Xenoblade

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 3:  Put Some Clothes On!


Dunban vs. Satorl Marsh



Level 27 Amber Fischer:  A typical bird type unique monster.  It was resistant to Break and Topple, but not immune like some other flying enemies.  Steel Strike knocked it to the ground once at around 60% HP.  Amber Fischer ignored Shulk and Reyn, allowing them to automatically Encourage Dunban out of Daze from a 1021 power Snipe Shot I.  Jaws of Death was required to resurrect Dunban from a 1017 Kick Rush vision as Thunder was on cooldown.  429 ticks from Gale Slash's Bleed side effect clipped its wings, proving that damage over time is useful in Xenoblade.



Level 30 Sunlight Schvaik:  Another bird, but this one was immune to Break.  Build Up gave it Physical Protect, which was mitigated but not removed by Worldly Slash.  Gale was an Ether wind which blew for 660.  Dunban prepared Jaws of Death while at 254/2909 HP, but dodged auto-attacks until Heavy Crash II triggered its healing.  Daze from Thunder averted a 1913 Heavy Crash II vision and switched Sunlight Schvaik to a MISS from Hard Crash.  Worldly Slash cut down the bird.




Level 27 Tumultuous Felix:  Lizards must have less resistance to Topple, since Dunban succeeded on the 1st Steel Strike.  Evasion from Serene Heart couldn't always dodge 640 hits from Combo.  Tumultuous Felix bled out for 362 damage after a Gale Slash + Electric Gutbuster + Steel Strike combo.



Level 31 Reckless Godwin:  Dunban fought both the lizard miniboss and its minions (e.g. Level 25 Shield Igna) during the failed attempt, but cleared them out for a duel on Take 2.  The main dangers as seen in the failure were Crazy Dance III's 2414 damage and Topple.  Status ailments do NOT disappear with Jaws of Death revivals.  Reckless Godwin often followed Crazy Dance III with Decapitator, instant death by Physical power if Toppled, but possible to evade.  A 679 + 688 auto-attack combo butchered Dunban while Reckless Godwin had Haste and extra Strength from The King's Roar aura.  Banishment's 1168 power and defense-negating Pierce effect didn't help.



Dunban nullified a 1936 Crazy Dance III vision with Thunder, and thus forced Decapitator to MISS.  Thunder shattered another Crazy Dance III vision, and changed it to a MISSed Smash.  Reaper's MISS also appeared in a premonition, probably because Dunban was at triple digit HP for much of the battle.  It seemed that either a 1046 auto-attack or a 294 Bleed tick ended the duel with Reckless Godwin, but I'm not sure which.




Level 28 Aggressive Cornelius:  Another Physical oriented lizard most of the time, though its 966 power Slow Ether magic circumvented Serene Heart evasion.  Jaws of Death brought Dunban back to life from a 990 Big Combo vision.  Dunban shouted "Born in a world of strife" as he struck down Aggressive Cornelius with a 1511 Blossom Dance.  Shulk replied with his "I can feel the power!" Super Smash Bros. victory quote, since fighting was a spectator sport to him.



Level 85 Indomitable Daulton:  Dunban returned to the Darkness Sickle for this battle.  The ogre came with friends like Level 82 Baelfael Gogol and Level 81 Baelzeb Gogol.  Dunban made the mistake of trying to kill multiple giants at once, but took a 1219 auto-attack to the jaw.  Indomitable Daulton was alone in Take 2. 


Threatening Roar decreased Dunban's Strength and Physical Def, but Dunban returned the favor with Worldly Slash debuffs.  Thunder shattered a 5212 Gore vision, only for a 5546 Onslaught One VIII to follow.  Jaws of Death rescued Dunban from the Talent Art, while his neglected teammates Encouraged him out of its Daze effect.  Blossom Dance's final leaping slash slew Indomitable Daulton for 7441 damage.




Level 28 Satorl Guardian:  Chapter 6's boss had an unceremonious entrance, but this belied its status as Dunban's archenemy.  Tornado Spin swirled 4 times for 568-633 per hit, devastating for a character with 3312 max HP.  As if Dunban needed any more proof Satorl Guardian was the Beast From The Sea, its Wing Smite dealt 666 Ether damage in a vision. 


One try was embarrassing when Satorl Guardian went for Dunban's jugular via 544 auto-attack just as he was trying to re-apply Serene Heart.  This was my mistake rather than the boss being unfair.  Ultra Poison Stab III poked Dunban for 832 initial damage, and was a Talent Art.  One premonition of this move was shattered. . .by death by 208 Poison tick.  Another failure was due to a mistake from me.  Should have canceled Blossom Dance and tried Thunder to block a 1798 Tornado Spin vision.


But this is idle speculation.  No matter how many times naked Dunban tried to kill Satorl Guardian, he would either fall to brute Ether force or Poison attrition.  He needed to dress for the occasion with in depth armor:


Mountain Spear (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Pelt Cap (Poison Defence V)
Pelt Top
Pelt Gloves (Poison Defence V)
Pelt Bottoms (Poison Defence V)
Pelt Shoes


Not all of the Pelt clothing line comes with gem slots.  Don't ask why.  Pelt Cap came with an accessory I would equip on the Appearance menu for the rest of the game:  a pirate eye patch.  Catalina Creel from the Mexican show "Cuna de Lobos" should be the model for eye patches, though:  they're color-coordinated for all her outfits. 


