOU CAN SELL FOR 5000. GATHER ALL THE MONEY YOU CAN, CUZ WHEN YOU HEAD TO THE CATHEDRAL OF SHADOWS THERE'S A WONDERFUL SURPRISE.

*DEMONIC COMPENDIUM*

SO THE NICE THING ABOUT REACHING IKEBUKURO IS THAT WHEN YOU ENTER THE CATHEDRAL OF SHADOWS, YOU'LL UNLOCK THE DEMON COMPENDIUM, WHICH IS A POKEDEX AND CLONING MACHINE ALL IN ONE!! HOWEVER DEMONS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE, SO I NEVER USED THIS FEATURE PLAYING THROUGH THE GAME CASUALLY. NEVER GOT THE BRIGHT IDEA TO SAVE THE GAME FIRST, THEN BUY A NICE DEMON AND SEE WHAT I CAN MAKE WITH IT. NOW THAT I KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW THE GAME WORKS I FIGURED OUT HOW TO REALLY ABUSE THIS THING. THE KEY IS REGISTERING YOUR DEMONS AT THE RIGHT TIME, AND IT TURNS OUT, IS USUALLY RIGHT AROUND THE MOMENT THEY LEARN THEIR LAST SKILL. IF YOU KEEP THEM AROUND TOO LONG THEY'LL BE EXPENSIVE TO BUY BACK AND MAYBE EVEN TOO MUCH EXPERIENCE TO OFFER AS A SACRIFICE OR THE THING YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE WILL BE TOO HIGH LEVEL TO SUMMON. BUT STOCK VERSIONS THAT ARE WHAT YOU RECRUITED/FUSED CAN BE DISAPPOINTING.
TL;DR IT'S SAFEST TO JUST NEVER USE THE REGISTER SYSTEM. BUT BEFORE YOU FUSE A DEMON AWAY, STRONGLY CONSIDER REGISTERING IT IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT EVER WANT IT BACK AGAIN. REMEMBER YOU CAN REGISTER YOUR BEST GUY BEFORE YOU USE HIM AS FUSION MATERIAL, THEN BUY HIM RIGHT BACK, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ YOU'RE A GAMER. OR MAYBE THOSE ABILITIES WILL COME IN VERY HANDY TO MAKE SOMETHING AWESOME LATER.

THE MAIN WAY TO USE THE COMPENDIUM, HONESTLY, IS TO JUST BUY CHEAP DEMONS THAT MAKE FOR GOOD FUSION MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY THE ELEMENTS. MIDO EXPLAINS ALL THIS STUFF DECENTLY BUT BASICALLY, YOU CAN USE THE FOUR ELEMENT-CLAN DEMONS TO MOVE WITHIN THE SAME FAMILY, FOR EXAMPLE SHIKIGAMI + ERTHYS GETS YOU MOMUNOFU, A SURPRISINGLY GOOD DEMON BECAUSE YOU CAN EASILY GET FOCUS INTO A FUSION RECIPE, OR JUST RAISE HIM UP INTO THE MFER THAT REPELS PHYSICAL (NULLS PHYS REPELS ICE IN THIS GAME). A LEVEL 4 AND LEVEL 8 DEMON COMING TOGETHER TO GET A LEVEL 20 DEMON IS INSANELY GOOD VALUE. THE WAY FUSION WORKS IS THAT THE BASE LEVELS (THAT THE DEMONS WOULD NORMALLY START AT) ARE ADDED TOGETHER, DIVIDED BY 2, THEN ROUNDED UP TO THE NEXT ENTRY IN THE TARGET FAMILY. SO USUALLY YOU KIND OF END UP WITH SIMILAR POWER TO WHAT YOU'RE COMBINING, ALTHOUGH MOST FAMILIES USUALLY HAVE A BIG GAP SOMEWHERE THAT CAN ALLOW YOU TO REALLY JUMP THE CURVE.

ANYWAY HERE'S SOME NICE FUSION IDEAS NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE COMPENDIUM. IN SPEEDRUNS I LIKE TO DROP ABOUT 12 GRAND TO REALLY UPGRADE MY TEAM. YOU CAN ONLY INGEST ONE MAGATAMA AT A TIME AND KAMUDO STILL ISN'T NEEDED YET, BETTER DEMONS WILL INCREASE YOUR POWER LEVEL MORE THAN A LIL TOY FOR MC.
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, PRETTY MUCH MANDATORY IMO, IS CREATING TAKE-MINAKATA WITH LILIM + SHIKIGAMI.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE LILIM YET, SHE'S TOO HARD TO RECRUIT IN GINZA, JUST MAKE ONE BY FUSING PIXIE OR JACK FROST WITH EITHER PRETA OR SHIKIGAMI. PASS ALONG SUKUKAJA, RAKUNDA, OR ONE OF SHIKIGAMI'S SUPPORT SKILLS IF YOU CAN. ZIO AIN'T BAD EITHER TO SAVE MP, HONESTLY. MINAKATA IS LEVEL 17 AND STARTS WITH A TIER 2 MAGIC SPELL, AND THE ELEMENTS IN THIS GAME ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY AND ELEC IS ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ BROKEN. HE HAS REPEL ELEC AND IS OF THE UNUSUAL KISHIN CLAN. YOU CAN ELEMENT FUSE YOUR WAY UP THESE GUYS WITH ERTHYS, THEY MAKE DECENT PHYSICAL ATTACKERS AND KOUMOKUTEN LEARNS LIFE GAIN. MINAKATA LEARNS FOCUS IF YOU LEVEL HIM UP ENOUGH WHICH IS GREAT TO PASS UP ALONG THIS LINE AS WELL. HE'S GREAT ALMOST ALL THE TIME SO HE'S PROBABLY BEST USED AS A SACRIFICE. OR HE CAN MAKE UNICORN LATER FUSING WITH INUGAMI IF YOU LEVEL SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD. THE NICE THING ABOUT THE COMPENDIUM: YOU CAN DO BOTH! SACRIFICE HIM FIRST THEN COMP A STOCK ONE!

DON'T TRY TO FOLLOW EVERYTHING BELOW ALL AT ONCE. YOU WILL RUN OUT OF MONEY AND EVEN STOCK SPACE. WITHOUT GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH, I WOULD SAY SPLIT THE DECISION BETWEEN NOZUCHI OR ARCHANGEL. SAVE THE GAME AND WINDOW SHOP FIRST, FOR WHAT YOU WANT TO PLEASE YOUR EYEBALLS WITH FOR THE NEXT BUNCH OF BATTLES.

OTHER QUALITY DEMONS TO FUSE FOR CHEAP:
PIXIE + KODAMA -> APSARAS (DIA, ZIO)
APSARAS + WILLY -> NOZUCHI (DIA, ZIO) (THIS GUY TRANSFORMS INTO AN EPIC TURTLE AND IS WORTH INVESTING IN, I RECOMMEND INCLUDING A SACRIFICE TO LEVEL HIM UP FASTER)
APSARAS + PIXIE -> SHIISAA
ANGEL + AQUANS -> ARCHANGEL (SUKUKAJA OR DIA)
(ANOTHER WAY TO FUSE THIS GUY IS TO COMP A LEVEL 4 UNREGISTERED SHIKIGAMI, GO BACK TO UNDERPASS, AND USE HIS BESEECH SKILL TO RECRUIT ISORA WITH A 65% CHANCE FOR IT TO EITHER SUCCEED INSTANTLY, OR START A CONVERSATION WHERE YOU PAY HALF PRICE AND ISORA IS MORE LIKELY TO JOIN. YOU'LL KNOW IT WORKED IF YOU SEE THE LIL PERSONA MEME ARROW MESSAGE >THAT SEEMED TO WORK WELL.
THEN FUSE ISORA + LILIM -> ARCHANGEL WITH RAKUNDA, AND DARK MIGHT IF YOU GAVE IT TO LILIM VIA JACK FROST. ZIO WOULD BE GOOD TOO. I REALLY NEED TO MENTION SOMEWHERE THAT ZIO IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE BEST SKILLS IN THIS GAME, IT'S NOT A MEME.)
OR IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANGEL, YOU CAN USE AQUANS TO UPGRADE ISORA INTO KOPPA.

BUY LILIM FIRST, THEN IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT, KEEP GOING. OTHERWISE, THESE CAN WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE BOSS OF TOWN.
HUA PO + LILIM -> BLOB (SUKUKAJA, RAKUNDA)

YOU'RE PROBABLY BROKE BY NOW SO IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO DO, GO BACK TO SHINJUKU MEDICAL CENTRE, RECRUIT HUA PO AND KODAMA, THEN FUSE THEM TOGETHER TO MAKE ERTHYS. GO RECRUIT ANOTHER HUA PO, IF YOU WANT YOU CAN LEVEL UP ERTHYS FOR RAKUKAJA (BUT THE THING THIS NEXT DEMON TURNS INTO CAN BECOME TARAKA WHO LEARNS RAKUKAJA ANYWAY)

HUA PO + ERTHYS -> SUDAMA (THIS LIL GUY LEARNS MAKATORA, WHICH LOOKS LIKE A JOKE BUT TRUST ME YOU CAN GET A HUGE PAYOFF BY LEARNING THIS SKILL; SACRIFICING SOMETHING FOR BONUS LEVELS MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA BECAUSE HE IS REALLY SQUISHY. IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER HUA PO YET, LEVEL UP ERTHYS FOR RAKUKAJA.)

THERE'S A WHOLE EASTERN WING TO EXPLORE IN THIS PLACE TOO BUT WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE ADVANCING THE PLOT GO UP TO THE BIG DOORS OF MANTRA HQ AND GO TO COURT AT NEW OCLOCK. YOU NOW HAVE TO PLEAD YOUR CASE THAT YOU'RE NOT A WIMP TO THE THREE MEMBER JURY.

THESE DEMONS ARE EXTREMELY POWERFUL BUT IT'S A TUTORIAL FOR WHAT NOCTURNE IS REALLY ALL ABOUT: USING YOUR MAGATAMA AND VARIETY OF DEMONS TO MAKE A JOKE OUT OF BOSS FIGHTS BECAUSE YOU ARE BATMAN WITH TIME TO PLAN IN THIS MATCHUP.

FOR ORTHRUS INGEST SHIRANUI AND USE YOUR DEMONS THAT ARE IMMUNE TO FIRE LIKE INUGAMI AND CHORONZON. YOU CAN START WITH MINAKATA SUMMONED AND HIT HIM WITH DARK MIGHT ONCE BEFORE HAVING HIM DISMISS HIMSELF FOR PURE SWAG. HE IS WEAK TO ICE SO YOU CAN USE ICE BREATH TO KILL HIM FASTER IF YOU WANT, THERE IS LIKE A 1% CHANCE HE USES STUN CLAW INSTEAD OF A FIRE MOVE.
FOR YAKSINI, YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS. YOU CAN HIT HER ELEC WEAKNESS FOR A CHANCE TO SHOCK, USE RAKUNDA, AND TRY TO DO 1200 DAMAGE IN TWO TURNS BEFORE YOUR GUYS DIE TO HER REPEATED CASTS OF MAZANMA, OR JUST DISMISS EVERYONE WHO ISN'T IMMUNE TO FORCE AND DONKEY PUNCH HER WITH MC AND NOZUCHI UNTIL SHE SCREAMS.
BUT FOR THE ACTUAL BOSS, UHOH WE DON'T HAVE A MAGATAMA THAT NULLS ELEC YET FOR THE GOD OF THUNDER. USE DEMONS WITH ELEC IMMUNITY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, OPTIONS ARE LILIM SHIISAA AND MINAKATA. DON'T USE ANYONE WITH AN ELEC WEAKNESS OR YOU WILL REGRET IT, I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ IT. INUGAMI OR ISORA OR MC WITH MEDIA WILL HELP YOU A TON. USE BUFFS AND DEBUFFS TO GET SET UP DEFENSIVELY AS FAST AS YOU CAN. HE SOMETIMES USES DEKUNDA SO TRY TO FAVOUR BUFFS. THOR HAS 2000 HP AND AFTER TAKING 1000 HE WILL USE DIARAMA TO HEAL HIMSELF FOR ABOUT 250 (REDUCED IF YOU USED TARUNDA/WAR CRY ON HIM) AND START USING STRONGER MAGIC. JUST LIKE WITH MATADOR, YOU CAN BE A PRO GAMER AND HIT WINDOWS KEY+R AND TYPE "CALC" TO COUNT HP AND THEN GO FOR A DEEP PUSH INTO PHASE 2.

*FEATURING DANTE FROM THE DEVIL MAY CRY SERIES* (OR RAIDOU IF YOU HAVE THE OTHER DLC)*

MAKE SURE TO SAVE THE GAME AFTER THOR BECAUSE THAT GUY WAS ACTUALLY EASY. SEE HOW THE FLAME OF THE MENORAH OF SOVEREIGNTY FLARES UP LIKE THAT? THAT'S RIGHT IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER ASSKICKER WAKE UP CALL JUST LIKE MATADOR.
I AM SO GLAD DANTE IS A TOUGH CUSTOMER BECAUSE HE WOULD BE SO MUCH LESS COOL TO GUEST STAR IN ANOTHER GAME AND JUST BE A TOTAL JOBBER. SOME THINGS IN LIFE DON'T GO A CERTAIN WAY BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE WORSE, IN SPITE OF WHAT YOU MAY THINK AT FIRST. IN SPITE OF HOW MECHANICALLY SIMPLE THIS FIGHT IS, IT IS VERY HARD TO WIN, AND HAS PROBABLY DRIVEN MANY A GAMER TO A RIDICULOUS GRIND. I WILL SHARE MY SPEEDRUNNER TIPS AND TRICKS TO GET YOU THROUGH IT MORE EASILY, POSSIBLY EVEN BEFORE LEVEL 20. IF YOU ARE LEVEL 20, I RECOMMEND FUSING MOMUNOFU, OR RECRUITING ONE USING A FEMALE DEMON'S SEDUCE, HIGH PIXIE WORKS IF YOU STILL HAVE HER, OR APSARAS FROM YOUR COMPENDIUM, OR UZUME IF YOU FUSED HER EARLIER THAN I TOLD YOU TO.

SO DANTE (RAIDOU IS FUNCTIONALLY EXACTLY THE SAME) HAS 2400 HP. IF YOU DEBUFF HIM HE WILL ALWAYS USE HOLY STAR TO PURGE THE DEBUFFS, THEN PUNISH YOU WITH THE STRONGEST ATTACK HE HAS. YOU MIGHT THINK THIS IS STILL A GOOD IDEA BECAUSE IT SPENDS ONE OF HIS PRESS TURNS, BUT THAT STRONGEST ATTACK, REBELLION, IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DODGE EVEN WITH 4X SUKUKAJA AND HAS A CRIT CHANCE CLOSE TO 50%. SO HE'S PROBABLY GETTING IN TWO ATTACKS ANYWAY.
DANTE ONLY USES PHYSICAL ATTACKS, SO DEMONS WITH RESIST PHYSICAL LIKE CHORONZON, BLOB, AND MOMUNOFU ARE DECENT OPTIONS. BUT BRINGING KAJAS IS MORE IMPORTANT. KAMUDO MIGHT LOOK LIKE A SWEET DEAL BUT IN PHASE 2 BEING WEAK TO AILMENTS CAN BACKFIRE. IYOMANTE IS THE NEXT BEST OPTION, UNLESS YOU NEED TO KEEP MC'S AGILITY LOW TO FORCE NOZUCHI TO GO 2ND FOR A NICE TURN ORDER, IN THAT CASE MAROGAREH OR ANKH ARE YOUR OPTIONS.
SINCE YOU GET A FREE TURN WHILE YOU WATCH HIM JUMP OFF THE ROOF FOR 1 MINUTE, SPEND IT SETTING UP RAKUKAJA AND SUKUKAJA AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. YOU'LL WANT TARUKAJA TOO TO GET YOUR OFFENSIVE POWER UP. IF YOU HAVE A DARK MIGHTER FIGHTING HIM AT NEW OCLOCK HELPS TOO.

COUNT THE DAMAGE YOU'RE DEALING. AFTER YOU DEAL 900 DAMAGE DANTE WILL START A NEW ATTACK PATTERN. HE WILL ALWAYS SPEND HIS FIRST PRESS TURN USING PROVOKE, THE SAME THING AS MATADOR AND TARAKA'S TAUNT MOVE, IT WILL LOWER YOUR RAKUKAJA 2 STAGES AND GIVE YOU 2 FREE TARUKAJAS. HE WILL KEEP DOING THIS UNTIL YOU'RE AT -4 DEFENSE. DON'T ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ PANIC THAT BLUE 750 NUMBER OVER HIS HEAD IS RESTORING HIS MP, HEALING 750 WOULD RESTORE HIM NEARLY BACK TO FULL AND MAKE THIS FIGHT UNWINNABLE, IT TRULY IS MEANT TO PROVOKE COLOURBLIND PLAYERS. HOWEVER, THIS TAKES PRIORITY OVER USING HOLY STAR TO CLEAR DEBUFFS, SO YOU CAN HIT HIM WITH WAR CRY OR RAKUNDA. ONCE I DO 800 DAMAGE, I SET UP A TURN OF USING RAKUNDA AND THE STRONGEST ATTACKS I HAVE, TO PUSH DEEP INTO PHASE 2 AND LEAVE HIM VULNERABLE. OBVIOUSLY IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO STABILIZE DURING THIS PROVOKE ONSLAUGHT SO IT BECOMES A RACE TO THE FINISH, KILL HIM BEFORE HE KILLS YOU. HE MIGHT USE HIS OVERPOWERED PHYSICAL ATTACK TWOSOME TIME, THIS CAN CAUSE PANIC STATUS THAT WILL PROBABLY MAKE THAT CHARACTER LOSE THEIR TURN, SPILL OODLES OF MONEY, OR RETREAT BACK TO THE STOCK. USE A SACRED WATER TO CURE IT, UNLESS MC GOT HIT BY IT IN WHICH CASE HA HA. ALSO TWOSOME TIME IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DODGE AND IT CAN CRIT, SO THANKS FOR THAT ATLUS, IF THAT HAPPENS YOU PROBABLY JUST LOSE, THAT'S NOCTURNE BABEY.

AFTER YOU WIN SAVE THE GAME AGAIN BECAUSE THE ROOF OF MANTRA HQ IS EQUALLY LIKELY TO KILL YOU. PYRO JACK IN THE BASEMENT BE RECRUITED AS SOME NICE FUSION MATERIAL. IF YOU'RE LEVEL 25 YOU CAN USE SEDUCE TO RECRUIT ONI EASILY. NEKOMATA IS NICE FUSION MATERIAL AND STARTS WITH PARALADI, BUT REALLY FUSSY AND EXPENSIVE TO RECRUIT, DON'T EVEN TRY WITHOUT SOMETHING LIKE SHIKIGAMI'S BESEECH, OR SOME TALK PASSIVES ON YOUR OTHER DEMONS.

ON THE ROOF OF MANTRA HQ BADB CATHA IS THE ONLY THING THAT APPEARS UP HERE. IF YOU DIDN'T FIGHT THESE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ IN GINZA'S PENINSULA OF POWER BEFORE, HERE'S HOW YOU BEAT THEM. THEY HAVE RESIST PHYSICAL AND ARE WEAK TO ELEC, HOWEVER THEY ARE LEVEL 23 AND HAVE HIGH AGILITY, SO BE PREPARED FOR THE DISASTROUS OUTCOME OF DODGING. INGEST HIFUMI OR DIE TO WING BUFFET. NEVER USE MINAKATA'S MAZIO, IN FACT EVERY MA-SPELL IN THIS GAME IS A SCAM, IF YOU GET A SINGLE MISS YOU LOSE A PRESS TURN INSTEAD OF GAINING ONE. THEY COST MORE MP AND DO LESS DAMAGE THAN THE MUCH MORE EFFICIENT SINGLE-TARGET VARIANTS. THIS IS WHY SAYING YES TO SKILL CHANGES IS ALMOST ALWAYS BAD. ANYWAY THESE BIRDS GIVE A WHOPPING 92 EXP EACH AND CAN DROP CORALS.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU SAY TO GOZU-TENNOH, JUST GET THE 3K CUBE ON THE ROOF BEFORE YOU JUMP OFF. WHOEVER IS STILL SUMMONED WILL GO TO 1 HP SO RETURN YOUR DEMONS TO STOCK IF YOU WANT TO DO LESS HEALING ONCE YOU LAND. LINK BACK TO GINZA TO CONTINUE THE MAIN PLOT.

*HOW TO BUILD MC*

SO BY NOW YOU SHOULD BE AROUND LEVEL 22 AND THIS IS WHERE YOUR BUILD REALLY STARTS COMING ONLINE. YOU SHOULD HAVE 7 POINTS IN MAGIC NO MATTER WHAT YOU'RE DOING, ON ANY DIFFICULTY, LET ME EXPLAIN THE OTHER STATS TO TELL YOU WHY.

STRENGTH CAN'T DO ANYTHING COOL UNTIL MUCH LATER IN THE GAME. UNTIL LITERALLY LEVEL 42 THE MOST DAMAGE YOU CAN DO IS FOCUS INTO LUNGE, HAHAHAHA LMAO JOCKS IN ROOINS. HOWEVER OPENING THE SECRET DOOR IN MANTRA'S PRISON TO GET THE GAEA MAGATAMA RIGHT AFTER BEATING DANTE IS ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ HILARIOUS. IF YOU WANT TO BEAT THE SECRET FINAL BOSS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER STRENGTH, READ ON FOR MORE INFO.

AGILITY IS A BIT OF A MEME AND YOU DON'T NEED ANY MORE THAN ENOUGH TO HAVE MC GO 1ST OR 2ND, IF YOU EVEN WANT TO DO THAT. HE IS THE ONLY GUY WHO CAN USE ITEMS AND SUMMON ALLIES, PUTTING HIM IN A UNIQUE ROLE, SO HAVING HIM GO EARLY CAN PROVIDE A NICE TACTICAL ADVANTAGE. YOUR GOAL IN SMT GAMES WITH PRESS TURN COMBAT IS TO HAVE WHOEVER GOES 1ST HIT A WEAKNESS OR GET A CRIT OR PASS, SO YOU CAN MAKE YOUR FIRST PRESS TURN START FLASHING INSTEAD OF FULLY SPENDING IT. I DID A 40 AGILITY PLAYTHROUGH ONCE BECAUSE I'M JUST THAT GODLIKE AT THIS GAME AND IT WAS WACKY AND FUN. IT DID MORE THAN I EXPECTED BUT IT ONLY PROVIDED 1 STACK OF SUKUKAJA AT MOST IN TERMS OF EXTRA EVASION. MY MC DODGED A LOT MORE PHYSICAL SKILLS THAN USUAL, AND THE ENEMY WENT FIRST LESS OFTEN, WHICH IS CERTAINLY AN ISSUE ON HARD MODE. BUT THE THING IS, I COULD HAVE BEEN WAY MORE EFFECTIVE PUTTING THOSE POINTS INTO STRENGTH OR MAGIC FOR MORE DAMAGE OUTPUT (I'M NOT SAYING DPS IN A GAME THAT DOESN'T HAVE SECONDS AS A UNIT OF TIME).

LUCK, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ DON'T EVEN BOTHER. IT MAKES YOU SPILL LESS MACCA IF YOU GET PANICKED, AND YOU'LL BE MORE LIKELY TO RECOVER FROM STATUS AILMENTS ON YOUR OWN...IN THE PS2 VERSION. SOMEHOW IN HD EVERYONE JUST RECOVERS FROM EVERY STATUS AILMENT THE NEXT TURN. NEVER PUT POINTS INTO THIS, ANY LUCK INCENSES YOU FIND ARE JUST BEADS.

THIS LEAVES MAGIC AND VITALITY AS THE BEST STATS IN THE GAME, WHICH THEY ARE. EVERY POINT OF VITALITY GIVES YOU 6 MORE MAX HP, EVERY POINT OF MAGIC GIVES YOU 3 MORE MAX MP. MAGIC STAT ALSO INCREASES YOUR ACCURACY WITH SPELLS MORE THAN AGILITY AND LUCK DO, LOLOLOL. IT INCREASES THE POTENCY OF YOUR HEALING SPELLS, AND SO DOES MAKAKAJA. YOU CAN GET TORNADO AT LEVEL 17, FORCE BOOST AT LEVEL 22, AND MANA DRAIN AT LEVEL 28, AND THESE THREE SKILLS ALONE CAN BLAST YOU THROUGH BASICALLY THE ENTIRE GAME WITH EERIE SELF SUFFICIENCY. THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING BETTER YOU CAN BE DOING UNTIL IT'S TIME TO TRANSITION INTO PHYSICAL BUILD WITH FOCUS. THAT SAID, TORNADO FALLS OFF AFTER A WHILE, BECAUSE THE MAGIC FORMULA HAS SOME LOGARITHMIC SCALING OR SOME ♥♥♥♥, YOU WON'T FEEL ANY DIFFERENCE PUSHING YOUR MAGIC STAT FROM 34 TO 40. PLUS THERE WILL BE ENEMIES WITH RESIST MAGIC AND IMMUNITY TO FORCE, THAT'S WHERE YOUR DEMONS OR CLEVER ALTERNATIVES LIKE POISON ARROWS, VIOLET FLASH AND TENTARAFOO COME IN.

VITALITY NOT ONLY KEEPS YOU ALIVE, MC IS A GREAT CHARACTER EVEN IF ALL HE DOES IS SUMMON AND USE ITEMS, BUT THERE ARE SOME GREAT SKILLS LIKE HEAT WAVE, CHAOS BLADE, AND DEATHBOUND THAT SCALE ON YOUR MAX HP.
CHAOS BLADE IS YOUR ONLY OPTION FOR DAMAGING THIS SECRET FINAL BOSS EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT INVESTING IN STRENGTH. DEATHBOUND NEEDS 24 STRENGTH TO BE ACCESSED SO YOU'LL BE INVESTING IN STRENGTH ANYWAY, THAT IS ENOUGH FOR THE STRENGTH OPTIONS THEMSELVES TO BE GOOD VS THE SECRET FINAL BOSS. THIS IS HARD TO EXPLAIN... I AM SAYING THAT A HARDCORE WIZARD WITH ONLY MAGIC AND VIT HAS TO USE FOCUS, PIERCE, CHAOS BLADE.

I MEAN THE ONLY OTHER OPTIONS ARE TO USE WIND CUTTER INTO 75% MAGIC RESIST, LEVELING UP DANTE/RAIDOU FOR PIERCE, OR GOING WAY OUT OF YOUR WAY TO EITHER HIT LEVEL 95 AND FUSE METATRON, OR GOING OUT OF BOUNDS (I KNOW HOW TO DO THIS BUT I'LL EXPLAIN AT THE VERY BOTTOM), TO PURCHASE THE GIRIMEKHALA WITH PIERCE IN ORDER TO FUSE SOME EPIC DAMAGE DEALERS.

AS FOR SKILLS YOU REALLY SHOULD KEEP FOREVER...THE ONLY NON NEGOTIABLE ONES ARE WAR CRY AND FOCUS. MIND'S EYE IS GOOD BUT I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND IT FOR CASUAL PLAY HONESTLY, PICK STUFF THAT'S USABLE AND PROVIDES MORE FUN. KEEP TORNADO AND FORCE BOOST FOREVER IF YOU ARE DETERMINED TO USE MC LIKE A WIZARD, MEDIA OR MEDIARAMA WILL BE GOOD FOR A WHILE TOO WITH SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE MAGIC STAT. IN MY OPINION JUST USE MC FOR DEBUFFING BECAUSE HE GETS THE POWERFUL DEBUFFS WAR CRY/FOG BREATH/TAUNT SO EASILY. EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE PLENTY OF DEMON OPTIONS FOR THESE SKILLS, THE MITAMAS GIVE YOU ACCESS TO EVERY KAJA IF YOU USE LEVELED UP ERTHYS AND FLAEMIS TO FUSE THEM, SO YOU CAN RELY ON YOUR DEMONS FOR THOSE AT EVERY POINT THROUGHOUT THE GAME, WHILE MC COVERS DEBUFFS, UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE GAME WHEN YOU HAVE ACCESS TO DEBILITATE.
(IF YOU'RE PSYCHOTIC, NOZUCHI'S COUNTER CAN UPGRADE INTO RETALIATE. DEMONS WILL STOP OFFERING TO CHANGE SKILLS ONCE THEY HAVE A SUCCESSFUL SKILL UPGRADE. I'VE HEARD THIS IS TRUE EVEN AFTER THEY TRANSFORM, BUT ANYWAY...PASS RETALIATE ONTO A NEW DEMON AND THAT WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO MUTATE INTO DEBILITATE INSTEAD OF UPGRADING TO AVENGE. SOMEONE IN MY STREAM CHAT TOLD ME THIS HAPPENED TO THEM. IT STILL HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME, BUT...DAMN. DEBILITATE AVAILABLE BY LIKE LEVEL 20. CRAZY.)

*LABYRINTH OF AMALA 1ST KALPA*

SO THIS IS THE BONUS DUNGEON THAT IS USUALLY QUITE DANGEROUS AND HAS NO TERMINALS TO SAVE AT, AND THE OVERPRICED SUSSY SURGEON FORMERLY KNOWN AS DR. DANK AS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAL. YOU NEED THE MENORAHS YOU EARN FROM THE SPOOKY SCARY SKELETON FIENDS TO PROGRESS TO EACH LAYER CALLED THE KALPAS. THERE ISN'T MUCH PLUNDER IN THE 1ST KALPA SO I DON'T EVEN RECOMMEND GOING HERE JUST YET, BUT I'LL POINT YOU IN THE DIRECTION OF SOME GOOD STUFF. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT BECAUSE IT HAS THE SAME ENCOUNTERS AS IKEBUKURO.

THERE'S NOTHING FOR YOU IN THE WEST WING UNTIL LATER.
IN THE NORTH WING THERE'S A SECRET WALL THAT LEADS TO A MYSTICAL CHEST WITH TWO JADES IN IT. THE ONLY PURPOSE FOR THESE IS TRADING FOR MITAMA DEMONS AT RAG'S JEWELRY, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO SPENDING 12-18K AT THE COMPENDIUM, SO THESE ARE VERY NICE IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. YOU CAN SPEND ONE WITH THE RUBY FROM TOKYO TOWER TO GET ARA MITAMA WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, AND USE THIS TO TEACH TARUKAJA AND BRIGHT MIGHT TO ONE OF YOUR DEMONS WITH OPEN SKILL SLOTS, WHILE ALSO BOOSTING THEIR STRENGTH AND AGILITY. THERE IS A CAP ON MITAMA STAT DOPING THOUGH, YOU CAN'T RAISE IT HIGHER THAN DOUBLE THAT DEMON'S BASE STATS. THEY WORK BEST ON DEMONS WITH 15 OR MORE IN A GIVEN STAT, BECAUSE THEN EACH MITAMA RAISES IT BY 3 POINTS EACH. I DON'T RECOMMEND PUMPING A DEMON'S STATS THOUGH, BECAUSE FUSING BETTER DEMONS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, YOU'LL LOSE YOUR INVESTMENT ONCE YOU UPGRADE. ALSO IF YOU REGISTER A MITAMA-DOPED DEMON, THOSE STAT POINTS RAISE THE COMPENDIUM PRICE. I'LL TELL YOU WHICH ONES ARE WORTH KEEPING AROUND. THE BEST USE OF MITAMAS IS TO ADD USEFUL ABILITIES TO FRESHLY RECRUITED OR FUSED DEMONS. YOU CAN ALSO FUSE MITAMAS BY HAND BY COMBINING TWO ELEMENT DEMONS TOGETHER, WHICH IS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ AWESOME, THIS IS HOW YOU DO CUSTOM FUSIONS THAT MOVE ABILITIES ONTO WHATEVER YOU WANT.

IN THE EAST WING IS THE LEGENDARY PIZZA PRINCESS OF THE LABYRINTH, PISACA, SOLD BY THE SHADY BROKER FOR 15000 MACCA, IF MC IS LEVEL 28 OR HIGHER. ALTHOUGH IT/ITS PRONOUNS ARE CANON IN THE COMPENDIUM LORE DESCRIPTION, PISACA LOOKS LIKE A ZIPPER-LABIA ON LEGS SO SHE'S MY BEAUTIFUL ANIME WAIFU. WHILE THE UTILITY OF THIS THING HAVING ALL FOUR FIELD ABILITIES IS OBVIOUS, THERE'S EVEN MORE TO LOVE ON THIS SKINNY HONEY. IF YOU GET INTO TROUBLE IN A RANDOM ENCOUNTER, YOU CAN SUMMON PISACA FROM YOUR STOCK AND USE TRAFURI. AND YOU CAN HAVE HER USE LIFE DRAIN TO RESTORE HER MP, AND DO IT FOREVER UNTIL YOU REACH THE NEXT TERMINAL. SPEAKING OF LIFE DRAIN, IT IS A VERY UNDERRATED MOVE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THE "LUNCHBREAK" PLAYTHROUGH WHERE YOU GET RID OF MC, YES THAT'S A THING YOU CAN DO. DO IT CLOSE TO A SAVE POINT.

GO INTO "RETURN TO STOCK" IN THE PARTY MENU AND USE YOUR MOUSE TO HOVER OVER THE DEMON AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR STOCK, THEN PRESS DOWN AND CONFIRM TOGETHER SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN YOU BACK OUT OF THE MENU MC WILL VANISH FROM THE TOP OF YOUR ACTIVE TEAM, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ HE'S BEEN BANISHED TO THE GACHA REALM FOR AN ENDLESS LUNCH BREAK. THE ONLY WAY TO GET HIM BACK IS WITH THE BECKON CALL SPELL, LEVEL 33 BAPHOMET STARTS WITH IT. AQUANS'S ANTI-LIGHT SKILL CAN ALSO MUTATE INTO BECKON CALL BUT PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS, I ESTIMATE YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS ARE LOWER THAN 1%. YOU CAN PLAY THE WHOLE GAME WITH 3 PRESS TURNS, WHICHEVER DEMON IS AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST IS YOUR LOSS CONDITION NOW, AND YOU CAN BUY PISACA TO FILL THAT 4TH SLOT AND MAKE THINGS REALLY WEIRD. MIGHT WRITE A TOTALLY SEPARATE GUIDE ABOUT THIS UNUSUAL PLAYSTYLE, DEUS MADE A DUMB VIDEO ABOUT IT THAT NO ONE CAN IMITATE BECAUSE HE USED A MOD TO GIVE MC WATCHFUL.

OH YEAH. FUKKEN WATCHFUL. WHAT A SKILL. THIS TURNS THE GAME INTO SMT5 A LITTLE BIT AND A BENCHED DEMON WITH WATCHFUL RECEIVES 50% EXPERIENCE FROM EVERY FIGHT. THIS IS HOW YOU GET MORE VALUE THAN JUST RAISING 3 DEMONS AT A TIME. WATCHFUL DEMONS MAKE GREAT SACRIFICE MATERIAL BECAUSE THEY JUST HAVE OODLES OF EXP WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING. ON PS2 USING PISACA AS FUSION MATERIAL IS A MESS BECAUSE OF ALL THE FIELD ABILITIES YOU PROBABLY DON'T (OR DO) WANT, AND IT'S NICE TO HAVE THEM ALL CONDENSED ON ONE UTILITY DEMON, BUT LOL THIS IS HD YOU CAN'T ♥♥♥♥ IT UP.

IN THE BASEMENT THE LIGHTS ON THE CEILING TELL YOU WHICH TILES ARE SECRET PITFALLS. IF YOU USE THE CANCEL BUTTON TO ALIGN THE CAMERA BEHIND DEMIFIEND AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUMP ACROSS TILES THAT ARE TOUCHING AT A CORNER WITHOUT FALLING AND GET TO THE SWITCH ROOM REALLY EASILY, WATCH A SPEEDRUN TO SEE HOW TO DO IT.

EVEN IF YOU BEAT DAISOUJOU IN IKEBUKURO EARLY, YOU STILL CAN'T OPEN THE SECOND KALPA, I'LL BRING IT UP LATER.

*ASSEMBLY OF NIHILO*

SOUTH OF GINZA IS THAT BIG MEGACHURCH DOME THAT YOU CAN FINALLY GET INTO NOW. BEFORE YOU GO, YOU SHOULD PICK UP FLAEMIS FROM RAG'S JEWELRY. YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE CORAL, THE ISORAS AND BADB CATHAS YOU'VE BEEN FARMING FOREVER DROP THEM REALLY OFTEN, AND 1 PEARL FROM LOKI'S ROOM. FLAEMIS IS MY FAVOURITE DEMON IN THIS GAME. ALL FOUR ABILITIES HE LEARNS ARE GREAT, AND IT'S AN ELEMENT SO YOU CAN USE IT TO UPGRADE SEVERAL USEFUL DEMON FAMILIES, LIKE DIVINE, HOLY, AND SNAKE. IT HAS A NICE MAGIC STAT AND MARAGI WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL DUNGEONS. I EXPLICITLY SUGGEST YOU LEVEL FLAEMIS UP TO 24 AND THEN REGISTER IT, AND NOT AGAIN, THAT WILL JUST MAKE IT MORE EXPENSIVE WHICH WILL ONLY HELP YOU IF YOU PLAN TO USE FLAEMIS AS THE SACRIFICE IN A SACRIFICIAL FUSION.

GO STRAIGHT TO B2F, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE FOR YOU HERE. AFTER TALKING TO HIJIRI YOU HAVE TO BEAT A MINI BOSS FIGHT OF 1 KOPPA AND 1 JACKED UP INCUBUS WHO ACTUALLY HAS 50 MORE HP THAN MOST INCUBI. THEY COVER EACH OTHER'S WEAKNESSES, THE BEST YOU CAN DO IS SNIPE INCUBUS WITH ZAN. NO SHOT YOU HAVE A FULLY LEVELED UP BLOB WITH ZANMA ALREADY.

SAVE THE GAME ONCE YOU BEAT THEM. OR AT LEAST TOUCH THE TERMINAL ROOM AND LEAVE, OR ELSE YOU CAN'T LINK TO IT FROM THE S-TERMINALS ELSEHWERE IN THIS DUNGEON.

