Rainbow Chara X
Impossible to gauge!
- 129
- Posts
- 8
- Years
- Age 27
- Shiny Hunting in Sinnoh
- Seen Apr 11, 2024
Man, even I'm astonished at my luck this chapter.
(Might as well get these out of the way before Real Life(tm) starts knocking at my door.)
[font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Chapter #7 - Heart of the Cards[/font][font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]
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Last time on Trickster Online, we slew the Pharaoh of Desert Beach and cleaned up the rest of Caballa Relics. Today we're going to Oops Wharf (what a name, huh) and see what's up there.
Get used to seeing the monster bios today because good god if there's not a lot of them:
Type: Magic
Level: 70
HP: 2,655
AP: 364
MA: 0
DP: 284
MD: 337
Aggressive?: No
Skills: None
Element: Water
Weakness: Physical, Gun
Resistance: Water, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Sea Tiger Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Black Herbal Medicine (Common / Quest Item)
* Tiger Blanket (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Striped seals that often come up to the beaches for food. Fanta Fishes are their favorite."
Funny thing is that Sea Tigers do exist in real life, but they're actual fishes instead. They also look pretty wild.
Type: Power
Level: 68
HP: 2,585
AP: 382
MA: 0
DP: 252
MD: 299
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: None
Element: Water
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Ironclad Turtle Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
)
* Ironclad Turtle's Egg (Common / Quest Item)
* Sea Palace Ticket (Rare / Quest Item)
* Turtle Shell (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Turtle with a spiked, iron-tough carapace. Despite their cute looks, they're violently defensive of their territory."
(Increases mastery for: Bolster Ballad (Magic), Butt Plate (Sense), Card Strike (Charm), Precise Pitch (Sense) and Volley Kick (Charm))
I see these little guys are Bowser's nautical troops with all those spikes. In all seriousness, the Ironclad Turtles aren't all that difficult but they sure are a pain when it comes to getting that Sea Palace Ticket. You'll see what I mean.
... Oh. If that splash screen is any indication, then we're going to have a fun time here.
Oh boy. Grandpa Tango here is actually an NPC from much later on in the game (Techichi Volcano is the second-last area in the game) and he's old. He used to visit here back when he was young, aka. eighty years ago. Like god damn can you imagine visiting the same place after that long?
He wants us to find him a Sea Palace Ticket – it's dropped by the Ironclad Turtles a screen back, and the lore is that if you get the ticket, you can go to the Sea Palace by riding the turtle there.
I'm expecting that to be a bumpy ride if the Ironclad Turtles are any indication. He even tells us he rode a turtle in the past into the ocean, so this guy must have had a pretty wild life.
That said, I'm not doing the quest for him because the Sea Tickets are notoriously rare drops so I declined after a while.
Skipper Min here is going nuts over a mirage he saw on the ocean the other day. He mumbles about telescopes and glasses for a bit before laughing about how he accidentally broke an oar that he was renting. This guy's a dope, alright.
He wants us to bring him some materials for a new one, but keep this mirage info in mind for later.
Boy Genius here wants us to help him with his homework – a nature survey on every single location on Caballa Island.
: "That's a lot for a kid..."
He brags how it's not a big deal because he's a genius, although he needs our help when it comes to actually fighting, aka. we have to hunt some Ironclad Turtles. You know what, this is perfect because we have a lot of stuff to get from them anyway.
[A few minutes after Star Heart brutally smashes some turtles]
He wants us to bring him some Sea Tiger-made Black Herbal Medicine, which is like… if a wild animal is smart enough to use actual medicine on itself then that's pretty crazy.
Rosemary's here because she wants to make a tiger-skin leather jacket, so she shovels the dirty job onto us because we're the perfect sap.
: (Wait, I'm going to be doing what?)
... This just reminds me of the Chocobo Skinning Incident from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and honestly I can't blame Star Heart if she doesn't want to do it.
: "Wait, what?!"
Ms. Fortune Teller here sees that we're doing nothing (no we're not) and wants us to destroy the root of evil that plagues Oops Wharf and free the souls trapped within. Game just got really dark and I'm not surprised.
Given how our girl is afraid of ghosts this is going to be fun. (snicker)
: "S-souls…? Like ghosts?"
: "I-I mean, how can I help?" [shiver]
She wants us to bring back these Blue Soul Bottles from a young boy called Requi, although the game can't make up its mind if these are possessed people or actual ghosts.
This lady is Sophia and she's a hotel matron in Ghost Blue, the area after this one. She wants to get ingredients to serve healthy food for her guests. She's sick of seeing them tired from poor diets, so at least she's as motherly as she looks.
She wants us to get her some Ironclad Turtle Eggs and their shells to boot. Lucky for her that all that hunting gave me extra supplies, so...
Sophia gives us a tremendous haul, including the brilliantly named ~Megalo Dragon Drink~.
It's literally just free Herb Potion but with half the strength and a much better description. (allears)
God damn it, do you see what I mean about the Sea Ticket thing? They (and the Sea Tiger!) dropped their card before even a single Sea Ticket!
Does this make sense to anybody else? Because it sure doesn't to me. (This must be obsolete information and they're actually hidden in the ground instead... but I'm not in a hurry to check.)
: "Good for you."
: ("I hate her so much.")
I think he means to say "an animal that uses medcine", but then again I'm not the super-genius here. The next request he wants us to do is to hunt down a day-walking spirit called Requi and steal something called "A Boy's Dream" from them.
It looks like this and it's supposed to be a special memory or something, but god knows what the red sphere actually contains.
I'm more concerned that the paranormal is going to be part of this kid's nature study homework, but who knows what they're teaching kids these days.
[Music doesn't start up just yet]
What, is this thing broken? Anyway, welcome to Oops Wharf! This place and Ghost Blue after it are crazy spooked: just wait until we get into the actual town. There's even a haunted school to the north of this place as if we needed more paranormal activity.
Right now though, let's start putting the horrifying puzzle together with the enemies:
Type: Charm
Level: 75
HP: 3,606
AP: 334
MA: 0
DP: 239
MD: 256
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: Dodge Master (Increases avoid), Banish (Teleports player out of dungeon)
Element: Dark
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Electric, Dark
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Quiem Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
)
* A Girl's Wish (Common / Quest Item)
* Baby Powder (Common / Quest Item)
* Eternal Life Grass (Common / Quest Item)
* Red Soul Bottle (Common / Quest Item)
* Voyage Log p25 (Uncommon / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "The tormented soul of a child cursed to wander Oops Wharf forever. She lashes out at anybody who gets close to her in grief."
(Increases mastery for: Catastrophe Heal (Magic), Galder Barrage (Charm), Item Detector (Sense), Lacerator (Power), Uppercut (Power), Wicked Flame (Magic))
Type: Power
Level: 72
HP: 2,725
AP: 406
MA: 0
DP: 270
MD: 321
Aggressive?: No
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Armor Breaker (Lowers enemy defense)
* Suicide (Deals heavy damage but sacrifices user. He only seems to do it to Charm players, strangely enough.)
Element: Dark
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Requi Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
)
* A Boy's Dream (Common / Quest Item)
* Blue Soul Bottle (Common / Quest Item)
* Voyage Log p31 (Uncommon / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "The traumatized soul of a boy cursed to wander Oops Wharf for eternity. Despite being a ghost, he prefers to keep to himself."
(Increases mastery for Arrow of Light, a Magic skill)
Hoooo boy, where do I begin. The Requi and Quiem siblings (oh I see what they did there) are two disturbing remainders of whatever the hell happened to Oops Wharf. Their giant glowing blank eyes really freak me out.
Thankfully they're not too powerful and Quiem's Banish isn't an issue because this isn't a dungeon. There is the issue of how many things they have to drop, but that's just how it goes as you progress into the game.
... I find it funny how the sister is the aggressive one while the brother isn't. That and her weakness is guns. That'd be one hell of a Ghostbusters reboot.
[My choice for the Haunted Town OST: Unfinished Business]
[Star Heart looks around the area in complete fear and shock]
: "W... what in the world happened here!?"
: "I was expecting something fun and silly with a place called Oops Wharf, but... this place gives me chills."
Your guess is as good as mine as to what the hell ripped through this place, because there's ectoplasm and torn asphault everywhere. This is where the game starts to bear its fangs in more ways than one.
Type: Magic
Level: 88
HP: 3,285
AP: 709
MA: 82
DP: 167
MD: 197
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Arrow Rush (Summons multiple mana arrows to strike target)
* Berserker (Boosts attack but loses control)
* Magic Meltdown (Lowers enemy magic attack)
Element: Air
Weakness: Physical, Gun
Resistance: Water, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Crow Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
)
* Bell Cluster (Uncommon / Quest Item)
* Black Feather (Common / Quest Item)
* Crow's Claw (Common / Quest Item)
* Dark Cloth (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Immortal crow mage that ate children to gain power and humanoid form. He's seen as attractive among many Tricksters for varying reasons, but don't be fooled by his appearance."
This cool-looking edgelord fella is Crow, and believe it or not he's one of the few enemies that have an actual backstory! Yes, I didn't just make that up for the Gear Entry: he's a crow that ate children to gain human form.
Suddenly all the ghost children make a chilling amount of sense.
Crow is also extremely valuable in that he holds one of the most precious Mastery cards in the game, alongside another monster. I'm serious, you could be like level 200 and still make some serious bank just by selling them off.