Dunban's new outfit and bonuses from Lightweight Expert reduced Wing Smite to 357 damage, to give one example.  Ether enemies will likely require similar tactics throughout the game since Agility from Inner Peace has no effect on magic.  Even with the added Ether Def, a 932 Tornado Spin would have slain Dunban if not for Jaws of Death.  Satorl Guardian increased its level to 29 with Winged Awakening to insult Dunban for trying to play fair.  Steel Strike broke Satorl Guardian's beak for 4973 and ended Chapter 6.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 4:  Going Commando


Dunban vs. Makna Forest



Level 34 Elder Gragus:  This bird's auto-attacks slapped Dunban for 718 damage if they hit.  Damage must occasionally be re-rolled during visions, since an Air Slice I went from 1922 to 2405.  Dunban feared not the Jaws of Death, but he was only restored to 826/3192 because Air Slice I was a multi-hit Talent Art.  The 2nd slice of Blossom Dance sent Elder Gragus crashing to the ground for 2105.


Level 37 Breezy Zolos:  Dunban confronted his 1st unique monster with a Spike Aura, so he had to get dressed.  Spike Defence gems could not be equipped on weapons.


Mountain Spear (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Makna Cap (Spike Defence VI)
Makna Top (Spike Defence V)
Makna Gloves (Daze Resist V)
Makna Bottoms (Daze Resist V)
Makna Shoes (Daze Resist IV)


Breezy Zolos's auto-attacks charged for 445 on the rare occasions that they hit.  Tempest Kick removed Haste from the miniboss's Adrenaline, and Daze from Thunder followed to avoid wasting the opportunity.  Dunban's flatulence finished off Breezy Zolos for 3486.



Level 36 Leone Telethia:  Dunban stripped down to his shorts, which made for a challenging battle when Telethia specialized in Ether abilities.  Soul Read's long lasting evasion aura sounds like it would be the bane of Physical solos.  But Dunban's accuracy bonus from Serene Heart was so high that few of his attacks MISSed.


Channel I zapped Dunban multiple times for around 321 each, in one instance reducing him to 2005/3327 HP.  Ether Cannon II blasted for 1062.  Jaws of Death endured one Channel I, leading to an odd tactic where I had Dunban run away from the boss to prevent Critical Drain from healing him with auto-attacks.  Leone Telethia triggered the cutscene for its 2nd phase while Dunban was flailing at it with Blossom Dance.


Leone Telethia had a few new tricks for Round 2.  The worst for solos was Super Aura, a regeneration aura that restored 5196 per tick.  Dunban may have been stronger than Shulk, but there was no way he could deal with that besides dissipating the aura.  Sleep Bullet pierced Dunban for 991 and sent him to the Kingdom of Lunesta in spite of Serene Heart, ensuring his demise.  Dunban returned to the arena and only had to re-fight the 2nd phase.  Thunder shocked Leone Telethia out of Super Aura, and a final Thunder shattered a fatal 1293 Channel I vision while Jaws of Death was on cooldown.



Level 33 Agile Albatro:  Dunban fought this after the Chapter 7 boss.  Makna Forest is sparse relative to its size regarding unique monsters, and to get to Agile Albatro he had to jump off a bridge and swim to shore.  Now I finally remembered to replace Spirit Breath with Electric Gutbuster on the Art menu, but Agile Albatro was immune to Break anyway.  At least it was a source of damage when other Arts were on cooldown. 


Thunder dispelled Winged Cure's regeneration effect when it appeared.  It wasn't as threatening as Super Aura, but Dunban wasn't taking any chances.  Jaws of Death saved him from a 3733 vision, but he had a close call after Toppling to the ground with 393/3123 HP.  "Nudist" Dunban makes fights more thrilling than my dry prose would imply.  Worldly Slash bisected Agile Albatro, and Dunban was off to Eryth Sea and Chapter 8.


EDIT:  Level advantage can ignore Soul Read because of accuracy bonuses.  I learned this during the mandatory Shulk + Alvis battle.  Reyn take note, because this is the only way YOU'RE getting past Telethia. 

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 5:  Full Frontal


In which Herman Gigglethorpe continues to steal episode titles from Ratchet and Clank games.


Dunban vs. Eryth Sea, High Entia Tomb


Level 36 Turbulent Belmo:  Xenoblade loves avians, since Dunban had to battle another bird.  This one could be Toppled with Steel Strike.  Piercing Breath was a concern when it negated Dunban's defensive stats, and was impossible to dodge due to not being a Physical attack.  Wordly Slash chopped up Turbulent Belmo for 1199.


Level 36 Defensive Kromars:  Dunban despised being outnumbered, particularly when 4 lizards of equal level murdered him with Ether spells.  Beastman Curse disabled Serene Heart and Jaws of Death just when he needed them most.  Foot Trap magic struck Dunban for 345.  Besides the lack of Ether defense, the drawback of being "naked" in Xenoblade is the lack of ailment resist gems for conditions like Arts Seal.  Dunban put on the following outfit:


Mountain Spear (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Sky Cap (Arts Seal Resist V)
Sky Top (Arts Seal Resist V)
Sky Gloves (Arts Seal Resist V)
Sky Bottoms (Topple Resist V)
Sky Shoes (Topple Resist V)


Dunban's clothes failed to protect him from at least one death.  But proper tactics succeeded.  Thunder "farts" Dazed multiple Defensive Kromars at once with its spread effect.  It also broke a 442 Combo vision.  A following 458 Smash vision forced Dunban to prepare Jaws of Death to heal.  Thunder blasted one of the Defensive Kromars to death in the middle of the fight, leaving 2 remaining.  Blossom Dance had a narrow area of effect as well, and its final leap dealt 4046-4118 damage.  Jaws of Death saved Dunban once again, and Worldly Slash knocked out the penultimate Defensive Kromar.  Dunban cut open the last one with a 2289 Gale Slash.



