Serathis chapter dialogues! Things are starting to get serious here, so the chatter is pretty sparce.
Camp Dialogues
At the very start of the chapter. You'll need to double back to a previous region's camp to view this.
After fighting the Feral Blangonga.
After the fighting the Goss Harag en route to the Sacrosanctum.
After fighting the Malzeno in Lazlion.
Now for the party chatter!
Not a lot in this one....
Starting the trek to the Sacrosanctum.
Near the Glacial Caps Camp, on the bluff with Duffel Penguins. (not shown in the image, because they all ran away. can't imagine why)
Yeah, I only found the 2 instances here--not including ones generally tied to the plot.
I may have Mandela Effected myself, because I could have sworn there was another one in Glacial Caps involving Kora and Gaul talking about how easy it is to lose your orientation in the iceberg maze, but I couldn't find it for the life of me. If I somehow find it later, I'll be sure to add it here.
As I mentioned before in Chapter 2, I do have caps of the party chatter for Chapter 5 already. I just need to blast through the story, and we can wrap this little series up!
Wee bonus!
Did anyone else know the Crystal Lizards were here? I thought I had to fight the Feral Brachydios back in Azuria to find them, but turns out there was a whole mess of them here!
This really could have been answered by someone running the "Remove Ratha" mod, but here I am anyways.
Q: Is Ratha mandatory for the story Arkveld fight?
Well... yes and no. Yes, if you want to play the game. No, if you're willing to lose braincells.
The Control
AKA how the game wants you to do this battle.
There's a treasure chest at the entrance of the arena with 2 Mega Demondrugs in it that they intend for you to use in the fight.
After a few turns in its Normal state, the Arkveld will pop Energy Release to go into Dragon Mantle. After a turn, it will use Berserk Blade and basically nuke the whole party. This is when the game will tell you to use Ratha and Savage Fireball to overwhelm Arkveld with energy. You will have 1 turn to get Ratha buffed to Attk Up L, hence the Mega Demondrugs, because on the next turn Arkveld will use Energy Release and immediately nuke you again.
Do it correctly and--
The Arkveld will explode and stagger itself, giving you a free turn to wail on it.
From there, it's treated as a normal battle. You won't be able to overwhelm Arkveld with energy when it's in Dragon Mantle anymore, but now you actually have a shot at breaking its parts. That does also mean you have to tank its Berserk Blade, but it should be doing it less frequently now that it's not scripted.
I did test this, and no, you can't sequence break this fight. Buffing Ratha early and trying to burst Arkveld on the first Berserk Blade doesn't work.
Without looking at the game's code and risking breaking something, what exactly are the checks for this fight? If you know about Arkveld ecology, you know it absorbs all elements--not just fire.
On paper, you should be able to use any element so long as it has enough strength. And Ratha isn't that strong.
Test 1 - overwhelm it with other elements?
Our test subject:
meet "florida man." Why did I name this Ivory Lagiacrus florida man?
I gave the croc a gloc.
So I fight the Arkveld as usual, take Berserk Blade to the face, and get ready for the check.
Give the croc drugs.
florida man uses GUN.
And Arkveld doesn't care. Despite Railgun+ having 120 power versus Savage Fireball's 90, and florida man also having Attk Up L, the game treats the attack as if you had mistimed it, and Arkveld will use Berserk Blade.
With the brief little cutscene that triggers in the control, I had a feeling this would be the case, but I really wanted to give the crocko a glocko.
Unfortunately, with its lower Dragon Res, florida man does not survive. RIP, my silliest soldier.
But Berserk Blade isn't a guaranteed hit. It can miss. Which brings us to our 2nd test.
Test 2 - Fuck it! We dog!
So... Not wanting to go out into the field and find a silver bullet just for Arkveld and this silly test, I thought to do the same thing I did with the Feral Nerscylla in the demo days, and throw cheese at it.
Enter dog.
He's the only monstie with me with good Dragon Res. He got Heat Shimmer, Nature Heal, and the sheer fucking will to get us home.
I've also got a bow with Accuracy Down Coating, and the Magia Staff Hunting Horn to recover hearts if needed.
Go through the Arkveld fight as usual, this time keeping my Evasion high and Arkveld's Accuracy low. Take the first Berserk Blade to the face, yeah yeah, use Ratha--but how about no?
If you decide not to listen to the game, you're going to have a very bad time with this fight.
After the first instance, it will always use Berserk Blade immediately after Elemental Release and then revert back to its Normal state. Unless you play by the game's rules and overwhelm it with Ratha, it will never go into Dragon Mantle again. Which means that it will resist every element, and you'll only have 2 parts to break so that means at best you will have 6 bars of the Wyvernsoul Gauge to whittle through.
The game will keep repeating the cycle of X turns in Normal State, nuking you with Berserk Blade, rinse and repeat--party members telling you to do it right this time every time.
