It's a new day, and time for a new job.
I have a job for you...concerning our little traitor.
Who is it?
But Scaracci always seemed so trustworthy and loyal...
Apprehension
He was seen meeting with Diamante. They plan to destroy me and take the Blacksnakes for themselves. ...What are my orders? Scaracci is on his way to the Diamante estate as we speak.
Scaracci, too...?SILENCE
...... However, Diamante is wary after our last break-in. Security will be tighter.
...Tell me.
You could disguise yourself as a brothel girl to get close to him. You're no stranger to using your feminine wiles, right? I doubt I could convince anyone in these clothes.
I will find myself a suitable outfit to sneak into the Diamante estate. Very good, child.
When you have finished your job, come and join me in Winterbloom. ......
Well, we have our mission. Steal some clothes to infiltrate the estate, then kill the owner and the traitor. Simple enough.
So now we go into Throné's day path action, Steal.
While Partitio pays money for NPC items, Throné has a percentage chance to steal them, which raises with Throné's level. There's some items that can only be obtained with certain path actions, so sometimes items cannot be stolen and must be purchased, or vice versa.
Now to enter the estate...
Fortunately it's a short walk to the estate in question.
And a pretty one, at that. How about entertaining us instead? I'm sure you'll find us more satisfying that the lord himself...
So we get inside pretty easily.
Now then, before I overstay my welcome...
I must make quick work of him. I have to find Diamante and Scaracci as soon as possible.Den of Darkness
That was simple enough.
I wish all these mansions weren't so garish.
Throné's talent buffs speed, P.Atk, and E.Atk for three turns at the start of battle during the night. Pretty handy for random encounters!
Otherwise these other guards aren't anything of note.
As we progress, it seems someone else has taken care of these soldiers.
We may not be the only one going after Scaracci.
Another good weapon upgrade.
There's also guard dogs around.
(By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.)
Before I finish things here, I grind up to get a new skill. Speaking of which, let's do a quick summary of Throné's skills.
Steal - Steal an item from a single foe. Chance to obtain an item depends on how much HP the foe has lost as well as how much BP has been spent. You can only steal one item per opponent, and some foes don't have items to steal. I'm not sure how useful the items you can get with this can be since it's pretty much all consumables, but it's a good way to grind up certain hard-to-get items.
Darkest Night - Deal dark-elemental damage to a target. Kind of weak behind a Thief's stats, but dark is also an element that's kinda rare skill-wise so it's handy for that.
HP Thief - Attack a foe with a dagger twice and gain HP equal to half the damage dealt. Very useful for both the double attack and to keep your Thief alive. Also one of the Thief's better boost attacks if you want to deal damage.
Surprise Attack - Use a sword attack on a foe. Does more damage the sooner your turn is. Not sure of the damage formula for this, but considering Thieves generally have high speed to begin with, this will generally be strong enough to do some damage.
Swift Step - Raise your own speed for three turns (+2 per BP spent). Speed isn't that vital a stat to buff since turn order is somewhat randomized anyway (albeit favoring those with high speed). It's really bad as a self-targeted buff, and really only works when used with other skills that like speed, like the Thief's Divine Skill.
Armor Corrosive - Reduce a foe's P.Def for two turns (+2 per BP spent). Pairs beautifully with the many powerful physical attacks your party will have, and even the Thief will enjoy this one.
Shackle Foe - Reduce a foe's P.Atk for two turns (+2 per BP spent). Helps a lot with surviving certain bosses' powerful physical attacks and can take some pressure off your healers.
Divine Skill: Aeber's Reckoning - Attack all foes with a dagger. Does more damage the higher your speed is. I've not used it much, but I've heard others swear by this skill as one of the best attacks around. This skill alone is arguably worth going with a Theif.
Support Skills:
Incidental Attack - The equipped character has a 50% chance to attack after using a non-damaging skill. Nice way to chip away a shield after using a debuff, but may also kick in at the worst times when you're trying to time a foe's break just right. Too unpredictable to rely on.