Level 32-34 Wizard, Scout, and Guard Entia:  Clothing was not optional for this battle either, so Dunban used the same loadout as for the Defensive Kromars after a failed attempt.  He entered the arena at Level 34 to conform to the "1st try must be at parity with the highest level opponent" rule.  Guard Entia shielded the others with Protective Light, which forced Dunban into Lock-On status against them.  Ether auto-attacks hit armorless Dunban for 578-610, and sometimes Physical hits rolled past his evasion since there were so many flying at him. 

 

Dunban recycled some of his Defensive Kromar tactics against the High Entia assassins.  Thunder once hit 5 enemies at once, with the highest roll being 3814.  Level 32 Scout Entia seemed to be the weakest of the group, so a later Thunder took them out first and Dazed the remainder.  Physical Def debuffs from Worldly Slash helped against Guard Entia, shortly before another Thunder KO.  Worldly Slash eliminated Wizard Entia, while Blossom Dance stepped on a Toppled Guard Entia.



Level 36 Orluga Rufus:  What seemed like a brute force Physical robot was actually an Ether wizard.  R Laser seared Dunban's skin for 1568 and inflicted Arts Seal.  Dunban's optimistic attitude kept him alive for much longer than you'd expect, as Jaws of Death revived him from R Laser.  A final R Laser lit for 1628 damage while Thunder and Jaws of Death were both on cooldown.  Dunban slipped on the same clothes he wore for Defensive Kromar and the High Entia assassins for Round 2.


Now R Laser was only singing Dunban for 806, and with no Arts Seal effect he was safer.  Jaws of Death resurrection from another R Laser was still necessary at one point.  Steel Strike sent High Entia technology to the scrap heap for 4500s?  (The screen blacked out for the next cutscene just after the printout appeared).



Level 38 Tyrea and Solidum Telethia:  Dunban almost had a chance of winning this battle in the nude.  Solidum Telethia's Delta Cannon shot for 1089, though Dunban kept himself alive with his usual auras.  An Electric Gutbuster liquified Solidum Telethia, but Tyrea by herself was trouble.  Serene Heart failed to dodge a 2279 Spiral Kick in a vision, so Dunban revived himself with Jaws of Death instead.  The problem was that Spiral Kick also Toppled Dunban, leaving him at the mercy of Tyrea's auto-attacks.


Round 2 used the same gem and armor set that carried Dunban through previous battles.  Who knew the High Entia empire would use so many Ether and ailment moves?  Solidum Telethia's Ether Storm shock was reduced to 319 with the help of Lightweight Expert.  Judging by a 30 second Switch video, it seems that Solidum Telethia fell to a 374 Bleed tick.  Never underestimate the various "poison" type side effects in Xenoblade!


Dunban wasn't the only combatant vulnerable to Topple, since Tyrea fell to the ground after a Steel Strike.  Thunder's odor rendered Tyrea unconscious for 4005 damage.  (Don't worry about her.  She becomes a hero in Future Connected, as strange as that sounds.)



Level 38 Peeling Kircheis:  A flying enemy whose name I cannot recall joined the battle, causing Dunban to lose the 1st attempt to an auto-attack.  Peeling Kircheis by itself was another lizard unique monster, though it had a 1010 power Hypnotic Light with Sleep side effects to set it apart.  Daze from Thunder switched Hypnotic Light visions to Combos that MISSed.  Jaws of Death was active just in case, but Dunban hacked at Peeling Kircheis with a 1523 Worldly Slash for an armorless victory.



Level 89 Sacred Zagamei:  Dunban found a giant turtle unique enemy by jumping off a floating platform in Eryth Sea.  All my experience points from previous playthroughs only grew him to Level 87, so this is the 1st underleveled victory.  Dunban swapped from Mountain Spear to Wyvern Cutlass to keep up with Shulk's Monado III stats.  Sacred Zagamei was not as difficult as its level advantage may suggest to readers.  Serene Heart dodged auto-attacks, and Thunder shifted 5792 Verse Eater IX visions to safer Strike or Strike that would MISS.  Jaws of Death saved Dunban before I figured out the pattern. 


One funny moment occurred when a Level 89 Carbon Tude slowly waddled over to Dunban as backup, but Sacred Zagamei fell to a 5924 Thunder before it could harm him.  Dunban ran away from Carbon Tude after the victory, then returned to pick up the underwhelming treasure.  Solo Shulk needs to be +5 or +6 levels over the opponent to win, but Dunban can succeed at -2 while undressed.  Now you know who the real hero of Xenoblade is!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 6:  Sky-Clothed


Dunban vs. More Eryth Sea, Prison Island



Level 40 Subterranean Zomar:  Why does a unique lizard on an island floating in the sky have "subterranean" as its adjective?  Maybe Monolith Soft looked for a random word in a thesaurus without considering the meaning.  Anyway, the Gale Slash + Tempest Kick combo erased Haste from the miniboss's Swift Stance.  A second hit from Blossom Dance killed the reptile for 1746.  Throughout this and the next few battles, Dunban equipped Wyvern Cutlass to keep up with Shulk's Monado III stats.


Level 40 Pelargos Ekidno:  Dunban fought this one in only his cosmetic shorts, just like Subterranean Zomar.  Steel Strike concussion made it crash land as Level 35 Tarifa Hodes attacked.


Level 40 Skyray:  Dunban tried to fight a random flying boss without armor.  Murmur of Darkness inflicted no damage but caused Pierce status.  Darkness Breath was one danger as its Ether powers struck for 855, and decreased Dunban's Ether and Strength stats.  No vision Ether Meteor II strikes made Dunban's chances of victory extinct, as each hit pummeled him for 500s damage and Dazed him.


Dunban didn't have the luxury of Monado Shield, so how was he to deal with unexpected Talent Arts?  I thought for a bit and came up with a gimmick tactic involving Final Flicker.  Dunban dropped his HP by 20%, usually enough to trigger visions from Skyray's Arts.  Dunban practiced his Blossom Dance choreography with the cooldown boost from Final Flicker, so it served for both offense and defense.  Thunder shattered an Ether Meteor II vision late in the fight, and a 5448 Steel Strike punched Skyray to death.



