Gameplay FAQ / Walkthrough 1.12

[Phlebas]

As I said, that formula is for attacks, not spells - I think you can just drop the parts about regular damage and you have the spell formula. Should be easy to see the effect of resist in the elemental mitigation formula (and actually it's just common sense too even without seeing any formulas - resistance is obviously the anti-spell stat ).

[Volandum]

So what do I want? 100 + elementmod) x skillpower / (resist + resistmod)?

Say I'm facing Firebolt II with 2160 skillpower off a Sargios Elite with 223% attack, 233% resist on terrain with no red or blue modifier (start of mission 19 on Hard mode), no attack modifier and a +5 defense modifier.

Aselia with 307% resist takes 12466 10717 8968 so 1749 damage.
Yuuto with 270% resist takes 17630 15641 13652 so 1989 damage.
Esperia with 55% resist +20 green takes 20465 10701 937 so 9764 damage.

This is far more than (100 + elementmod) x skillpower / (resist + resistmod)
In fact it's also more than
(100 + elementmod) x skillpower x (attack + attackmod) / (100 x (resist + resistmod)) (which would give 1569, 1784 and 8758 respectively with possible rounding differences of 1)
or for that matter
(100 + elementmod) x skillpower x (attacker's resist + attacker's resistmod) / (100 x (resist + resistmod)) (which would give 1639, 1864 and 9151 respectively with similar error).

[Phlebas]

Aselia with 307% resist takes 12466 10717 8968 so 1749 damage.
Yuuto with 270% resist takes 17630 15641 13652 so 1989 damage.
Esperia with 55% resist +20 green takes 20465 10701 937 so 9764 damage.

I didn't quite get that part with the numbers, (and also note that +20 green doesn't count toward defense, only for attack), but the relation to resist is still clear from those figures.

Aselia 1749*3.07=5369,43
Yuuto 1989*2.7=5370,3
Esperia 9764*.55 =5370,2

So while I'm not sure of the exact formula to calculate spell damage, you actually confirmed that resist's relation to the damage taken is just that straightforward. 50 resist = 2x the damage taken of someone with 100 resist.

[Volandum]

Noted, thanks. The numbers were jottings - initial (full) health, health after 1 firebolt, health after second one. I caught some of my transcribing errors that way.

Indeed. I'd still like to know what the actual formula is, though. I have no idea where 2.48 (5370/2160) comes from.

Raw damage before resistance from Ether Sink (power 500) is 2087, for a ratio of 4.17 from a bluespirit with 289 attack, 103 def and 180 res.

Okay, got some more data points: 300 -> 4.5, 289 -> 4.17, 223 -> 2.48, 202 -> 2.04

This is consistent with the formula (attack + attackmod)^2 / 10000

Giving the formula

(attack)^2 x (100) x skillpower / ((resist) x 10000) when attackmod, resistmod and elementmod are 0.

Elementmod and attackmod do nothing - holding the same battles in Lirelurael for -20 blue element, +5 attack to defenders did not affect damage from either the attacker's ether sink or Aselia's. (Yuuto took the enemy attack, a blackspirit took Aselia's).

Resistmod does seem to do something, casting Passion increases damage from ether sink.

I think the eventual formula is then
(attack)^2 x skillpower / ((resist + resistmod) x 100).

But this can't be right, because using Elemental reduces the damage I take from firebolt.

EDIT: I lied about attackmod too - Explode increased damage taken from Apocalypse II.

[hybras]

Well... Mainly that's what blue spirits are around for. Blue spirits counter blue red and green skills. And for uncounterable skills. Don't put any green spirits on your team. Green are all notorious for lack of magical resist.

Dragon hunting is best done either by Eternals as all rounders. or put all your eternals together in the same team. That way nothing fazes them, be it ungodly dragon breathes or unholy lazer cannons from teh heavens. (Though I suppose if Espelia turns into an Eternal, she will probably still suck crap at tanking spells, so I still wouldn't advise you to stuff her in any situations where she's sucking in magical hits).

Aselia is substantially tougher when she goes eternal, she loses her only fatal problem, LACK OF DEFENSE. (most blue spirits can't tank melee attacks, they are high attackers/resisters) She can tank hits when she reaches eternal.

Uruka is not bad for tanking also. Just don't try to tank Heaven's sword with her. Most of the other attacks doesn't faze her either.

Heaven's sword is untankable by any unit which is not eternal. Enough said. (Not counting Espelia, she can tank them). (Green spirits can't tank Heaven's sword, otherwise. We are assuming you aren't like overpowered and 30 levels or 60 levels above your opponent. but at the same level)

PS: When I say Eternal, I also include Etrangers.

PPS: For situations where you have two bosses on either side of the stupid screen, and you want to use the least amount of time to squash both of them, yet both them have have ridiculous attack support skills, then I recommend you to split some of your Eternals apart. Eternal is the main defender, and put either black or blue units in the attacking/supporting slots. Black and blue don't take too much significant damage from spells, however I do not recommend dragging the battle on too long, or else you'll notice your etranger/eternal is the only one left standing with no attackers. Red units cannot tank, use them against green or black supporters only.

[Volandum]

Nimthor also has little trouble tanking Heaven's Sword, with much higher resistance than Esperia and strong defensive skills. I've also done it with Helion, in all cases at about 10 levels below the enemy attacker. I generally find green much more useful than black.

[shiirn]

(most blue spirits can't tank melee attacks, they are high attackers/resisters)
Uruka is not bad for tanking also. Just don't try to tank Heaven's sword with her. Most of the other attacks doesn't faze her either.

Heaven's sword is untankable by any unit which is not eternal. Enough said. (Not counting Espelia, she can tank them). (Green spirits can't tank Heaven's sword, otherwise. We are assuming you aren't like overpowered and 30 levels or 60 levels above your opponent. but at the same level)

Once you hit Super Hard mode and level up your spirits enough, pretty much anything can tank, red spirits aside. In fact, alot of the time you can forego green spirits entirely and use them as healers to heal up your blue/black tankers. Etrangers are still the strongest, though (Check out my post on Yuuto's Ultimate Game Breaking Skill)

Esperia's kind of silly at high levels though, At level 87 she currently has a grand total of 59% resist. By comparison, most of the other characters are capping at 500%.

Oh, by the way, Orpha's still got the HP of an arthritic mosquito.

I'm busy farming Ether at the moment to get as many spirits as I can to 99, when I get quite a few, i'll post their overviews and make a few notes on their skills.

[Selius]

mission 5 Talk with Aselia gives Aselia mind +5

[SnowDream]

For posterity:

Kouin would not run away in mission 15 if he is at full HP, I believe. I whittled his skill down to 0, murdered all his companions, and he stood there like a rock. That, and I was baiting him with a Orpha + red+no defender team.

Does the computer actually take bait of weaker units?

[shiirn]

Computer attacks at a set rate, it doesn't care if it has a 100 hp red support going up against Yuuto The Eternal himself, it'll still attack with it.