Let's Play: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

[Ogremindes]

Strange Journey is the latest game of the almost always awesome Shin Megami Tensei series. It's a first person dungeon crawler based on the Etrian Odyssey engine where your party is made up your main character (Myndes Domair in my case) and demons that you convince to join you in the field, or have 'fused' from your demon followers.

Strange Journey is spiritually one of the 'main series' SMT games, although it's not officially the sequel to SMT III (Nocturne, or Lucifer's Call in PAL regions).

In this thread I will be playing through Strange Journey, however any discussion about Shin Megami Tensei, from the original game to Persona 4 is welcome, because Shin Megami Tensei is awesome.

To start with, the intro:

Humanity's reached critical mass, and this has caused a space-time distortion, the "Schwarzwelt" to form on the South Pole. This distortion is growing, and threatens to envelop the Earth.

To find a way to stop it, the UN sends in soldiers and scientists in four massive, high-tech, shielded carriers: The Red Sprite (command), the Elve (research), the Blue Jet and the Gigantic (combat support).

I, crewman Myndes Domair, am an elite soldier serving aboard the Red Sprite, under the direct command of overall mission commander Commander Gore, and the AI Arthur.

En-route to the Schwarzwelt, we were briefed on the mission: to investigate the interior of the Schwarzwelt allowing the Schwarzwelt Joint Project to devise a way of stopping it. First Lieutenant Zelenin, one of the scientists posted to the Elve, described the structure: a kilometres-high wall of destructive energies surrounding a collection parallel dimensions. To bypass the wall, our ships are capable of flight for limited times. As to the interior, scout probes have returned images of shopping malls and World War II battlefields. Probably that space-time distortion messing things up.

I'm part of the Strike Team, My role is to patrol outside of the ships and keep them secure. I'm equipped with a DEMONICA suit, current leading contender for blatant backronym of the year award (what does demountable even mean in a clothing context?). This will protect me from the Schwarzwelt's environment and adaptively enhance my combat abilities. Crewman Jimenez, a through-and-through mercenary from the Blue Jet, gave us the rundown, and reminded us that the scientists are the mission, and that ideally us soldiers wouldn't even be needed. A brief personality quiz calibrated my Demonica to my combat style.

I chatted with the crew, Zelenin seemed nice enough, but Jimenez wouldn't even shake my hand. A rumour about intelligent life in the Schwarzwelt had been going around, based on a theory formed over a century ago that predicted the Schwarzwelt, and on how the scout probes were destroyed. Zelenin wasn't convinced, and she knows more about this than I do, so I figured that it was probably just a rumour.

Arthur's voice told us we were about to enter the Schwarzwelt. Zelenin and Jimenez gave their parting words, and the Commander one more brief pep-talk. I took my post.


The personality quiz determines the stat growth of the main character. I got Luck Support, which gives 19% growth on strength, magic, vitality and agility, and 24% on luck. On each level-up a character gets 3 stat-points randomly distributed based on their stat growths. Luck is important as it defends against status effects, along with it's usual duties like item drops. Status effects are -nasty- in SMT games.

[Raroy]

It's a great game and all, but don't you think it's a bit too early to lp it? It always takes me forever to beat Shin megami tensei games. The game only came out only a month ago.

But go ahead and ignore me. I don't know anything anyway.

[Ogremindes]

It's a great game and all, but don't you think it's a bit too early to lp it? It always takes me forever to beat Shin megami tensei games. The game only came out only a month ago.

But go ahead and ignore me. I don't know anything anyway.

Ehh, it's what I'm playing right now, so if I'm gonna do this it's gonna be now. Besides, I'm going to be even slower than people playing the game normally, as I got it a few weeks late and I'm stopping to write out how I'm going.

I came to on the deck. The power was out. Almost immediately thereafter the Strike Team was called to the command room. We had lost contact with the other three ships. Our ships plasma armour was offline, leaving us vulnerable… Something started forcing open the main hatch, and the engineering crew were under attack. Under attack by something that they couldn't see.

Main Mission 01

Engineering SOS
We couldn't do anything, the enemy was invisible, that is, until the power came back on and a new program, from an unknown source, was distributed to our demonicas. The Demon Summoning Program.

First combat, against unknown enemies. They appeared as a blur of pixels for this battle. A few burst of gunfire cut them both down. Afterwards, the Demonica identified the enemy as Foul Slimes.


In Strange Journey, the generally first time you encounter a demon it has no analyse data and can't be properly seen. the first time you kill one you get it's name, image, level and alignment. More kills, or fighting with one as an ally gives you more data, such as elemental attributes.

Main Mission 02

Sickbay Trouble
With the power back on, we found Arthur had been compromised to distribute the new program. Out of necessity, Commander Gore authorised us to use the Demon Summoning Program.

An alert came from the sick bay. More slimes, quickly dispatched.


Main Mission 03

Missing Crewmen
Four crewmen are missing from the ship, including Irving, who's the only one with the skills to produce new supplies.

For this part of the game, healing is free. I'm gonna take my time, recruit whoever I can, and level up some.

[Ogremindes]

We're in ice cave. Not a shopping mall at all. A friendly Pixie told me about demon negotiation and joined me.

Fairy Pixie is a pretty useful demon, strong vs fire, no weaknesses, with Dia (Healing) and Agi (Fire). Demons don't get new skills as they level up, but they can inherit skills when fused, and can be fused using demon sources. A demon party member will give you it's source when it levels if you have max analyse data for it.


I quickly found Irving hiding in a side tunnel, and convinced a Knocker to join me. I found a Chakra Drop in a 'chest'

Jirae Knocker isn't very useful, only having Bufu (Ice) as a spell, and having a weakness to fire. It is strong vs ice, at least.


I saved another crewman, who was being attacked by a pair of demons. a quick fight, as I could easily exploit weaknesses. I soon reached experience level 3. Seems most of the demons 'round here are dark aligned, and as such can't be negotiated with.

A quick note on the battle system. Unlike most SMT games since Nocturne, Strange Journey doesn't use the Press Turn System or a derivative thereof. SJ uses a normal turn based system with one important gimmick. Whenever you hit a weakness, every other character of the same ethical alignment on your team piles in for a co-op attack. This, I guess, is to encourage thematically appropriate teams.


