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Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey The Official Thread of Minion and Demonica
- Thread starter the_painted_bird
- Start date
semiconscious
Member
holy crap! beware the neutral endgame path!
zelenin's a major bitch! 
fusion time...
fusion time...Himuro said:
I dont go into SMT wanting them to bombard me with occult imagery in some lame attempt to be edgy and dark. I really dont care if that stuff is in. Doesnt really have much impact on making a good story. However I am not feeling the story or the characters. I'm also really disappointed in the lack of more portraits. All the other crew members feel so distant as this like sprite that flashes in front of me everyone once in a while.
MechaX said:
You don't need that high levels, although it helps. All you need is
no elemental weaknesses, healing spells on most of your demons, and repel repel repel repel repel for pretty much all of the last few bosses, damage is not required
Himuro said:
Yeah but this game has more of a sci fi magitech bend. Its a different style and so it need a different atmosphere. So like the blood sacrifices and occult imagery is replaced with areas where the demons performed horrific experiments on the crew or other demons and such.
Pureauthor
Member
Which genius decided that the Visualizer app that allows you to see in the dark wouldn't help you create the map in the process?
If you won't let me draw my own maps then make a mapping system a good one. This is not rocket science guys.
If you won't let me draw my own maps then make a mapping system a good one. This is not rocket science guys.
Oh good, nothing to look forward to for that then. I'm hoping (but not expecting) that the path I'm having trouble finding through Carina isn't shrouded in darkness.Pureauthor said:
Is it a good idea to go back through earlier areas with new main app upgrades as you get them, or wait a while (with respect to the levels of the demons you'll encounter). Wasn't sure if I should take the time to go back through Antlia and Bootes with Unlock B or wait a bit.
charlequin
Banned
botticus said:
No area that's available immediately to backtrack to with Unlock B has anything but the original demons from the region you're going to. Just go back and get the loots now.
I'm currently taking a break from the game and
. Apparently the game kind of forced me on a Chaos alignment path even though I wanted neutral. I must say that the worst zones in the game are Fornax and Delphinus. Both are ridiculously boring and once I finished them I was like, "That's it?" I know there's a lot of complaints about Eridanus and Grus but I found both to be my favorite regions due to being fantastic grinding spots and great places to backtrack and explore. Especially Eridanus, which remains my favorite dungeon in the whole game. I haven't gotten much in Horologium yet so I can't comment on it yet.
How I'd rank the sectors so far:
Eridanus
Grus
Bootes
Carina
Antilia
Fornax
Delphinus
Edit: Lol I didn't realize I spoilered. Sorry about that.
just beat Gore
How I'd rank the sectors so far:
Eridanus
Grus
Bootes
Carina
Antilia
Fornax
Delphinus
Edit: Lol I didn't realize I spoilered. Sorry about that.
semiconscious
Member
semiconscious said:holy crap! beware the neutral endgame path!
zelenin's a major bitch!
just overcame that particular obstacle:
used an all-chaos team with black maria. took a while, but it worked...
kinda left a bad taste in my mouth - i'll be plowing on, but it definitely served to convince me that, of the 2 games, devil survivor's the better built & balanced, overall. that was just plain unnecessarily nasty...
Fimbulvetr
Member
Himuro said:How do I get on the neutral-law path?
Demons are the only ones who have two alignments.
If you wanna be lawful just act like you're better than everyone else(humans & demons).
Finished! After a lot of grinding at the end so I could have that tasty
To be completely honest, all I really want to do now is play Nocturne, but I think I'm gonna keep going with DEVSUR instead.
Totally retarded. There's no excuse for not being able to write on the map.
Metatron.
To be completely honest, all I really want to do now is play Nocturne, but I think I'm gonna keep going with DEVSUR instead.
Totally retarded. There's no excuse for not being able to write on the map.
I'm loving the game so far. Just starting Sector D, but if feels like there's a lot left for me to do in Sector C (which was my favorite area so far).
Honestly, the gameplay mechanics might be my favorite of any SMT.
I actually like the absence of a regular press turn system. Random battles aren't over in a single turn anymore.
Honestly, the gameplay mechanics might be my favorite of any SMT.
I actually like the absence of a regular press turn system. Random battles aren't over in a single turn anymore.
