Earning our JRPG black belt - Let's Play Legend of Legaia!

I guess space meteors are kind of earth-related? Ah, who the hell cares? Palma is my favorite super-spell; I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to why.

Now then, there's a bonus boss we can fight, but we'll need some supplies first.



♪♪Vidna♪♪

We'll need to go to Karisto Station to get an important accessory.

Kiosk owner: Now that the Mist's gone, it's time to reopen my business.



We'll need two Vitality Rings for our attackers (you'll see why soon) and a bunch of Phoenixes (which I buy elsewhere). Those Sources you see recover HP, MP, and AP, respectively, while walking around on the world map. We actually could've gotten a Vitality Ring for free if we had bought the Travel Kit while the Mist was still around, but I forgot all about it. Oh, well, we got what we came for.

Before we go, let's talk to the people around here.

Kiosk owner: Thank you! You know, it's my dream to open a store here someday.
Woman: The station attendant here isn't very friendly!
Station attendant: Sorry, but the flying train is in Sebucus, and we don't know when it will return.
Man: I wanted to go to Octam, but I don't have enough money.
Boy: See that animal there? Its name is Poochie. It's been waiting for its master ever since the Mist cleared.



=(



♪♪The Earth of Joy♪♪

Heh, I guess the water isn't that deep.



Anyway, the bonus boss is at the top of Mt. Dhini, so we'll have to scale it again. It shouldn't be too bad, though, what with how awesome we are now.



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles♪♪

This is likely the only time we'll see a Ra-Seru level up in this LP. Enjoy it while it lasts!



♪♪Perilous Mountain♪♪

The boss shows up here after Luctes takes you to the Soren camp. But it isn't exactly visible or anything - you have to run into it as a (guaranteed) random encounter.





Bonus Boss 3: Lapis
(Attack plays here, but feel free to listen to whatever you wish, like this, or this, or even this. Or something completely incongruous. Your call!)

Lapis is tied with the final boss as the toughest enemy in the game, for several reasons. For one thing, it always ambushes you when you set out to fight it, which is made worse by the attack it opens the battle with:



What does this do, you ask? Well...

It renders the party completely unable to use magic for the duration of the battle. This normally wouldn't be so bad - we've relied on items for healing before, after all - except for one fact:













At our level, Lapis can easily K.O. any party member twice over. In fact, it's not advisable to try and fight Lapis until your characters are at least at level 45, with their ultimate equipment and plenty of Luminous Jewels (since Lapis is actually a Light-elemental monster). Since we're attempting this at a relatively low level (our party is at level 37 as of this fight), we'll have to get a little creative.





For starters, equip Umber (or whoever) with the Speed Chain so they can get a guaranteed first turn to fire off a Point Card usage. Lapis has over 64,000 HP, and anything to help get through it as quickly as possible is welcome.









You'll want to outfit your attackers with as many offense-boosting accessories as you can - HP and defense won't matter at this level anyway. To this end, I equip Ruby with the Vitality Gem so she can use Miracle Arts without having to spend a turn using Spirit, as well as the War Soul to help increase Arts damage and the Mettle Gem to help with spamming.

Blue also gets a Vitality Ring, but his agility bar isn't quite long enough to use a Miracle Art, so he'll have to make do with combos of Hyper and regular Arts. He'll also wear the Power Ring (to boost overall damage) and the War God Icon so he can repeat his turn and match (or at least get close to) Ruby's damage output.







As for Umber? He's going to spend the fight spamming Phoenixes to keep our party alive, hence why I brought around 35 or so. In the event that Umber is attacked, Ruby and Blue will both spend their turn using a Phoenix, since Lapis will be able to K.O. one of them before they can use it.



















Once you've got a strategy planned out, the fight becomes a pure damage race - can you kill Lapis before running out of Phoenixes? Keep up the offensive as much as you can; Lapis has paper-thin defenses on top of our attacked-focused equipment setup, so you should hopefully be dealing out as much damage as you're taking. If you get a chance, be sure to use the Point Card, too; I had over 30,000 points on it coming into the fight, and this is probably the best time to use it.

I ended up using more than 20 Phoenixes, but managed to come out on top. Fun fact - I have never attempted this fight before doing it for the LP. I'd say I did pretty well for my first time.

We aren't quite done with this battle, though - there's a much easier way to defeat Lapis.



Bonus Video 14: Cheesing Lapis

For this trick to work, you have to come into the battle with 0 MP for everybody. You could also encounter Lapis normally, let it use Lapis Wave, use a Spikefish Flute (obtained from the Buma fishing spot) to run away (it guarantees escape from almost anything, including Lapis), then encounter it again. It's up to you which way is faster.