Level 42 Metal Face:  To have any hope against this boss, Dunban had to downgrade from Wyvern Cutlass to Machina Blade III.  It came with a 3rd gem slot, however, so Dunban stuffed an Agility Up III into it.  Dunban mistakenly challenged Mumkhar at Level 40 due to me misremembering the boss's stats.  Final Flicker appeared to activate visions while Dunban was armorless.  Metal Face Grand Shot for around 800 damage, though I didn't see the cause of death for the 1st attempt.


Dunban tried again at Level 42, still without clothing.  Dead Way came close to living up to its name with 1154 power.  He died once again, and I somehow forgot to hold down the 30 second video record button.  


Success came in Round 3 with this apparel:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up III)
Sky Cap (Daze Resist V)
Sky Top (Daze Resist V)
Sky Gloves (Daze Resist IV)
Sky Bottoms (Topple Resist V)
Sky Shoes (Topple Resist V)


Dead Way was diminished to a mere 466 damage, and Grand Shot dimmed to 344.  A 5055 Steel Strike activated the cutscene where Mumkhar flew to Valak Mountain, and so Chapter 9 ended.  Dunban continues to make Shulk look incompetent.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 7:  In Which The +6 Level Trick Reappears


Dunban vs. Valak Mountain


(Or wasted space.  Valak Mountain must be the most inefficiently designed area in a video game.  There aren't nearly enough unique enemies to justify the amount of "auto-run" you have to do to find them.  Valak Mountain looks and sounds great in Definitive Edition, but I'm very glad to be playing New Game Plus to skip the normal battles. . .)


Level 46 Vague Barbas:  Dunban's hardest battle so far.  I'm not kidding:  this amorphous "nebula" required him to use the +6 level trick and wear endgame equipment to win:


Wyvern Cutlass (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Lancelot Gear (Spike Defence VI)
Lancelot Armour (Spike Defence V)
Lancelot Gauntlets (Chill Defence V)
Hierax Bottoms (Chill Defence V)
Lancelot Boots (Chill Defence III)


Maybe I should have equipped Arts Seal Resist gems instead of Spike Defence, as Vague Barbas's aura seemed to be Bind-based rather than passive damage like most Spike.   Machina Blade III was used on failed attempts before I remembered to wield the Wyvern Cutlass. 


To show you how bad Vague Barbas could get, a no vision Ice Eruption IV burst for 1133 initial damage, plus 138 ticks.  Dunban had 4199 max HP at Level 51, the last try before the +6 trick.  Dunban wore the same armor he used on the successful attempt. 


There was no way to force Vague Barbas out of Talent Arts either, since it happened to be IMMUNE to Daze.  A high Daze resistance normally doesn't matter since Thunder "forces" the condition onto its target, but there was nothing Dunban could do about immunity.


Thunder was still Dunban's best offensive Art since "nebula" monsters have daunting Physical Def stats.  Jaws of Death survived at least one Chill tick that would have killed Dunban.  A Tempest Kick whirled for 4147 and ended the fight.



Level 47 Barbaric Sitri:  Shulk didn't give the giant spider a fair fight in his solo, but Dunban was a professional naked duelist.  First, he had to wipe out the Level 44 Ent Antol spiders surrounding the miniboss.  Devour was an unavoidable "Status" type attack that drained HP regardless of defenses.  One vision had a Devour printout of 1196.  Jaws of Death activated when one of the Ent Antols bit Dunban for 517 after a Devour from its leader.


It was wisest to save Thunder's cooldown for Dive Impact III's 2959 damage and Daze effect, though Jaws of Death was another option if Thunder was inactive.  He snapped out of his groggy state quickly.  Devour Preparation inflicted both Bind and Pierce, making Serene Heart evasion essential.  "Tanks" based on raw defensive stats like Reyn must suffer in a game where so many enemies can Pierce them.  Dunban's Gale Slash cut down Barbaric Sitri for 2377 damage.    



Level 45 Conflagrant Raxeal:  A flaming fish was a mandatory unique enemy, rather than the others Dunban had to seek out.  "Nebula" enemies in the arena assisted the miniboss on the failed attempt, though Conflagrant Raxeal's Boiling Wave technique did Dunban in.  It scalded him thrice for 739, 802, and 836 in addition to 334 Blaze ticks.  Jaws of Death saved Dunban once, but not twice while in the nude.  On Take 2, Dunban wore the following:


Wyvern Cutlass (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Jail Cap (Topple Resist V)
Jail Top (Topple Resist V)
Jail Gloves (Blaze Defence V)
Jail Bottoms (Blaze Defence V)
Jail Shoes (Blaze Defence V)


Even with the upgrade, Dunban took 553, 650, and 677 hits from an unannounced Thunderbolt II.  He suffered Paralysis too, but Dunban's Talent Art was a privilege instead of a necessity.  I prepared Jaws of Death for safety's sake, but Dunban leaped with Blossom Dance to skewer the fish.



Level 46 Moonlight Paimon:  Another "nebula" miniboss reminded Dunban too much of Vague Barbas to avoid +6 level abuse and the same endgame gear, but with the gems from the Conflagrant Raxeal battle.


Moonlight Paimon's Spike aura applied Strength Down every time Dunban struck it.  The preparation seemed excessive until a visionless Corona Eruption V burned for 1112 damage and Blaze ticks.  Jaws of Death salvaged the battle just like with Vague Barbas.  Both "nebulae" were IMMUNE to Daze.  A coincidence occurred when both died to Tempest Kick.



