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"Wow! This is so exciting!"
This article covers content exclusive to the PlayStation 3 version of Eternal Sonata. |
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| Dandelion | ||||||||||
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The Dandelion is a monster battled in the Church of EZI in the World of Eternal Sonata. Possibly the game's strongest opponent, it troubles the player with a strong physical attack as well as two extremely powerful Special Attacks. Its only major weakness is its low HP in comparison with some of the game's strongest bosses.
Details[]
Dandelion is found in the Courage Checking Chamber of the Church of EZI. In order to reach it, the player must follow a particular path, activating two levers and then a particular EZI Alarm directly opposite from the exit to Placid Parish. It is completely optional, but worth fighting, as it grants a massive amount of EXP, as well as the best armor for Crescendo and Serenade.
Attacks[]
Dandelion's most commonly used attack seems to be Un-Oh, which deals six hits to a single character for a total of around 35,000 damage. Its most powerful attack is Ecarte, which is a spinning Special Attack that hits all characters next to it three times for a total of over 80,000 damage to each character. This is generally an instant KO if not Guarded against, and may still be an instant KO even when Guarded, if at lower levels. Fortunately, Dandelion will always telegraph that it is about to use this attack by bouncing in a very particular manner. Finally, its normal physical attack, while relatively weak, can still deal over 13,000 damage if normal, and close to 25,000 if critical.
Dandelion possesses the unique ability to Guard against all attacks that do not hit for critical damage, no matter what angle it is hit from.
Strategy[]
This battle is made significantly easier by including Allegretto, equipped with his Silver Star sword, which is the only weapon possessing the ability to always hit for critical damage. By also equipping him with the Werewolf Choker, the player can easily launch a devastating series of Harmony Chains and at higher levels may be able to even defeat Dandelion before it can get another turn. Another close-combat attacker can be equipped with the Lion's Chime accessory, which greatly increases the chances of critical hits, thus allowing that character to penetrate Dandelion's Guard. Both Falsetto and Claves are good choices, as they both have ultimate weapons that add an extra hit for Echoes to normal attacks. It may also be a good idea to equip the close-combat attackers with Crimson Brooch and Solomon's Ring to place them in Burst status. It is generally recommended to also use at least one distance healer or attacker and keep them away from the action, in order to prevent the possibility of all characters being instantly KOed from one of Dandelion's powerful attacks.
One particularly savvy party choice, especially at lower levels, is a configuration of Allegretto, Frederic and Serenade. As soon as it is Allegretto's turn, he should immediately close in on the Dandelion and build up enough attacks to launch a Harmony Chain. Frederic should be equipped with the Brilliant Brooch and with luck will be close enough to use Phantom Pain. His other skill should be his healing ability Tri-Clementia unless the party is at very high levels, in which case it can be swapped for Legion Fulminante. Serenade should be equipped with the Dark Brooch in order to use her two dark skills, L'energie du Vent and Verbum: Expello. Thanks to the massive range of the Verbum spell, it is almost guaranteed that she will be able to use it as part of the Harmony Chain without having to close in. If levels are high enough, the Dark Brooch can be swapped out for another accessory to boost her attack power and she can use Verbum: Celebrus and Throne of Thorns if in the light. If the Dandelion is not finished off in the Harmony Chain sequence begun with Allegretto, then try to finish it off using Frederic and Serenades' Special Attacks. If Frederic and Serenade were both within range when Allegretto began the Harmony Chain sequence, then enough Echoes may have been built up to begin a new one, which should certainly be enough to finish off Dandelion.
Dandelion does not possess any distance attacks, so as long as the distance character is kept far enough away, they should be able to survive to use items before Dandelion can reach them. Before the battle, all characters should be healed, as one must proceed through poison patches to reach Dandelion, and the player should make sure the item set is packed with reviving items, and healing items if not using a healer. Dandelion possesses a Speed rating that is superior to that of any opponent in the game, so it will get the first turn against all characters except Serenade, and her as well unless she is at high levels and equipped with Noble White. The opening battle configuration changes depending on which tile is stepped on to activate the EZI Alarm. By stepping on the tile directly adjacent to the alarm at the correct angle, it is sometimes possible to catch Dandelion in a back attack, and even defeat it before it can get a single turn.
Trivia[]
Jazz, Claves and Allegretto, battling Dandelion
- Defeating the Dandelion is worth 527,000 experience, making it by far the best monster for raising levels, as no other non-boss monsters or monster groups give anywhere near this much experience. The player is returned to the start of the area after defeating the Dandelion, but once they have memorized the path, they can easily reach it again in less than two minutes. This allows an easy method to gain levels to take on the boss battle with EZI. Using this method, one can also quickly level all playable characters to Level 99, something which may take somewhat longer in the Xbox 360 version, which does not even include the Church of EZI dungeon, though enemies in the Xbox 360 version give more EXP in general, particularly those in the Mysterious Unison. The Seven Stars accessory should always be equipped to increase the EXP granted by 20%, and including Polka with her Gold Moon umbrella for an additional 5% is not a bad idea either.
- Notably, this most powerful enemy shares its enemy type with the Very Very Empty, the weakest and first encountered enemy in the game.
- Dandelion is the only non-boss opponent that drops equipment as a reward.