Grand Magister: The rewards for proper preparation

[harleyquinrazer]

Just finished Eternal Harvest 1 and I did better than I expected. Didn't use Finger of Death, no Shade with Void Flame and still managed to get a decently levelled Iratus (10.6% chance to roll purple parts before Grand Magister), enough ingredients (45+ each, 25+ after rolls) to generate purple parts for my final attack party and minions with levels close to 40.

Yes, I had perfect information on what to expect beforehand before taking him on. But getting to the final part in a state far better than anything I'd seen bar cakewalk was very satisfying. As for my final combination, the party would need a bit of luck to defeat the Grand Magister without casualties, but the final stats being what they were I doubt the Grand Magister would have won unless I deliberately played to lose. I did the battle three times, I quit and restarted as soon as the Grand Magister killed a minion (Unfrozen first time, Lost Soul the second) but I don't think the outcome would have been in doubt so long as the damage dealers were still standing at the end.

I might do one more run on More Pain to get the researcher achievement, but I think I've played the game as much as I can until the expansion is released later this year.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2111561820

Squad details:

All members have maximum benefit of spirit chainmail and spirit spear.
All members have four purple parts.
Used Calcination and Distillation prior to battle with the appropriate talent upgrades active.

Lost Soul: Carnival mask, Serpent Skull (I wanted essence of mind but went the entire game without it.)
Unfrozen: Rune of Winter, Acid Gland
Vampire: Nails of Pain (No funeral coin so next best alternative), Sharpened Bone
Ghoul: Gruesome Snack, Legcuffs

Talents: Enough to get what I needed. Battle Eternal, Soul Spite, Fate, Dispel were used during the battle.

Artifacts: Converted everything I didn't need for the final battle into XP. Robes of Potence, Ring of Decay, Amulet of the Dream Eater, Destruction Maul, Mana Stone.

Strategy:
2x physical damage spell to remove the Magister's blocks.
Ghoul to use Crimson Feast on units, if the HP threshold is crossed then Happy Meal.
Lost Soul to bestow Lucrative Boon (mainly to the Unfrozen). Before that psychotic stream to remove wards and for later Consume Hope stacks.
Unfrozen to wait until after the Magister has moved. If the Magister is in stance, Ice Lance. Otherwise, Claw attack for extra damage or wrath ability for multiple unit damage (must not be fatal).
Vampire: Either Deep Bite combined with Fate to stun units (usually the Knight) or using Rage at the backline to drop HP enough for the Ghoul to eat enemies alive.

Aim: Ghoul needs to eat all 6 of the lackeys. Damage inflicted can be adjusted using the Vampire Rage ability. Once the Magister is alone, go all out. Battle Eternal used to avoid losses, soul spell to move the Magister if the Ice Lance is diverted.

Potential unit losses: The Magister's 3-hit single unit attack combined with his party debuff usually kills the Lost Soul or Unfrozen if the hits are lucky. I didn't have the opportunity to use Blood Curse on him (which would have been permanent on his second form and essentially give all units at least 40% critical hit chance). His minions weren't much threat, although the ignition effect in particular could sap minion HP surprisingly quickly.

[snuggleform]

How integral was save scumming to your win?

[harleyquinrazer]

Originally posted by snuggleform:

How integral was save scumming to your win?

Salty everyone isn't playing the same way you are and not finishing the game YOUR way?

Not at all is the answer. I still win each time even after losing a unit. Clearly you didn't bother looking at the picture nor reading the rest of the text after you reached the point where I mentioned reloading on lost units (which only happens when he's alone and starts using his unit attack instead of the stance)

100% evasion and luck against a Grand Magister who only has 130% aim. Even if I did lose everything up to the ghoul, he still can't win because of the evade and damage dealt. Damage indicator is with a 25% penalty from his debuff, one on one against the ghoul the Magister is killed within 5 rounds and had no chance of even forcing the ghoul to replenish health with efficient digestion.

