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[scy]

You said you didn't remember your math!

Close enough.

I was going to post something similar, but you did it much more comprehensively than I would have. Though, I completely forgot how useless Nine Smashes essentially (especially compared to a gladiator/buccaneer using Pincushion with some agility books under their belt). It was like the Gladiator suddenly became a belligerent drunk, but only for that one attack.

Nine Smashes at least could get the Accuracy compensation elsewhere but ... yeah. Pincushion was just that much better anyway so what was the point? Oh well.

It uses the new formulas, just like Untold 1 did. I don't know the specific modifiers, but they actually made the agility stat even more important than in other games; it now affects both bow and gun damage. I think strength might still have some influence on physical skills, but at the very least, pulling the trigger slightly harder won't magically make your bullets do way more damage.

Interesting. If I had to guess, it'll use AGI for their base Damage value and probably use a (STR+TEC/2)+AGI for the scaling on it for skills. Possibly.

 

[Anustart]

Beat Heavenbringer on lunch today at work, but just as I did my 3ds started flashing red, the battery was about to die! Luckily it held out for 4 hours closed until I got home so I didn't have to do it again.

I really like this battle music in the 6th maze! Should I attempt any of the dragons now?

 

[Zweizer]

I really like this battle music in the 6th maze! Should I attempt any of the dragons now?

You should attempt to beat the Dragons as soon as you can in order to raise the level cap.

 

[tuffy]

It helps that the dragons aren't quite as brutal this time around and there's always convenient food nearby to mitigate their elemental attack.

But outside of that first attack, they're a lot less predictable than they used to be too.

 

[Parakeetman]

btw omlet updated that post of mine and put in a few more localized titles from OTs that were here. Im trying to remember if there was anything else for localized JP developed dungeon crawlers that might be missing on the list. Oh yeah that shitty game MIND≒0

Localized
Etrian Odyssey Series Community Thread - DS / 3DS (For all localized titles.)
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - 3DS
Demon Gaze - PS VITA
Elminage Gothic - PC (STEAM)
Elminage Original - PSP (For hardcore old school Wizardry style fun, though bad localization.)
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls - PS3 (PSN)
Strange Journey - DS
Class of Heroes - PSP
Class of Heroes 2 - PSP
Unchained Blades - PSP / 3DS
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - 3DS
The Dark Spire - DS

(MIND≒0 exists also but its such a shitty half-assed game that it does not really belong on this list. Bad considering Im a long time fan of Acquire / Zerodiv)

 

[Man God]

Unchained Blades is pretty wretched.

 

[Shizuka]

Dark Spire, Elminage Original is actually PSP, Class of Heroes 2G, Class of Heroes, Soul Hackers.

 

[Parakeetman]

Dark Spire, Elminage Original is actually PSP, Class of Heroes 2G, Class of Heroes, Soul Hackers.

Will have to fix that.

Looks like there is a really old OT. Adding the link now.

Thanks! Done and updated!

 

[SliceSabre]

Been meaning to try out on of those Class of Heroes games, but I've got too much backlogged.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I recommend The Dark Spire, it's an amazing game.

 

[Shengar]

Just starting my first Etrian Odyssey game with EOIV and loving it so far. I'm having my doubt on the map drawing aspect, but now it's become integral to the fun to me. I wished that there is a smartphone app for dungeon map drawing so it become handy when I played other game in the genre without the mapping function as EO did

 

[Augemitbutter]

Unchained Blades is pretty wretched.

it's better than EOIII.

 

[Parakeetman]

it's better than EOIII.

Yeah no. Unchained Blades is pretty boring overall with a ton of unnecessary mechanics that makes the game more of a chore than actually fun to play. Still have the PSP and 3DS versions around here somewhere and they sure as hell are not going back in either system ever again.

 

[Augemitbutter]

Yeah no. Unchained Blades is pretty boring overall with a ton of unnecessary mechanics that makes the game more of a chore than actually fun to play. Still have the PSP and 3DS versions around here somewhere and they sure as hell are not going back in either system ever again.

EOIII becomes a borefest once they tell you to regurgitate old abilities. they're artificially stretching the game like that. not cool at all. i take the multi screen battle action of UB over that any day.

 

[Man God]

it's better than EOIII.

I'm the (now second) biggest EO III hater around and I know this is crazy talk. Unchained Blades is wretched, especially the 3DS version.

