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[Dragoon En Regalia]

I just got Holy Gift on my Troubadour, so I'll put points into that and see how the multiplier helps vs. upgrading the Songs. Those must be Rosa buffs I haven't gotten yet even after doing her requests...aren't there other Guildkeepers you can unlock?

 

[Zweizer]

Yeah, you should unlock another soon, but their bonuses are more combat-oriented.

 

[mullet2000]

Hey Etrian fans.

I've never played an Etrian game but I'm interested. Should I start with 4 or 5 this October? I probably wouldn't play it till around October anyway so 5 not being out till then isn't a factor.

 

[Zweizer]

Welcome!

Most of us haven't played V yet, so it's hard to gauge, but from what we know V bring some pretty big changes to EO's classes formula, so I'd advise starting with either Untold 1 (Classic mode) or IV, who are better suited to introducing newcomers to a more traditional experience.

 

[Nachos]

Hey Etrian fans.

I've never played an Etrian game but I'm interested. Should I start with 4 or 5 this October? I probably wouldn't play it till around October anyway so 5 not being out till then isn't a factor.

Impressions here and on other sites are saying that while V's really good, it's not as beginner-friendly or balanced as IV. And I feel like IV would be a good way to ease into the series if you're not used to playing first-person dungeon crawlers, since it's got more traditional JRPG trappings, like an overworld/airship and more involved plot.

It's got a demo on the eShop that lets you transfer all your progress to the full game, and it's constantly on sale, so I'd definitely recommend that one first.

 

[asagami_]

I almost defeat the red dragon. Almooooost.

Now with that instan-kill(?) atack remind me to a SMT superboss btw

 

[E_Darkness]

If you want to get into Etrian Odyssey, IV is probably the best shout. Try the demo out (there's quite a bit of it) and you can transfer your save from the demo to the game. Plus the game is on sale pretty often, and if you're in Europe the game is dirt cheap on the eshop all the time.
I'm not a huge fan of Untold 1's grimoire system so I don't like recommending it as a first game.

I got to the EO2U 2nd stratum boss and got wrecked in one turn as all my party got hit by panic. I'm not even mad, that was hilarious.

 

[Rutger]

Yeah, I think IV is the best entry point for what's currently available. The Grimoire system in Untold 1 is just bad and the classes are too basic(personally, I think the more creative classes and the extra flexibility subclasses add to party building in III is a big reason I became such a fan of the battle system in the series). Untold 2 is much better than the first, but I still think its improved Grimoire system is more an interesting idea than a good one(still has way to much RNG when party building shouldn't have any at all imo).

I know nothing about V as an entry point though. However Atlus likes to do a lot of sales so you can probably find IV cheaper, so it's probably the better choice for that alone.

 

[mullet2000]

Welcome!

Most of us haven't played V yet, so it's hard to gauge, but from what we know V bring some pretty big changes to EO's classes formula, so I'd advise starting with either Untold 1 (Classic mode) or IV, who are better suited to introducing newcomers to a more traditional experience.

Impressions here and on other sites are saying that while V's really good, it's not as beginner-friendly or balanced as IV. And I feel like IV would be a good way to ease into the series if you're not used to playing first-person dungeon crawlers, since it's got more traditional JRPG trappings, like an overworld/airship and more involved plot.

It's got a demo on the eShop that lets you transfer all your progress to the full game, and it's constantly on sale, so I'd definitely recommend that one first.

If you want to get into Etrian Odyssey, IV is probably the best shout. Try the demo out (there's quite a bit of it) and you can transfer your save from the demo to the game. Plus the game is on sale pretty often, and if you're in Europe the game is dirt cheap on the eshop all the time.
I'm not a huge fan of Untold 1's grimoire system so I don't like recommending it as a first game.

I got to the EO2U 2nd stratum boss and got wrecked in one turn as all my party got hit by panic. I'm not even mad, that was hilarious.

Yeah, I think IV is the best entry point for what's currently available. The Grimoire system in Untold 1 is just bad and the classes are too basic(personally, I think the more creative classes and the extra flexibility subclasses add to party building in III is a big reason I became such a fan of the battle system in the series). Untold 2 is much better than the first, but I still think its improved Grimoire system is more an interesting idea than a good one(still has way to much RNG when party building shouldn't have any at all imo).

I know nothing about V as an entry point though. However Atlus likes to do a lot of sales so you can probably find IV cheaper, so it's probably the better choice for that alone.

IV it is. Thanks guys.