I RECOMMEND RECRUITING KOPPA AND LEVELING HIM UP ONCE FOR WATCHFUL. THIS PASSIVE SKILL GIVES ITS HOLDER 50% EXP WHEN NOT IN BATTLE. IT SOUNDS SILLY BUT IT IS VALUABLE FOR LEVELING UP LARGER SECTIONS OF YOUR TEAM.

UP AHEAD THERE'S SOME ELIGOR MINIBOSSES. HE USES GATHERING TO SUMMON ALLIES AND HAS RESIST PHYSICAL. TRY TO KILL THE ADDS SO HE WILL WASTE HIS WHOLE TURN SUMMONING A REPLACEMENT. MINAKATA CAN BLAST HIM WITH ZIONGA BUT THERE'S A BIG LEVEL DIFF AND MINAKATA HAS A ♥♥♥♥ MAGIC STAT, SO USE FOG BREATH OR SUKU SKILLS TO HELP HIM. ELIGOR AND HIS DIS ALLIES ATTACK WITH DARK-ELEMENT ATTACKS SO BE PREPARED FOR THAT. DON'T USE THE TETRAJA ROCKS YOU JUST FOUND, YOU MIGHT NEED THEM LATER.

IN B11 YOU WANT TO HIT THE SWITCH IN THE SOUTHWEST BOX FIRST. YOU CAN EITHER GO DEEPER BUT I RECOMMEND GOING NORTH INTO THE RED ZONE FIRST. GO NORTH TO THE S-TERMINAL TO SAVE BEFORE YOU EXPLORE MORE, THERE ARE MORE INVISIBLE ELIGOR ENCOUNTERS IN CERTAIN PASSAGES (THE EAST WING HAS A USELESS LUCK INCENSE IN A MYSTICAL CHEST, AND NORTHWEST AROUND THE CORNER).

*BERITH*

THIS GUY IS ACTUALLY EASY. HOPEFULLY YOU KEPT ICE BOOST THIS LONG, BUT THIS IS THE LAST PLACE IT'S USEFUL AND YOU'LL BE FINE WITHOUT IT. GO IN WITH SHIRANUI UNLESS YOU WANT TO DELAY LEARNING TAUNT FOR THE SAKE OF JUGGLING SKILLS, YOU CAN LEARN FORCE BOOST AT LEVEL 22 WHICH IS AWESOME.
BERITH ATTACKS WITH FIRE MAGIC AND HEAT WAVE. HIS SUCCUBUS ALLIES WILL SPAM SLEEP SKILLS, BERITH WILL NORMAL ATTACK WHOEVER FALLS ASLEEP AND WAKE THEM UP. IF YOU HAVE A FIRE ABSORBER LIKE CHORONZON OR FLAEMIS YOU CAN STEAL HIS WHOLE TURN AND PREVENT THE SUCCUBITCHES FROM DOING ANYTHING. THIS FIGHT IS WORTH AN ENORMOUS 2000 EXP SO IF YOU KILL BERITH EARLY I RECOMMEND SWITCHING YOUR DEMONS UP FOR WHO YOU WANT TO GET THE PRIZE.

*FANCY FUSIONS LEVELS 20-30*

REMEMBER HOW I SAID YOU SHOULD FUSE UZUME LATER? IT'S TIME BABY. CHORONZON HAS TRAFURI BUT A PATHETIC MAGIC STAT, ONLY ENOUGH MP TO USE IT TWICE. IF ONLY I COULD USE IT FOREVER AND RUN FROM EVERY FIGHT I DISLIKE ON HARD MODE. WELL NOW YOU CAN.
SHIISAA/UNICORN + ANY FAIRY, SAC CHORONZON -> AME-NO-UZUME (TRAFURI, SHOCK, SUKU/RAKUKAJA, BRAINWASH IF YOU CAN, AGI). THIS SHOULD MAKE AN UZUME THAT'S LEVEL 22 OR HIGHER, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH EXP YOU PUMPED INTO CHORONZON. THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE ONCE UZUME HITS LEVEL 23, SHE'LL LEARN ALL HER ABILITIES, THE LAST OF WHICH IS MANA REFILL. THIS PASSIVE CAUSES UZUME TO RESTORE 10% OF HER MAX MP EACH TIME THE PHASE OF KAGUTSUCHI ROLLS OVER, IF SHE'S IN THE ACTIVE PARTY. TAKE 32 STEPS AND YOU JUST REGENERATED THE MP COST OF TRAFURI. OR IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO PLAY THE GAME AND FIGHT ♥♥♥♥, JUST ENJOY AN INFINITE RESERVE OF MAZAN AND MEDIA WITH A DECENT MAGIC STAT TOO.

BRAINWASH COMES FROM A LEVELED UP SHIISAA. THIS IS A SPECIAL TALKING SKILL THAT WORKS THE OPPOSITE OF SHIKIGAMI'S BESEECH, WHICH IS LIKELY TO SUCCEED WHEN THE TARGET IS 10+ LEVELS HIGHER THAN THE USER. BRAINWASH WILL AUTOMATICALLY SNAG ANYTHING 10+ LEVELS LOWER THAN THE USER. BECAUSE YOU'LL PROBABLY KEEP UZUME AROUND FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, THIS WILL BE A CONVENIENT WAY TO SNAG FUSION MATERIAL FOR MUCH CHEAPER THAN COMPENDIUM PRICES. I SAW SOME TWEET ABOUT A SCRUB COMPLAINING ABOUT RECRUITING NEVER WORKING IN GINZA WHEN I SAW ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ UZUME IN HIS PARTY, HE COULD HAVE FUSED HER USING SHIISAA'S BRAINWASH AND GOT ALL THOSE JACK FROSTS FOR FREE!!

OH YEAH, UNICORN. UNICORN IS A STAPLE OF LITERALLY EVERY SPEEDRUN FOR HAVING THE EXTREMELY USEFUL NULL MIND AND EXPEL AFFINITIES, AND STARTING WITH THE PEAK DEFENSIVE SPELLS RAKUKAJA AND MEDIA. UNFORTUNATELY SHE DOESN'T LEARN ANY GOOD ABILITIES AND MABUFU IS PRETTY WEAK IN RANDOM ENCOUNTERS, BUT YOU CAN SACRIFICE HER IF SHE GETS A BUNCH OF EXP. THERE'S A FEW WAYS TO MAKE HER:
MINAKATA + INUGAMI
ISORA + JACK O LANTERN
SHIISAA + FLAEMIS (THIS IS A WEIRD TRIANGLE AND YOU CAN ALSO MAKE FLAEMIS WITH SHIISAA X UNICORN; I LIKE DOING THIS TO MAKE A FLAEMIS WITH ANTI-FIRE USING A FULLY LEVELED SHIISAA, YES I'M A SICKO)
YOU'LL WANT TO MAKE UNICORN AS FAST AS POSSIBLE JUST SO YOU HAVE A MEDIA BLOODBAG FOLLOWING YOU AROUND WITH 80+ MP.

TARAKA IS A GOOD INVESTMENT, YOU CAN RECRUIT ONE OR MAKE ONE EASILY WITH:
ISORA + SHIKIGAMI
BLOB + INUGAMI
BLOB + SUDAMA*
*THIS ONE IS EXTRA FUNNY IF YOU LEVEL UP THE COMPONENTS FIRST. SUDAMA LEARNS MAKATORA, WHICH LETS YOU TRANSFER MP TO OTHER PARTY MEMBERS. BLOB LEARNS MANA DRAIN. YOU COMBINE THESE TOGETHER, AND YOU NOW HAVE AN INFINITE TRICKLE OF MP WHILE YOU'RE OUT IN THE FIELD. UNFORTUNATELY TARAKA HAS A GARBAGE MAGIC STAT, BUT THIS IS STILL A GOOD INVESTMENT. TARAKA LEARNS RAKUKAJA AND THE USEFUL HEAT WAVE PHYSICAL ATTACK THAT CAN COME IN VERY HANDY IN A FEW BOSS FIGHTS MUCH LATER. SHE IS ALSO THE EARLIEST AVAILABLE SOURCE OF TAUNT IF YOU DIDN'T LEARN IT ON MC FROM SHIRANUI. REMEMBER THAT ONCE YOU LEARN ABILITIES FROM MAGATAMA YOU CAN'T PUT THEM BACK, SO IF YOU LEARN SOMETHING TOO EARLY YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO JUGGLE IT FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT TO KEEP IT. TARAKA IS KIND OF WACK AS FUSION MATERIAL BUT MAKES FOR A GREAT SACRIFICE AFTER INVESTING IN HER SO MUCH.

RAIJU IS A LOVELY LEVEL 25 DEMON YOU CAN MAKE, USING BLOB AND INUGAMI, OR NEKOMATA AND CHORONZON. IF NEKOMATA IS TOO HARD TO RECRUIT (TRY SHIKIGAMI'S BESEECH OR A MALE DEMON WITH WOOING) YOU CAN MAKE ONE USING INUGAMI AND AEROS. PASS ALONG PARALADI IF YOU'RE DOING THIS EFFICIENT AND CHEAP RECIPE SO YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STUN STATUS EVER AGAIN. RAIJU ALSO STARTS WITH ZIONGA AND ABSORBS ELEC, WHICH WILL BECOME VERY IMPORTANT SOON. HE ALSO STARTS WITH LIGHTOMA SO YOU CAN EXPLORE ROCK TUNNEL WHICH IS TOO DARK BECAUSE ATLUS SPENT ALL THE GRAPHICAL BUDGET ON CEL SHADING. LEVEL HIM UP ALL THE WAY FOR ELEC BOOST, WHICH IS FUKKEN AWESOME. ON HARD HE'S TOO SQUISHY TO BE A KEEPER BUT THERE'S A CHEAP FUSION RECIPE TO UPGRADE HIM LATER TO ONE OF MY ENDGAME MVPS IN MY HARD ANY% SPEEDRUN.

I TALKED ABOUT WATCHFUL IN THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA FIRST KALPA SECTION, AND KOPPA TENGU LEARNS IT AFTER LEVELING UP ONCE. TRY TO RECRUIT HIM, OR FUSE ONE AND GET THAT WATCHFUL SKILL AS SOON AS YOU CAN. EVEN IF YOU DON'T USE HIM ON PURPOSE, HE TURNS INTO A REALLY EPIC MAGIC USER OVER TIME. ISORA + AEROS IS THE EASIEST RECIPE I CAN THINK OF, GRAFT ON AEROS'S ANTI-MIND IF YOU HAVE IT.

IF YOU HAVE A DEATHSTONE, YOU CAN FUSE MATADOR DURING THE LOW PHASES OF KAGUTSUCHI (NEW UNTIL HALF) SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS, SOMETIMES FROM CHEAP COMPONENTS. IN ONE OF MY MERCIFUL SPEEDRUNS I BELIEVE I DO IT USING A NIGHT AND A SNAKE. HE ALSO HAS TAUNT BUT ISN'T ALL THAT REMARKABLE. RED CAPOTE ONLY AFFECTS HIMSELF, WHICH ONLY MAKES THE MOVE GOOD IF YOU'RE DOWN TO MC AND MATADOR VERSUS THE WORLD AS BROS TIL THE END. HE DOES NULL LIGHT/DARK/AILMENTS, BUT SO DO ALL THE OTHER FIENDS. JUST BE PATIENT AND MAKE A BETTER SKELLY BRO LATER.

IF YOU'VE GONE DOWN THE PATH OF AQUANS AND ANGEL TO ARCHANGEL, UPGRADING ARCHANGEL AGAIN TO PRINCIPALITY WILL PAY OFF LATER. BRING ESTOMA IF YOU STILL WANT IT. TARUKAJA, SUKUKAJA, AND DIA(RAMA) ARE THE NEXT BEST THINGS TO BRING.

AT LEVEL 30 EXACTLY YOU'LL GAIN ACCESS TO THE EPIC SUPPORT MAGE SARASVATI. YOU CAN MAKE ONE BY FUSING JACK O LANTERN WITH ARCHANGEL, PRINCIPALITY, OR UNICORN. SHE STARTS WITH MANA REFILL SO DO YOUR BEST TO GIVE HER A HEALING ABILITY. SHE TEACHES HERSELF RECARM (BUT YOU HAVE INUGAMI FOR THAT) AND MAZANMA AND FORCE BOOST WHICH WILL SWEEP ALL YOUR RANDOM ENCOUNTERS FOR YOU. I TOOK A QUICK PEEK AT POSSIBLE RECIPES AND UNICORN + JACK O LANTERN STOOD OUT, IF YOU MADE UNICORN USING PYRO JACK YOU CAN JUST BUY ANOTHER ONE FROM THE COMPENDIUM AND KEEP GOING. THAT'S A CONVENIENT SOURCE OF MEDIA AND RAKUKAJA TOO. ALL YOU WAIFU SIMPS WILL LIKE HAVING HER AROUND STRUMMING THE SITAR FOR YOU. I WOULD RECOMMEND SACRIFICING SOMETHING TO GIVE HER A LEVEL BOOST SO YOU CAN GET THAT ROOMSWEEPING MAZANMA FORCE BOOST COMBO THAT MUCH SOONER.

ONCE YOU'RE PAST LEVEL 25 YOU SHOULD LOOK AT RECRUITING MOMUNOFU OR ONI, BOTH OF THEM CAN BE SNAGGED EASILY WITH SEDUCE, BOTH OF THEM ARE SURPRISINGLY VERY GOOD IF YOU LEVEL THEM UP. HERE IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD DO:

*FANCY FUSION ALERT LEVEL 25+*

- USE SEDUCE TO RECRUIT MOMUNOFU
- EITHER BUY SHIKIGAMI FROM THE COMPENDIUM, OR IF YOU'RE SUCH A CHEAPSKATE THAT 2800 MACCA SEEMS LIKE TOO MUCH, GO BACK TO SHINJUKU MEDICAL CENTRE TO RECRUIT ONE.
- LEVEL UP SHIKIGAMI ONCE IF YOU WANT TO BRING BESEECH.
- FUSE SHIKIGAMI AND MOMUNOFU TOGETHER INTO ERTHYS WITH FOCUS (AND BESEECH).
- LEVEL UP ERTHYS ONCE TO LEARN RAKUKAJA. REGISTER HIM ONCE YOU DO THIS. NOW EVERY TIME YOU USE ERTHYS TO DO CHEAP FUSION UPGRADES INTO THE SAME FAMILY, YOU ALSO GET TO ADD FOCUS AND RAKUKAJA, HD MAKES THIS GAME WAY TOO FUKKEN EASY. AND UNLIKE SHIKIGAMI, ERTHYS WILL ALWAYS BE USEFUL AS FUSION MATERIAL. YOU CAN CARRY HIM AROUND AND USE HIS BESEECH TO RECRUIT WHATEVER YOU WANT THAT'S LEVEL 18 OR HIGHER WITH 65% INSTANT SUCCESS RATE (EVEN IF YOU NEGOTIATE THE DEMONS ARE OFFERING HALF PRICES).
- RECRUIT ANOTHER MOMUNOFU OR BUY IT BACK FROM THE COMPENDIUM, THEN FUSE IT WITH THIS ERTHYS INTO ONI, WITH FOCUS AND RAKUKAJA. SEE HOW HE LEARNS WAR CRY RIGHT AWAY? THE REST OF HIS ABILITIES ARE BANGERS TOO, EXCEPT FOR BEGGING, CAN'T HAVE EM ALL BE GOOD ABILITIES IF THE GAME DOESN'T HAVE BAD ONES TOO.
- I WOULD RECOMMEND RECRUITING OR BUYING MOMUNOFU BACK FROM YOUR COMPENDIUM ONCE AGAIN (OR MAKING ONE CHEAPER WITH SHIKIGAMI + ERTHYS, OR NOZUCHI + PRETA) AND LEVELING THAT ♥♥♥♥♥♥ UP, USING A SACRIFICE (MAKAMI WITH NULL:MIND TO COVER THAT AILMENT WEAKNESS) TO GET A HEADSTART, AND A KAJA TOO. YOU'LL THANK ME LATER.

*ASSEMBLY OF NIHILO PART 2*

WAIT, WE STILL NEED ONE MORE KILA? I HOPE YOU GRABBED THE WHITE KILA FROM ELIGOR 1'S ROOM INSTEAD OF JUST PEACING RIGHT AWAY, BY THE WAY. GO BACK TO B11 AND HIT THE SWITCH IN THE NORTHWEST CELL SO YOU CAN CLIMB DOWN THE LADDER IN THE NORTHEAST. WHETHER YOU GO UP OR DOWN OUR NEW PAL KAIWAN WILL SHOW UP AND START ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WITH YOU. THERE'S SECRETLY A FAST SOLUTION TO THIS NONSENSE SWITCH-HITTING PUZZLE; GO TO THE BOTTOM MIDDLE FIRST AND TAKE THE LADDERS TO HIT THE MIDDLE SWITCH, THEN GO TO THE TOP LEFT, THEN FINALLY TO THE TOP RIGHT.

RECRUITING DIS USING SHIKIGAMI'S BESEECH IS A GOOD IDEA, SHE STARTS WITH TETRAJA WHICH YOU'LL NEED FOR THE NEXT BOSS FIGHT, AND TIER 2 SPELL AGILAO WHICH WILL DO BIG DAMAGE WITH HER DECENT MAGIC STAT. SHE LEARNS SOME NICE ABILITIES AND ALSO CAN TRANSFORM. YOU COULD ALSO MAKE ONE BY ELEMENT FUSING WITH KOPPA, ADDING WATCHFUL WOULD BE GREAT SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY USE HER IN FIGHTS.

*KAIWAN*

THESE GUYS SPAM DARK SKILLS TO INSTANT KILL YOUR PARTY AND UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN'T MAKE MC IMMUNE TO THAT. EXCEPT WITH TETRAJA AND THE 2 ROCKS YOU PICKED UP AT THE START OF THIS AREA. THEY ALSO ARE IMMUNE TO MAGIC SO NO BLASTING THEM WITH TORNADO. IF YOU USE A TRIO OF NULL DARK DEMONS YOU CAN SAVE TETRAJA JUST TO KEEP MC PROTECTED. USING DARK/BRIGHT MIGHT AND HEAT WAVE IS PROBABLY THE FASTEST WAY TO KILL THEM, OTHER THAN GETTING LUCKY WITH HAMA HITTING THEIR INSTAKILL WEAKNESS. ONCE ONE OF THEM DIES THEY MIGHT START USING MAMUDO TO POP EVERYONE'S TETRAJA SHIELD. THEY DON'T USE THEIR NORMAL ATTACK VERY OFTEN THOUGH, YOU CAN USE TAUNT ON THEM ONCE AND THEIR ATTACK STILL WON'T ONE-SHOT ANYONE.

AFTER YOU BEAT THIS NEXT BOSS THIS AREA CLOSES DOWN AND YOU CAN NEVER RETURN TO IT. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO RECRUIT KOPPA AND DIS FOR A LONG TIME.

*OSE*

THE FINAL BOSS OF NIHILO IS CHEETAHMEN 3. THIS GUY IS THE TUTORIAL ON THE KAMUDO MAGATAMA THAT YOU'LL FINALLY BE ABLE TO AFFORD SOON, AS TO WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU TRY TO USE FOCUS WITH A PHYSICAL MOVE THAT HITS MULTIPLE TARGETS. ONLY ONE OF THE FOES "EATS THE FOCUS" AND TAKES 2.5X EXTRA DAMAGE. OSE HAS A WHOPPING 3800 HP AND CAN RARELY USE DEKUNDA OR DEKAJA, WHICH CAN PUT YOU IN SERIOUS DANGER. THIS KITTY DOES BIG DAMAGE AND CAN USE SUKUKAJA TO OFFSET YOUR AGILITY CHEESING A LITTLE BIT. USE WAR CRY AND FOG BREATH RIGHT AWAY, GET YOUR DEFENSES UP, AND DO STEADY DAMAGE WHILE YOU CAN, DON'T COMMIT TO FULLY SETTING UP OR YOU COULD LOSE IT ALL WITH HIS DEKUNDA. OR IF YOU'VE GONE FOR MAGIC BUILD, GET IN THOSE MAKAKAJAS AND WIN WITH THREE OR FOUR BIG TORNADOES.

ONCE YOU WIN YOU'LL FINALLY GET ANATHEMA, A MAGATAMA WITH NULL DEATH AND THE WONDERFUL MANA DRAIN SKILL, WHICH YOU SHOULD LEARN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AT LEVEL 28.

TO ADVANCE THE PLOT YOU HAVE TO GO INTO MANTRA HQ AGAIN. CHIAKI WILL CREATE AN IMPRESSIONISTIC CUTSCENE REALM WHERE SHE REVEALS THAT HER TINY-ASS FEET, WITH SHOES ON, COULD FIT INSIDE YOUR SHOES, WHILE SHE'S HOVERING A CENTIMETRE OFF THE GROUND. SHE'LL BE THE FIRST TO EXPLAIN ONE OF THE CAPITAL R REASONS WHICH ARE THE MAIN NARRATIVE THEME OF THIS GAME. I WOULD ACTUALLY RECOMMEND SAYING YES YOU AGREE WITH HER, REGARDLESS OF WHAT ENDING YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE. OTHER THINGS ARE MORE SERIOUS TIEBREAKERS FOR DECIDING YOUR ENDING. PRETENDING TO BE ON CHIAKI'S TEAM TO SOME DEGREE WILL KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN FOR LONGER.

AFTER THAT, CHECK UP ON GOZU-TENNOH ON THE ROOF AGAIN, AND TALK TO YOUR NERD FRIEND ISAMU IN THE BASEMENT JAIL, IN EITHER ORDER. ONCE YOU'VE DONE BOTH OF THOSE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LEAVE THROUGH THE EAST EXIT AT LAST. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE BEAD OF LIFE IN THE BASEMENT THOUGH, YOU CAN SELL THAT FOR 10K. OR IF YOU'RE DESPERATE TO WIN THE NEXT BOSS FIGHT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT, YOU CAN USE IT THERE...

*HELL BIKER*

♥♥♥♥ THIS GUY, ♥♥♥♥ THIS GUY, ♥♥♥♥ THIS GUY. HARDEST BOSS FIGHT IN THE GAME. HE'S ACTUALLY TOO POWERFUL FOR YOU AT THE MOMENT YOU MEET HIM. BUT IF YOU JUST SAY "NO" WHEN THE GAME ASKS YOU TO STAY, UNLESS IT'S FULL OCLOCK IN WHICH CASE YOU'RE STILL ♥♥♥♥♥♥, YOU CAN JUST GET AWAY AND MOVE ON. THE TRIP WIRE ON THE HIGHWAY IS IN BETWEEN THE TWO LAMPPOSTS. IF YOU WANT TO EXPLORE THE 2ND KALPA RIGHT AWAY THOUGH, THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO BEAT THIS GUY. AS A SPEEDRUNNER WHO HATES THIS GUY WITH ALL MY GUTS, LET ME GO INTO WAY TOO MUCH DEPTH TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE.

HELL BIKER GOES FIRST AFTER GOING WAY OVER THE SPEED LIMIT TO CHASE YOU AND LAUGH LIKE SKELETOR-- SORRY THAT'S THE PS2 VERSION, IN HD HE SOUNDS MORE LIKE A CERTAIN PATIENT ZERO OF MACHO MADNESS. HE WILL OPEN WITH EITHER AN ATTACK INTO HELL SPIN, WHICH IS AN ALL-HITTING PHYSICAL MOVE, WHOEVER GOT HIT BY THE ATTACK IS ALMOST CERTAINLY GONNA DIE. HIS OTHER POSSIBLE OPENER IS HELL EXHAUST, A FORCE SPELL THAT WILL ALSO REMOVE ALL YOUR KAJAS, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. AND IF YOU THINK "I'LL JUST DEBUFF HIM THEN" GUESS WHAT, HE KNOWS DEKUNDA TOO. SO LITERALLY NOTHING WORKS RELIABLY EXCEPT THINGS THAT AREN'T BUFFS AND DEBUFFS, WHICH RULES OUT EVERYTHING EXCEPT DARK/BRIGHT MIGHT, AND FOCUS. BUT ACTUALLY I LIED, THERE IS ONE EDGE CASE THAT BEATS HIS ATTACK PATTERN. IF HELL EXHAUST IS REPELLED, THIS MAKES IT SO IT DOESN'T TOUCH THAT CHARACTER AND THEY ACTUALLY KEEP THEIR KAJAS. UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S NO RELIABLE SOURCE OF OPALS THIS EARLY IN THE GAME, AND THE LILIMS IN GINZA HAVE FLED AFTER MANTRA INVADED, SO THAT MEANS THERE IS NO RELIABLE SOURCE OF MAGIC MIRRORS TO MAINTAIN MAGIC SHIELDS THROUGH MC. SO THIS MEANS THERE ARE ONLY TWO REALISTIC OPTIONS FOR REPEL FORCE: LEVEL UP KOPPA ENOUGH TO TRANSFORM HIM INTO KARASU, OR FIND A WAY TO FUSE MIZUCHI AND LEVEL IT UP ONCE TO LEARN MAKARAKARN, THAT'LL BUY YOU 3 TURNS OF SHIELDS UP. BUT ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ YOU HAVE TO HIT LEVEL 34 AND THEN FIGHT SO MUCH TO LEVEL UP MIZUCHI THAT YOU'LL END UP AT LEVEL 35 OR 36. I DID IT ONCE IN A CASUAL PLAYTHROUGH BECAUSE I ♥♥♥♥♥♥ AROUND AND DID EVERYTHING ELSE I COULD FIRST, AND I ALSO IMPOSED A RESTRICTION OF NO TRAFURI OR SMOKE BALLS TO GET ALL THE EXP I COULD. I ALSO BEAT HELL BIKER FIRST TRY BECAUSE I WAS SO OVER LEVELED. BUT YEAH THERE YOU GO.

IF YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING FANCY YOU BASICALLY NEED AT LEAST ONE DARK/BRIGHT MIGHTER LIKE FLAEMIS OR ARA MITAMA, A MEDIA USER LIKE UNICORN OR MAKAMI, AND A DEDICATED DEBUFFER LIKE MAKAMI OR NAGA WITH FOG BREATH (DEBUFFS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STICK AROUND AND ALSO MORE IMPACTFUL). USE SHIRANUI OR HIFUMI TO FILL IN WHATEVER YOU LACK IN TERMS OF FIRE/FORCE DEFENSE, OR KAMUDO IF YOUR DEMONS HAVE THAT COVERED. BY THE WAY I SHOULD HAVE SAID EARLIER, HELL BIKER IS IMMUNE TO FIRE AND FORCE MAGIC HIMSELF SO NO TORNADO CHEESE HERE EITHER. HELL SPIN IS WAY TOO STRONG AND YOU WON'T STAND A CHANCE WITHOUT MAINTAINING ONE STACK OF WAR CRY AND/OR FOG BREATH ON HIM. THE MP COST SUCKS, THIS IS WHERE THAT BEAD OF LIFE COMES IN. IF YOU MADE THAT FANCY ONI AND LEVELED HIM UP ONCE, THAT WOULD BE A HUGE HELP.

HELL BIKER HAS 2500 HP AND AFTER BECOMING HALF DEAD HE GAINS A NEW MOVE CALLED HELL THROTTLE THAT CONVERTS ONE PRESS TURN INTO 3 FLASHING PRESS TURNS. UHOH. FROM THERE HE WILL DO ONE OF TWO ATTACK PATTERNS: ALTERNATING HELL EXHAUST AND HELL BURNER, WHICH WON'T HURT MUCH AT ALL IF YOU COVERED YOUR ELEMENTS LIKE I TOLD YOU...OR ATTACK AND HELL SPIN BACK AND FORTH, WHICH WILL REALLY ♥♥♥♥ YOU UP. FOR THAT YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN FOG BREATH SO SOMEONE DODGES AND REMOVES SOME OF THOSE EXTRA TURNS. IF YOU SET UP MOMUNOFU EARLY ENOUGH AND TRANSFORMED HIM INTO ARAHABAKI ALREADY, THAT NULL PHYSICAL CAN REALLY SAVE YOUR ASS HERE.

DON'T EXPECT TO BEAT THIS GUY FIRST TRY. IF YOU CAN BEAT HIM THEN ROAR YOUR OWN IRL WAR CRY OF TRIUMPH, IF YOU CAN DO THIS THEN NOCTURNE IS YOUR ♥♥♥♥♥. BUT HONESTLY YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF TO SCURRY AWAY AND COME BACK LATER WHEN YOU'RE GOOD AND READY.

*DAISOUJOU*

BEFORE I TALK ABOUT THE NEXT DUNGEON, IF YOU'RE READING ABOUT HELL BIKER YOU'RE PROBABLY ITCHING TO ENTER THE 2ND KALPA OF THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. YOU'LL HAVE TO BEAT DAISOUJOU AS WELL, THEN. AFTER YOU BEAT DANTE/RAIDOU HE'LL APPEAR IN THE EAST WING, BLOCKING THE PATH TO THE CHAKRA POT IN THE MYSTICAL CHEST UPSTAIRS. SAVE BEFORE FIGHTING HIM BECAUSE HE GOES FIRST AND HIS MEDITATION IS A VERY HEAVY MP DRAIN THAT WILL TAKE 85 MP FROM SOMEONE, LOOOOL. YOU CAN GET OFF TO A REAL BAD START SOMETIMES.

DAISOUJOU HAS 2500 HP AND THREE PHASES. ONCE YOU DEAL 500 DAMAGE HE'LL START USING MAHAMAON AND MAMUDOON, BOTH FLAVOURS OF INSTANT KILL. DIS'S TETRAJA WILL SAVE YOUR ASS HERE. WHEN HE'S ABOUT HALF DEAD HE'LL USE STARTLE TO GAIN 3 BONUS TURNS, AND CAN START USING PREACH, A DAMAGING SPELL THAT WILL HIT YOUR WHOLE PARTY AND CAN INFLICT MIND-TYPE STATUS AILMENTS (SLEEP, CHARM, OR PANIC). SO RESISTING OR NULLING MIND WILL DEFINITELY HELP YOU.

NOTE THAT UNLIKE THE OTHER TWO FIENDS I WROTE ABOUT, DAISOUJOU UTTERLY LACKS DEKUNDA AND DEKAJA. HE WILL WATCH YOU SET UP COMPLETELY AND NOT DO ♥♥♥♥ ABOUT IT. TRY TO DO TWO FOG BREATHS AND 1 SUKUKAJA ON YOUR FIRST TURN SO YOU STOP GETTING HIT BY MEDITATION. IF MC HAS MANA DRAIN YOU CAN STEAL HIS MANA BACK AND MAX OUT ON WAR CRY, FOG BREATH, AND TAUNT THROUGH HIM.

THE EASY WAY TO BEAT DAISOUJOU IS TO LAY UP JUST UNDER 500 DAMAGE, THEN USE FOCUS AND KAMIKAZE TO DO ONE EXPLOSIVE NUKE AND COMPLETELY SKIP ALL THOSE SCARY PHASE CHANGES. OTHERWISE, YOU CAN GRIND HIM DOWN SLOWLY AND SAFELY WITH TETRAJA AND ME PATRA AFTER SETTING UP AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. MUCH EASIER THAN HELL BIKER. ONLY WORTH 2000 EXP TO SHOW FOR IT.

*LABYRINTH OF AMALA SECOND 2ND KALPA*

THIS IS THE SOONEST YOU COULD POSSIBLY GO INTO HERE, AND YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T, BUT I GOTTA WRITE ABOUT IT SO IT MIGHT AS WELL BE HERE.
THE TOP FLOOR HAS MEMBERS OF THE FOUL CLAN, MOST OF THESE WILL BE EASY TO DISPATCH, EXCEPT FOR THE GREEN WEEDCLOUD NAMED PHANTOM. WALK AROUND WITH NARUKAMI INGESTED SO YOU DON'T GET BLASTED BY MAZIONGA. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE WEAK TO FORCE, YOU MIGHT NOT ONE-SHOT THEM WITH TORNADO, IN FACT IF YOUR MAGIC STAT IS LACKING THEY MIGHT EVEN DODGE IT.
THE FLOOR BELOW HAS MEMBERS OF THE BRUTE CLAN, ONE OF THEM IKUSA HAS MUDOON WHICH HAS A HIGHER CHANCE TO INSTANT KILL WITH DARK. INGEST ANATHEMA AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. SHIKI-OUJI CAN APPEAR SOMETIMES AND HE HAS BOTH FLAVOURS OF INSTANT KILL, HE ALSO HAS NULL PHYSICAL AND TONS OF HP, TRY NOT TO GET PWNT AND USE FIRE ON HIM.

IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE MAP IS THE INFAMOUS CURSED HALLWAY. EVERY STEP YOU TAKE IN HERE RIPS EVERY ACTIVE MEMBER'S HP IN HALF. THE ENCOUNTER ZONE IS IDENTICAL TO PART OF THE FINAL DUNGEON. IF YOU CAN REACH THE END OF THIS NAUTILUS SPIRAL YOU'LL GET AWARDED 250,000 MACCA, WHICH IS AN INCREDIBLY POTENT NEST EGG WITH HOW HARD IT IS TO GET MONEY. AND LUCKILY THERE ARE ONE-WAY DOORS TO GET YOU BACK TO THE ENTRANCE EASILY. THE TRICK TO GETTING THROUGH HERE IS TO UNSUMMON YOUR DEMONS AND WATCH THE RADAR IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. IT TAKES THE SAME NUMBER OF STEPS (FLINCHES FROM THE DAMAGE ZONE) FOR IT TO CHANGE COLOUR EACH TIME. FROM YELLOW TO ORANGE, ORANGE TO RED, RED TO ENCOUNTER POPPING. THIS WAY, YOU CAN SUMMON YOUR GUYS RIGHT BEFORE IT'S TIME TO FIGHT. AND BY FIGHT, I MEAN YOU SUMMON PISACA AND USE TRAFURI TO GET THE ♥♥♥♥ OUTTA THERE. THERE'S SO MANY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WAYS TO DIE. ABADDON CAN HIT YOU WITH HADES BLAST AND DO A CRITICAL HIT FOR OVER 400 DAMAGE, FLAUROS CAN USE DEATHBOUND AND HIT RANDOM TARGETS FOR OVER 300 PER TICK. TAO TIE CAN USE HELL GAZE FOR A VERY LIKELY INSTANT KILL. NYX AND ABADDON CAN ALSO USE POWERFUL ICE MAGIC. SO DON'T BOTHER WITH RESIST PHYSICAL UNLESS TAKING HALF DAMAGE ACTUALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. MAKE SURE TO COVER MIND, LUCKILY PISACA ALREADY DOES THAT FOR YOU IF YOU DIDN'T BRING DAISOUJOU. SO THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF IS TO ADD MORE ICE PROTECTION. ARAHABAKI IS LITERALLY THE PERFECT CANDIDATE. ANATHEMA TO BLOCK HELL GAZE ISN'T WORTH IT COMPARED TO HOW LIKELY EVERYTHING ELSE IS, IF THEY HAVE IT THEY HAVE IT.

TO FINISH AND COMPLETELY OPEN THIS KALPA, YOU'LL HAVE TO JUMP INTO THE WEST PIT IN B2'S MAIN HALLWAY, AND PATH YOUR WAY TO THE WEST DOOR TO GET THE MOON KEY. THEN WHEN YOU JUMP INTO A PIT IN THE SOUTHEASTERN AREA OF B1, TURN AROUND AND YOU CAN OPEN A SILVER DOOR AND REACH THE NEXT PEEPHOLE CUTSCENE. BE CAREFUL IF YOU PROCEED THROUGH THE NEXT TUNNEL. ALTHOUGH YOU CAN'T OPEN THE 3RD KALPA, A CUTSCENE WILL PLAY DOWN THERE THAT WILL MAKE THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE APPEAR. WHITE RIDER WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN EVERY TOWN, BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY REACHED THE CITY OF ASAKUSA. OTHERWISE, HE'LL BE BLOCKING THE SAVE TERMINAL WHEN YOU ARRIVE THERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. FIGHTING HIM AT LEVEL 35 ISH IS REALLY FUNNY. SO SAVE THE GAME BEFORE YOU RETURN TO THE VORTEX WORLD.

*KABUKICHO PRISON*

THIS IS ONE OF THE COOLEST CONCEPTS FOR A DUNGEON IN AN RPG I'VE EVER SEEN, YET IN PRACTICE THIS PLACE ENDS UP BEING VERY CONFUSING TO EXPLORE. I'M GONNA ACTUALLY PROVIDE DIRECTIONS THROUGH HERE TO SAVE YOU A METRIC ASSTON OF TIME. AS FOR THE ENCOUNTERS, MOST THINGS IN HERE ARE WEAK TO FIRE AND WILL BE ATTACKING YOU WITH ELEC A LOT, SO FIELD AS MUCH ELEC PROTECTION AS YOU CAN GET. NARUKAMI ON MC, AND MINAKATA/RAIJU/SHIISAA TO HELP PROTECT UZUME FROM HER WEAKNESS. IF YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO RUN AWAY FROM ENCOUNTERS HERE, I'D RECOMMEND IT EVEN THOUGH THE EXP HERE IS REALLY GOOD, AND NAGA AND MIZUCHI MAKE FOR SOME VERY GOOD RECRUITS FOR FUSION MATERIAL, WHETHER YOU LEVEL THEM UP OR NOT. WELL I GUESS THAT ONLY MATTERS IF YOU'RE GOING TO ONE-TIME THIS WHOLE DUNGEON IN ONE TRIP. THERE'S SOME S-TERMINALS TO GET YOU OUT OF HERE IF YOU HAVE TO RETREAT AND HEAL. ANYWAY, ON WITH THE DIRECTIONS.