The remaining two were in the room to the north. Mission accomplished. I found 500 macca in a chest on the other side of the room. Before I returned to the Red Sprite I negotiated a contract with Flight Tangata Manu, who appreciated my forthright admission to being a soldier and the ingenuity of the demonica's use in analysing the environment.

Flight Tangata Manu is even worse than Knocker as far as weaknesses go, being weak to Gun and Electricity. It has Bufu and Needle Rush, a weak gun-type attack. To make it even worse, it's law aligned, and in the only part of the game where you are likely to use it, the player is certainly Neutral.

The other demons in this part are dark aligned, and as such cannot be negotiated with. Slime is weak to nearly everything, only being neutral to death, phys and gun, and has only a weak physical attack. Dubbuk is weak to fire and expel, and has Dormina (sleep) and Rakukaja (defence up, all allies). Such a shame that Dubbuk is dark, as buff spells are highly useful.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 04

Save Jimenez
A distress signal from Jimenez of the Blue Jet is received. Seems that ship is destroyed, and that Jimenez is under attack. Commander Gore is accompanying the Strike Team on this mission. The direct route is blocked off with a locked door, but fortunately we can make an alternate path… using C4. Following this path, I find a Terminal, a Heal Spot and some new demons.

Terminals allow saving, and can also return you to the Red Sprite. Heal Spots heal you, for a price. Curing HP damage is more expensive than MP, so it's recommended to use healing spells before paying for the heal. It's almost always a good idea to heal with magic.


The first new demon I encounter is Raptor Onmoraki, Dark-Law, and as such unable to be negotiated with. Vermin Okiku-Mushi is Dark-Neutral, also unobtainable through normal conversation. I hang around long enough to learn their weakne-- OMG Okiku-Mushi has Mudo!
While continuing to hunt Okiku-Mushis (it takes a lot to get it's analyse up), an Onmoraki offered to join me at the start of a fight! Score!

Raptor Onmoraki (who seems to have an onion for a head and a roast chicken for a body) is a level 3 Dark-Law demon who is weak to Gun and Fire. It's only spell is Agi.

Vermin Okiku-Mushi is level 3 Dark-Neutral, and has the skills Mudo (death) and Needle Rush. It is only weak to Electricity.

My current party is me at lvl6, pixie at lvl5, knocker at lvl 5 and onmoraki at lvl4


I approached the Blue Jet and… Gore gets killed. Of course (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackDudeDiesFirst). And then… Boss time.
Boss: Fallen Orias
A guy with snakes for arms, riding a horse/snake… thing. Weak to fire, an element I have on three of my four party members. I had to heal Domair once, but nevertheless, with all the levels I had built up hunting Okiku-Mushi, it went down fast.

I got a rare Forma for my trouble. Forma are the games crafting items, the Rare Forma are the ones that are needed to advance the plot. This forma lets me… find more forma.

[ZeroNumerous]

Uh. Is this going to be a pure text LP?

[Drascin]

Ah, Strange Journey. I had this game. Fifty hours of play. I was loving it to bits.

Then my cousin threw it on the ground when he grabbed my DS to play Pokémon and mom stepped on it. With high heel shoes. There were no survivors. I'm not really feeling like buying again and restarting. I want to strangle that kid. Argharble.

So, good luck, dude.

[Comet]

We have a Shin Megami Tensei thread now? Awesome.

I'm ten hours in, roaming through sector C on my neutral playthrough. I'm absolutely thrilled by the whole game.

Strange Journey is much like the old Shin Megami Tenseis. First person dungeoncrawling (which has been very clever in design so far!) with an overcoat of science fiction devil worshipping and an occult apocalypse! It's got everything I love about the franchise. The Demonica suits are an especially cool addition, I think.

And the best part? Unlike Shin Megami Tensei I and II, this one is not frustratingly hard and unintuitive! :smalltongue:
Yeah, definetly going to finish this one. Quite possibly several times, since I want to play both Law and Chaos eventually.

[Ogremindes]

Uh. Is this going to be a pure text LP?
'fraid so. I haven't got the gear to capture from a DS


Ah, Strange Journey. I had this game. Fifty hours of play. I was loving it to bits.

Then my cousin threw it on the ground when he grabbed my DS to play Pokémon and mom stepped on it. With high heel shoes. There were no survivors. I'm not really feeling like buying again and restarting. I want to strangle that kid. Argharble.

So, good luck, dude.
Ew. The only time I had something like that happen was with Pokemon. I 100%'d on my sisters Blue cart, and Red version wasn't good enough for her. I think she only ever played the game once more after that, as before long the cart was back in my possession, permanently this time. So in short, she only wanted the cartridge back to be an ass.


We have a Shin Megami Tensei thread now? Awesome.

I'm ten hours in, roaming through sector C on my neutral playthrough. I'm absolutely thrilled by the whole game.

Strange Journey is much like the old Shin Megami Tenseis. First person dungeoncrawling (which has been very clever in design so far!) with an overcoat of science fiction devil worshipping and an occult apocalypse! It's got everything I love about the franchise. The Demonica suits are an especially cool addition, I think.

And the best part? Unlike Shin Megami Tensei I and II, this one is not frustratingly hard and unintuitive! :smalltongue:
Yeah, definetly going to finish this one. Quite possibly several times, since I want to play both Law and Chaos eventually.

I reckon SJ is the best game of the 50 I can play on my DS. Even better than Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 (although the GBA FF6 pissed me off my screwing up my favourite scene. "I can't be the worlds fastest pilot if I can't fly"?! The tension did not need to be diffused! It was about to be diffused with awesome music! The most uplifting moment of the game and you put in --ing comic relief! …ahem.). Time will tell if it holds up to repeated playings, though.

Main Mission 05
Engine Restoration
An uneventful trip to and from the north side of the Blue Jet wreckage. We recover the Tokamak Motor and data from the Blue Jet's AI, Verne.

At this point the Forma Search function becomes available. The demonica can find forma in the field, and forma now drops from enemies, allowing me to get new gear over time.

Main Mission 06
Collect Rare Forma
Head to the middle of the north room. Get forma. Go back to lab. Done. Now I can unlock some locked doors. But not the really obvious one up the north end of Floor 1, 'cause that one's yellow.