Despite how bad it was it really could have capitalized if it had kept its original Summer 2012 launch date and had the barest of care put into it (Nintendo standard Cancel/Confirm buttons, using the bottom screen as a map in a dungeon crawler) but the port is just bad. The game is unmemorable in just about every possible way. It's not even racy enough to get those sorts of fans involved like other PSP/Vita titles in the genre, nor good enough dungeon wise to stack up to Class of Heroes, let alone the EO games.

Luckily Mind Zero is on that list to prevent this from being the real black sheep. I've got a decent chunk of the game left yet it's on the very bottom of my 3DS backlog so I might get to it on my deathbed in forty years.

 

[Augemitbutter]

I'm the (now second) biggest EO III hater around and I know this is crazy talk. Unchained Blades is wretched, especially the 3DS version.

i'm not really a hater. i just know which game i've enjoyed much more. i like to have new abilities in my games. that game just stopped giving you new tools. here, we'll give you old stuff for the other half of this lengthy game. not fun at all. and that boat game is the epitome of "tacked on".

 

[spiritfox]

Subclassing is also about taking old skills and putting them together in new ways (and break the game). I like figuring out what combinations work and puts a new spin on skills you already know.

 

[Augemitbutter]

yea, that's still regurgitating. and i also prefer a good game balance.

 

[Rutger]

yea, that's still regurgitating. and i also prefer a good game balance.

So does this mean EOIV is your favorite EO?

Bad class balance isn't something new to EOIII. EOII had the god class Hexer, unmatched by anything else in this series.

Speaking of the god class, do we know what EOU2 has done to balance it? Any changes to Revenge, or Boss/FOE HP? Though what I really would like to hear is that it doesn't completely outclass all the classes designed for damage this time around.

 

[Parakeetman]

Subclassing is also about taking old skills and putting them together in new ways (and break the game). I like figuring out what combinations work and puts a new spin on skills you already know.

Basically yes. Its about being creative or just doing bat shit crazy stuff since the game let you. If anything EOIII had the most varied class roster in the series. IV was way too orthodox which made it boring personally class selection wise.

 

[tuffy]

Speaking of the god class, do we know what EOU2 has done to balance it? Any changes to Revenge, or Boss/FOE HP? Though what I really would like to hear is that it doesn't completely outclass all the classes designed for damage this time around.

From the import thread, we know the Revenge skill is completely gone. In addition, the Force skills have been toned down and given limits so one can't spam them all the time like before. An expected rebalance, I think.

 

[Rutger]

From the import thread, we know the Revenge skill is completely gone. In addition, the Force skills have been toned down and given limits so one can't spam them all the time like before. An expected rebalance, I think.

Oh, nice. While there was something fun about watching the Hexer turn EOII into the easiest game in the series, I'm really happy to hear this. The Hexer really should not have been dealing the damage it did in EOII.

The Force skill change sounds good too. Being able to prevent the post game final boss from ever attacking while I toss Revenge was a little too much.

I'm really looking forward to EO2U now.

Oh, is floor jump still in? It'd be kind of silly to keep that with how EOII used magnetic poles.

 

[Augemitbutter]

So does this mean EOIV is your favorite EO?
.

i don't have a favorite one. EO original had the biggest impact, so i'd choose that one over III any day.

 

[scy]

Speaking of bad game balance.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I love EO1 but it's an unbalanced mess.

 

[E_Darkness]

I really like the sub-persona system in Persona Q. It's a really neat addition. It is basically free HP/SP. It feels like the grimoire system but less tedious and better.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

From the import thread, we know the Revenge skill is completely gone. In addition, the Force skills have been toned down and given limits so one can't spam them all the time like before. An expected rebalance, I think.

Which reminds me, did they fix Loyalty? That was the only gimp thing in that game.

 

[Laconic]

i'm not really a hater. i just know which game i've enjoyed much more. i like to have new abilities in my games. that game just stopped giving you new tools. here, we'll give you old stuff for the other half of this lengthy game. not fun at all. and that boat game is the epitome of "tacked on".

Subclassing is the best thing that ever happened to EO.

In my opinion.

And I love all of them.

But the boat WAS possibly the worst thing that ever hapened to EO.

Again, in my opinion.

I still loved the game.

 

[Zweizer]

i don't have a favorite one. EO original had the biggest impact, so i'd choose that one over III any day.