This is because it improves:
* Aura of Luck (Explorer & Cyber Hunter skill)
* Berserker (Warrior & Duelist skill)
* Blood Testament (Magician & Witch skill)
* Compound Master (Archaeologist & Engineer skill)
* Deadly Fen (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Icey Shackles (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Mega Crazy Drilling (Explorer & Cyber Hunter skill)
* Oath of Light (Magician & Witch skill)
* Piercing Wave (Warrior & Duelist skill)
* Quad Punch (Boxer & Mercenary skill)
* Scorching Earth (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Shooting Spree (Inventor & Hunter Lord skill)
* Thunderbolt (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Tornado Blast (Bard & Wizard skill)
Like mama mia, have you had enough already? I have a grim theory that Crow has the potential to raise all these skills because of all the kids he ate. I wouldn't doubt that'd be the answer.
When you kill a Crow, they return to their true form and lie on the ground motionless. That's neat and all, but I'm more distracted by the house with bright red lights.
Every house in the town has those red lights… I'm extremely unnerved as to what's inside them to say the least.
(Also, even the Requis have transparent ghost versions…? This adventure's getting weird.)
: ("Owww... I hope he doesn't eat me or something...")
Crows are no fucking joke when it comes to combat either – they're one of the most powerful enemies we'll encounter in a long time if doing 84% of my health in one critical hit is any indication. Sure it was boosted with Berserker but that's some killdozer level shit.
They may be Magic types in terms of their defense, but the funny thing is that their physical attack is way scarier than any magic attack they have.
(... It's safe to say they're one of my favorite enemies in the game due to the combination of their looks, backstory and actual attack power, yes?
)
Moving onto Wharf Field 4, we get actual pirates! (Also is that blood
)
Type: Sense
Level: 79
HP: 2,970
AP: 418
MA: 0
DP: 302
MD: 359
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: None
Element: Dark
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Electric, Dark
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Black Foe Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
)
* Pirate Coin (Common / Quest & Exchange Item)
* Pirate Hood (Common / Quest Item)
* Pirate Towel (Common / Quest Item))
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Phantom swabbie for the infamous ghost pirate, Captain Skull. Bit of a fool."
(Increases mastery for Bodyguard for Charm characters - basically Substitute/Cover from Final Fantasy. You recieve the damage intended for another person in your party.)
I don't think they ever make it explicit that these are undead pirates, but that's what I'm going with.
That said, what the heck kind of name is Black Foe? Is it because of his bandanna?
Type: Charm
Level: 84
HP: 3,320
AP: 527
MA: 0
DP: 347
MD: 386
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Guard Break (Nullifies avoid and block rates)
* Faint (Paralyzes enemy)
Element: Dark
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Electric, Dark
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Master Foe Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Pirate Eyepatch (Common / Quest Item)
* Golden Eyepatch (Common / Quest Item)
* Pirate Coin (Common / Quest & Exchange Item)
* Voyage Log p9 (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Phantom lieutenant of the dastardly Captain Skull. He uses his charms and silver tongue as his primary weapon, although he won't think twice about cutting someone to ribbons."
I like this guy way better though. Master Foe not only looks really cool, but he's way more dangerous. This is because he's the first enemy to utilize the killer Guard Break + Faint combo. If you get surrounded by him and other pirates when this happens, you're pretty much dead.
We also dig up some stuff for Skipper Min so we can complete his quest.
He hands us a piece of the key needed to unlock the Weird Box from Caballa Relics and tells us that Shaman Jia in Wharf Field 4 has another part for us.
(Thank god Story quests don't need to be done five godforsaken times)
: ("Does Cochma know what he's getting into or what...?")
We're handing this boy dead people wishes concentrated into physical form. I'd be shocked if he was able to decode them, frankly, because this entire scenario is bananas as it is.
His final request is for us to hunt down the Quiems and get their Girls' Wishes. Why? I dunno, but I'm increasingly worried that Cochma is becoming a necromancer.
Of course he isn't.
: "Who else needs saving?"
We have to get Red Soul Bottles from the sister ghosts now, so I just see this as the logical progression of things.
Luck is shining on me today, fellas.
This is where the Fortune Teller straight up tells us that Crow is over 100 years old and has eaten countless children to gain human form. Oh, and that his scream is enough to invoke terror into the hearts of children everywhere.
Something tells me the game will only get darker from here.
To properly undo the evil spell, we have to collect 25 Crow's Claws to complete the mission. That's fine and good, but those guys are no joke and I've already run out of resurrection scrolls.
: "G-glad I could help, miss Fortune Teller!"
I think it's a good time to note that unlike Caballa Relics, we're actually getting Stickers for doing the requests of the people before town. Good, they're finally getting rid of the unnecessary preliminary objectives.
Cochma wonders how ghosts can be walking out during the day, but have you seen how wrecked the town is? I'm not exactly surprised there's ghosts everywhere.
[My choice for the OST here: Champa 1]
Here's the main hub of the town, or whatever left of it. I think this is one of the few areas in the game that don't have a Hunter's Guild location anywhere near it.
This place is pretty depressing even with the hilarious Drunk Don Cavalier statue.
This is Captain Stan. His ship is docked right now, and he wants to interview Skipper Min but doesn't know where he is. That boy better be glad we have his back otherwise I don't think he'd be hired.
I love how you can get 10x the amount of experience you'd get from hunting monsters just from talking to someone. I really love how the quests in Trickster work, alright.
Yep, what a goober – he mixed up the locations for the interview. To make matters worse, before Skipper Min can even get hired, he needs recommendations from the people in the area.
Listen, the guy can barely ride a boat without breaking the oars, do you really think he'd be able to get the job legitimately? That said, this is a nice twist on why we have to collect stickers to complete the area.
Holy shit do we really have 90% of the area done already? Man, that was fast. There has to be a trick to this or something.
Still, that off-screen grinding really did wonders for our progress.
This rad-looking guy is Lethos and he's a bit of a recurring character. He wants to get ingredients to create the Elixir of Life, which can only be found here in Oops Wharf.
The first materials he wants us to get are Stone Ginseng that are buried in the path to Mermaid Palace. He boasts how he's totally not scared of dark places, but you can't fool Star Heart, bud.
That said, I don't do his quest because it's a super long-winded one and I already have plans to do another one in the area.
This dashing ghost lady is La Vida, and you can find her at the restaurant in Wharf Field 4. (By the way, I really love how every area has at least one or two unique things about it. Like you know they didn't have to make a restaurant with its own unique graphics but they still did it anyway.)
La Vida is notable because she used to be part of an infamous pirate trio, but at least one of them wound up stabbing her in the back. Oh, she'll say that the pirate treasures are holding her back from passing on but she's absolutely set on revenge.
If we give her Pirate Coins she'll give us special treasure boxes, but as far as I'm concerned these are completely optional and I have a lot of stuff on my plate as it is.
Here's Shaman Jia and god damn, her eyes. We sure she's not like an insect fairy in disguise or something?
Crudeness aside, she tells us how the mirage that Skipper Min saw wasn't an ordinary one. At least it's confirmation that he wasn't going insane.
She wants us to bring her two Bell Clusters (another Crow drop item), so I endanger myself just to see where the story's going.
If that's not an omen then I don't know what is. She hands us the second key piece, at the very least. (toot)
Oh no, this thing.
The Frog Shaman is one of the most notorious NPCs in any area due to them being one of the most grind-heavy questgivers yet.
They were a human that were cursed into this frog form by "evil spellcasters from the evil world". Frog here managed to get rid of them, but is still cursed to be this way. They're looking for ingredients to undo the curse and… there, I just saved you 30 screenshots worth of text.
Here's the ingredients the frog wants and the enemies that drop them: Baby Powder (Quiem), Black Feather (Crow), Pirate Towel (Black Foe) and Golden Eyepatch (Master Foe).
You have to collect 25 of each, resulting in a whopping 100 items just to get ONE sticker. I'm sorry, but that's way too gotdamn much. The worst part is that she doesn't even turn back into a human after doing all this nonsense.
(Because spoiler, the Frog Shaman is actually a woman. They try to trick you by using "he" pronouns but this game isn't slick. This is great foreshadowing for when we properly meet her though.)
Oooh, three notifications! What do you got for me now, Best Girl?
Interesting. I'll have to check them out later. For now though, let's see what the prizes are for reaching level 80!
Gee Rachel, why does Notice give you two presents for getting to level 80?
Oh... that's why. It sucks. You get 30 First Aid Pink/Blue Potions, but they're far less useful than the ones you can buy in stores.
It'd make more sense if they packed quadruple the amount to justify using them, but what can you do.
Would you believe me if I said I wound up getting three of these? You can see why the chapter is called the way it is now, yes?
I also take this time to learn Uppercut to increase my killing potential because we seriously need it. Shockwave and Burning Rave can only do so much by themselves.
AND HOW.
It one shots every single monster we come across at the cost of a hefty 200+ MP and a long cooldown time, but believe me when I say that this is one of the defining reasons why I made Star Heart into a Boxer.
: "Wow, I did that!?"
: "I can see why sis loved training here so often!"
Officer Tera wants to protect the peace and root out the pirate infestation in Oops Wharf, so who better than us, right?
She wants us to collect a total of 25 Pirate Hoods to prove we saved the day, but both the dialogue and the wiki I'm following says we have to get fifty (10 x 5) instead.
I actually freaked out and thought we had to grind that much, so I wound up with double the amount I needed. Whoops.
At least I can give them to Blanche if I decide to have her come over here.
After we finish that one, we have to collect 25 normal eyepatches from Master Foe. Why does he have two different kinds, though. Is he Blindbeard the Pirate?
You know what? Screw it, might as well.
Monkey T appears in every area of the game to pester you for a variant of Eternal [X] Grass for his own suspicious reasons. He gives you some desperately needed TM Experience, but every time I make a transaction with this monkey I can feel my dignity getting ripped away.