AFTER BEATING THE MANDATORY NAGA GUARD, GO ACROSS THE MAIN LOBBY TO THE RIGHT AND UP...DOWN? THE LADDER. GO STRAIGHT TO THE T AT THE END OF THE HALL, THEN RIGHT 180 DEGREES AND JUMP IN THE HOLE. GO LEFT TWICE PAST HEEHO-KUN ON THE ROOF AND TAKE THE NEXT LADDER. GO STRAIGHT AND TALK TO THE MANIKINS IN THEIR CELL AND BECOME A SPOONY BARD. HANG A LEFT AND EXIT THE MIRAGE. WIGGLE STRAIGHT-LEFT AND JUMP INTO THE PIT. OPEN THE GATE AND OPEN THE OTHER GATE, THEN TAKE THE LADDER, OPEN THE THIRD GATE. THIS AFFECTS THE SHUTTERS IN THE MIRAGE WORLD TOO. GO RIGHT AND LEFT AND BACK INTO THE MIRAGE. GO STRAIGHT AND JUMP INTO THE PIT ON YOUR RIGHT, AND THEN INTO THE NEXT PIT. THERE'S THE MANIKIN YOU GRIEFED AROUND THE CORNER. GO STRAIGHT DOWN THE HALL HIS CELL IS FACING AND GO UP THE LADDER, THEN RIGHT TWICE AND UP ANOTHER LADDER, THEN THE COLLECTOR MANIKIN IS ON YOUR LEFT, HE'LL GIVE YOU THE SPOON YOU NEED. JUMP INTO THE PIT, THEN TURN AROUND AND JUMP INTO THE PIT AGAIN. NOW YOU'RE BACK AT THE MANIKIN AGAIN, GIVE HIM THE SPOON AND HE'LL POWERDIG A NEW TUNNEL FOR YOU. ENTER THE MIRAGE PORTAL NEXT TO HIS CELL AGAIN, THIS TIME OPEN THE DOOR 180 DEGREES TO YOUR LEFT. JUMP IN AND GO LEFT AFTER THE TEXT BOX. GO UPSTAIRS AND OPEN THE GATE ON YOUR RIGHT. FROM HERE, IF IT'S RISING 2/8, YOU SHOULD GO DOWN THE HALL YOU JUST OPENED AND ENTER THE MIRAGE AND HURRY TO THE BOSS TO FIGHT HIM IN TIME AT FULL OCLOCK. OTHERWISE, KEEP GOING DOWN THIS PASSAGE AND UP THE LADDER, THERE'S AN S-TERMINAL YOU CAN SAVE AT. YOU CAN USE THE MUSCLE DRINK ITEM TO FORCE POISON OR STUN STATUS ONTO A DEMON THAT YOU WANT TO FIGHT THE BOSS WITH, THESE PERMANENT STATUS AILMENTS CANNOT BE OVERWRITTEN BY TEMPORARY MIND STATUS AILMENTS LIKE PANIC.

*BIG MIZUCHI BOSS*

I SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED THAT LAST SENTENCE IN THIS SECTION BUT YEAH. THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING BOSS THAT EXEMPLIFIES THE PUZZLE-LIKE BOSS DESIGN SMT GAMES DO AND SHOULD HAVE. THE DIALOGUE HE SHOUTS ON TURN 0 IS PERFECTLY FITTING. "YOU THINK I'M AN ORDINARY MIZUCHI? I'M GONNA TORTURE YOU!!!" AND THEN HITS YOU WITH MIRAGE, A MIND ATTACK THAT DEALS DAMAGE AND HAS A HIGH CHANCE TO INFLICT PANIC STATUS. HAHA, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE CLEVER COMING IN WITH FULL ICE IMMUNITY?! THAT COMES AFTER YOUR ATTEMPT TO CLUMSILY RECOVER ON TURN 1!

THERE'S FOUR MYSTICAL CHESTS IN THIS ROOM IF YOU CAN WIN SO YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS FIGHT AT FULL OCLOCK REGARDLESS. THAT ARA MITAMA YOU MIGHT HAVE USED TO BEAT HELL BIKER WILL BE USEFUL HERE TOO BECAUSE IT STARTS WITH BRIGHT MIGHT, AND ALL MITAMAS NULL LIGHT/DARK/AILMENTS, AND THEY ALL ALSO SECRETLY HAVE RESIST MAGIC AND THE GAME DOESN'T TELL YOU THAT. GREAT PARTY MEMBER FOR THIS FIGHT HONESTLY. OTHER CANDIDATES I RECOMMEND:
MAKAMI: HAS NULL MIND AFTER LEVELING UP
UNICORN: NULLS MIND
DIS: HAS AGILAO, BUT YOU'RE BETTER OFF STARTING THE FIGHT WITH NOBODY VULNERABLE TO MIRAGE ON THE FRONT LINE, SUMMON HER AFTER TURN 0.
AEROS: MIGHT BE TOO SQUISHY FOR HARD MODE, BUT HE LEARNS ANTI-MIND AND ALSO NATURALLY HAS RESIST MAGIC.
XUANWU: ABSORBS ICE, IF YOU FOLLOWED MY FANCY FUSION BEFORE MATADOR AND USED A LEVELED UP APSARAS AS MATERIAL, HE SHOULD HAVE ANTI-MIND.
SARASVATI: HAS NULL AILMENTS
PISACA ALSO HAS NULL MIND

BIG MIZUCHI IS AN AMUSING INVERSION OF MOST RPG BOSSES THAT REVEAL THEIR "TRUE FORM" AND GET STRONGER AS THE FIGHT GOES ON. INSTEAD HE MELTS AND GETS SMALLER LIKE GOD'S BITTER RIVAL FROM A CERTAIN DRAGON QUEST GAME. CRANK YOUR DEFENSES WITH TWO WAR CRIES AND RAKUKAJA IF POSSIBLE THEN PRAY SOMEONE DOESN'T GET HIT TWO OR THREE TIMES BY GLACIAL BLAST, THE RANDOM-HITTING ICE EQUIVALENT OF TORNADO. HIT MIZUCHI HARD WITH ALL THE FIRE MAGIC YOU CAN BRING AND KEEP THE PRESSURE ON. IF YOU STAY IN ONE "PHASE" TOO LONG HE'LL USE DEKUNDA. HE'LL USE MIRAGE TWO MORE TIMES AS HE SHRINKS AND STARTS USING WEAKER MAGIC. FUN FACT, YOU CAN USE MAKARAKARN OR A MAGIC MIRROR TO REFLECT ALL THE DAMAGE OF MIRAGE BACK AT HIM AND DODGE PANIC STATUS TOO. HE IS NOT IMMUNE TO MUTE EITHER. ONE LAST TIP, JUST LIKE RANDOM ENCOUNTER MIZUCHI, HE HAS ABSORB ELEC, THAT WON'T BE AN OPTION FOR DOING DAMAGE.

THE FOUR MYSTICAL CHESTS IN HERE CONTAIN SOME VERY HELPFUL ITEMS. A JADE TO TRADE FOR MITAMAS, A PEARL FOR AN EXTRA FLAEMIS OR A BONG OF RISING (THIS ITEM WILL GET YOU VERY HIGH), A VITALITY INCENSE THAT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY USE ON MC UNLESS YOU ARE A SPEEDRUNNER WITH A VERY SPECIFIC AGENDA IN MIND, AND A SAPPHIRE TO GET YOU HALF A CHAKRA POT (DON'T BUY SAKI MITAMA FROM RAG'S, YOU'RE BETTER OFF SAC FUSING ONE WITH A FAT TRIBUTE BY FUSING FLAEMIS AND AQUANS INSTEAD).

NOW THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN THROUGH KABUKICHO PRISON, IF YOU STILL HAVE MINAKATA YOU CAN CONSIDER SACRIFICING HIM. HE PROBABLY SOAKED UP A LOT OF EXP BY NOW AND WOULD MAKE A GREAT CANDIDATE FOR GIVING A HUGE HEADSTART TO A BRAND NEW MOMUNOFU OR KOPPA, FOR A QUICK TRANSFORMATION. OR EVEN SOMETHING LIKE ONI OR RAIJU SO THEY CAN HIT THEIR FINAL ABILITIES SOONER. I'M GONNA SHUT UP ABOUT FUSION FOR A WHILE UNTIL AFTER THE NEXT NEXT DUNGEON WHICH IS A HUGE GRIND BECAUSE WE'LL BE HITTING A MORE SIGNIFICANT LEVEL BREAKPOINT BY THEN TO UNLOCK MUCH GREATER POTENTIAL DEMON ALLIES.

REMEMBER TO TALK TO THE MAN AT GINZA BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE NEXT AREA EAST OF IKEBUKURO!! IF YOU FORGET THE FRONT DOOR OF THE NEXT TOWN WILL BE LOCKED!

*IKEBUKURO TUNNEL*

WELCOME TO ROCK TUNNEL. LOOK UP SPEEDRUN NOTES IF YOU WANT TO FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH HERE IN THE DARK WITHOUT FIGHTING THE FOUR OPTIONAL ONI MINI BOSSES. I USUALLY DON'T FIGHT THEM IN MY CASUAL PLAYTHROUGHS SO I CAN'T EVEN WRITE DIRECTIONS TO THEM FROM MEMORY. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT THE FIRST THREE MOOKS HAVE 75% PHYSICAL RESIST AND SOME SERIOUS ATTACK POWER. KIN-KI JUST BEATS YOU UP WITH PHYSICAL, SUI-KI THE PINK ONE USES ICE, AND FUU-KI BE LIKE "IN SOVIET RUSSIA, NOCTURNE USES TORNADO ON YOU".

THE DEMONS IN THIS PLACE ARE VERY HIGH LEVEL AND YOU CAN GET TONS OF EXP HERE, SAME GOES FOR THE OTHER TWO TUNNELS HONESTLY. IF YOU HAVE UZUME, USE HER TALK SKILL SEDUCE ON SARUTAHIKO. ONCE PER GAME, YOU'LL HAVE A SPECIAL CONVERSATION THAT CAN'T BE INTERRUPTED BY OTHER ENEMIES, AND YOU'LL GET A FREE EMERALD. EVEN THOUGH THAT LITTLE RASCAL MOTHMAN IS ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ COOL, YOU WANT TO KILL HIM, NOT JUST BECAUSE HE'S AN ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, BUT BECAUSE HE CAN DROP OPALS THAT YOU CAN FARM TO GET MORE MIRRORS FROM RAG'S JEWELRY. GETTING AT LEAST 3 ATTACK MIRRORS WILL HELP A TON FOR A FUTURE BOSS, AND THERE'S ONE TO PICK UP IN THIS TUNNEL TOO.

ANYWAY AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL THERE'S A MUSCLE DRINK DOWN THE TRACKS IN THE OTHER STATION, YOU MIGHT WANT IT. OR NOT, YOU CAN BUY THEM AT A LATER SHOP.

IF YOU BEAT THE THREE OTHER ONI BOSSES, YOU CAN CHALLENGE ONGYO-KI BY THE B TERMINAL. BUT MAKE SURE YOU DO AT FULL OCLOCK, SO YOU CAN SEE THE SHADOW CAST BY HIS TRUE FORM, TO BEAT HIS KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU. HIS GOONS ONLY GIVE 1000 EXP EACH AND THE BIG BLACK BOSS GIVES 5000, BUT THE REAL PRIZE IS THE MAGATAMA MURAKUMO. IT GIVES REALLY AWESOME OFFENSIVE STATS, RESIST PHYSICAL AT THE COST OF WEAKNESS TO FIRE AND ICE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU CAN PICK UP NULL MIND AS A PASSIVE SKILL AND STOP WALKING AROUND EVERYWHERE WITH IYOMANTE!!!!!! AND IF YOU'RE COMMITTED TO BEING A MUSCLE WIZARD FOR THE WHOLE GAME THAT ONLY LEVELS MAGIC AND VITALITY, CHAOS BLADE IS THE BEST PHYSICAL SKILL YOU CAN USE.

*ASAKUSA*

SAVE THE GAME WHEN YOU GET HERE. IF YOU CAN. WHITE RIDER MIGHT AMBUSH YOU IF YOU ALREADY UNLEASHED THE RIDERS.

THERE'S SOME NEW MAGATAMA AVAILABLE IN THE SHOP THAT I USUALLY SKIP. NIRVANA HAS THE INTERESTING LIGHT-ELEMENT VIOLET FLASH SPELL FOR WIZARD BUILDS, AND DIVINE SHOT FOR A REAL PAYOFF AT LAST FOR STRENGTH BUILDS, BUT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT THESE AND SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR BETTER THINGS ON HARD. GEHENNA IS UNQUESTIONABLY A WASTE OF MONEY THOUGH.

THE RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN THE OUTDOOR SECTIONS INCLUDE PRINCIPALITY, WHO MIGHT SNIPE YOU WITH HAMAON FOR AN INSTANT KILL. BUT THE INDOOR AREAS HAVE SHIKOME WHO HAS STONE GAZE, AND NUE CAN USE MUDO IF THE FIGHT DRAGS ON. SO SWITCH YOUR MAGATAMA ACCORDINGLY TO TRY NOT TO DIE.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO BEAT THE PUZZLE BOY MINIGAME QUICKLY AND EASILY, WATCH MY RPG LIMIT BREAK 2022 MARATHON SPEEDRUN WITH FREEDOM_PULSE97 WHERE I FINISH IT IN UNDER 9 MINUTES. IF YOU DIDN'T BUY ANKH, CONGRATS YOU JUST SAVED 6K AND DON'T NEED IT ANY MORE, GEIS IS STRICTLY BETTER.

BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE REACHED LEVEL 28 AND LEARNED MANA DRAIN. GO BACK TO KABUKICHO PRISON AND RECRUIT NAGA. SHIKIGAMI'S BESEECH IS THE BEST METHOD I'VE FOUND SO FAR, SADLY. LEVEL HIM UP ONCE OR TWICE FOR LIFE GAIN AND FOG BREATH, REGISTER HIM, KEEP GOING IF YOU LIKE. THIS THING IS THE BEST PIECE OF FUSION MATERIAL IN THE GAME. MIGHT AS WELL RECRUIT MIZUCHI WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, OR JUST FUSE NAGA WITH AQUANS AND PASS ALONG LIFE GAIN, ONCE YOU'RE LEVEL 34.

IF YOU HAVE A JADE AND AN AMETHYST, OR ENOUGH GEMS/MONEY TO GET ERTHYS AND AEROS TO FUSE THEM TOGETHER, I WOULD RECOMMEND GETTING YOURSELF A NIGI MITAMA AND CRAMMING EXPERIENCE ONTO IT HOWEVER YOU CAN. USUALLY FROM BOSS FIGHTS THAT CALM DOWN AT THE END WHERE IT WILL BE SAFE TO SUMMON BEFORE YOU WIN. IT'LL PAY OFF TRUST ME. IT LEARNS ALL FOUR KINDS OF MAGIC BOOSTS, AND WILL BOOST THE MAGIC STAT OF WHATEVER YOU FUSE IT TO. THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE SOME REAL AWESOME MAGIC ATTACKERS. ACTUALLY ♥♥♥♥ USING THE JADE AND AMETHYST, IT'S BETTER TO FUSE ERTHYS AND AEROS BECAUSE YOU CAN PASS DIA FROM AEROS, SO YOU HAVE A ROAD HEALER. YOU CAN EVEN USE THE REGISTERED ERTHYS FOR NIGI'S EVENTUAL RECIPIENT TO HAVE RAKUKAJA, WITH FOCUS OR PATRA.

*OBELISK*

TO GET HERE YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THE MURDER MANIKIN WHO TURNS INVISIBLE AND WAITS IN THE ROOM INSTEAD OF GETTING THE PERSONA MEME ARROW SAYING ">SAKAHAGI LEFT." LIKE IT DID FOR CHIUNKI KONG BOTH TIMES YOU TALKED TO HER. AND JESUS AT THE CENTER OF THE ASAKUSA CRATER, THEN HIJIRI ONCE AGAIN IN THE ASAKUSA TERMINAL, THEN GO BACK TO GINZA. NOW WE FINALLY GET TO GO TO THE HIGH SECURITY AREA AT THE END OF RAINBOW BRIDGE FOR REAL, THE NIHILO SECONDARY ENTRANCE IS FINALLY OPEN! INGEST IYOMANTE WHILE WALKING THROUGH HERE AND ANKH/GEIS ONCE YOU REACH THE OUTDOOR MARUNOUCHI PLATE. THERE'S A 10K MACCA CUBE ON THE WESTERN SIDE YOU SHOULD GET, THEN YOU'RE READY TO START THE OLE DISC 1 BOSS THAT EVERY RPG MADE AFTER 1999 JUST HAS NOW.

THE ENCOUNTERS IN HERE ARE A NOTABLE SPIKE IN DANGER. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COVERAGE AGAINST ICE, FIRE, AND MIND, ALTHOUGH THERE'S LOTS OF STUFF YOU CAN GET HIT BY IN HERE. THERE'S A LOT OF HIDDEN TREASURE TOO. THIS PLACE IS SO EXPANSIVE IT HAS MULTIPLE TERMINALS TO SAVE AT, AND EVEN A CATHEDRAL OF SHADOWS AND A FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. PACE YOURSELF AND PREPARE FOR A LONG HAUL. IF YOU NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO RECRUIT KOPPA IN ASSEMBLY OF NIHILO BEFORE IT CLOSED DOWN FOREVER, YOU CAN OCCASIONALLY SEE SOME IN THE FIRST FEW ROOMS AS A RARE ENCOUNTER. AT 97F THE ENCOUNTERS CHANGE TO EVEN MORE POWERFUL DEMONS, SWAP FIRE COVERAGE FOR ELEC SO PHANTOM DOESN'T WRECK YOUR UZUME WITH MAZIONGA. THERE'S MONKIFLIP WITH MEDIUM PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND PAZUZU CAN USE HELL GAZE, THESE MIGHT GET YOU TOO, YOU CAN'T REALISTICALLY PREVENT EVERY WAY TO DIE IN OBELISK. THIS IS WHERE LEVELING VITALITY THE WHOLE TIME REALLY PAYS OFF.

BEWARE OF THE "SECRET TREASURE ROOM" BY THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. THE FIRST CUBE CONTAINS 1 MEDICINE, WHICH SHOULD TIP YOU OFF THAT THERE'S SOMETHING SUSSY. DON'T OPEN THE NEXT ONE, IT'S A TRAP THAT WILL MUTE YOUR ENTIRE ACTIVE PARTY. OPEN THE CUBE AT THE VERY END OF THE BALCONY INSTEAD, WHICH CONTAINS THE SPYGLASS, AN INFINITELY REUSABLE ANALYZE FOR MC THAT YOU CAN SELL FOR 50K.

SAVE AT OBELISK E AND PREPARE FOR AN EPIC BOSS GAUNTLET. WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT THE THREE MOIRAE SISTERS OF FATE FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY, THOSE THREE WOMEN WHO THREATENED US AT THE START OF THE TOWER BY HOLDING A LONG WIRE AND SHOUTING "NOW...♥♥♥!" CLOTHO SPINS THE THREAD OF LIFE, LACHESIS MEASURES IT, AND ATROPOS CUTS IT, WITH THE WIRE RESEMBLING THE LENGTH OF A PERSON'S LIFE. YOU HAVE TO FIGHT THE SISTERS IN THIS ORDER, FROM YOUNGEST TO OLDEST. CLOTHO IS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE AND LACHESIS IS IN THE MIDDLE, I'M SURE YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT FROM THERE. HINT FOR SOLVING THE MOON CLOCK PUZZLE, TRY ADDING 0.

CLOTHO ATTACKS WITH MAHAMA AND MARIN KARIN. YOU CAN EITHER USE TETRAJA WITH A NULL MIND SETUP, OR JUST GO WITH NULL LIGHT ON EVERYONE AND YOLO GAMBLE NO ONE WILL GET CHARMED. NOTE THAT CLOTHO AND LACHESIS ARE AN ABSURDLY HIGH LEVEL INTERNALLY, LIKE LEVEL 69 OR SOMETHING, THE LEVEL YOU'D FUSE THEM AT. THIS MAKES YOUR ATTEMPTS TO MANA DRAIN THEM A LOT MORE LIKELY TO MISS. JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE AN ELDRITCH EXPLANATION TO YOUR FRUSTRATIONS AT SUSTAINABILITY.

LACHESIS JUST USES BUFFS AND DEBUFFS AND HAS A FEARSOME FALCON PUNCH. BUT SHE DOESN'T USE SUKU SKILLS, SO USE THOSE TO TAKE 0 DAMAGE AND NAIL THOSE MANA DRAINS. NOTE THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO FIGHT HER AT FULL OCLOCK, YOU CAN EXPLOIT BRIGHT MIGHT.

ATROPOS IS A BLACK MAGE WHO ATTACKS WITH ALL FOUR COLOURS OF MAGIC. SHE NEVER USES NORMAL ATTACKS SO YOU CAN TAUNT HER WITHOUT FEAR, TAUNT ONLY RAISES THE ENEMY SIDE'S PHYSICAL ATTACK. YOU SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH DEMONS BY THIS POINT TO CREATE AN INTERLOCKING MESH THAT COVERS EVERYONE'S OWN WEAKNESSES AND BLOCKS ALL FOUR TYPES OF MAGIC.

ONCE YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE OF THE SOLO BATTLES THE GATE WILL LOWER AND LEAD TO THE PLACE WHERE THE SISTERS FLED TO. IF YOU'RE A COWARD YOU CAN RUN BACK TO THE E TERMINAL AND SAVE. NOTE THAT IT WILL BE FALLING 3/8 BY THE TIME YOU PURSUE THEM TO THE ELEVATOR (LIFT FOR YOU WIBBLY WOBBLY BRITOIDS OUT THERE), YOU CAN SPIN AROUND A LITTLE MORE AND EXPLOIT DARK MIGHT.

*MOIRAE SISTERS*

THIS FIGHT IS ACTUALLY EASY BUT IT FEELS SO SATISFYING AND THREATENING, WITH THE SISTERS TAUNTING YOU AT THE ENTRANCE AND DEMONSTRATING THEIR ABILITIES IN THE SOLO FIGHT BEFORE COMBINING INTO A GOOD OLE DEMON DUEL. CLOTHO IS THE HEALER, LACHESIS IS THE SUPPORT AND TANK, ATROPOS IS THE DUMBASS DPS TRYING TO DEAL THE MOST DAMAGE "PER SECOND" IN A GAME WHERE TIME ONLY PASSES IN THE FORM OF KAGUTSUCHI PULSATING BRIGHTER AND DARKER, IN UNITS OF PRESS TURNS.

IF YOU DON'T DEAL ANY DAMAGE ON TURN 1, CLOTHO WILL USE MARIN KARIN ON SOMEONE. HERE'S A FUN TRICK: PASS TURNS SO MC GETS TWO ACTIONS, USE TAUNT TO LOWER THEIR DEFENSES (WHICH WILL INCREASE DAMAGE REFLECTED AT THEM), AND USE A MAGIC MIRROR. ATROPOS'S OPENING SALVO WILL GET REFLECTED BACK AT HER FOR ABOUT 1000 DAMAGE, AND SHE HAS ABOUT 2200 HP. AFTER THAT, DISARM THE SISTERS AS HARD AS POSSIBLE WITH MULTIPLE FOG BREATH AND WAR CRY, ATROPOS DOES HAVE SERIOUS DAMAGE OUTPUT AND YOU'LL NEED MEDIA TO KEEP UP.

FROM HERE YOU CAN EITHER WIN BY TOSSING TORNADOES OR USING TARGETED ATTACKS WITH FOCUS TO BRING DOWN CLOTHO, THEN ATROPOS, THEN LACHESIS LAST. JUST WATCH OUT FOR LACHESIS CASTING TETRAKARN OR MAKARAKARN. CLOTHO WILL USE DEKUNDA AFTER TURN 5 SO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON. ONCE LACHESIS IS ALONE ALL SHE WILL DO IS NORMAL ATTACKS, IF YOU'RE FEELING CHEEKY YOU CAN SUMMON OTHER DEMONS TO CASH IN ON THE 5000 EXPERIENCE.

BY THIS POINT IN THE GAME YOU SHOULD HAVE GAINED A TON OF EXP AND MONEY FROM ENDURING OBELISK. THE NEXT BOSS IS GOING TO HAND OUT AN ASTOUNDING 12000 EXP AND JUMP MC AHEAD 3 MORE LEVELS TO REALLY OPEN THINGS UP.

*FANCY FUSIONS LEVEL 30-40*

THIS IS WHERE WE GET THE REAL GOOD ♥♥♥♥. THE DEMONS WE HAVE ACCESS TO AT THIS POINT CAN BE CARRIED ALL THE WAY TO THE END, THEY HAVE SOME HELPFUL ABILITIES RIGHT NOW AND SCALE INTO WONDERFUL THINGS.

I SHOULD PROBABLY COPY THE BLURB ABOUT SARASVATI FROM THE LAST FANCY FUSION SECTION HERE. WHATEVER, ♥♥♥♥ HER, ALL THIS ♥♥♥♥ IS BETTER.

I HOPE YOU'VE BEEN LEVELING UP FLAEMIS, THIS IS WHERE IT WILL PAY OFF BIG TIME IN HD. FUSING ERTHYS AND FLAEMIS TOGETHER (YOU SHOULD PROBABLY REGISTER FLAEMIS FIRST) INTO KUSHI MITAMA IS ACTUALLY GOOD. IT STARTS WITH SUKUKAJA AND IF YOU REGISTERED ERTHYS WITH FOCUS AND RAKUKAJA, COMBINED WITH WHATEVER SKILLS YOU LIKE FROM FLAEMIS...THIS IS A GREAT THING TO JUST FUSE WITH EVERY NEW DEMON YOU MAKE FROM NOW ON, TO PASS ON STAPLE ABILITIES TO THAT DEMON'S DESCENDENTS TOO. KUSHI MITAMA ALSO RAISES VITALITY AND AGILITY ON THE DEMON YOU FUSE IT WITH, WHICH ARE PROBABLY THE STATS YOU WANT TO RAISE THE MOST ANYWAY. AFTER DOING ALL THAT, YOU CAN MAKE A NEW ONE FROM SCRATCH AND INHERIT PATRA FROM ERTHYS, THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE A VERY VERY GOOD MINION FOR THE NEXT BOSS. IT LEARNS ALL THE ANTI-MAGIC PASSIVES, WHICH AREN'T ACTUALLY GOOD, WEAKNESSES WILL STILL GRANT A FLASHING PRESS TURN IN THIS GAME UNLIKE SMT5.

REMEMBER THAT GOAT DEMON HIKAWA WAS ABOUT TO KILL US WITH IN THE INTRO? YOU MIGHT HAVE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF IT FOREVER AGO WHILE YOU WERE CARRYING CHORONZON AND HUA PO AROUND. BAPHOMET IS LEVEL 33 AND WE'RE FINALLY READY. USING THE COMPENDIUM, IT'S EXTREMELY CHEAP TO MAKE, WITH JUST KODAMA AND THE CHEAPEST HAUNT YOU HAVE ON RECORD, EITHER PRETA OR CHORONZON. PRETA IS BETTER FOR SUKUKAJA, BUT CHORONZON WILL LET YOU BRING AN EXTRA ABILITY, I GUESS. AND THE ONE YOU HAVE ON RECORD PROBABLY HAS A KAJA ANYWAY. THE COOL THING IS, BAPHOMET IS OF THE UNUSUAL VILE CLAN THAT YOU CAN'T RECRUIT, AND IS VERY TRICKY TO FUSE INTO NORMALLY. YOU CAN PROBABLY MAKE SOME WEIRD ♥♥♥♥ WITH THIS LUCKY EVERYPAL. AND YOU CAN JUST KEEP DOING THIS, SPENDING LESS THAN 8K MACCA, TO FUSE LOW LEVEL CHEAP DEMONS INTO HIGH LEVEL FUSION MATERIAL THAT BRINGS SOME NEAT ABILITIES. I THINK BECKON CALL IS A HIGHLY UNDERRATED ABILITY AS WELL. SURE THE THING YOU SUMMON IS RANDOM, BUT IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO SUMMON ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF USING YOUR PRECIOUS MC TURN, AND START YOUR NEXT TURN WITH 4 HEADS. YOU CAN HAVE ANOTHER DEMON USE RECARM, THEN USE MC TO SUMMON THE CORRECT DEMON NEXT TURN. IT HELPS MAINTAIN TEMPO AND STABILITY IN CASE SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN A FIGHT. I KNOW TWO GREAT USES FOR BAPHOMET OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD I WILL MENTION IN THIS GUIDE LATER.

ORTHRUS HAS MADE APPEARANCES IN SPEEDRUNS BEFORE. HE LOOKS LAME BUT LEARNS WAR CRY AND HELL FANG. FIRE BOOST WON'T DO MUCH WITH HIS PITIFUL MAGIC STAT, BUT IT'S AN EASY WAY TO GET IT AND PASS ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. HE REALLY SHINES IF YOU CAN PASS FOCUS TO HIM. MOMUNOFU + TARAKA -> BADB CATHA WITH FOCUS AND TAUNT, THEN ELEMENT FUSE WITH AEROS TO MAKE ORTHRUS, WILL SET YOU UP FOR THAT. BUT READ ON BEFORE YOU USE YOUR HIGH-LEVEL TARAKA FOR THIS, BETTER TO SACRIFICE THAT TARAKA FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND THEN BUY A FRESH ONE (OR REGISTERED ONE IF YOU DON'T MIND PAYING MORE FOR SOME NICE ABILITIES LIKE RAKUKAJA AND ZIONGA) FROM THE COMPENDIUM.

MIZUCHI IS WORTH RECRUITING OR FUSING. I PREFER THE SIMPLE ROUTE ELEMENT FUSING NAGA TO THE NEXT HIGHEST SNAKE USING AQUANS OR FLAEMIS, WHICH SHOULD BE CHEAP FROM THE COMPENDIUM IF YOU CAN'T GET THEM WITH GEMS AT RAG'S. IN ONE OF MY NORMAL MODE SPEEDRUNS I SACRIFICE TARAKA TO PASS TAUNT, SUKUKAJA, AND ZIONGA TO GET A BIG HEAD START. MIZUCHI LEARNS MAKARAKARN WHICH IS INTERESTING BUT ONLY ACTUALLY GOOD IN THE MIDGAME, ALMOST EVERY SPELL USING DEMON IN NOCTURNE IS IMMUNE TO WHAT THEY USE, SO IT'S REALLY ONLY USEFUL FOR DEFENSE AND NOT CHEESY REFLECT KILLS. THEREFORE THE SOONER YOU HAVE IT, THE SOONER YOU CAN MAKE SILLY PLAYS WITH IT, AND ACTUALLY GET MAXIMAL VALUE FROM IT. MIZUCHI LEARNS FOG BREATH AT ITS FINAL LEVEL AND HILARIOUSLY DOESN'T HAVE AN ANIMATION FOR IT, MAYBE YOU GOT TO SEE IT IN KABUKICHO PRISON ENCOUNTERS, BUT YOU'LL ONLY GET TO SEE THAT IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO TRANSFORM HIM INTO QING LONG. SHENRON LOSES ABSORB ELEC AND HIS NULL DEATH BECOMES NULL EXPEL, WHICH I ACTUALLY CONSIDER A HUGE DOWNGRADE, BUT IF YOU'RE PLAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME AND DON'T KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD WHO CARES, JUST ENJOY GRANTING WISHES WITH YOUR MIGHTY DRAGON COW WHO LEARNS LIFE GAIN, ONE OF THE BEST PASSIVES IN THE GAME. QING LONG ALSO MAKES NICE FUSION MATERIAL FOR A NICE ENDGAME DEMON MUCH LATER.

ONGKHOT (I'M NOT SPELLING IT LIKE THAT ANY MORE AND STICKING WITH ONKOT LIKE THE PS2 VERSION) LEARNS TETRAKARN QUICKLY, AND THE SOONER YOU HAVE THAT THE BETTER. THE EASIEST WAY TO FUSE ONE IS ACTUALLY WITH MOMUNOFU AND PRINCIPALITY (OR POWER), THE DIVINE FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE CAN ACTUALLY BE RECRUITED EASILY WITH SEDUCE OUTSIDE OF OBELISK, AND MOMUNOFU CAN BE RECRUITED THAT WAY AS WELL, OR JUST CREATED FOR CHEAP FROM SCRATCH WITH SHIKIGAMI AND EITHER ERTHYS OR AQUANS. KARASU + AEROS WORKS TOO. ALL YOU NEED TO PASS IS FOCUS AND LIFE GAIN, TRUST ME ON THIS. THIS MONKE WILL TRANSFORM TWICE AND FEEDING HIM THE FATTEST TRIBUTE YOU CAN WILL BE WORTH IT. OR YOU CAN RECRUIT ONE IN OBELISK, THEN USE THE ERTHYS WE REGISTERED TO CREATE A MITAMA AND ADD FOCUS THAT WAY.

SAKI MITAMA IS ANOTHER GREAT OPTION FOR TETRAKARN, THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT'S COMPLETELY USELESS IN COMBAT, SO SACRIFICE SOMETHING TO GIVE IT 3 OR 4 LEVELS OR WATCHFUL TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. AGAIN, MITAMAS HAVE GREAT AFFINITIES WITH NULL LIGHT/DARK/AILMENTS AND A SECRET RESISTANCE TO MAGIC. SAKI LEARNS MEDIARAMA, MAZIONGA, AND MAZANMA AS WELL, WHICH ARE GREAT SPELLS BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT ONLY HAS 10 MAGIC, A BIT LOW FOR ITS LEVEL. LUCKILY YOU CAN FUSE THE SAKI MITAMA TO ANYTHING YOU WANT AND PASS ON ALL OF THESE ABILITIES TO A MORE WORTHY VESSEL.

AND IF YOU HAVE DEATHSTONES, YOU CAN FUSE DAISOUJOU OR HELL BIKER IF YOU'VE DEFEATED THEM.
FOR HELL BIKER, LOTS OF RECIPES CAN WORK IF IT'S HALF TO 7/8. I'D RECOMMEND USING MOMUNOFU WITH A JIRAE SO YOU CAN GIVE HIM FOCUS. HE MAKES FOR A DECENT RANDOM ENCOUNTER CLEARING MACHINE AND ONE SPEEDRUN ROUTE DOES FUNNY STUFF TO GIVE HIM KAMIKAZE, I COULDN'T TELL YOU THE EXACT PROCEDURE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHILE WRITING THIS BUT IT INVOLVES SARUTAHIKO TO CONTRIBUTE FOCUS.

DAISOUJOU HAS TONS OF RECIPES AND ANY PHASE FROM 5/8 TIL FULL WORKS. FULL OCLOCK MEANS WE CAN DO A SACRIFICIAL FUSION. ONE SPEEDRUN USES THE CLEVER RECIPE OF NAGA + KARASU (BY RECRUITING ONE IN OBELISK, WHO ONLY STARTS WITH TARUKAJA AND WING BUFFET) BECAUSE DAISOUJOU CAN'T LEARN WING BUFFET, AND SKELETONS DON'T HAVE LUNGS SO THEY CAN'T LEARN ANY TALKING SKILLS, SO THE SACRIFICE CONTRIBUTES ALL THE POSSIBLE SKILLS, THE MATERIAL CONTRIBUTE ONLY TARUKAJA AND DRAIN ATTACK, MAKING A FUSION WITH VERY LITTLE NOISE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT IN THE ORIGINAL VERSION WHERE YOU HAVE TO RANDOMLY ROLL FOR SKILLS BASED ON HIDDEN AFFINITIES EACH DEMON HAS.
INSTEAD WE CAN USE THE VERY CHEAP AND EASY PIXIE + SHIKIGAMI, WHICH HAS OVERLAP ON ZIO (WHICH IS STILL GOOD BTW) AND BESEECH IS REMOVED FROM THE POOL. SACRIFICE THAT TARAKA WITH MAKATORA WE MIGHT HAVE MADE FOR A HUGE LEVEL BOOST, YOU CAN BRING RAKUKAJA AND TAUNT AND ZIONGA WHILE YOU'RE AT IT. WHAT A BEAST. NOW YOUR WHOLE TEAM HAS INFINITE MP EVERYWHERE YOU GO.
OR YOU CAN LEVERAGE DAISOUJOU'S EPIC MAGIC STAT AND USE A LEVELED UP NIGI MITAMA TO ADD ELEC BOOST. IF YOU MAKE AND LEVEL UP SAKI MITAMA FIRST, YOU CAN GRAFT TETRAKARN AND MAZIONGA ONTO HIM (OR ONE OF THE FUSION MATERIALS FIRST IF THERE'S NO ROOM), NOW YOU CAN BE FULLY IMMUNE TO PHYSICAL EVERY TURN FOREVER. THERE'S SO MANY POSSIBLE WAYS TO BUILD DAISOUJOU AND ALL OF THEM ARE GOOD. HIS ABSORB MIND/CURSE WILL MAKE MARCHES THROUGH AREAS SO MUCH SAFER, PRAYER WILL MAKE BOSS FIGHTS TRIVIAL, AND HE HAS INFINITE MP WITH HIS POWERFUL MANA DRAINING MEDITATION SKILL. WITH SO MANY POSSIBLE RECIPES AND A HUGE RANGE OF POSSIBLE MOON PHASES THA

*SPECTER 2*

HE LEARNED!! HE LEARNED NEW MAGIC!! OOOOOO!!!! IT'S EXTRA FUNNY IF YOU CHEESED HIM WITH A MEGIDO ROCK THE FIRST TIME.
HERE IS ANOTHER BRILLIANT PUZZLE PRESENTED TO US BY FATLUS. EACH SPECTER HAS 29 MP AND MEGIDO COSTS 30. THEY'LL BE SPENDING 2 MP TO ATTEMPT MANA DRAIN. SPEND TURN 1 MAXING OUT FOG BREATH AND WAR CRY WITH A CLEVER TURN ORDER. THIS WILL MAKE MANA DRAIN LESS LIKELY TO LAND, AND IF IT DOES, YOU'LL LOSE LESS MP. IF YOUR MC HAS A GOOD MAGIC STAT (THE MAGATAMA ANATHEMA HELPS A LOT) YOU CAN DRAIN ALL THE MANA RIGHT BACK, AND YOU WANT TO LEAVE FOUR OF THE SPECTERS ON 0 MP, OR AT LEAST LESS THAN 10.

THESE SPECTERS COMPLETELY NULL MAGIC SO USING HEAT WAVE ON MC AND TARAKA IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO WIN. WHEN THERE'S ONLY FOUR SPECTERS LEFT, THEY'LL ATTEMPT TO USE DEKUNDA, WHICH COSTS 10 MP. IF YOU'RE KILLING THEM ONE AT A TIME, DRAIN THE OTHER FOUR AND KILL THE TWO JUICY ONES FIRST. AND WHEN THERE'S ONLY ONE LEFT, THAT'S A GREAT TIME TO BRING IN WHATEVER DEMON YOU WANT TO GOBBLE THAT AMAZING 12000 EXP PRIZE. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND HIGHEST REWARD IN THE ENTIRE GAME. THE NEXT ONE IS 14000. IT'S THE BOSS FIGHT AFTER THAT.

