Helpful hints *possible spoilers*

[Watt]

Throw in any that might be useful.

If you are towards the end of the game or at the end and need some extra levels and/or iron, goto the Hollow below the cliff and farm the ancestral demon in the top left. Level 40, 6k hp, 3 phases, straight forward fight. Has a high change to drop 9k iron (sometimes twice a fight) and decent xp depending on your groups level. Great place to grind up new units if you need to. Also drops a key item that gives you permanent +3 skill points to all units.

[Mr. Von Grimmsy]

...this sounds like you've finished the game already...?

I beat everything in the original trial version/demo, and unlocked the next area (that the demo wouldn't allow access to, obviously), but if you did indeed finish the game already, that'd mean there isn't much more after that.

Is it really that short?

[giftigkeit]

Originally posted by Mr. Von Grimmsy:

...this sounds like you've finished the game already...?

I beat everything in the original trial version/demo, and unlocked the next area (that the demo wouldn't allow access to, obviously), but if you did indeed finish the game already, that'd mean there isn't much more after that.

Is it really that short?

probably like 15-20h

[G1zmachi]

yeah i beat him on my 3rd try. i still dont know how to unlock all those first set of weapons from the lady who ask you to bring her jewels, anybody know?

[Watt]

Originally posted by Mr. Von Grimmsy:

...this sounds like you've finished the game already...?

I beat everything in the original trial version/demo, and unlocked the next area (that the demo wouldn't allow access to, obviously), but if you did indeed finish the game already, that'd mean there isn't much more after that.

Is it really that short?

Yep beat it already. I would say it was short, took me 25.5 hours over a week to kill the last boss. I think I lucked out with my team composition, knight ranger sorcerer, and didnt need to reroll or make other characters. Plus Iv been playing these types of dungeon crawlers for a long time. I think I only hit a wall twice, once with the sewer boss and again later in the game against the spider boss of the four lords. The first one I just needed to grind a bit to get my levels up, the second I had to grind for iron to upgrade my weapons because its damn four turn and you die poison kept killing me in the last phase.

Honestly the four lords before the final boss were harder then the last boss itself. I had to rethink my strategies and equipment each fight.

[michaelxor]

Originally posted by G1zmachi:

yeah i beat him on my 3rd try. i still dont know how to unlock all those first set of weapons from the lady who ask you to bring her jewels, anybody know?

The weapons / shield on the first page all require the same jewel which is dropped by the eyeball monsters just NE of the center in Hollow Below the Cliff.

[michaelxor]

Just finished a run through the game and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Some tips (with spoilers):

• In terms of your party, while it definitely depends on your play style I found after trying several configurations that having a party with high attack / magic power can be quite a bit more reliable than parties with a lot of support / healing / tech. For example, the Shaman has a slew of really nice support spells but fairly low damage potential. I had originally thought that healing spells and Resurrection were must-haves, but came to realize that replacing this support class with another high damage dealer led to shorter battles where the party would take fewer hits, use less spirit, and level faster. Replacing the Shaman with a Witchcraft-based Sorcerer was a significant improvement -- the imp summon does very high fire damage and will (almost) always use an AOE spell on its first turn if there are at least 3 enemies present which is excellent for crowd control. The Bad Touch spell is also one of the most powerful in the game, often making quick work of enemies if you attack from behind or even the side. As a bonus, it's cast immediately so it will hit before defenses or evasion can be raised, and doesn't require 2-3 turns like some of the other powerful spells. The Ranger is also extremely powerful with Headshot dealing 250% base damage plus an additional 50% on living creatures. Shoot Down also deals 250% base damage, though it's limited to flying creatures -- this is still clutch in many cases. The Ranger also has access to the strongest weapon in the game (to my knowledge), the Great Tree Bow, which starts with attack power of 92 (I think?) and caps out at 148(!!) for the Great Tree Bow +10. Because the bow requires 8 stamina per attack, it pairs well with Beast Armor which provides +8 base stamina meaning you'll still be able to attack 3 times before resting. Finally, you'll need a tank to protect these high damage dealers and the only two real options here are Warrior and Knight. I've found the Knight to be significantly better suited here. The Warrior skill tree unfortunately contains some really inefficient paths where many weapon skills require you to invest in both two-handed weapon proficiencies and shield proficiencies which have no synergy in battle since you have to choose one or the other. The Knight, on the other hand, has very strong synergy if you go for a single-handed hammer + shield, which allows you to use Executioner for additional damage reduction while still providing full access to the heavy armor and shield mastery skill trees. This also means you'll have access to Full Swing which deals a whopping 360% base damage, and Shield Charge for the occasional stun in tougher battles. A surprising number of tough enemies also have a natural weakness to Bash attacks, so this further improves the story. This build works quite well with the Great Tree Shield (dopped by the Protective Gargoyle on the upper level of By the Mountain Stream), which heals you each time you block, and the Plate Armor of Devotion, which lowers the spirit cost of Cover by 2.
  