 

[spiritfox]

Have fun, and don't forget to buy Ariadane Threads.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

EOU's story mode will be a better experience than the classic mode for 95% of the players. It's really well done. The lack of a class choice is unfortunate but the predetermined party is amazingly good.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Bit the bullet and ordered a 2ds. Switch is an utter disappointment for me and it's time to hit that glorious backlog. Got EO4 for the starter game.

Excited to return to the game.

 

[kagamin]

Geez, finally, lol.

 

[E_Darkness]

Well the EO2U 2nd stratum boss sure is a wake up call boss. I'm gonna have to do some grimoire grinding to give my Beast a fire protect to make it a cake walk. Or I could just pray to RNG and brute force it with binds

Spoiler

why is the big fire attack a leg behind? That makes no sense. In fact the reason I keep dying is my damage isn't high enough to kill all the slimes, but I think I can fix that.

Also after looking at the female highlander for long enough, she's wearing a scottish virgin killer sweater.

 

[ohlawd]

Bit the bullet and ordered a 2ds. Switch is an utter disappointment for me and it's time to hit that glorious backlog. Got EO4 for the starter game.

Excited to return to the game.

wtf?

it's been a while since I smh'd so hard

 

[asagami_]

Second dragon was easier. Now for the blizzard king!

Spoiler

But before I will grind a bit more.

 

[E_Darkness]

I ended up making a protector that I just made to grind out a fire wall grimoire. I got a lv3 one and just did the 2nd stratum boss again but RNG was heavily in my favour and so I walked all over it.

 

[Forward]

IV it is. Thanks guys.

If you want to take it all the way back, go with EO1, and use the standard party.

 

[E_Darkness]

We're trying to get new fans, not scare them off forever.

 

[spiritfox]

We're trying to get new fans, not scare them off forever.

Nah the character art already scared them off.

=P

 

[asagami_]

Nah the character art already scared them off.

=P

Oh I remember a certain thread about this Seriously, even if I would love see my five girls's portraits in the battles to watch how awesome and cute they are slaying ancient creatures, EO it's very humble in that aspect. Like, come on, those people won't play EO anyway.

 

[asagami_]

Sorry for the bumb but I faced the Fallen One and I was defeated in TWO FUCKING TURNS. I'm not ready to defeat it ;_;

Now I feel I'm ready explore the extra dungeon. Maybe I'm overleveled, but if I hit the 99 level cap I could retire my characters and push my limits with underleveled units. Just don't know if I will change my Imperial unit subclass, she was runemaster but at this point I don't expect exploit so much the elemental attacks. I will check guides for a while.

 

[tuffy]

With Imperial/Runemaster setups, it's helpful to stack the Runemaster passives with the big elemental Drive skills - like Runic Guidance, Runic Flare, Free Energy and TP Boost. It's one of the better Imperial combinations.

The Fallen One can be tough, though, and you'll almost certainly want to search the level and apply the chemicals to weaken it if you haven't already.

 

[jonjonaug]

With Imperial/Runemaster setups, it's helpful to stack the Runemaster passives with the big elemental Drive skills - like Runic Guidance, Runic Flare, Free Energy and TP Boost. It's one of the better Imperial combinations.

The Fallen One can be tough, though, and you'll almost certainly want to search the level and apply the chemicals to weaken it if you haven't already.

Fallen One is the dragon superboss.

 

[tuffy]

Fallen One is the dragon superboss.

Oh crap, you're right. So embarrassing.

 

[spiritfox]

Oh the Fallen One needs either bind cheesing or lvl 99.

 

[jonjonaug]

Oh the Fallen One needs either bind cheesing or lvl 99.

You dont need to be quite that high, I think I did it around 90.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Just hit 5th Stratum. It took some work to beat Iwaonosumthing, even without Diabolixes or Cruellas screwing me over (with or without Panic Rings and Bind Resist gear), but that wasn't too bad. Everyone in my exploration party's at level 50-51, and I haven't crossed the bridge in

Spoiler

Lost Shinjuku

yet. So far I've retired each of them once, at level 30, and diversified using plain Grimoires.

Main team:

L P D
M T

I'm spending (re)quest EXP on my A and S for the most part, with an H and R just in case. This doesn't seem to be hurting the main party much at all, nor am I overleveled since the optional EXP + some grinding for material quests would have been too much. 4th Stratum FOEs seem more painful than anything before, so I'm going to play it safe as I get closer to the story end.