Fleetfoot - Boosts speed by 50. I'm not a huge fan of speed, but it's also probably one of the better stats to be high in long fights, and having a turn right before an opponent can completely change the tides of battle. Still, it's filler before better skills pop up.
Ensnare - The equipped character has a 50% chance to debuff a random stat on a foe when taking physical damage. It seems like a skill that works as good filler, nothing exciting but has a chance to help a lot in the right situations, but is kinda useless overall. I don't hate it, at least.
Life in the Shadows - Gain 50% more EXP and JP from battles at night. No benefits from equipping multiples of this skill. Naturally great for grinding, and with Temenos and Throné's talents it makes sense to grind at night anyway. A solid skill to have handy.
I opt for HP Thief, as the recovery from it should help a ton in keeping Throné alive and save turns on healing. Throné's biggest strength in general is her turn economy, and this is just one example of that.
Time to see what exactly is going on here...
Video: Selecting a Successor
SILENCE
Scaracci...
Seems someone beat us to taking them out.
I'd expect nothing less from the best in the nest. Pirro...
Did Father ask you to do this, too?
What...?
He said to come to the Diamante estate and kill them both, right? ...... But, you see...
And he told Scaracci... That I was the traitor.
Because that's the kind of "parents" they are. They planned this whole thing. We're supposed to kill each other off until only the best of us survives...
That job was all part of the plan, too. ...... Donnie was just eliminated from contention earlier in the process.
Pretty convenient, and probably smart, for both Mother and Father to leave right after giving this mission and have their "children" fight amongst themselves. Probably not the best parenting methods, however.
When Mother and Father's power wanes, people will jump at the chance to take them down. That's why they need to find a worthy successor, no matter what it takes.
In Pursuit of Freedom
And I'll do whatever I must to get there.
Pirro...!
Video: Boss - PirroCritical Clash II
Throné must fight one of her closest friends just to survive.
Pirro's first turn shows he doesn't want to do this, but feels he has to just to escape the life he's stuck in.
Pirro uses a lot of weak dagger attacks, naturally.
Daggers do nothing, but swords and Dark magic are the way to go.
HP Thief is fantastic for this fight. It gives Throné a big attack for max boost, and is basically a full heal for her on top of that.
Oh, but there is, Throné. You are Father's favorite.
...... I have to... I must kill you...
I understand, Pirro...
Pirro changes his stance and becomes more aggressive.
However...
...these multiple attacks work against Pirro, as now they charge up Throné's latent.
Fortunately this never did stun me, but still, kind of a scary name.
Throné's latent gives her two action in a row, which is naturally very nice. Of course, she can't gain BP between these actions, but this can still be invaluable.
For instance, she can use the first turn to break a foe...
...then immediately rip them apart.
As Pirro is worn down, he gets more and more desperate.
He starts throwing everything he can at Throné.
Fortunately I guarded this attack at the right time. In fact, at this point I was more keeping him alive to make these final moments more climatic.
But enough toying around.
With one last parting gift...
...Throné stands the victor.
Video: FreedomSILENCE
......
Nngh... You got me good... I should have known...I was no match for the best in the nest...
(It feels as though my very lungs are rotting.)
What, then?
......
Heart's Lament
To go wherever I want to go.
But how can you be free with that collar on?
Hah... If anyone can do it, you can...
Pirro...
Throné, the Thief
(But first, I need to rid myself of this collar... And to do that, I need two keys.)
(But she left in search of new members. I must find her if I want that key...)
(He has gone to Winterbloom... And wishes me to be at his side during his next job. Finding him will be easy. Killing him will be much harder. But I must eliminate them both if I am to get those keys...)
And, well, that is the start of Throné's story.
Next time, we'll explore the vast glitzy city of New Delsta.
But until then, it's that time. Vote on our next party member!