But like I said, Berserk Blade is avoidable. Thanks to dog's Heat Shimmer and me keeping Arkveld's accuracy low, you can avoid Berserk Blade and all of Arkveld's other attacks. It took over ten minutes, sped up, but you can defeat Arkveld without sending Ratha out at all.
The game still acts like you did though.
It's not fun. I do not recommend this. Just perform the check with Ratha, then you can use whatever Monstie you'd like.
Chapter 4 Dialogues coming soon! Not right now. I wasn't kidding about the losing braincells part. I've a headache now....
Responsible Braincell: Yesterday you had four cups of black tea, a cup of matcha, you came home and ate some pineapple slices, slept for 16 hours, and now you're doomscrolling.
"Hm. Those do all sound like things I'd do."
Responsible Braincell: You're still doing it! It's been 3 hours! Get out of bed, eat your oatmeal, drink some tea, drink water, and do something, dumbass!
Also, I love you. You worked hard this week. Take it easy, but take care of yourself.
everybody go in a circle now, say your name and tell us what animal you would ride if you were the size of a peanut (<- actual ice breaker question I once received in group counseling)
Maybe a dumbo rat? But then again I can see it being chaotic. Maybe the rat I have is chill and wonât like, climb on walls and let me die. And then I can pet it and feed it frozen peas in water.
@lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie @poppbubble @altism @threebeanmaraca @l0sxrs4x11 and whoever wants to join I canât think right now đ
Oh. Oh this is such a âmeâ post. (Coughs in Wild Kratts kid) You know me too well đ
Ninja lanternshark. I love them. They are so cool and weird and they glow in the dark. I yearn for the depths.
Respect to the pangolin guy, that's an easy third pick for me.
Observe my son and compliment him. Many don't know of his existence.
Uhm. Tags. Consider them open.
For @certifiedshrimpy I'm assuming a shrimp (would you ride one of your own??) and... @sapphiremars663 @urgirlsydneyyy @jesuswarriordaughter @petercanparkacar @lavender-loves-space and anyone else I'm forgetting. No pressure to respond to this ofc!
everybody go in a circle now, say your name and tell us what animal you would ride if you were the size of a peanut (<- actual ice breaker question I once received in group counseling)
Maybe a dumbo rat? But then again I can see it being chaotic. Maybe the rat I have is chill and wonât like, climb on walls and let me die. And then I can pet it and feed it frozen peas in water.
@lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie @poppbubble @altism @threebeanmaraca @l0sxrs4x11 and whoever wants to join I canât think right now đ
Oh. Oh this is such a âmeâ post. (Coughs in Wild Kratts kid) You know me too well đ
Ninja lanternshark. I love them. They are so cool and weird and they glow in the dark. I yearn for the depths.
Respect to the pangolin guy, that's an easy third pick for me.
Observe my son and compliment him. Many don't know of his existence.
Uhm. Tags. Consider them open.
For @certifiedshrimpy I'm assuming a shrimp (would you ride one of your own??) and... @sapphiremars663 @urgirlsydneyyy @jesuswarriordaughter @petercanparkacar @lavender-loves-space and anyone else I'm forgetting. No pressure to respond to this ofc!
everybody go in a circle now, say your name and tell us what animal you would ride if you were the size of a peanut (<- actual ice breaker question I once received in group counseling)
Maybe a dumbo rat? But then again I can see it being chaotic. Maybe the rat I have is chill and wonât like, climb on walls and let me die. And then I can pet it and feed it frozen peas in water.
@lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie @poppbubble @altism @threebeanmaraca @l0sxrs4x11 and whoever wants to join I canât think right now đ
Oh. Oh this is such a âmeâ post. (Coughs in Wild Kratts kid) You know me too well đ
Ninja lanternshark. I love them. They are so cool and weird and they glow in the dark. I yearn for the depths.
Respect to the pangolin guy, that's an easy third pick for me.
Observe my son and compliment him. Many don't know of his existence.
Uhm. Tags. Consider them open.
For @certifiedshrimpy I'm assuming a shrimp (would you ride one of your own??) and... @sapphiremars663 @urgirlsydneyyy @jesuswarriordaughter @petercanparkacar @lavender-loves-space and anyone else I'm forgetting. No pressure to respond to this ofc!
Last series/movie: okay this is a three party: 1) last series I finished: TADC, 2) last series I interacted with: Red Riding Wolf, 3) last movie: The Great Mouse Detective
Last series/movie: last series is TADC, last movie is Mamma Mia/monsters inc university (I watched them in the car with some friends and it was very glitchy but fun)
Last thing I ate: peach ice cream last night
Last place I went: dragged to a winery by adults. I'm a minor. I can't drink wine. WHY WAS I FORCED TO GO?!
