Support NeoGAF

[brinstar]

I don't even see how the majority of the decisions you make even correspond to law or chaos, so I've just been ignoring them and choosing what I'd what I personally think.

Does the plot actually head down a law/chaos dichotomy or is it more of a personal Walter/Jonathan thing?

 

[Nexas]

Early game spoilers (that forest area):

I am fighting

Spoiler

Isaccar. I assume saying I consider myself Luxuror is Lawful, Commoner is Chaotic, and ignoring him is Neutral?

Sparing him, does it have any consequences later in the game? Or is it just the Lawful choice? I felt killing him was the right thing to do, since euthanasia doesn't seem inherently chaotic. But since it pissed John off I am guessing I am wrong.

Spoiler

I don't think the choices in boss battles affect your alignment. What they do is give you or the boss a buff/debuff based on the choice.

 

[CornBurrito]

Spoiler

I don't think the choices in boss battles affect your alignment. What they do is give you or the boss a buff/debuff based on the choice.

Da fuq... that makes things pretty damn simple then.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I don't even see how the majority of the decisions you make even correspond to law or chaos, so I've just been ignoring them and choosing what I'd what I personally think.

Does the plot actually head down a law/chaos dichotomy or is it more of a personal Walter/Jonathan thing?

It's a mainline SMT, so it is definitely going to skew off more distinctly as you move forward into the storyline. Generally, the law/chaos/neutral arc stuff doesn't hit in full force until the second half of the story. At least, that's how it was in SMT1 and SMT2. Nocturne was a little different.

Spoiler

I don't think the choices in boss battles affect your alignment. What they do is give you or the boss a buff/debuff based on the choice.

Not true.

Spoiler

There are definitely dialogue choices during boss fights that have alignment effects. Other ones are just related to that boss specifically and buff or debuff people in battle.

 

[subtles]

Edit: Nevermind

 

[FrontRelinquish]

I don't even see how the majority of the decisions you make even correspond to law or chaos, so I've just been ignoring them and choosing what I'd what I personally think.

Does the plot actually head down a law/chaos dichotomy or is it more of a personal Walter/Jonathan thing?

For the sake of being as spoiler-free as possible, let's just say it's both.

 

[brinstar]

It's a mainline SMT, so it is definitely going to skew off more distinctly as you move forward into the storyline. Generally, the law/chaos/neutral arc stuff doesn't hit in full force until the second half of the story. At least, that's how it was in SMT1 and SMT2. Nocturne was a little different.

Yeah, it was kind of like that in Strange Journey too, but it felt like the general alignment questions you got asked in that game were more obviously law/chaos/neutral-based.

In this game just doing my job as a Samurai seems to push you towards law, where at other points if I say, spare a demon that doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong I get pushed towards chaos. I guess it'll make more sense later on when the alignments come to the forefront

 

[CornBurrito]

For the sake of being as spoiler-free as possible, let's just say it's both.

So kind of like Strange Journey?

Yeah, it was kind of like that in Strange Journey too, but it felt like the general alignment questions you got asked in that game were more obviously law/chaos/neutral-based.

In this game just doing my job as a Samurai seems to push you towards law, where at other points if I say, spare a demon that doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong I get pushed towards chaos. I guess it'll make more sense later on when the alignments come to the forefront

Not killing a demon is chaotic though, since your job as a samurai is to slaughter demons. Law and chaos aren't really good or evil.

A shame that Law often has you veer into lawful stupid territory though. But there are sometimes dumb chaos choices.

 

[Snapshot King]

There an alignment guide out yet? If so, got a link? I won't be using it for this playthrough, just for my next time. Probably going to end up going Chaos first time by osmosis.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Not killing a demon is chaotic though, since your job as a samurai is to slaughter demons. Law and chaos aren't really good or evil.

A shame that Law often has you veer into lawful stupid territory though. But there are sometimes dumb chaos choices.

This is true. Generally, I tend to go neutral since both Law and Chaos are extremes that would make the world worse for everyone. But not every SMT game has a good ending on the neutral path, and Tactics Ogre's incredibly spiteful Neutral path kind of made me want to avoid going down that road again.

 

[CornBurrito]

This is true. Generally, I tend to go neutral since both Law and Chaos are extremes that would make the world worse for everyone. But not every SMT game has a good ending on the neutral path, and Tactics Ogre's incredibly spiteful Neutral path kind of made me want to avoid going down that road again.

This is why I liked how Devil Survivor did things. The Law path wasn't necessarily awful, and the neutral paths were pretty damn happy. The Chaos path was a bit bad but meh. Though the whole idea of chaos in SMT is that it isn't best for everybody. It is conflated with social darwinism.