This story is really going places now. Aside from the crazy twist which speaks for itself, I'm left wondering about the backstory for Ren and Tlachtga, let alone the suspicious Chieftain, and it's peculiar how the forest girl's fate remains unresolved. NPCs in town sure seem uncertain in a way that makes sense and reflects what little they know vs. the player. Does 6th Stratum continue any story development or is it basically self-contained?

What a great spelunking adventure so far. Hearing Destruction Begets Decay in context (not that I'd listened to it before) made B16F one of the standout floors, and the challenge level's gotten just right for me. I'm prepared to rest some of my adventurers in case I end up struggling with optional/final bosses, but I'll probably be able to finish this before college starts.

 

[Zweizer]

The 6th Stratum stuff doesn't really expand much on the main story, but rather on the world and setting, especially with the quests.

This reminds me that they took out one particular quest from the original EO in Untold, which is a shame, because I quite liked the way it expanded on a character.

Also, the original FM version of Destruction Begets Decay is still my favorite EO tune.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

This reminds me that they took out one particular quest from the original EO in Untold, which is a shame, because I quite liked the way it expanded on a character.

Which part of the original would I find this quest? Sounds like it's time to dig up an LP and see what got removed. And are the guildkeepers all new for Untold? The whole Austin story's been fun.

I wish it was more convenient to switch between FM-synth and arranged tracks—plenty of room on the bottom screen to implement a toggle! Most of the new arranges are better, but the originals still excel despite the actual FM-synth samples being limited. Just imagine what Koshiro would do if the programmers added native MML/FM drivers into EOVI so he could do crazier synthesis. The Withered Forest sounds especially great in FM thanks to dat inimitable synth organ and chorus samples.

 

[Zweizer]

Which part of the original would I find this quest? Sounds like it's time to dig up an LP and see what got removed. And are the guildkeepers all new for Untold? The whole Austin story's been fun.

I wish it was more convenient to switch between FM-synth and arranged tracks—plenty of room on the bottom screen to implement a toggle! Most of the new arranges are better, but the originals still excel despite the actual FM-synth samples being limited. Just imagine what Koshiro would do if the programmers added native MML/FM drivers into EOVI so he could do crazier synthesis. The Withered Forest sounds especially great in FM thanks to dat inimitable synth organ and chorus samples.

The quest is that you have to fight a Medusa Tree solo. They weren't FOEs and were named Sickwood back then if my memory serves right. Forgot the name of the quest itself though.

I'd say the peak of Koshiro's FM performance for EO remains EO3. The End of the Raging Waves, Chalky Woods, or even the title theme. They're all so good.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

This story is really going places now. Aside from the crazy twist which speaks for itself, I'm left wondering about the backstory for Ren and Tlachtga, let alone the suspicious Chieftain, and it's peculiar how the forest girl's fate remains unresolved. NPCs in town sure seem uncertain in a way that makes sense and reflects what little they know vs. the player. Does 6th Stratum continue any story development or is it basically self-contained?

What a great spelunking adventure so far. Hearing Destruction Begets Decay in context (not that I'd listened to it before) made B16F one of the standout floors, and the challenge level's gotten just right for me. I'm prepared to rest some of my adventurers in case I end up struggling with optional/final bosses, but I'll probably be able to finish this before college starts.

Something that stood out to me and a ton of other folks who played EO when it first dropped was that entire Fourth Stratum chapter. Untold retcons the very dark original scenario that Kazuya Niinou wrote (

Spoiler

total genocide of the Forest Folk, with even Kupala implied to die from the battle

). Pretty heavy stuff, but that's what made it great.

I'd say the peak of Koshiro's FM performance for EO remains EO3. The End of the Raging Waves, Chalky Woods, or even the title theme. They're all so good.

How can you not mention the best stratum boss theme the series has had?
Totally different tone from the previous two games' boss themes, but it's pure Koshiro essence.

 

[Zweizer]

How can you not mention the best stratum boss theme the series has had?
Totally different tone from the previous two games' boss themes, but it's pure Koshiro essence.

I'm not that fond of this tune to be frank. It just sounds too busy and messy. As far as stratum boss themes go, I vastly prefer Scarlet Rain.

 

[SpScarecrow0]

New to EOGaf but ive been playing EO4 and im on the 2nd area and some random gold dragon appears on the world map out of nowhere. I was so surprised. Holy Gift is more like God's Gift. Makes the grind much easier.