ISAMU WILL ASK YOU AN IMPORTANT QUESTION ABOUT HIS REASON OF MUSUBI AFTERWARD. MAKE SURE YOU SAY YES IF YOU PLAN TO SUPPORT HIM AND SKIP THE MOST ANNOYING OF THE FINAL THREE BOSSES.

IF YOU DID THE 2ND KALPA ASAP THE RIDERS ARE GOING TO START SHOWING UP, AND THE LAST ONE WILL BE ON YOUR WAY TO THE NEXT AREA. IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL TO DO THEM AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE BUT I'VE DONE IT BEFORE. SKIP THIS IF THEY HAVEN'T SHOWED UP AND YOU PLAN TO DO THEM LATER, BUT COME BACK TO THIS SPOT WHEN YOU NEED HELP WITH THEM LATER.

*WHITE RIDER*

ALL FOUR RIDERS HAVE AN INTERESTING GIMMICK. THEY SUMMON TWO MINIONS TO HELP THEM. BUT IF YOU KILL ONE, THEY WILL USE DRAGON EYE, REPLACE ANY MISSING HELPERS, AND GIVE THE BONUS TURNS TO THE NEWLY SUMMONED ALLIES AS WELL. THIS DISCOURAGES TORNADO SPAM BUT YOU CAN TRY IT. THIS IS WHY IT'S BETTER TO DELAY FIGHTING THE RIDERS TO LATER IN YOUR PLAYTHROUGH, GENERALLY, WHEN YOU TRANSITION AWAY FROM TORNADO+FORCE BOOST INTO FOCUS+WHATEVER, WHICH HAS GREATER DAMAGE POTENTIAL AND THE SIDE BENEFIT OF SINGLE TARGETING, SO YOU AREN'T SCREWED IF SOMETHING ON THE ENEMY SIDE NULLS WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ATTACK WITH WHEN YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE TARGETS. ONE STRAT THAT WORKS ON MOST OF THEM IS TO MANA DRAIN THEM DOWN TO 0 MP SO THEY ARE SEMI USELESS STATUES.

"I WON'T ALLOW ANY COWARDLY DEFENDING!" THAT RIGHT THERE IS YOUR HINT THIS GUY IS GOING TO USE DEKAJA METICULOUSLY. BUT YOU CAN DEBUFF HIM FREELY.
ABOUT THE VIRTUE ADDS: THEY ARE WEAK TO FORCE SO GOING YOLO DAMAGE RACE WITH TORNADO CAN STILL WORK HERE. THEIR PLAN A IS TO USE RAKUNDA ON YOUR TEAM AND CAN USE MEDIARAMA OR DO NORMAL ATTACKS. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE ANOTHER CRUCIAL WEAKNESS. I HOPE YOU KEPT DIS ON YOUR TEAM, EVEN BETTER IF IT'S BEEN LONG ENOUGH TO TRANSFORM HER INTO VALKYRIE. ALL DIVINE DEMONS ARE WEAK TO DARK, WHICH MEANS SHE CAN TURN THE VIRTUES TO STONE, TURNING THEM INTO PRESS TURN WASTERS THAT WHITE RIDER WON'T REPLACE UNLESS YOU KILL THEM BY ACCIDENT. MAYBE YOUR CHORONZON'S STONE GAZE ENDED UP WAY UP THE BRANCHES OF YOUR FUSION TREE OF LIFE.

WHITE RIDER HAS TWO MAIN ATTACKS YOU NEED TO BUILD YOUR COMP AROUND FOR THIS FIGHT. THE MAIN CONCERN IS GOD'S BOW. THIS IS A GUARANTEED LIGHT-FLAVOURED INSTANT KILL THAT CANNOT BE DODGED. HE WON'T AIM IT AT ANYONE IT WON'T KILL, OR MC. WHAT I MEAN TO SAY IS THAT YOU NEED ALL YOUR DEMONS IN THIS FIGHT TO HAVE NULL LIGHT. HOWEVER, YOU CAN USE TETRAJA AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY TO BLOCK GOD'S BOW AND ROB HIM OF A PRESS TURN. YOMA DIS STAYS WINNING.

THE OTHER SPELL TO LOOK OUT FOR IS PROMINENCE. THIS IS LIKE TORNADO, A RANDOM HITTING ATTACK, BUT IT ACTUALLY HAS EVEN STRONGER BASE POWER. SO GET SHIRANUI OR GEHENNA ON MC.

THERE'S ONE MORE VERY FUNNY ANSWER. YOU CAN JUST USE MAKARAKARN OR A MAGIC MIRROR EVERY TURN AND HE'LL BE PRETTY HELPLESS.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE A CRAZY ASS SUDOKU PUZZLE BUT I'VE MENTIONED PLENTY OF DEMONS THAT WORK GREAT FOR THIS FIGHT THROUGHOUT THE GUIDE. MAKAMI, DIS/VALKYRIE, ARA MITAMA, HELL BIKER, FLAEMIS, ARAHABAKI, ALL ACCEPTABLE OPTIONS. THIS GUY IS THE EASIEST RIDER FOR SURE, SINCE HE'S WAITING TO AMBUSH YOU IN TOWN. MONKAS.

*RED RIDER*

GO TO GREAT UNDERPASS NEXT TO SPAWN RED RIDER.

RED RIDER IS SIMILAR TO WHITE RIDER BUT INVERTED IN MANY WAYS. HE FAVOURS DEKUNDA INSTEAD. HE NULLS FORCE AND ELEC SO NO TORNADO SPAM THIS TIME. BUT HIS MAIN ATTACK IS TERRORBLADE, A RANDOM-HITTING PHYSICAL ATTACK THAT CAN HIT UP TO 3 TIMES ON A SINGLE TARGET, AND IS LIKELY TO CAUSE PANIC STATUS. KAMUDO CAN BACKFIRE ON YOU FOR THAT, BUT MURAKUMO IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION. BECAUSE IF YOU THINK "OH I'LL JUST SPAM TETRAKARN AND REPEL THAT LMAO", RED RIDER CAN SEE YOU USING SHIELDS AND HAS TWO POWERFUL SPELLS TO COUNTERPLAY YOU WITH, WIND CUTTER AND BOLT STORM.

IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR DEFENSIVE KAJAS UP FAST YOU CAN GET RUN OVER FAST. THE POWERS ON HIS SIDE WILL SPAM TARUKAJA, FORCING YOU TO COUNTER IT WITH WAR CRY. YOU CAN TURN THEM TO STONE OR MANA DRAIN THEM TOO. THEY ARE ALSO WEAK TO NERVE SO YOU CAN TRY AFFLICTING THEM WITH STUN (MINAKATA HAD STUN GAZE A LONG TIME AGO, AND PISACA LEARNS IT) OR BIND TO MAKE THEM MISS THEIR GUILLOTINE ATTACKS AND WASTE PRESS TURNS.

SO THAT LEAVES TWO APPROACHES IN TERMS OF DEFENSES. YOU CAN JUST TAKE TERRORBLADE AND USE DAISOUJOU OR TITANIA'S PRAYER TO STAY HEALED AND UNPANICKED. ARAHABAKI, SHIKI-OUJI, GOGMAGOG, OR QITIAN DASHENG WITH NULL PHYSICAL WILL MAKE THAT A LOT EASIER TO TAKE. OR MAINTAIN TETRAKARN CONSTANTLY WITH LIFE DRAIN OR MEDITATION, AND PICK A COMP THAT CAN HANDLE THE POWERFUL SPELLS.

*BLACK RIDER*

ALTHOUGH YOU CAN FIND WHITE RIDER WHEN YOU REACH ASAKUSA FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, BLACK RIDER WILL NOT APPEAR UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE FINISHED OBELISK.

THIS ONE IS WAITING IN SHINJUKU MEDICAL CENTRE, IN THE ROOM ON THE 2F LEFT HAND SIDE WHERE YOU FOUND 1 REVIVAL BEAD. THAT WAS ONLY LIKE 10 HOURS AGO, SURELY YOU REMEMBER.

BLACK RIDER'S MINIONS NULL DEATH SO YOU CAN'T TURN THEM TO STONE THIS TIME. LUCKILY THEY DON'T DO MUCH EXCEPT MAKAKAJA AND TEMPEST, MOST LIKELY. BUT THEY CAN USE HELL GAZE AND TETRAKARN SOMETIMES TOO. WE'RE JUST GOING TO IGNORE THEM AND HOPE THEY DON'T CAUSE PROBLEMS. USING 1 TETRAJA ROCK CAN PROVIDE INSURANCE VERSUS HELL GAZE.

BLACK RIDER MAINLY ATTACKS WITH MEGIDOLAON, GLACIAL BLAST, AND HIS SPECIAL CURSE-ELEMENT ATTACK SOUL DIVIDE, THAT CUTS EVERYONE'S HP IN HALF AND IS LIKELY TO MUTE THEM. DJED WILL MAKE MC IMMUNE TO THIS. ALSO IT CAN BE DODGED. IT LOOKS SCARY BUT 1 PRAYER COMPLETELY NULLIFIES IT. HE DOESN'T MESS WITH BUFFS AND DEBUFFS AT ALL. SO JUST STACK UP YOUR SIDE AND KILL HIM BEFORE HE KILLS YOU, HE'S NOT AS SCARY AS HE LOOKS.

ONCE YOU BEAT THIS GUY YOU CAN TECHNICALLY GO BEAT THE 3RD KALPA BUT I'M GOING TO WRITE ABOUT THAT WAY LATER. YOU ALSO CAN'T EVEN ENTER IT UNTIL YOU HAVE 15 POINTS IN EITHER STRENGTH, MAGIC, OR LUCK. CAN'T BE A CRAFTY ITEM/SUMMON TANK THE WHOLE GAME NOW, IF YOU WANNA BECOME A TRUE DEMON LIKE ME.

*PALE RIDER*

♥♥♥♥ THIS GUY BUT ONLY TWICE, HELL BIKER IS STILL WORSE. HE WILL BE IN YOUR WAY WHILE HEADING TO THE NEXT AREA IF YOU'RE DOING ALL THE SIDE CONTENT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, WHICH IS FUNNY, BUT ALSO NOT FUNNY, YOU ARE GOING TO SUFFER. EVERY SPEEDRUNNER HATES THIS GUY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

SO IT TURNS OUT LAST RESORT/SACRIFICE/KAMIKAZE IS A UNIQUE ELEMENT AND PALE RIDER ABSORBS IT. SOMETIMES HIS LOA MINIONS WILL USE LAST RESORT FOR NO REASON, MORE LIKE FIRST RESORT, WHICH WILL DO HUGE DAMAGE AND ALSO HEAL HIM. AND GUESS WHAT, HE'S MISSING AN ALLY SO HE'S GOING TO USE DRAGON EYE AND SUMMON MORE. THE LOAS CAN ALSO USE DEBILITATE, YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE, ON HD WHEN THE ENEMY USES IT IT WILL HAVE A HELPFUL DESCRIPTION THAT MAKES SENSE, "ALL STATS DECREASED!" THAT'S RIGHT, IT LOWERS YOUR TARU/MAKA/RAKU/SUKU STACKS BY ONE ALL IN A SINGLE PRESS TURN. WHEN YOU USE DEBILITATE THOUGH, SOMEHOW THEY COMPLETELY BUTCHERED THE PS2 ONE LINE THAT SAID "DECREASED OVERALL COMBAT PERFORMANCE!" AND GAVE US THE UNHOLY ABOMINATION OF "DECREASED ALL STATS PERFORMANCE" LIKE WHAT THE LIVING ♥♥♥♥. SMALL INDIE COMPANY FATLUS.

SO BECAUSE THE LOAS ARE GONNA RUIN YOUR STATS FASTER THAN YOU CAN FIX THEM, YOU HAVE TO TRY TO WIN FAST. TAUNT IS PRETTY RISKY THOUGH. I'VE FOUGHT THIS GUY UNDERLEVELED BEFORE AND THE ONLY THING THAT SEEMS TO WORK IS JAMMING FOG BREATH AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. WAR CRY AIN'T BAD EITHER BUT STEALING TURNS BY DODGING AND ENSURING YOU WON'T MISS EVEN IF DEBILITATE GOES DOWN IS VERY IMPORTANT. IF YOU HAVE DEKUNDA (YOUR PISACA MIGHT HAVE LEARNED IT WHILE COOKING WITH WATCHFUL, MATADOR LEARNS IT TOO) YOU CAN TRY DEBUFFING HIS SIDE FIRST, WHILE SCRUBBING OFF DEBILITATE IN A SINGLE 10 MP ACTION. THIS GAME ONLY HAS DEKAJA ROCKS, NO DEKUNDA ROCKS, IT HAS TO COME FROM A DEMON. PALE RIDER DOESN'T HAVE DEKUNDA OR DEKAJA SO YOU CAN START MAKING YOUR STATS POSITIVE AFTER DEKUNDA ONCE YOU DEBUFF HIM FIRST.

THE LOAS ALSO ATTACK WITH DORMINA AND STONE GAZE SO HAVING DAISOUJOU IS SUPER IMPORTANT HERE. THERE'S ANOTHER REASON WHY PRAYER WILL SAVE YOUR ASS. PALE RIDER WILL ATTACK WITH BLIGHT, AN ALL-HITTING PHYSICAL SKILL WITH A CHANCE TO POISON. PESTILENCE IS ALMIGHTY-PHYSICAL, BUT IT WILL INSTANTLY KILL ANY POISONED CHARACTER. PUT DJED ON MC TO MAKE HIM IMMUNE TO POISON FOR THIS IF YOU DON'T HAVE A RELIABLE PRAYER USER WHO WON'T FALL ASLEEP OR GET STONED.
BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ GOING ON, YOUR BEST BET IS TO BRING EITHER SOMETHING WITH ABSORB/REPEL ICE SO YOU CAN END PALE RIDER'S ENTIRE TURN WHEN HE USES MABUFUDYNE, OR MAINTAIN TETRAKARN EVERY TURN TO COMPLETELY END HIS TURN OFF ANY PHYSICAL ATTACK. DO ANYTHING, AND I MEAN A N Y T H I N G, YOU CAN TO STOP THOSE LOAS FROM GETTING TURNS.

*ASAKUSA TUNNEL*

TO ADVANCE THE PLOT YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THE HUA PO IN THE HALLWAY OF THE NEW NORTH SECTION OF ASAKUSA THAT'S OPENED UP DUE TO RENOVATION (12 OCLOCK IN THE 2ND PIT LAYER), THEN GO TO IKEBUKURO AND TALK TO HIKAWA (IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT HIS REASON OF SHIJIMA AND GET A NICE PIECE OF FUSION MATERIAL AT THE ENDGAME, SAY YES), THEN GO TO MIFUNASHIRO AND LISTEN TO JESUS TALK.

THERE'S A REVIVAL BEAD IF YOU TAKE THE NORTH ROUTE, BUT IF YOU GO WEST DOWN THIS CIRCLE INSTEAD YOU CAN FIND THE COLLECTOR'S NEW SHOP THAT HAS SOME VERY NICE STUFF FOR SALE. THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE IN THE GAME WHERE YOU CAN BUY AS MANY MUSCLE DRINKS AS YOU WANT, HAVING A FEW CAN MAKE THE NEXT BOSS A LITTLE CHEESY. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THIS IS WHERE THE NICEST MAGATAMA(S) IN THE GAME CAN BE PURCHASED. (IT'S A JAPANESE WORD I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT PLURAL WITH AN S AT THE END)
KAMUROGI GRANTS RESIST PHYSICAL AND AN AMAZING +8 STRENGTH AND +4 AGILITY, AT THE EXPENSE OF BEING WEAK TO ALL MAGIC. WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥ MURAKUMO IS SOMEHOW BETTER RESISTANCE WISE. THE FIRST SKILL, BLIGHT, IS RATHER ♥♥♥♥, BECAUSE IT'S NOT MUCH STRONGER THAN HEAT WAVE BUT COSTS 40% OF YOUR HP ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. BUT AFTER THAT YOU GET LIFE GAIN AND IRON CLAW. LIFE GAIN IS PRETTY MUCH A MUST HAVE, YOU GET 20% MORE HP, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE DETERMINED TO USE HEAT WAVE/BLIGHT/CHAOS BLADE/DEATHBOUND AS YOUR PHYSICAL SKILL.
IRON CLAW IS...A BIT OF A MEME, HOWEVER. YES IT IS VERY POWERFUL, IT HAS A HIGH CRIT RATE TOO, BUT ITS ACCURACY IS HILARIOUSLY LOW. YOU'LL PROBABLY NEED A 2-3 SUKU DIFFERENTIAL TO LAND IT, SO IT'S ONLY GOOD IN BOSS FIGHTS WITH PLENTY OF SETUP. EVEN IN MY 40 AGILITY PLAYTHROUGH I ONLY LANDED RAW CLAW ABOUT HALF THE TIME. BUT WHEN I DID THE DAMAGE WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE, LIKE 300-400.

THE ACTUAL BEST MAGATAMA IS AVAILABLE AT THE COLLECTOR SHOP NOW BY THE WAY. VIMANA CAN TEACH YOU ENDURE RIGHT AWAY ONCE YOU'RE LEVEL 50. THIS PASSIVE SKILL IS LIKE SECOND CHANCE FROM KINGDOM HEARTS; ONCE PER BATTLE, IF YOU WOULD DIE YOU GO TO 1 HP INSTEAD. FOR SOME REASON SUFFERING A POISON TICK REMOVES ENDURE, THAT'S THE ONLY DRAWBACK. BTW IF A DEMON HAS ENDURE YOU CAN DISMISS THEM, THEN SUMMON THEM AGAIN, THAT WILL RECHARGE THEIR ENDURE, VERY COOL. IF YOU'RE PLAYING CASUALLY AND GOING TO HIT HUGE LEVELS, VIMANA ALSO HAS LIFE SURGE ON IT, AVAILABLE AROUND LEVEL 70 I THINK. JAVELIN RAIN IS ALSO A USABLE ALL-HITTING PHYSICAL MOVE. BUT THERE IS A MORE EASILY AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVE THAT'S BETTER THAT I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT A BIT LATER.

SOPHIA IS A MEME AND YOU SHOULDN'T BUY IT UNLESS YOU INTEND TO COLLECT ALL THE MAGATAMA LIKE MIDO TOLD YOU TO. IT TEACHES YOU SAMRECARM...BRO YOU CAN JUST BUY REVIVAL BEADS AND NOT WASTE A SKILL SLOT. WHY IS IT 360K MACCA??????

ANYWAY NOW THAT WE HAVE FUN NEW TOYS AND AWESOME NEW DEMONS WE'RE READY FOR THE NEXT SECTION OF THE GAME. REMEMBER HOW THERE WAS A LOCKED DOOR IN YOYOGI PARK AND YOU COULD SEE THE MASSIVE EASTERN SECTION OF IT, BUT COULDN'T REACH IT? I LOVE WHEN GAMES DO STUFF LIKE THIS, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A TUNNEL TO GET THERE AT LAST.
HERE YOU HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO RECRUIT NAGA, OR EVEN HIS EVOLUTION RAJA NAGA WHO IS LEVEL 37. RAJA NAGA EVENTUALLY LEARNS NULL:FIRE TO COVER HIS OWN WEAKNESS, AND YOU CAN PASS THIS PASSIVE SKILL ONTO HIS FUSION DESCENDENT. WHICH IS KINDA NEAT. ELEMENT FUSING DOWN INTO MIZUCHI TO COVER HIS ONLY WEAKNESS MIGHT BE USEFUL TO YOU, SO YOUR ICE ATTACKER WHO PROBABLY WANTS TO HIT THE WEAKNESS OF FIRE USERS WON'T BE GETTING HIS WEAKNESS HIT RIGHT BACK. I MEAN FOR ME, I ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS GAME AND ALREADY KNOW YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO DO THAT, BUT SUCH FEELINGS OF SATISFACTION AND STRATEGY ARE THE VERY MEAT OF SMT GAMES.

THIS TUNNEL IS DARK TOO, YOU CAN USE RAIJU OR PISACA'S LIGHTOMA IF YOU'RE TOO CHEAP FOR LIGHT BALLS. REMEMBER TO NOT USE THEM WHEN IT'S LIKE FALLING 2/8 OR SOMETHING, THEY WEAR OFF WHEN NEW OCLOCK HITS. TO GET THROUGH THIS TUNNEL AS FAST AS POSSIBLE TAKE THE LEFTHAND SIDE OF THE PLATFORM THEN THE SECOND TUNNEL RIGHT BEFORE THE RED STUFF AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. THERE'S A ROOM WITH 3 CUBES, BE CAREFUL. DON'T OPEN THE FRONT LEFTHAND ONE, IT'S A TRAP. THE BACK LEFT CUBE HAS A SOMA DROPLET. THE BACK RIGHT CUBE IS A MONSTER-IN-A-BOX VERSUS 3 TITANS. THESE GUYS NULL FORCE AND HAVE RETALIATE SO EVEN HURTING THEM IS TRICKY. THEY ARE WEAK TO ELEC AND HIT SURPRISINGLY HARD. TREAT IT LIKE A BOSS FIGHT AND USE HEAVY DEBUFFS. IF YOU WIN YOU'LL GET 1100 EXP AND A LIGHT BALL.

*YOYOGI PARK EAST*

THIS PLACE IS A ♥♥♥♥♥♥ TELEPORT MAZE, ATLUS JUST LOVES THESE DON'T THEY. BUT YOU CAN CLIMB LADDERS TO OBSERVATION PLATFORMS AND SEE WHERE THE FAIRY PARATROOPERS ARE HIDING. WATCH A SPEEDRUN IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE FASTEST ROUTE THROUGH HERE. THE MYSTICAL CHESTS CONTAIN A BALM OF RISING, A LUCK INCENSE, AND A SAPPHIRE, STUFF YOU CAN DO WITHOUT. THE ENCOUNTERS HERE ARE BRUTAL, THE FAIRIES HAVE STATUS-AILMENT WEAKNESSES WHICH YOU CAN ONLY HIT WITH XUANWU'S TOXIC CLOUD IF YOU SOMEHOW STILL HAVE THAT. ARAHABAKI WILL SAVE YOUR ASS FROM SETANTA USING DRAGON EYE FOR TEMPEST OVER AND OVER. WALK AROUND WITH ICE AND MIND IMMUNITIES FOR SINGLE-TARGET PULINPA, TITANIA'S GLACIAL BLAST CAN MULTI HIT SOMEONE FOR ALMOST 300 DAMAGE. I HATE THE ENCOUNTERS HERE, IF YOU HAVE TRAFURI WITH INFINITE MP THIS IS THE BEST AREA TO USE IT.

FOR SOME REASON USING RIBERAMA HERE TENDS TO LEAD TO A COMICAL ENDLESS CHAIN OF REINFORCEMENTS. IF YOU LOVE GRINDING, THIS MIGHT BECOME YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DO IT.

AT THE A TERMINAL YOU CAN SAVE THE GAME AND ROLL YOUR MUSCLE DRINK JUST LIKE WITH BIG MIZUCHI TO FORCE POISON OR STUN STATUS ONTO AN IMPORTANT SPELLCASTER TO PROTECT THEM FROM PANIC STATUS DURING THE BOSS FIGHT.

HIGH PIXIE'S MAZE SUCKS BUT THERE'S AN EASY SOLUTION. JUST GO THROUGH ONE OF THE SOUTH DOORS, THEN AROUND TO THE RIGHT, THEN HANG A LEFT AND WALK RIGHT OUT.

WHEN SHREK INFORMS YOU HE TRASHED DE PLATFORM, YOU CAN OPEN A DOOR ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, AND LOOK AT THAT, IT'S A DARK SOULS ONE-WAY SHORTCUT BACK TO YOYOGI PARK WEST, WHERE THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE IS. IF YOU'RE REALLY NERVOUS YOU CAN JUST WALK OUTSIDE TO SHIBUYA OR SMC AND SAVE THE GAME.

FOR THE LAST MAZE, YOU'LL SEE THREE DOORS. JUST GO THROUGH THE MIDDLE DOOR AND STRAIGHT THROUGH THE NEXT TWO, THEN WIGGLE TO YOUR LEFT AND TAKE THE TWO DOORS UP THE LEFT SIDE. BAM YOU'RE THROUGH. THERE'S A CHAKRA DROP ON THE RIGHT SIDE BEFORE YOU GO THROUGH THE LAST DOOR. THE BOSS IS JUST PAST THE RADIO TOWER'S SHUTTERS BUT IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT FIRST YOU CAN PICK UP A BEAD, A REVIVAL BEAD, AND SAVE AT THE B TERMINAL.

*GIRIMEKHALA AND SAKAHAGI*

SOMEONE IN YOYOGI PARK WARNS YOU THIS BOSS REPELS PHYSICAL, AND IF YOU WATCH THE TITLE LOOP 2 VIDEO YOU CAN SEE MC THROWING A NORMAL PUNCH AT GARY AND IT GETTING REPELLED. LOL.

TO SET UP MC FOR THIS, YOU EITHER NEED TO INGEST IYOMANTE...OR IF YOU LEARNED THE NULL:MIND PASSIVE FROM MURAKUMO, YOU CAN USE A RESIST PHYSICAL MAGATAMA, THIS IS A GREAT CHANCE TO LEARN SOME SKILLS FROM MURAKUMO OR KAMUROGI IF SO.

GARY HAS ABOUT 4000 HP, WHICH DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH, BUT OUR ABILITY TO DEAL DAMAGE IS VERY LIMITED. NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE REPEL PHYSICAL THING. IF YOU PUT ANY DEBUFF ON THIS GUY HE WILL PUNISH YOU, BY USING BEAST EYE -> DEKUNDA -> RANDOM KAJA -> ATTACK. SO WE CAN ONLY BUFF OUR SIDE. THIS IS WHERE THOSE 3 ATTACK MIRRORS COME IN. ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T REFLECT THE ACTUAL DAMAGE, WE'LL BE ALLOWED TO SET UP SAFELY. SET UP 3 DEMONS WHO SEPARATELY HAVE RAKUKAJA, SUKUKAJA, AND MAKAKAJA, AND NULL MIND IDEALLY. A LEVELED UP FLAEMIS WOULD BE PERFECT EXCEPT HE'S A BIT SQUISHY FOR HARD MODE, BUT MAYBE YOU CAN PUT MAKAKAJA/MEDIA/VOID MIND/AGILAO ON HIS DESCENDENT, SUCH AS UPGRADING A SNAKE TO MIZUCHI. THAT WOULD GO HARD ACTUALLY. OTHER GOOD DEMONS TO USE WOULD BE UNICORN (BIT SQUISHY AGAIN), XUANWU WITH ANTI-MIND, MAKAMI (JUST FOR HEALING, TARUKAJA WILL ONLY HELP IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO FIRE A YEEHAW CANNON LIKE ARAHABAKI) AND DAISOUJOU.

ANYWAY IF YOU HAVE 3 ATTACK MIRRORS YOUR TURN WILL BE DEAD SIMPLE. ONE OF EACH KAJA, MC USE ATTACK MIRROR, OR YOU CAN HAVE SAKI MITAMA OR DAISOUJOU USING TETRAKARN JUST FOR 3 TURNS OF SETUP. THEN ON THE 4TH TURN, FINISH YOUR KAJAS AND START CHUCKING TORNADOES. BRING YOUR NEXT BEST MAGICAL ATTACKER IF YOU CAN, SUCH AS XUANWU WITH BUFULA AND ICE BOOST, SARASVATI WITH MAZANMA AND FORCE BOOST, ORTHRUS WITH FIRE BOOST AND FIRE BREATH, KARASU WITH ZANMA, RAIJU WITH ZIONGA AND ELEC BOOST, VALKYRIE OR FLAEMIS WITH AGILAO, MIZUCHI'S BUFULA, THIS IS ABOUT THE BEST YOU CAN DO AT THIS POINT IN THE GAME SADLY. STILL NOT AS GOOD AS TORNADO AND FORCE BOOST ON MC, HAHA WOW. THIS FIGHT COULD BE A GOOD LESSON IN WHAT I CALL "CONSTRUCTING A GOOD TURN ORDER WAFFLE", FOR EXAMPLE YOUR MC PROBABLY HASN'T GAINED A SINGLE POINT OF AGILITY SO HE'S ALWAYS GOING 4TH. IF YOU WIGGLE YOUR FINGERS AND COUNT ON THEM YOU'LL SEE, THAT THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE MC ACT TWICE IN A TURN, IS TO HAVE WHOEVER GOES FIRST AND THIRD (LET'S CALL THEM 1 AND 3 FOR SHORT) TO ALWAYS PASS THEIR TURNS, WHOEVER GOES SECOND (YOU GUESSED IT, THEY'RE NAMED 2 NOW) GETS TWO ACTIONS AS WELL. I CALL THAT 2424 TURN ORDER. MAYBE YOU COULD KEEP AROUND A REALLY SLOW DEMON LIKE XUANWU OR A SNAKE, AND PUSH MC'S AGILITY TO 8 ISH, SO HE WILL USUALLY GO 3RD, THAT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO CONTROL. WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THAT IDEALLY, YOUR SUPPORTS WITH THE BUFFS AND DEBUFFS GO FIRST AND THIRD, WHILE YOUR DAMAGE DEALERS GO 2ND AND 4TH. SO ONCE YOU'RE SET UP YOU GIVE ALL THE TURN ECONOMY TO THE STRONGEST ATTACKERS.

STAY HEALED, CURE PANIC SO YOUR DEMONS DON'T RETREAT BACK INTO THE STOCK AND LOSE THEIR SETUP BUFFS, AND GRIND DOWN THAT FATASS ELEPHANT WITH MAGIC. AFTER THAT SAKAHAGI WILL APPEAR.

THIS GUY HAS 46 MP WHICH IS ENOUGH TO CAST THREE TIER-2 SPELLS THAT WILL HIT YOUR ENTIRE SIDE. RATHER THAN TRY TO COVER ALL FOUR COLOURS OF MAGIC, THE FUNNY SOLUTION IS TO JUST HIT HIM WITH MANA DRAIN AND HE'LL WASTE HIS FIRST TURN. HIS PHYSICAL ATTACK HITS HARDER THAN YOU'D EXPECT ON HARD THOUGH SO HIT HIM WITH WAR CRY IF YOU CAN AS WELL. HE'S PRETTY HARMLESS AFTER THAT SO START REARRANGING YOUR TEAM TO CASH IN ON THAT SWEET DOUBLE-BOSS EXP PRIZE OF 14000.

AROUND THIS POINT, ON HARD YOUR VITALITY STAT SHOULD BE OVER 30. IF YOU WANT THE TRUE DEMON ENDING, I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU START LEVELING UP STRENGTH. YOU SHOULDN'T NEED MORE THAN 24 THOUGH. 15 WILL HELP YOU EARN A LOT MORE MONEY IN THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA'S MINIGAME TUNNELS.

TO ADVANCE THE PLOT GO BACK TO MANTRA HQ AND WATCH A CUTSCENE ON THE ROOF, THEN LINK TO ASAKUSA AND HEAR THE LORE UPDATE FROM HIJIRI. I REALLY RECOMMEND NOT PURSUING HIM IMMEDIATELY AND SAVING THE GAME FIRST. ACTUALLY BEFORE I TALK ABOUT THE NEXT BOSS, LET ME TALK ABOUT AN EASY OPTIONAL BOSS THAT WILL PAY OFF BIG TIME LATER.

*BLACK FROST*

AFTER DEFEATING GARY, KABUKICHO PRISON WILL TURN INTO A WALK-IN FREEZER. WTF? HEEHO-KUN COMPLETED HIS JOURNEY OF POWER AND BECAME EVIL. IT'S A PUN IN JAPANESE WHERE THE KANJI PRONOUNCED "JYAAKU" MEANS EVIL, SO HE'S EVIL FROST. BLACK FROST IS A GREAT COMPROMISE FOR ENGLISH.

SAVE ON THE TOP FLOOR BEFORE CHALLENGING THIS GUY. YOU MUST, MUST GO IN WITH NULL DARK ON EVERYONE, BECAUSE HE WILL ALWAYS OPEN WITH MAMUDOON ON TURN 0.
AFTER THAT HE WILL ATTACK MOSTLY WITH MABUFUDYNE, SOMETIMES BERSERK. AFTER TAKING SOME DAMAGE HE'LL SHOW YOU WHAT AN EMPEROR CAN REALLY DO, AND USE A SCRIPTED BERSERK, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO PUNISH HIM WITH TETRAKARN. THE ONLY HARD PART OF THIS FIGHT IS ACTUALLY DOING DAMAGE. HE REPELS FIRE AND ABSORBS ICE, AND HAS A HILARIOUS 95% PHYSICAL RESIST. THIS LEAVES TORNADO, ZIONGA, AND KAMIKAZE AS YOUR ONLY MEANS OF DEALING DAMAGE. ONE OF THE SPEEDRUNS BEATS THIS GUY WITH A REGULAR STOCK AQUANS PURCHASED FROM RAG'S JEWELRY. HE ONLY HAS 2950 HP SO GET CREATIVE.

BEATING THIS GUY REWARDS US IMMEDIATELY WITH 5000 EXPERIENCE AND THE MAGATAMA SATAN. JIVE TALK WOULD BE A COOL SKILL IF WE LEARN IT SOONER THAN ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ LEVEL 51. AFTER THAT YOU CAN LEARN NULL:DARK AT LEVEL 55, THAT MIGHT BE NICE IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD VIMANA FOR ENDURE YET. THE FINAL SKILL IS DEADLY FURY, THE ACTUAL BEST ALL-HITTING STRENGTH-BASED PHYSICAL SKILL IN THE GAME. IT BASICALLY CANNOT MISS AND HAS A HIGH ENOUGH CRIT CHANCE THAT WHEN YOU HIT MULTIPLE TARGETS, IT WILL ALWAYS GENERATE A BONUS TURN FOR YOU. THE HP COST ISN'T AS HIGH AS ITS OTHER COUNTERPARTS FOR THIS STAGE OF THE GAME. ALTHOUGH ONI-KAGURA AND XEROS BEAT MIGHT LOOK COOL, THIS IS THE ONLY ONE WORTH GOING FOR.
THERE ARE OTHER REWARDS INVOLVED WITH BEATING THIS GUY BUT THEY WON'T BECOME APPARENT UNTIL LATER. THE PAYOFF IS ENORMOUS RELATIVE TO HOW EASY THIS FIGHT IS.

*MARA*

I JUST REMEMBERED THIS OPTIONAL BOSS BECOMES AVAILABLE AS SOON AS YOU CLEAR OBELISK. GO TO SHIBUYA AND WALK TOWARD THE BACKGROUND ON THE RIGHT (THE MAP WILL SAY "CENTRAL STREET") AND BEHIND THE BUILDING TO YOUR LEFT. THERE'S A HIDDEN DOOR YOU CAN OPEN. NOTHING WILL BE GOING ON IN HERE, UNLESS IT'S FULL OCLOCK.

MARA IS A REALLY FUNNY FIGHT. HE HAS RESIST MAGIC AND ONLY 2300 HP...BUT HE ALWAYS GOES FIRST AND MIGHT JUST WIPE YOU OUT COMPLETELY WITH HADES BLAST. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE FIRST BEFORE ATTEMPTING HIM. PUT DJED ON MC (UNLESS YOU WANT TO USE THAT 5000 EXP AND LEVEL UP TO LEARN A SKILL) AND BRING A TETRAKARN USER. MARA USES DIARAHAN FREQUENTLY SO THE ONLY WAY TO WIN IS A DECISIVE BURST OF DAMAGE. LUCKILY MARA PROVIDES ONE OF HIS OWN: REFLECTING HADES BLAST BACK AT HIM. USE TAUNT TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE POTENT, YOU'LL NOT ONLY RAISE THE DAMAGE HE DEALS BUT THE AMOUNT REFLECTED BACK. ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS HANG ON AND SCRUB OFF THE MUTE STATUS DISMAL TUNE INFLICTS UNTIL MARA KILLS HIMSELF. WINNING ANY OTHER WAY IS PROBABLY TOO HARD AND FRUSTRATING.

YOUR REWARD WILL BE A VERY NICE 20000 MACCA AND A GREAT CHAKRA TO SELL FOR 7000 MORE IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. THE MAGATAMA MUSPELL GRANTS RESIST AILMENTS AND ALSO HAS AN AWESOME STAT SPREAD OF +8 MAGIC +7 VIT, WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR? THE SPELL TENTARAFOO IS ALSO SUPREME FOR MAGIC BUILDS, IT'S A MIND-ELEMENT ATTACK SO FEW RANDOM ENCOUNTERS RESIST IT, YOU CAN JUST HIT EVERYTHING FOR 100-150 NO QUESTIONS ASKED, AND THE PANIC STATUS IT MIGHT INFLICT WILL MAKE YOUR ENEMIES LOSE THEIR TURNS OR EVEN WANDER AWAY.

*MOTHER HARLOT*

OH WAIT THERE'S ACTUALLY A THIRD OPTIONAL BOSS YOU JUST UNLOCKED BY BEATING GARY, ANOTHER EXTRA SPOOKY FIEND WHO IS CHILLING IN THE WESTERN ROOM OF YOYOGI PARK WEST, YOU KNOW, THE ONE WITH A CUBE THAT HAD A DIS-POISON IN IT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T REMEMBER, THAT WAS 30 HOURS AGO?!

MOTHER HARLOT ALSO HAS REPEL PHYSICAL, AND ABSORB ELEC. HOWEVER, UNLIKE THE REST OF THE FIENDS, SHE IS VULNERABLE TO ONE AILMENT: FREEZE. GETTING FROZEN BY AN ICE SPELL REMOVES ANY KIND OF PHYSICAL RESISTANCE, INCLUDING REPEL. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN DO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO HER. I DON'T RECOMMEND DOING THIS BUT SOME MEATHEADS WILL DO ANYTHING FOR PUNCH.

YOU'LL WANT TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ELEC, MIND, AND PHYSICAL, IN THAT PRIORITY. MY RECOMMENDED DEMONS FOR THIS WOULD INCLUDE DAISOUJOU, ARAHABAKI, KURAMA TENGU, MIZUCHI, MIKAZUCHI, AND YATAGARASU. ANYONE WITH HIGH HP AND THE ABILITY TO DEAL MAGIC DAMAGE CAN HELP.

