The Dancing Peacock

*attempts to fight the Ur-Devil again*
*it uses a party-wide attack that deals damage in the thousands*
*gets wiped out*

Good lordy, this thing is tough.

Assuming that you're talking about what I think you're talking about, you have to have a Protector/Beast(?) Force Break on Turn 13 in order to survive it. 

Or kill it in 12 turns. Either or.

I didn't even get to turn 13. I got slaughtered on 7 or 8.

Man, I can't imagine how anyone could beat it on Expert.

I looked up the last two postgame bosses of EMD and now I feel just a little better about being fucking unable to beat it.

Is the Slaughter Shield's +100 DEF worth the All Resist vvvv, or does that end up negating the defense boost?

I have LITERALLY no idea. What's it from?

Alright, so it doesn't call the skills out by name, but it's meant almost wholly for use with Shield Smite and Shield Rush (their damage formulas use defense), so unless you use them a TON, I'd avoid it.

I believe you get it using a Mimic's drop.

And since I haven't so much as touched those skills on Bertrand (who it would probably be very bad on anyways, considering he is The Tank), I won't get it at all.

Also hot damn am I glad that I gave Chloe swords.

You know, it's funny, since you can't reclass into a Beast, collars are completely useless in Story mode. (Claws would be, but you can use them if you have a claw skill on a Grimoire)

I kinda feel like replaying IV with a different party, but I'm so fucking fond of my main party that I don't think I could just, y'know, not use them.

Lief Katano wrote:Also hot damn am I glad that I gave Chloe swords.

War Edge skills doing more damage?

Oh right, War Edge Mastery raises your max TP with a sword equipped.

Yes. Also she has the second-highest ATK out of my party; highest ATK is Sigurd (Fafnir), though he's using katanas and Arianna's not using a sword for...some reason.

Also yes the TP Up effect is very nice. Consistent TP bonus for a mage character? Yes please.

Speaking of War Edges, I believe that War Maguses (anyone with War Edge Mastery?) can still use Sword skills with Staves equipped.

I don't know why you would, but you can.

Good, good.

Since you must have fought a Mimic (I think I nearly had a heart attack when I first encountered one) I take it that you're doing a fair chunk of quests as you get them?

I do pretty much all of the quests as soon as I get them. (...Or as soon as the pieces required drop in my lap, for material-gathering quests.)