The Lab now starts developing sub-apps for the demonica. Sub-apps can do all kinds of stuff, like heal you while you walk, make enemies beg for mercy more often, or make negotiation easier.
All o' which is just a way o' saying' we got our own li'l "App Store" goin'! Hawhawhawhawhaw…
Also demon fusion becomes available, as do demon sources.
I buy and equip the new sub-apps Hyakutaro (lowers chance of being taken by surprise), Hiroemon (more items after battle) and Lunatic (can negotiate with demons on full moon, even dark demons).
With the new Unlock function I explore the rest of Floor 1, and find an Agilao Stone, along with a buncha forma.

Mission 07
Energy Signature Investigation
Heading downstairs to Sector A Floor B1, I find a wounded pixie, sending me on a quest to bring her a Bead (Ex Mission: the little injured faerie), a Heal Spot, a Terminal and a WWII era battlefield. Wait, what? I soon had my first encounter with Melchom and Kaso, with Pixie falling to the unidentified demons. Next time around, I successfully recruited Melchom, who appreciated the intellectualism of being there for Research, and found Distant Neighbours an apt metaphor for the human-demon relationship.


Fallen Melchom, Paymaster of Hell is level 7 Neutral-Chaos, weak to Electricity and reflects Fire. He knows the spell Maragi (Fire, all enemies). He is probably the most powerful demon on this floor.


Spirit Poltergeist is also in this area, lvl7, Dark-Chaos, and Koppa Tensu, lvl5 Neutral-Law. A chest contains 2 Patra Stones, another a revival bead. I convinced a Hua Po to join me (she liked exploration), and encountered Sandman, lvl4 neutral-chaos with zio. A lot of demons here.
On the full moon I talked to an unknown demon on floor b2, and got a bead. I went back to b1 and finished the Ex Mission, getting the Pixie Knife. Low power, but hits 2-4 times and has a chance to charm. I nearly got koppa tensu, but messed up on the 'ask for a ridiculous sum of macca' question. I should try to get the Relax Spray sub-app ASAP.


Jirae Hua Po is a Lvl 6 neutral-neutral demon who knows Agi and Maragi. She is strong vs Fire and weak vs ice and wind. Useful as a neutral demon at this point

I'm gonna try to convince all the demons I can to join my team, and them I'm going to get their sources and fuse up a storm. Hopefully I'll get some decent neutrals for the level boss.

[Ogremindes]

Kaso just joined me. He didn't know what a stranger is, but thought it sounded cool. He also like studying… studying things he likes, at least.


Beast Kaso | Level 4 | Neutral-Neutral
Strong vs Fire, weak vs Ice. Only knows the skill Agi. Nothing special.

2 Chakra Drops in a chest. That'll come in handy for an upcoming ex mission. I reached level 8 and encountered gremlins and oni. 'Could've sworn that oni didn't show up 'til Ab2. Gremlins are dark-aligned. No negotiation there.


Jaki Gremlin | Level 5 | Dark-Neutral
Strong vs Electricity, weak vs Fire and Wind. Knows Mabufu (Ice, all enemies) and Sukukaja (agility up, all allies). Could be a useful caster if I could recruit the darned thing...

Well whaddayaknow. Gremlin just joined me thanks to a full moon and Lunatic.

[Ogremindes]

Jirae Knocker + Jirae Hua Po = Prime Erthys
Prime Erthys | Level 8 | Light-Neutral
Strong vs Gun, Null Light, Null Dark. Knows Zio (Electric).
Primes are primarily used for rank up/down fusions. Not that Erthys is a slouch at this level. Never worked out why earth elementals got lumped with lightning. By default, I guess.

Fairy Pixie + Flight Tangata Manu = Divine Angel
Divine Angel | Level 4 | Neutral-Law
Null Expel, Weak vs Gun, Weak vs Death. Knows Hama (Holy Instant Death) and Dia.
So-so. It is the weakest of it's clan, and level 4 at that, so one can't expect too much.

I convinced an oni to join with a casual joke and the suggestion that we could be allies


Brute Oni | Level 8 | Neutral Chaos
Strong vs Phys, weak vs Electric. Knows Rampage (multi-hit, random foes) and Fang Breaker (single foe, also reduces attack power).
Solid bruiser for this point in the game.

I finally got poltergeist's analyse up to speed:

Spirit Poltergeist | Level 7 | Dark-Chaos
Weak vs Fire, Ice and Electricity. Knows Feral Claw.
Cute, but that's about the only thing it's got going for it.
And then one of 'em joined me on the full moon. Fusion fodder, for sure.


Ex Mission: Sandman's backup bag
A Sandman on Ab2 (that is, sector A floor b2) wants me to fetch his spare bag from another sandman. Just talk to a sandman in battle, and bring the bag back for a Chakra Pot.

In Ab2 there are some Oni that you'll encounter as bosses. They're different from normal oni (they don't share analyse data), and sometimes they're supported by similarly different demons of other varieties, such as pixies. First one, on his own was no problem.


Hitting level 10 opened up some new fusions:

Divine Angel + Beast Kaso = Holy Heqet
Holy Heqet | Level 10 | Light-Neutral
Strong vs Ice and Electricity, weak vs Wind. Knows Zio, Dia and Posumudi (cure poison).
Solid all-round neutral.


I used my Pixie Source in the Heqet fusion to pass on Media. It also inherited Agi from it's components.

[Ogremindes]

Boss fight with Melchom and Oni. Both were weak to Heqet's Zio, but the Oni's phys resist was a pain. I found a Mabufu Stone in a chest in the middle area of Ab2. Doesn't seem all that useful, unlike the single-target stones. I'm encountering Archangels and Itsumades on this floor. An Oni gave me a Bead when I talked to it on the full moon.



Raptor Itsumade | Level 7 | Dark-Law
Weak vs Gun and Ice, Knows Agi, Sukunda (lowers agility, all foes) and Feral Claw.
A versatile demon, with fire and phys skills, and a gun-type normal attack. Agility reduction can be a pain.

Divine Archangel | Level 8 | Neutral-Law
Nulls Expel, weak to Electricity and Death. Knows Hama and Crescent Slice (light phys damage).
Decent Law bruiser, generally outperformed by Oni.


I finally encountered another Sandman to finish the Ex Mission, and got a Chakra Pot for my trouble. Another Boss Oni, this time with 2 pixies and a Kaso. Finally, I got to the last room before the boss. Side chambers held 2 revival beads and 1000 macca. I took advantage of the Heal Spot and Terminal as I tried to recruit an Archangel and decided whether to fuse a Lilim with Melchom and Oni. A Yoma Koppa Tengu joined on a coin flip. Who'd have thought that a Law demon would be into gambling? I finally got an Archangel to join by appealing to his militant Law nature.