Level 48 Mumkhar:  Dunban returned to his "sky-clothed" ways, ignoring the possibility of frostbite.  In spite of being outside his Metal Face robot, Mumkhar counted as a Mechon enemy, forcing Dunban to break out the Machina Blade III. 


It was during a 1137 power Fiery Pain IV vision that I accidentally found a new tactic:  SUICIDE HEALING.  What I was trying to do was to use Final Flicker to cool down Blossom Dance faster, since Dunban had Jaws of Death active and it wasn't worth trying to preserve what little HP he had before the revival kicked in.  Must have expected Jaws of Death to go down to 1 HP or something, but no, Dunban can actually kill himself with it and trigger the 75% max HP resurrection.  If Dunban is low on HP and there's no indication of any reliable Talent Art coming, suicide can be a way for him to keep his health up.  



Thunder shattered a Fiery Pain IV vision and replaced it with a MISS from Massacre Lotus.  Dunban tried the suicide healing combo while at 475/4043 and went to 3032 while Mumkhar was busy auto-attacking.  One-two auto-attacks from Mumkhar could be scary since there was no way to know which would be the one to roll past Serene Heart evasion and finish off Dunban.  A Steel Strike smack for 3632 ended the fight in a cutscene before Mumkhar lost all his HP, since he was needed for Chapter 11.



Level 47 Agile Barbatos:  I missed this ram at first because Valak Mountain was unnecessarily huge.  It had a Spike aura, so there was no way Dunban was entering the arena without clothes:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Jail Cap (Spike Defence VI)
Jail Top (Spike Defence V)
Jail Gloves (Chill Defence V)
Jail Bottoms (Chill Defence V)
Jail Shoes (Chill Defence III)



Doing so on the 1st attempt without Chill Defence gems was a mistake, however.  Ice Breath refrigerated Dunban for 660 initial damage plus 189 Chill ticks.  Bison Rampage III would have gored him for 6015 if hypothermia hadn't killed Dunban already.


Chill ticks were reduced to around 98? when Dunban succeeded.  Thunder shattered Bison Rampage III visions, and slaughtered the sheep for 3395 at the end.

[Boro]

Suicide Healing. That was unexpected.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Suicide Healing. That was unexpected.

As far as I know, I'm the only person doing solo New Game Plus "playthroughs" like this.  Maybe it's because it's only viable in the Definitive Edition with Expert Mode, which came out this year.  Part of the fun of a challenge run is discovering gimmicks like Jaws of Death + Final Flicker.  I expected Dunban to play similarly throughout the game, only to be pleasantly surprised that he has tactical depth.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 8:  Dunban Does What Shulk Can't



Dunban vs. Sword Valley, Galahad Fortress, and Fallen Arm



Level 49 Prudent Purson:  The first of many Mechon unique enemies was a mostly Physical opponent, and easy to dodge in the nude with Serene Heart.  Dunban reserved Thunder to Daze away 3028 damage Dead Shot IV and replace it with a MISS from visions like Hard Attack and Side Swing.  When Dunban shouted "Against the odds" during Blossom Dance, the battle was over.



Level 50 Defective Ipos:  Over Eater VI's 2720 damage and max HP reduction side effect was the obvious vision to shatter with Thunder.  This tactic failed once against a 3414 Head Shock, a Physical move that Dunban should have dodged wearing only his shorts and Serene Heart.  Dunban was forced to prepare Jaws of Death, and cast Final Flicker to fill Blossom Dance's gauge and avoid wasting HP.


At 3603/4148 HP later in the battle, Dunban was too healthy to qualify for visions.  An Over Eater VI smacked him in the face without warning for 2748 and reduced his max HP to 2074.  Gale Slash rusted the robot for 2891 at the end.



Level 50 Tranquil Morax:  Like Defective Ipos, Tranquil Morax loved Over Eater VI.  Jaws of Death was prepared for suicide healing, but Final Flicker didn't reduce Dunban's HP to 0.  Tranquil Morax obliged with a 3865 Over Eater VI.  A Bleed tick from Gale Slash deleted the Mechon, but the Quest Completed! message prevented me from seeing the damage printout.  (Some unique enemies in Sword Valley are mandatory.)



Level 52 Mumkhar:  Metal Face's last encounter was too much for shirtless Dunban.  He refused to honor the solo rules and brought Level 48 Mass-Produced Faces with him.  For this reason, Dunban experimented with Demon Slayer during failed attempts.  Demon Slayer "forces" Topple on all enemies if it finishes off one of them, which sounds great for bosses with minions.  The problem is that wasting an Art slot on a move with a 98.4 second cooldown at level VII cripples your damage output.  Steel Strike was superior in the end.


Mumkhar exploited sky-clothed Dunban's weakness to Ether by blasting him with Arts like 1290 Custom Dead Way, or the Poison technique Hell Talon IV.  Some of Mumkhar's Arts could be evaded, such as Very Last Resort and Special Killing Claw, giving Dunban the opportunity to Daze a vision and see if he got a move he liked.  Birthday suit Dunban came close to victory in one attempt until a Custom Grand Shot sent him flying for over 2000 damage and Dazed him.


Dunban experimented with one gem setup with the Jail armor set that failed, and this is the one that succeeded:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Jail Cap (Daze Resist V)
Jail Top (Daze Resist V)
Jail Gloves (Daze Resist IV)
Jail Bottoms (Poison Defence V)
Jail Shoes (Poison Defence V)


Even when Dunban won, it was not an easy victory.  One of the Mass-Produced Faces showed up in a vision with an 811 Disaster Beam III.  Talent Arts aren't restricted to unique monsters and major enemies in the late game.  Special Killing Claw had to be changed to Very Last Resort in a vision when Mumkhar rolled high on accuracy.  At least Custom Grand Shot diminished to 702 power with Dunban's higher Ether Def.  Worldly Slash enraged Mumkhar into dropping himself into a pit for 1480s per hit.



