Chapter 9: To the Forbidden LandMinor spoilers

Only 7 units can deploy. Delay recruiting mages without a slot. If you need an archer, recruit Inyoni for 4000 gold after negotiation unlocks. Collect the chest at the dungeon's end before advancing. The story trigger gives no further confirmation and leads straight into the main battle. Find the low-Defense insect carrying a package and use physical damage to trigger linked insect kills. Handle rear survivors individually if the chain cannot reach them. Low-Resistance armored units still take heavy magic damage. Use divine aid when the forecast shows two hits of 15 damage. After area healing, check the caster's own HP too. Check whether the boss is in range before finishing, and allow for repeated misses with low-Hit attacks. Obtaining the ore ends the objective; you need not chase the remaining southeast enemy.

Choose seven units and fill missing roles#

Plan around 7 slots before departure. If you already have enough mages, delay more recruitment. This chapter allows 1 fewer unit than the previous map, so more units of the same role will not fit.

If you need an archer, recruit Inyoni for 4000 gold to replace your previous one. She can deploy immediately, avoiding the need to train someone else for the role.

Check Theodora's load and remove any accidentally equipped 15-Weight item. If you do not expect follow-ups from her, a 4-Weight Hexlock Shield can improve Resistance. Change abilities before deploying too, rather than discovering an omission in battle.

Arrange stations before traveling far#

Approach 1: Return after visiting the destination. Once you have visited the main-story destination, return to town for quests and let the deadline take you there automatically. You do not need another reconnaissance trip.

Approach 2: Establish a station first. If you want desert side quests, find a station near the main destination before returning to them. You can then take transport when time gets tight instead of being delayed by multistage recruitment tasks.

To train reserves in battles en route, change class first and activate the 30% experience bonus before leaving. Remembering it outside town costs 1 extra turn. With 5 turns remaining, stop side exploration and head to the main objective.

Collect chests before the dungeon's story trigger#

Near the dungeon story trigger, open every remaining chest before advancing. The game does not ask again whether to continue. Walking forward can send you straight into story scenes and battle with chests unopened.

Choose between chain clears and insect experience#

Compare insect Defense and Resistance at the start. Prioritize the package-carrying, low-Defense target and use a physical attack to trigger linked kills. Killing that one can kill three together. None have low Resistance, putting mages at a disadvantage here.

Approach 1: Chain-clear insects. If you are not training from every insect, attack targets whose deaths also remove nearby insects to save individual kills. The cost is losing the experience you would receive from killing each separately.

Approach 2: Kill individually for experience. Handle each insect separately for training. This takes longer and requires dealing with poison spray. Check poison after combat: an insect can inflict it even when dealing only 1 damage.

Check chain distance and finish survivors#

Confirm lethal damage before attempting another chain clear. Being 2 damage short means the target will not fall. If a rear target's chain cannot reach the three ahead, kill them separately instead of including every survivor in the same clear.

Check armored survival and healing gaps#

Enemies use magic, so low-Resistance armored units still take heavy damage. If the forecast shows two hits of 15, use divine aid. Check damage type before choosing it rather than selecting the cheapest merely to save resources.

After area healing, check the caster's HP and arrange healing for them too. Do not restore everyone else while leaving the caster injured.

Check range before finishing the boss#

Switch to physical attacks against high-Resistance survivors. Against 23 Defense and 27 Resistance, or 20 Defense and 29 Resistance, magic is less effective. Inspect each panel before choosing an attack.

Confirm the boss is within your current range before assigning an attack; distant targets may leave your sequence incomplete. Do not treat 63 Hit as reliable against survivors either. Several attacks may produce only a few hits, so retain later actions for finishing blows.

Obtain the ore without chasing every enemy#

You can obtain the objective item and enter the post-battle story even with the southeast enemy alive. Focus on the ore rather than chasing it for a full clear.

Chapter conditions#