More Fusion Testing
-Sometimes, fusion doesn’t make anything too interesting. For instance, Fire + Regen = Regen. Some interesting results I found.
Fire + Esuna = Dark Fire
Fire + Barrier [Master] = MBarrier
Fire + HP Up = Barrier
Fire + Dash = Fira
Regen + Barrier [Master] = Curaga
Regen + ATK Up [Master] = Curaga
Fire + Silence = Dark Fira
Power Attack + Dark Thunder = Thunder Blade
Power Attack + Dash = Vital Slash
-Ok, ready to move on for now. But gonna keep an eye on these, especially as I master new materia.
-My new materia line-up will be: Dark Fira, Cura, Vital Slash, Esuna, Libra, VIT Up
-In the Briefing Room, a Second Class is chewing out a Third Class. This poor guy. Just started in SOLDIER and things aren’t going well for him.
Zack tries to buck him up, and offers to take his next mission. (A bit more giving him the fish rather than teaching him to fish, but still a nice gesture!)
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Mission: Seeking Priceless Items > Recall Missions > Freight Recall (1/6)
-Some downed freight to recover in the desert. Dogs and mechs mostly.
-Hey, nice! Beat it, and it turns out the Third Class came along with Zack. He was mentoring him more closely than the prior dialogue had me assume. Zack, you’re the best.
-LOL – and the guy now wants Zack to help him with the next mission, too. I have a feeling this whole sub-campaign will be about bucking up this Third Class. I just hope by the end of it he feels confident enough to go forward on his own.
[Non-rhetorical question for y’all: Does Crisis Core eventually have tents/cabins/cottages for full regen at save points?]
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Mission: Seeking Priceless Items > Recall Missions > Black Market Recall (2/6)
-A Shinra employee was selling stuff on the black market, and Zack/the Third Class has to recover the items.
-Soldiers and mechs. Slum setting. I like how you can see the center of Midgar’s pizza.
-The ending to these missions is pretty funny. The guy’s all, “yeah, yeah. I guess I can do it on my own. What should my tombstone say btw?”
And Zack of course caves.
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Mission: Seeking Priceless Items > Recall Missions > Cargo Recall (3/6)
-Some stolen cargo is malfunctioning, and Zack must stop it.
-This is new! Some of the Genesis clone soldiers here are no longer just normal soldiers, but rather have single black wings protruding.
-Got Sprint Shoes, which prevent “Stop.” Nice situational item.
-Tougher monsters here by far.
Afterwards:
SOLDIER THIRD CLASS, LV. 4: “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve decided to go on my next mission by myself!”
ZACK: “Ahh! So you’re finally up to it.”
SOLDIER THIRD CLASS, LV. 4: “But I would like to see you in action just one last time.”
LOLOL
Mission: Seeking Priceless Items > Recall Missions > Supplies Recall (4/6)
-Recovering some stolen supplies and materials from Genesis’s forces.
-Oh bugger. The commandos here use an ability called “Devil’s Knife.” If it hits me, it Silences and Poisons me, meaning I need to use a Remedy potion and not just the Esuna spell… or not! I equip Diamond Gloves, which prevent Silence as well as giving bonuses to ATK and MAG. Also “Star Pendant,” preventing “Poison.”
-Hey! He actually toughened up to the point where he runs off to tackle the next mission on its own.
-It’s also pretty cool to see this SOLDIER Third Class level up as these missions go on. He started out at level 1, now he’s level 5.
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Mission: Seeking Priceless Items > Recall Missions > Deputy Assignment (5/6)
-Arrgh… he tried the next mission on his own, but failed and came back from it dejected.
-WHAT
-WHAT
-WHAT
-I GET “CHOCOBO MODE” AND TONBERRY FACE MONTAGE AND WTF IS HAPPENING
-i can’t even
-Ok, if anyone has a video of this feel free to post it. This is amazing.
So Zack “summoned” a Tonberry. But in this case, that means a Tonberry started stalking slowly towards a panicking Zack, but then the Tonberry tripped on a rock, his murder knife flew out of his hand, and hit the enemy for massive damage.
LOLOLOL I’m dead. I’m dying. This is the funniest shit I’ve seen in game.
-Interestingly enough, now Zack’s DMW meter thing is “High.”
-Much tougher monsters here. Some scuba ninjas. That’s a thing now. They do ninja kicks with their flippers, and I’m not even kidding. this game
-Beat the final mech, and the SOLDIER Third Class pops out, level 6 now. He’s remarkably calm, and philosophical about his defeat, that it happens to the best, and his lack of field experience will be remedied with time. He wasn’t just using Zack to skate by as easily as possible. He learned from him. From “Master Zack.”
-Reward is a Frost Armlet, which cancels frost damage received entirely. Wow. Cool.
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Mission: Seeking Priceless Items > Recall Missions > Second Deputy Assignment (6/6)
-Same premise as before. A challenging mission to recover stuff from Genesis’s forces. Listed as “Hard.” I’m really curious what’ll happen with that SOLDIER Third Class, and hope like hell he doesn’t die.
-First fight is a major challenge, and likely a harbinger of things to come. The mech has chainsaws, a brutal spinny blade attack, and silence gas. Also stuns me.
-Second fight similarly nasty. Changing up my equipment from stat boosts to equipment preventing stun, poison, and silence.
-Got another of those “Chocobo Mode” tonberry summon chances, and noticed something new: one of the silhouettes is the silhouette of the Magic Pot! After this mission, I’m heading back into the Tonberry final mission to try him again.
-When the DMW gave me a new limit verge, I saw a cutscene I never have before. Angeal mentoring Zack, teaching him about finding “the zone” to unlock his true potential.
-Summoned Ifrit for the first time, and as you might expect, it’s full of fiery awesomeness.
He took time out from filming some death metal music videos to help me kill this walking missile launcher the game threw at me (because sentient chainsaw kill machines were too weak I guess?).
-Holy. Lord. The final fight in this mission is what I should have expected: taking on a chainsaw mech and missile mech at once.
It’s intense, and a Bahamut summon saves the day.
-Aw. No follow-up at the end of the mission with the SOLDIER Third Class. Maybe he’s in the Briefing Room.
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Briefing Room
-He’s here. The last mission didn’t go well… and no!!! He’s leaving SOLDIER!
-The guy who chewed him out when I first met him, the Second Class, walks in. He’s… actually not being a douchenozzle. He’s passing on Angeal’s “Embrace your dreams” message, saying it was okay for Zack to help the Third Class.
-YESSS! I’m unreasonably happy that after all of this, the Third Class will stick with it.
-He even started doing squats for no particular reason.
Well, not "no reason." He wants to be like Zack.
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Next time: Try for magic pot, then explore Sector 8.
