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Cie’th Stone Mission Hunting!
-Back to the Archylte Steppe for more missions. [Later edit: there are a lot of these, so I’ll try not to discuss every single one.]
-Hopped on a chocobo and found a host of new digs. That’s unexpected – I thought I explored fully, but maybe it replenished in the new chapter.
-I got stuck last time not finding hunt #29. Before I search for it, I’ll hit the stones I do find.
HOLY SHIT, THAT GIANT FROM THE OPENING PULSE CUTSCENE IS HERE! Just… walking around.
-It’s TERRIFYING. I’ve spoken time and again about my fear and awe on seeing titanic, almost Lovecraftian monsters. This hits on all of those fears.
(It’s a fun kind of fear in the safety of games/movies/etc, not something I need trigger warnings for.)
-The circle of Cie’th stones is active. They represent missions #56-#62. A long ways off – and something that, tbh, I doubt I’ll ever reach in this run.
-Found a little secret side path I missed before, leading to “Aggra’s Trough.”
-SHEEP! HELLO SHEEP! LOOK AT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE!
-VANILLE WTF ARE YOU DOING? You just ripped out some of its wool! I obtained a “Tuft of Fluffy Wool.”
This must be Bhakti referred to. If the weather changes, the wool I get will change too. The weather has seemed static (unlike, say, FFXII’s zone with the rainy and dry seasons). I’ll bet there’s a hidden weather stone in the Steppe.
-I go a bit farther down the Haerii Oldroad, and hit a red barriers and stone. Mission #30, “Syphas, the Insidious,” sends me back to Mah’habara’s abandoned dig.
-A few new stones now appear on the Mah’habara map. I swear those weren’t here last time… or I’m bad at looking, which is more likely.
-More exploration finally nets me the elusive Stone #29, “Faltering Faith,” for a juggernaut by Taejin’s Tower.
-That done, time to hit the red gate back in Oerba. Should be opened.
-The next area is a nest of goblin ruins, the Haerii archaeopolis. Stones #31, 32, and 33 are all here.
-The lore on #31, “Newfound Purpose,” is interesting. This Cie’th doesn’t care what their Focus is; they’re just excited just to have a purpose.
“Now I’m a l’Cie, I have a Focus – and life is beautiful, the clouds have parted, and… and there are rainbows! Cie’th or crystal, it’s all the same to me, so long as I can put myself to the test, challenge my own limits, and win!”
I can definitely understand the appeal.
-Major chills after mission #33 with new analects, “The Chosen.”
“My brothers and sisters of Gran Pulse: Honor the Chosen in your prayers! Let the blade forged of their will be tempered by your faith, that it might sunder that devilish cocoon’s façade!”
It shows an image of a shadowy Fang and Vanille. Praise for these two chosen agents of vengeance.
-For some reason, I never thought of “Cocoon” as a literal description. What if it is literal? A cocoon protects a creature during growth and transformation. Is Orphan going to transform into the Maker?
-Every so often I’ll look around the zone and see that giant stomping around and get literal goosebumps.
I tried running up to him but couldn’t find a way to reach him.
I’ll bet he’s the superboss that awaits me if I were to finish all the Cie’th stone missions. XIII’s Yiazmat.
-Cie’th stone #34 blocks another red barrier. “Zenobia the Butcher.” A murderous Undying.
-EWWW – it squirms out of the ground with tentacular Cie’th arms.
-LOLFHDSKLFHDSFJKLDSL A TONBERRY CAME AND SLASHED ITS ANKLE, KILLING IT IMMEDIATELY
The Tonberry is the true enemy.
I feel like the FF series has used this joke before – maybe in Crisis Core? – and I couldn’t care less. This is amazing and hilarious.
[Non-rhetorical question: which game has this been in before, where there’s a giant scary boss to fight and a tonberry one-shots it, becoming the new boss?]
-The fight itself isn’t too bad. Her main attack is “Knife,” which hurts and dispels a buff.
-The red wall’s removal grants me access to a new area, the Faultwarrens.
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Titan’s Trials
Bhakti mentioned this place. It’s apparently brutally tough. I’ll see how far I can get.
-oh god oh god oh god – I started here in a valley, but as I look to the outside of the valley, that giant is staring right at me.
TITAN! Of course.
FANG: “He’s a biogenitor. Chews up one species, spits out another.” Very interesting!
-And he talks. Titan is intelligent. I can’t deal with the awesomeness of this. Sees us as frail and feeble, mere fodder for the growing of new and better life.
New mechanic: “Titan’s Trials.” I have to fight four consecutive battles successfully to pass. There’s a tournament tree of sorts.
-Titan reminds me of Marvel’s Apocalypse, trying to decide who’s worthy to live and die to evolve the strongest beings.
-I don’t quite understand how these trials work. Let’s give one a shot.
-Starting with Cie’th stone #35, “The Road Less Traveled.”
-The Cie’th giving me this mission is clearly a servant of Titan. No personal story or emotion – just directs me to take on a beastie. “Pass through it, and into the circle’s unending flow.” Big picture.
-Two new Cie’th stones pop up for me to choose between. I’ll go with B1 in the trials, #36: “Dark Deliverance.”
Ah! By choosing B1/#36 instead of B2/#37, it teleports me down one pathway.
-The fights aren’t bad so far. Playing defensively.
-Continuing to go with the lower numbered fights. Next is C1/#38. “Moonlit Madness.”
“The moon’s serene caress reveals a truth that no unknowing eye might see. The illusions we name boundaries are but challenges to overcome. Overcome the challenge of the verdelet, and a greater truth shall be divulged.”
Defeating the verdelets doesn’t reveal a specific truth. Maybe the Cie’th means truth in a general, abstract sense, like how some feel you “know yourself” better through combat.
Yeah. That feels like Titan wisdom.
-Next up is #41, Gaian Grudge. This would be my first A-class if I defeat the tonberry… wait, make that tonberries-plural. Three.
-They kill me my first attempt. Their “Grudge” attacks increase damage through the fight, and their knife attacks put me on the defensive, extending the fight.
-The second attempt goes way better. Used a Deceptisol to take them out before Grudges stacked.
-Final fight of this tree of the trials. Stone #45: “Emergent Evolution.” A Neochu.
-Mother of God. Titan’s RIGHT THERE.
This area is called Titan’s Throne. He’s watching us up close. Takes his hand just drops the Neochu in front of us. Like a kid making two action figures fight each other.
-The Neochu fight goes okay at first, but it eventually uses “Screech” and one-shots my whole party.
-Going to give it one more shot, equipping earth-resistance gear… nope. Still one-shot to screen. I think I need more HP/stats.
-Going to call this for now. I’d been putting off a more thorough examination of my abilities, eidolons, and party make-up since I was doing okay without it. That’s my first step next time.
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Next time: Reviewing my party, roles, more Titan's Trials.