• When you make it to B5F in the Deep in the Hardwood Forest map, 3 of the treasure chests are actually Mimics ("Mystery Chest" is the in-game name). I found these to be quite difficult when I first encountered them and needed to circle back later on. This monster drops the Greedy Bag item which doubles the drop rate of monster drops you don't already have, which is really essential if you're a completionist (especially useful for farming in the Overgrown Abandoned Land, where many of the best late game weapons are dropped). I don't know this for sure, but I believe based on my play through that drop rates from monsters are lower when your party far exceeds the monster level, much like experience. For this reason I would just give late-game weapons to a few low-level party members when I decided to go back and farm items from low-level mobs for crafting.
  
• +1 to the recommendation from OP to farm iron from the Ancestral Demon in the Hollow Below the Cliff. This does require that you've unlocked every key and your party is able to defeat the prior demons, which might require that you change up your crew a few times. With the chance to drop almost 19k iron in a single battle you can quickly scale up your weapons to make the battle easier each time, or you use it to re-spec your characters to fit your late-game needs.

And a question for the group:


I have "beaten the game" in that I have defeated the dragon at the bottom level of the dungeon. I have even gone back through and fought every monster until acquiring all of its unique drops, I have crafted every item available using hides and jewels, and I believe I've acquired every item that is available for purchase in the various shops. I've also fully explored each map including hidden passageways such that every tile has been revealed on each floor of the four maps and there are no longer any unopened chests (aside from the three which are really mimics). I've unlocked / encountered every skill in the game so there are no missing entries in the skills section of the search data menu.

Alas, I'm still missing one item (a shield, I believe) and one trophy (or technically two, I guess).

The missing item is between the Red Scutum and the High-Quality Kite Shield shields in the items tab of the search data menu, which is why I'm assuming it's a shield. Does anyone know what this item is, or how to acquire it? At this point I am fearing it's just a pickup I missed from one of the subtle sparkling areas and the thought of meticulously combing every square inch of the four maps on this suspicion is daunting.

The missing trophy is "??? - See your mission through to the end." Looking at Steam achievements, it seems like this one is called "Fruition" once you unlock it, but I haven't the slightest idea what is left of "my mission" at this point. Does anyone have any pointers here? I'm playing on the Switch if that matters.

[Watt]

Nice formating on your hints Michaelxor, good ones too. The shield you are missing is one I was missing too. I didnt go as far as you did with skills and items and such, but I did totally map out each dungeon and find every monster, so I can assure you the shield you are missing isnt a ground shiny. Its either a monster drop or one you craft.(I didnt hunt down or make every item possible)

The achievement you are looking for is one you should have gotten by finding the treasure after the final boss, its in a secret door in the library behind it. Not sure if its different for the switch though.

[sfbsfb]

Great tips. I am struggling mightily to complete B5F. Need some help here:


spoiler

Mapped everything I could on that level…. beat all the enemies including I believe two mimics, but progress is blocked by a locked door, one that I need to “fall down” to reach, after crossing a bridge.

Went back through other dungeons and levels. By process of elimination, having scoured everything else, I believe I need to defeat the pair of L36 bloodsucker scimitars in that very early dungeon. I can barely lay a hand on those guys! Tried some different party builds, often using my warrior tank (not the best, I now realize) and a cleric (largely for heal, her exorcism does nothing against the scimitars). Nothing I’ve tried really gels against them. I see they are prone to bash damage, maybe that’s the trick? Or maybe build up my sorcerer further & try his imps and drains?

1. Am I right, that the scimitars are the bottleneck? If not, how to proceed?
2. Any suggestions on the scimitar battle?

/spoiler

[whisper]

The scimitars aren't the bottleneck, you should have found a key item on B5F that someone wants...

[sfbsfb]

whisper, thank you very much for the hint! Looks like i now have a new key item that will expand my progress. Things are looking up, haha!

[Watt]

Originally posted by sfbsfb:

2. Any suggestions on the scimitar battle?

Stopping the swords damage is key for that fight. Any damage absorption spells, high dodge, or as a last resort just block is a must. Focus on one of them with bash like you said or any other powerful attack/spell. The swords have life leach and heal for most or all of the damage they do so it is a long drawn out fight if you arent prepared.

[sfbsfb]

Watt, thanks! I’ve put the scimitars aside for now. The good news is that I just cleared B5F, yay! I might go back to the scimitars eventually, but for now I will press on further in the 6th floor. With that said — given the overall design of this game, I will not be surprised if I need to loop back to a previous dungeon or level at some point. Anyway, thanks again!

[Jolly]

My tip is that if you haven't noticed it, you can rotate and tilt the map. The map for this game is over the top.

@michaelxor I haven't played nearly as much but was already feeling the same about group comps. Good stuff.

[AntTheKnee]

how do i get to Overgrown Abandoned Land?

[changtau2005]

Talk to the knight on B6. Third dialogue option.