Yoma Koppa Tengu | Level 5 | Neutral-Law
Weak vs Gun. Knows Garu (wind) and Tarukaja (attack up, all allies).
Decent supporter. He'll make a good Ippon-Datara fused with Oni once I get his source.

Well, that answers whether I'm gonna fuse Oni with Melchom.


Raptor Onmoraki + Spirit Poltergeist = Wilder Jueyuan
Wilder Jueyuan | Level 10 | Dark-Neutral
Strong vs Phys and Gun, weak vs Electricity and Wind. Knows Giant Slice (light phys, all enemies), Zan-Ei (medium phys, stronger on new moon).
Rockin' bruiser for this point of the game. Moves like Zan-Ei are great for going up against known bosses where you can manipulate the moon phase in preparation.

Brute Oni + Yoma Koppa Tengu = Jaki Ippon-Datara
Jaki Ippon-Datara | Level 10 | Dark-Neutral
Strong vs Ice and Electric, weak vs Wind and Expel. Knows Charge (2.5*next phys attack) and Explosive Fist (mid phys damage).
Strong physical attacker. This combo also gets Rampage, Fang Breaker and Tarukaja.

Another koppa offered to join and was fused with Melchom
Fallen Melchom + Yoma Koppa Tengu = Snake Naga
Snake Naga | Level 11 | Neutral-Neutral
Strong vs Electricity, weak vs Wind. Knows Zio, Lunge (light phys) and Resist Elec.
Nothing special on it's own, but that resist elec might come in handy for a future fusion. Cool art, though.


It's gonna take too long to get all my sources on this floor, so on to the boss!

[Ogremindes]

My team, going into the sector A boss fight:


Human Domair | Level 12 | Neutral
Strong vs Phys, weak vs Fire (Survivor Vest). Null Expel.
Sword: Pixie Knife (weak, 2-4 hits, charm)
Gun: Caloric (all foes)
Skills: Legshot (light gun damage, reduces agility)

Wilder Jueyuan | Level 11 | Dark-Neutral
Strong vs Gun and Phys, weak vs Electricity and Wind.
Knows Giant Slice, Zan-Ei and Feral Claw.

Holy Heqet | Level 11 | Light-Neutral
Strong vs Ice and Electricity, weak vs Wind.
Knows Zio, Dia, Posumudi, Agi and Media

Jaki Ippon-Datara | Level 10 | Dark-Neutral
Strong vs Ice and Electricity, Weak vs Wind and Expel
Knows Charge, Explosive Fist, Rampage, Tarukaja and Fang Breaker

The plan is to have Domair debuff with legshot, Jueyuan do massive damage with Zan-Ei on the new moon, Heqet to heal and Ippon-Datara to buff attack. The spanner in the works is the enemy's fear spell.

With nothing to loose, I head into the boss room…

Tyrant Morax: Aren't Demons the real heroes?
Domair: No. Die.

Tyrant Morax
Level 15
Reflects Fire, Weak vs Ice
Maragi
Lunge
Ghenma (fear, all enemies)
Horned Rampage (phys, random enemies)
Wait, this guy has fire attacks? Dammit. Should've gone with the Ancient Vest.


Plan worked nearly perfectly. Ippon-Datara got fear'd after buffing the rest of the team as far as he could (it would of been nice to get one more round out of him, as I had just used Charge), but the fight was pretty much won at that point, as his accuracy was shot to pieces by Domair. Morax even got charmed for a bit from the Pixie Knife!


And now: on to sector B! Better yet, I can carry a couple more demons with me!

After arriving In sector B I talked with Dent on the Deck and unlocked the Ex Mission: Killing Time. This mission is a mini-game: 'Don't Count to 30'. The sequence 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 won me 1000 Macca.

[Comet]

Just want to say that Dent's counting game was one of my favourite bits of the entire game so far, surprisingly. It took me embarassingly long to figure out, but when I won I felt really clever. Too bad the prize is so pathetic :smalltongue:

Dunno if I missed it, but what alignment are you aiming for?

Also, I just realised another cool thing with the game. 'Light in Hell'.
It's a sub-app that causes demons to beg for mercy if you've got them beat good enough. The effect is not dramatic or even that useful but damn if the name isn't the coolest thing ever. Definetly going to equip that one on every run I do, just because being a walking messiah lightshow in magical semi-sentient power armour is something no one should miss out on.

Man, I want some free time so I can proceed past sector C at last.

[Ogremindes]

Just want to say that Dent's counting game was one of my favourite bits of the entire game so far, surprisingly. It took me embarassingly long to figure out, but when I won I felt really clever. Too bad the prize is so pathetic :smalltongue:

Dunno if I missed it, but what alignment are you aiming for?

Also, I just realised another cool thing with the game. 'Light in Hell'.
It's a sub-app that causes demons to beg for mercy if you've got them beat good enough. The effect is not dramatic or even that useful but damn if the name isn't the coolest thing ever. Definetly going to equip that one on every run I do, just because being a walking messiah lightshow in magical semi-sentient power armour is something no one should miss out on.

Man, I want some free time so I can proceed past sector C at last.

I'm playing a 'cards fall where they may' type of game, so I'm not going for any particular alignment. Light in Hell ain't bad, but Relax Spray takes up a huge chunk of sub-app space. Also, Light in Hell surrenders can still be a ruse, allowing the demons a free round.

Main Mission 08
Bootes Monitor Duty
Bf1. Just a matter of finding a couple of appropriate rooms. While looking around I found a lot of new demons:




Haunt Petra | Level 6 | Dark Chaos
Weak vs Fire, Ice, Wind, Expel. Strong vs Death
Knows Macca Beam, Tarunda and Feral Claw
Macca Beam steals macca. Dammit.

Brute Azumi | Level 12 | Neutral-Chaos
Strong vs Phys, weak vs Fire and Electricity.
Knows Rampage.

Night Lilim | Level 9 | Neutral-Chaos
Strong vs Electricity, weak vs Ice
Knows Zio, Mazio and Charm Strike

Beast Katakirauwa | Level 9 | Neutral-Neutral
Weak vs Expel, Null Death
Knows Mudo and Dia

Divine Principality | Level 14 | Neutral-Law
Weak to Gun, Wind and Death. Null Expel.
Knows Zionga(mid elec) and Hama

also Flight Harpy, Wilder Jueyuan Fairy Jack Frost and Femme Leanan Sidhe


I'll have to fuse away my sector one set to make room.