He's another person whose quest info is obsolete, as he says he wants 10 Eternal Life Grass but the actual quest menu says 5. I collected 40 expecting to only do it four times, but I much rather prefer this instead.
That... guys? That's the fifth Quiem Card I've gained since I started this chapter. Cards are normally super rare, but now they're just handing them out to me like candy!
I haven't had this luck THIS good since the Final Guard Soul drop in Aria of Sorrow (LP #2), so I'm just wondering who gave an offering to the Random Number Goddess in my name.
Not only is this an impeccable luck record, but this is also very useful for us in general because Quiem is the Mastery Card that boosts Uppercut, an already monstrously overpowered skill…
You can see where this is going.
: ("This monkey's such a weasel, my god! How has nobody busted him yet?")
As if that sob story about Poor Little Johnny is even true. For all we know he wants to go diving into his pool of galder coupons.
: "I hope we don't run into any more pirates, Officer Tera!"
Spoiler: We'll run into more pirates.
I had to get more Golden Eyepatches to complete Frog Shaman's quest and… yeah I kinda hate them now. Yes, you get a lot of good EXP and the collectible of this area (Oops Shell) but god damn if grinding this much for loot doesn't get on my bad side.
I'm extremely grateful that it's not required to get everything complete the game.
Skipper Min better not lose all the stickers I got for him or I'll make him suffer.
He gives us some vendor trash and 1 million TM experience for our troubles, but I doubt that's the rest of it. Distracting Captain Stan should be easy though after the Crow Hell I experienced.
: "Please wait a little longer..."
Thankfully Captain Stan is a man of infinite patience and lets it slide. Instead, we have to help him with a small problem.
Three pages (9, 25 and 31) of his ship's log were stolen by the ghost siblings and Master Foe, but as it turns out I had already grabbed them before they were important. Convenient!
So for going through all this, Captain Stan regales us on how a storm threw one of his old ships towards an isolated island located far from land. The place was beautiful and the people were honest, but he never got to visit it again unfortunately.
Foreshadowing? Let's just wait and see.
More importantly, he decides to hire Skipper Min and says he should get on board right away or he changes his mind. (He hands us an old unsigned letter to boot)
He's happy to hear he'll become a full time crew member, but he gives us a pretty huge concern before he decides to go for the job.
: "Actually, I get seasick..."
: "What? No way!"
I feel bad for Captain Stan if he's going to get this goober as part of his crew.
He wants us to get him some Nausea Patches and Nausea Drinks to ease his stomach, both of which are buried beneath Wharf Field 4. At least he's brave enough to do the job even if he's a brash idiot.
Also, here's your PSA of the day, folks.
[Star Heart returns a half hour later with the Nausea Drinks/Patches]
You know, he's not such a bad guy after all.
Skipper Min gives us a Weapon Ticket C and tells us about the Mermaid Palace hidden in the ocean. We have to meet with a guy called Marinel and use Diving Gear to even access the place. Thankfully, Item Girl sells Diving Gear so at least we don't have to kill more stuff to get it.
Item Girl also sells straight-up shurikens in case you forgot the Fox classes are meant to be ninja archaeologists but that's a story for another day.
The last Weird Piece NPC is Eloy and he also talks about the mirage: how it had a life of its own and that it looked like, and I'm paraphrasing here, a "goddess set down on mortal soil". He claims she wasn't his type and I'm just wondering if it was that person.
You know, name starts with an N? (Not the Egyptian one, that still bothers me)
Eloy wants some Baby Powder to get rid of his rash and thankfully he only wants 3 like a normal person.
He hands us the final Weird Piece. Honestly I just hope the rash wasn't serious because I unfortunately know how it feels.
We smash-cut back to Caballa Relics to complete the Weird Box sidequest. I'm curious as to what's inside, so...
: "I found the rest of the pieces, Indiana John!"
: "Oh, it was no problem. I'll try!"
Time to hop into the Mystery Box, boys and girls. He even hands us Soil and Attribute Stones for all our hard work, so that's bound to come in handy at some point.
: "... Sure earns its name, huh? I just hope nothing bad happens when I do this..."
[A loud beep noise scares Star Heart]
: "Eeek!"
The Secrets of the Alteo Empire, huh?
So the gimmick here is that the Box wants you to enter a specific password or it'll teleport you away to god knows where as punishment.
Here's the list of passwords it provides:
* Mirage (Incorrect. Teleports to Event Garden, Ceremonia)
* Vendetta (Correct)
* Friendly (Incorrect. Teleports to Gate of Poppuri Dungeon)
* Happy End (Incorrect. Teleports to Mermaid Palace Field 1)
* Disaster (Incorrect. Teleports to Spicy Island)
* Fantasia (Incorrect. Teleports to Gate of Oops Wharf.)
Disaster is the most stand out wrong warp because Spicy Island is the rest area for one of the most dangerous areas in the game. To give you an idea of what it's like, the puniest enemies there are level 289.
It's that intense.
: "Uh... um... Vendetta!"
: "Oh I got it right! Whoo... I was sweating buckets there."
This isn't the document we got from the Weird Box, but it's still an appropriate time to bring it up. To give a hefty summarization of this story:
Queen Nefertiti was beloved by the people of Fremeia and brought hope to her kingdom. That is, until word about her reached the ears of Enkicladus, a fearsome sea monster with three heads.
He fell in love with her at first sight, but she rejected him due to how hideous he was. Instead, she married the prince of Eleon. Enraged, Enkicladus killed the prince, wiped out the army and isolated Fremeia from land.
Even with all of the resistance from the people of Fremeia and Nefertiti herself, Enkicladus still wound up snatching the queen to the depths of the ocean. Poseidon was enraged and executed Enki for acting against the law of the sea and fell in love with Nefertiti. (This is more or less a plot summary in case people didn't read a previous chapter.)
Poseidon and Nefertiti's children were given the power to control Harkon, magical rainbow-colored crystals and dubbed this the Blessing of Poseidon. Nefertiti's descendants with the power to control Harkon were called Tricksters and worshipped as heroes, so at least it brings us back full circle here.
Unfortunately, the nymphs of the sea, the Nereids also got pissed. They were mad that Poseidon killed Enki and married Nefertiti when he was supposed to marry someone else. When the nymphs made a deal with Hades to kill Nefertiti, Poseidon turned Nefertiti into a spirit so she could live forever.
To make matters worse, the kingdom was destroyed by an earthquake that buried them under the ground.
... Holy shit they really thought this story out, huh. Let's see how well it keeps up as time passes, because I'm definitely invested.
Long story short, we have to get some Lamplights so John can see what's actually written on the doc, so give me a second.
Excellent!
: "Tango? But I already met him. Unless..."
Oh my god he's talking about the cat.
Cat Tango is worried that his owner (Grandpa Tango) is all mopey and sad over reminiscing about the past. To quote him, "it breaks Tango's poor kitty heart to see him like he is." What a precious, precious boy.
Cat Tango says that he came across a Gem Healer that was also looking for Harkon, so he formulates a cat plan to cheer up his owner with a Harkon Necklace. (To actually get it, we have to beat up some Cone Stone monsters.)
This dopey kid is Marinel, the guide to the Mermaid Palace. Again, we need Diving Gear to go there, but he also tells us that if we need TM Experience once a day he's our guy.
He says that Entertainer Elicia located at Mermaid Palace is another such NPC, so he hooks us up.
: "I'm ready for a dive! Oh man, I haven't done this in a while."
[My choice for Mermaid Palace OST: Under the Sea]
You know I had to do it to it, come on.
Anyway, let's scour through the enemies here:
Type: Charm
Level: 80
HP: 3,180
AP: 454
MA: 0
DP: 329
MD: 364
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Power Blow (Basic Charm Attack)
* Dodge Master (Increases avoid)
* Super Hips (Upgraded version of Dodge Master)
Element: Earth
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Water, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* S. Golden Mole Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Waterworm (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "The real golden mole. Accept no imitators."
I love how you can tell he's super because of his cool-ass cape.
Type: Power
Level: 84
HP: 3,145
AP: 478
MA: 0
DP: 324
MD: 386
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
Element: Earth
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Cone Stone Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Harkon Heirloom (Common / Quest Item)
* Premium Limestone (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Sentient stalagmite with a short temper. Nobody knows what can placate it."
I love how Trickster can make anything into an enemy. Just wait until we get further into the game because stuff will get outrageous.
That said, the Harkon Heirloom these guys drop is not an ordinary quest item but instead counted as a "gift box". If you open them, they give you harkon shards, necklaces, etc.
It's going to be important beyond just Tango's request, so we'll have to come back here later.
Type: Power
Level: 86
HP: 3,125
AP: 548
MA: 0
DP: 333
MD: 396
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Burning Rave (Quick attack)
* Guard Break (Nullifies avoid and block rate)
Element: Light
Weakness: Physical, Gun
Resistance: Air, Earth
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Power Plan Battery (Common / Quest Item)
* Turtle Medicine (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Rough and tumble pirate turtle that likes to combo attack everything in his way."
The official art looks a little off. Anyway, these little guys are super deadly - not only do they have the usual stuff, they attack twice in one go. Given their attack stat and how many there are, that's just a disaster waiting to happen.
(Also, my sources don't say they have a card. What's up with that?)
Oh jeez. Captain Stan lost his Mighty title and looks decidedly worse for wear.
: "A... are you alright? What happened?"