Either way, have someone equipped with the Speed Chain and Dark Talisman, then have your other characters use a Magic Fruit on them; if the Speed Chain wearer uses it, then Lapis will just use Lapis Wave immediately and you'll have to fight it normally.



Once they have enough MP(one Magic Fruit is enough), just have them summon Jedo.











Simple. If you want everyone to get experience from this, have your other two characters wear Lost Grails, so they can survive at least one attack from lapis. Now, you might be wondering what the Evil Medallion does. Well...



If you put it on a character, they acquire a unique status effect called Rage, which acts sort of like Berserk from the Final Fantasy series. You can no longer control the character, but they'll attack random enemies... a random amount of times. Sometimes they'll just stand there, other times they'll hit dudes for upwards of twenty hits. You can see what I'm talking about here, at around the 3:58 mark.

♪♪The Calling of the Relics♪♪

With that out of the way, I think I'll pick up a couple of items I missed. The Magic Grail is kinda neat; it lets the wearer regain MP every turn. You could effectively use it to make inns and such completely obsolete, but since it's so late in the game there's no real use for it.



I also missed this way back at the Shadow Gate. I gave it to Umber, mainly because I've already given Ruby quite a few stat-boosting items and she doesn't really need them.



♪♪The Lively Imperial Palace♪♪

So, you know Cort's most powerful attack? You know, the one that summons Juggernaut to stomp on and shoot a giant laser at us? We can get that as a spell, by way of the Evil Talisman, which is through this door. Unfortunately, it's locked down tight, and Van Saryu won't let us through until we're strong enough.

And by that I mean when we hit the level cap. Which is 99 in this game. I will most certainly not be doing this, because a) that's completely ridiculous even for this game, and b) we don't need it. I'm sure you guys will understand.



Might as well talk to Van Saryu while we're here.

Saryu: Since we last met I have been speaking with the townspeople. We spoke frankly about the town's future and about what is to be done with me. Little by little, hope for the future is returning to Ratayu. Humans are indeed wonderful! Of that I am now convinced!

Good to hear.



♪♪World Map After Juggernaut♪♪

Well, every loose end has been taken care of. All that's left is to enter the final dungeon and hopefully find a way to save Rim Elm... and the world. Thank you all for reading this and sticking with me so far - you've been a great audience.

Next time: The final dungeon.

Giant space turtle!

(edit) Level 99, 100k casino chips, 70k fishing points... this game hates you, doesn't it?

Would you like to swing on a star...


Carry moonbeams home in a jar...


And be better off than you are...


...or would you rather be a mule?

Indeed.

Only if you go for the optional stuff, and even then only the stuff in this update is a pain in the ass to do. None of this is at all required to finish the game, after all. Although I'll admit I'm not sure why the developers felt the need to make the above stuff so tedious to do...

Er... I'm afraid I don't get the reference. >_<

It's a OLD one.

Duly noted!

It's a referance that would have never worked if this hadn't been all one update!

Also, cheesing Lapis? That was awesome. When I fought him, I don't think that trick was known, but I did beat him through grinding... which wasn't counterproductive since I was also grinding level 99 at the time...

It took OVER A YEAR.

Earlier in the thread when I said Jette gets more annoying? The Muscle Dome is the place! He and his clones take FOREVER.

Palma, An Earth spell that calls down meteors from space, named after the planet in Phantasy Star that exploded? Hmmm...

Actually, I'm curious, since I know there are people on this board who speak/read Japanese: What is the name in of this spell/the Phantasy Star planet in Japanese, and what does the word mean? Is it an "earth" reference that both games were making?

(It sticks out to me because I have a friend whose last name is "Palma", though he is most certainly not Japanese. Or a rock monster.)

Soren, thank you for showing this all off, because I'm quite certain I would never, ever have the patience to manage it myself.

Hence why I'm not doing it, especially now that the LP's almost over. I love this game, I really do, but I'm not that crazy.

Yeah, I'd imagine so. You can just ignore the clones, though, since they deal piddling damage at best. Though I'm not sure if that changes without any armor...

Wow, I didn't even catch that until you pointed it out. That's a pretty neat reference if it was intentional!

It's what I'm here for. Keep in mind, though, that everything in the last two updates have been completely optional; we don't need any of the things we've gotten from these sidequests to beat the game (though I'll admit the War God Icon certainly helps). If you ever play this game again, you can ignore all of that nonsense and be just fine.

Now then...

Chapter 36: The Belly of the Beast



♪♪World Map After Juggernaut♪♪

We've got a barrier to destroy.





Umber: I understand how you feel. Even if we defeat Juggernaut... Your family and fellow villagers may not return to normal...
Ruby: Blue! Blue...



Ruby: So I'll wait for you. I'll wait until you feel you're ready for this. I'll wait until you're ready to fight Juggernaut.
*A few seconds pass, during which the party stands in silence.*



Well... I think so. Besides, we're the only ones who can do anything about this - we don't have time to stand around and mope.

