![]() ![]() Challenging fights have always been the better part of Etrian games, because there’s satisfaction in surviving and knowing you outsmarted the toughest of foes. One boss I faced restored 1,500 HP every few turns, and if I didn’t block before his big attack, he could wipe out my entire front line. One wrong move can be deadly, and these quickly become battles of attrition. Taking down the bigger bosses is a rush, as they force you to use everything in your arsenal. In the harsh climate of Etrian Odyssey V, that’s a big downgrade, requiring even more grinding. You can always change a character’s class (but not their race), but you get a five-level penalty for doing so. I wish the game suggested some sample parties, because you only get a brief explanation of each class and race. Making the most out of how to upgrade each character and their class is essential, but unfortunately, the game throws you in blind when building your party. Once you can select a mastery for your characters (which you’ll need to pass the first two big areas to do, taking upwards of 15 hours), things get more interesting with better skill combinations. Getting the most out of your characters’ skills and having that harmonious feeling on the battlefield is great, but it’s a slow grind to get to the fun customization. Some skills are specific to certain races, allowing you to unlock unique union attacks and field skills, like hunting and gathering bonuses. You must fill a gauge by executing your moves, and once you do, you can activate these abilities, which range from restoring mana to blocking an enemy’s next attack on the whole party. The new union attacks are also game-changers. I had a mage who would cast fire magic, which allowed my fencer to follow-up with a fire-based chain attack. The Harbinger is deadly at inflicting status elements and debuffs, becoming especially useful in boss battles.Ĭreating your party and deciding how to build their skills is a highlight, especially when characters’ skills complement each other. The Rover class allows you to summon hounds and hawks into battle for extra damage and its passive healing abilities are a godsend for survival. The Rover and Harbinger quickly became my favorites. A few new additions liven things up, including new classes and skills. The lack of creativity and evolution is disappointing, but what the series has always done well is still there: providing an adrenaline rush from strategizing and surviving a harsh world.Īs a first-person dungeon-crawler, Etrian Odyssey V still has you using cartography skills via the stylus to navigate dungeons, taking on punishing bosses, and upgrading your characters to match your play style. On the other hand, if you’ve been following the series, it feels like a game you’ve played many times before. On the one hand, you know what to expect from Etrian Odyssey game. The series knows what it is, and even after five entries and a few spin-offs, hasn’t drastically changed its formula. How well can you outsmart the competition and rise to a harrowing challenge? Not many turn-based games test your skills like these do, embracing old-school RPG design and even making you map out your dungeons. Selling this unlocks the Hildebrand (40 DEF, 35 MDF, Cut/Bash/Stab Resist ↑), one of the best defensive shields in the game.The Etrian Odyssey series can best be described as a proving ground. To get the Hippogryph's conditional drop, Bound Talon, it must be defeated while its arms are bound.
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