Y2Kev said:No, now they are over after I press autobattle
Autobattle can be a dangerous thing, and it often requires hefty MP expenditure to recover the unusually high HP loss. Most of the Hidden or at least unanalyzed enemies can be rather difficult fights.
Maybe I'm just underleveled, though.
I dunno, I had like 99 lifestones at the start of every new sector. I would just burn through those until I found a healing station, which are (thankfully) very abundant.Yaweee said:
It's true...can't autobattle hidden enemies. Very dangerous. Well, you can, you just have to be very quick on shutting it off if things go south. It's definitely not a good thing to do.
charlequin
Banned
NichM said:
:lol
Fimbulvetr
Member
Cep said:
In B1.
Freyjadour
Member
Finished.
Good game, just a bit imbalanced towards the end. Not an uncommon thing in SMT though, eh?
It is...ok I guess. My MC was Magic Build, and I found that he barely managed to keep up with demons. Seemed like his real purpose boiled down to items, summons, and if you have one of the two guns you get before end game and post game that have abilities worth a damn on them, the occasional elemental weakness hit for an assist from your demons. Wasn't all that wild about MC growth and abilities.
Edit: Law MC gets a crazy good Gun ability.
Final Boss fights for Neutral were a bitch to say the least. Aside from the fact that it has an instant death that is in no way preventable (Tetraja doesn't work and neither does Sacrifice), it just does massive elemental damage. I was level 72 with 70-72 demons and Alice, and if they didn't have a reflect, strength, or void, they took at least 400 damage. Weakness is instant death. Almighty is pretty much the only way to deal worthwhile damage, unless physical isn't currently being reflected, so I pulled my other damage dealer and fused a Kama with Debilitate and Tetraja to do as much as I could to prevent instant death. Still got hit with MA on the MC 4-5 times before I managed to survive long enough to kill the damned thing. Pretty obvious the game expects you to be closer to 80 than 70, and with the gap between good demons lasting until 84ish, probably there.
Good game, just a bit imbalanced towards the end. Not an uncommon thing in SMT though, eh?
Himuro said:
It is...ok I guess. My MC was Magic Build, and I found that he barely managed to keep up with demons. Seemed like his real purpose boiled down to items, summons, and if you have one of the two guns you get before end game and post game that have abilities worth a damn on them, the occasional elemental weakness hit for an assist from your demons. Wasn't all that wild about MC growth and abilities.
Edit: Law MC gets a crazy good Gun ability.
Holy shit. I just had one of the most intense battles I've ever faced in a Megami Tensei game since the Demi-Fiend in DDS1 (which is leagues ahead of any RPG boss I've ever played, and I've definitely played too many RPGs). And this wasn't even the final boss either. Keep in mind I'm not saying this fight was balls-to-the-wall difficult, but rather intense in a "holy-shit-one-wrong-move-and-20-minutes-down-the-drain" kind of intense.
I decided to fight
severely under-leveled and though I could make this work with my MC, Alice, Girimehkala, and Titania. My plan was for Alice to buff the hell out of us, Giri to War Cry, and Titania to heal us. Unfortunately, Titania ends up going down in the first attack and she gets substituted for Ouroboros. With this set up, the only source of healing comes from the MC. The first 10 minutes or so was just a slow slug-fest of buffing, debuffing, and
doing her heal+all buff move a lot. I start running low on good healing, and eventually Giri and Ouro bite the dust. I substitute for Pallas Athena and Sarasvati, whom both go down due to her Charm attack. I used Prometheus' Recarmdra to get all of my demons back in the game.
However, the boss starts spamming the self-buff spell to the point where I can't keep up that well, and the remaining ten minutes was just me going through my entire demon roster trying to take her down. The last couple rounds left me with my MC and Alice, and my MC had low double-digit health left. In a last ditch effort, the MC attacks with his sword and kills the boss. Personally, I've never fought a Megami Tensei boss that pretty much forced me to go through my entire demon party and each actually hold their own in some ways. And as a reward, my MC grew like 5 levels.
I decided to fight
Zelenin
Zelenin
However, the boss starts spamming the self-buff spell to the point where I can't keep up that well, and the remaining ten minutes was just me going through my entire demon roster trying to take her down. The last couple rounds left me with my MC and Alice, and my MC had low double-digit health left. In a last ditch effort, the MC attacks with his sword and kills the boss. Personally, I've never fought a Megami Tensei boss that pretty much forced me to go through my entire demon party and each actually hold their own in some ways. And as a reward, my MC grew like 5 levels.