SHE HAS 5000 HP AND GOES INTO A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PHASE 2 ATTACK PATTERN AFTER BECOMING HALF DEAD, THAT IS ACTUALLY EASIER TO DEAL WITH. SIGH, THIS FIGHT IS PRETTY COMPLICATED, LET ME DIG INTO IT.
ON TURN 0 SHE ALWAYS GOES FIRST AND TAKES TWO RANDOM ACTIONS, WHICH CAN BE A NORMAL ATTACK, MAZIONGA, OR BEAST ROAR, WHICH IS A POWERFUL ALL-HITTING ALMIGHTY SPELL THAT ALSO RESTORES 500 HP FOR HER. BEAST ROAR INTO AN ATTACK WILL PROBABLY KILL SOMEONE, CONSIDER STARTING OVER IF THAT HAPPENS, THAT'S A LOWROLL FOR SURE.
YOU CAN DO BUFFS AT WILL, AS FOR DEBUFFS... EVERY THREE TURNS IN PHASE 1, HARLOT WILL USE DRAGON EYE, DEKUNDA, FOCUS, THEN SOME RANDOM ATTACKS. USE TETRAKARN ON THESE TURNS TO EAT HER FOCUS. HER DAMAGE OUTPUT IS PRETTY SCARY SO YOU SHOULD USE WAR CRY ANYWAY, AND REAPPLY IT AFTER THESE POWER TURNS. IT CAN BE HARD TO STICK DAMAGE DUE TO BEAST ROAR HEALING HER THOUGH. TRY NOT TO GET FRUSTRATED AND SET UP AS MUCH AS YOU NEED TO.

ONE FUNNY STRATEGY IS TO IMITATE THE MONKEY-MODE SPEEDRUN AND KILL HER WITH ARAHABAKI AND HANUMAN, WHO BOTH USE FOCUS AND KAMIKAZE/SACRIFICE RESPECTIVELY, TO EXPLODE ALL OVER HER FOR 2500 DAMAGE TWICE AND JUST SKIP PHASE 2 COMPLETELY AND NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH OUTRACING THE HEALING FROM BEAST ROAR.

IN PHASE 2 SHE'LL USE DRAGON EYE EVERY TURN BUT WILL STOP USING DEKUNDA. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO FINISH APPLYING DEBUFFS TO STABILIZE AND KILL HER FASTER.
IF THIS FIGHT IS TOO HARD JUST DO IT LATER. YOU DON'T NEED TO BEAT HER UNTIL YOU INTEND TO ENTER THE 4TH KALPA.

*SPECTER 3*

HE JUST KILL YOU. THAT ALL HE DO.
SPECTER HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO REPEL MAGIC NOW AND SHOWS UP WITH AN INTERESTING STRATEGY. LIKE I DESCRIBED IN THE PALE RIDER FIGHT, LAST RESORT/SACRIFICE/KAMIKAZE IS ITS OWN UNIQUE ELEMENT AND SPECTER 3 (AND 2 ACTUALLY) IS IMMUNE TO IT. I THINK HE LOSES A TURN FROM HITTING HIS OWN IMMUNITY ACTUALLY. START OFF WITH AS MUCH FOG BREATH AND WAR CRY AS YOU CAN, THEN JUST CHILL.

THE WAY THIS FIGHT WORKS, IS THAT THE SPECTERS AREN'T EVEN TRYING TO KILL YOU, ACTUALLY. THEY WILL JUST USE NORMAL ATTACKS. WHEN ONE OF THEM GETS BELOW HALF HP (THEY HAVE 750 EACH) IT WILL USE LAST RESORT. THEN USE GATHERING TO SUMMON A NEW ONE. IF YOU ACTIVATE AUTO-BATTLE DURING THE ENEMY TURN, THE CAMERA GOES TO A FUNNY POSITION AND GATHERING WILL ACTUALLY FAIL, MY HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE GAME CAN'T LOAD THE MODEL IN TIME AND JUST SAYS ♥♥♥♥ IT AND GIVES UP. EVEN THOUGH THAT SAME MODEL IS ALREADY LOADED 5 TIMES. IT TOOK ME AN EMBARRASSINGLY LONG TIME TO FIGURE THIS OUT. ANYWAY THE FRESH SPECTER WON'T HAVE DEBUFFS ON IT SO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT.

THE HARDER YOU TRY TO KILL THE SPECTERS, THE MORE YOU'RE GOING TO GET BLOWED UP. IF THE SPECTERS GET TOO LOW IN NUMBER (3 I THINK) THEY WILL USE DEKAJA AND THEN YOU'LL BE REALLY, REALLY ♥♥♥♥♥♥. IN BIGGER CAPITAL LETTERS. SO THIS LEAVES TWO APPROACHES:
1) SET UP WITH MAX BUFFS AND RAKUNDAS AS WELL, THEN WIPE THEM ALL OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH MULTIPLE HEAT WAVES, FROM MC AND TARAKA (OR WHATEVER BETTER EQUIVALENTS YOU HAVE BY THIS POINT)
2) THERE'S ACTUALLY A TIME LIMIT ON THIS FIGHT, ALL THE SPECTERS WILL START USING LAST RESORT ANYWAY AFTER LIKE 20 TURNS HAVE PASSED. HEAL THROUGH IT.

EACH SPECTER IS WORTH 1500 EXP, SO THIS FIGHT IS WORTH A MINIMUM OF 9000 EXP. MAYBE THEY'LL REPLACE THE FIRST ONE THAT BLEW UP BY THE TIME YOU SET UP SO YOU'LL GET 10500. IF YOU SIT THERE FARMING THE REINFORCEMENTS FOR A WHILE, YOU CAN EARN THE HARD CAP THIS FIGHT HAS OF 20000 EXP. ANOTHER HUGE REWARD TO GET YOU READY FOR THE NEXT PART OF THE GAME. SEE THE PREVIOUS FANCY FUSION SECTION LEVELS 30-40 FOR SOME SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT TO MAKE.

*FANCY FUSIONS LEVEL 40-52*

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A SPEEDRUNNER LIKE ME WE ALREADY MADE THE BEST STUFF. THE DEMONS IN THIS GAME ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY. BUT WITHOUT BAD DEMONS THERE ARE NO GOOD DEMONS. I'LL TALK ABOUT SOME MORE COOL OPTIONS.

RIGHT AWAY I'LL BRING UP PHANTOM. THIS GUY IS ACTUALLY SUPER CHEAP AND EASY TO MAKE, JUST COMBINE RAIJU AND BAPHOMET, AND BRING ZIONGA+ELEC BOOST(+PARALADI IF YOU HAVE IT) FROM RAIJU AND MAKAKAJA (MAYBE BECKON CALL) FROM BAPHOMET. SEE THE PREVIOUS FANCY FUSION SECTION TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE BAPHOMET FOR LESS THAN 8000 MACCA USING NOTHING BUT THE COMPENDIUM.
YOU CAN USE MITAMAS TO ADD ON MORE KAJAS AND RAKUNDA, BUT IF YOU STILL HAVE THE VITALITY INCENSE FROM BIG MIZUCHI'S ROOM, USE IT ON PHANTOM FIRST. IT WILL UPGRADE THE VIT STAT BOOST FROM KUSHI/SAKI MITAMA ON PHANTOM FROM +2 TO +3, MAKING IT VIRTUALLY WORTH 2 POINTS OF VIT, AND SAVE YOU TONS OF MONEY ON MULTIPLE MITAMAS IF YOU'RE GOING TO BEAT THE GAME WITH THIS GUY LIKE I DO IN THE HARD ANY% SPEEDRUN THAT ACHIEVES SHIJIMA ENDING.

YOU CAN MAKE MOTHMAN LIKE THE SPEEDRUN BY USING ORTHRUS + PISACA. PASS ALONG LIFE DRAIN AND WATCHFUL FROM PISACA AND USE SAKI MITAMA TO GRAFT ON TETRAKARN. MOTHMAN IS ONE OF THE BEST TETRAKARN USERS IN THE GAME, BECAUSE HE LEARNS NULL:ELEC. AWEEEKUPWIKUPIKUPEKL.

HORUS CAN BE UPGRADED AGAIN INTO DIONYSUS BY FUSING WITH A RATHER CHEAP TAKE-MINAKATA. THIS GUY STARTS WITH NULL:FIRE AS A PASSIVE SKILL WHICH COULD BE GOOD TO PASS ON TO SOMETHING ELSE LATER. HE IS OF THE UNUSUAL FURY CLAN SO WE CAN USE HIM TO MAKE REALLY UNUSUAL STUFF LIKE TYRANTS LATER ON BY FUSING WITH VILES LIKE BAPHOMET, ARAHABAKI, OR SAMAEL.

IF YOU'RE A WEEB AND LIKE PRETTY GIRLS THAT GOT RENDERED AS PRETTY BOYS IN THIS GAME, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER INVESTING INTO AMATERASU. AMMY IS A SPECIAL FUSION THAT MUST BE MADE BY COMBINING YATAGARASU AND MIKAZUCHI AND SACRIFICING AME-NO-UZUME. THOSE TWO FUSION MATERIALS ARE ALSO JUST GOOD DEMONS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.

SOME NOTABLE RECIPES FOR YATAGARASU:
HORUS + INUGAMI (WATCHFUL)
APSARAS + QING LONG (LIFE GAIN)
UNICORN + ORTHRUS (FIRE BOOST, MEDIA/RAKUKAJA/ME PATRA/TETRAJA)

I LOOKED UP RECIPES FOR MIKAZUCHI AND THEY ALL SUCK, EXCEPT MAYBE MOMUNOFU + BLACK FROST OR QUETZALCOATL + BAPHOMET, WHICH ARE MUCH HIGHER LEVEL THAN THE LEVEL 45 DEMON WE'RE TARGETING. LET'S JUST ELEMENT FUSE OKUNINUSHI WITH ERTHYS INSTEAD. OKUNINUSHI IS THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE SOURCE OF AGIDYNE SO HE'S NOT BAD IN HIS OWN RIGHT. MAKE OKUNINUSHI WITH HORUS AND A SNAKE, DIONYSUS AND A HOLY/SNAKE, OR MIZUCHI+BAPHOMET. YOU CAN PROBABLY MAKE MIZUCHI CHEAPER BY FUSING NAGA WITH AQUANS/FLAEMIS, AND ADD LIFE GAIN TOO. LET ME WALK YOU THROUGH EXACTLY HOW I WOULD DO THIS, USING THE REGISTERED ERTHYS I SUGGESTED FOREVER AGO:
BUY KODAMA AND PRETA/CHORONZON FROM THE COMPENDIUM FOR CHEAP TO FUSE INTO BAPHOMET WITH SUKUKAJA.
MIZUCHI + BAPHOMET -> OKUNINUSHI (MAKAKAJA, SUKUKAJA)
OKUNINUSHI + ERTHYS -> MIKAZUCHI (MAKAKAJA, FOCUS, RAKUKAJA)
HOLD ON, IF YOU'VE KEPT ONI THIS WHOLE TIME YOU SHOULD FUSE ONI WITH A CHEAP BRUTE FROM YOUR COMPENDIUM AND MAKE A NEW ERTHYS WITH LIFE GAIN (AND FOCUS IF HE HAS IT) AND LEVEL THAT ONE UP FOR RAKUKAJA. HE LEARNS DARK SWORD WHICH IS THE STRONGEST SINGLE TARGET PHYSICAL SKILL IN THE GAME FOR DEMONS, IT SCALES ON HP SO DO BRING LIFE GAIN IF YOU CAN.

JINN IS HARD TO MAKE BUT CAN BE GOOD. IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE TWO STEPS; RECRUIT TROLL WITH SEDUCE OR SOUL RECRUIT, OR FUSE ONE VIA A SNAKE AND A DIVINE/MEGAMI, THEN MAKE BERITH WITH BAPHOMET (REMEMBER BAPHOMET IS WAY CHEAPER TO MAKE BY HAND WITH KODAMA AND ANY HAUNT) AND PRINCIPALITY.
BLACK FROST + CHORONZON IS CHEAP AND EASY BUT DON'T FUSE BLACK FROST AWAY TOO EARLY, YOU'LL PROBABLY NEED HIM IN THE LAST ROOM OF THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. THEN YOU CAN FUSE JINN AND WHITE RIDER TO MAKE LOA, IT'S WHAT MY PREFERRED SPEEDRUN ROUTE USES TO PREPARE FOR THE VERY END OF THE GAME WHEN WHITE RIDER IS NO LONGER HELPFUL.
JINN CAN TRANSFORM INTO EFREET AND TURN INTO A VERY POWERFUL MAGE. OR ELEMENT FUSE HIM UP INTO PULUSHIKI AS SOON AS YOU'RE ABLE, CONSIDER REGISTERING AND BUYING HIM BACK IF YOU DO.

IF YOU STILL HAVE UZUME, BE CAREFUL ABOUT PUMPING ANY FURTHER EXPERIENCE INTO HER. SINCE YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE HER TO MAKE AMATERASU, IT'S POSSIBLE YOU'LL JUST BE DELAYING YOURSELF FROM ACTUALLY MAKING AMMY RIGHT AT LEVEL 56, AND SHE'S ONE OF THE EARLIEST SOURCES OF DEBILITATE. YOU CAN USE YOUR UZUME AS FUSION MATERIAL FOR HORUS TO GET RID OF HER AND THEN START RAISING A NEW ONE. I THINK LEVEL 25 IS A DECENT SPOT FOR TRIBUTE-FODDER UZUME? I FORGET. TRY TO ROLL FOR AT LEAST +1 MAGIC ON AMATERASU, THAT'S THE ONLY RANDOM PART OF FUSION CREATION IN HD.

THE REASON WHY I SET A CAP ON THIS SECTION AT 52 IS THAT'S THE LEVEL YOU CAN MAKE THE OTHER BEST FIEND, WHITE RIDER. YOU CAN ONLY FUSE HIM AT NEW OCLOCK, MIZUCHI + HIGH PIXIE IS THE RECIPE I RECOMMEND TO GIVE HIM MAKAKAJA AND RAKUNDA. ANY SNAKE AND ANY FAIRY WILL WORK, TITANIA OR QUETZALCOATL FOR GLACIAL BLAST IS ALSO A SOLID OPTION. USE MITAMAS TO GIVE HIM FIRE BOOST, AND ICE BOOST IF YOU'RE DOING GLACIAL BLAST TOO. LIFE GAIN IS SOLID TOO. THIS GUY WILL BE YOUR BEST DAMAGE-DEALING MAGE FOR RANDOM ENCOUNTERS AND BOSS FIGHTS ALIKE. GOD'S BOW SOLVES ALMOST ANY PROBLEM AND BOOSTED PROMINENCE WILL MAKE TORNADO LOOK LIKE A HURRICANE FEMA COULD ACTUALLY HANDLE. UNFORTUNATELY HE DOESN'T LEARN ANY GOOD ABILITIES EXCEPT MANA AID. I KNOW IT SOUNDS STUPID BUT IT REALLY INCREASES YOUR SUSTAINABILITY WHILE EXPLORING, WITH A HIGH ENOUGH MAGIC STAT HE'LL BASICALLY HAVE 1 OR 2 FREE SPELLS IN EVERY ENCOUNTER, MIGHT AS WELL BE INFINITE MP.

OH WAIT THERE'S ONE OTHER SILLY REASON LEVEL 52 IS A BENCHMARK. IF YOU LEVEL UP HIGH PIXIE TO LEVEL 16, ONE PAST WHEN SHE LEARNS ALL HER ABILITIES, SHE'LL TRANSFORM INTO THE LEVEL 56 NIGHT, QUEEN MAB. BUY A HIGH PIXIE FROM YOUR COMPENDIUM IF YOU FEEL LIKE DOING THIS. QUEEN MAB LEARNS MEDIARAHAN FIRST WHICH IS GOOD, IF YOU KEEP GOING TO THE END SHE LEARNS 3 GARBAGE ABILITIES AND FINALLY MAZIODYNE. BUT TRUST ME, IT'S NOT WORTH THE 60000+ EXP IT TAKES TO GET THERE. THERE'S NO ROOM TO ADD ELEC BOOST TO HER, HIGH PIXIE STARTED WITH A FULL LIST OF ABILITIES. THE REAL VALUE IS GETTING A LEVEL 56 NIGHT OUT OF A HIGH PIXIE THAT COSTS NOT EVEN 5000 MACCA, THEN YOU CAN USE HER AS FUSION MATERIAL TO MAKE SOMETHING WAY BETTER THAN HIGH PIXIE COULD. THE ACTUAL BEST THING TO FUSE WITH HER? A ROTTEN ELEMENT TO DOWNFUSE HER INTO LOA, IT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE ONE. OTHERWISE YOU CAN FUSE WITH BASICALLY ANYTHING (DIONYSUS OR ANY VILE/FIEND/TYRANT) TO MAKE KALI WHICH IS ONE OF THE BEST LATEGAME DEMONS BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY FINISH BEFORE YOU EVEN NEED HER.

*AMALA TEMPLE*

HERE ISAMU THE BITTER NERD HAS A LITTLE GAUNTLET CHALLENGE FOR US, TO BEAT THESE THREE POWERFUL DEMONS IN ANY ORDER WE LIKE. DOMINION APPEARS IN THE COURTYARD HERE, I RECOMMEND RECRUITING ONE WITH HIGH PIXIE/UZUME'S SEDUCE OR VALKYRIE'S SOUL RECRUIT. NOT TO USE HIM IN BATTLES, UNLESS YOU DON'T HAVE TETRAKARN YET, BUT HE DOES START WITH DIARAHAN SO HE'S A GREAT WATER BOY TO KEEP YOUR TEAM HEALED, AND HE WILL ALSO MAKE FOR SOME GREAT FUSION MATERIAL LATER ON.

I RECOMMEND GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD AND DOING WHITE TEMPLE FIRST.

*WHITE TEMPLE*

YES IT'S ANOTHER ANNOYING TELEPORT MAZE...GO LEFT AND TAKE THE LEFT DOOR FIRST, STRAIGHT TWICE, AROUND THE CORNER TO THE LEFT FOR SOMA IN THE MYSTICAL CHEST, 180 DEGREES RIGHT IN THE NEXT ROOM, THEN YOU'LL BE UPSTAIRS.
HERE ARE SOME COMPASS DIRECTIONS TO SOLVE THE TELEPORT MAZE...
WEST, NORTH
NORTH, WEST
NORTH, SOUTH, GET THE BLESSED FAN BEHIND YOU TO SELL FOR 50000 LATER (WHY DO YOU WANT MAHAMA ON MC? YOU SHOULD HAVE MAHAMAON ON INFINITE MP DAISOUJOU BY NOW), START OVER
ONCE YOU'RE IN THE THIRD ROOM AGAIN, GO EAST
THEN NORTH, WEST

*ALBION*

CULEX, IS THAT YOU? THIS IS ANOTHER BRILLIANT PUZZLE FIGHT FROM ATLUS. ALBION ALWAYS GOES FIRST AND ONLY USES PHYSICAL ATTACKS. HIS FOUR PIECES OF CANDY, THE FOUR ZOAS NAMED AFTER SOME WILLIAM BLAKE STUFF, DO PHYSICAL ATTACKS OR SPELLS OF THEIR ELEMENT. THEY REPEL THAT ELEMENT AND ARE WEAK TO THE OPPOSITE.
IF ALBION DIES, THE ZOAS REVIVE HIM.
IF ALL FOUR ZOAS DIE, ALBION REVIVES THEM.
SO YOU NEED TO WEAKEN HIS SIDE DOWN TO 1 OR 2 ZOAS, THEN PERFORM A FURIOUS OTK (ONE TURN KILL). ATLUS WAS KIND AND PROGRAMMED A SLUMP POSE FOR ALL OF THEM TO SHOW WHEN THEY'RE ALMOST DEAD.
SAKI MITAMA'S MAZANMA AND MAZIONGA CAN BE GREAT HERE, ONCE YOU TAKE OUT THE RELEVANT ZOA.
SINGLE TARGET SPELLS ARE WHAT YOU NEED, YOU SHOULD HAVE LOTS OF OPTIONS ON THE VARIOUS DEMONS I'VE MENTIONED IN THE FUSION SECTIONS:
MIZUCHI: BUFULA
DIS/VALKYRIE: AGILAO
KOPPA/KARASU: ZANMA
OKUNINUSHI: AGIDYNE
RAIJU/PHANTOM/MIKAZUCHI: ZIONGA/ZIODYNE
ALBION DOES PRETTY HUGE DAMAGE THOUGH, I RECOMMEND EITHER MAINTAINING TETRAKARN SO ALBION KILLS HIMSELF OR THROWING DOWN AS MUCH WAR CRY/RAKUKAJA AS YOU CAN EARLY ON.

MUCH LIKE WITH SPECTER 3, YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF FARMING THESE RESPAWNING ENEMIES. BUT THE REWARD EXP HERE IS ALSO CAPPED AT 20000.

*RED TEMPLE*

I KNOW WHY YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS SECTION. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET TO THE SECOND FLOOR: IT'S THE FOURTH DOOR ON YOUR RIGHT IN THAT NORTHERN PASSAGE.

UPSTAIRS, YOU HAVE TO GO INTO THE SHADOW REALM ON PURPOSE, AFTER WALKING DOWN THE NEXT HALL JUST GO IN A LITTLE CIRCLE THROUGH THE DOOR ON YOUR RIGHT TO REMOVE THE JELLO. AFTER THAT, YOU WANT THE LEFT DOOR, THEN THE MIDDLE DOOR, TO REACH THE BOSS.

THE ENCOUNTERS IN HERE ARE REALLY DANGEROUS BY THE WAY. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FIRE COVERAGE BUT ALSO ADAMA BECAUSE PHANTOM CAN SHOW UP IN BIG GROUPS, STEALING THEIR WHOLE TURN WITH REPEL ELEC WILL SAVE YOUR ASS. THIS IS WHY I RECOMMEND FIGHTING ALBION FIRST.

*SKADI*

SKADI HAS ONLY 4000 HP BUT ABSORBS PHYSICAL. SHE ATTACKS WITH MAZANDYNE, HOLY WRATH, THUNDERCLAP, AND MAKAJAMON, CHOOSE YOUR MAGATAMA ACCORDINGLY. I SUGGEST USING DAISOUJOU OR SAKI MITAMA AS YOUR HEALER, AS THEY NULL AILMENTS AND WON'T GET MUTED, AND ALSO PROVIDE LIGHT IMMUNITY TOO. SHE HAS A SMALL CHANCE TO USE A NORMAL ATTACK. THERE'S TWO GIMMICKS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.

IF SHE USES TARUKAJA TWICE, THIS IS TELEGRAPHING HER NEXT TURN: EARTHQUAKE INTO RAKUKAJA. EARTHQUAKE IS RIDICULOUSLY STRONG. ON NORMAL YOU'LL STAND A CHANCE OF SURVIVING IF YOU USE DEKAJA INTO WAR CRY, AND HAVE SOME RAKUKAJAS ALREADY SET UP. THE EASY SOLUTION IS TO JUST USE TETRAKARN AND LAUGH.

THE OTHER THING YOU NEED TO KNOW, IS THAT AFTER SHE TAKES 2000 DAMAGE, SHE'LL SPEND HER TWO TURNS DOING DEKUNDA AND DEKAJA. FREEZING WAVES SHOOT OUT OF ZOMA'S FINGERS!! THE EFFECT OF THE SPELL IS GONE. HOWEVER, DOING HER FOLLOWUP ROUTINE OF EARTHQUAKE AFTER 2X TARUKAJA OVERRIDES THIS. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN EXTRA TURN TO SHOVE OUT ALL THE DAMAGE YOU CAN AND KILL HER BEFORE SHE RESETS THE FIGHT.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE GOOD MAGIC DAMAGE AVAILABLE YOU CAN TRY USING KAMIKAZE/SACRIFICE STRATS INSTEAD.

*BLACK TEMPLE*

GETTING THROUGH HERE IS ACTUALLY REALLY EASY IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. BUT IT'S NOT OBVIOUS. YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO *NOT* USE LIGHTOMA, GO SPIN AROUND SOMEWHERE SAFE UNTIL NEW OCLOCK TO MAKE IT WEAR OFF. HERE'S HOW YOU ONE-TIME THE WHOLE PLACE.

WALK STRAIGHT AHEAD IN THE DARK AND GO UPSTAIRS. UPSTAIRS? IT'S A BIG BLUE RAY OF LIGHT. ♥♥♥♥ ME.
WALK STRAIGHT SOME MORE. TAKE THE BLACK FLAME. BLACK FLAME. THAT MEANS NEW GAME PLUS ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.
LEAVE AND GO 45 DEGREES TO THE LEFT. PRESS YOUR CONFIRM BUTTON TO JUMP INTO THE PIT. IF IT'S DARK, YOU'LL SOMEHOW HAVE GREATER ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY AND SHATTER THE FLOOR TO GET INTO THE BASEMENT. GO NORTH FOR 1 BEAD, OR GO SOUTH TO HIT THE TERMINAL AND SAVE BEFORE THE BOSS.

*ACIEL*

8000 HP SOUNDS LIKE A LOT BUT BEATING HIM IS ACTUALLY TRIVIAL PROVIDED YOU BROUGHT A DEMON WITH TETRAKARN.

JUST USE TAUNT ON HIM TWICE (REFRESH IT IF HE USES DEKUNDA) AND MAINTAIN TETRAKARN EVERY TURN. USE MP ITEMS AND MAKATORA TO MAKE THIS EASIER. IF YOU PUT TETRAKARN ON DAISOUJOU OR A DEMON WITH MANA DRAIN/LIFE DRAIN THEN YOU CAN MAINTAIN IT FOREVER WITHOUT ISSUE SO LONG AS YOU PASS CLEVERLY TO GIVE THAT DEMON TWO TURNS EVERY ROUND. REFLECTING HIS TEMPEST WILL MAKE SOME VERY PLEASING BIG NUMBERS APPEAR ON SCREEN. IF THEY SEEM EXTRA BIG, IT MEANS HE GOT A CRIT, BUT THE GAME DOESN'T REPORT THIS.

HOWEVER, VICTORY IS NOT COMPLETELY ASSURED. ACIEL HAS ANOTHER ATTACK PATTERN: USING DRAGON EYE AND MANA DRAINING 5 TIMES. THIS ISN'T "CHEESE DETECTION", HE JUST DOES THIS SOMETIMES. YOU CAN USE FOG BREATH AND SUKUKAJA TO MITIGATE THIS BUT HE'S STILL VERY, VERY ACCURATE, YOU'LL NEED A BIG DIFFERENTIAL TO ACTUALLY GET SOME DODGES. THIS IS WHY YOU SAVE BEFORE FIGHTING THIS GUY, IN CASE YOU GET YOUR MP WRIGGEDY WRECKED AND HAVE TO USE TOO MANY ITEMS.

HE WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW UP SOL NIGER (IT MEANS BLACK SUN IN LATIN) WITH A NORMAL ATTACK. HAVE TETRAKARN OR AN ATTACK MIRROR UP HERE AT THE VERY MINIMUM.

ONE TINY DETAIL TO BE AWARE OF, PARTY MEMBERS WITH RESIST PHYSICAL WILL REFLECT HALF AS MUCH DAMAGE. BUT NULL PHYSICAL WILL REFLECT THE FULL AMOUNT THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN AS IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT. WEIRD BUT IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY WAY TO INCREASE YOUR DAMAGE OUTPUT IF YOU CAN'T WEAVE IN SOME EXTRA ATTACKS WHILE MAINTAINING TETRAKARN. DARK/BRIGHT MIGHT CAN MAKE THAT EASY. ALSO HE IS IMMUNE TO YEEHAW ELEMENT (LAST RESORT/SACRIFICE/KAMIKAZE).

*MIFUNASHIRO*

WHY THE ♥♥♥♥ DID THE ANGELS NOT FLY HERE AND DISCOVER THAT CALDERA SOONER??!?! ANYWAY... SAVE BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE IN HERE. SHIKI-OUJI CAN APPEAR. HE IS WEAK TO FIRE AND NULLS PHYS/LIGHT/DARK. AND HE USES BOTH FLAVOURS OF INSTANT KILL, THAT SUCKS. THE ONLY WAY TO PLAY AROUND IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENDURE, IS TO INGEST GEIS/SOPHIA AND MAYBE COMBINE IT WITH ANTI-DARK PASSIVE FROM ANATHEMA. I GUESS THE "COUNTERPLAY" IS THAT YOU CAN SAVE THE GAME AT THE ENTRANCE AND HALFWAY THROUGH THIS VERY SHORT AREA.

THERE'S A DIAMOND HIDING IN A MYSTICAL CHEST BEHIND THE SECOND LADDER PILLAR, CHEEKY CAMERA ANGLE. IF IT'S NOT A GOOD TIME, IT TAKES ABOUT 8 CYCLES TO WALK FROM HERE TO THE BOSS FIGHT AND BACK.

I SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION, IF YOU'RE LEVEL 55 BY NOW, RECRUITING GOGMAGOG HERE OR IN WHITE TEMPLE MIGHT BE A REALLY GOOD IDEA. I WOULD CONSIDER THAT TO BE INCREDIBLY OVERLEVELED BUT MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A JOLLY TIME JUST EXPLORING THE GAME AND VIBING. ADDING GOGCHAMP AND MAKING HIM YOUR NEWEST EXPERIENCE HOG (MORE LIKE EXPERIENCE GOG) WILL INCREASE YOUR FUN EVEN MORE, JUST TRUST ME. IF RECRUITING IS TOO HARD YOU CAN DO AN ELEMENT FUSION OF SARUTAHIKO + ERTHYS INSTEAD, AND ADD THOSE NICE ABILITIES OUR REGISTERED ERTHYS HAS.

*FUTOMIMI/SERAPHS*

SO THIS IS COOL, IF YOU WERE LEADING CHIAKI ALONG AND CONVINCED HER YOU'RE ON HER TEAM OF YOSUGA, SHE'LL OFFER YOU THE CHANCE TO AGREE WITH HER AND KILL FUTOMIMI. IF YOU MASHED A IN EVERY REASON CUTSCENE WHERE THEY ASK IF YOU AGREE/DISAGREE/I DUNNO THEN YOU'LL HAVE THIS OPTION. IF YOU FIGHT FUTOMIMI, THE ONLY ENDINGS YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET ARE YOSUGA AND THE TRUE DEMON ENDING. OTHERWISE, SHE'LL CALL YOU USELESS AND SUMMON HER SERAPH MINIONS AND YOU HAVE TO FIGHT THEM NO MATTER WHAT. LET ME TALK ABOUT HOW TO BEAT FUTOMIMI FIRST BECAUSE HE'S WAY EASIER.

FUTOMIMI ONLY ATTACKS WITH FOCUS, LUNGE, AND MUTE GAZE. IF YOU USE SOME KAJAS, HE WILL BE VERY LIKELY TO USE WAR CRY. FUTOMIMI HAS 5500 HP AND RESIST PHYSICAL. IF YOU DON'T HAVE DEKUNDA, HE WILL BE HARD TO KILL...WITH YOUR OWN DAMAGE. THAT'S RIGHT, WE CAN DO THE EXACT SAME THING AS ACIEL, AND USE HIS OWN DAMAGE AGAINST HIM WITH TETRAKARN AND TAUNT. TAUNTRAKARN. THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN LOSE IS A CRITICAL PARTY MEMBER GETTING MUTED, YOUR TETRAKARN USER RUNNING OUT OF MP AND ITEMS TO RESTORE IT, OR MC GETTING PWNT BY FOCUS INTO LUNGE ON TURN 0, SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO RELOAD AND WALK BACK FROM MIFUNASHIRO A-- WAIT THEY JUST CALLED THE S-TERMINAL "MIFUNASHIRO" AS WELL IN HD FOR NO REASON, A LITERAL DOWNGRADE FROM THE PS2 VERSION-- THEN INGEST KAMUDO/MURAKUMO/KAMUROGI AND HE SHOULD SURVIVE.

AS FOR THE SERAPHS, THIS FIGHT IS WAY MORE INTERESTING AND DYNAMIC. ALL THREE OF THEM HAVE 3000 HP AND RESIST MAGIC.
RAPHAEL THE BLUE GUY GOES FIRST AND TYPICALLY USES TETRAKARN OR MAKARAKARN AT RANDOM. SOMETIMES HE WILL ATTACK WITH STASIS BLADE, OR USE DIARAHAN. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DISASTER BUT I CALL IT SHIELDS DOWN, TIME TO GO THE ♥♥♥♥ IN. MORE ON THAT LATER.
URIEL GOES SECOND, HE'S THE BIGGER DAMAGE DEALER WITH PROMINENCE, AND SOMETIMES HE'LL USE BEAST EYE TO POTENTIALLY GIVE RAPHAEL AN EXTRA TURN, THAT'S BAD.
GABRIEL GOES LAST, HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A GUY BUT SMT HAS PORTRAYED HIM AS A WOMAN FOR A GOOD WHILE. SHE USES MAZIODYNE AND LIGHT SPELLS. BRING ABSORB/REPEL FIRE/LIGHT/ELEC TO END THEIR TURN CYCLE EARLY.

ON HARD YOU SHOULD RESPECT THE SERAPHS' OFFENSIVE POTENTIAL AND HIT THEM HARD WITH FOG BREATH AND WAR CRY ON TURN 1. THEY DON'T HAVE BUFFS AND DEBUFFS OR DE-K MOVES SO SET UP AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE. AFTER THAT, YOU'LL WANT TO BOOST YOUR OFFENSIVE POWER, BOTH PHYSICAL AND MAGICAL. YOU CAN ALWAYS ATTACK WITH THE OPPOSITE TYPE THAT RAPHAEL DIDN'T SHIELD AGAINST. USE FOCUS TO TRY TO BURST DOWN RAPHAEL FIRST. DURING TETRAKARN TURNS, USE TORNADO AND WHATEVER YOUR STRONGEST MULTI-HITTING MAGIC IS. THAT WAY, EVEN IF RAPHAEL USES DIARAHAN, YOU STILL MANAGED TO STICK SOME DAMAGE ON THE OTHERS. IF YOU THINK I SOUND LIKE A MORON, GO AHEAD AND HAVE FUN DRAINING ALL OF RAPHAEL'S MANA. WITH MAX MAKAKAJA AND RAKUNDA/TAUNT IT ACTUALLY WON'T TAKE THAT LONG. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT'S FASTER? JUST GOING FOR DAMAGE LIKE I SUGGEST. REMEMBER, RAPHAEL DOESN'T ALWAYS USE A KARN, AND DURING THOSE TURNS YOU CAN CRANK OUT BOTH TYPES OF DAMAGE AS HARD AS POSSIBLE, HE PROBABLY WON'T SURVIVE TWO SHIELDS-DOWN TURNS.

IF YOU STILL HAVE MAKAMI, HE'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE PERFECT DEMONS TO USE FOR THIS FIGHT. REPEL EXPEL WILL END THEIR TURNS EARLY AND HE BRINGS NULL FIRE TO PUNISH URIEL'S PROMINENCE TOO. MIZUCHI IS GOOD FOR ABSORB ELEC AND MAKARAKARN FOR MORE TEMPO. DAISOUJOU ALSO HAS REPEL EXPEL AND IS A GREAT HEALER AS USUAL, AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO HELP DRAIN RAPHAEL'S MP IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS THE BORING WAY RATHER THAN THE MANLY WAY. YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE REDUCES RAPHAEL'S MP TO 0? REDUCING HIS HP TO 0.

*TRUMPETER*

MAYBE YOU FOUND THAT SEALED TRAIN STATION IN THE GINZA PLATE, NORTH OF TOKYO TOWER, THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE TO GO. ALL THE WAY DOWN THE RAINBOW BRIDGE AGAIN. ON YOUR WAY, IF YOU HAVE A DEMON WITH LAST RESORT/SACRIFICE/KAMIKAZE, HAVE THEM USE IT, THEN REVIVE THEM WITH RECARM OR A REVIVAL BEAD, BUT THEN DON'T HEAL THEM, LEAVE THEM AT 4 HP. MY FUSION PARAGRAPHS SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED YOU WITH SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR A SELF-DESTRUCT MOVE: MOMUNOFU, TARAKA, XUANWU, ONGKHOT, PHANTOM.

IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN OBTAINING THE TRUE DEMON ENDING, YOU CAN JUST SAY "NO" AND YOU'LL HAVE A 60% CHANCE TO ESCAPE AND WALK RIGHT OVER THE TRIPWIRE, JUST LIKE WITH HELL BIKER. BUT HE'S ACTUALLY PRETTY EASY FOR THIS POINT OF THE GAME, IF YOU HEAR OUT MY EXPLANATION FOR HOW THIS FIGHT WORKS.

ON TURN 0 TRUMPETER WILL DEMONSTRATE HOW HIS SPECIAL ABILITY "HOLY MELODY" WORKS. HE AIMS IT AT WHICHEVER TARGET HAS THE LOWEST CURRENT% OF THEIR HP. IF YOU'VE GONE IN WITH EVERYONE AT FULL, HE'LL PICK RANDOMLY BETWEEN THE TIEBREAKERS. YOU MIGHT SEE HIM USE IT ON HIMSELF TO REVEAL THAT HIS MAX HP IS 11000, WHICH IS A NICE GESTURE BY ATLUS. HE WILL USE THIS ABILITY AGAIN AFTER TURN 8. MEANING IF HE'S THE CLOSEST TO DEAD, HE'LL JUST CASUALLY HEAL HIMSELF TO COMPLETELY FULL AGAIN. MAYBE YOU CAN ALREADY SEE WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS.

AFTER TURN 4 (AND TURN 12 IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T WON YET, AND EVERY 8 TURNS, ETC) HE WILL REVEAL ANOTHER SPECIAL ABILITY: EVIL MELODY. THIS IS AN UNAVOIDABLE ALMIGHTY INSTANT KILL ON WHICHEVER MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM HAS THE LOWEST CURRENT% HP. JUST ACCEPT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE A CHARACTER (IF THEY DON'T HAVE ENDURE, AND THEN DODGE WHATEVER FOLLOWUP TRUMPETER HAS FOR YOU) AND START TURN 5 WITH 3 PRESS TURNS. IT'S NOT THAT BAD.