Avoiding the damage floors I quickly found a Melchom who gave me an Ex Mission: Melchom's Task 1. I gave him 2 Chakra Drops, and he gave me 4000 Macca. I headed back and bought the Relax Spray sub-app, which will help in negotiations.

A Karasu Tengu asked me to find his subordinate Koppa, for Ex Mission: Long nose in the air. A group of Dis asked me to defeat Yggdrasil (Ex Mission: The madness of Yggdrasil), which I did, after a fashion. I hate time travel. (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003151) I got a nice ring that makes me immune to poison for doing that.

I convinced Beast Katakirauwa to join with the help of Relax Spray. A Night Lilim, too.

I soon found the launch rooms for the main mission and returned to the Red Sprite



Holy Heqet + Snake Naga = Dragon Makara
Dragon Makara | Level 13 | Light-Chaos
Strong vs Gun, Null Fire, Drain Ice
Knows Ice Breath, Diarama(mid heal) and Resist Ice

[Ogremindes]

Main Misson 09 + 10
Emergency Signal Inquiry
A distress signal is received from one of the crewmen of the Elve. It's coming from roughly the northeast. With a rare forma found in Bootes I can now open hidden doors (none in the accessible area of sector A, I found).

Heading to a secret door I had already found, crewman Norris goes nuts and runs off, starting another main mission: Search for Norris. Continuing on, I find the entrance to a palace, but remain outside, as I haven't finished with the demons out here yet.

I fused my Archangel with my Earthys to get a Principality. I then fused Jueyuan and Katakirauwa into a Vermin Ubu, making sure Zan-Ei carried over, not that it's much use on the baby/spider thing… is that an eye where it's mouth should be?

Ubu + Earthys makes Okiku-Mushi, a rank down. I fuse it just to get another dark demon in my compendium. In hindsight, I should've got Ubu's analyse maxed out first, as it cost me a bundle to re-summon.

A bit of training later and Okiku-Mushi + Lilim make Itsumade, a dark-law commonly found in the lower levels of sector A.

As I've hit level 15, a special fusion is available: Morax, boss of sector A. I summon up a Melchom so I can fuse one as soon as Itsumade gives me it's source. Along the way I recruited an Azumi. Definitely getting my Macca's worth out of the Relax Spray app.

When I fused Morax I used the Naga Source. This, combined with his inheritance gave him a full six skills: Bobasma (single target fear), Rampage, Counter (passive counterattack on phys/gun), Sukunda (lower all enemy defence), Maragi and True Lobotomy. The last one is just a medium physical attack. You'd think that with a name like that it's have a status effect attached, like mute or something.

By the way, I Hate Macca Beam!

[Ogremindes]

Urgh, first death, and it's to Mudo. There's a anti-death armour in the lab now, isn't there?

Main Mission 09 + 10 Continued
Sure is, Dark Vest. Null Curse, Weak Elec. Since I'm here, I may as well head into sector A for Long Nose in the Air. Find a Koppa Tengu, head back to Karasu. On the way I got Femme Leanan Sidhe to join… she thought she'd look good with a submachine gun. Karasu Tengu gave me a letter to give to Koppa, so back to Ab1 I go.

I got a Sandman to join (finally) as I looked for Koppa Tengu. After finding him, I hunted slimes on Af1 until I got their forma, which I used to make a Iperitta, a gun with poison and elec shots, but only a single target normal shot. Reporting back to Karasu gets me 3000 Macca. Upon levelling, Morax wanted to swap out his True Lobotomy skill, which I declined, No way am I risking his best attack.

Withy my roster currently full, I definitely need to do some fusions.

Azumi + Principality = Jirae Sudama. Sandman + Gremlin = Haunt Preta, a dark demon (without Macca Beam). Leanan Sidhe + Makara = Fallen Bifrons, a skeleton butler or something. Giving it Makara's source covered it's ice weakness and gave it Media. Once I hit level 18 Ubu + Onmoraki will make Macabre, a strong attacker.

I got Harpy to join, and a Jack Frost. Love Relax Spray. That's the last of the demons I need outside the Palace. I'll head in for some levelling, now, to unlock the rest of the sources and get a couple of levels.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 09 + 10 Continued
Obsessively mapping the Palace is a pain, with all the damage floors. At least there's a heal spot. 'course, it'll be worse once we start hitting pitfalls.

Huh, I didn't know Bifrons was a rando… He has Tetraja?! My Bifrons doesn't have Tetraja. I expect that sort've thing when a boss joins my party, but a random encounter demon? *grumbles*

All my demons have surrendered their sources but I'm still only level 17. letsee what I can make:
Ippon-Datara + Bifrons = Drake Zhe Tun She, a physical bruiser made all the better by inheriting from Ippon-Datara. Harpy + Leanan Sidhe = Beast Inugami. Jack Frost + Sudama = the curiously airborne Night Fomorian. A distinct lack of Media on my roster had me re-summoning Bifrons

Time for some recruitment. An Acheri who offered to join while my roster was full joined just from talking. A Goblin was impressed by me being on a mission so important that I couldn't go home, and wanted to gamble with me. When I lost, he forced his way into my team. Go figure. That filled up my team again, so I'm gonna go level some more so I can make space.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 09 + 10 Continued
Yay! Level 18! Time to fuse…
Onmoraki + Ubu = Spirit Macabre. With a big strength stat and Blight (light phys, all foes, may poison) as standard, he'll make a mess of most random encounters. Add in Zan-Ei through inheritance and we've even got a good shot against bosses. Only weak vs Expel, and immune to Curse. Having nothing better to put on him, I gave him Melchom's source, leaving him with Mudoon, Blight, Zan-Ei, Giant Slice, Resist Fire and Maragi.

This seemed like a good time to go back to Af1, for the Blue Jet Reclamation Ex Mission. Talking to a soldier straight ahead from the Red Sprite started it, heading to the south side of the Blue Jet triggers a boss. I go in with Macabre, Morax and Bifrons, on the new moon, of course. Knowing how this fight went down before, I gave Domair the Combat Knife.