Level 52 Glacier Acon:  Galahad Fortress's 1st unique enemy seemed like a generic Mechon miniboss, but its Bolt Screw shocked Dunban for 2058 Ether damage and inflicted Paralysis.  Atomic Glow IV would have sent Dunban into a 2403 damage and Blaze meltdown, but Thunder averted that and replaced it with a MISS Side Swing.  "Against the odds", Dunban deactivated Glacier Acon with a 3624 Blossom Dance slash.


Level 55 Glorious Jurom:  3094 Lower Chainsaw plus Topple side effects had too low THAC0 for naked Dunban to dodge in a vision.  So he had to Thunder it into an allegedly Deadly Chainsaw that he had the Armor Class to evade.  Breaker Hand IV erupted without warning for 1817 at least once, though Upper Chainsaw II had the courtesy to appear in a 2721 damage vision.  Jaws of Death absorbed Upper Chainsaw II, but Dunban had a close call after being Dazed.  Steel Strike dented Glorious Jurom's metal for 4322.



Level 53-55 Mechon with Face Nemesis:  This fight had odd mechanics which I'll discuss later.  Without any armor, Dunban had no chance against 2991 High Energy Cannon or 985 Blazing Flare coming from multiple enemies.  Mech Combo Attack VI would have flayed Dunban for 2911 damage if 148 Blaze ticks hadn't done him in first.  Dunban got dressed:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Jail Cap (Blaze Defence V)
Jail Top (Blaze Defence V)
Jail Gloves (Blaze Defence V)
Jail Bottoms (Topple Resist V)
Jail Shoes (Topple Resist V)


In restrospect, I probably should have used some anti-Lock-On gems, as the enemies loved to use Find Me to force Dunban to target healthier units.  One quirk of the battle is that if you get a Game Over, the Mechon you have already killed remain dead.  I found this out after leveling Dunban up to 57 after killing the Defensive Guard Units on one failed attempt, only to find the arena emptier. 


Dunban barely managed to take out the M94 Guard Units in a separate fight, with some Jaws of Death coverage.  Their Program Accelerate gave them Haste to make more auto-attack rolls for at least 399.  Face Nemesis assisted her robots with 364 Brilliant Light.  The last enemy died just as it was about to try Mech Combo Attack VI.


Level 60 Gold Face:  Yaldabaoth's first battle was more of an interactive cutscene, though it still gave Dunban a hard time at Level 57.  (The fight starts immediately after the previous boss.)  It was impossible to Daze with Thunder, and I suspect some of the auto-attacks were Ether type as he took too many hits in the 200s range for it to be Physical. 



Level 80 Powerful Eligos:  Shulk failed to KO this giant bug on Fallen Arm at 81 with in-depth clothing, but Dunban did it at 80 without any armor and the Wyvern Cutlass.  Insect Awakening was a constant threat when Powerful Eligos suddenly grew to 82 or 84.  Daze removes auras, so Dunban dispelled Insect Awakening with Thunder when possible.  Suicide healing saved Dunban when he was at low HP.  A 3398 Thunder burst exterminated Powerful Eligos when it was at Level 84.



Level 58 Splendid Botis:  Dunban's idea of a beach outfit was "shorts only".  When a move called Naked Field inflicted Pierce status, it seemed like an inside joke from the game.  Delayal applied Ether Down and Slow, minor inconveniences for Dunban.  Steel Strike for 3738 clobbered the Mechon.  A random Level 54 M35 Prototype was more dangerous than the miniboss, as it fired 672 Ether type auto-attacks at Dunban.  



Chapters 11-12 are now clear, though Dunban may have to take out some more unique monsters in Fallen Arm before proceeding to Mechonis Field.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 9:  Climbing Mechonis


Dunban vs. Mechonis Field and Central Factory



Level 59 Destroyer Salvacion:  This Mechon had almost as many dangerous Arts as tentacles.  According to visions, Ripple Laser III burst for 2368, and Fire Shot burned for 1250 plus Blaze.  On the 1st attempt with naked Dunban, Over Tentacle IV impaled him for 3509 when I made a stupid mistake and used Thunder without setting up an aura to give it the Daze side effect.     Not that Dunban would have succeeded in the nude anyway, since the following armor setup was needed to win:



Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Ether Def Up VI)
Jail Top (Ether Def Up IV)
Brave Gloves (Blaze Defence V)
Brave Bottoms (Blaze Defence V)
Brave Shoes (Blaze Defence V)


An earlier take with Muscle Up gems in place of Ether Def Up failed.  It was better to diminish magical attacks than Over Tentacle IV.  Serene Heart was reliable as usual, but not foolproof when 975 power Tentacles jabbed him.  Fire Shot was reduced to 652 embers.  Over Tentacle IV was still fatal, but endurable with Jaws of Death.  Like an action hero ignoring an explosion, Dunban's back faced Destroyer Salvacion after killing it with a 2638 Tempest Kick.  Electric Gutbuster was used over Final Flicker since Dunban would already take enough damage without having to suicide heal manually.



Level 57 Amorous Arca:  Mechonis Field's 2nd unique enemy was easier than Destroyer Salvacion and could be fought without clothing.  The only danger was Naked Glow V, a 2347 power Talent Art with Pierce, especially if Dunban's 6th sense was blind from too much current HP.  Any solo dependent on Physical Def would be in serious trouble with some of these bosses (i.e. Reyn).  Dunban once had to resurrect himself with Jaws of Death from a Naked Glow V since he faced at JUST the wrong angle for Thunder after Tempest Kick.  Blossom Dance's jump slash cleaved Amorous Arca for 6637 damage and ended the battle.