Fimbulvetr
Member
Luck build.
Saint10118
Member
Didn't see it posted so my apologies if old. Atlus Demonica Passwords:
I haven't tried out the passwords yet as I'm sure they will be way to expensive for me at present. Just about to wrap it up for B and am absolutely loving this game! Haven't figured out what the deal is with Fiends versus Genma yet but I'm assuming it gets worked out later.
Edit:
Didn't realize the font would be so small so for those who may have a hard time reading it the codes are:
"Left hand freeze Right hand shock"
"Prophecy of wind"
"Thick red skin"
"Soothing ice"
I haven't tried out the passwords yet as I'm sure they will be way to expensive for me at present. Just about to wrap it up for B and am absolutely loving this game! Haven't figured out what the deal is with Fiends versus Genma yet but I'm assuming it gets worked out later.
Edit:
Didn't realize the font would be so small so for those who may have a hard time reading it the codes are:
"Left hand freeze Right hand shock"
"Prophecy of wind"
"Thick red skin"
"Soothing ice"
Freyjadour
Member
MechaX said:
That fight was probably the second hardest. Or third. Definitely intense though.
Fimbulvetr
Member
Himuro said:
Hey, I'm still alive aren't I?
Every dialogue choice I've made so far was based of what I really think. So if you excuse me, I think I'll just take my higher chances of being awesome on to Sector D.
Saint10118
Member
Himuro said:
I think you go into your demon compendium under register and at the bottom is an area dedicated for password derived demons. From there you should have the option to input a password.
Fimbulvetr
Member
Himuro said:
You try the slots labeled PWD?
Fimbulvetr
Member
Himuro said:
Why are you pressing X?
Shouldn't you be pressing A?
Edit: You on View or Register?
Freyjadour
Member
Joule said:
Dekaja mostly, but I wasn't expecting her and was just going through dungeons with my best Damage Dealing demons.
Joule said:
You should've gotten B in Grus I believe. C comes later in H.
Freyjadour
Member
Joule said:
It's one of those "down a secret corridor hiding out in a Forma Search B" forma. Easy enough if you aren't super OCD like I am.
Edit: Jack's Squad HQ btw. Not Grus.
I'm absolutely perplexed by what I think is the second to last boss on the neutral route. Atlus really wants to set a record on absolutely asinine difficulty jumps in bosses that rely on luck more than anything else.
So I'm fighting
and is guy supposed to be doing quadruple-digit damage attacks? I'm at level 70 and the dungeon has been fine thus far, but... jeezus. And most of the strategies I've read for this boss all lists "hoping that he loses a brain cell and uses his absurdly powerful gun attack on gun-reflecting demons and kill himself in three turns." I mean, am I just supposed to pray that he doesn't use his fire or almighty attack and completely rape my party?
Edit: Got fairly close to beating him before he just decided to end it all with a 700 damage almighty attack while having his attack debuffed -2. Fuck this boss and fuck the fact that my MC is absolutely useless. I think I could actually beat this battle if I could just replace the damn MC with a fourth demon.
Double Edit: Managed to beat the boss through the very method I expected; he lost a brain cell and spammed his super powerful gun attack on the demons that reflected such attacks. It doesn't even really feel like I accomplished anything at all since the boss had all of the cards stacked in his favor and decided to commit suicide aganist my Alice. Atlus really needs to tone it down on crap-shoot bosses like these in the next game.
Well, now that I'm right before the final boss, time to painfully grind for the next 5 hours so I can actually survive a hit from the final boss. *sigh*
So I'm fighting
Jimenez
Edit: Got fairly close to beating him before he just decided to end it all with a 700 damage almighty attack while having his attack debuffed -2. Fuck this boss and fuck the fact that my MC is absolutely useless. I think I could actually beat this battle if I could just replace the damn MC with a fourth demon.
Double Edit: Managed to beat the boss through the very method I expected; he lost a brain cell and spammed his super powerful gun attack on the demons that reflected such attacks. It doesn't even really feel like I accomplished anything at all since the boss had all of the cards stacked in his favor and decided to commit suicide aganist my Alice. Atlus really needs to tone it down on crap-shoot bosses like these in the next game.