Fairy Lorelei | Level 31 | Neutral-Neutral
Level 31?!, I hear you ask? Fortunately all she uses is a fairly weak single-target phys attack and Marin-Karin, the single-target charm spell. Macabre's Zan-Ei overpowered her, Bifrons' Media was enough to keep the teams health up and a single shot of Morax's Sukunda was enough to keep my attacks from missing. I used a single Dis-Charm to keep Bifrons focused.

Finishing the Ex Mission opens up MP Recover II in the lab. It's pricy, and I haven't been using a whole lotta MP on my main anyway. I guess I'll hold out for the MP regen apps.

Back in Bf1, Yoma Vodyanik is proving hard to convince. Possibly it's the mainly chaotic company I'm keeping. Maybe I'll catch him on the full moon.

Oh, and Blight freaking' rocks.

[Terraoblivion]

I am forced to tell you that i hate you now and forever. Here you sit tempting me with a game i really want to play and want to play without spoilers so i grow less neurotic about alignment than i did in other main series SMT...and i can't. It hasn't got an English language release in China, if they even allow it, and it still isn't officially out in Europe so i can't get my family to buy it and ship it over...Cool to hear that it is a good addition to the series though.

[Ogremindes]

I am forced to tell you that i hate you now and forever. Here you sit tempting me with a game i really want to play and want to play without spoilers so i grow less neurotic about alignment than i did in other main series SMT...and i can't. It hasn't got an English language release in China, if they even allow it, and it still isn't officially out in Europe so i can't get my family to buy it and ship it over...Cool to hear that it is a good addition to the series though.

You can't get it through Play-Asia or similar?

Main Mission 09 + 10 Continued

Finally got a Vodyanik to join. That's the last demon I need from Bf1. Seeing how long Vodyanik's analysis was taking, I started up to Bf2. But first, some fusion.

Goblin + Fomorian = Brute Momunofu, a tough-as-nails brawler with massive vitality and Charge.

Acheri + Inugami = Holy Apis, a supporter with Hama and Dekunda(removes stat reducers). The fusion also passes on Rakunda(defence down, all enemies). Adding Sukukaja through a source accentuates the supportiveness.

Bifrons + Zhu Tun Shi = Raptor Moh Shuvuu. Very 'meh' skillset. I added Principality's source for a better healer.

Bf2 Introduces pitfalls :(. At least they're well telegraphed (when it says take the long road, it means it). But still, I have to map every square.

Bf3, another pitfall trap, and… oh, look. I'm captured by an even more invisible demon, and thrown into a cell with Science Chick! I mean, Zelenin, first lieutenant from the Elve! Main Mission 09 Complete!

Soon, I'm dragged off again, this time to see Mitra…
Why have humans come to rule Earth?
>With Knowledge.
What is of greater value to a human, one's friends, or oneself?
>My friends.

After that, I was sent back to the Red Sprite. New Main Mission: Rescue Zelenin.

[Terraoblivion]

Not while sitting in Shanghai with a school connection that blocks all attempts at using the connection to transfer money. :smalltongue:

But eh, i'll live and just get it when i, hopefully, go to Texas this fall for a friend's wedding. It does unfortunately mean that i cannot read your LP due to spoilers.

Also sorry about entering your thread just to complain about my own troubles.

[Ogremindes]

Also sorry about entering your thread just to complain about my own troubles.

No problem. As I said in the first post, anything about SMT is welcome.

Main Mission 10 + 11

With the Strike Team making a diversion, infiltrating the palace is a cinch. Notably, I find a Bead Chain along the way. Unfortunately Captain Invisible strikes again, and leaves me with Norris, who they're experimenting on. Like most mad science projects, this one goes hostile. Trivial to beat down, though. Main Mission 10 complete.

Going through the unlocked door, I link up with Zelenin. Looking around, I find another Strike Team member… But I came alone…

The angel Mastema reveals himself, and aids escape. But one guard has returned…

Macabre proved harder than Norris, mainly due to the poison from Blight. Debuffing the heck out of his defence and whacking him with True Lobotomy did the trick, with plenty of Media to keep HP up. Returning to the Red Sprite completes main mission 11, and opens mission 12: Bootes Rosetta. To complete it, I have to kill Mitra.

Bring back the enemy general's head, huh? Now we're starting to sound like soldiers!

But for now, I just recieved Enemy Search A, and unlike Portal Search, I can use it in sector A...

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 12

The Mamedanuki that appear via enemy search in most of sector A are useful sources of recovery items, and pretty weak. Kishin Takeminakata, found on A2B, isn't weak, and also drops recovery stuffs.

Looking for hidden enemies in B1F, I instead find an Ex Mission: Escape Plan. I had to lead a group of soldiers through a maze of one-way walls. Fortunately, I already had this area mapped out. At the end was a boss: Fiend David, a level 22 demon who uses Staredown (fear, all enemies), Blight and a fairly mean normal attack. I didn't have a plan as I wasn't expecting him. In the end I just out-lasted him, with several casualties.

The reward for beating makes a sub-app that lets me fuse fiends instead of genmas. Also, after the fight Morax swapped his counter skill for Staredown. Seems like a good change, since counter seemed to always miss anyway.

I didn't find any hidden enemies outside the palace on Bf1. In the palace I quickly found another hidden Kishin Takeminakata. These guys are tough. An UMA Chupacabra is substantially less tough.

Apis + Vodyanik = Snake Nozuchi. Less able of a caster than Apis, but at least it adds another 'kaja to the mix. Weak to all four basic elements, strong vs phys and gun.

On B4F I finally get to fight the invisible demon. It's just a souped up Fomorian. Not a problem.

I head back down to heal up, and also fuse a High Pixe. With all four elements (Bufula, Agilao, Mazio and Magaru) and Media she should prove useful. I wen't back to the ship and manufactured a Desonberi, a high attack, single target gun with a charm shot, an attack-down shot and a target-all shot.

Back on B4F I found the switch to start the elevator and a second way down with a whole bunch of new passages to explore. A demon mad with the full moon told me to find a Pomegranate. Apparently, a demon Per-something has one, and is hiding on one of the upper floors.

A hidden enemy encounter allowed me to recruit a Pyro Jack. Man, the cropped portrait makes him look a lot more menacing.

Risking a messy encounter on B5F, I enemy searched in an area past a damage floor and found the demon with the Pomegranate.

Vodyanik + Moh Shuvuu = Wood Mandrake. A step up for my main healer.