Last video game: pokemon legends za! I already finished it but I'm trying to level up my team to 100 (I don't have the mega dimensions dlc), they're all around 94~ as of late.
Last Movie/Series: Death Note (annual road trip rewatch let's go)
Last Thing I Ate: A shitty gas station bagel </3
Last Place I Went: A shitty gas station </3
Last Video Game: Monster Hunter Stories 3, I am about 600 hours deep someone for the love of god save me.
@formerglory25 @lavender-loves-space @certifiedshrimpy and...idk man ive been on the road for like 14 hours i can't formulate thoughts. if you see this then free pass đ
The devs: Wow! we had no idea Simon would be so popular!
Also the devs: Simon design notes. Is the protagonist' best friend. He is handsome. They get along great! Also, he is handsome. He has a relaxing presence! Handsome. He is well liked by everyone. Very important: handsome.
They act coy, but those fuckers knew exactly what they were doing when they made the sandwich.
The devs: Wow! we had no idea Simon would be so popular!
Also the devs: Simon design notes. Is the protagonist' best friend. He is handsome. They get along great! Also, he is handsome. He has a relaxing presence! Handsome. He is well liked by everyone. Very important: handsome.
They act coy, but those fuckers knew exactly what they were doing when they made the sandwich.
The devs: Wow! we had no idea Simon would be so popular!
Also the devs: Simon design notes. Is the protagonist' best friend. He is handsome. They get along great! Also, he is handsome. He has a relaxing presence! Handsome. He is well liked by everyone. Very important: handsome.
They act coy, but those fuckers knew exactly what they were doing when they made the sandwich.
Did the oversized, triangular, cool-guy glasses predate Kamina, or did Gainax/Studio Trigger just create peak character design and we're all still chasing that high?
This is actually hurting my brain. The timeline is all wonky in my head. Please feel free to chime in and correct me.
Here's what I'm sure of:
9 years ago, Lucas left Azuria to cross the Meridian. He would return a year later, but pass away shortly after due to his mysterious illness. I'm sure about this since in Chapter 1 of Ogden's side story, he says Lucas has been gone for 8 years now.
We also know from Kora's side story that Lucas was the one who took care of the Heir before Rudy was brought in. Rudy never met Lucas, as he inquires about who he is.
So 9-8 years ago, (I'm leaning towards 8 years because Rudy had no idea who Lucas was) Rudy was brought in by King Arken to look after the Heir. Their introductions are... not the warmest. The Heir is rather despondent about anything that isn't flying with Ratha. Understandable as they've been abandoned by both their mother and their mentor.
Now here's where my brain hurts and I start to question things.
It kills me that I can't cite any sources for this, but I have it in my memory that Simon and the Heir met 10 years ago. But then that doesn't make sense with how they act 9-8 years ago with Rudy. They wouldn't have felt so lonely then if they already had Simon.
I don't wanna hear any arguments that maybe they weren't that close then, because, c'mon. Really? Those two? The poor sad babies would have imprinted on each other so hard! "No, papa! I rescued this sopping wet kitten from the forest, and you can't take him from me!"
So yeah, that's where I'm at, and I'm stumped.
I dunno. There's no mention of Lucas outside of the side stories, so we've no clue if Simon actually interacted with him.
My terrible writer brain kinda does wish Simon got to meet Lucas. Just so another person he cares about is taken away by crystallisis--hehehehehehe!
If someone can cite where the 10 years ago number came from, I think we can chalk this discrepancy up to a "Oops, the writers forgot!" Otherwise, I think we can safely say that the two met after Rudy was employed and became friends with the Heir.
God, I need a nap. But unfortunately the brain worm never rests.
I think (and of course I could be wrong, the old hag forgets things sometimes so forgive me) the timeline goes like this:
Amara disappeared-> Heir begins training but doesnât become a full Ranger until much later, clue from the animated trailers -> Rudy is introduced a lot later down the line as the Heir is at their most loneliest and spends most of his time helping -> Simon is found not long after and the Heir immediately Velcroâs onto him-> Lucas disappears on his journey.
Essentially the Heir is having the worst year to two years ever. The heir knew Lucas long before then and likely gave them early lessons. He wouldâve been in contact with them as Amara founded the Rangers and he was one of the earliest members, momâs work friend thatâs super cool and lets you bother him while heâs working. He wouldâve given them very early tips and tricks. The 10 years ago specifically came from the Rathalos twins hatching and Amara disappearing, but we can assume Simon was contacted by Vermeil very early otherwise heâd have been in hiding with the twin for an extended period of time (something that would absolutely get attention) and sneaking a child into a kingdom is a lot less conspicuous than a teenager and made it a lot easier to take him in. If Simon met Lucas, it wouldâve been a very short time frame. But he wouldâve been around to be there when Lucas died.