: "Something unbearably sad happened to me in the past. I came here to verify what I believe happened. Can I trust you to open my heart and allow you to learn my terrible past? I'm not sure. To prove yourself, bring me a [Proof Sticker] from [Mermaid Palace]. And can you also find me an [Old Picture] that I lost in the field?"
: "Of course!~"
I knew something was up with that low sticker count – Mermaid Palace is counted as part of Oops Wharf! That's a cool way to spice up the area variety. (Plus if we didn't go into the ocean that'd just be dumb.)
Feisty mermaids, huh? It's a step up from dead kids, the crows that ate them and ghost pirates honestly.
Stepping into the first few Mermaid Fields smacks us with:
Type: Charm
Level: 83
HP: 3,285
AP: 472
MA: 0
DP: 342
MD: 380
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Final Blow (Deals more damage as user's HP decreases)
* Dodge Master (Increases avoid)
* Mana Reflector (Deflects magic back to the enemy)
Element: Water
Weakness: Physical
Resistance: Magic
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Mermaid Little Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Eternal Glamour Grass (Common / Quest Item)
* Lip Gloss (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Lascivious mermaid who thinks she's a beauty of the deep. Pines to steal away her ideal prince from the surface."
Oh.
I would bring up the obvious Little Mermaid reference, but I'm more distracted by the fact she wiggles every time she attacks you.
To top it off, she even turns into a blowfish when you kill her. (Implying that the mermaids are in fact humanized fish, which... is honestly kind of a cool idea.)
Type: Sense
Level: 85
HP: 3,180
AP: 454
MA: 0
DP: 329
MD: 341
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Stone Strike (Basic Sense Attack)
* Sticky Foot (Reduces enemy avoid)
* Armor Destructor (Reduces enemy defense)
Element: Water
Weakness: Light
Resistance: Physical
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Tink Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Dusk Amethyst (Very Rare / Job Change Gem)
* Fur Brush (Common / Quest Item)
* Sturdy Scale (Common / Quest Item)
* Tink's Fishbone (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Loyal soldier of the Mermaid Palace that takes his job very seriously. He and his sister Bell love to patrol the seas together."
Type: Charm
Level: 88
HP: 3,460
AP: 502
MA: 0
DP: 365
MD: 407
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Magic Meltdown (Lowers enemy magic attack)
* Siren Song (Defense-based AOE attack)
Element: Water
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Physical
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Bell Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Bell's Fishbone (Common / Quest Item)
* Nail Polish (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Loyal soldier of the Mermaid Palace that rides on a catfish. She and her brother Tink enjoy hunting down intruders together."
I don't have much to say about these two other than they're cute. Oh, and putting their names together makes me groan.
Type: Magic
Level: 99
HP: 2,690
AP: 555
MA: ???
DP: 288
MD: 828
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Mana Storm (Attacks multiple enemies)
* Mana Arrow (Shoots a magic arrow)
* Mana Shield (Increases user's magic defense)
* Rust (Lowers enemy attack)
* Electroshock (Magic version of Faint that paralyzes enemy)
Element: Light
Weakness: Electric
Resistance: Earth, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Waterweed Witch Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Bubble (Common / Quest Item)
* Sea Herbs (Common / Quest Item)
* Silver Aquamarine (Very Rare / Job Change Gem)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Mysterious sea witch with an unknown goal and a warm personality. Her spells are not to be trifled with."
I assume these are meant to be the stand in for Ursula given that they're sea witches, but they're way cuter in my opinion. That said, do not mess with them - their arsenal make them hella scary to deal with, outclassing even the Crows from earlier. (It's especially rough for us since we're a Power Type.)
Limit your interactions with them because all it takes is one Electroshock to ruin your day.
Type: Power
Level: 95
HP: 3,605
AP: 562
MA: 0
DP: 384
MD: 457
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Lacerator (Attacks all enemies in a line)
* Shockvibe (Lowers enemy accuracy)
* Impelling Rage (HP-based Charm attack that pushes back enemies)
Element: Water
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Merman Ale Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
)
* Fragmented Map 1 (Common / Quest Item)
* Water Agate (Very Rare / Job Change Gem)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Burly merman soldier with a strict 'no surface dwellers' policy. Unquestioningly follows the mermaid queen's orders, be it good or bad."
His pose reminds me of the characters from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Granted, I wouldn't be surprised if Jojos actually introduced mer-people into its universe - it's called "bizarre" for a very good reason.
This guy would definitely fit in there, is what I'm saying.
Type: Power
Level: 92
HP: 3,495
AP: 604
MA: 0
DP: 369
MD: 440
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Guard Break (Nullifies avoid and block rate)
* Armor Breaker (Lowers enemy defense)
Element: Water
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Merman Aqu Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Fur Brush (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Laid-back soldier of the Mermaid Palace that would much rather spend his time wooing the ladies than doing any actual work."
Man, there sure are a lot of attractive mermen around here. Fighting both Aqu and Ale together is a hassle, so be sure to split them up if possible.
The final Mermaid Field map is especially twisty-turny, making it my least favorite to navigate.
Talking to Elicia is enough to get some experience, but she gives you an explanation of why Daily Quests are a big deal.
I don't remember if I've explained this before in the past, but a reminder wouldn't help: if you exchange Daily Coupons to Miranda Watty in Megalopolis, she'll hand you Stat Boosting Stones without the hassle of killing a small kingdom's worth of monsters.
If there's anything I vehemently urge you to do (if you value your sanity), it's to do these Daily Quests from time to time. It's practically free.
The Merman Ale was generous enough to give Rachel a card after she kindly asked him to go away. What a guy.
Elicia wants us some Punisher's Scales to fix the equipment (somehow?), so we have to whack some Punisher Merman Ales.
That said, that's no mean feat because the skunts are level 100, have terrifying attack and can summon minions. Their Lacerator attack in particular hurts a lot for a non Berserker boosted skill.
The TM Experience and Daily Coupon are very nice, although the once a day thing kind of bites.
I returned above ground for a bit to round off everything here that isn't Lethos since Frog Shaman already drained me. The main reason I'm here is to get the armor set for this area, since I'm a few shells short.
Reina is kind enough to tell us her full name and wants us to go get a Sculpture of Poseidon to see if it's the real deal (the one with Poseidon's Blessing).
They're buried underneath our favorite spot (aka. Wharf Field 4) like everything else, so this ought to be good.
I also decide to do the Daily Quest for Marinel because why not. He wants sturdy rope so he can tie a large shipment together, so this ought to be easy.
: "Hope you find whatever it is you're looking for!"
The extra sticker is nice for Blanche and the character cards are always appreciated. Sure, they're not as rare or teach mastery in any way, but they'll be useful for that inevitable, soul-sucking grind.
Merchant Miguel wants sea ivory from sea elephants, so there's the game being wacky again. (Unless Sea Elephants are a real thing and I'm just not informed.)
I was actually planning on getting those anyway for the boss transfer NPC of Oops Wharf, but I'm not in a rush to get Star Heart killed right now.
I actually gave up 2/5ths into his quest because I only needed two more shells and I was sick of getting excess stickers.
Damn, we actually look really cool. We're like a sea soldier or something, although don't actually expect it to last because Mermaid Palace has its own set of gear.
Kinda makes this pointless but any boost we get is welcome and we already had enough shells as it is. Why not cash 'em in?
I like how this salty sea spirit is trying to raise intrigue while Star Heart is just trying really hard to not get plastered by all the angry shirtless mermen surrounding her.
… Wait, that didn't come out right…
: "Really now..."
: ("Rachel, stop staring and focus!")
Sea Spirit Rumo wants us to get her 15x Tink's Fishbone (blue) and 15x Bell's Fishbone (red), totaling to 30 items each. That would be fine if those two enemies weren't notoriously stingy with their drops, but I'm already prepared to suffer.
... Underwater taxis, huh? I'm genuinely curious as to how they work down here.
: "Oooh! This even looks like the color I use. I'm keeping one for myself."
Things you don't see – Dan suffering for several hours trying to bleed every enemy of their worthwhile drops while simultaneously not trying to get slaughtered by the Water Weed Witches.
Where's the player shops when you need them!?
If there's any respite, the enemies were also generous with their rare drops too. I even have enough AP stones to boost my attack!
Oh snap, would you look at that! This is no ordinary gem, my friends – this is a third tier class stone! You know how upgrading into a Boxer (Entertainer for Blanche) was as simple as just beating up Kaboom and getting their Growth Badge?
Yeah, upgrading into the third tier is way more complex and requires getting a ton of resources, the most prominent of which being these extra rare Guardian Gemstones.
For Star Heart we'd need a Red Ruby for her pure class or a Special Jade for her hybrid class. Pure Classes are the logical evolution of the character's stats while Hybrid classes use the second tier moveset of the opposite gender.
Like being able to use the Buffalo's powerful AOE attacks for example! The downside is that learning these as a Hybrid class requires a much higher TM requirement than normal, but if you made it this far then it should be a piece of cake.
Oooh, something to break the tedium! Tower Conqueror... man, can you imagine having to climb the Tower of Chaos from start to finish?
If it's anything like the Pit of 100 Trials in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, then I'm ready to get ripped apart.
That Uppercut damage is positively delicious. Also, I love the death animations for the Water Weed Witches because they just explode into bubbles.
: "Uh huh..."
Star Heart has the same vibe as me if I gotta be real. Rumo asks us for one more thing and tells us to snatch Magician Okto's Staff from Mermaid Palace Dungeon.
She wants the staff to enhance her chimera bone fish's travel distance. Even if I were to get it, that... that just sounds like a bad idea all around.
: "Wow, this place is so pretty... It's almost like a dream I had one time."
: "Speaking of dreams... ooh... the water's so nice and soothing here. A nap won't hurt..."