Vodyanik (these guys just keep volunteering) + Nozuchi = Flight Caladrius. Makarakarn (reflect magic). That is all.

Handing over the Pomegranate awarded me with the Rasetsu Vest. Low defence, Null Curse, no weaknesses. Doesn't seem too crash hot. Seems like I may encounter this demon again later, though.

In BF5, Nymph Apsaras (wow, that one's actually in the spell-checker) liked being compared to watermelon and was impressed by my speed, and so joined.

My roster is full again, though some new fusions are coming up when I get another level, and also when I get Apsaras' source.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 12

Ooh, B6F is pretty. Finally, another terminal, too. A strike team member gave me 3 chakra drops. Nothin' else here, so up to B7F. Yay! a Heal Spot. Now I can get some grindin' done. Seems like not all the team are doing so well, I just found a corpse. Aaand a pitfall. I wonder how far down this'll take me.

A Goblin talked to me about the nature of the appearance of this place. Without actually explaining anything. I got Apsaras' source, so I fused her. Apsaras + Pyro Jack = Megami Fortuna. She has Mediarama, and a source added in recarm.

In a **** move, the island in the middle of a damage floor was a pitfall.

Searching around more, I end up in a new area of BF5, and recruit Flight Gu Huo Niao, with the help of Relax Spray. I find a Ma Incense here! Score!

Level 23 and it's time for fusion! Petra + Morax = Jaki Wendigo. I used a source to give him a beefier single target hit. Bifrons + High Pixie = Night Incubus… Huh, now I have all the ingredients for Black Frost in my compendium. Still a fair ways from the level requrement, though. More fusion to come when I grind some more sources.

Heading back to base, I got the Green Coat made. Strong vs Ice and Curse, weak vs fire, 6 points higher defence than the Dark Vest. I want to have at least Strong vs Curse at all times. Getting killed by Mudo is no fun. At least I'm naturally immune to Expel. My sword attack is kinda sucky, but a new sword hasn't come up in the lab for a long time

OK, found the second elevator switch on BF7. I can get to the top, now. A principality joined me out of the blue. First time it hasn't been a ruse from one of 'em. I register Fortuna and fuse…

Principality + Fortuna = Karasu Tengu. Not useful, but an ingredient for a lvl 38 special fusion. I resummon Fortuna.

Taking the lift to BF7, I find a secret passage that appears to lead to the boss room. Not yet. I take the lift to BF8.

A demon challenges me to a hunt, to kill the most UMA Mamedanuki possible in one moon cycle. I successfully hunt down 8 of the game, to Halphas' 5, winning me the UMA Ball that will let me fuse UMAs once it's made into a sub-app.

Annoyingly there isn't a Heal Spot near the boss, nor near the elevator. At least there's a terminal. I'm gonna hang around BF8 a while longer, though, as I've heard bad things about Mitra. And there's more fusions to try once I gain another level. Odd that I haven't had any fusion accidents yet.

I fused up a Nymph Ame no Uzume from Karasu Tengu and Gu Huo Niao and kitted her out with lots of support. Fortuna + Apsaras = Tree Daphne. Still has Mediarama. Caladrius + Momunofu = Nekomata. Boss Time.

I'm using Ame no Uzume, Daphne and Macabre, going in on new moon. Co-op attacks are out of the question. Lets see how I go…

..OK. I may be a bit over-levelled… Oh, she just one-shotted Macabre with Light of Order. Let's see… Incubus, I ch-- on second thought, let's not go there. Mitra doesn't hold up much longer, anyway. Mission 12 complete. A new sector awaits, and I can finally get a new sword, too.


Main Mission 13

Dent has an ex mission for me. There's something in the restroom… Kanbari, protector of the Privy! …yeah. It's a foot with a face on it. It uses tetrakarn, the physical attack reflector, and is weak to phys. Wish I had an elemental gun on Domair. For beating it, I get a forma that lets me fuse Enegma race demons. Like Kanbari.

Another ex mission has me recovering data from fallen comrades. I know where to find a couple of corpses, so off I go. The one in sector A is on the isolated part east in AB1, and the one in Bootes is on the east side of BF7, not accessible via the lift on this level.

So, sector C is a shopping mall. I'm looking for the Elve.

A Momunofu joins me on the full moon. These guys make for painful opponents, with their big physical attack, charge and resistance to phys and gun. Seeing a new gun in the lab, I head back to BF1 to look for the forma to make it. After finding it to be a rare drop, I switched to using Extra Item and Relax Spray to negotiate the item out of the demons.

Brute Momunofu + Tree Daphne = Jirae Kwancha. Nymph*2 = Prime Flaemis. Femme Acheri + Night Incubus = Lady Dzelarhons. Biffrons + Fomorian + Ippon-Datara = Mitra, and a source counters her only weakness.

Nrrgh, come on. I need a Bootes AT II, not another Nymph Swimsuit! *sigh* chakra core, recovery core, fairy lamp, detox core, calm core, recovery core, fallen candle, DF Bootite II, nymph swimsuit, recovery core, recovery core, detox core, DF Bootite II, fallen candle, fallen candle, DF Bootite II…

Oh, another Apsaras joined, Apsaras + Wendigo = Haunt Churel.

…AC Bootite…

and another one. Apsaras + Nekomata = Avatar Kamapua'a.

…fairy lamp, AC Bootite, nymph swimsuit, calm core, recovery core, nymph swimsuit, calm core, DF Bootite II, recovery core, fallen candle, DF Bootite II, flight band, AC Bootite, DF Bootite II, recovery core…

A principality joined. More fodder for the fusion machine. I ranked it up to a power with an erthys, then again to virtue.

…fallen candle, DF Bootite II, vermin legs, yoma webbing, chakra core, AT Bootite II, chakra core, recov-- wait a second…

With the hard won AT Bootite II in inventory (try BF8), I head back to the ship. This gun is completely not going to be worth it.

…decent power, target all, paralysis shot… It'll do for now.

[Andras]

Just beat this a few days ago after obsessing over it for a few weeks. The last boss (at least for the Law route) was impressively hard, even after pimping my main team to hell and back.

[Ogremindes]

Wow, and I've heard that Law's boss is the easier (which, based on other SMT games makes sense, after all you're not going up against GOD).

[Andras]

Law's boss is easier? Huh. That'll make my chaos playthrough more interesting, anyway.

