Saturday, October 22, 2016

FFX – Part 43: The Hunt for Dark Yojimbo

Summary: Back to the Cavern of Stolen Fayth, where I try, try, and try again to take down Dark Yojimbo. Progress without ultimate success.




Cavern of the Stolen Fayth

-Thought of one more thing to try on that mystery insta-kill aeon. I feel CERTAIN, like 100%, that the answer to beating that encounter is somehow tied to Yojimbo. Maybe it has to do with one of his abilities! So let’s explore that.

-Interesting. As soon as I summoned Yojimbo (and got to see Yuna give his pupper scritches!), he instantly used “Wakizashi” and killed the enemy.

-Next fight… ok, this is actually pretty cool. Each action I use with Yojimbo costs money. When I paid 100gil, he used Wakizashi for 9999, the sword slash. 50 gil got me Kozuka, a wave of throwing knives for slightly less damage. But when I tried 10 gil, he used Wakizashi again. So.. maybe the more gil you pay, the higher chance for something better?



-I really love the summon animation for Yojimbo, with the moonlight and the flower petals and the music [Non-rhetorical question for y’all: what stringed instrument is that that play?] and the slow walk from behind the tree.

-Daigoro seems to be the “bad” Yojimbo ability, where he sends his dog to attack. Just doesn’t do much damage relative to the others.

-There’s one other in his list that I still haven’t seen: Zanmoto. Maybe if I pay him a lot he’ll use it?

-HAHAHAHAH HOLY SHIT YESSSS – I paid him 5,000 gil and he used it. A sword emerged from the ground, he took it, and fucking DECAPITATED THE ENEMY




-(I’ll also guess that Odin isn’t in FFX, since Yojimbo seems to fill a similar role.)

-Ok. I’ve triggered all of Yojimbo’s abilities. I’ve done everything I can think of. Let’s try this other encounter again.

-nope. Dead.

-Yeah, I’m stuck. I can’t think of anything else to try right now.

-Oh hey, I thought of another thing!! This guy keeps ambushing me. I think I probably have an item that lets me get in the first attack.

-Equipped an Initiative item and a First Strike item. I doubt this’ll help, but let’s try it.

-YESSSSSSS HOLY MOTHER OF GOD I DID IT


Dark Yojimbo.

-Well, I did the first part. I avoided the ambush. I’m in an actual non-insta-death fight now, thanks to Lulu’s Cactuar Spy avoiding the ambush and a Tidus First Strike item. I swapped in Yuna. My next plan is to try the insta-kill. Zanmoto.

-It didn’t work. I paid 5k but Yojimbo only used Daigoro, then Dark Yojimbo whomped us. Gonna try that again.

-I feel so close right now. I’m SURE now that Zanmoto is the answer.

-Take two: still got ambushed and killed. …ooops. I didn’t have Initiative/First Strike equipped lol.

-Take three. Avoided the ambush, first strike on Tidus, swapped Yojimbo in. Gonna pay 8k this time – no, fuck it, 10k. Didn’t work. He did Wakizashi.

-Take four. I may have to try this a bunch, so equipping my Peaceful Bangle on Lulu for no encounters.

-Take eight. Still no luck. Going to try filling Yojimbo’s overdrive gauge first. Maybe that’ll help.

-Interesting. In a random encounter, I paid 100 gil, he used Kozuka (the throwing knives), and then immediately after did Zanmato.

-Take nine. Full overdrive gauge this time.



YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS GOT HIM!!!

-Oh. Sort of. Dark Yojimbo was defeated, but the dude who summoned him ran away. I chased him through the cavern, found him again, and Dark Yojimbo was back. Whomped me. I saved before chasing though, so this next time I’ll try to build up Yojimbo’s meter again before fighting.

-The encounter starts anew. Booo. Seems that I have to beat each incarnation of Dark Yojimbo without any deaths.

-Back to the start, with a full overdrive gauge. Paid 5k (dunno if that’s necessary, but I don’t want to risk otherwise) and Zanmato’d the first version.

-Filling Yojimbo’s gauge is pretty tricky. He kills things so fast. I pay him low amounts for each attack, about 5-10 gil per attack so he just uses the crappy attacks and gives the enemies time to attack HIM.

-Btw, I keep stealing Shining Thorns from Dark Elementals. Not sure what they’re for yet, and the item description is mysterious.

-Next fight. Here we go. Another Zanmato brings him to his knees.

-Dammit, Yojimbo, stop using Wakizashi on these random enemies! Let them hit you to overdrive you!



-god. Fucking. Dammit. STOP USING WAKIZASHI. I’m trying to give him insultingly low amounts of gil to make him use worse attacks, and it sometimes works.

YUNA: *summons Yojimbo*
YUNA: “I believe in you!”
YUNA: *hands 2 gil to Yojimbo*
YOJIMBO: “…..”

-Got the overdrive. Next encounter. DAMMIT NO IT DIDN’T WORK.

-I’ll be honest. I’m getting pretty frustrated. I don’t know how to guarantee a Zanmato, and it seems like this is just a matter of luck right now. If I pay a ton of gil per attempt I’ll bet it nearly guarantees it, but I just don’t have much money.

-Trying one last time, and it’s just so boring to try to fill Yojimbo’s overdrive gauge when he one-shots most everything in his path and never gets hit. I wish he had a Slayer overdrive mode.

-Encounter two. Paid 10,000, got Zanmato.

-Another full overdrive gauge, and it’s time for encounter #3. Paying 15k. please zanmato please zanmato please zanmato please zanmato please zanmato



-….fuck. I’m done with this. Fuck this. I’ll come back when I can afford to blow like 50k per encounter.

-Hard for me to be too upset with this session overall. I now know how to beat Dark Yojimbo, and just need the cash to do so. Also gained a BUNCH of levels, especially on Yuna.

-Gonna finish up this session with something I haven’t done in a while.

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Blitzball: Season #2, Round #4 – vs. Luca Goers

-Tidus, Zazi Guado, and Datto on offense. Ropp and the new Svanda on defense. Keepa in goal.



-Svanda, you look awesome, and ready to trudge through a winter snowstorm, but the idea of playing blitzball underwater in what you’re wearing is a bit... unlikely.

-4-0 win. Two Jecht Shots, two regular shots. Solid return to the sport.

-Resigning Svanda. I like her.

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Next time: Over the bridge. Maybe some more blitzball.