Alright then! Next time on Trickster Online, we delve into the Mermaid Palace Dungeon and see what deep-sea horrors await us in there.
See you guys then!
-
Team Set-up:
(Star Heart / Rachel): [Mumbles in her sleep about a guy she likes]
* Job class: Boxer (
Tier 2)
* Type: Power
* EXP level: 86 (+15)
* TM level: 69 (+10)
* Gender:
* Bosses slain: 1
* Guild: None
(Nebulos): "I wonder if Rachel advanced to her second class already... I remember I had to tell Veil she could do that."
* Job class: Magician (
Tier 2)
* Type: Magic
* EXP level: 129
* TM level: 139
* Gender:
* Bosses slain: 1
* Guild: Remedies - Star Captain (De-facto leader)
~
Rival?:
(Blanche): [Fooling around in Megalopolis Square] "I wonder what else I can get around here..."
* Job class: Entertainer (
Tier 2)
* Type: Charm
* EXP level: 69 (+0)
* TM level: 59 (+0)
* Gender:
* Bosses slain: Zero
* Guild: None
(Might as well get these out of the way before Real Life(tm) starts knocking at my door.)
[font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Chapter #7 - Heart of the Cards[/font][font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/font]
Spoiler:
Last time on Trickster Online, we slew the Pharaoh of Desert Beach and cleaned up the rest of Caballa Relics. Today we're going to Oops Wharf (what a name, huh) and see what's up there.
Get used to seeing the monster bios today because good god if there's not a lot of them:
Type: Magic
Level: 70
HP: 2,655
AP: 364
MA: 0
DP: 284
MD: 337
Aggressive?: No
Skills: None
Element: Water
Weakness: Physical, Gun
Resistance: Water, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Sea Tiger Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Black Herbal Medicine (Common / Quest Item)
* Tiger Blanket (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Striped seals that often come up to the beaches for food. Fanta Fishes are their favorite."
Funny thing is that Sea Tigers do exist in real life, but they're actual fishes instead. They also look pretty wild.
Type: Power
Level: 68
HP: 2,585
AP: 382
MA: 0
DP: 252
MD: 299
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: None
Element: Water
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Ironclad Turtle Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
* Ironclad Turtle's Egg (Common / Quest Item)
* Sea Palace Ticket (Rare / Quest Item)
* Turtle Shell (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Turtle with a spiked, iron-tough carapace. Despite their cute looks, they're violently defensive of their territory."
(Increases mastery for: Bolster Ballad (Magic), Butt Plate (Sense), Card Strike (Charm), Precise Pitch (Sense) and Volley Kick (Charm))
I see these little guys are Bowser's nautical troops with all those spikes. In all seriousness, the Ironclad Turtles aren't all that difficult but they sure are a pain when it comes to getting that Sea Palace Ticket. You'll see what I mean.
... Oh. If that splash screen is any indication, then we're going to have a fun time here.
Oh boy. Grandpa Tango here is actually an NPC from much later on in the game (Techichi Volcano is the second-last area in the game) and he's old. He used to visit here back when he was young, aka. eighty years ago. Like god damn can you imagine visiting the same place after that long?
He wants us to find him a Sea Palace Ticket – it's dropped by the Ironclad Turtles a screen back, and the lore is that if you get the ticket, you can go to the Sea Palace by riding the turtle there.
I'm expecting that to be a bumpy ride if the Ironclad Turtles are any indication. He even tells us he rode a turtle in the past into the ocean, so this guy must have had a pretty wild life.
That said, I'm not doing the quest for him because the Sea Tickets are notoriously rare drops so I declined after a while.
Skipper Min here is going nuts over a mirage he saw on the ocean the other day. He mumbles about telescopes and glasses for a bit before laughing about how he accidentally broke an oar that he was renting. This guy's a dope, alright.
He wants us to bring him some materials for a new one, but keep this mirage info in mind for later.
Boy Genius here wants us to help him with his homework – a nature survey on every single location on Caballa Island.
He brags how it's not a big deal because he's a genius, although he needs our help when it comes to actually fighting, aka. we have to hunt some Ironclad Turtles. You know what, this is perfect because we have a lot of stuff to get from them anyway.
[A few minutes after Star Heart brutally smashes some turtles]
He wants us to bring him some Sea Tiger-made Black Herbal Medicine, which is like… if a wild animal is smart enough to use actual medicine on itself then that's pretty crazy.
Rosemary's here because she wants to make a tiger-skin leather jacket, so she shovels the dirty job onto us because we're the perfect sap.
... This just reminds me of the Chocobo Skinning Incident from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and honestly I can't blame Star Heart if she doesn't want to do it.
Ms. Fortune Teller here sees that we're doing nothing (no we're not) and wants us to destroy the root of evil that plagues Oops Wharf and free the souls trapped within. Game just got really dark and I'm not surprised.
Given how our girl is afraid of ghosts this is going to be fun. (snicker)
She wants us to bring back these Blue Soul Bottles from a young boy called Requi, although the game can't make up its mind if these are possessed people or actual ghosts.
This lady is Sophia and she's a hotel matron in Ghost Blue, the area after this one. She wants to get ingredients to serve healthy food for her guests. She's sick of seeing them tired from poor diets, so at least she's as motherly as she looks.
She wants us to get her some Ironclad Turtle Eggs and their shells to boot. Lucky for her that all that hunting gave me extra supplies, so...
Sophia gives us a tremendous haul, including the brilliantly named ~Megalo Dragon Drink~.
It's literally just free Herb Potion but with half the strength and a much better description. (allears)
God damn it, do you see what I mean about the Sea Ticket thing? They (and the Sea Tiger!) dropped their card before even a single Sea Ticket!
Does this make sense to anybody else? Because it sure doesn't to me. (This must be obsolete information and they're actually hidden in the ground instead... but I'm not in a hurry to check.)
I think he means to say "an animal that uses medcine", but then again I'm not the super-genius here. The next request he wants us to do is to hunt down a day-walking spirit called Requi and steal something called "A Boy's Dream" from them.
It looks like this and it's supposed to be a special memory or something, but god knows what the red sphere actually contains.
I'm more concerned that the paranormal is going to be part of this kid's nature study homework, but who knows what they're teaching kids these days.
[Music doesn't start up just yet]
What, is this thing broken? Anyway, welcome to Oops Wharf! This place and Ghost Blue after it are crazy spooked: just wait until we get into the actual town. There's even a haunted school to the north of this place as if we needed more paranormal activity.
Right now though, let's start putting the horrifying puzzle together with the enemies:
Type: Charm
Level: 75
HP: 3,606
AP: 334
MA: 0
DP: 239
MD: 256
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: Dodge Master (Increases avoid), Banish (Teleports player out of dungeon)
Element: Dark
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Electric, Dark
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Quiem Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
* A Girl's Wish (Common / Quest Item)
* Baby Powder (Common / Quest Item)
* Eternal Life Grass (Common / Quest Item)
* Red Soul Bottle (Common / Quest Item)
* Voyage Log p25 (Uncommon / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "The tormented soul of a child cursed to wander Oops Wharf forever. She lashes out at anybody who gets close to her in grief."
(Increases mastery for: Catastrophe Heal (Magic), Galder Barrage (Charm), Item Detector (Sense), Lacerator (Power), Uppercut (Power), Wicked Flame (Magic))
Type: Power
Level: 72
HP: 2,725
AP: 406
MA: 0
DP: 270
MD: 321
Aggressive?: No
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Armor Breaker (Lowers enemy defense)
* Suicide (Deals heavy damage but sacrifices user. He only seems to do it to Charm players, strangely enough.)
Element: Dark
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Requi Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
* A Boy's Dream (Common / Quest Item)
* Blue Soul Bottle (Common / Quest Item)
* Voyage Log p31 (Uncommon / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "The traumatized soul of a boy cursed to wander Oops Wharf for eternity. Despite being a ghost, he prefers to keep to himself."
(Increases mastery for Arrow of Light, a Magic skill)
Hoooo boy, where do I begin. The Requi and Quiem siblings (oh I see what they did there) are two disturbing remainders of whatever the hell happened to Oops Wharf. Their giant glowing blank eyes really freak me out.
Thankfully they're not too powerful and Quiem's Banish isn't an issue because this isn't a dungeon. There is the issue of how many things they have to drop, but that's just how it goes as you progress into the game.
... I find it funny how the sister is the aggressive one while the brother isn't. That and her weakness is guns. That'd be one hell of a Ghostbusters reboot.
[My choice for the Haunted Town OST: Unfinished Business]
[Star Heart looks around the area in complete fear and shock]
Your guess is as good as mine as to what the hell ripped through this place, because there's ectoplasm and torn asphault everywhere. This is where the game starts to bear its fangs in more ways than one.
Type: Magic
Level: 88
HP: 3,285
AP: 709
MA: 82
DP: 167
MD: 197
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Arrow Rush (Summons multiple mana arrows to strike target)
* Berserker (Boosts attack but loses control)
* Magic Meltdown (Lowers enemy magic attack)
Element: Air
Weakness: Physical, Gun
Resistance: Water, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Crow Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
* Bell Cluster (Uncommon / Quest Item)
* Black Feather (Common / Quest Item)
* Crow's Claw (Common / Quest Item)
* Dark Cloth (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Immortal crow mage that ate children to gain power and humanoid form. He's seen as attractive among many Tricksters for varying reasons, but don't be fooled by his appearance."
This cool-looking edgelord fella is Crow, and believe it or not he's one of the few enemies that have an actual backstory! Yes, I didn't just make that up for the Gear Entry: he's a crow that ate children to gain human form.