 

[CSX]

I just love how this game incorporates the mythos of these demons into some of the sidequests

 

[Homu]

This is why I liked how Devil Survivor did things. The Law path wasn't necessarily awful, and the neutral paths were pretty damn happy. The Chaos path was a bit bad but meh. Though the whole idea of chaos in SMT is that it isn't best for everybody. It is conflated with social darwinism.

A totalitarian police state sounds pretty awful to me but I guess Overclocked mends things a little.

 

[brinstar]

Not killing a demon is chaotic though, since your job as a samurai is to slaughter demons. Law and chaos aren't really good or evil.

A shame that Law often has you veer into lawful stupid territory though. But there are sometimes dumb chaos choices.

Yeah that's true. I guess I'm just worried that by making too many samurai-esque choices I'm going to get locked into some plan to brainwash humanity with angel-bullshit or something.

I don't particularly hate the demons, if I don't feel they're doing anything bad I'll leave 'em alone. I guess I am truly neutral in this game, haha.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

This is why I liked how Devil Survivor did things. The Law path wasn't necessarily awful, and the neutral paths were pretty damn happy. The Chaos path was a bit bad but meh. Though the whole idea of chaos in SMT is that it isn't best for everybody. It is conflated with social darwinism.

It is weird, because a lot of the earlier SMT games really do paint Lucifer in a far more sympathetic light than one might expect. Even in Nocturne, Lucifer is the only reason Earth has a chance to survive the Conception at all because he stuck his head in where he wasn't supposed to be and created the Demi-Fiend. It just so happens that his whole "freedom for freedom's sake" ideal isn't fully compatible with the human world. Lucifer isn't necessarily a good guy, but YHWH is pretty much always pure evil.

It's a really interesting philosophy, and I'll be interested in seeing how things play out in this one as the plot progresses. Now that the story is starting to pick up speed in my playthrough, I'm already speculating about how things are going to go from here on out.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

I liked the

Spoiler

Quitelyesque hippy demon of Shinjiku

and feel kind of sorry for killing him after

Spoiler

"let me soul rest in peace"

line... But then I remember that he didn't give the other people that chance or empathy... Yeah, Chaos demons can be also by pretty two faced hypocrites.

 

[PK Gaming]

A lot of luck must be really good for those instant kill spells.

So... does luck actually affect the hit% for ID skills? I don't think we ever got a confirmation.

 

[BannedEpisode]

Earlyish spoilers I guess:

I'm in

Spoiler

Ueno

and Im having trouble with a challenge quest involving a demon domain where the boss shows up right away. There is one angelic knight looking one with two smaller demons.

Any tips?

Also

Spoiler

Is the egg challenge quest back up where you fight Medusa?

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

Earlyish spoilers I guess:

I'm in

Spoiler

Ueno

and Im having trouble with a challenge quest involving a demon domain where the boss shows up right away. There is one angelic knight looking one with two smaller demons.

Any tips?

Also

Spoiler

Is the egg challenge quest back up where you fight Medusa?

About the second, yeah... But:

Spoiler

The mother of that egg is way stronger than Medusa.

 

[Dresden]

Skill setup is kind of a mess right now, but all I use anymore is war cry, charge, and either myriad arrows for bosses or blast arrows for groups anyways.

As an aside skill augment app is paying off big time with cool high-level spells that I'll never use. Unlocking Trisagion for one of my disposable demons was nice, though.

 

[CornBurrito]

A totalitarian police state sounds pretty awful to me but I guess Overclocked mends things a little.

From a certain point of view it isn't so shitty. Overclocked expanded on it and it seemed like a pretty good outcome relative to other Lawful endings in past SMT games.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Skill setup is kind of a mess right now, but all I use anymore is war cry, charge, and either myriad arrows for bosses or blast arrows for groups anyways.



As an aside skill augment app is paying off big time with cool high-level spells that I'll never use. Unlocking Trisagion for one of my disposable demons was nice, though.

Does Skill Augment work on the hero, or just on your demons?

 

[Dresden]

Just your demons.

 

[Snapshot King]

Really, is there any info on alignment out? I see some people saying that it's +5 for one decision or not, but where are they getting that?

 

[Ourobolus]

It's really annoying how it's some mandatory fights turn from impossible to relatively easy, simply by the enemy not getting the first strike in.

Spoiler

Sentata

(Shinjuku area sidequest) was kicking my ass, but then one time he didn't get a first strike and I was able to Sukunda x2 and Sukukaja x2 my first turn and destroy him.

Spoiler

Ose

(Shinjuku terminal) was a pain in the ass too, but luckily he just didn't kill me with Blight on my first turn, so I was able to get some Suku- in.

 

[BlackJace]

Even though St is a garbage stat, any St Incenses I find should be used right?