SO HERE'S THE PLAN. WE NEED ONE OF OUR STARTING 3 DEMONS TO HAVE A PHYSICAL SKILL, BECAUSE THESE COST HP. IF YOU CAN MANAGE A FULL HEAL ON TURN 4, THEN PASS TO THIS DEMON, THEY WILL TAKE THE EVIL MELODY FOR YOU SO IT DOESN'T HIT A RANDOM TARGET AND TRULY ♥♥♥♥ YOU. ORTHRUS AND VALKYRIE ARE THE TYPICAL EXAMPLES I CAN THINK OF.

TRUMPETER'S MAIN ATTACK PATTERN IS THAT OF A BLACK MAGE WITH ALL FOUR ELEMENTS JUST LIKE ATROPOS, BUT HE HAS MEGIDOLAON TOO. HE ALSO USES MAKAKAJA SOMETIMES, AND OFTEN USES DEKAJA. YOU CAN DEBUFF HIM AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE AND HE WON'T EVER CLEAN IT OFF THOUGH. I WOULD CONSIDER DEKAJA TO BE A WASTED TURN, A BETTER OUTCOME THAN GETTING BLASTED BY MAGIC.

USE YOUR MAGATAMA AND DEMON TEAM TO CREATE A WAFFLE-MESH THAT BLOCKS ALL FOUR COLOURS OF MAGIC AND COVERS EACH OTHER'S WEAKNESSES. MIZUCHI IS AMAZING FOR THIS ONCE AGAIN BY CONTRIBUTING NULL ICE AND ABSORB ELEC, ESPECIALLY IF YOU MADE ONE BY FUSING RAJA NAGA WITH NULL:FIRE WITH AEROS/ERTHYS. KARASU/KURAMA/YATAGARASU HAVE REPEL/ABSORB FORCE WITH NO WEAKNESS. MAKAMI AND VALKYRIE COVER FIRE WITH NO WEAKNESS. MIKAZUCHI IS ALL I CAN THINK OF THAT'S HIGH LEVEL TO COVER ELEC, GENERALLY I WOULD RECOMMEND USING ADAMA OR NARUKAMI ON MC TO COVER ELEC FOR YOUR TEAM. YOU COULD ALSO CONSIDER DEDICATING A SKILL SLOT TO NULL:ICE/FORCE/ELEC WHICH YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE MAGATAMA THE GAME GIVES YOU FOR FREE, AND HIFUMI WHICH I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE PLAYING THIS GAME WITHOUT, IT'S SO DAMN OVERPOWERED.

SO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT TURN IT IS WHILE YOU FIGHT THIS GUY.
DURING TURN 4, FULLY HEAL YOUR PARTY THEN HAVE THE BAIT DEMON USE A PHYSICAL SKILL, TO TAKE EVIL MELODY FOR YOU. SUMMON A NEW ALLY ON TURN 5.
DURING TURN 8, SUMMON YOUR YEEHAW BAIT YOU LEFT AT 4 HP. THEIR CURRENT% HP IS LOWER THAN TRUMPETER'S, NO MATTER HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU'VE DONE TO HIM, SO THEY WILL SOAK UP HOLY MELODY AND ALLOW YOU TO RACE TO VICTORY AFTER THAT. FOR EXTRA COMEDY HAVE THEM USE FOCUS AND KAMIKAZE AGAIN JUST TO KILL TRUMPETER FASTER.

THE MESSAGE BOXES THAT TRUMPETER SPEAKS DURING THIS FIGHT ARE HIM TELLING YOU IF HE'S AT 75%, 50%, OR 25% HP REMAINING RESPECTIVELY. THE SLUMP POSE INDICATES 20% OR LESS, I BELIEVE. KIND OF USELESS INFORMATION IF YOU COUNT TURNS AND USE MY STRATEGY.

AFTER YOU WIN YOU CAN GO DOWN THE BIG STAIRS AT THE BACK, ON THE RIGHT SIDE IN THE DARK IS A CUBE WITH A MUSCLE DRINK IN IT. DON'T GO ANY FARTHER THAN THAT THOUGH, JUST TURN AROUND AND GO DOWN THE OTHER STAIRS.

DOWN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PLATFORM, YOU CAN DROP OFF ONE OF YOUR DEMONS TO THE PROSPECTOR GUY AND MANY DAYS OF KAGUTSUCHI ROTATIONS LATER, HE'LL DIG HIS WAY INTO A BIG TREASURE. YOU CAN JUST BUY A CHEAP PIXIE FROM COMPENDIUM, HE'LL STILL REACH IT EVENTUALLY. YOU REALLY SHOULD INVEST IN THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
DOWN THE LEFT SIDE IS A TERMINAL TO SAVE AT ON YOUR LEFT. HELL YEAH!!

TRUMPETER CALLS HIMSELF "THE LAST OF THE FIENDS" BUT IF YOU'VE BEEN DODGING THE OTHERS HE MIGHT BE THE THIRD ONE YOU'VE EVER SEEN. ANYWAY, ONCE YOU'VE DEFEATED HIM AND ALL THE OTHER FIENDS, YOU ARE NOW READY TO COMPLETELY FINISH THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. IT MIGHT NOT BE EASY BUT IT LEADS TO SOME VERY FUNNY MEMES IF YOU DO THAT BEFORE SETTING FOOT IN THE DIET BUILDING, SO I'M GOING TO WRITE ABOUT KALPAS 3 4 AND 5 RIGHT NOW. SKIP WAY AHEAD TO YURAKUCHO TUNNEL IF YOU WANT TO SKIP ALL THAT ♥♥♥♥. REMEMBER THAT TO GET THE TRUE DEMON ENDING, YOU HAVE TO FINISH THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA BEFORE SETTING FOOT IN THE FINAL DUNGEON (WHICH ISN'T THE UPCOMING DIET BUILDING, BUT THE ONE AFTER, THE TOWER OF KAGUTSUCHI).

*LABYRINTH OF AMALA THIRD 3RD KALPA*

THERE'S THREE POSSIBLE ROUTES THROUGH THE THIRD KALPA. YOU NEED 15 STRENGTH, 15 MAGIC, OR 15 MAYBE 10 LUCK? LUCK IS SO BAD, PLEASE DON'T GO THAT WAY UNLESS YOU'RE TRYING TO COMPLETE ALL THE BURIAL CHAMBERS FOR THE EXTRA PRESS TURN AVAILABLE IN "NEW GAME PLUS" CYCLE 2 AND BEYOND. NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, A CASUAL BUILD THAT GETS 15 IN EVERYTHING WOULD KINDA GO HARD. EXCEPT LUCK. I ONCE DID A "MAX LUCK FIRST" PLAYTHROUGH WITH THE ADDITIONAL LIMITATION OF WAIFUS ONLY, AND MANAGED SOMEHOW ANYWAY, IT WASN'T THAT BAD JUST BECAUSE OF MY SUPREME KNOWLEDGE. I GOTTA STREAM ANOTHER RUNTHROUGH OF THAT. ANACHRONISTIC GACHA PLAYING DEMIFIEND WHO NEEDS THE LUCKIEST PULLS AND THE PRETTIEST MONKE PIXELS.

STRENGTH IS TO THE WEST, MAGIC IS TO THE EAST, LUCK IS TO THE NORTH. I WON'T BOTHER PROVIDING DIRECTIONS THROUGH ALL THREE, GO LOOK AT A LESS COMICAL GUIDE IF YOU CARE THAT MUCH. THEY'RE ALL PRETTY SHORT AND EACH ONE HAS A THICKER DOOR THAT PROVIDES A REWARDING SHORTCUT PASSAGE INTO THE BASEMENT, IF YOUR STAT IS EVEN HIGHER. I THINK IT'S 25, 20, AND 15 FOR THE STRENGTH MAGIC AND LUCK ROUTES RESPECTIVELY. THESE HIDDEN PASSAGES HAVE A "GLORY BE TO THE..." DOOR THAT IS CHECKING YOUR DEMIFIEND'S ALIGNMENT, THAT'S RIGHT THIS GAME THAT BUCKED THE LAW/CHAOS DICHOTOMY OF THE FIRST TWO GAMES IN FAVOUR OF REASONS INSTEAD PUT IT BACK INTO THE GAME ANYWAY, HAHAHA. DEMIFIEND'S ALIGNMENT IS GOVERNED BY WHICH MAGATAMAS HE HAS MASTERED (LEARNED ALL THE SKILLS FROM). THE ALIGNMENTS ARE DARK (BLUE), LIGHT (WHITE) AND NEUTRAL (GREEN). FOR EXAMPLE MAROGAREH IS DARK AND NARUKAMI IS LIGHT AND WADATSUMI IS NEUTRAL. DEMIFIEND'S TITLE, THAT WORD TO THE LEFT OF THE GOVERNMENT NAME YOU GAVE HIM AT THE BEGINNING WHERE THE DEMON'S RACE IS NORMALLY LISTED, IS GOVERNED BY HIS ALIGNMENT. AT THE START OF THE GAME IT'S FIEND. AS YOU MASTER MAGATAMA, IT WILL BECOME THINGS LIKE SLAYER, SAINT, MASTER... THESE INDICATE WHICH ALIGNMENT DEMIFIEND IS. AND IT DOESN'T ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ MATTER EXCEPT FOR THESE THREE DOORS IN THE THIRD KALPA.

BEHIND THESE GLORY BE DOORS IS A SHADY BROKER SELLING SOME REALLY WILD STUFF.
LUCK'S NEUTRAL DOOR IS JUST SELLING DEATHSTONES, WHICH SUCKS, THERE'S MORE THAN ENOUGH AVAILABLE ALREADY. WHEW, THEY DIDN'T PUT ANYTHING WORTHWHILE BACK THERE.
ON THE MAGIC SIDE OF LIGHT, THE BROKER IS SELLING AN ARAHABAKI WITH BOTH KARNS AND ALL SORTS OF DEFENSIVE ABILITIES. IT'S LEVEL 50 AND MAKES FOR A GIGANTIC AMOUNT OF BONUS EXP IF USED AS THE SACRIFICE IN THREEWAY SAC FUSION AT FULL OCLOCK.
ON THE STRENGTH SIDE OF DARK, THE BROKER IS SELLING A VERY EXPENSIVE PRETA WITH SOME REALLY GOOD ABILITIES, LIKE BOTH KARNS AND MEGIDOLAON. I REALLY WANT TO DO ANOTHER NO DEMIFIEND GLITCHED PLAYTHRU THAT CAN GET IN HERE BECAUSE WHEN HE'S GONE FOREVER AND STUCK AT LEVEL 26, THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING ELSE TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY BUT OLD COMPENDIUM OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE TO LEVEL UP MANUALLY. THAT'S THE DREAM SCENARIO FOR THIS GUY.

THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THIS PLACE'S ARCHITECTURE IS THAT WHICHEVER OF 2 WAYS YOU TAKE TO GET INTO THE BASEMENT, THE WEST-FACING DOOR IN THE MIDDLE IS A ONE-WAY LADDER TO GET BACK TO THE FIRST FLOOR. THEN YOU PICK A WAY TO GO DOWN AGAIN. THERE, I JUST SAVED YOU A SECOND TRIP.
TO PROCEED FORWARD YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE OTHER DOOR WITH THE LADDER THAT GOES DOWN, WHERE THE FLAMES OF THE MENORAH OF SOVEREIGNTY WILL WARN YOU THAT A SERIOUSLY SPOOKY BOSS FIGHT IS IN HERE. YES, DOWN IN THE LABYRINTH. FAR FROM THE SAFETY OF THE TERMINAL. ARE YOU SCARED YET?

*SURVIVAL HORROR PAC-MAN*

DANTE THE DEMON HUNTER (OR RAIDOU THE DEVIL SUMMONER) IS GOING TO PROVE WHY HE GETS HIS PAYCHEQUES. MAY I REMIND YOU HE ALSO HAS TO SELL ALL HIS GEAR TO PAY RENT SO MAYBE HE ISN'T CHARGING ENOUGH. HE SHOULD JUST KILL HIS LANDLORD WHO IS CLEARLY A DEMON TOO. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (VERY IMPROPER EPITHET IN A GAME AS PROFANE AS THIS, SAY IT WITH ME, "BY MY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ UNHOLIES") WE'RE A DEMON AND HE'S GONNA HUNT US DOWN.

WE'RE A LAME JRPG PROTAGONIST, WE CAN'T WAVEDASH LIKE IN SUPER SMASH BROS MELEE, YOU GUESSED IT WE HAVE THE SLUGGISH CONTROLS OF A HORROR GAME GIRLY AND DANTE IS GONNA WACKY WAHOO PIZZA COMBO ALL OVER US LIKE MAHVEL 3 IF WE'RE NOT FAST ON THE STICKS.
DANTE WILL RUN AT YOU. IF HE TOUCHES YOU, A BATTLE WILL BEGIN WHERE HE OPENS WITH STINGER, WHICH HAS A HIGH CHANCE OF INSTANT KILLING WHILE IT DOES ALMIGHTY DAMAGE. YOU'LL PROBABLY LOSE A DEMON. HE MIGHT STICK AROUND FOR ONE MORE TURN BUT THEN HE'LL RUN AWAY. SO RUN AWAY FROM DANTE, BUT NOT TOO EARLY, HE CAN BE CLEVER AND TURN AROUND SOMETIMES IF THAT'S A SHORTER ROUTE. JUST SCOOBY DOO LEAD HIM AROUND AND LET HIM CHASE YOUR TAIL. HE'LL SHOOT YOU IF YOU'RE FAR AWAY, THIS WILL DEAL SMALL DAMAGE TO EVERYONE SUMMONED, JUST IGNORE IT NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOUR RUMBLE PAK IS SHAKING. DON'T BOTHER TRYING TO JUKE FROM SIDE TO SIDE UNLESS YOU FEEL LIKE IT.

TO BEAT DANTE'S FIRST CHALLENGE: RUN IN AND HIT THE FIRST SWITCH, THEN RETREAT THROUGH THE SAME ENTRANCE. RUN TO THE FAR SWITCH AND THEN FORWARD TO THE CLOSER DOOR AT THE OTHER SIDE. RUN CLOSE TO DANTE WHO SHOULD BE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU TO LURE HIM AWAY FROM THE EXIT. USE THE PAC-MAN WARP TUNNEL TO HANG A RIGHT AND GET OUT OF THERE.

THE SECOND CHALLENGE HAS 3 SWITCHES. YOU CAN TACKLE THESE ROOMS IN ANY ORDER YOU WANT. DANTE WILL CHASE YOU OUT OF THE FIRST TWO, THEN WAIT BY THE EXIT AFTER YOU HIT THE THIRD ONE. GETTING PAST THE EXIT IS SAME AS LAST TIME, USE THE TUNNEL TO BAIT HIM THEN RUN TO THE EXPOSED EXIT. HERE'S HOW TO HANDLE THE SWITCH PUZZLE ROOMS.

THE TWO ON THE EDGES HAVE AN IDENTICAL LAYOUT. AFTER HITTING THEM, YOU HAVE TO LET DANTE SEE YOU STANDING AT THE CORNER AND GIVE CHASE, THEN GO AROUND HIM THE OTHER WAY TO BEAT HIM TO THE EXIT.
IN THE MIDDLE ROOM IT'S GOT THOSE INVISIBLE WALLS, UNLESS YOU'RE PLAYING ON THE PLAYSTATION 3 DIGITAL RELEASE THEN THEY'RE JUST VISIBLE ALL THE TIME. LEARN THE LAYOUT AND WHERE THE LOOP IN THE MIDDLE IS. AGAIN LET DANTE CHASE YOU A BIT THEN GO THE OTHER WAY TO BAMBOOZLE HIM.

AFTER YOU BEAT DANTE'S PUZZLE AND GO DOWN THE SECOND LADDER, THERE WILL BE A SAFE ZONE WHERE YOU CAN PACE AROUND TO MAKE USE OF MANA REFILL AND SET UP DARK/BRIGHT MIGHT, AND THE SUSSY SURGEON TO HEAL YOUR TEAM AT AN EXORBITANT FEE. OR YOU CAN TALK TO THE TABLE GIRLS, THEY'LL WARP YOU BACK TO THE ENTRANCE FOR ABOUT 5000 MACCA, IF YOU WANT TO SAVE THE GAME AFTER ENDURING THIS UNEXPECTED 1D PLATFORMING. THERE IS A SOUL THAT IMPLIES DANTE IS JUST AHEAD, YOUR ONLY WARNING THAT CLICKING ON THE DOOR AHEAD WILL THROW YOU RIGHT INTO THE BOSS FIGHT. YOU GOT THE WARNING FLAREUP FROM THE MENORAH OF SOVEREIGNTY 3 FLOORS ABOVE.

*DANTE FROM DEVIL MAY CRY 2 // RAIDOU RUNBACK*

THIS TIME DANTE GETS THE JUMP ON YOU AND WILL SPEND IT DOING A PHYSICAL ATTACK. AGAIN HE WON'T LIKE BEING DEBUFFED SO USE KAJAS ON YOUR SIDE TO SET UP. DANTE 2 HAS 5000 HP AND WILL CHANGE PHASES AFTER TAKING 1000 THEN 3000 DAMAGE.

IN PHASE 2 HE WILL ADD ROUNDTRIP AND WHIRLWIND TO HIS ARSENAL, SO BRING FORCE AND ELEC PROTECTION AS A SECOND PRIORITY OVER RESIST PHYSICAL. HE ALSO MIGHT USE PROVOKE SO HE MIGHT GIVE YOU SOME TARUKAJAS FOR FREE. YOU CAN TAUNT HIM AND HE WON'T REMOVE IT NOW.

THE REASON WHY YOU WANT TO COUNT DAMAGE IS THAT PHASE 3 IS REALLY SCARY, EVEN WHEN THE SPEEDRUNS DELAY THIS FIGHT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. BEST TO BURST DAMAGE AND SKIP IT ALTOGETHER. DANTE ADDS SHOWTIME TO HIS ARSENAL, WHICH IS JUST HIS VERSION OF MEGIDOLAON, IT EVEN HAS THE SAME BASE POWER. IT'S ALMIGHTY AND CAN'T BE DODGED, IT'LL JUST HIT YOU FOR LIKE 250. AND HE CAN DO IT TWICE IN A ROW. USE TAUNT ON HIM WHEN YOU WANT TO GO FOR THE KILL. ALSO HE IS IMMUNE TO KAMIKAZE/SACRIFICE.

*LABYRINTH OF AMALA FOURTH 4TH KALPA*

THIS AREA IS REALLY SMALL, WHICH IS NICE BECAUSE SOME OF IT SUCKS. THERE'S A FEW SQUARES OF THAT YUCKY CURSED STUFF THAT WILL HEAVILY REDUCE YOUR TEAM'S HP WITH EVERY STEP. UNSUMMON YOUR DEMONS AND HOPE YOU DON'T GET INTO A FIGHT, MAYBE SUMMON THEM JUST IN CASE IF THE RADAR IS ALREADY RED. YOU CAN JUST TURN AROUND AND SAVE IN THE LOBBY AGAIN IF YOU'RE SUPER PARANOID.

DON'T BOTHER GOING LEFT, JUST ACROSS TO THE NORTH DOOR. IN THE NORTH WING THERE'S A MYSTICAL CHEST WITH A SOMA, AND A SHADY BROKER SELLING A MOTHMAN WITH EVERY MA-DYNE SPELL AND MEGIDOLAON. THIS DEMON ALSO STARTS WITH 25 MAGIC, WHICH IS SOMETHING YOU'LL NEED TO REACH THE END OF THE 5TH KALPA. HE'S LEVEL 60 AND COSTS 50000 MACCA.

CHECK WHAT TIME IT IS THOUGH. IF IT'S FALLING 3/8 YOU SHOULD JUST BOOK IT TO THE EAST AND WALK UP TO THE STRANGE TUNNEL IN THE BASEMENT KNOWN AS THE 12 METERS OF ETERNITY. WHERE IT SENDS YOU DEPENDS ON THE MOON CLOCK. TO REACH THE BOSS OF THIS AREA YOU HAVE TO ENTER AT NEW OCLOCK. THE OTHER AREAS ARE INTERESTING BUT GO READ A MORE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR INFO ON THOSE. THERE'S A BIG INTERESTING SIDE QUEST WHERE YOU GO BACK TO ZOSHIGAYA CEMETERY, WHERE YOU POPPED OUT FROM THE GREAT UNDERPASS OF GINZA TO REACH IKEBUKURO, AND GET A SPECIAL AFTERLIFE BELL, AND USE IT TO SOOTHE THE SOULS OF FUTOMIMI AND SAKAHAGI'S ORIGINAL HUMAN INCARNATIONS, WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU TO FUSE THEM IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SHADOWS. FUTOMIMI IS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD, HE LEARNS FOCUS, LIFE SURGE, AND MANA SURGE. YOU CAN EITHER USE HIM AS FUSION MATERIAL OR PUT GOOD ABILITIES ONTO HIM.

*BEELZEBUB*

MAKE SURE YOUR WHOLE TEAM HAS NULL DEATH IF POSSIBLE. IF NOT, HAVE AN OPTION FOR TETRAJA READY FOR LATER IN THE FIGHT. FORCE AND ELEC COVERAGE IS ALSO NICE.

THIS IS THE ONLY GUILTY CASE OF NOCTURNE DOING THE ATLUS BOSS THING OF "I'M GONNA PUNISH YOU IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW MY INVISIBLE RULES". I THINK I FIGURED THIS ONE OUT ON MY OWN THOUGH FROM MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE FINAL BOSS OF ETRIAN ODYSSEY.

IF YOUR SIDE REACHES +4 BUFFS OR HE REACHES -4 IN ANY STAT, BEELZEBUB WILL ENRAGE AND DO A TURN OF DEKUNDA + FOCUS, INTO DEKAJA + ATTACK. I FIND THIS ATTACK TENDS TO TARGET MC. IF YOU USE AN ATTACK MIRROR OR TETRAKARN, HE'LL DO SOMETHING ELSE, BUT THAT FOCUS WON'T GO AWAY UNTIL HE ATTACKS. REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND DON'T GO PAST +/- 3 WITH YOUR BUFFS AND DEBUFFS. THIS MEANS YOU CANNOT USE 2 WAR CRY TO OFFSET TAUNT BECAUSE THAT WILL MAKE HIS MAGIC ATTACK HIT -4.

BEELZEBUB HAS 16000 HP AND RESISTS EVERYTHING EXCEPT FIRE. WHITE RIDER'S BOOSTED PROMINENCE IS THE KEY TO VICTORY HERE. ONCE YOU'RE SET UP THE BEST YOU CAN, IT'LL DO LIKE 1000 DAMAGE PER TICK, IT DOUBLE HITS SOMETIMES, AND THAT'S IF YOU DIDN'T JACK HIM UP WITH NIGI MITAMA FOR MORE MAGIC. OKUNINUSHI WITH AGIDYNE IS A GOOD OPTION. IF YOU DON'T HAVE STRONG FIRE MAGIC, JUST USE WHATEVER IS THE BEST DAMAGE YOU'VE GOT.

ONCE HE'S HALF DEAD HE'LL BE ABLE TO RANDOMLY DO DEKUNDA. MAKE SURE TO DEBUFF HIM AGAIN RIGHT AWAY OR HE MIGHT UPGRADE THAT TO DEKAJA. HE'LL ALSO START USING HIS SIGNATURE MOVE, DEATH FLIES. IT DOES ALMIGHTY DAMAGE AND ALSO ATTEMPTS TO DO A DARK-FLAVOURED INSTANT KILL ON EVERYONE IT HITS. BUT IT CAN BE DODGED. TETRAJA WILL BLOCK THIS EFFECT AND NEED TO BE REFRESHED.

AFTER YOU WIN, YOU SHOULD HAVE TIME TO LEAVE THE ROOM, GO LEFT TWICE AND PICK UP ONE DEATHSTONE, THEN COME BACK AND OPEN ALL THE MYSTICAL CHESTS IN HIS ROOM AT FULL OCLOCK. YOU DEFINITELY WANT THESE, THE REWARDS ARE 3 DIAMONDS (ONLY PURPOSE IS TO TRADE FOR GREAT CHAKRAS) 1 MAGIC INCENSE AND 1 STRENGTH INCENSE. DON'T USE THESE RIGHT AWAY. EXIT THE DOOR PAST MOTHMAN AND TALK TO THE TABLE GIRLS FOR THE FASTEST WAY OUT, OR RETRACE YOUR STEPS BACK TO THE 12 METERS OF ETERNITY TO WALK BACK TO THE ENTRANCE. WITH BEELZEBUB DEAD THE HALLS ARE UNCURSED, YOU CAN GET 50000 MACCA AND ANOTHER DEATHSTONE IN THE UNCURSED AREA TO THE WEST. I CAN TELL YOU'RE EXCITED ALREADY, THAT MEANS THAT SPIRAL AREA IN NORTHWEST B1 OF THE 2ND KALPA IS READY TO BE EXPLORED NORMALLY AT LAST. YOU NEED TO GO THERE, TALK TO EFREET, TALK TO LOKI AT NYX'S BAR IN GINZA, THEN TALK TO THE COLLECTOR MANIKIN IN HIS SHOP IN ASAKUSA, TO FINISH OFF THE FINAL PART OF THE LABYRINTH.

IN MY FIRST DRAFT I PUT A FUSION SECTION HERE BUT DIDN'T WANT TO CAUSE SCROLLING UP TO AN IRRELEVANT PLACE JUST TO FIND IT, I DECIDED TO PUT THE LEVEL 55-76 FUSION PART AFTER THE DIET BUILDING, LOOK AT THAT IF YOU WANT SOME IDEAS FOR ENDGAME DEMONS TO BRING TO THIS AREA IF YOU'RE DOING IT LATER. BUT HERE'S ONE SPECIFIC IDEA I MUST BRING UP.
IF WHITE RIDER STILL HAS OPEN SKILL SLOTS I WOULD RECOMMEND ADDING GLACIAL BLAST AND ICE BOOST. THE SIMPLEST WAY I CAN SUGGEST TO DO THIS, IS TO RECRUIT/FUSE QUETZALCOATL, LEVEL HIM UP 3 TIMES TO LEARN ICE BOOST, THEN FUSE HIM WITH ANOTHER SNAKE TO MAKE AN AQUANS TO PASS ON GLACIAL BLAST AND ICE BOOST, THEN FUSE THE AQUANS WITH ANOTHER ELEMENT TO MAKE A MITAMA, WHICH YOU CAN FUSE TO WHITE RIDER TO FILL ANY EMPTY SKILL SLOTS. GLACIAL BLAST ALSO COMES FROM TITANIA THE FAIRY, WHICH YOU CAN RECRUIT IN YOYOGI PARK AT LEVEL 57, SHE STARTS WITH IT.

*LABYRINTH OF AMALA FIFTH 5TH KALPA*

TO OPEN THE WAY TO THE 5TH KALPA YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE 3RD KALPA AND DOWN TO THE FIRST BASEMENT. A GOLDEN DOOR IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE BY JACK FROST. FLY THROUGH THE KINGDOM HEARTS GUMMI SHIP RAIL SHOOTER STAGE AND HIT THE SWITCH, THEN RETURN.

HEAD DOWN THE LADDER INTO THE MAZE WHERE DANTE CHALLENGED YOU. IN THE FIRST BIG ROOM BLACK FROST WILL JOIN YOU AUTOMATICALLY IF YOU'VE DEFEATED HIM, UNLESS YOUR PARTY IS FULL, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN OPEN SLOT. RUN ON AHEAD AND EITHER TALK TO THE TABLE GIRLS OR KEEP GOING TO THE PEEPHOLE ROOM, EITHER WAY HEAD TO THE 4TH KALPA. GO THROUGH THE 12 METERS OF ETERNITY AT ANY TIME, WHEN YOU GET TO THE OTHER SIDE YOU'LL ENTER THE ROOM THAT LEADS TO THE 5TH KALPA.

AT THE VERY BEGINNING DANTE/RAIDOU WILL OFFER TO JOIN YOU. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY ACCEPT RAIDOU JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN PICK THE LOWER OPTION TO WIN 100000 MACCA FOR NO EFFORT. AND YOU'LL DEFINITELY NEED HIS HELP TO BEAT LUCIFER IF YOU'RE PLAYING ON HARD. IF IT'S DANTE, PICK HEADS (A REFERENCE TO THE TWO-HEADED COIN FROM DMC2) TO ONLY PAY 1 MACCA. THAT IS IF YOU WANT HIM. PERSONALLY I THINK DANTE IS A WASTE OF A DEMON SLOT, YOU CAN NEVER EVER GET RID OF HIM, YOU SIMPLY GET HIM TOO LATE IN THE GAME FOR HIM TO BE GOOD, AND HIS ANIMATIONS TAKE A REALLY LONG TIME. AT LEAST HE'S REALLY TANKY. HE CAN HELP YOU BEAT LUCIFER IF YOU POUR ABOUT 110000 EXP INTO HIM BUT TRUST ME YOU WILL BE FINE WITHOUT HIM.

THE 5TH KALPA IS THE MOST EXPANSIVE IN TERMS OF EXPLORATION. BUT YOU CAN GET TO THE BOTTOM REALLY QUICKLY IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO GO. YOU CAN TALK TO SHIKOME AND CALL HER PRETTY TO GET A FULL HEAL ONCE PER GAME. WATCH A SPEEDRUN OR CHECK A MAP IF YOU WANT TO GO THE RIGHT WAY, I WON'T WASTE BYTES, IT'LL TAKE TOO MUCH TO EXPLAIN. BASICALLY GO RIGHT FIRST, THEN STRAIGHT TO THE T THEN LEFT THREE TIMES, FROM THERE YOU'RE MOST OF THE WAY THERE.

THE BOTTOM FLOOR HAS THE RETURN OF THE JAW DOORS FROM THE 3RD KALPA, BUT THIS TIME THEY CARE ABOUT YOUR DEMONS' STATS. FAR AWAY TO THE LEFT/EAST, HE WANTS A DEMON WITH 25+ BASE STRENGTH. BOOSTS FROM MITAMAS DON'T COUNT. BUT YOU CAN USE A STRENGTH INCENSE ON BLACK FROST AND YOU'RE IN. AFTER THIS ONE, THE DOOR ASKS, "SHOW THE DEMON THAT HAS BEEN WITH YOU THE LONGEST". YOUR TEAM IS GENERALLY LISTED IN YOUR MENU IN ORDER FROM OLDEST TO YOUNGEST. JUST SAY YES TO THE FIRST THING HE ASKS. TECHNICALLY HE IS LOOKING FOR WHAT THE PIXIE FROM SHINJUKU MEDICAL CENTER EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO. UNLESS YOU PARTED WITH THIS DEMON OR USED IT AS THE SACRIFICE OF A SACRIFICIAL FUSION, IT SHOULD WORK. IF YOU'VE ONLY BEEN FUSING WHAT THIS GUIDE TELLS YOU TO, IT'S PROBABLY UZUME OR WHATEVER UZUME TURNED INTO, WHICH WOULD BE HORUS OR DIONYSUS. THE REWARD IS TRANSFORMING THIS DEMON INTO WHAT THE FANBASE ALWAYS CALLED "UBER PIXIE" BUT I JUST CALL HER LABYRINTH PIXIE BECAUSE SHE ISN'T GETTING OVER ANYTHING. I THINK SHE SUCKS. SHE MIGHT BE LEVEL 80 AND HAVE SOME FLASHY ABILITIES AND 30 ALL STATS, BUT MEGIDOLAON ISN'T ACTUALLY VERY GOOD. IN MY OPINION THE BEST WAY TO USE HER IS TO SACRIFICE HER TO TO MAKE A LOW LEVEL DEMON START AT LEVEL 92+ INSTEAD. DATSUE-BA NULLS NERVE AND MIND SO SHE'S VIABLE FOR LUCIFER, FUSE APSARAS AND SHIKIGAMI TO MAKE ONE.

I'M SLIGHTLY KIDDING, THE OTHER ADVANTAGE OF LABYRINTH PIXIE IS THAT SHE WILL OPEN MOST OF THE OTHER DOORS DOWN HERE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT "THE ONE WHO EMBODIES LIGHT/CHAOS", THESE REQUIRE METATRON AND BEELZEBUB RESPECTIVELY AND ARE VERY HIGH LEVEL, GO READ ANOTHER GUIDE TO LEARN HOW TO FUSE THEM, I DON'T KNOW AND I COMPLETE RUNS OF THIS GAME 10-25 LEVELS TOO EARLY FOR THAT. YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO VISIT THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA TO GET ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS EITHER BECAUSE IT'S TECHNICALLY DLC, NO PAY2WIN FOR STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS. BEATING NOCTURNE IS ENOUGH OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT, ISN'T IT? ♥♥♥♥ I'M RAMBLING.

ANYWAY, FOR THE 20 LUCK DOOR, SAKI MITAMA OR BLACK FROST WORK. BEHIND THAT ONE, "THE ONE WHOSE SOUL IS BLACK" IS OF COURSE, BLACK FROST. IN HERE THERE'S TWO MYSTICAL CHESTS WITH 5 GREAT CHAKRAS AND 5 BEADS OF LIFE. THESE ARE ALL THE HEALING ITEMS YOU'LL NEED FOR THE FINAL BATTLE, AND YOU CAN EVEN SELL HALF OF THEM FOR MORE MITAMA MONEY.

FOR THE 25 MAGIC DOOR, THERE'S A FEW OPTIONS THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY LIKELY TO HAVE:
- BLACK FROST WITH A MAGIC INCENSE
- AMATERASU WITH 2 MAGIC INCENSES
- THE 4TH KALPA SHADY BROKER MOTHMAN
- BLACK RIDER
- RANGDA WITH 1 MAGIC INCENSE
- NYX OR LILITH OF THE NIGHT CLAN

FOR THE 20 AGILITY DOOR: HORUS, KURAMA TENGU, OR HANUMAN/QITIAN DASHENG ARE LIKELY CANDIDATES.

YOU ONLY NEED TO GET THROUGH THE MAGIC DOOR THEN THE AGILITY DOOR TO REACH THE BOSS OF THE WHOLE LABYRINTH, WHICH I CONSIDER THE REAL FINAL BATTLE OF THIS GAME. IT'S SO EPIC BROOOO.

*METATRON*

GO IN WITH NULL LIGHT ON EVERYONE, NO EXCEPTIONS. THAT MEANS YOU INGEST ANKH/GEIS/SOPHIA ON MC. YOU CAN GET HIT WITH MAHAMAON ON TURN 0 BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN USE TETRAJA. I KNEW THOSE LAW ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WERE ALL CHEAP SHOTS. FLUTTER ALSO HAS A CLIP OF GETTING HIT BY DOUBLE MEGIDOLAON ON TURN 0 AND WIPING EVERYONE BUT DEMIFIEND WITH 250+250 DAMAGE, THAT'S A 4% CHANCE OF HAPPENING LMAO.

METATRON ALSO HAS 16000 HP AND RESISTS EVERYTHING EXCEPT ICE. HOWEVER IT FEELS LIKE A WAY BIGGER FIGHT THAN BEELZEBUB BECAUSE OF HOW EXHAUSTING PHASE 1 IS. THIS IS WHERE GLACIAL BLAST WITH ICE BOOST PAYS OFF THE MOST. WHITE RIDER HAS NULL LIGHT SO THAT'S WHY I SUGGESTED TO ADD IT TO HIM. TITANIA IS A VIABLE CHOICE BECAUSE SHE REPELS LIGHT, USE A LEVELED UP NIGI MITAMA OR SACRIFICE YOUR XUANWU TO GIVE HER ICE BOOST. SHE ALSO LEARNS MANA SURGE AND PRAYER SO SHE'S A GOOD DEMON TO KEEP AROUND.
YOU CAN LEARN GLACIAL BLAST ON MC AT LEVEL 52 FROM THE MIASMA MAGATAMA, AND EVEN IF YOU GAVE UP ICE BOOST THIS WILL OUTPERFORM TORNADO WITH FORCE BOOST, SO IF YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING UP A SKILL YOU COULD LEARN GLACIAL BLAST JUST FOR THIS (AND MAYBE NOAH LATER).

IN PHASE 1 METATRON WILL ALMOST ALWAYS USE DEKUNDA OR DEKAJA EVERY TURN. YOU STILL WANT TO MAINTAIN ONE DEBUFF AND ONE BUFF AT ALL TIMES. WHATEVER HE DOESN'T GET RID OF, YOU'LL AT LEAST GET TO STACK THAT UP. I RECOMMEND EITHER WAR CRY WITH MAKAKAJA, OR FOG BREATH WITH TARUKAJA. OR DEBILITATE IF YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT. DON'T GET BOGGED DOWN IN TRYING TO GET WAY POWERED UP, KEEP DOING DAMAGE SO YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS PHASE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND STOP BURNING TONS OF MP ON HEALING.

IN PHASE 2 HE WILL START BUFFING HIMSELF INSTEAD, WHICH GIVES YOU TIME TO SET UP. RARELY HE WILL USE DEKUNDA ANYWAY, OR DEBILITATE. TRY TO KEEP THE DAMAGE OF MEGIDOLAON UNDER 200 TO KEEP THINGS STABLE. GET FULLY SET UP AS FAST AS YOU CAN.

IN PHASE 3 METATRON WILL START USING HIS ALMIGHTY RANDOM-HITTING SPELL FIRE OF SINAI. THIS CAN HIT THE SAME TARGET 3 TIMES SOMETIMES. IF YOU MAX EVASION YOU'LL BE ABLE TO JUST DODGE IT AND TAKE 0. DEBILITATE AND DEKUNDA BECOME A LITTLE MORE LIKELY, BE PREPARED TO RECOVER FROM THAT. IF YOU DON'T DEBUFF HIM AGAIN, HE CAN USE DEKAJA, WHICH WILL MAKE YOU LIKELY TO LOSE.
IF YOU PLAN TO LEVEL UP DANTE/RAIDOU TO HELP YOU DEFEAT LUCIFER, SUMMON HIM BEFORE YOU WIN FOR 10000 EXP. WHEN HE'S SLUMPING HE HAS 3000 OR LESS HP REMAINING.