Then again, it's not so much that it's ridiculous by itself as it is that it's such a jump from what you'd been fighting before as far as bosses.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 13 Continued
CF1. Hey, Kanbari is a Enemy Search demon here. And it drops Enigma Clay… eww! My Mitra swapped her Magarula for Mortal Jihad one of the better single-target physical attacks. I'm gonna call that an even trade rather than an improvement, as Mitra is slightly better as a caster than a fighter.

I ran into the angel Mastema. When he asked if I recognised him as different from the demons I guardedly replied "You do seem different". He expressed a desire to build more trust with me, and confidence that would come with his actions.

He called the interior of the Schwarzwelt the "hidden world of spirits" for want of a better term in human language, and said he had come here to find why the demons have awakened. He said that the Lord will prevent the world by being taken by demons, but that the power to do so must come from humans. To fill the land with the holy spirit is what the Lord wishes. To anyone that's played any main series Shin Megami Tensei game, that sounds… threatening.

On levelling, my Churel swapped her(?) single-target fear spell for Patra (cure sleep/fear). As she already as the multi-target fear it was a good swap.

…for the love of-- most advanced armour on earth and it doesn't have night vison? Or a freakin' flashlight?

After feeling my way around the basement for I while I found the Elve. Eaten whole by a demon who's now fused with it's plasma armour. Unable to do anything to it I fall back to the Red Sprite.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 13 Continued
Mastema took a Megami and a Wilder from me to make a crystal to use against the giant demon. With Irving's help, it's turned into the Horkos Buster.

The Horkos Buster worked well, but Jimenez was less than impressed with Mastema when he showed up. Jimenez tried to finish off Horkos, but only allowed Horkos to escape.

Back on CF1, Jimenez and Zelenin distract Horkos while I blast it again. It flees again, but drops a rare forma behind it… Sweet, Unlock B is now mine! Backtracking time…

AF1, that obvious door on the northside opens up. Within I find an even, even more locked door, and an even, even, even more locked door. And the pixie I helped earlier, now a High Pixie. She wants me to bring her other kinds of fairies, starting with a Goblin. Easy, I summon one up and talk to her again. I got a Sleeping Stone in return, which makes the Enemy Lullaby sub-abb that 'greatly' lowers the random encounter rate.

In BF1 I found some minor loot and Dionysus, god of wine, who asked me to negotiate with a Zhen for a feather. Within the palace the only thing of note I found was an Ag Incense on BF5. And another Leanan Sidhe wanting to join me.

Leanan Sidhe + Kamapua'a = Holy Pabilsag

Back in Carnia tracking down Horkos and salvaging from the Elve proves simple enough. The salvaged radio allows a brief conversation with Earth, where the demonic invasion has begun. Great.

In the interlude I encounter one Louisa Ferre who informs me of my choice of paths, and then leaves as Horkos attempts to attack the Red Sprite and fails.

Main Mission 15 is to hunt him down.

[Ogremindes]

Main Mission 15

I chased down Horkos, but he escapes. As he does so he he drops a rare forma letting me follow him into 'sanctum' areas. In my ongoing quest for a decent elemental gun I hunt down hidden enemies in CF1. As I do so I get an Inugami to join. Relex spray helped, as did understanding he probably wouldn't be impressed with science.

Inugami + Dzelarhons = Snake Yurlungur, a magic-user only weak to fire, and strong vs Ice, Elec and Curse.

Macabre + Mandrake = Raptor Zhen, a Dark demon. Stil not a one accident.

Virtue + Kwancha = Fallen Orias. A cat-man with snake arms. And a beard. On a horse/snake thing. I'm a little short on healing now, with only Diarama as my best healing spell.

A Shan Xiao joined, which is nice as it's a dark demon I hadn't on compendium.

…I don't really 'get' this Phase Shifter thing. Somehow shifting back in a different place opens locked doors?

A Silky liked being compared to a tomato, and joined. I finally found a way back to the ship that didn't involve me having to go back though a couple of phase shifts, too.

Woah, the boss already? Horkos is tough. Really strong defence, and he heals himself too, both by munching on your team and by consuming summoned allies. The latter can be used as a way of poisoning him. As he approaches death he starts using a big target-all phys. I ended up using all my bead chains and most of my chakra drops here.

Ah well, got the rosetta and I'm done. Sector D is now open. Oh look, it's a trash heap. The Commander's body has vanished, too. Oh! my 'humans can destroy too' response pushed me into Chaos.

[Ogremindes]

Through Dent, I got a mission from Anthony, who wanted me to talk to what he described as a demon with long hair and a black dress. One trip to Bootes F1 later, and I had chatted with a Leanan Sidhe. 2 Ma Incense for me. While I was there Melchom wanted a couple of Chakra Pots. A bit steep, but I handed them over for completion, and maybe another quest later (what's next, Soma Drops?). Dent had another minigame for me. Anthony had another demon for me to find, a Moh Shuvuu, if I'm not mistaken… Done, and now he's looking for a girl in a kimono in the middle of a blizzard. Huh. I'll guess it's in sector D somewhere. Next on the agenda: Let's see how High Pixie is doing.

Oh, she wants a Silky. Well I happen to have one *registers in compendium* right here! *hands demon over* *resummons*. This one ultimately gets me the app for increasing demon encounters.

Sector D is proving difficult, I seem to have lost my level advantage. Time for some Fusion!

Nekomata + Flammis = Beast Hsing-Hsing. Pixie + Yurlunger = Avian Phoenix. Shan Xiao + Zhen = Vile Baphomet. Silky + Mitra = Haunt Ghou-- Fusion Accident!-> Yoma Dis. Yoma Dis with a whole mess of strong phys attacks that are useless on her 16 strength. Kwancha + Pabilsag = Spirit Pisaca.

Zelenin needed some help, and then Jimenez went nuts. Along with 10% of the crew. …kinda like the experiment in Bootes sector.

In BF1, Mastema showed up. My answer that I only use demons and tech when I need to seemed to please him, and unsurprisingly that bumped me back into neutral.

Opening up new secret doors on BF1 scored me a bunch of Incenses, but no progress. On BF8 we find the Madman's Stone, which is used to calibrate the MK gun and cure the crew.

Having salvaged from 4 fallen crewmen, I an rewarded with a new sub-app that warns me of enemy elemental affinities when targeting.