Level 60 Revolutionary Bifrons:  A passive damage Spike aura meant Dunban had to be modest with the following outfit:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Spike Defence VI)
Jail Top (Spike Defence V)
Brave Gloves (Daze Resist V)
Brave Bottoms (Daze Resist V)
Brave Shoes (Daze Resist IV)


Revolutionary Bifrons was resistant but not immune to Topple, so Dunban knocked it down with a Steel Strike once just before it was going to emit debuff Ether Chaff.  Like Amorous Arca, it knew Naked Glow V and sometimes launched it without a premonition.  Dunban's Thunder Dazed the miniboss out of a Naked Glow V, only for the vision to switch to a 3842 Hard Bash with an unlucky accuracy roll.  Dunban had to be pulled out of the Jaws of Death for that one.  According to a 30 second Switch clip, it looked like the cause of death for Revolutionary Bifrons was a 1856 auto-attack.



Level 58 Infernal Crocell: 


Chapter 13's 3rd miniboss blunted blows with its high Physical Def, so shirtless Dunban took a while to KO it.  Final Flicker returned to keep Dunban below current HP thresholds for visions if possible.  Ether Bullet shot 2223 power concussive rounds and decreased Ether Def.  Jaws of Death revived Dunban after an Ether Bullet taken at triple digit HP.  Naked Lock applied both Pierce and the irrelevant Lock-On.  Take 1 failed when a freak auto-attack accuracy roll penetrated Serene Heart and slashed for 1518.


On Take 2, Dunban only survived a 1933 Spinning Slice blender with Jaws of Death.  Spinning Slice checked for Physical accuracy, but its multiple hits increased the odds of landing at least one.  Jaws of Death opened again for a 2200 Ether Bullet, plus Final Flicker to ensure the move succeeded. Worldly Slash exposed Infernal Crocell's circuitry at the end.



Level 60 Jade Face:  Chapter 13's boss turned Xenoblade into a cover-based shooter.  (Though Dunban didn't cover himself up with anything but shorts.)  Dunban hid behind barricades as Gadolt charged up 3274 damage Linear Laser IV.  Before reaching the boss himself, Dunban had to scrap more Mechon minions.  Some of these were respectable enough to have their own Ether Bullets for 1564, like a Level 57 Defensive/ONION.  Jaws of Death brought Dunban back to life following an auto-attack from an M66/TRICK.  Level 57 Offensive/HONEY and Level 56 Offensive/SCOUT were easier.


Besides Linear Laser IV, Gadolt had a few other trick shots.  Quick Cannon blasted for 3443 and Paralysis, while Laser Bullet lit up for 4169.  The initial Quick Cannon wasn't quick enough when Dunban ran over and cast Tempest Kick + Thunder to Daze the Jade Face mech.  Cross Jaggy was Gadolt's most merciful move since it was a regular Physical Art that Dunban could evade.  It's possible that a 519 Bleed tick from Gale Slash scored the KO.  Dunban rose from the grave with Jaws of Death from a Linear Laser IV just before the cutscene triggered at around 75% enemy HP.



Level 58 Mild Florence:  Central Factory's 1st unique Mechon obliged the theme of this solo with Naked Field to Pierce Dunban's defenses.  Energy Flash blinded Dunban for 2199 Ether damage and Ether Def Down.  A Gale Slash ripped Mild Florence apart for 2940 damage.  Most of its attacks were Physical, so it was an easy fight overall without armor.



Level 59 Faithful Lancelot:  Dunban swapped a 3558 Laser vision for a MISS Hard Bash.  Faithful Lancelot must have had Guinevere in mind when it unleashed Naked Glow V for 2419 in a vision before Thunder ruined the fantasy.  Jaws of Death saved Dunban from another Laser.  The Jaws of Death + Final Flicker suicide healing combo restored Dunban when at 329/4563 HP because I didn't want to take the risk of dying to a random auto-attack or something.  The 3rd slash of Blossom Dance bisected Faithful Lancelot.  No armor needed here.



Level 60 Beautiful Vagul:  As soon as I saw it had a Spike aura, Dunban put on his clothes:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Spike Defence VI)
Jail Top (Spike Defence V)
Brave Gloves (Arts Seal Resist V)
Brave Bottoms (Arts Seal Resist V)
Brave Shoes (Arts Seal Resist V)


I didn't know it was a Physical Def Down penalty from Spike instead of passive damage at the time since I had no Internet connection available.  Thunder averted a 4639 Dead Slash vision that would have gotten past Dunban's evasion and changed it to a MISS Cut Attack.  Dunban's Thunder had fighting game priority over a 2086 Thunder Flash and shattered it, replacing the attack with a MISS Cross Claw.  Either a 502 Bleed tick from Gale Slash or an auto-attack without a damage printout defeated Beautiful Vagul.  Couldn't tell because of the Quest Completed! message.



Now Dunban is in Agniratha.  Chapter 14 is the last "long" chapter before the endgame of 17.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Solo Dunban Part 10:  Gadolt's Revenge


Dunban vs. Agniratha



Level 64 Experienced Tristan:  Dunban must have been more experienced than this miniboss, since he defeated it naked.  Much of the time, Experienced Tristan wasted its actions on MISS Physical Arts like Cut Attack and Cross Claw.  Later in the battle, it tried to cast 3576 Thunder Flash, but at intervals far enough apart that Dunban could cover it with Thunder.  It seemed that Experienced Tristan perished from 568 Bleed ticks.



Level 65 Meditative Varla:  This was a flying Mechon that specialized in Sliding Sword V for 3724 damage.  If Dunban didn't change the future to MISS Shield Bash with Thunder farts with only his shorts on, that is.  Jaws of Death caused at least 2 Sliding Sword V attacks to heal Dunban instead of killing him.  A 4199 leaping slash from Blossom Dance sliced Meditative Varla in half.  