We can also chalk up Rudy not remembering Lucas to him either not present during trainings to avoid distractions and only vaguely met Lucas but not enough to remember him by name, or trainings being so early and infrequent that he likely wouldnât have been present at all. But for sure, Rudy has to be present before Simon was.
Agreed that Rudy was almost certainly present before the Heir meets Simon, but yeah the Lucas timeline really kinda chucks a wrench into things given Rudy doesnât seem to know much about him. Though Iâm more likely to chalk that particular detail up to âwriters needed someone to question who he was so the characters can explainâ and didnât think about the continuity too much.
The game doesnât offer timeline placement for very many events, these are the ones I remember off the top of my head:
10 years ago:
Amara takes Ratha V and leaves Azuria
Amara meets Kris & they leave the Deathâs Maw village (Kris is referenced to be ~9 yo)
Egg quartz starts popping up in Azuria after otherwise being not present
9 years ago:
Lucas leaves Azuria
8 years ago
Lucas returns to Azuria but dies shortly after from crystallisis
On a looser timeframe Corbin notes that âthe past few decadesâ have seen more bounteous quantities of egg quartz, which implies some things if egg quartz only started appearing in Azuria 10 years ago
Donât get me started on trying to untangle what the timelineâs gotta look like for Clarissa & Amaraâs whole thing to make sense
As for the point of the original question, I donât remember anything specifically stated the Heir and Simon met 10 years ago, but 10 years ago is a timeframe thatâs referenced by most other things that get one.
Clarissa and Amara I can answer based on context clues. Assuming Amara abdicating the throne took place before the Heir was born and ofc the whole thing has to take place back prior to Amara fleeing Azuria, so 9-10 years prior to the hatching. Assuming Clarissa was 17-18, sheâd be 37-38 now. (Almost no characters have their ages stated outright, only implied.)
Simon doesnât give a timeline either, only the implication that heâs been a spy since the beginning with the Heirâs comment that the whole time they were just a target to him, implying the whole friendship. (But he was still a liar liar pants on fire because bro was hardcore yearning.) But I think the impact is greater if they met as kids so shortly afterwards. Not only is it easier to manipulate Kris, but are the Heir and Kris in equally vulnerable states that allows Fiero as the head of espionage to take advantage of. The longer it went, the more difficult it wouldâve been for Simon to come clean.
Holy crap. Everything with Vermeil I just have to throw my hands up and bloody guess!
When did Amara abdicate and leave Vermeil? IDK. When did Clarissa become queen? IDK!
I do think Clarissa is younger. Eleanor says Clarissa took care of her when she was sick as a child, with the Heir commenting that Clarissa would also have been a child then.
...Oh freakin'... Maths. Okay. Uh.
Assuming Eleanor is the same age as the Heir, 19, let's say there's 5-17 year age difference between her and Clarissa. 37 would be the higher end, but I do think she's younger than that. I am also running with the idea that Vermeil was desperate enough to install a teenager as queen.
Goddamnit. Now we have 2 theorems on what hell Clarissa's age is.
This is actually hurting my brain. The timeline is all wonky in my head. Please feel free to chime in and correct me.
Here's what I'm sure of:
9 years ago, Lucas left Azuria to cross the Meridian. He would return a year later, but pass away shortly after due to his mysterious illness. I'm sure about this since in Chapter 1 of Ogden's side story, he says Lucas has been gone for 8 years now.
We also know from Kora's side story that Lucas was the one who took care of the Heir before Rudy was brought in. Rudy never met Lucas, as he inquires about who he is.
So 9-8 years ago, (I'm leaning towards 8 years because Rudy had no idea who Lucas was) Rudy was brought in by King Arken to look after the Heir. Their introductions are... not the warmest. The Heir is rather despondent about anything that isn't flying with Ratha. Understandable as they've been abandoned by both their mother and their mentor.
Now here's where my brain hurts and I start to question things.
It kills me that I can't cite any sources for this, but I have it in my memory that Simon and the Heir met 10 years ago. But then that doesn't make sense with how they act 9-8 years ago with Rudy. They wouldn't have felt so lonely then if they already had Simon.
I don't wanna hear any arguments that maybe they weren't that close then, because, c'mon. Really? Those two? The poor sad babies would have imprinted on each other so hard! "No, papa! I rescued this sopping wet kitten from the forest, and you can't take him from me!"
So yeah, that's where I'm at, and I'm stumped.
I dunno. There's no mention of Lucas outside of the side stories, so we've no clue if Simon actually interacted with him.
My terrible writer brain kinda does wish Simon got to meet Lucas. Just so another person he cares about is taken away by crystallisis--hehehehehehe!
If someone can cite where the 10 years ago number came from, I think we can chalk this discrepancy up to a "Oops, the writers forgot!" Otherwise, I think we can safely say that the two met after Rudy was employed and became friends with the Heir.
God, I need a nap. But unfortunately the brain worm never rests.