EO1 is my personal favorite as well, but it's the least balanced game in the series, and that's saying something.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I really like the sub-persona system in Persona Q. It's a really neat addition. It is basically free HP/SP. It feels like the grimoire system but less tedious and better.

same, it's one of the main reasons of why I'm enjoying the game a lot, even if it makes most random battles a joke.

I REALLY don't like how in Persona 3/4 you can only change your MC's Persona, it's not the same but I'm glad it went back to how P1/P2 were and that I can customize everyone.

 

[Nemaides]

Guys, if I play EOU in classic mode will I be missing a lot of content or just some extras? I don't like the idea of having premade characters, but I don't want to miss anything substantial. So, what to do?

 

[Zweizer]

Guys, if I play EOU in classic mode will I be missing a lot of content or just some extras? I don't like the idea of having premade characters, but I don't want to miss anything substantial. So, what to do?

Have you played EO1 before? If not, I suggest you start with Classic and then play Story mode on a New Game+, as the latter really butchers the plot of the first game (which had the most effective one of the entire series). Otherwise, I think it's best to play Story mode first and be done with it.

Here's what you get in Story mode:
+2 special classes for use in Classic mode after completion
+Extra dungeon and enemies (needed to fill the Compendium and get that achievement on your guild card)
+Best katana for Ronins

-Premade characters
-No way to change party members
-Atrocious retelling of the original story in EO1

 

[Delstius]

Guys, if I play EOU in classic mode will I be missing a lot of content or just some extras? I don't like the idea of having premade characters, but I don't want to miss anything substantial. So, what to do?

If I remember right, you'll only miss the story dungeon, which is interesting but not amazing, and the best katana.

 

[Nachos]

Guys, if I play EOU in classic mode will I be missing a lot of content or just some extras? I don't like the idea of having premade characters, but I don't want to miss anything substantial. So, what to do?

It's the only way to 100% your guild card, but luckily, the best katana is only marginally, marginally better than the second-best one. The two new classes are game-breaking, anyway.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Guys, if I play EOU in classic mode will I be missing a lot of content or just some extras? I don't like the idea of having premade characters, but I don't want to miss anything substantial. So, what to do?

Play Classic Mode, the cons outweigh the pros.

 

[PK Gaming]

I really like the sub-persona system in Persona Q. It's a really neat addition. It is basically free HP/SP. It feels like the grimoire system but less tedious and better.

I'm a huge fan of them as well.

That said, I miss slowly getting completely drained in terms SP. I liked the sensation of exiting a dungeon when it was literally impossible to keep going. It was a good implementation of fatigue without actually having a fatigue mechanic. In Persona Q, I pretty much leave dungeons when my inventory gets full.

I also wished Persona Q utilized skillpoints in some way, but I suppose that's asking for too much. I'm going to see if I can build a link party...

 

[magnetic]

Wow, I´m really love with this series right now. Again, actually - I´ve played those games really hard in late 2012, until I completely burned out - partly because I didn´t pace myself and really didn´t understand a lot of mechanics properly (like buffing/debuffing, properly managing my TP and how to distribute skillpoints).

I´m so happy the series is getting more and more popular. I´ve been starting my second wave of Etrian fever with classic mode EOU, EOIII again and have EOIV sitting on the shelve as well. Just started Persona Q too, and there´s also the EO2 remake on the horizon, EO x MD, EOV and very likely the remake of EOIII as well.

It´s crazy how quickly I developed a sense of nostalgia for these games. As I said, I only started playing EO 2 years ago, and yet the music and the dungeon designs have left a permanent impression on me.

It´s probably the most satisfying gaming series I have ever played. There´s so much to learn and to discover, and I love switching back and forth between these games, noticing differences in the mechanics and classes, soaking in the glorious FM synths and fantastically drawn 2D sprites, and on the other hand the fantastic orchestral sounds and adorably animated polygonal models.

I actually enjoy these games so much that I promised myself to take breaks as soon as I start getting impatient in order to prevent myself buring out once more - to keep it special. Back then I tried to just brute force my way through them, which was pretty frustrating - this time I´m really savoring a slower, much more patient way of playing and enjoying them.

And I have to say that I really appreciate smaller but significant improvements - first and foremost the option to greatly increase the battle speed. EO on the DS is completely unplayable to me these days - not even autobattle, painfully slow battles, no auto-walking, no strafing... It´s crazy how far this series has come in these few years.