This was an experiment to see if I could do the battle without a standard tank unit like the bone golem. It still worked, switching the lost soul for the bone golem would have made it too easy since the Magister will focus on the golem and never kill it.

[snuggleform]

Nice overreaction and tilting at windmills.

Maybe I should have clarified, I was referring to before the magister fight. If you save scummed during that fight, it stands to reason you would do so before the fight.

And no, I don't carea about whether you play my way or not. What is my way anywyas. Do I save scum or not? How would you know? Why would you care?I don't know why you think you're that important to me that the way you play would affect me. I don't know why you brought it up frankly.

[harleyquinrazer]

Originally posted by snuggleform:

Nice overreaction and tilting at windmills.

Maybe I should have clarified, I was referring to before the magister fight. If you save scummed during that fight, it stands to reason you would do so before the fight.

And no, I don't care about whether you play my way or not. What is my way anywyas. Do I save scum or not? How would you know? Why would you care?I don't know why you think you're that important to me that the way you play would affect me. I don't know why you brought it up frankly.

Lost units during chapter 1, breezed through chapter 2 and 3 without losing any units. Deliberately played with a lich and throwaway units on the first battle of chapter 4 to experiment what I could do with a certain item combination I'd read about on paper. Experimented on the inventor fight because I wasn't sure if I was doing it the right way. Beat the Monster Hunter and Pyromancer first time without any issue.

Salty right through with both replies on this thread. Your post history already indicates you care a lot about people who save scum and will call out people who don't play the way you do.

If it's not important to you, there would be no point mentioning save scumming the very instant you bothered to post in the thread.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/807120/discussions/5/2251182852560952341/#c2251182852560993410

https://steamcommunity.com/app/807120/discussions/5/4203492762812342940/#c2251182852555879471

https://steamcommunity.com/app/807120/discussions/5/2251182852549568962/#c2251182852551964755

[snuggleform]

What happened in chapter 5?

And for the record I've save scummed myself so apparently I don't care about it. If I ask questoins about it it's because I'm curious about it. You are passing moral judgments and tilting at windmills that don't exist.

[harleyquinrazer]

Originally posted by snuggleform:

What happened in chapter 5?

And for the record I've save scummed myself so apparently I don't care about it. If I ask questoins about it it's because I'm curious about it. You are passing moral judgments and tilting at windmills that don't exist.

Tactical retreat for a stress build with a lich against a party with 2 paladins.
Crushed everything with lost soul, unfrozen, vampire and black widow after that. Used the alternate stress build (Lich, Wraith, Bone Golem/Ghoul, Black Widow) when no paladins were present to finish off the spirit equipment upgrades.

Evidence points to the contrary; you're the only one posting recently who cares so much about how and why people use save and load.

[snuggleform]

I just told you I save scum myself, so apparently I don't care about it.

All those posts you linked are tilting at windmills.

1) the post about your skeleton vorpal blade is an entirely reasonable questoin because it is a move with a low % chance. Admirably you didn't overreact in that post, in contrast to this post.

2) the post where I commented that people probably save scum is hardly a moral judgment. If I said people probably do drugs it doesn't mean anything either way

3) I didn't even see mention of save scum in the third post you linked, I was just bewilderecd at how people go through GAW so easily. Maybe I just suck at the game, it has nothing to do with save scmming.

Stop tilting at windmills and stop with the casting of aspersions. I save scum myself, so no I don't care whether other people do it.

[harleyquinrazer]

I'd already explained the extra 10% damage wouldn't matter to a unit which tops out at less than 35 base damage on pure stats alone. That's before I realised a certain someone started talking about save scumming virtually every time a post came in after #2.

No mention of save scumming until someone brought it up in post #2. Practically every post afterwards mentions it afterwards in some way or another. I see a pattern, you don't.

Post #3 in a thread made after post #2 with a long conversation with a different user on the merits of save scumming.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/807120/discussions/5/4203492762812342940/#c2251182852560423045

Whatever. You're playing a different game anyway based on your post history so not sure why you're even bothering to needle me on this thread.

