Nocturne Post: A brief one
Jan. 14th, 2012 09:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
radio_aspenI feel like noting that while Nocturne makes use of the demon fusing mechanics characteristic of the main series, I haven't actually been using them very much. This is because it adds something else that I find works better--evolution. Not all demons can evolve, but there are enough of them to fill out your party at virtually every level range, and evolving is basically the only way to get demons at a higher level than your current protagonist level (they can exceed him by up to four). Furthermore, evolved demons keep all of their skills, compared to a transfer limit of two to four for fusion. And early in the game when you can only have 8 demons with you (I'm level 27 and this is still the case) it's much easier to do things this way since your fusion options are rather limited.
Also, when I decided to play this game again I had settled on a defensive support build for the Demi-fiend. This is because the game gives you an automatic game over if he dies, and death can come quick and easy. It's nothing to get a surprise attack from a field of 7 demons with stat boosting and multitarget skills.
However, as I've been playing so far I've been really questioning this decision. My demons for the most part weren't having HP trouble, despite having something like 100 less than DF at similar levels. And buffs and debuffs are expensive early game, and I found myself relying much more on the few attack spells I stuffed into the open skill slots. Add to this my problems with Matador's debuff removal and I was all but ready to transfer to a full on mage build.
Then Thor happened. Thor is the first true "boss" of the game. Matador is a fiend and was only added in the later versions, and the only boss before him worth noting is Forneus, the boss of the first dungeon who is kind of a gimme. Thor is fairly challenging because he has no weaknesses and his dyne-level electric attacks can't be blocked by the protagonist at this point in the game (you get the magatsuhi for doing this by beating him--it's called Narukami which amuses me more than it should). What he lacks though is a way to deal with buffs and debuffs. And after reducing his attack, accuracy, and defense to their minimum levels and raising the attack of my party, the fight was all but a joke. And this is with someone who was weak to electricity, which he used in multitarget form every single turn.
So yeah, my build is basically a boss killer and it's not going anywhere.
Also, when I decided to play this game again I had settled on a defensive support build for the Demi-fiend. This is because the game gives you an automatic game over if he dies, and death can come quick and easy. It's nothing to get a surprise attack from a field of 7 demons with stat boosting and multitarget skills.
However, as I've been playing so far I've been really questioning this decision. My demons for the most part weren't having HP trouble, despite having something like 100 less than DF at similar levels. And buffs and debuffs are expensive early game, and I found myself relying much more on the few attack spells I stuffed into the open skill slots. Add to this my problems with Matador's debuff removal and I was all but ready to transfer to a full on mage build.
Then Thor happened. Thor is the first true "boss" of the game. Matador is a fiend and was only added in the later versions, and the only boss before him worth noting is Forneus, the boss of the first dungeon who is kind of a gimme. Thor is fairly challenging because he has no weaknesses and his dyne-level electric attacks can't be blocked by the protagonist at this point in the game (you get the magatsuhi for doing this by beating him--it's called Narukami which amuses me more than it should). What he lacks though is a way to deal with buffs and debuffs. And after reducing his attack, accuracy, and defense to their minimum levels and raising the attack of my party, the fight was all but a joke. And this is with someone who was weak to electricity, which he used in multitarget form every single turn.
So yeah, my build is basically a boss killer and it's not going anywhere.