Suddenly all the ghost children make a chilling amount of sense.
Crow is also extremely valuable in that he holds one of the most precious Mastery cards in the game, alongside another monster. I'm serious, you could be like level 200 and still make some serious bank just by selling them off.
This is because it improves:
* Aura of Luck (Explorer & Cyber Hunter skill)
* Berserker (Warrior & Duelist skill)
* Blood Testament (Magician & Witch skill)
* Compound Master (Archaeologist & Engineer skill)
* Deadly Fen (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Icey Shackles (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Mega Crazy Drilling (Explorer & Cyber Hunter skill)
* Oath of Light (Magician & Witch skill)
* Piercing Wave (Warrior & Duelist skill)
* Quad Punch (Boxer & Mercenary skill)
* Scorching Earth (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Shooting Spree (Inventor & Hunter Lord skill)
* Thunderbolt (Bard & Wizard skill)
* Tornado Blast (Bard & Wizard skill)
Like mama mia, have you had enough already? I have a grim theory that Crow has the potential to raise all these skills because of all the kids he ate. I wouldn't doubt that'd be the answer.
When you kill a Crow, they return to their true form and lie on the ground motionless. That's neat and all, but I'm more distracted by the house with bright red lights.
Every house in the town has those red lights… I'm extremely unnerved as to what's inside them to say the least.
(Also, even the Requis have transparent ghost versions…? This adventure's getting weird.)
Crows are no fucking joke when it comes to combat either – they're one of the most powerful enemies we'll encounter in a long time if doing 84% of my health in one critical hit is any indication. Sure it was boosted with Berserker but that's some killdozer level shit.
They may be Magic types in terms of their defense, but the funny thing is that their physical attack is way scarier than any magic attack they have.
(... It's safe to say they're one of my favorite enemies in the game due to the combination of their looks, backstory and actual attack power, yes?
Moving onto Wharf Field 4, we get actual pirates! (Also is that blood
Type: Sense
Level: 79
HP: 2,970
AP: 418
MA: 0
DP: 302
MD: 359
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: None
Element: Dark
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Electric, Dark
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Black Foe Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
* Pirate Coin (Common / Quest & Exchange Item)
* Pirate Hood (Common / Quest Item)
* Pirate Towel (Common / Quest Item))
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Phantom swabbie for the infamous ghost pirate, Captain Skull. Bit of a fool."
(Increases mastery for Bodyguard for Charm characters - basically Substitute/Cover from Final Fantasy. You recieve the damage intended for another person in your party.)
I don't think they ever make it explicit that these are undead pirates, but that's what I'm going with.
That said, what the heck kind of name is Black Foe? Is it because of his bandanna?
Type: Charm
Level: 84
HP: 3,320
AP: 527
MA: 0
DP: 347
MD: 386
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Guard Break (Nullifies avoid and block rates)
* Faint (Paralyzes enemy)
Element: Dark
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Electric, Dark
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Master Foe Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Pirate Eyepatch (Common / Quest Item)
* Golden Eyepatch (Common / Quest Item)
* Pirate Coin (Common / Quest & Exchange Item)
* Voyage Log p9 (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 80 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Phantom lieutenant of the dastardly Captain Skull. He uses his charms and silver tongue as his primary weapon, although he won't think twice about cutting someone to ribbons."
I like this guy way better though. Master Foe not only looks really cool, but he's way more dangerous. This is because he's the first enemy to utilize the killer Guard Break + Faint combo. If you get surrounded by him and other pirates when this happens, you're pretty much dead.
We also dig up some stuff for Skipper Min so we can complete his quest.
He hands us a piece of the key needed to unlock the Weird Box from Caballa Relics and tells us that Shaman Jia in Wharf Field 4 has another part for us.
(Thank god Story quests don't need to be done five godforsaken times)
We're handing this boy dead people wishes concentrated into physical form. I'd be shocked if he was able to decode them, frankly, because this entire scenario is bananas as it is.
His final request is for us to hunt down the Quiems and get their Girls' Wishes. Why? I dunno, but I'm increasingly worried that Cochma is becoming a necromancer.
Of course he isn't.
We have to get Red Soul Bottles from the sister ghosts now, so I just see this as the logical progression of things.
Luck is shining on me today, fellas.
This is where the Fortune Teller straight up tells us that Crow is over 100 years old and has eaten countless children to gain human form. Oh, and that his scream is enough to invoke terror into the hearts of children everywhere.
Something tells me the game will only get darker from here.
To properly undo the evil spell, we have to collect 25 Crow's Claws to complete the mission. That's fine and good, but those guys are no joke and I've already run out of resurrection scrolls.
I think it's a good time to note that unlike Caballa Relics, we're actually getting Stickers for doing the requests of the people before town. Good, they're finally getting rid of the unnecessary preliminary objectives.
Cochma wonders how ghosts can be walking out during the day, but have you seen how wrecked the town is? I'm not exactly surprised there's ghosts everywhere.
[My choice for the OST here: Champa 1]
Here's the main hub of the town, or whatever left of it. I think this is one of the few areas in the game that don't have a Hunter's Guild location anywhere near it.
This place is pretty depressing even with the hilarious Drunk Don Cavalier statue.
This is Captain Stan. His ship is docked right now, and he wants to interview Skipper Min but doesn't know where he is. That boy better be glad we have his back otherwise I don't think he'd be hired.
I love how you can get 10x the amount of experience you'd get from hunting monsters just from talking to someone. I really love how the quests in Trickster work, alright.
Yep, what a goober – he mixed up the locations for the interview. To make matters worse, before Skipper Min can even get hired, he needs recommendations from the people in the area.
Listen, the guy can barely ride a boat without breaking the oars, do you really think he'd be able to get the job legitimately? That said, this is a nice twist on why we have to collect stickers to complete the area.
Holy shit do we really have 90% of the area done already? Man, that was fast. There has to be a trick to this or something.
Still, that off-screen grinding really did wonders for our progress.
This rad-looking guy is Lethos and he's a bit of a recurring character. He wants to get ingredients to create the Elixir of Life, which can only be found here in Oops Wharf.
The first materials he wants us to get are Stone Ginseng that are buried in the path to Mermaid Palace. He boasts how he's totally not scared of dark places, but you can't fool Star Heart, bud.
That said, I don't do his quest because it's a super long-winded one and I already have plans to do another one in the area.
This dashing ghost lady is La Vida, and you can find her at the restaurant in Wharf Field 4. (By the way, I really love how every area has at least one or two unique things about it. Like you know they didn't have to make a restaurant with its own unique graphics but they still did it anyway.)
La Vida is notable because she used to be part of an infamous pirate trio, but at least one of them wound up stabbing her in the back. Oh, she'll say that the pirate treasures are holding her back from passing on but she's absolutely set on revenge.
If we give her Pirate Coins she'll give us special treasure boxes, but as far as I'm concerned these are completely optional and I have a lot of stuff on my plate as it is.
Here's Shaman Jia and god damn, her eyes. We sure she's not like an insect fairy in disguise or something?
Crudeness aside, she tells us how the mirage that Skipper Min saw wasn't an ordinary one. At least it's confirmation that he wasn't going insane.
She wants us to bring her two Bell Clusters (another Crow drop item), so I endanger myself just to see where the story's going.
If that's not an omen then I don't know what is. She hands us the second key piece, at the very least. (toot)
Oh no, this thing.
The Frog Shaman is one of the most notorious NPCs in any area due to them being one of the most grind-heavy questgivers yet.
They were a human that were cursed into this frog form by "evil spellcasters from the evil world". Frog here managed to get rid of them, but is still cursed to be this way. They're looking for ingredients to undo the curse and… there, I just saved you 30 screenshots worth of text.
Here's the ingredients the frog wants and the enemies that drop them: Baby Powder (Quiem), Black Feather (Crow), Pirate Towel (Black Foe) and Golden Eyepatch (Master Foe).
You have to collect 25 of each, resulting in a whopping 100 items just to get ONE sticker. I'm sorry, but that's way too gotdamn much. The worst part is that she doesn't even turn back into a human after doing all this nonsense.
(Because spoiler, the Frog Shaman is actually a woman. They try to trick you by using "he" pronouns but this game isn't slick. This is great foreshadowing for when we properly meet her though.)
Oooh, three notifications! What do you got for me now, Best Girl?
Interesting. I'll have to check them out later. For now though, let's see what the prizes are for reaching level 80!
Gee Rachel, why does Notice give you two presents for getting to level 80?
Oh... that's why. It sucks. You get 30 First Aid Pink/Blue Potions, but they're far less useful than the ones you can buy in stores.
It'd make more sense if they packed quadruple the amount to justify using them, but what can you do.
Would you believe me if I said I wound up getting three of these? You can see why the chapter is called the way it is now, yes?
I also take this time to learn Uppercut to increase my killing potential because we seriously need it. Shockwave and Burning Rave can only do so much by themselves.
AND HOW.
It one shots every single monster we come across at the cost of a hefty 200+ MP and a long cooldown time, but believe me when I say that this is one of the defining reasons why I made Star Heart into a Boxer.
Officer Tera wants to protect the peace and root out the pirate infestation in Oops Wharf, so who better than us, right?
She wants us to collect a total of 25 Pirate Hoods to prove we saved the day, but both the dialogue and the wiki I'm following says we have to get fifty (10 x 5) instead.
I actually freaked out and thought we had to grind that much, so I wound up with double the amount I needed. Whoops.
At least I can give them to Blanche if I decide to have her come over here.
After we finish that one, we have to collect 25 normal eyepatches from Master Foe. Why does he have two different kinds, though. Is he Blindbeard the Pirate?