*Blue raises his head and nods.*
Umber: *pause* Before our own eyes, we've seen many towns recover from the ravages of the Mist! We have made many miracles happen! So... so...
Ruby: Blue, you're not alone! Everything we did together, everything we are going to do...



Ruby: That's why...

Thanks, you two.



Now let's get a move on.





Christ, this is disturbing...





As prepared as we'll ever be.

*Blue nods.*
Meta: There's no point fighting Juggernaut from the outside! Juggernaut's weak spot is on the inside!
Terra: Are you ready, everyone? We've got to cut an opening and crawl into Juggernaut's body!
Ozma: We must work together! Let's go!

*The music abruptly stops.*







Umber: It sure seems that way. Brace yourselves! It's gonna be a wild ride!
*The music starts up again.*



I am not looking forward to this...









♪♪The Castle of Living Things♪♪

Here we are... the final dungeon. And yes, the walls are pulsating, if you were wondering.

Hell, everything here pulsates - the walls, the floor, the stairs in this room... the game calls this place the Bio Castle for a reason.













The next few areas are like this - hopping down platforms and moving down these weird stairs.



This place also has Lv3 versions of every Seru in the game, aside from Caruban and Berserker. If you're a completionist and missed a few spells, this would be the place to get them.





Nightos can now shoot fireballs out of their eyes that deal moderate damage. I'll go over any other differences in Seru as we run into them, and show any absorptions I happen to make towards the end of this place. Oh, and the dungeon music plays in battles here, too.



I don't know what those... things are, and I'm not sure I want to.



Good thing the next area is a forest of the damn things. See that fork?



Aw yeah. This dungeon has more items - eighteen in total - than any other area in the game. Over half of those items consist of the party's ultimate equipment; don't worry, I'll show them off once we've collected everyone's full set.



Anyway, Orb Lv3s. They have a bunch of HP...

And can shoot fireballs at the party. Not too bad otherwise, though, especially since Blue can take one out by himself (courtesy of the War God Icon).



Another fork so soon? We'll go left first.



This is for Ruby; the previous chest was for Blue.



There aren't any differences between Nova Lv3s and their weaker variants as far as I can tell, aside from more HP.







This area is actually pretty big, so you'll probably run into a fair few battles unless you have the Good Luck Bell equipped.



Swordie Lv3s actually have pretty good defense, and like to block attacks just often enough to be annoying.



This goes to Umber.



At least we're out of here now...



Even if the next area is a surprisingly long meat corridor.



Again, these things have pretty good defense, but aren't too much trouble otherwise.





Gola Golas have always been able to do this, but I don't think I've shown it off before now. It's nothing our party of badasses can't handle.



Seriously, this is a really long corridor - I got into two more battles before reaching the end of it.

This corridor is... eerily empty. And the walls pulsate inward.



Freed Lv3s are harder to kill than their weaker predecessors and like to use Water Crystals slightly more often, but that's about it.







Huh - I can hear the sound of rushing water in this room.



Yes, we have to swim in Juggernaut juices to progress. More than once.







To reach the other side, we have to hold up on the controller to reach for the... meat... platform... thing.



This accessory increases the wearer's experience gain by 25%. Handy if you want to level-grind, but we'll pass. If you hop back into the rapids, they'll just take you in a circle back to the start of the area, so we'll be moving on.


Oh god, are those bones? Gross...



Mushura Lv3s have a bunch of HP, but poor defense. Two combos should suffice for taking one down - unless they block several hits in a row. They can even block Hyper Arts if they feel like it!





This corridor is pretty long and winds back and forth a lot.

Aluru Lv3s aren't too bad. They've gained a new attack called Rolling Crash...



But it deals really terrible damage even though it hits three times.





Actually, this area might be as long as the forest of... things.



Viguro Lv3s aren't too tough, really; just slightly stronger than their weaker cousins.







And they can shoot lightning at everyone, I guess.





Oh great, more Juggernaut juices. Good thing this isn't digestive fluid...





We'll want to head south first.



I think we're going to need therapy after this.



Be sure to hold down to grab the meat-platform.



Ballin'. This is for Blue.

Thankfully we can hop onto the "shore" here and end up back at the fork.





This time we'll head east - and promptly jump back into the rapids.





Both of these paths lead to chests, but we'll go left first.





This belongs to Ruby.



To the right this time!



This, of course, goes to Umber.







Okay, we can get back on track. This isn't the end of the dungeon, though; it's more like the halfway point.



I swear, this place gets more disturbing the farther we go on.



These platform things appear as you jump across them. Creepy and helpful!

Wait... is that a person?





Yeah, it's us. We're here to fix this mess... somehow.

Hunter: I mean it, Blue. You must get out of here. This is a hellish place!