AFTER YOU WIN YOU GET TO WALK THROUGH A VERY FAMILIAR TUNNEL FILLED WITH ANKLE-DEEP GRAPEFRUIT JUICE THAT TOTALLY ISN'T UTERINE AMNIOTIC FLUID IN ORDER TO BE REBORN AS A DEMON, BODY AND SOUL. TURN BACK IF YOU WANT ANOTHER ENDING. IF YOU GO FORWARD, YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY LOCKED INTO THE TRUE DEMON ENDING THAT FEATURES AN EXTRA FINAL BOSS THAT IS LEGENDARY IN GAMING.

THIS WILL UNLOCK THE FINAL HIDDEN SKILL ON THE MAROGAREH MAGATAMA YOU STARTED WITH, PIERCE. THIS WILL ALLOW MC'S PHYSICAL MOVES TO DEAL FULL DAMAGE TO FOES WITH RESIST, NULL, OR ABSORB PHYSICAL. BUT IT DOESN'T WORK ON REPEL. AND BEFORE YOU BELLYACHE ABOUT IT NOT WORKING WITH MAGIC, IF IT DID YOU COULD USE EVIL GAZE ON LUCIFER AND DEAL 65534 DAMAGE, THAT WOULD BE LAME AS ♥♥♥♥. YOU'RE GOING TO NEED THIS SKILL TO STAND A REALISTIC CHANCE OF DEFEATING LUCIFER, AND WHILE IT'S FUN, THAT'S KIND OF THE ONLY POINT OF IT. BUT LEARNING IT EARLY WILL ALLOW FOR SOME VERY AMUSING CHEESE ON HALF OF THE DIET BUILDING'S BOSSES.

*YURAKUCHO TUNNEL*

THIS PLACE SUCKS BUT IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG FOR ME TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO IT IN THE DARK. AGAIN, YOU CAN WATCH A SPEEDRUN AND SKIP OVER THE RANDOM ENCOUNTERS.
HERE, MY SHORTEST POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS TIPS. GO DOWN THE RAMP (LEFT FROM THE TERMINAL). GO LEFT AND DOWN THE LADDER. DOWN THE HILL AND A LIL RIGHT. GO RIGHT TO THE NEXT LADDER, OR OPEN THE DOOR FOR A BEAD FIRST. SAVE AT THE S-TERMINAL.

*HOW TO ADVANCE THE MOON CLOCK / PHASE OF KAGUTSUCHI*
I SHOULD HAVE SAID THIS FOREVER AGO IN THE GUIDE, YOU CAN HUG TERMINAL ROOMS TO RESET RANDOM ENCOUNTER AGGRO, SPIN AROUND BY THE DOOR WHERE IT'S SAFE, AND GO IN AND OUT, YOU CAN ADVANCE THE MOON CLOCK WITHOUT ENCOUNTERS WHILE IN THE FIELD THIS WAY.

IN THIS BIG CROSS-SHAPED ROOM, THE PATH YOU WANT TO TAKE DOWN IS THE NORTH ONE. THERE'S A BEAD OF LIFE IN THIS MYSTICAL CHEST. THEN WALK TO THE WEST, FALL IN AN INVISIBLE PIT (OR JUST COME AT THIS PIT FROM THE WEST RAMP IF YOU WANT TO HURRY) AND HEAD OUT THE WEST DOOR. THERE'S A PEARL IN THE MYSTICAL CHEST IN THE NEXT ROOM ON YOUR RIGHT. FOLLOW THE RIGHT-HAND WALL AND YOU'LL REACH THE EXIT. THERE'S A VITALITY INCENSE IN THE STATION ROOM. SAVE WHEN YOU GET TO THE DIET BUILDING.

*SURT*

THE DIET BUILDING BOSSES ARE FUNNY, THEY ARE OUTRAGEOUSLY POWERFUL BUT NOT VERY DURABLE.

SURT CAN USE BEAST EYE TO GAIN SOME EXTRA TURNS AND HAS A RANDOM LIST OF MOVES, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO SEE FIRE ATTACKS LIKE HELLFIRE AND RAGNAROK, WHICH IS SINGLE TARGET LIKE WIND CUTTER BUT EVEN STRONGER. SAKI MITAMA WITH ANTI-FIRE CAN SURVIVE THIS, MAKING HIM AND MOTHMAN THE BEST TETRAKARN USERS IN THE GAME.
SURT CAN ALSO USE TEMPEST AND HELL THRUST TO DEAL PHYSICAL DAMAGE, YOU WON'T BE COMPLETELY SAFE WITH A NULL FIRE SQUAD. MIX IN TETRAKARN.

USE MAKAMI IF YOU STILL HAVE HIM, HE CAN REVIVE YOUR TETRAKARN USER WITH RECARM AND THEN YOU CAN PASS TO DEMIFIEND AND SUMMON THEM AND STILL USE TETRAKARN.

SURT CAN ALSO USE DEKUNDA, EVEN IF IT WON'T DO ANYTHING. SPAMMING WAR CRY FINALLY WON'T WORK ANY MORE. INSTEAD, LET'S LEAN INTO SURT'S OUTRAGEOUS POWER AND HIT HIM WITH TAUNT. IT WON'T INCREASE HIS FIRE DAMAGE BUT IT WILL INCREASE THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE WE'LL BE REFLECTING.

ONE LAST THING TO LOOK OUT FOR, SURT HAS RETALIATE, AND IT'LL HURT REALLY HARD, SO IF YOU WANT TO DO CHIP DAMAGE WHILE WAITING TO REFLECT 5000 DAMAGE, TRY TO FAVOUR MAGIC. IF YOU SET UP TETRAKARN BEFORE ATTACKING, OR IF YOU JUST NULL FIRE, YOU'LL BLOCK RETALIATE.

ONCE YOU DEFEAT SURT, KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR PULUSHIKI. YOU CAN RECRUIT THIS GUY EASILY WITH VALKYRIE'S SOUL RECRUIT. PICK HIM UP OR FUSE HIM AS SOON AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE HE STARTS WITH WATCHFUL. WHILE HE LEVELS UP IN THE BACKGROUND, HE WILL EVETUALLY TRANSFORM INTO GANESHA, AND LEARN DEBILITATE AND ENDURE, THE TWO BEST ABILITIES IN THE GAME, PERIOD.

*MADA*

MADA ALSO GOES FIRST AND MIGHT JUST KILL YOU IMMEDIATELY WITH HADES BLAST. GOOD THING THE SAVE POINT IS RIGHT THERE. JUST LAUGH.
HE CAN ALSO USE INTOXICATE WHICH IS ABOUT AS LIKELY TO INFLICT PANIC AS BIG MIZUCHI'S MIRAGE. DAISOUJOU WITH PRAYER WILL SAVE YOUR ASS. HOPE YOU GAVE TITANIA OR AMATERASU ANTI-MIND SOMEHOW IF YOU'RE RELYING ON THEM FOR PRAYER. MIZUCHI LEARNS ME PATRA, HOPEFULLY YOU KEPT IT. UNICORN WOULD BE PERFECT FOR HAVING ME PATRA AND NULL MIND BUT IT'S WAY TOO SQUISHY FOR THIS.

IF YOU USE TETRAKARN MADA CAN ONLY HURT YOU WITH AGIDYNE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

MADA HAS ABSORB PHYSICAL AND ONLY 2500 HP. PIERCE MAKES THIS VERY EASY TO WIN. IF HE TAKES SOME DAMAGE HE MIGHT SUMMON PAZUZU TO HELP HIM, WHO CAN HEAL MADA AND USE HELL GAZE ON YOU. KAMIKAZE IS A GOOD STRATEGY, IT'S EASY TO DO 2500+ WITH A FULL SETUP OF TARUKAJA AND TAUNT. BRING SOME SUKU AS WELL BECAUSE MADA CAN SOMETIMES DO DEBILITATE AND DEKUNDA. IF YOU CAN MAINTAIN TETRAKARN AND DEAL WITH INTOXICATE HE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING, JUST GET SET UP AND KILL HIM WITH BIG BURSTS OF DAMAGE.

*MOT*

MOT IS A FAMOUS MEME FROM THIS GAME. HE CAN TAKE LITERALLY INFINITE TURNS WITH BEAST EYE SOMETIMES. HOWEVER HE LIKES TO CHECK IF HIS MAGIC STAT IS NEGATIVE AND WILL FAVOUR DOING DEKUNDA OR MAKAKAJA FIRST. SO THIS TIME WE WILL SPAM WAR CRY AND DEKAJA AS NEEDED. MOT ATTACKS MOSTLY WITH MEGIDOLAON, THERE'S A SMALL CHANCE HE DOES TEMPEST OR MAZANDYNE INSTEAD. WHEN YOU CAN'T PREVENT DAMAGE AND MOT RESETS HIS MAGIC ATTACK TO NEUTRAL OFTEN, WHAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THE CONDUIT OF INFINITE TURNS? DODGE! MAX OUT SUKUKAJA ON YOUR SIDE NO MATTER WHAT AS YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, BACK THAT UP WITH FOG BREATH AND WAR CRY, HAVE A RELIABLE HEALER WITH MEDIARAHAN/PRAYER AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO STAY ALIVE.

MOT HAS 3500 HP AND IS WEAK TO ELEC. HOWEVER HE'S A VERY HIGH LEVEL AND YOU MIGHT NEED FOG BREATH TO TICKLE HIM ON NORMAL MODE WITH LOWER LEVEL DEMONS LIKE RAIJU AND KURAMA. HE NULLS (OR WORSE) EVERY OTHER ELEMENT, HAS 95% PHYSICAL RESIST, AND AVENGE. THE ONLY OTHER WAY TO DEAL DAMAGE TO HIM, IF ALL YOUR ELEC USERS ARE DEAD, IS GOOD OL YEEHAW KAMIKAZE AND SACRIFICE. YOU CAN TRADE YOUR RUBIES AT RAG'S JEWELRY FOR MEGIDO ROCKS AND SEE IF MC CAN GET THE DESPERATE FINAL BITS OF DAMAGE. WORST CASE ONTARIO, YOU CAN RECRUIT DECARABIA IN THE HALLWAY AND LEVEL HIM ALLLLL THE WAY UP (OR USE TWO DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO DOWNFUSE HIM INTO OSE AND THEN SAC FUSE BACK INTO DECARABIA TO REMAKE HIM WITH A TON OF BONUS LEVELS) TO LEARN MEGIDO.

IF YOU FINISHED THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA ALREADY AND LEARNED PIERCE ON DEMIFIEND, THIS IS WHERE YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A VIRAL VIDEO. DANTE CAN HELP YOU KILL HIM WITH ROUNDTRIP, STINGER, OR HIS OWN PIERCING PASSIVE, BUT THAT'S PROBABLY ONLY GOING TO BE A THING ON MERCIFUL WHERE YOU GET TRIPLE EXP FROM MOST FIGHTS.

*MITHRA*

MITHRA ONLY HAS ONE PRESS TURN, THANK ♥♥♥♥. BUT HE HAS SOME IMPACTFUL MOVES: MEGIDOLA, DEBILITATE, HOLY WRATH, AND ...ATTACK. YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO SEE ANY OF THESE. MITHRA IS LIKE 90% LIKELY TO DO THE FOLLOWING GIMMICK TURN: DRAGON EYE, MAMUDOON, MAHAMAON, MAMUDOON, MAHAMAON. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO MAKE THIS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT:
1) TETRAJA (VALKYRIE STILL HAS IT; IT REALLY IS A LIGHT AND DARK SHIELD, IN THAT IT BLOCKS ONE OF EACH IN THE SAME TURN BEFORE WEARING OFF)
2) BRING A DEMON WITH REPEL DEATH (DAISOUJOU, BLACK FROST, TITANIA, BAPHOMET) AND JUST BRING NULL DEATH ON THE REST OF YOUR TEAM. MITHRA WILL LOSE THE REST OF HIS TURN WHEN MAMUDOON IS REFLECTED.

MITHRA HAS 4500 HP AND NO IMMUNITIES/RESISTS. YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY THAT HARD TO KILL HIM. HAVE SOME SUKU JUST IN CASE OF DEBILITATE, YOUR PHYSICAL SKILLS WILL ALL MISS IF YOUR ACCURACY GOES NEGATIVE.

THERE'S A MAGIC INCENSE IN THIS MYSTICAL CHEST, YOU'LL PROBABLY NEED ONE TO FINISH THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA, HANG ON TO IT IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE IT YET AND STILL WANT TO DO IT. IT'S OPTIONAL BUT NECESSARY FOR THE TRUE DEMON ENDING WITH AN EXTRA FINAL BOSS THAT REQUIRES SOME PREPARATION. IF YOU WANT TO FINISH THE GAME QUICKLY... GET THE MAGIC INCENSE ANYWAY, IT'LL BE VERY GOOD ON YOUR ENDGAME MAGIC ATTACKER.

*SAMAEL*

SAMAEL IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, EXCEPT FOR THE TEACHER/FREEDOM ENDING WHERE YOU REJECT ALL THE REASONS AND TRY TO SAVE YOUR TEACHER, TO RESTORE THE PREVIOUS WORLD. HE'S ONE OF THE HARDER BOSS FIGHTS IN THE GAME AND PROVIDES A NICE REWARD OF 9000 EXP AND A DIAMOND. FIGHTING HIM WILL ALSO LIKELY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EARN THE SHIJIMA ENDING BUT I HAVEN'T TESTED.

STOP HIKAWA TO CHALLENGE SAMAEL. THIS GUY HAS 8000 HP AND APPROXIMATELY EVERY 2000 DAMAGE HE WILL DO A SCRIPTED TURN OF BEAST EYE, GOD'S CURSE, RAKUKAJA, RAKUKAJA. GOD'S CURSE IS ALMIGHTY AND INFLICTS RANDOM STATUS AILMENTS ON EVERYONE. I ASKED SOMEONE TO TEST USING MAKARAKARN AGAINST IT AND APPARENTLY IT DOESN'T HELP, I CRI EVRY TIME.

THERE IS A RELIABLE PARTY MEMBER YOU CAN SUMMON FOR THIS: KUSHI MITAMA. FUSE ONE USING ERTHYS AND FLAEMIS AND PASS ALONG PATRA FROM ERTHYS. KUSHI MITAMA NULLS AILMENTS AND WILL BE ABLE TO CURE SOMEONE OF BIND/SLEEP/PANIC, WHICH ARE PRETTY IMPORTANT ONES TO CURE. BRING DIS-STUNS OR USE PHANTOM'S PARALADI TO DEAL WITH STUN. DAISOUJOU WITH PRAYER IS PRETTY GOOD LMAO.

AS FOR HOW SAMAEL ACTUALLY DOES DAMAGE, HE MAINLY USES MEGIDOLA AND NORMAL ATTACKS. HE ALSO HAS RETALIATE. USING MAGIC AS YOUR DAMAGE SOURCE IS WAY BETTER BECAUSE YOU CAN USE (DEKAJA FIRST AND THEN) TAUNT TO KEEP UP WITH THE BIG DEFENSE BOOST HE GIVES HIMSELF AFTER GOD'S CURSE. AND IF YOU DON'T USE PHYSICAL ATTACKS THAT SET OFF HIS RETALIATE, GIVING HIM 2 FREE TARUKAJAS IS NO BIG DEAL.

AFTER TAKING 4000 DAMAGE HE USUALLY DOES DEKUNDA AND DEKAJA. THIS FIGHT IS A GRIND, DRAGON QUEST STYLE. WINNING IS SATISFYING.

*HOW TO ENTER THE FINAL DUNGEON, THE TOWER OF KAGUTSUCHI*

HEAD TO AMALA TEMPLE AND WALK TO THE CENTRAL TEMPLE. THEN TAKE A SMOKE BREAK DURING THE LONGEST CUTSCENE IN THE GAME. RECRUIT DOMINION HERE WITH VALKYRIE'S SOUL RECRUIT OR UZUME'S SEDUCE IF YOU HAVEN'T YET.

*WHAT IS THE KIMON STONE FOR? OBTAINING GUNDARI*

IF YOU DROPPED OFF A DEMON WITH THE PROSPECTOR AT THE BEGINNING OF YURAKUCHO TUNNEL, GO CASH IN ON THAT AFTER CLEARING THE DIET BUILDING AND/OR THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. THE 2ND AND 4TH POCKETS FROM THE LEFT HAVE THE BEST STUFF. AFTER THAT THE GUY WILL ALSO GIVE YOU THE KIMON STONE. MAYBE YOU FOUND THAT WEIRD TEMPLE NORTH OF ASAKUSA TUNNEL, THAT'S WHERE YOU USE IT. SAVE BEFORE YOU WALK UP TO IT.

YOU GET TO FIGHT BISHAMONTEN FOR 10000 EXP AND HE'S PRETTY EASY. HE'S WEAK TO ICE AND ATTACKS WITH FIRE AND PHYSICAL. HIS HASSOHAPPA HITS REALLY HARD AND WILL DEFINITELY CRIT WHEN IT HITS FOUR TARGETS, USE TETRAKARN OR WAR CRY. IT'LL BE OVER BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. HE AWARDS YOU THE MAGATAMA GUNDARI WHICH HAS ABSORB FORCE, A HILARIOUS +9 AGILITY FOR MESSING WITH YOUR TURN ORDER, AND GRANTS SOME WONDERFUL ABILITIES. WIND CUTTER IS THE STRONGEST SPELL DEMIFIEND CAN LEARN, TIED WITH MAGMA AXIS. IF YOU'RE DETERMINED TO BE A MAGE, HOPE YOU KEPT FORCE BOOST TO GO WITH TORNADO. THE LAST SKILL IS SPIRAL VIPER, WHICH IS THE STRONGEST PHYSICAL STRENGTH-BASED SKILL YOU CAN GET THAT ISN'T FREIKUGEL. IT ALSO LOOKS FREAKIN SWEET, LOIS.

*FANCY FUSIONS LEVEL 55-76*

I'M GOING TO DESCRIBE HOW TO FUSE WHITE RIDER ALL OVER AGAIN, IN CASE YOU'RE LEVEL 55 OR ABOVE. ANY SNAKE WITH ANY FAIRY WORKS, ALSO IT HAS TO BE DONE AT NEW OCLOCK. TRY USING QUETZALCOATL OR TITANIA AS ONE OF THE MATERIALS TO INCLUDE GLACIAL BLAST AT THE VERY BEGINNING. QUETZAL LEARNS ICE BOOST ON HIS OWN IF YOU'RE WILLING TO SAC FUSE ONE OR LEVEL IT UP THREE TIMES. A LEVELED UP NIGI MITAMA IS GREAT TO HAVE FOR THIS SO YOU CAN ADD FIRE BOOST AND ICE BOOST AT THE SAME TIME.

RED RIDER IS ALSO A VERY GOOD OPTION TO FUSE AT LEVEL 55, ALSO AT NEW OCLOCK. ADD ELEC BOOST AND FORCE BOOST IF POSSIBLE. LOTS OF RECIPES WORK, RAIJU WITH ANY BRUTE IS AN EASY WAY TO ADD ELEC BOOST. OR SARASVATI WITH A SNAKE OR FEMME FOR FORCE BOOST. CHEAPEST OPTION IS KODAMA X SHIKIGAMI, ACTUALLY USE MOMUNOFU INSTEAD, FOCUS IS GREAT WITH TERRORBLADE.

TITANIA HERSELF IS A GOOD GLACIAL BLAST USER, PARTICULARLY FOR THE END OF THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. A FANCY WAY TO MAKE HER IS TO LEVEL UP KELPIE FOR NULL:NERVE AND ELEMENT FUSE IT UP TO SETANTA FOR NULL:CURSE, THEN ELEMENT FUSE TWO MORE TIMES PAST OBERON INTO TITANIA, TO ADD SOME AILMENT COVERAGE TO HER THAT CAN COME IN HANDY FOR THE VERY END OF THE GAME. SHE'S LEVEL 57 AND HARD TO FUSE, DOMINION + QUETZAL IS THE ONLY RECIPE I SAW THAT I LIKED, OTHER THAN ORTHRUS + BLACK FROST, BUT YOU WANT TO KEEP BLACK FROST AROUND UNTIL YOU FINISH THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA. IT WOULD JUST BE EASIER TO RECRUIT HER IN YOYOGI PARK WITH SHIKIGAMI'S BESEECH OR OKUNINUSHI'S WOOING.

IF YOU DIDN'T RECRUIT PULUSHIKI IN THE DIET BUILDING, YOU CAN FUSE ONE WITH TITANIA + MIZUCHI OR BLACK FROST + PISACA. TROLL + TITAN COULD BE A GOOD WAY TO MAKE ONE WITH LIFE SURGE.

IN THIS RANGE WE'RE FINALLY READY TO CONSIDER FUSING AMATERASU. THE ONLY WAY IS TO FUSE YATAGARASU AND MIKAZUCHI, SACRIFICING AME-NO-UZUME. GIVE HER FIRE BOOST, WIND CUTTER, ZIODYNE, AND OTHER MAGIC-RELATED PASSIVES FOR BEST RESULTS. VERY GOOD DEMON BUT HARD TO TURN OUT JUST THE WAY YOU LIKE BECAUSE OF HOW LONG UZUME GETS DRAGGED AROUND, OR WHAT POINT YOU REGISTERED UZUME BEFORE FUSING HER AWAY. HALFWAY THROUGH LEVEL 24 IS THE PERFECT SPOT.

IF YOU'RE HOLDING 0 DEATHSTONES, YOU CAN MAKE LOA DURING FULL KAGUTSUCHI WITH A SACRIFICE. FEED HIM A BIG TRIBUTE WITH ABOUT 75000 EXP TOTAL AND HE'LL BE CLOSE TO HIS FINAL LEVEL WHERE HE'LL LEARN DEBILITATE. YOU CAN MAKE POINTLESS HELL BIKERS FROM KODAMA + SHIKIGAMI TO BURN THROUGH YOUR DEATHSTONES IF YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT DOING THIS.

LAKSMI IS TRULY ONE OF THE BEST ENDGAME DEMONS EVEN THOUGH SHE'S VERY FOCUSED ON HEALING AND SUPPORT. IT WAS A STRUGGLE FOR ME TO EVEN GET HER TO LEARN ZIO IN THE PS2 VERSION SO I COULD USE HER MASSIVE MP POOL TO CONTRIBUTE DAMAGE. SHE TEACHES HERSELF MANA SURGE SO TRY TO GIVE HER DEBILITATE SOMEHOW. YOU'LL WANT TO GIVE HER LIFE SURGE SO SHE'S TANKY ENOUGH FOR THE FINAL BATTLE.
DOMINION + HANUMAN AND (FAIRY + TITAN -> PULUSHIKI + AMATERASU) ARE THE SPEEDRUN RECIPES THAT MAKE THIS WORK, IN THE CASE OF HANUMAN YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY DENY HIS TRANSFORMATION, OR ALREADY HAVE A QITIAN DASHENG IN YOUR PARTY. THEN YOU CAN MAKE JIKOKUTEN BY FUSING LAKSMI WITH ONKOT, THEN BUYING HER BACK. NOW YOU HAVE A TEAM FOR THE FINAL BATTLE WITH LIFE SURGE AND DEBILITATE, GG.

ANOTHER GOOD THING TO DO WITH THE DOMINION YOU RECRUITED IS TO FUSE HIM WITH AQUANS. PARTICULARLY THE SPECIAL ONE THAT SOMETIMES APPEARS IN RAG'S JEWELRY WITH NULL:ICE. CHECK OVER AND OVER UNTIL IT APPEARS, I GUESS. OR YOU CAN USE YOUR REGISTERED FLAEMIS FOR NICE ABILITIES.
THRONE STARTS WITH BRAINWASH WHICH YOU CAN USE TO RECRUIT ANY FUSION MATERIAL YOU WANT 10 LEVELS LOWER THAN HIM, FOR FREE. HE EVENTUALLY LEARNS DEBILITATE AND TRANSFORMS. VERY GOOD TO INVEST IN. SACRIFICE SOMETHING FOR A HEAD START, HE TAKES FOREVER TO LEVEL UP.

THE FINAL MEMBER OF THE SNAKE CLAN IS YURLUNGUR, HE NULLS ALL MAGIC BUT IS WEAK TO AILMENTS. USING AQUANS OR FLAEMIS TO UPGRADE QUETZALCOATL TO THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, ON HD YOU CAN BRING GLACIAL BLAST AND ICE BOOST TO HAVE HIM GREAT AT ATTACKING WITH TWO ELEMENTS. GUMMI WORM ALSO LEARNS GREAT HEALING MAGIC. I TALKED ABOUT EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE SNAKE CLAN IN THIS GUIDE. THEY'RE ALL GOOD. THEY HAVE HIGH HP AND GREAT AFFINITIES AND ABILITIES.

AT LEVELS 58-67 YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FUSE THE THREE MOIRAE SISTERS YOU FOUGHT FOREVER AGO. LACHESIS HAS NULL AILMENTS, SO IF YOU PLAN TO BE A MEME MASTER AND FIGHT LUCIFER WITH ALL THREE OF THEM, YOU HAVE TO GIVE HER PRAYER TO KEEP THINGS STABLE. YOU CAN FUSE HER EASILY WITH JIKOKU + BLACK FROST.

KALI IS A COOL ENDGAME DEMON AND ANOTHER POTENTIAL SOURCE OF LIFE SURGE, WHICH WILL GREATLY POWER UP HER DEATHBOUND ABILITY. MIKAZUCHI + RANGDA IS A CONVENIENT RECIPE, OTHERWISE YOU CAN USE QUEEN MAB WITH ANY VILE/FIEND/TYRANT. SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY AILMENT PROTECTION SO MAYBE SHE'S NOT THE BEST FOR THE FINAL BATTLE. BUT STILL A VERY SATISFYING DAMAGE DEALER, ESPECIALLY WITH FOCUS.

AT LEVEL 69 AT HALF OCLOCK YOU CAN FUSE MOTHER HARLOT! AND THERE'S A REALLY EASY RECIPE THAT WORKS FOR HER: DIONYSUS + BAPHOMET. I'VE EXPLAINED IN PREVIOUS SECTIONS HOW TO FUSE THOSE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY VERY CHEAP TO MAKE USING THE COMPENDIUM. PASS ALONG NULL:FIRE AND BECKON CALL AND NOW YOU HAVE AN IMMORTAL TANK TO KEEP YOU SAFE IN RANDOM ENCOUNTERS, AND KEEP YOUR PARTY FULL EVEN IF SOMEONE ELSE DIES. IT'S THEMATIC, MOTHERS GIVE LIFE AFTER ALL. AND THIS HARLOT GIVES ME PLEASURE. TOO BAD YOU GET HER WHEN THE GAME'S ALMOST OVER. IN THE PS2 VERSION IT WAS FUN TO GIVE HER BRIGHT MIGHT AND FLASHBANG THE SCREEN WITH HER 7-HIT BASIC ATTACK BUT HD RUINED THE FUN BECAUSE SOME GUY I MADE UP HAD A SEIZURE.

ONCE YOU'RE LEVEL 70 YOU CAN RECRUIT NYX IN TOWER 2, AND RANGDA IN TOWER 3 AT 72. NYX YOU'LL HAVE TO LEVEL UP ONCE, RANGDA STARTS WITH DEBILITATE. YOU CAN FUSE THESE GIRLIES WITH THE CHEAPEST DEMON OF THE SAME CLAN FROM YOUR COMPENDIUM TO TURN THEM INTO AN ELEMENT (MAKE SURE TO REGISTER NYX FIRST), WHICH YOU CAN FUSE WITH ANOTHER ELEMENT, TO MAKE A MITAMA, LETTING YOU ATTACH DEBILITATE TO ANY DEMON YOU WANT. CONSIDER REGISTERING THESE ELEMENTS WHILE YOU DO THAT SO YOU CAN MAKE MORE POWERFUL MITAMAS, OR DO ELEMENT FUSIONS TO UPGRADE YOUR DEMONS TO THE HIGHEST OF THEIR CLAN.

SIMILAR TO WHAT I DESCRIBED IN THE LAST FUSION SECTION, IF YOU LEVEL UP LILIM TO 13, THE ONE AFTER SHE LEARNS ALL HER ABILITIES, IF MC IS LEVEL 76 YOU'LL RECEIVE A LEVEL 80 LILITH. I GUESS SHE HAS RAKUNDA AND TARUNDA BUT OTHERWISE OFFERS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO THE FINAL BATTLE. MIGHT BE USEFUL AS FUSION MATERIAL TO MAKE SOMETHING HIGHER LEVEL THAN EXPECTED. I LOVE HER GREASER HAIRCUT THOUGH.

HONESTLY THERE AREN'T ANY GOOD DEMONS BEYOND THIS POINT, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO COMPLETELY DESTROY THE GAME.

*AHRIMAN*

HIKAWA'S AVATAR SITS PEACEFULLY IN LOTUS POSE AND LOCKS OUT CERTAIN OPTIONS LIKE BOWYER FROM SUPER MARIO RPG. I REFERENCED CULEX EARLIER? I THINK ATLUS STAFF LOVED THAT GAME.

THE FIRST RULE IS ALWAYS NO PHYSICAL ATTACKS. WELL HEY, BUFFS AND DEBUFFS AND HEALING ARE ALLOWED, I'LL JUST GO RIGHT AHEAD. AHRIMAN USES PHYSICAL ATTACKS AND ALL FOUR ELEMENTS, WHILE THESE WON'T HIT VERY HARD IT PAYS TO COVER THEM LIKE USUAL, TO REMOVE HIS OTHER TURN AND REDUCE THE CHANCE OF GETTING ATTACKED. OR BY INCREASING THE SUKU DIFFERENTIAL YOU CAN GET A DODGE AND ACCOMPLISH THE SAME THING.

ONCE YOU'RE FULLY SET UP DO AS MUCH MAGIC DAMAGE AS YOU CAN, THEN FOLLOW ANY NEW RULES. "NO PHYSICAL ATTACKS" WON'T REPEAT SO YOU CAN DO THAT FOR ANY LEFTOVER DAMAGE. FOCUS COUNTS AS A SPELL, BEWARE. ONCE YOU DO 6000 DAMAGE (ANY EXCESS WON'T HELP) HE'LL GO INTO PHASE 2. MISTER CALMNESS AND RESONANCE WITH THE UNIVERSE ROARS LIKE A BEAST AND GOES FULL GOBLIN MODE. ALL THE REASON BOSSES SHOW THE HYPOCRISY OF THE REASONS THROUGH BEAUTIFUL METAPHOR.

PHASE 2 HAS 18000 HP AND THERE'S NO MORE MAGIC ATTACKS. JUST ALL PHYSICAL FROM TENTACLE AND ALL ALMIGHTY FROM APOCALYPSE. HE HAS A VERY SMALL CHANCE TO USE DEKUNDA OR DEKAJA WHICH WILL PUT YOU IN HUGE DANGER, RECOVER AS FAST AS YOU CAN. YOUR BUFFS AND DEBUFFS STICK AROUND SO JUST CUT LOOSE AND SEE JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU CAN DO, WHAT AN AWESOME START TO THE FINAL THREE BOSSES.

*FANCY FUSION ALERT FOR SHIJIMA GIGACHADS*

IF YOU ARE ON THE PATH OF SHIJIMA ENDING THEN SAMAEL WILL JOIN YOU FOR FREE. THIS GUY IS LEVEL 73, MOST LIKELY THAT IS HIGHER THAN YOUR MC'S LEVEL SO YOU CAN'T EVEN ADD MORE ABILITIES TO HIM WITH MITAMAS. UNFORTUNATE. HOWEVER, I FOUND A CHEAP AND EFFICIENT RECIPE FOR HARD ANY% SPEEDRUNNING.
BUY A PIXIE FROM THE COMPENDIUM TO FUSE WITH SAMAEL TO MAKE KAIWAN TO INHERIT PROMINENCE, THE STRONGEST SPELL IN THE GAME OTHER THAN WIND CUTTER. YOU CAN ATTACH LIFE GAIN TO PIXIE (IN THE SPEEDRUN MY SAKI MITAMA WAS MADE WITH LIFE GAIN BY SACRIFICING ONI), THEN USE A MAGIC INCENSE ON THE RESULTING KAIWAN, NOW HE HAS 20 BASE MAGIC. FUSE NIGI MITAMA WITH FIRE BOOST, THEN FOUR MORE NIGI MITAMAS, NOW HE HAS 40 MAGIC. THIS GUY WILL KERBLODE ALL OF THE REMAINING BOSSES WITH WIZARD MC REALLY WELL.

*TOWER OF KAGUTSUCHI 2*

AFTER SAVING, WALK DOWN THE BIG HALL. SECOND DOOR ON YOUR LEFT. WALK STRAIGHT AND A LIL TO THE LEFT TO THE EDGE OF THIS ISLAND AND FOLLOW THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE. BAM, PUZZLE SOLVED.

MARCH WITH ELEC PROTECTION. ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TOWER THERE WILL BE A BIG DOOR, NOAH IS WAITING IN THERE. YOU CAN FIGHT HIM RIGHT AWAY OR WALK A LITTLE FARTHER AHEAD TO TOWER 3 WHERE YOU CAN SAVE THE GAME AND HEAL.

THE SHOP AT TOWER 3 SELLS THE LAST MAGATAMA KAILASH FOR 450000 MACCA. WOW THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH. TEACHES YOU TETRAKARN AND MAKARAKARN WAY TOO LATE WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN NEED THEM ANY MORE. IF YOU COLLECT ALL THE MAGATAMA YOU CAN ENTER A BONUS DUNGEON WITH FOUR FUN BOSS FIGHTS AND THE ULTIMATE MAGATAMA AS A PRIZE. BUT IT WON'T EVEN HELP YOU DEFEAT LUCIFER, TOTALLY OPTIONAL AND WAY TOO EXPENSIVE IMO.
I SUPPOSE YOU COULD CHANGE THE DIFFICULTY TO MERCIFUL OR USE THE MERCY AND EXPECTATION DLC PACK TO JUST POWERLEVEL AND LEARN FREIKUGEL + PIERCE ON DEMIFIEND TO BEAT NOAH. OR USE DANTE/RAIDOU'S ALMIGHTY ATTACK ONCE THEY LEARN THEIR PIERCING PASSIVE. IN MY OPINION IT WOULD BE EASIER TO JUST FUSE SOME DEMONS TO DO THE JOB.
DON'T SELL THE CHAKRA ELIXIR UNTIL YOU USE IT TO BEAT NOAH.

*BANDOU SHRINE AND THE ULTIMATE MAGATAMA*

THIS PLACE IS IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE ASSEMBLY OF NIHILO: MARUNOUCHI PLATE OF THE VORTEX WORLD. YOU CAN ENTER WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THE MAGATAMA AFTER TALKING TO MIDO AT THE CATHEDRAL OF SHADOWS.

YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO GO HERE. THE ULTIMATE MAGATAMA CALLED MASAKADOS GRANTS MC NULL EVERYTHING EXCEPT ALMIGHTY, AND IT DOESN'T EVEN HELP YOU WIN THE FINAL BATTLE LIKE AT ALL. SOPHIA AND KAILASH ARE A TOTAL, TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY YOU COULD SPEND ON THE COMPENDIUM FOR FUSION AND MITAMA DOPING INSTEAD. IT'S JUST FOR FEELING LIKE A SWAGLORD.

THE RANDOM ENCOUNTERS ARE INTERESTING BECAUSE ALMOST EVERYTHING NULLS LIGHT OR FIRE SO IT'S THE ONLY PART OF THE GAME WHERE WHITE RIDER DOESN'T COMPLETELY DESTROY THE ENCOUNTER ALL BY HIMSELF.

YOU HAVE TO BEAT FOUR POWERFUL MARIO BROS TO MEET MASAKADO AND SWEAR TO PROTECT TOKYO TO EARN HIS PRIZE. I ONLY FOUGHT THEM FOR LIKE THE SECOND TIME EVER RECENTLY, THEY'RE SOLID BATTLES. MOST OF THEM HAVE A WEAKNESS TO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY ATTACK WITH. THEY LIKE TO USE DRAGON EYE AND SOME BUFFS AND DEBUFFS. BISHAMONTEN'S REMATCH IS WAY HARDER, LUCKILY HIS PILLAR IS CLOSEST TO THE ENTRANCE. SAVE THE GAME AT MARUNOUCHI AND MAKE TAKING HIM ON THE POINT OF A SINGLE TRIP. THIS IS THE ONLY FIGHT IN THE GAME WHERE DEKAJA DOES SOMETHING.

*NOAH*

ISAMU WANTS TO PUSH EVERYONE AWAY BUT IT'S ALL JUST COPIUM FOR HIS LONELINESS AND SENSE OF BETRAYAL. EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK HIS DEPRESSION TAKES A DIFFERENT FORM AND YOU NEED JUST THE RIGHT THING TO GET THROUGH TO HIM.

THIS MANIFESTS IN THE FORM OF AURORA, WHERE HE GAINS REPEL EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR A SINGLE TYPE OF MAGIC. WHICH IS REVEALED BY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE ATTACKS WITH. THE ATTACK ORDER IS ICE, FIRE, FORCE, ELEC. AND BEFORE YOU THINK "HAHA I WILL USE ALMIGHTY" HE HAS 50% RESIST TO IT AND YOU'LL BE VERY DISAPPOINTED. MEGIDO IS SADLY USELESS IN THIS GAME, YOU GET IT TOO LATE AND ITS POWER IS WAY TOO LOW AND ITS MP COST IS TOO HIGH.

PHASE 1 HAS 8000 HP AND EXCESS DAMAGE WON'T ROLL OVER. IN PHASE 2 HE USES AURORA EVERY TURN AND HAS 15000 HP REMAINING. YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO DO 0 DAMAGE UNTIL YOU'RE FULLY SET UP WITH BUFFS AND DEBUFFS, THEN EXPLODE WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, TO GO STRAIGHT INTO PHASE 2. BECAUSE IN PHASE 1 HE'LL JUST USE AURORA ONCE, THEN YOU CAN ONLY ATTACK WITH ICE FOR A GOOD WHILE TO MAKE HIM CHANGE AGAIN. YOU MIGHT BE SCREWED. BEFORE HE USES AURORA, HE HAS COMPLETELY NORMAL RESISTANCES AND TAKES FULL DAMAGE FROM EVERYTHING. INCLUDING PHYSICAL, WHICH SOUNDS STRANGE BUT THAT MIGHT BE THE WAY TO GO.