You know what? Screw it, might as well.
Monkey T appears in every area of the game to pester you for a variant of Eternal [X] Grass for his own suspicious reasons. He gives you some desperately needed TM Experience, but every time I make a transaction with this monkey I can feel my dignity getting ripped away.
He's another person whose quest info is obsolete, as he says he wants 10 Eternal Life Grass but the actual quest menu says 5. I collected 40 expecting to only do it four times, but I much rather prefer this instead.
That... guys? That's the fifth Quiem Card I've gained since I started this chapter. Cards are normally super rare, but now they're just handing them out to me like candy!
I haven't had this luck THIS good since the Final Guard Soul drop in Aria of Sorrow (LP #2), so I'm just wondering who gave an offering to the Random Number Goddess in my name.
Not only is this an impeccable luck record, but this is also very useful for us in general because Quiem is the Mastery Card that boosts Uppercut, an already monstrously overpowered skill…
You can see where this is going.
As if that sob story about Poor Little Johnny is even true. For all we know he wants to go diving into his pool of galder coupons.
Spoiler: We'll run into more pirates.
I had to get more Golden Eyepatches to complete Frog Shaman's quest and… yeah I kinda hate them now. Yes, you get a lot of good EXP and the collectible of this area (Oops Shell) but god damn if grinding this much for loot doesn't get on my bad side.
I'm extremely grateful that it's not required to get everything complete the game.
Skipper Min better not lose all the stickers I got for him or I'll make him suffer.
He gives us some vendor trash and 1 million TM experience for our troubles, but I doubt that's the rest of it. Distracting Captain Stan should be easy though after the Crow Hell I experienced.
Thankfully Captain Stan is a man of infinite patience and lets it slide. Instead, we have to help him with a small problem.
Three pages (9, 25 and 31) of his ship's log were stolen by the ghost siblings and Master Foe, but as it turns out I had already grabbed them before they were important. Convenient!
So for going through all this, Captain Stan regales us on how a storm threw one of his old ships towards an isolated island located far from land. The place was beautiful and the people were honest, but he never got to visit it again unfortunately.
Foreshadowing? Let's just wait and see.
More importantly, he decides to hire Skipper Min and says he should get on board right away or he changes his mind. (He hands us an old unsigned letter to boot)
He's happy to hear he'll become a full time crew member, but he gives us a pretty huge concern before he decides to go for the job.
I feel bad for Captain Stan if he's going to get this goober as part of his crew.
He wants us to get him some Nausea Patches and Nausea Drinks to ease his stomach, both of which are buried beneath Wharf Field 4. At least he's brave enough to do the job even if he's a brash idiot.
Also, here's your PSA of the day, folks.
[Star Heart returns a half hour later with the Nausea Drinks/Patches]
You know, he's not such a bad guy after all.
Skipper Min gives us a Weapon Ticket C and tells us about the Mermaid Palace hidden in the ocean. We have to meet with a guy called Marinel and use Diving Gear to even access the place. Thankfully, Item Girl sells Diving Gear so at least we don't have to kill more stuff to get it.
Item Girl also sells straight-up shurikens in case you forgot the Fox classes are meant to be ninja archaeologists but that's a story for another day.
The last Weird Piece NPC is Eloy and he also talks about the mirage: how it had a life of its own and that it looked like, and I'm paraphrasing here, a "goddess set down on mortal soil". He claims she wasn't his type and I'm just wondering if it was that person.
You know, name starts with an N? (Not the Egyptian one, that still bothers me)
Eloy wants some Baby Powder to get rid of his rash and thankfully he only wants 3 like a normal person.
He hands us the final Weird Piece. Honestly I just hope the rash wasn't serious because I unfortunately know how it feels.
We smash-cut back to Caballa Relics to complete the Weird Box sidequest. I'm curious as to what's inside, so...
Time to hop into the Mystery Box, boys and girls. He even hands us Soil and Attribute Stones for all our hard work, so that's bound to come in handy at some point.
[A loud beep noise scares Star Heart]
The Secrets of the Alteo Empire, huh?
So the gimmick here is that the Box wants you to enter a specific password or it'll teleport you away to god knows where as punishment.
Here's the list of passwords it provides:
* Mirage (Incorrect. Teleports to Event Garden, Ceremonia)
* Vendetta (Correct)
* Friendly (Incorrect. Teleports to Gate of Poppuri Dungeon)
* Happy End (Incorrect. Teleports to Mermaid Palace Field 1)
* Disaster (Incorrect. Teleports to Spicy Island)
* Fantasia (Incorrect. Teleports to Gate of Oops Wharf.)
Disaster is the most stand out wrong warp because Spicy Island is the rest area for one of the most dangerous areas in the game. To give you an idea of what it's like, the puniest enemies there are level 289.
It's that intense.
This isn't the document we got from the Weird Box, but it's still an appropriate time to bring it up. To give a hefty summarization of this story:
Queen Nefertiti was beloved by the people of Fremeia and brought hope to her kingdom. That is, until word about her reached the ears of Enkicladus, a fearsome sea monster with three heads.
He fell in love with her at first sight, but she rejected him due to how hideous he was. Instead, she married the prince of Eleon. Enraged, Enkicladus killed the prince, wiped out the army and isolated Fremeia from land.
Even with all of the resistance from the people of Fremeia and Nefertiti herself, Enkicladus still wound up snatching the queen to the depths of the ocean. Poseidon was enraged and executed Enki for acting against the law of the sea and fell in love with Nefertiti. (This is more or less a plot summary in case people didn't read a previous chapter.)
Poseidon and Nefertiti's children were given the power to control Harkon, magical rainbow-colored crystals and dubbed this the Blessing of Poseidon. Nefertiti's descendants with the power to control Harkon were called Tricksters and worshipped as heroes, so at least it brings us back full circle here.
Unfortunately, the nymphs of the sea, the Nereids also got pissed. They were mad that Poseidon killed Enki and married Nefertiti when he was supposed to marry someone else. When the nymphs made a deal with Hades to kill Nefertiti, Poseidon turned Nefertiti into a spirit so she could live forever.
To make matters worse, the kingdom was destroyed by an earthquake that buried them under the ground.
... Holy shit they really thought this story out, huh. Let's see how well it keeps up as time passes, because I'm definitely invested.
Long story short, we have to get some Lamplights so John can see what's actually written on the doc, so give me a second.
Excellent!
Oh my god he's talking about the cat.
Cat Tango is worried that his owner (Grandpa Tango) is all mopey and sad over reminiscing about the past. To quote him, "it breaks Tango's poor kitty heart to see him like he is." What a precious, precious boy.
Cat Tango says that he came across a Gem Healer that was also looking for Harkon, so he formulates a cat plan to cheer up his owner with a Harkon Necklace. (To actually get it, we have to beat up some Cone Stone monsters.)
This dopey kid is Marinel, the guide to the Mermaid Palace. Again, we need Diving Gear to go there, but he also tells us that if we need TM Experience once a day he's our guy.
He says that Entertainer Elicia located at Mermaid Palace is another such NPC, so he hooks us up.
[My choice for Mermaid Palace OST: Under the Sea]
You know I had to do it to it, come on.
Anyway, let's scour through the enemies here:
Type: Charm
Level: 80
HP: 3,180
AP: 454
MA: 0
DP: 329
MD: 364
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Power Blow (Basic Charm Attack)
* Dodge Master (Increases avoid)
* Super Hips (Upgraded version of Dodge Master)
Element: Earth
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Water, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* S. Golden Mole Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Waterworm (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "The real golden mole. Accept no imitators."
I love how you can tell he's super because of his cool-ass cape.
Type: Power
Level: 84
HP: 3,145
AP: 478
MA: 0
DP: 324
MD: 386
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills: Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
Element: Earth
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Cone Stone Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Harkon Heirloom (Common / Quest Item)
* Premium Limestone (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Sentient stalagmite with a short temper. Nobody knows what can placate it."
I love how Trickster can make anything into an enemy. Just wait until we get further into the game because stuff will get outrageous.
That said, the Harkon Heirloom these guys drop is not an ordinary quest item but instead counted as a "gift box". If you open them, they give you harkon shards, necklaces, etc.
It's going to be important beyond just Tango's request, so we'll have to come back here later.
Type: Power
Level: 86
HP: 3,125
AP: 548
MA: 0
DP: 333
MD: 396
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Burning Rave (Quick attack)
* Guard Break (Nullifies avoid and block rate)
Element: Light
Weakness: Physical, Gun
Resistance: Air, Earth
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Power Plan Battery (Common / Quest Item)
* Turtle Medicine (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Rough and tumble pirate turtle that likes to combo attack everything in his way."
The official art looks a little off. Anyway, these little guys are super deadly - not only do they have the usual stuff, they attack twice in one go. Given their attack stat and how many there are, that's just a disaster waiting to happen.
(Also, my sources don't say they have a card. What's up with that?)
Oh jeez. Captain Stan lost his Mighty title and looks decidedly worse for wear.
I knew something was up with that low sticker count – Mermaid Palace is counted as part of Oops Wharf! That's a cool way to spice up the area variety. (Plus if we didn't go into the ocean that'd just be dumb.)
Feisty mermaids, huh? It's a step up from dead kids, the crows that ate them and ghost pirates honestly.
Stepping into the first few Mermaid Fields smacks us with:
Type: Charm
Level: 83
HP: 3,285
AP: 472
MA: 0
DP: 342
MD: 380
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Final Blow (Deals more damage as user's HP decreases)
* Dodge Master (Increases avoid)
* Mana Reflector (Deflects magic back to the enemy)
Element: Water
Weakness: Physical
Resistance: Magic
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Mermaid Little Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Eternal Glamour Grass (Common / Quest Item)
* Lip Gloss (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Lascivious mermaid who thinks she's a beauty of the deep. Pines to steal away her ideal prince from the surface."