 

[ohlawd]

EO3's normal boss music is shit

best in the series

lmao

 

[Etrian Oddity]

EO3's normal boss music is shit

best in the series

lmao

LMAO shit? How many RPGs have you played? Not a cup of tea, not similar to the first two themes yeah, but shit? I'm dying right now. XD

 

[Nachos]

Masurao Trailer

 

[ohlawd]

LMAO shit? How many RPGs have you played? Not a cup of tea, not similar to the first two themes yeah, but shit? I'm dying right now. XD

I like this piss poor attempt of downplaying it by going "hey, I don't think you meant THIS, maybe you meant THAT"

it's shit.

you could have had the decency to name something great like this one

but I'm not really expecting much from someone who whined about the next EO potentially being on the 3DS (I doubt it but I wouldn't care if it did, I'd buy it anyway on Switch or 3DS), turns around and buys a 3DS when late to the party a decade later

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

What have I walked in on

At this point I'm still developing favorites while trying not to spoil too much of the cool music. The First Campaign from EOIII, though, is absolutely one of the most memorable and driving regular battle themes I can name, and what little of the game I've heard sounds great. Hoist the Sword's not super amazing, but a nice upgrade from Dyed in Blood (which doesn't compete in arrangement), and I really enjoy End of the Raging Waves despite some lack of ambition.

It's nice hearing slightly different versions of the FM tracks on 3DS vs. their DS renditions.

Something that stood out to me and a ton of other folks who played EO when it first dropped was that entire Fourth Stratum chapter. Untold retcons the very dark original scenario that Kazuya Niinou wrote (

Spoiler

total genocide of the Forest Folk, with even Kupala implied to die from the battle

). Pretty heavy stuff, but that's what made it great.

Sounds brutal as can be. I personally like the less ruinous tone Untold's story takes by comparison.

Spoiler

Having the option to spare or kill off all the Forest Folk might have given Atlus too much trouble if that meant having to reflect this decision in NPC text and a new ending, so it's not surprising they'd change it just enough to make you feel more optimistic about Kupala

.

Anyway, I'm blasting through 5th Stratum. The bear and mastodon maze is a nice improvement. Even the new mantises don't help how much this dungeon reminds me of Amami Monolith from Soul Hackers (which was still worse). Should I wait until high-50s before tackling Alraune (and this other boss I don't know the name of yet) or can I do it with a level 53-54 party so long as I figure out the right gear/re-spec?

 

[Zweizer]

Anyway, I'm blasting through 5th Stratum. The bear and mastodon maze is a nice improvement. Even the new mantises don't help how much this dungeon reminds me of Amami Monolith from Soul Hackers (which was still worse). Should I wait until high-50s before tackling Alraune (and this other boss I don't know the name of yet) or can I do it with a level 53-54 party so long as I figure out the right gear/re-spec?

Oh boy, Amami Monolith was one hell of a dungeon, lol.

Alraune is kind of a superboss, so I'd advise tackling her in your 60s rather than going through the trouble of optimizing your party. Memorizing her turn pattern also helps.

 

[Rutger]

EOIII's boss theme is the best in the series, and EOIII's soundtrack is the best in the series, and possibly even Koshiro's finest soundtrack overall.

Something that stood out to me and a ton of other folks who played EO when it first dropped was that entire Fourth Stratum chapter. Untold retcons the very dark original scenario that Kazuya Niinou wrote (

Spoiler

total genocide of the Forest Folk, with even Kupala implied to die from the battle

). Pretty heavy stuff, but that's what made it great.

I never cared for that honestly. Feels forced when every playable character is created by the player, at that point I lost interest in what was going on since my party is now full of idiots and I just kept playing for the gameplay.

 

[PK Gaming]

Masurao Trailer

Maximum <3

Can't wait to run a quad sword wielding bunny fighter

 

[spiritfox]

I'm still not sure what party I want to run in EOV. Dragoon for sure, and maybe Harbinger, but other than that I dunno, I wanna use them all lol.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Oh boy, Amami Monolith was one hell of a dungeon, lol.

Alraune is kind of a superboss, so I'd advise tackling her in your 60s rather than going through the trouble of optimizing your party. Memorizing her turn pattern also helps.

Harder than main final boss? I also keep hearing about Claret Caverns being a tedious 6th Stratum, presumably compared to other post-game dungeons. Maybe those comments are more relevant when playing Expert instead. This wouldn't be such a problem if Millennium Girl had multiple saves, though maybe I won't try Story Mode yet.

I never cared for that honestly. Feels forced when every playable character is created by the player, at that point I lost interest in what was going on since my party is now full of idiots and I just kept playing for the gameplay.