I... christ, I can't even tell who that is. We'd better get a move on.



I'll just take this and be on my way. That's one for everybody, assuming you didn't use any Lost Grails in the Lapis fight.







That... that looks like Maya.



Just hang on, kid, we'll get you out of there somehow. I hope.



♪♪World Map After Juggernaut♪♪

Ruby: Maya! Are you alright? Are you in pain?



Umber: Just hang in there! We'll save you! I promise!
Maya: OK... Oh, I'm sorry... I'm so... tired...
*Maya falls silent.*
Ruby: Maya?



Ruby: Hang in there, Maya. We'll get Juggernaut!



♪♪The Castle of Living Things♪♪

These belong to Blue.



Oh god... Mei?



♪♪World Map After Juggernaut♪♪

Blue: Are you alright, Mei?
Mei: Yes, I'm alright... But... please... don't look at me. I must look horrible. Don't... look at me! I look awful...

Mei: You're so sweet, Ruby. Thank you so much. And I told myself... that I wouldn't cry... I told myself... I'd be strong!...



Mei: Wait, Blue. Take... this... with you.





Mei: Promise me, Blue. Promise that... you'll come back... alive!

Thank you, Mei. We'll get you out of this - just hang in there a little longer. I promise.



♪♪The Castle of Living Things♪♪

Nene...

Nene: I'm scared! I'm so scared!



There's no way in hell we're letting you die here, Nene. We'll save you and everyone else soon, just hang on a little longer.

Blue: No! Of course not!
Nene: Oh, thank you for trying to make me feel better.



These are for Ruby.



Hey, I think that's the Village Elder.



It is, but... Juggernaut isn't. Not yet, anyway.





I... I think that's Val.



Val: Don't worry about me. I'm alive...



We came here to destroy Juggernaut from the inside, and that's what we're going to do. I just hope we can save the villagers in the process.

Blue: Destroy Juggernaut!
Val: I see. I'm sure you can do it. Take this with you.



Val: Blue, I'm so proud of you.

Thank you, Val. We'll find a way to get you out of this mess, somehow.



Spoon Lv3s aren't too bad. They can also use Rolling Crash...

But that doesn't keep it from being terrible.



These guys are pretty much slightly stronger versions of Barra Lv2s, Multi Cutter attack and all.





We'll be back, everyone. Just hang on.



This room looks almost... diseased. Creepy...



These things are dicks for two reasons: they're fast...





And they can Rot the entire party. Take them out as quickly as you can.







This room is kinda big, but not as large as the winding bone-tunnel or the appendage-forest.



This is one of the best accessories in the game; whoever wears it has 100 AP, all the time. I put it on Blue, and give his Mettle Gem to Umber.





These are directly on the path to the next area, and go to Umber. No, they're not what you think.



These things are chumps; they can't take much more than one combo and their attack power is only okay.

Uh... okay then.









This... tunnel... thing... goes down for quite a ways.



And it leads to an even bigger one.



This tunnel has several branching paths, though. Head right here...



For Umber's ultimate weapon.



Almost immediately we come to another fork. Keep going left here.



Hmm, could come in handy.



These things have the most health out of all the Seru here, and like to use Thunder Storm more often than their weaker counterparts.





Anyway, we come to another fork. We'll want to head right.

These go to Ruby.



These guys are jerks. Why?



Their Death Game attack looks like this. Yeah.



Good thing I have fast eyes.



We soon come upon one last fork. We'll want to head right again.



This is Blue's ultimate weapon, and the final item we can get here.







Here's what everyone's ultimate equipment looks like. Pretty awesome, I'd say.



Umber's Ra-Seru Club is also the only weapon in the entire game that hits twice. His High and Low animations have changed, too, but you'll get to see that in action later.









Here's all the absorptions I made while going through this place. I'd say I did alright, considering I didn't use the Ivory Book.

This is it - the last room before the final boss.





When you reach the bottom, the platforms retract into the wall and the large hole closes.



To get the hole to open and the platforms to extend again, you have to stand on these fleshy things.



Through this hole lies the end of the game, whatever that entails. I've said it before, but this is as far as I've ever gotten; I've never beaten the final boss, and it's been so long since my last attempt that I might as well be fighting it for the first time. Whatever lies through there will be as much of a mystery to me as it will be to you. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this so far; I'll post the final update as soon as it's ready.

Next time: The end of the game.

I was actually thinking that, but I was too afraid to say anything.

The planet is パルマ in Japanese, and the Earth Ra-Seru is the same. So, maybe...

Is that a second Mei's Pendant, or did you miss getting it earlier in the game?

Also, the Lv3 Gimard, Vera, and Theeder are actually found outside the dungeon.

Come to think of it... is this the only time you see Seru battles with more than 2 enemies?