And finally a genre I enjoy that isn´t completely doomed to rot away in it´s tiny niche (like shmups and pinball, sadly).

And wow, the graphic designs just keeps getting better. Just look at these gorgeous colors!

 

[Augemitbutter]

EO1 is my personal favorite as well, but it's the least balanced game in the series, and that's saying something.

i wasn't trying to comment on its balance. it's still the most memorable game to me, that's all.

 

[Nemaides]

Thanks for the replies. I haven't played EO1 so I think I will play Classic first, and do a Story Mode run at some point in the future for that extra dungeon/enemies.

 

[Zweizer]

i wasn't trying to comment on its balance. it's still the most memorable game to me, that's all.

Well, it is the the first game and it had the most memorable plot, so it's not hard to imagine why.

 

[spiritfox]

I really like the sub-persona system in Persona Q. It's a really neat addition. It is basically free HP/SP. It feels like the grimoire system but less tedious and better.

It makes the dungeon crawl a joke though. At least the labyrinth design is the best I've seen so far.

 

[Anustart]

Fought a dragon and got wrecked. But I'm delving deeper into this great 6th maze as well as trying to figure out what this moth's garden is all about.

 

[Parakeetman]

Fought a dragon and got wrecked. But I'm delving deeper into this great 6th maze as well as trying to figure out what this moth's garden is all about.

if thats where i think it is you are gonna LOVE that place lol

 

[Rutger]

It makes the dungeon crawl a joke though. At least the labyrinth design is the best I've seen so far.

That's not really anything new honestly, there's usually ways to trivialize dungeon crawling in EO. EOIV was the only one I've played where my party didn't have a way to make TP a non-issue, and even then it wasn't hard to manage.

The dungeons in Persona Q are amazing though. The first may have been short, but I still found it more interesting than most of EOU, and the second has been great so far. If PQ can keep this up, it might have a chance of surpassing EOIII as my favorite EO game.

 

[ZeroX03]

This looks like a good place to ask:

I picked up EOIV and I like it, the gameplay is fun but there isn't a whole lot of story motivation. Should I pick up EO:U? A premade party sounds like an improvement to me, as long as the gameplay isn't too downgraded from being a remake of an older title.

Also have a copy of Persona Q arriving later this week which I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love.

 

[omlet]

I picked up EOIV and I like it, the gameplay is fun but there isn't a whole lot of story motivation. Should I pick up EO:U? A premade party sounds like an improvement to me, as long as the gameplay isn't too downgraded from being a remake of an older title.

IV's story is pretty involved compared to the rest of the series. If you're enjoying the gameplay but a premade party sounds like an upgrade to you then you'll probably like EOU. Just be sure to play on expert mode or it's so easy that it's boring.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Fought a dragon and got wrecked. But I'm delving deeper into this great 6th maze as well as trying to figure out what this moth's garden is all about.

If you hit level 70 then be sure to go after one of the dragons. The final dungeon is pretty great, I love it.

This looks like a good place to ask:

I picked up EOIV and I like it, the gameplay is fun but there isn't a whole lot of story motivation. Should I pick up EO:U? A premade party sounds like an improvement to me, as long as the gameplay isn't too downgraded from being a remake of an older title.

Also have a copy of Persona Q arriving later this week which I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love.

It's not.

Persona Q is great so I hope you enjoy it, I'm surprised by how much I like it.

 

[spiritfox]

Persona Q might be my GOTY, which is surprising for a spinoff game.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Persona Q might be my GOTY, which is surprising for a spinoff game.

I need to finish it before fully judging the game but it will be in my top 10 for sure.

 

[ZeroX03]

IV's story is pretty involved compared to the rest of the series. If you're enjoying the gameplay but a premade party sounds like an upgrade to you then you'll probably like EOU. Just be sure to play on expert mode or it's so easy that it's boring.

Sounds like I'll have to pick it up then. I just needed one person to push me into it, thanks.

It's not.

Persona Q is great so I hope you enjoy it, I'm surprised by how much I like it.

Character creation is not something I enjoy though.

I've got a sneaking suspicion Persona Q will take a place in my top 3 games this year. Everything about it sounds right up my alley. If I'm lucky it'll arrive tomorrow!