[Windows X]

After switching back to normal difficulty to beat Genova without any attack buff, I found the game becoming insanely easy and boring. I quickly loses the interests to continue. Switching back hard again ruined the mood because it's no longer 100% hard challenge and I don't want my brother to throw his joy on the same thing again.

So, I decided I'll start over with normal difficulty in a way I would still find it challenging. Don't raise VIT stats. With this, I can receive damage pretty close to hard difficulty. Jewel Eater has better chance to knock out my party member off guard. I focus raising stats on offensive instead STR/AGI or INT/PIE. This way, I can farm less, challenge the boss at lower level and end the fight sooner.

I'm still playing Angela/Lise/Duran as before. I spent 2 points on Angela's VIT or she'll be too fragile and get one shoted too easily. It's still lower than Lise/Duran though. I wonder if raising LUK would make game interesting in this party.

[Praetarius5018]

Or you could try the new in-between difficulty "tough"?

[Sefie1999AD]

I'd like to point out that the difficulty is progressively increasing in this hack, not constant. While normal mode does feel quite easy at the beginning of the game, there's a major increase in difficulty when the God-Beast dungeons start. After that, every battle is essentially a mini boss fight where you need to cast a couple of stat spells to win. The story-based double dungeon after Pedan is even tougher. There I was changing my equipment setups constantly to adjust to the mobs I was facing throughout the dungeon. Most boss fights during the 2nd half of the game take 20-30 minutes to beat on normal mode, and the latest version should make the bosses even more dangerous as their magic attack has been increased.

I'd suggest that you keep playing the game on hard mode, but if things get too difficult, you should know that normal mode and the new tough mode are by no means too easy during the 2nd half.

[Praetarius5018]

Sefie1999AD, on 17 January 2016 - 02:42 AM, said:

the latest version should make the bosses even more dangerous as their magic attack has been increased.

well, there's a simple reason for that.
EVERY enemy loses between 15% and 30% of their magic attack power thanks to a bug - this was more of a band-aid fix than anything else.

Lv40 boss vs Lv38 Duran (334 maxHP), boss with increased m.atk factor
10 INT (114 m.def) : 240 damage ST earthquake
10 INT + m.def up : 136 damage ST earthquake
17 INT (134 m.def): 144 damage ST earthquake
17 INT + m.def up : 17 damage ST earthquake

Still laughably low when you consider that I've basically no defense investment, and that is on hard.
I *could* have just fixed the bug but then I wouldn't know if/where unavoidable 1-hit kills start or slightly too powerful regular enemies... so that's only a temporary change.
3 full playthroughs incoming...

[Windows X]

Sefie1999AD, on 17 January 2016 - 02:42 AM, said:

I'd like to point out that the difficulty is progressively increasing in this hack, not constant. While normal mode does feel quite easy at the beginning of the game, there's a major increase in difficulty when the God-Beast dungeons start. After that, every battle is essentially a mini boss fight where you need to cast a couple of stat spells to win. The story-based double dungeon after Pedan is even tougher. There I was changing my equipment setups constantly to adjust to the mobs I was facing throughout the dungeon. Most boss fights during the 2nd half of the game take 20-30 minutes to beat on normal mode, and the latest version should make the bosses even more dangerous as their magic attack has been increased.

I'd suggest that you keep playing the game on hard mode, but if things get too difficult, you should know that normal mode and the new tough mode are by no means too easy during the 2nd half.

With 50% off for enemy's damage output, it's still easy but I think I'm enjoying this more than hard mode now. Without spending stats on VIT, I can explore the fun of other stats planning easier. I wonder if I can beat this normal mode without spending stats on VIT.

[Windows X]

Alright, I can confirm that you can collect all 8 spirits in normal difficulty without spending points on VIT. To make things more extreme, I purchase only equipment to boost damage so no physical/magical/weakness defense buff.

1) FMH - Lv. 6 (Not enough money to buy candy so I gotta farm lol)
2) Golems1 - Lv. 8
3) Jewel Eater - Lv. 12
4) Tzenker - Lv. 16
5) Genova - Lv. 20
6) Bill/Ben1 - Lv. 22
7) Gorva - Lv. 24
8) Golems2 - Lv. 30
9) Bill/Ben2 - Lv. 32
10) Lugar - Lv. 36
11) Gildervine - Lv. 37

I think normal difficulty is pretty well balanced so far. It's enough for this extreme approach to work with some luck. Lugar fight was so boring, casting stats up/down, heal and let Angela be candy thrower leaving AI do the job with puny damage even with all stats on damage and attack item buff lol. I almost wasted all healing items in this fight.

[Praetarius5018]

starting with 8) you are behind in levels; did you have anti-magic for Lugar? that and 4-5 levels behind would really explain why your damage felt lacking

[Windows X]

I'm doing low level challenge trying to gather all spirits before class changing. For Lugar fight, I have Spectator eye but I'm trying to debuff him first without casting Energy Ball/Moon Saber (reload the save if he casts one).

[Sefie1999AD]

I'd like to note that Specter's Eye disables all the debuffs you've applied on him.

[Windows X]

That's why I didn't use it and reset the game instead. Good thing there's save point just before boss fights. After casting power/protect/speed down, and I'll be good candy fetcher.

[Praetarius5018]

Windows X, on 21 January 2016 - 06:16 AM, said:

I'll be good candy fetcher.

funny you mention that