The multiple-choice dialogue with

Spoiler

Kupala

on B17F told me there was either going to be an alternate outcome to this mission or that

Spoiler

no player party would ever go the full mile in killing the forest folk, at least not her

. You end up

Spoiler

weakening the forest folk by murdering their guardian and best warriors

, but the FOEs seem to respawn. I think what the original game does sounds interesting, but all the changes in Untold Classic's story fit this as well.

I really like how, at first,

Spoiler

Etria freaked out over the Chieftain's disappearance, but now the Radha's learning how to interact better with the rest of town without relying on him

, and the NPC text's designed to propel you towards B25F in a cool way.

 

[Zweizer]

Harder than main final boss? I also keep hearing about Claret Caverns being a tedious 6th Stratum, presumably compared to other post-game dungeons. Maybe those comments are more relevant when playing Expert instead. This wouldn't be such a problem if Millennium Girl had multiple saves, though maybe I won't try Story Mode yet.

I think so. Still, try again before the final boss.
Every 6th stratum is arduous. They're supposed to be bonus dungeons after all.

 

[asagami_]

So, I almost hit the 99 level cap in my main party and I'm thinking if I should change some characters now I will have the chance to retire them.

For now I'm using:

Land/Bushi - Fortress/Dancer - Imperial/Runemaster
Night/Arcanist - Arcanist/Medic

I don't expect change the F/D, I/R and A/M units, because they do an awesome job. I was thinking if Night/Sniper can be a good change, I mean, I was using the Arcanist subclass for one of the ailment boost skills, but I expect the retire bonus give me a Nightseeker unit who will hit 99 luck at high levels (maybe at late 80's) so I expect that should be enough to hit ailment/binds.

About the L/B unit... is bored, but's damn strong with Vanguard + Blood Surge + Charge + Sword Tempest. I wonder would be interesting to reverse the combination and have a B/L unit

 

[Zweizer]

So, I almost hit the 99 level cap in my main party and I'm thinking if I should change some characters now I will have the chance to retire them.

For now I'm using:

Land/Bushi - Fortress/Dancer - Imperial/Runemaster
Night/Arcanist - Arcanist/Medic

I don't expect change the F/D, I/R and A/M units, because they do an awesome job. I was thinking if Night/Sniper can be a good change, I mean, I was using the Arcanist subclass for one of the ailment boost skills, but I expect the retire bonus give me a Nightseeker unit who will hit 99 luck at high levels (maybe at late 80's) so I expect that should be enough to hit ailment/binds.

About the L/B unit... is bored, but's damn strong with Vanguard + Blood Surge + Charge + Sword Tempest. I wonder would be interesting to reverse the combination and have a B/L unit

Most people use Nightseeker/Arcanist because of Ailment Boost and TP Return. The rest of your party is fine. Bushi as main class is pretty rare, as it's mostly used as a subclass, but feel free to experiment.

 

[tuffy]

The virtues of a Bushi main is that they're a reliably good source of physical damage and skills like Ferocity and Endure make them very difficult to kill even with minimal support. There was at least one boss fight where nobody else in my party was left standing but my lone Bushi was still able to finish the job. They're especially nice for random encounters, though, since their TP-returning class skill means I can just unload on everybody with attack skills and then recharge with a few normal hits.

 

[asagami_]

Most people use Nightseeker/Arcanist because of Ailment Boost and TP Return. The rest of your party is fine. Bushi as main class is pretty rare, as it's mostly used as a subclass, but feel free to experiment.

The virtues of a Bushi main is that they're a reliably good source of physical damage and skills like Ferocity and Endure make them very difficult to kill even with minimal support. There was at least one boss fight where nobody else in my party was left standing but my lone Bushi was still able to finish the job. They're especially nice for random encounters, though, since their TP-returning class skill means I can just unload on everybody with attack skills and then recharge with a few normal hits.

Instead to reset my N/A and L/B units, I created two new units: N/S and B/N units. So far I'm liking the performance of both, specially my N/S who is already level 50 and sometimes binds the FOES from the fourth area, so it's just she need to increase her luck to have better hits.

By the way, I am thinking it would be interesting do a New Game + instead to level up my not-yet resetted characters (and try to fight the Fallen One at least a few times before that). I think I can level up my new units until 99 easily, so in theory I could start the NG+ with 7 level 30 characters who will have the bonus of a retire of level 99.

Sounds crazy but this would be the perfect setup to revisite the game in the future. I'm a bit tired of EOIV and now I'm curious to try the DS EO games.

 

[Zweizer]

I personally find there's not much point to the New Game+ in EO4. At least in 3, U1 and U2 there's different paths or modes to play around with.