Level 68 Wise Gremory:  Another damaging Spike aura opponent forced Dunban to enter the dressing room:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Spike Defence VI)
Alcyone Top (Spike Defence V)
Alcyone Gloves (Arts Seal Resist V)
Alcyone Bottoms (Arts Seal Resist V)
Alcyone Shoes (Arts Seal Resist V)


Wise Gremory often launched Remote Cannon at Dunban for 1076 Ether power.  Our hero should have equipped Topple Resist gems instead of Arts Seal Resist because of a 957 Big Spin that Toppled him on one occasion when it got past his evasion.  Big Combo VI for 4974 was the deadliest Art and needed to be struck by a Thunder storm.  A 1454 auto-attack shut down the Mechon.



Level 64 Destructive Bors:  Dunban took off his clothes once again.  Ether Chaff decreased Dunban's Ether and Ether Def, a dangerous combination when 3300 Lasers started glowing.  One Naked Glow V revived Dunban with Jaws of Death, and inflicted Pierce just like every other Mechon that cast it.  Naked Glow V lit up for 2933 in one vision, and was usually deflected with Thunder and replaced with a MISS Art like Hard Bash.  A 614 Bleed tick made Destructive Bors's batteries leak out. 



Level 65 Soothed Aglovale:  Dunban was already nude before a Naked Lock Pierced his defenses.  This was yet another flying Mechon with excessive Physical Def.  A high accuracy roll on a 2200 Spinning Slice made Dunban reduce his HP with Final Flicker to trigger Jaws of Death when the attack landed.  A 1679 Gale Slash ended the battle that was easy yet too long.



Level 66 Sentimental Flamral:  This giant arachnid Mechon was much tougher than I expected.  Dunban had little chance against 1785 + 179 Blaze ticks from Flame Throw without clothing.  A multi-hit Hush Chop V was the designated Talent Art for 4499 and up.  Dunban threw on this outfit for future takes:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Ether Def Up VI)
Alcyone Top (Ether Def Up IV)
Alcyone Gloves (Blaze Defence V)
Alcyone Bottoms (Blaze Defence V)
Alcyone Shoes (Blaze Defence V)
   

Tip for anyone else attempting a New Game Plus Dunban Solo:  Don't use Jaws of Death against Talent Arts with multiple hits.  It's treated more like a 2nd HP bar than a true resurrection, so if the 1st hit drops you to 0, you'll take more damage than you'll heal.  Jaws of Death also allows no vision enemy Arts to appear at otherwise low HP, as I found out in other battles.  Jaws of Death + Hush Chop V = Failed Attempt.


Dunban's gems snuffed out Flame Throw to 455 initial damage and Blaze ticks weak enough to heal with Critical Drain.  A 3065 Worldly Slash made Sentimental Flamral crash to the ground.



Level 68 Gadolt:  Dunban normally equaled his opponent's level, but Gadolt riding Jade Face was too fast for his Art cooldowns to handle.  Linear Laser V pointed for 4140 during the Level 68 attempt, and a Laser Bullet disco shone twice for 1600s per hit.  Sometimes Gadolt followed up one Linear Laser V with another within seconds.  Quick Cannon was yet another Ether Art that Dunban couldn't stop with Agility.  Dunban tried again at Level 70 and failed.  To have any hope of winning, he had to +5 the boss with the following equipment:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Ether Def Up VI)
Alcyone Top (Ether Def Up IV)
Alcyone Gloves (Lock-On Resist V)
Alcyone Bottoms (Lock-On Resist IV)
Alcyone Shoes (Lock-On Resist IV)


Lock-On Resist was mandatory for Dunban to ignore the 2 robot minions so he could concentrate on Gadolt.  Sometimes I do read my previous posts, and this solo Shulk tactic worked again.  Dunban's HP and defenses were now good enough to take some hits, and the added Strength from the +5 level difference sped up the battle.  Daze's 6781 odor made Gadolt crumple in pain and surrender.



Level 70 Egil:  Homing Missiles IV was such overkill at 6845 that there was no need to worry about vision HP thresholds.  Grand Ether Bullet was the Art that concerned Dunban, as it shot for 2984 and inflicted Arts Seal.  He was not going to win this battle sky-clothed:


Machina Blade III (Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV, Agility Up IV)
Brave Cap (Arts Seal Resist V)
Alcyone Top (Arts Seal Resist V)
Alcyone Gloves (Arts Seal Resist V)
Alcyone Bottoms (Lock-On Resist IV)
Alcyone Shoes (Lock-On Resist IV)


Now that Dunban was wearing clothes, Grand Ether Bullet was comparatively weak at 1593 damage and no side effect.  Dunban dodged some Ether attacks from Egil's robot allies, but it was displayed as RESIST instead of MISS.  This was probably due to a minor level advantage.  A nasty 1013 and HP Down surprise came from them once, however.  Dunban sometimes had to chase Egil around the arena because he liked to drift around rather than stay close like most bosses.  Suicide healing returned to keep Dunban at high HP.  An auto-attack finished off Egil's Machina body.



Level 72 Yaldabaoth:  Dunban entered the arena at Level 70 since Yaldabaoth immediately followed the Egil fight.  Other than an Ether Art of 1925 power called Catastrophe, it was more of an interactive cutscene than a true boss battle.  Dunban was fortunate that he still had his Arts Seal Resist gems equipped since I saw Shulk and Reyn with the tell-tale purple circle above their heads.  Dunban parried Alchemist V's 5657 vision with Thunder and replaced it with a MISS Egil Tail.  He didn't have to drain Yaldabaoth's HP bar for long because the Chapter 14 ending cutscene activated.


I might be able to finish this playthrough on Thursday.  Xenoblade goes quickly when you're ignoring regular enemies and sidequests.