The Chosen Ones

Today I finished the campaign for the first time. Before I played it many times, but the furthest I made it to was the eighth chapter. Today I completed the last two chapters on the hard difficulty, with tons of gold and honor from the previous playthroughs. I defeated every boss I could find. I only missed the chapter 10 elite boss, and a couple of quests in the chapter, but after defeating Zylcious I was just too excited to wait, and I went for Xvareon after only a short preparation. Aero, you told me once on the chat, that you wanted to hear my thoughts when I play, so here they are, everything I thought about the campaign when I was playing it.

My favorite chapters were 1, 2, 3 and 6. I don't really remember what I felt when I was first playing chapter 1, that was some years ago, I only remember that I was amazed. Playing that chapter hooked me into this campaign for good. The thing I loved about the campaign the most were the characters, and the interesting storyteling. I loved getting to know Brigitta, Phodom, Fradz, Fradz, Galeoth, Tharo, Yardeniox, Yurgimar, Zylcious and Xvareon. I really wanted to le/*-arn more about each of them. I came into liking with each of them, even Xvareon at the end, but I was kinda disappointed that I ultimately lost to Zylcious and I couldn't do anything about it. Unfortunately the secret ending was my first ending ever, so I don't know what was a secret, and what was fake.

The character I liked the most was probably Fradz, the human one. When I played two or three years ago, I was really bored with most things he was saying, but in this last playthrough I didn't feel that anymore and I laughed almost every time. Especially when he asked Phodom what was he going to fight with, once he pushed his mace into Fradz's ass. That was probably the best one. Both Fradzs I think were the most tragic characters in the game. But then they were the greatest heroes. Fradz had no name when he was a child, he had no love from anyone and no purpose. Maybe Phodom had it worse at the end of his life, but I couldn't identify myself with what he was goin through. In Fradz however I have seen a bit of myself.
Between us a catastrophy, temporarily burning us.
Our beautiful catastrophy, tragicomedy.

The most moving part of the campaign were those beautiful fireworks in the epilogue, with those incredible lyrics going on in the background, and the moment when you were talking to us. I cried at that moment. Well, inside at least. I think no more needs to be said on this.

The fights I liked the most were the following: demon fishtern, Anthanex, Talloon and John, and then Xada. And maybe Zithenxa. They were simple, just how I like it. Taloon was very interesting, becouse of the mystery around the character. I really wanted to win so I could learn more about him. And John, even though he wasn't really a part of the story, but just an excuse to introduce Tharo, had incredible motives, and I really felt how nuts he was when I was fighting him.

However what I didn't like was that you were throwing against us bosses that didn't really make sense. Especially in the late chapters. I understand the death puppet in chapter 5, Siluze was checking out what he was up against. But the ice monster in chapter 8, the obelisk in chapter 9... This was really unmotivated, I don't understand why you put them there. The story was goin 100% around them anyway. Hm.

Of course the battle with Xvareon was really easy after doing everything and having the game crush so many times during Zylcious fight, so I didn't feel anything that the characters were talking about. He was just a long mini-boss for me. But of course I understand, I bet he would be really hard if I had no synthesis and epic boss items.

I also thought you could put this to the moment when Fradz and Phodom are talking for the last time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhdFe3evXpk But that's just a loose suggestion.

Well, it came out shorter then I expected. I'll probably expand it after a while.

This was really the best thing I could have chosen for the last game I will have played in my entire life. I'm looking forward to reading your book.

So, an idea. In every chapter there is a black merchant - well, I don't know, if they are in 8, 9 and 10. But there isn't actualy a thing mentioned about them in the story. So i thought of a quest idea about them. This would be a quest in chapter seven. If you traded with every black merchant in chapters 1 - 7 and you paid at least a medium price every time, then in chapter 7 one of them approaches you and offers you a bussines proposition. He tells you that they are a secret organisation, but the Balgaron Police are after them and they have almost found their secret heaquarters. Police has captured one of them and they are about to interrogate him. You have now two options:

- You can agree to help them and rescue the informant, that means you have to kill some soldiers, and then maybe run away quickly, while others chase you. You also have to protect the informant. After you succeed, the black merchants cover your tracks, make it look like an accident, so that no one else suspects you. This path could be Fradz's idea.

- Or you can go and talk to the soldiers, which means you then have to find the black merchant headquarters and kill their leaders. This is a moral path and it could be Phodom's idea.

If you help the merchants, you lose lots of morality, but you will be able to trade with the merchants in chapters 8 - 10, and maybe they will set up a unique shop in chapter 7 or 8 (poisons, daggers, cloaks, that stuff - and maybe part of Fradz set, couse he's kind of a thief and murderer).

If you help the soldiers, there will be no more black merchants in the game, but you can choose one big reward, like armour, shield or sword - or part of Phodom Set, which would make sense becouse Phodom is the most moral character in the team.

I think this Idea makes sense, becouse it expands the world narration, and, most of all, it expands greatly the idea of negative and positive morality.

Hi everybody. Hi, doctor Nick.
I was thinking about the idea of giving up and starting over the whole campaign. Well, not many games have something like that, so I value it a lot. I have never finished the currently existing chapters on ****, but I imagine, that after doing so, the second playthrough must get really boring. You know, you already defeated every stinking epic boss, hords of creeps and all that on the highest difficulty level. And you also get a "huge bonus" for when you start over, so it doesn't get any more interesting. It gets easier. There was even talk of eliminating professions, so that you don't have to think about such stuff. But this is a valuable part of the game, very uniqe in games generally. So, after you beat the game on ****, you can put it away for good and maybe wait for some bugfixes or, I don't know, anything. But I have an idea, that could make the game more interesting for those, who beat it on the highest level, or maybe even on extreme. I know it may be difficult to make, or even impossible, but that's the only reasonable bonus for finishing ****.

In every chapter, there could be a bonus area available, for those, who managed to do it. You could enter it via a bonus quest, and through a special portal, magical runes drawn on the ground, with help of a wizard, or simply enter a mine or a cave. This area should be extremaly difficult. You would enter it only after finishing all other non-main quests, with a maximum level and all most powerful items currently available. It should be so difficult, that even with those things you would have problems with survivng. There, as you wouldn't level up anymore, you would find more powerful items, item sets, synthesis items, bonus luck and honor and upgrades for spells, skills and espers - things, that would not change your chosen skills, only expand them with special effects. One or two quests, some bonus story and hard, long minigames would also be included. And most of all, a new, special boss, let's say a Legendary Boss. Those Legendary Bosses would be the most difficult enemies in the game and would drop even more powerful stuff. With this stuff, next chapters would be easier, so that you could focus on the new content - and the old content, except for main plot, would be skipable. These areas would only be playable on **** and extreme.

This way, the second **** playthrough would be a lot more crazy and interesting. I know it sounds crazy, and you probably think "this guy doesn't know, what he's talking about, we don't have time for this". Yeah, I already realised that. It's just an idea. After all, this campaign already beats every other game into a pulp. You said you would welcome every idea.

Well, thank you for attention.
goku94