SMT: Nocturne Hardtype - Dante (Low Level)

C R I T I C A L Rules: - This is a low level run of zombero’s hardtype mod: - The aim is to keep XP gain as low as possible without affecting my sanity. - Hard mode, obviously - No stat boosting items - All other game mechanics are fair game! Hardtype changes: - HP: 2400 → 4800 - Crit rate of Rebellion and E & I greatly increased and both skills seem to be 100% accurate - E & I now lowers defence/evasion What an obnoxious fucker Dante is now. He crits for days, has twice as much HP, and never seems to whiff a move (besides his basic attack, which he almost never uses). Since he’s critspamming us, it seems only right to respond in kind. Dark Might is our best attacking option here, giving lots of extra press turns when it triggers and having no HP cost. Deathtouch on everything is equally essential, as Media just won’t cut it for healing. Choronzon and Blob are solid allies for this since they’re both able to tank 2 Rebellion crits at 2 defence and even survive 1 in the Provoke phase. Unfortunately there is no good option for a 4th member, so a level 10 Slime and a level 9 Wisp are the best we can do. They need at least 90 HP, more agility than the Demi-Fiend, and Patra in case he gets panicked by Bullet Time. It was pretty easy to make the Wisp once I made the Slime since they’re meant to be interchangeable - I just had to do a rank down fusion with an elemental. We have to take advantage of enemy buff scripting again, because we can’t be taking 4 Rebellions every round. It’s essential to keep a debuff on Dante at all times to encourage him to waste a turn on Holy Star. As with Matador, this isn’t guaranteed but works 80-90% of the time. After you knock him into the 2nd phase, he’ll stop using Holy Star altogether and prioritise Provoke as long as none of your party are at -4 defence, so I debuff him to the max and make sure to cast Rakukaja every round. The Provoke phase is scary since we don’t have access to Dekunda or the gems for the new Dekunda Rock item, but there is at least something I can do for the team’s flimsiet members. Switching between Slime and Will o’ Wisp is essentially a free Dekunda for them, and if I swap them out every round and cast Rakukaja, they only ever take hits at -1 defence, which means none of Dante’s attacks can OHKO them. Of course everyone is vulnerable to a 2HKO in this phase, and there are plenty of close calls, but ultimately I make it out remarkably unscathed. That said, if demons had started dying towards the end, I had plenty more glass cannon attackers in the wings for a last ditch bum rush.