NOAH IS IRONICALLY MOST DANGEROUS AT THE BEGINNING. HIS NORMAL ATTACK IS ALMIGHTY INSTEAD OF PHYSICAL AND YOU WON'T DODGE IT UNTIL MAXING OUT SUKU DIFFERENTIAL. PLAY DEFENSIVELY WHILE SETTING UP FIRST.

SO ANYWAY YOU SHOULD STILL HAVE SOME DECENT OPTIONS FOR DOING MAGIC DAMAGE. YOU DON'T NEED ALL FOUR TYPES BUT THE MORE THE BETTER. YOU COULD EVEN SUMMON THEM FROM YOUR STOCK LATER, IF YOU HAVE DEBILITATE ON OTHER DEMONS FOR EXAMPLE. IN PHASE 2 NOAH CAN RARELY USE DEKUNDA, AND A POWERFUL HP/MP DRAINING SPELL CALLED DOMINATION, SOMETHING ISAMU SORELY LACKED IN HIS LIFE.
ICE: GLACIAL BLAST ON MC, WHITE RIDER, TITANIA, OR QUETZALCOATL/YURLUNGUR
FIRE: WHITE RIDER OR SAMAEL/KAIWAN/EFREET/AMATERASU/THRONE WITH PROMINENCE
FORCE: MC'S TORNADO, JINN/KURAMA/YATAGARASU/AMATERASU/GOGMAGOG WITH TORNADO/WIND CUTTER
ELEC: PHANTOM/MIKAZUCHI/AMATERASU/YURLUNGUR WITH ZIODYNE. MC CAN LEARN BOLT STORM AT LEVEL 61 JUST FOR THIS FIGHT IF YOU FEEL THE NEED.

IF YOU WANT TO CALL ME A NERD AND PUNCH ME THROUGH YOUR SCREEN, HERE'S AN EASIER IDEA STEAKHEAD, GO TO THE TOWER 3 SHOP AND BUY 99 MARAGI/MABUFU/MAZAN/MAZIO ROCKS.

*THOR 2*

IF YOU'RE ON TEAM YOSUGA YOU GET TO SKIP THIS FIGHT. YOU CAN ALSO DO OUT OF BOUNDS STUFF TO SKIP THIS FIGHT AND SOME OF THE TELEPORT MAZE COMING UP. YOU DON'T HAVE TO THOUGH, THIS FIGHT IS VERY EASY ON PURPOSE, MEANT TO SHOW HOW FAR YOU'VE COME.

THOR 2 HAS 8000 HP AND ELEC WON'T WORK ON HIM. HE ATTACKS WITH PHYSICAL AND ELEC. IF HE SHOCKS SOMEONE HE'LL ATTACK THEM ON PURPOSE, IT'S NOT ATLUS LUCK. SO IF YOU'RE USING SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T STOP ELEC, THEY BETTER HAVE NULL PHYS OR ENDURE.

HE WON'T STOP YOU FROM SETTING UP BUFFS AND DEBUFFS AT ALL. SO HERE'S THE DEAL. AFTER THOR 2 TAKES 3200 DAMAGE, HE WILL GO INTO PHASE 2 AND THAT'S BIG TROUBLE. HE WILL USE DRAGON EYE AND THEN ONE OF TWO ATTACK PATTERNS, DEKAJA AND FOCUS WITH PHYSICAL ATTACKS, OR DEKUNDA AND ELEC ATTACKS. THIS IS REALLY HARD TO HANDLE SO MUCH LIKE SEVERAL OTHER BOSS STRATS THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PHASES, COUNT YOUR DAMAGE OUTPUT AND STOP. THEN USE FOCUS AND TAUNT/DEBILITATE TO PREPARE A HUGE BURST OF DAMAGE TO SKIP PHASE 2 ENTIRELY. THIS FIGHT IS SO EASY IT'S ONLY WORTH 2000 EXP.

*BAAL AVATAR*

THIS IS THE SECOND LAST BOSS FIGHT IN THE GAME AND IT IS PRETTY SATISFYING NO MATTER HOW YOU DO IT. GO IN WITH NULL CURSE OR A PLAN TO MAINTAIN MAKARAKARN/MAGIC MIRRORS FOR THE FIRST TURN, AND AS LONG AS YOU CAN AFTER THAT.

ON TURN 1 BAAL AVATAR ALWAYS USES BAEL'S BANE, AN UNDODGABLE CURSE-TYPE MOVE THAT WILL TURN THAT CHARACTER INTO A FLY. NOTHING IN THE GAME CAN CURE THIS EXCEPT REVIVING THEM AFTER THEY DIE. NOT EVEN PRAYER OR DISMISSING/RESUMMONING THEM. THEIR MAX HP WILL BECOME 180 ISH AND PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING WILL KILL THEM. THEIR DAMAGE OUTPUT IS ALSO LOWERED BY LIKE 90%. IT'S A DISASTER. LUCKILY NULL AILMENTS IS A GOOD INVESTMENT IF YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT LUCIFER TOO SO CHECK THE NEXT SECTION OR THE PREVIOUS FUSION SECTION FOR SOME DEMON IDEAS.

BAAL AVATAR HAS 13000 HP. SHE ONLY HAS ONE TURN AND WILL RARELY USE BAEL'S BANE ON LATER TURNS, OTHERWISE ATTACKING WITH MAHAMAON, MEGIDOLAON, OR TALK TO THE HAND (A NORMAL ATTACK). YOU CAN PROBABLY IGNORE THIS WIMPY OFFENSE WHILE YOU SET UP BUFFS AND DEBUFFS.
AFTER SHE TAKES 6350 DAMAGE SHE WILL GO "FALAH" AND SUMMON OSE HALLEL AND FLAUROS HALLEL. THEY WILL USE DIARAHAN ON HER AND FROM THERE, THEY CAN USE DRAGON EYE, DEKUNDA, DEKAJA, ALL FOUR TYPES OF MA TIER 3 MAGIC...NASTY STUFF. AND WHEN YOU FINALLY GET RID OF THEM, BAAL AVATAR WILL KEEP FIGHTING BUT LEADING WITH BEAST EYE FIRST. BUT WHAT IF...WE DEALT LESS THAN 6350 DAMAGE, THEN DID THE REST IN A SINGLE TURN? THAT'S RIGHT, YOU JUST WIN. IT'S EASIER TO HIT RESET AND TRY AGAIN IF YOU MISS THE OTK. BUT IF YOU HAVE A STRONG TEAM, IT'S SO SATISFYING TO JUST FIGHT THE HALLELS ANYWAY AND SHOW JUST HOW KOSHER YOU ARE. FUTOMIMI AVENGED.

*PREPARING DEMONS FOR LUCIFER*

NOW THAT YOU'VE OPENED THE SHORTCUTS TO THE FINAL ELEVATOR IN TOWER 3 AND THERE'S A CLEAR PATH OPEN TO THE TOWER 3-D TERMINAL AT THE TOP, YOU'RE READY TO CHALLENGE THE FINAL BOSS AT ANY TIME WITH A QUICK RUN FROM TOWER 3'S TERMINAL TOWN. KAGUTSUCHI IS HELLA EASY AND EVEN ON HARD YOU CAN BEAT HIM AT LEVEL 49. BUT PERHAPS YOU ARE GOING FOR THE TRUE DEMON ENDING, AND ALTHOUGH YOU GET A FULL HEAL FOR YOUR ACTIVE PARTY AND ENTIRE STOCK AFTER BEATING KAGUTSUCHI...NOT JUST ANY TEAM CAN BEAT LUCIFER. IT REQUIRES SPECIAL PREPARATION. LUCIFER'S MAIN ATTACKS ARE ALMIGHTY AND UNDODGABLE, HE HAS SOME SPELLS TOO BUT THIS GAME'S MAGIC FORMULA IS SO WEIRD THAT LUCIFER'S EXTRA HIGH LEVEL MAKES HIS SPELLS UNUSUALLY WEAK. SO YOU CAN IGNORE HIS FIRE AND ICE DAMAGE, THINK OF THEM AS BREAKS IN THE TITANIC OFFENSIVE. TRULY THE ONLY THING THAT HELPS YOU IS IMMUNITY TO AILMENTS, NERVE IN PARTICULAR, AND JUST HAVING THE LARGEST MAX HP POSSIBLE.

YOU MIGHT BE THINKING "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NOTHING HELPS? I GOT A QITIAN DASHENG WITH LIFE GAIN AND LIFE SURGE, FOCUS+BRUTAL SLASH HITS FOR 4000!" WELL IT'LL ONLY HIT LUCIFER FOR 1000 BECAUSE HE HAS 75% RESISTANCE TO EVERYTHING, INCLUDING ALMIGHTY. THAT'S STILL REALLY GOOD DAMAGE FOR A DEMON BY THE WAY.
THE ONLY SENSIBLE WAY YOU CAN DO DAMAGE IS TO GET PIERCE ON MC AND USE PHYSICAL ATTACKS. THE SECOND BEST OPTION IS TO LEVEL UP DANTE/RAIDOU FROM LEVEL 80 TO 83, WHICH IS ABOUT 110000 EXP, TO GAIN THEM THEIR PIERCING PASSIVE SKILL THAT INCREASES THEIR DAMAGE OUTPUT BY 50% TOO. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE FOCUS SO THE MOST THEY CAN DO IS 1600 WITH REBELLION/YOSHITSUNE, 2400 IF IT CRITS, WHICH IS ALMOST HALF THE TIME.

THE THIRD BEST OPTION IS TO...FUSE METATRON (OR READ THE GLITCH SECTION BELOW) AND GET THE GIRIMEKHALA WITH PIERCE, AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO A FUSION CHAIN THAT MAKES A NEW PHYSICAL ATTACKER OUT OF YOUR BEST ONE WITH PIERCE ADDED TO FOCUS PLUS WHATEVER THEY GOT. IF YOU DON'T SEE ANYTHING GOOD USING GIRIMEKHALA AS MATERIAL (I RECOMMEND FUSING WITH BLACK FROST TO MAKE KALI WITH NULL:NERVE), YOU CAN JUST SACRIFICE HIM. OR FUSE HIM INTO FODDER OF A SIMPLE FAMILY, TO COMBINE WITH ANOTHER OF THAT SAME FAMILY, TO MAKE IT INTO AN ELEMENT, AND THEN A MITAMA, AND THEN YOU CAN EASILY TRANSFER PIERCE THAT WAY. FOR EXAMPLE, FUSE GARY WITH PIXIE TO MAKE SUCCUBUS (WILL HAVE TO BE BETWEEN 1/8 AND HALF IF YOU'RE HOLDING A DEATHSTONE OR ELSE THIS WILL MAKE A FIEND). THEN FUSE THE SUCCUBUS WITH ANOTHER NIGHT (LILIM IS IN YOUR COMPENDIUM IF YOU'VE BEEN FOLLOWING MY GUIDE AT ALL, OR USE THE REGISTERED NYX WITH DEBILITATE) TO MAKE AN ERTHYS WITH PIERCE AND DEBILITATE/RAKUNDA. THEN FUSE WITH ANOTHER ELEMENT OF YOUR CHOICE TO ADD EVEN MORE GOOD ABILITIES, I'D RECOMMEND AQUANS, NOW YOU CAN MAKE AN ARA MITAMA THAT ADDS PIERCE+DEBILITATE+TARUKAJA TO YOUR NEW EPIC PHYSICAL ATTACKER. IF THEY ARE OF A SIMPLE CLAN YOU CAN FUSE UP/DOWN IN THE SAME CLAN WITH ELEMENTS, YOU CAN ALWAYS DOWNFUSE AND BACK UP INTO WHAT THEY WERE, SACRIFICE SOME LEFTOVER YOU DON'T WANT, AND REMAKE THEM WITH A TON OF BONUS LEVELS. USE THE MITAMA YOU MADE TO ADD THOSE SKILLS TO EITHER THE RESULTING DEMON, OR ONE OF ITS MATERIALS YOU'RE USING. THIS IS SO EXTRA, IF YOU'RE LEVEL 95 LUCIFER WAS NO MORE DIFFICULT BACK WHEN YOU WERE LEVEL 65, I PROMISE.

I LIED, THAT'S THE FOURTH BEST OPTION, THE THIRD BEST OPTION IS TO JUST COMMIT TO USING MAGIC INSTEAD. I HAVE A HIGHLIGHT ON MY TWITCH CHANNEL AND YOUTUBE OF DEFEATING LUCIFER WITH MC AND SARASVATI TOSSING 100 WIND CUTTERS TO KILL HIM, 650 DAMAGE AT A TIME. DON'T SPLIT DEMIFIEND WITH PIERCE AND PHYSICAL WITH A MAGICAL DEMON ATTACKER, YOU'LL BE GETTING HIT BY DEKAJA TOO MUCH TO MAINTAIN 4X TARUKAJA AND 4X MAKAKAJA.

CHECK OUT LAKSHMI IN PARTICULAR MENTIONED IN THE LEVEL 55-76 FUSION SECTION ABOVE. HERE'S SOME MORE EXPLICIT SUGGESTIONS FOR LUCIFER, OF A MORE BUILDING-BLOCKS LEVEL.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU NEED LIFE SURGE. VIABLE SOURCES ARE A FULLY LEVELED UP HANUMAN (WHAT ONKOT TRANSFORMS INTO...HOPE YOU WERE WORKING ON THAT THIS WHOLE TIME), TITAN (LEVEL UP TWICE), GOGMAGOG (LEVEL UP ONCE) AND KALI.

DEBILITATE IS ANOTHER KEY SPELL. SEE THE 40-52 FUSION SECTION TO LEARN HOW TO FUSE JINN, TO FUSE WITH WHITE RIDER INTO LOA, NOW THAT WHITE RIDER'S MAGIC DAMAGE IS USELESS ONCE LUCIFER IS THE LAST REMAINING FOE. ONCE YOU HAVE DEBILITATE ON LOA, YOU CAN FUSE IT WITH ANY NIGHT TO PUT DEBILITATE ON ERTHYS, THEN FUSE WITH ANOTHER ELEMENT TO MAKE A MITAMA WITH DEBILITATE. MAYBE LIFE GAIN ON AQUANS MADE FROM NAGA AND A SNAKE?
YOU COULD ALSO RECRUIT NYX AND LEVEL HER UP ONCE, OR SAC FUSE ONE USING QUEEN MAB/BLACK FROST WITH ERTHYS. FUSE WITH ANOTHER NIGHT TO MAKE AN ERTHYS WITH DEBILITATE.
OR RECRUIT RANGDA AND FUSE WITH A FEMME (DATSUE-BA FOR CHEAP) TO PUT DEBILITATE ON AQUANS.
OR IF YOU WENT WITH AMATERASU, SACRIFICE HER FOR SOMETHING NICE, LIKE A BRAND NEW DAISOUJOU.

SARASVATI IS ACTUALLY A SOLID OPTION BECAUSE SHE LEARNS RECARM, THAT'S NOT USELESS. SHE HAS NULL AILMENTS TOO. IF YOU'VE BEEN CARRYING A WATCHFUL DEMON ALL GAME LONG LIKE PISACA, KOPPA, HORUS, OR PULUSHIKI, SHE'S A BIG GIRL AND CAN TAKE IT TO GAIN LIKE 20 BONUS LEVELS. UNICORN + JACK O LANTERN WORKS TO MAKE HER. OR YOU CAN DOWNFUSE FROM LAKSHMI WITH ANY TWO ELEMENTS YOU WANT, TO BRING DOWN THE IMPORTANT ABILITIES LIKE DEBILITATE AND LIFE SURGE.

DAISOUJOU 2: PART WITH THE DAISOUJOU YOU HAVE, OR SACRIFICE HIM TO MAKE LITERALLY ANYTHING. THEN SACRIFICE THAT THING TO MAKE A NEW DAISOUJOU. THIS WILL MULTIPLY THE EXPERIENCE POINTS DAISOUJOU 1 HAD BY (1.5 * 1.5) = 2.25. BECAUSE THERE'S LIKE 300 RECIPES THAT MAKE DAISOUJOU JUST FIND A WAY TO GIVE HIM LIFE GAIN AND LIFE SURGE.

PRAYER IS A KEY SKILL TO HAVE FOR THIS, WITH MEDIARAHAN BEING SECOND BEST AND ME PATRA BEING THIRD BEST (PATRA WILL SUFFICE IF ALMOST EVERYONE HAS NULL NERVE/AILMENTS, MAYBE YOU STILL HAVE THAT KUSHI MITAMA THAT KILLED SAMAEL). MAKE SURE AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR PRAYER USERS HAS NULL AILMENTS, LIKE DAISOUJOU, SARASVATI, OR LACHESIS. AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE FASTER THAN WHOEVER DOESN'T HAVE NULL NERVE/AILMENTS, SO YOU WON'T LOSE A TURN. MORE PRAYER USERS LIKE AMATERASU AND TITANIA ARE STILL HELPFUL, JUST HAVE A BACKUP PLAN TO FREE THEM FROM BIND.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT TARUKAJA AND RAKUKAJA IN ALL THIS. MAKE ARA MITAMA WITH AQUANS (WITH LIFE GAIN FROM NAGA) AND ERTHYS (EITHER THE REGISTERED ONE WITH RAKUKAJA, OR A NEW ONE WITH DEBILITATE). TECHNICALLY BRIGHT MIGHT WILL HELP YOU KILL KAGUTSUCHI FASTER, IT'S FUN. SUKUKAJA WILL DO LITERALLY NOTHING, YOU DON'T NEED IT.

EVEN IF YOU HAVE A "MAIN 3" YOU INTEND TO FIGHT LUCIFER WITH, CONSIDER HAVING BACKUP OPTIONS IN CASE ONE OF THEM DIES. I WAS SERIOUS WHEN I WAS SAYING YOU COULD KEEP INUGAMI FOR THE WHOLE GAME, JUST SUMMON MAKAMI/HORUS/DIONYSUS/HARLOT AND USE RECARM IN THE SAME TURN AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM LOSING A DEMON THE TURN AFTER. MOTHER HARLOT WITH BECKON CALL HELPS TOO.

ONCE YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHAT YOUR MOST IMPORTANT 3 DEMONS ARE, USE ALL YOUR REMAINING INCENSES ON THEM, THEN SPEND ALL YOUR REMAINING MONEY ON KUSHI/SAKI MITAMAS TO RAISE THEIR VITALITY. SAKI WILL RAISE THEIR LUCK INSTEAD OF THEIR AGILITY SO YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR TURN ORDER. IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE DANTE/RAIDOU WITH PIERCE, GET YOUR NULL AILMENTS PRAYER USER UP TO 25+ AGILITY SO THEY WILL GO FIRST; THEN YOU'LL HAVE DANTE GOING 2ND AND MC GOING 4TH SO YOUR DAMAGE DEALERS CAN GO HAM IN A 2424 TURN ORDER, NICE.

IF YOU'RE NOT USING DANTE/RAIDOU, AND DON'T HAVE AN EXTREMELY POWERFUL PHYSICAL ATTACKER DEMON TO BACK UP DEMIFIEND, TRY TO SET UP DAISOUJOU 2'S AGILITY TO HAVE HIM GO 2ND, BUT THEN YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE WHOEVER GOES 1ST HAS NULL AILMENTS, SPARNA IS A GOOD CHOICE EXCEPT YOU'LL HAVE TO FIX HIS LOW VITALITY WITH LIFE GAIN/SURGE AND MITAMAS. ANYWAY IF DAISOUJOU GOES 2ND YOU CAN SPEND LOOSE TURNS DOING MEDITATION TO GO +30 MP FOR SUSTAINABILITY. IF MC DOESN'T HAVE TO USE AN ITEM HE CAN ATTACK MOAR.

SPEAKING OF RAIDOU. IF YOU'RE PLAYING ON CHRONICLES MODE, AND ON HARD DIFFICULTY *ONLY*, LUCIFER IS MADE EXTRA EXTRA HARD AND COMPLETELY UNFAIR. DIARAMA IS UPGRADED TO A ONCE PER BATTLE DIARAHAN. AND ROOT OF EVIL INCLUDES A DEKAJA EFFECT THAT RIPS AWAY ALL YOUR BUFFS. YOU PRETTY MUCH CANNOT WIN WITHOUT A RAIDOU THAT'S LEVEL 83 OR HIGHER. HAVE FUN!!!!! CAPCOM GOT THE LAST LAUGH WITH PAY2WIN HAHAHAHAHA

*DEMIFIEND BUILD FOR LUCIFER*

THE BEST MAGATAMA IS VIMANA, SECOND BEST IS MUSPELL.
HERE ARE MY TOP 9 SKILL PICKS FOR THIS FIGHT.
#1 ENDURE. YOU GET A SECOND LIFE. LITERALLY NOTHING COULD EVER, EVER, EVER HELP MORE THAN THIS.
#2 PIERCE. OH YEAH. WE NEED TO WIN.
#3 FOCUS. YOUR NEXT PHYSICAL SKILL DOES 2.5 TIMES MORE DAMAGE. SPENDS LESS HP AND IS STRAIGHT UP PEAK DAMAGE.
#4 DEATHBOUND > FREIKUGEL > SPIRAL VIPER > IRON CLAW > CHAOS BLADE. THE FOUR BEST OPTIONS. CHAOS BLADE IS ONLY FOR MUSCLE WIZARDS WHO PUT EVERY POINT INTO VITALITY AND MAGIC, AND CAN'T GET THE 24 STRENGTH TO GET THE GAEA MAGATAMA FROM MANTRA HQ'S JAIL. IGNORE FREIKUGEL THE LEVEL REQUIREMENT IS TOO HIGH. IRON CLAW MIGHT NEED 1 SUKUKAJA OR IT MIGHT MISS EVEN WITH 4X DEBILITATE, UNLESS YOU HAVE 15+ AGILITY.
#5 TARUKAJA OR RAKUKAJA. HELPS YOU STABILIZE AFTER DEKAJA. THIS IS EXTRA IMPORTANT ON MC BECAUSE, WHAT ELSE IS HE GONNA SPEND MP ON? TAKE THE STRAIN OFF YOUR DEMONS. THERE'S NO LUSTER CANDY IN THIS GAME SO DEKAJA IS A WAY BIGGER TEMPO LOSS, IT TAKES MORE PRESS TURNS TO REPAIR THAN 4X DEBILITATE OR 2X WAR CRY.
#6 WAR CRY. WILL HELP YOU STABILIZE AFTER DEKUNDA, EVEN BETTER THAN DEBILITATE. AGAIN, TAKE MP STRAIN OFF YOUR DEMONS.
#7 LIFE GAIN/LIFE SURGE. YOUR VITALITY STAT SHOULD BE HIGH ENOUGH TO TAKE YOU ABOVE 700 HP. IF YOU GET BOTH YOU SHOULD HIT THE HP CAP OF 999. NATURAL 37 IS PERFECT SO VIMANA GETS YOU TO 40.
#8 RETALIATE/AVENGE. IT USES YOUR FOCUS SO IT CAN THROW OFF YOUR "ATTACK RHYTHM" BUT IT'S FREE DAMAGE NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT.
#9 DRAIN:ICE > NULL:NERVE. IT'S A BETTER DEAL TO GET NERVE PROTECTION BY INGESTING VIMANA, OR USE MUSPELL IF YOU NEED MORE VIT AND MAGIC TO ROUND OFF YOUR STATS. WADATSUMI FOR NULL ICE ISN'T GREAT STATWISE. MIASMA HAS DRAIN:ICE AFTER GLACIAL BLAST IF YOU HAD TO GIVE UP NULL:ICE EARLIER.
WITH 4X DEBILITATE SOMEONE SHOULD DODGE A LUCIFER SPELL ANYWAY TO STEAL HIS OTHER PRESS TURN.

IF YOU'RE DETERMINED TO GO MAGIC ONLY, REPLACE FOCUS AND PHYSICAL SKILL WITH WIND CUTTER AND FORCE BOOST. AND TARUKAJA WITH MAKAKAJA.

IF YOU THINK LUCIFER IS STILL TOO HARD AFTER DOING ALL THIS PREP, WELL THERE'S ALWAYS...

*GLITCHY STUFF EXCLUSIVE TO THE PC VERSION OF HD*

THERE IS A POLITICAL FOOTBALL ABOUT "ACCESSIBILITY IN GAMING" GOING ON AND ATLUS DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. YOU CAN PLAY NOCTURNE ON EITHER GAMEPAD OR KEYBOARD+MOUSE. THEY MAY HAVE OVERLOOKED AN UNINTENTIONAL FEATURE OF THEIR GAME DESIGNED FOR PLAYSTATION 2 BEING CONTROLLABLE WITH A MOUSE AND WE GET TO BENEFIT. AT THE TIME OF WRITING WE ARE IN VERSION 1.0.4, ATLUS IF YOU'RE READING PLEASE DON'T FIX THIS.

SO HERE'S A FUN THING YOU CAN DO. PRESS SQUARE TO OPEN THE COMMAND MENU. ENTER PARTY AND THEN RETURN TO STOCK. USE YOUR MOUSE TO HOVER OVER DEMONS THAT ARE ALREADY IN YOUR STOCK, AS FAR DOWN THE LIST AS YOU CAN GO. THEN PRESS DOWN + CONFIRM ON YOUR KEYBOARD/CONTROLLER AT THE SAME TIME, LEFT CLICK ON THE MOUSE WORKS AS CONFIRM TOO. DO THAT A FEW TIMES IN A ROW. WHEN YOU BACK OUT OF THE MENU...DEMIFIEND IS NO LONGER LISTED IN YOUR ACTIVE PARTY. THAT'S RIGHT, HE'S ♥♥♥♥♥♥ GONE, BANISHED TO THE GACHA REALM FOR AN ENDLESS LUNCH BREAK. NOW YOU'RE PLAYING THE GAME WITH ONLY 3 PRESS TURNS AND THE DEMON AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST IS YOUR LOSS CONDITION, IF THEY ARE KILLED YOU GET A STANDARD GAME OVER. THE ONLY WAY TO GET MC BACK IS WITH THE SPELL BECKON CALL WHICH BAPHOMET LEARNS AT LEVEL 33. SO IF YOU DO THIS BEFORE LEVEL 33 HE'S GONE FOR GOOD, UNLESS AQUANS CHANGES ANTI-LIGHT INTO BECKON CALL...THERE'S LIKE A SMALLER THAN 1% CHANCE OF THAT HAPPENING, PLEASE DON'T.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL, AS IF A BIZARRE NEW TYPE OF CHALLENGE RUN BEING DISCOVERED WASN'T ENOUGH. IF YOU USE BECKON CALL, OR PURCHASE A DEMON FROM ONE OF THE SHADY BROKERS IN THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA, TO MAKE A TEAM OF 4 DEMONS.....
ATLUS HARD CODED, "THOU SHALT NOT SUMMON MORE THAN 3 DEMONS WHILE YOU HAVE EXACTLY 3". EXACTLY 3. YOU CAN SUMMON YOUR WHOLE STOCK. BUT BE CAREFUL, ONCE YOU CLOSE THE MENU YOU'LL BE IN THE DARK. IF YOU MOVE YOU CAN HEAR DEMIFIEND'S SHOES CLOPPING ON THE GROUND. YOU CAN OPEN THE MENU AGAIN BUT YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING. YOU CAN TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON BY EITHER PRESSING UP TWICE AND PRESSING A TWICE, TO OPEN THE STATUS MENU FOR ANYONE. OR PRESS DOWN 3 TIMES AND A ONCE TO OPEN THE MAGATAMA MENU. PRESS BACK TWICE AND GO TO THE PARTY MENU (THE NEXT MENU WON'T LOAD PROPERLY BUT IT WORKS; PRESS DOWN ONCE OR UP TWICE TO SELECT "RETURN TO STOCK") AND UNSUMMON YOUR PARTY BACK DOWN TO 4 MEMBERS. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT IN THIS STATE, YOU ARE CONTROLLING THE MENU WHILE YOU CONTROL DEMIFIEND IN THE VORTEX WORLD WITH THE EXACT SAME INPUTS. WHOA, FAR OUT MAN.

YOU CAN USE THIS TO GO OUT OF BOUNDS, BUT THIS ISN'T VERY PRACTICAL. BUT I'LL TELL YOU AN IMPORTANT PLACE YOU CAN DO IT. YOU CAN SKIP FUSING METATRON AND GO BUY THE GIRIMEKHALA WITH PIERCE FOR 200000 MACCA AS SOON AS YOU'RE LEVEL 58, AND HAVE A DEMON WITH BECKON CALL TO SET THIS UP. YOU ALSO NEED A MINIMUM OF 9 DEMONS IN YOUR TEAM.

1) MAKE A COPY OF YOUR SAVE FILE.
2) GO TO THE 5TH KALPA AND MAKE A SUSPEND SAVE FACING THE EAST WALL IN THE TINY ENTRANCE ROOM OF B4 (2X1 TILES WITH A LADDER IN IT).
3) LOAD THE CLONED SAVE FILE.
4) DISMISS DEMIFIEND USING THE GLITCH DESCRIBED ABOVE.
5) GET INTO A BATTLE WITH YOUR 3 DEMON TEAM, USE BECKON CALL DURING THE BATTLE. WIN OR ESCAPE WITH 4 DEMONS SUMMONED. IF YOU SUMMON MC RANDOMLY TRY AGAIN.
6) SAVE THE GAME IN THE LABYRINTH OF AMALA WITH YOUR PARTY LIKE THIS IN CASE YOU MAKE A MISTAKE.
7) WALK FORWARD A BIT SO YOU'RE A FEW STEPS AWAY FROM THE PEEPHOLE.
8) SUMMON FIVE DEMONS (IT DEPENDS ON HOW MANY YOU HAVE; 5 IF 9, 4 IF 10, ETC). CLOSE THE MENU.
9) OPEN THE MENU. PRESS UP TWICE, CONFIRM TWICE. YOU'RE IN THE STATUS MENU. PRESS BACK TWICE.
SUMMON BACK DOWN TO 4 DEMONS (PRESS UP TWICE, A, UP TWICE TO CHOOSE 'RETURN TO STOCK', PRESS UP AND A TO UNSUMMON AS MANY AS YOU SUMMONED)
10) HOLD UP TO MAKE DEMIFIEND WALK UP TO THE PEEPHOLE. START PRESSING CONFIRM TO START WATCHING A CUTSCENE. YOU CAN USE YOUR ITEMS, THIS TIMELINE WON'T MATTER ANYWAY.
11) WHILE YOUR COMMAND MENU IS STILL OPEN, SELECT SYSTEM -> LOAD. THEN PRESS BACK A BUNCH OF TIMES AND YOU'LL MAKE THE TITLE SCREEN APPEAR SOMEHOW. MAKE SURE TO GET RID OF THE COMMAND MENU YOU WERE USING. CHOOSE TO CONTINUE YOUR SUSPEND SAVE.
12) WALK FORWARD JUST A LITTLE BIT. COLLISION IS DISABLED DURING CUTSCENES. THAT MEANS NOT JUST FOR WALLS, BUT YOU'LL SINK INTO THE FLOOR TOO. THERE'S NO INTEGER UNDERFLOW TO START FALLING FROM THE SKY, YOU'LL ACTUALLY SINK FOREVER AND BE LOST. SO JUST TAKE 2 STEPS FORWARD AND MAKE ANOTHER SUSPEND SAVE.

WITH THE GAME BEHAVING NORMALLY AGAIN YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO RESUME YOUR SUSPEND SAVE AND BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR. WALK SOUTH THROUGH THREE DOORS AND TALK TO THE SHADY BROKER. ENTER ANY DOOR AND ESCAPE THE PIT TO THE SOUTHEAST.

THERE'S ANOTHER OUT OF BOUNDS METHOD YOU CAN DO BY CLIMBING A LADDER WHILE HAVING AN OVERLAID MENU OPEN TO SUSPEND WHILE YOU'RE CLIMBING HALFWAY UP IT. YOU HAVE TO TIME IT JUST RIGHT FOR IT TO WORK.

WITH THESE GLITCHES IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE TO FIGHT KAGUTSUCHI WITH THE COMMAND MENU OPEN, ALLOWING YOU TO USE YOUR HEALING ITEMS TO HEAL IN BETWEEN ENEMY PRESS TURNS, AND THEN USE TRAFURI/SMOKE BALL TO INSTANTLY "DEFEAT" LUCIFER. WATCH A GLITCHED SPEEDRUN LIKE MY "ONI MAY CRY" RUN ON YOUTUBE TO LEARN HOW!

*KAGUTSUCHI*

IF YOU REJECTED ALL THE REASONS, AND TOLD ARADIA IN YOYOGI PARK YES (I'M AFRAID), YOU'LL GET THE DEMON ENDING AND THE GAME ENDS, ROLL CREDITS! THE CUTSCENE IS HYSTERICAL ON HD, IT LOOKS EVEN WORSE THAN THE PS2 VERSION.

NOCTURNE MEANS MUSIC OF THE NIGHT. KAGUTSUCHI IS THE VILLAIN BECAUSE HE WON'T SHUT OFF THE DAMN LIGHTS. THE PHASE WILL CHANGE FROM TURN TO TURN, HE TAKES MORE DAMAGE DURING DARKER PHASES, WHICH IS NEAT I GUESS.

ALL YOU NEED TO DEFEAT KAGUTSUCHI (ON HARD) IS RAKUKAJA, WAR CRY, 450+ MAX HP ON YOUR WHOLE TEAM, AND A WILLINGNESS TO ♥♥♥♥ OUT AS MUCH DAMAGE AS POSSIBLE. HE HAS 20000 + 40000 HP, AGAIN THERE'S A PHASE CHANGE GATE NO EXCESS DAMAGE WILL SLIP THROUGH.
IN PHASE 2 IT WILL BE FULL OCLOCK EVERY TURN AND THIS IS WHERE BRIGHT MIGHT COMES IN. IF A DIALOGUE BOX COMES UP, HE IS TELEGRAPHING INFINITE LIGHT, THAT'S THE UNDODGABLE ALMIGHTY ATTACK YOU NEED 450 HP TO SURVIVE WITH MAX WAR CRY AND MAX DEFENSES. THE MOST I'VE EVER SEEN IT DEAL IS 447. THERE'S A SMALL CHANCE HE'LL FOLLOW UP INFINITE LIGHT WITH DEKUNDA, BUT HE DOESN'T HAVE DEKAJA.

*LUCIFER*

LUCIFER WILL GO EASY ON YOU IN PHASE 1. YOU CAN SPEND THE FIRST FEW TURNS SWITCHING YOUR TEAM FROM YOUR KAGUTSUCHI KILLERS TO WHAT YOU INTENDED TO USE FOR LUCIFER, IF THEY WEREN'T EXACTLY THE SAME.

LUCIFER HAS 65535 HP AND CHANGES PHASES AFTER TAKING ENOUGH DAMAGE.
PHASE 1 ONLY HAS EVIL GLEAM TO WORRY ABOUT, WHICH TRIES TO CHARM YOUR WHOLE PARTY. IT'S SO RARE I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE TOLD YOU TO ONLY WORRY ABOUT HAVING NULL NERVE. LOA'S A USABLE PARTY MEMBER VS THIS GUY AFTER ALL, WITH ENOUGH HP. LUCIFER'S NORMAL ATTACKS ARE ALMIGHTY AND CANNOT BE DODGED, AND HAVE LIKE A 45% CRIT CHANCE, GET USED TO IT.

PHASE 2 IS WHEN THE FIGHT TRULY BEGINS, AFTER YOU'VE DEALT ABOUT 18000 DAMAGE. HE CAN START USING DEKUNDA AND DEKAJA, I'VE HEARD HE IS SLIGHTLY MORE LIKELY TO DO THESE IF YOU'RE AT +/- 4. LUCIFER ALSO REVEALS HIS SPECIAL ATTACK, HIGH KING. IT CAN'T BE DODGED AND HAS A HIGH CHANCE OF INFLICTING BIND STATUS, THIS IS WHY YOU NEED NULL AILMENTS/NERVE. AT MAX WAR CRY/RAKUKAJA IT ONLY DOES 220 DAMAGE. IF YOU LOSE ONE LAYER OF DEFENSES THAT GOES UP TO 440. IF IT'S ALL SQUARE YOU TAKE 800 AND LOSE.

IN PHASE 3 HE CAN DO DOUBLE HIGH KING. AND ALSO REVEALS A NEW SPECIAL ATTACK: ROOT OF EVIL. IT CAN'T KILL YOU, NOR CAN HE USE HIGH KING FOR THE REST OF THE TURN AFTER USING THIS, THIS JUST ROLLS A RANDOM OUTCOME ON EVERYONE ON YOUR PARTY. THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE 9 OUTCOMES; 3 OF THEM ARE 0 DAMAGE AND A STATUS AILMENT, THE OTHERS ARE SETTING YOUR HP TO A LOWER % VALUE. LIKE HALF, OR 10%. SUDDENLY THOSE NORMAL ATTACKS ARE THE SCARIEST THING IN THIS WHOLE GAME.

THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT. IT'S JUST AN ATTRITION BATTLE WITH YOUR RECOVERY ITEMS, HOPEFULLY YOU GOT THE 5 GREAT CHAKRAS AND 5 BEADS OF LIFE FROM BLACK FROST'S TREASURE ROOM IN THE 5TH KALPA.

TO PUSH OUT DAMAGE AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, YOU WANT TO MAXIMIZE MC GETTING THE MOST TURNS, AND YOU WANT TO HAVE FOCUS PRE-CHARGED, THEN RECHARGE IT AT THE END OF THE TURN CYCLE. THAT WAY IF YOU GET A CRIT, WHOEVER ACTS AFTER MC CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING INSTEAD OF PASSING THEIR TURN. THIS WAS WHAT I MEANT ABOUT AVENGE RUINING YOUR "ATTACK RHYTHM" SOMETIMES. BUT YOU'LL ALSO HAVE TO USE ITEMS TO RESTORE YOUR TEAM'S MP AT TIMES.

IF YOU GET HIT BY DEKUNDA + DEKAJA (YES HE CAN SPEND HIS WHOLE TURN DOING THAT) STABILIZE WITH 2 WAR CRY AND 2 RAKUKAJA.
TRY TO END EVERY TURN WITH YOUR WHOLE TEAM ABOVE 450 HP BECAUSE DEKUNDA + HIGH KING IS ANOTHER FREQUENT LUCIFER COMBO.

THIS IS THE END OF THE GUIDE YOU BEAT THE GAME.