Oh.
I would bring up the obvious Little Mermaid reference, but I'm more distracted by the fact she wiggles every time she attacks you.
To top it off, she even turns into a blowfish when you kill her. (Implying that the mermaids are in fact humanized fish, which... is honestly kind of a cool idea.)
Type: Sense
Level: 85
HP: 3,180
AP: 454
MA: 0
DP: 329
MD: 341
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Stone Strike (Basic Sense Attack)
* Sticky Foot (Reduces enemy avoid)
* Armor Destructor (Reduces enemy defense)
Element: Water
Weakness: Light
Resistance: Physical
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Tink Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Dusk Amethyst (Very Rare / Job Change Gem)
* Fur Brush (Common / Quest Item)
* Sturdy Scale (Common / Quest Item)
* Tink's Fishbone (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Loyal soldier of the Mermaid Palace that takes his job very seriously. He and his sister Bell love to patrol the seas together."
Type: Charm
Level: 88
HP: 3,460
AP: 502
MA: 0
DP: 365
MD: 407
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Magic Meltdown (Lowers enemy magic attack)
* Siren Song (Defense-based AOE attack)
Element: Water
Weakness: Gun
Resistance: Physical
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Bell Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Bell's Fishbone (Common / Quest Item)
* Nail Polish (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Loyal soldier of the Mermaid Palace that rides on a catfish. She and her brother Tink enjoy hunting down intruders together."
I don't have much to say about these two other than they're cute. Oh, and putting their names together makes me groan.
Type: Magic
Level: 99
HP: 2,690
AP: 555
MA: ???
DP: 288
MD: 828
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Mana Storm (Attacks multiple enemies)
* Mana Arrow (Shoots a magic arrow)
* Mana Shield (Increases user's magic defense)
* Rust (Lowers enemy attack)
* Electroshock (Magic version of Faint that paralyzes enemy)
Element: Light
Weakness: Electric
Resistance: Earth, Light
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Waterweed Witch Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Bubble (Common / Quest Item)
* Sea Herbs (Common / Quest Item)
* Silver Aquamarine (Very Rare / Job Change Gem)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Mysterious sea witch with an unknown goal and a warm personality. Her spells are not to be trifled with."
I assume these are meant to be the stand in for Ursula given that they're sea witches, but they're way cuter in my opinion. That said, do not mess with them - their arsenal make them hella scary to deal with, outclassing even the Crows from earlier. (It's especially rough for us since we're a Power Type.)
Limit your interactions with them because all it takes is one Electroshock to ruin your day.
Type: Power
Level: 95
HP: 3,605
AP: 562
MA: 0
DP: 384
MD: 457
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Lacerator (Attacks all enemies in a line)
* Shockvibe (Lowers enemy accuracy)
* Impelling Rage (HP-based Charm attack that pushes back enemies)
Element: Water
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Merman Ale Card (Very Rare / Mastery Card
* Fragmented Map 1 (Common / Quest Item)
* Water Agate (Very Rare / Job Change Gem)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Burly merman soldier with a strict 'no surface dwellers' policy. Unquestioningly follows the mermaid queen's orders, be it good or bad."
His pose reminds me of the characters from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Granted, I wouldn't be surprised if Jojos actually introduced mer-people into its universe - it's called "bizarre" for a very good reason.
This guy would definitely fit in there, is what I'm saying.
Type: Power
Level: 92
HP: 3,495
AP: 604
MA: 0
DP: 369
MD: 440
Aggressive?: Yes
Skills:
* Shockwave (Basic Power Attack)
* Guard Break (Nullifies avoid and block rate)
* Armor Breaker (Lowers enemy defense)
Element: Water
Weakness: Magic
Resistance: Physical, Gun
Official Art: Here
Worthwhile Drops:
* Merman Aqu Card (Very Rare / Card)
* Fur Brush (Common / Quest Item)
* Stat/Element Stones LV. 95 (Very Rare / Crafting)
Gear Entry: "Laid-back soldier of the Mermaid Palace that would much rather spend his time wooing the ladies than doing any actual work."
Man, there sure are a lot of attractive mermen around here. Fighting both Aqu and Ale together is a hassle, so be sure to split them up if possible.
The final Mermaid Field map is especially twisty-turny, making it my least favorite to navigate.
Talking to Elicia is enough to get some experience, but she gives you an explanation of why Daily Quests are a big deal.
I don't remember if I've explained this before in the past, but a reminder wouldn't help: if you exchange Daily Coupons to Miranda Watty in Megalopolis, she'll hand you Stat Boosting Stones without the hassle of killing a small kingdom's worth of monsters.
If there's anything I vehemently urge you to do (if you value your sanity), it's to do these Daily Quests from time to time. It's practically free.
The Merman Ale was generous enough to give Rachel a card after she kindly asked him to go away. What a guy.
Elicia wants us some Punisher's Scales to fix the equipment (somehow?), so we have to whack some Punisher Merman Ales.
That said, that's no mean feat because the skunts are level 100, have terrifying attack and can summon minions. Their Lacerator attack in particular hurts a lot for a non Berserker boosted skill.
The TM Experience and Daily Coupon are very nice, although the once a day thing kind of bites.
I returned above ground for a bit to round off everything here that isn't Lethos since Frog Shaman already drained me. The main reason I'm here is to get the armor set for this area, since I'm a few shells short.
Reina is kind enough to tell us her full name and wants us to go get a Sculpture of Poseidon to see if it's the real deal (the one with Poseidon's Blessing).
They're buried underneath our favorite spot (aka. Wharf Field 4) like everything else, so this ought to be good.
I also decide to do the Daily Quest for Marinel because why not. He wants sturdy rope so he can tie a large shipment together, so this ought to be easy.
The extra sticker is nice for Blanche and the character cards are always appreciated. Sure, they're not as rare or teach mastery in any way, but they'll be useful for that inevitable, soul-sucking grind.
Merchant Miguel wants sea ivory from sea elephants, so there's the game being wacky again. (Unless Sea Elephants are a real thing and I'm just not informed.)
I was actually planning on getting those anyway for the boss transfer NPC of Oops Wharf, but I'm not in a rush to get Star Heart killed right now.
I actually gave up 2/5ths into his quest because I only needed two more shells and I was sick of getting excess stickers.
Damn, we actually look really cool. We're like a sea soldier or something, although don't actually expect it to last because Mermaid Palace has its own set of gear.
Kinda makes this pointless but any boost we get is welcome and we already had enough shells as it is. Why not cash 'em in?
I like how this salty sea spirit is trying to raise intrigue while Star Heart is just trying really hard to not get plastered by all the angry shirtless mermen surrounding her.
… Wait, that didn't come out right…
Sea Spirit Rumo wants us to get her 15x Tink's Fishbone (blue) and 15x Bell's Fishbone (red), totaling to 30 items each. That would be fine if those two enemies weren't notoriously stingy with their drops, but I'm already prepared to suffer.
... Underwater taxis, huh? I'm genuinely curious as to how they work down here.
Things you don't see – Dan suffering for several hours trying to bleed every enemy of their worthwhile drops while simultaneously not trying to get slaughtered by the Water Weed Witches.
Where's the player shops when you need them!?
If there's any respite, the enemies were also generous with their rare drops too. I even have enough AP stones to boost my attack!
Oh snap, would you look at that! This is no ordinary gem, my friends – this is a third tier class stone! You know how upgrading into a Boxer (Entertainer for Blanche) was as simple as just beating up Kaboom and getting their Growth Badge?
Yeah, upgrading into the third tier is way more complex and requires getting a ton of resources, the most prominent of which being these extra rare Guardian Gemstones.
For Star Heart we'd need a Red Ruby for her pure class or a Special Jade for her hybrid class. Pure Classes are the logical evolution of the character's stats while Hybrid classes use the second tier moveset of the opposite gender.
Like being able to use the Buffalo's powerful AOE attacks for example! The downside is that learning these as a Hybrid class requires a much higher TM requirement than normal, but if you made it this far then it should be a piece of cake.
Oooh, something to break the tedium! Tower Conqueror... man, can you imagine having to climb the Tower of Chaos from start to finish?
If it's anything like the Pit of 100 Trials in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, then I'm ready to get ripped apart.
That Uppercut damage is positively delicious. Also, I love the death animations for the Water Weed Witches because they just explode into bubbles.
Star Heart has the same vibe as me if I gotta be real. Rumo asks us for one more thing and tells us to snatch Magician Okto's Staff from Mermaid Palace Dungeon.
She wants the staff to enhance her chimera bone fish's travel distance. Even if I were to get it, that... that just sounds like a bad idea all around.
Alright then! Next time on Trickster Online, we delve into the Mermaid Palace Dungeon and see what deep-sea horrors await us in there.
See you guys then!
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Team Set-up:
* Job class: Boxer (
* Type: Power
* EXP level: 86 (+15)
* TM level: 69 (+10)
* Gender:
* Bosses slain: 1
* Guild: None
* Job class: Magician (
* Type: Magic
* EXP level: 129
* TM level: 139
* Gender:
* Bosses slain: 1
* Guild: Remedies - Star Captain (De-facto leader)
~
Rival?:
* Job class: Entertainer (
* Type: Charm
* EXP level: 69 (+0)
* TM level: 59 (+0)
* Gender:
* Bosses slain: Zero
* Guild: None