Hardtype Extra - Full Moons 1 (Low Level)

So uh, here's 50 extra minibosses.

  / jimsonlytweet1  

Rules:

This is a low level run of zombero's hardtype mod: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3299/
The aim is to keep XP gain as low as possible without affecting my sanity.
Hard mode, obviously
No stat boosting items
All other game mechanics are fair game!

I'm back! The aim: to showcase all of the FKEs (full kagutsuchi encounters) that were added in hardtype. But being me, I had to LL them. I kept saves from my LL run before and after every boss, so for each encounter I just loaded the earliest file I had where they were available to fight. In general I was trying to do this without grinding. I'd browse the shop or compendium with the funds I had if there was anything useful but otherwise it was usually a case of loading up the save and doing the best I could with what I had. I only fused new demons if I deemed it absolutely necessary. As a result some of these are a little more 'brute force' than I'd usually go for. Especially in the early game I sometimes had no choice but to depend on landing ailments through Unshaken Will's 75% resistance, but as always I judge each case on its own merits (i.e. is spending 20 minutes trying to land this damn ailment less difficult than trying to beat it without?) Back attacks from any of these can be an instant game over.

0 XP and full moon cheats were active throughout, as they save me time clicking through pointless menus and fishing for full moon encounters respectively. These are just for demonstration purposes after all. Some of these can still have regular reinforcements so this may not be a totally comprehensive list, but I covered myself with that "(pretty much)" in the intro ;) If you spot any glaring omissions though do please point them out.

SHINJUKU

Slime (0:18) - Not as simple as you might think with just a Pixie as Zio generally won't 2HKO and they can boom with Last Resort if they're left on low HP (likely an instant wipe). I probably should've recruited a Kodama first but I got by okay thanks to some lucky shocks.

MAP #1

Mou-Ryo/Zhen (1:17) - These seem to be a pair - you can encounter groups of either, and then the other will appear as reinforcements. Zhen can appear at any moon phase but Mou-Ryo seems to be unique to full moon. Anyway, Mazan is difficult to deal with at this stage, so hope they don't spam it. Leaving them on low health can be good this time as it can encourage Deathtouch instead. When the Zhen come in you can take them out pretty swiftly.

YOYOGI

High Pixie (4:05) - Wing Buffet hurts if she uses it. Stun & Sukukaja is the way to go here.

SHIBUYA

Choronzon (5:44) - Same as above. Berserk is ridiculous, hope he doesn't use it too much before you set up.

AMALA

Shiisaa (8:37) - Always seem to open with double War Cry. I leave Hua Po out of the starting lineup so she isn't affected. Unshaken Will makes stun not worth, just go for the kill and hope Shock doesn't multi-hit too much.

AFTER AMALA

Archangel (10:18) - Thankfully I had some Medusa Eyes (hardtype exclusive I think?) so this is easy. I must've got them from negotiation as I don't think they're buyable til later on. I bought Hifumi for this segment despite not having it yet on the original file, it seemed handy.

Unicorn & Bicorn (11:05) - The worst one yet. Big damage, heals & annoying ailments. Unicorn just keeps summoning Bicorns so you have to deal with it first. They all resist ailments but we can set up full Suku buffs now at least. Stun Bite is still an OHKO on our demons even after Tarunda. This took quite a few attempts but I eventually got through it with some luck.

Uzubae & Sarutahiko (16:01) - Not as insurmountable as it might seem although still pretty tricky. We need Hifumi to survive the opening round. Kill the leftmost Sudama immediately so it stops raising her magic. Once they're gone she summons Sarutahiko, exploit his stun weakness and hope he never lands a hit on Demi. Fun fact: Uzume can't actually learn Stone Gaze and if an enemy bae does this she will float motionlessly while the rest of the animation plays. I assume zombero gave her this because of an error in OG heretic mansion that lists her as learning it instead of Petradi.

The underpass waters are one of the few locations in the game not to have a proper FKE, although I believe formations including Forneus are more common. Whatever, it doesn't play the music so I skipped it.