 

[Ourobolus]

Even though St is a garbage stat, any St Incenses I find should be used right?

Use them as Beads. They give full HP/MP for your MC, so save em for when you need a big heal.

 

[GeekyDad]

Shibuya

Spoiler

terminal

, best comic relief yet.

 

[CornBurrito]

Cursed Gauntlet subquest was so easy.

 

[Ourobolus]

The "MP-used-for-physical-skills" thing is finally getting on my nerves, too. Trying to get Zionga from Take-Minakata and his low MP is such a burden.

 

[CornBurrito]

The "MP-used-for-physical-skills" thing is finally getting on my nerves, too. Trying to get Zionga from Take-Minakata and his low MP is such a burden.

Yeah, casting phys skills from HP was never that big of a problem in my mind since heal skills are so easy to come by. Maybe they were afraid Phys would be too powerful.

 

[ohlawd]

Fuck and this is why I dislike being able to decide where my stat points go. This shit has GOT to go.

Mine are all over the place, too. My Flynn is your run-off-the-mill magic user with all 4 elemental types and is my backup healer + buffer. I'm about lvl 33 with 63 Mag (I think mine is waaay too low for mage-based character) or whatever. I've been pumping some to Luck, here and there for Agility and... Dexterity since I apparently have a hard on for my gun.

Like iunno, I gotta have a clear game plan, man. I wonder how I'll do if I ignore Agility altogether and just focus on Magic and Luck.

 

[Busaiku]

WHAT THE HECK
A Nekomata just took 1/2 my money!

 

[BlackJace]

Use them as Beads. They give full HP/MP for your MC, so save em for when you need a big heal.

Ah yeah, good plan.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Finally started to play today. I put 3 hours in. Damn the start is hard, when you have no demons. I had to switch to easy mode. Now that I have some demons, I might switch it back. I got 2 pieces of the white dlc armor.

 

[buddha0991]

My crew so far, and for some reason I used my vita to take pics of my 3ds cuz my phone is dead, go figure.

Best of quality, I know...

You cant even read Thoth's info lol. Here it is to compensate:

Nulls Fire and Ice, Weak to Gun and Darkness
Megido, Estoma Sword, Fire Breath, Zanma, Force Pieroma, Doping, Bufu, Rakukaja

 

[CornBurrito]

So seeing your stat builds, am I being stupid investing nothing into STR/DEX?

I am level 11 right now with 30 Ma + 26 Ag + 20 Lu.

 

[Busaiku]

So Flynn has Matrakarn and I've also got a demon with Tetrakarn.
Both of them have Energy Drain.

Do I win the game?

 

[ohlawd]

I keep forgetting to check the special fusion page.... all my demons suck.

but I do like the lvl 30-something that gets Tetrakarn from the start.

 

[CornBurrito]

So Flynn has Matrakarn and I've also got a demon with Tetrakarn.
Both of them have Energy Drain.

Do I win the game?

I suppose so until you meet an enemy with Holy.

 

[blackflag]

Do things like Tarukaja and rakukaja stack?

 

[InsaneElite]

Had my first all-party Smirk at long last, with reflecting a Phys attack. Everybody keeps their Smirks and regains all HP.

 

[CornBurrito]

What does Sick status do?

 

[Yuterald]

Do things like Tarukaja and rakukaja stack?

Three times unlike Nocturn's four times. Press X during battle to see how many times your MC/demons have been stacked. Same with debuffs on enemies.

 

[Xenoflare]

I cannot believe I actually locked myself to the neutral path.

So happy right now.

 

[demonkaze]

Hmm, i'm a magic build with the following skills:

Bufula
Zandyne
Agidyne
Zionga
Mediarama
Concentrate
Energy Drain
Cold World (I like to have one multi-target elemental spell)

I have a demon with Makarakarn and Tertrakarn and I'm wondering if they're worth taking and if so, for what?

 

[Delio]

Hmm, i'm a magic build with the following skills:

Bufula
Zandyne
Agidyne
Zionga
Mediarama
Concentrate
Energy Drain
Cold World (I like to have one multi-target elemental spell)

I have a demon with Makarakarn and Tertrakarn and I'm wondering if they're worth taking and if so, for what?

Who gives you Concentrate? I've been wanting to get that on my main for the longest.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Is there no way to save audio settings? Every time I turn the game on, I have to max out the sliders again.

 

[demonkaze]

Who gives you Concentrate? I've been wanting to get that on my main for the longest.

Got it from a skill mutation, can't remember which one sorry.

 

[Incendiary]

Quick question for everyone: I'm at level 19 and already have Spirit Drain at +5, but I have a demon with Energy Drain and could replace Spirit Drain with it. I'm assuming in the long run it'll be better to have a max Energy Drain than a max Spirit Drain, right?