[snuggleform]

I already deflated your argument by saying I save scum myself.

Can you please stop casting aspersions? it's annoying. I'm not sure whether I should be flattered you go through my post history just to see something that isn't there or not.

That most recent link you posted is another tilting at windmills. I was confused what he meant when he said he save scummed because on the one hand he said he did and the other hand he said he didn't. Eventually that got cleared up. I was hardly passing judgment on people "not plaing the way I play."

I'll ask you a third time.

What is the way I play? Do I save scum or not? You assume I'm this angry anti save scummer who cares so much about how others save scum, but you couldn't be more in the wrong.

Congrats on the win, and boo on the attitude.

[harleyquinrazer]

Originally posted by snuggleform:

I already deflated your argument by saying I save scum myself.

Can you please stop casting aspersions? it's annoying. I'm not sure whether I should be flattered you go through my post history just to see something that isn't there or not.

That most recent link you posted is another tilting at windmills. I was confused what he meant when he said he save scummed because on the one hand he said he did and the other hand he said he didn't. Eventually that got cleared up. I was hardly passing judgment on people "not plaing the way I play."

I'll ask you a third time.

What is the way I play? Do I save scum or not? You assume I'm this angry anti save scummer who cares so much about how others save scum, but you couldn't be more in the wrong.

Congrats on the win, and boo on the attitude.

You come in on the thread with the first comment being "you can't have done this properly because you save scummed your way to this state".

That's your attitude, I've seen your posts in other threads (without needing to look at your post history, that's to make sure I'm not making blind accusations) and expected you to post something to that effect in any thread.

You could have congratulated me first up, but you didn't and you never intended to. You claim you don't, but your word is as good as mine on anonymous internet forums. It's worth nothing. You could say either way and there's no objective proof for either side of the argument.

So your only intention to ask me first up how important save-scumming is to my run is to call me out on it. Your post history indicates this is the case, and off-hand comments of save scumming in relation to clearing Eternal Harvest easily lead me to a conclusion in conjunction with all your other posts talking about save scumming. You keep bringing it up other threads, so what's the point? Curiosity? When it has nothing to do with your actual questions? Go ahead and maintain your stance, you don't care what I think about you and I certainly don't think you care about this thread more than its mention on save and load.

[snuggleform]

[[quote]You come in on the thread with the first comment being "you can't have done this properly because you save scummed your way to this state".[/quote]

That's definitely not what I said, and I'm not even going to bother to read the rest of your post. Enough is enough. You read in between the lines to see something that wasn't there, pure and simple. I don't know in what universe what I said equates with what you imagined. I don't see any accusations at all in that question. You have an enormous ego, you think what you did was so amazing and anybody who asks any questions about it are tantamount to slandering you. Come on now.

[harleyquinrazer]

Originally posted by snuggleform:

[[quote]You come in on the thread with the first comment being "you can't have done this properly because you save scummed your way to this state".

That's definitely not what I said, and I'm not even going to bother to read the rest of your post. Enough is enough. You read in between the lines to see something that wasn't there, pure and simple.

Good riddance. Finish your other game and I'll expect more sniping from the sidelines from others who finish Eternal Harvest and post about it on these quiet forums; when it takes your fancy.

"I have an enormous ego": From someone who claims to be curious but really doesn't care. I didn't expect any replies on this thread since it was something I was just satisfied with. I suppose I need to delete it now that I'm accused of being a braggart.

[DarkOne]

Dude please, tell me what party you used for the first two floors!

[harleyquinrazer]

Originally posted by DarkOne:

Dude please, tell me what party you used for the first two floors!

Black Widow, Vampire, Unfrozen, Lost Soul. Bone Golem is first sub for Black Widow once the arena slot opens up.

[pascal.difolco]

@Harleyquinrazer
How the h*ll can your Ghould have 175 attack value ???
Impressive, can't think of anything to make it even half of that ...