Well, now that I'm right before the final boss, time to painfully grind for the next 5 hours so I can actually survive a hit from the final boss. *sigh*
semiconscious
Member
MechaX said:
well, that boss's next on my list, & i'm very disappointed atlus chose to go this route. unlike devil survivor, this game's as likely to scare away noobs from the series as anything else
. there's always lots of room for extra bosses, dungeons, whatever, for the hardcore, but simply completing the game shouldn't be as ridiculously challenging (& crap shoot luck-based) as this one is...like i already said, the longer the game goes on, the more it feels to me like a huge step backwards after devil survivor...
Freyjadour
Member
MechaX said:
Yeah, that's what I was talking about, haha.
I managed that fight with having every demon (by luck more or less) str to physical and most reflecting gun. So, it was more or less Charge -> Berserker God and -Dyne spells while the boss killed itself. Still died once or twice. I pretty much just willed my way through the final boss right after that fight (level 72) and managed it with some very strong Almighty help. It is considerably more difficult.
In other news, started a NG+ in Devil Survivor last night. Gotta love that Metatron.
Freyjadour said:
I just beat the final boss and I actually favored this fight due to how more stuff was actually in your control (although, not much of it was, as the final boss still had some of the more bullshit attacks of the prior bosses and then-some, but I could at least form a strategy around her that didn't revolve around "hope boss uses gun attack on gun-reflecting demon, defend at all other times").
But this final boss was... definitely rather strange. I took her on at level 73 because I didn't feel like grinding, but I definitely have to wonder if the final boss was designed this way simply to entice players to use the password system. I was planning to take her on with a team of Rangda, Norn, and Fafnir/Alice. But a poster on a GFAQs thread stated that his custom Rangda and Alice pretty much breaks the final boss (his Rangda repels all of the elements its normally weak aganist and has Salvation, his Alice was 5 or so levels above mine and had a random repel element instead of Megidola and virtually everything else was the same). I replaced my old Rangda with the new one, and I was surprised on how... simple the final boss was (or in hindsight, how lucky I got).
I already had the Dragon Vest from an EX Mission, which helps as your MC cannot be killed outright by an elemental attack at level 73, provided that you have a decent amount of buffs on. I had no Dragon Ring (Auto-Revive one time), so I was skirting death more than once. MC defends or heals (I also did not notice I had ten Balm of Risings (Full HP/MP on all party members) or throws up a Teraja Stone to take care of her Death/Expel attack, Alice uses Luster Candy, Rangda uses Debilitate, third demon attacks with whatever. I took advantage of the AI in the sense that the AI seldom dispels buffs/debuffs that are -/+3 or lower. The battle was long, but 70% of the damage dealt to both of Men Aleph's forms were spells reflected back at her. While guarding and buffed, the MC shouldn't die (unless all of her hits from her 6-hit physical attack hit nothing but the MC) from anything Aleph can do unless she does that instant kill attack of hers. The attack that sends a demon back to the COMP sounds intimidating, but its effect lessens when you realize that the demons still keep their buffs when re-summoned.
But when considering the ending,
I actually would have been a lot more disappointed if I had grinded my ass off to get 80+ super demons like I initially expected. All three endings were pretty bone-bare NES affairs, all ending with a "Mission Complete!" screen. I mean, at least in SMT1/2 we got some kind of insight to the future of the world, the characters throughout the entire game, and all the towns you've affected. Here, it's just "Humans are brainwashed/saved/massacred. Mission Complete!"
But despite my bitching, I still think the game was pretty good. It's not my favorite SMT game, but it's leagues above Raidou 1 and Persona 1 in my eyes. My main problems concern the story running out of steam halfway through
(while Nocturne was pretty minimalist throughout, it at least gradually added tension and conflict to the story in small amounts. Here, it's just "Go this area. Go here. Get this. Holy shit Gore's alive! Get this. Oh crap, we need Chaos and Law Heroes! Let's establish them both 20 minutes apart from each other! Go here. Beat these things and get more stuff. Beat boss. Mission Accomplished!)
Freyjadour
Member
thetrin said:
47 I think?
Freyjadour
Member
thetrin said:
Well, like I said before, I didn't take any significant time out to grind before the final boss. Could probably add an additional 5-10 hours for finishing up the remaining side quests and getting to 80ish + fusing a super team. Pretty close to standard SMT time. That is, SMT1&2 and Nocturne, not Persona or what have you.