Chapter 7: A World of Echoes - Dash
Caldisla
- DAMMIT
- Yep, back to the Inn. The team reaffirms their resolve to... carry on... and awaken the crystals... again...
- Back to the world map. The sub scenarios are back a third time, whether or not you beat them on your second trip, but there's a small difference: there are less of 'em. More, they're located in different spots this time. These fights are substantially more difficult than before, as they all have previous bosses mixing and matching as they gang up on you. Make sure you save before taking any of them on. You'll earn and steal some exceptionally powerful equipment from these guys if you're successful, so these battles are worth the extra effort.
- Complete the crystal quest. Do that... and... yeah... into the light... this will solve the problem...
Chapter 8: A World of Echoes - Circle
Caldisla
- DAMMIT
- Yep, crystal collection again. Lord, will this ever end? If nothing else, note the sub quests: there are yet fewer than last time, and these are easily the most difficult in the game. Yes, some are more difficult than the final boss. (I swear there's a final boss eventually.) These battles
- Go about your business of awakening the crystals. You're an old hand at this by now, and even though they're stronger, the guardians of the crystals should be a cinch. Then... big sigh... head for the stupid Pillar of Light.
The Choice
Okay, so, you may be getting a bit sick of Bravely Default by this point, but fear not! This isn't the final chapter, but it's the final round of crystal awakenings. You now have, as you may have guessed, a choice:
- During one of your crystal awakenings, you can ignore Airy's instructions and instead mash the bajeesus out of the X button until well after you were supposed to. This will overload the crystal, cause it to explode, and trigger the sequence that will ultimately lead to the final dungeon of the game.
- Alternatively, you can carry out this final round of awakenings and experience the game's true ending. I recommend trying out both - you've come this far, so why not, eh?
Breaking the Crystals
If you destroyed one of the crystals, you'll learn the truth behind this whole debacle. This article covers the final dungeon of the game; you're headed there right now.
Awakening the Crystals
If you chose to awaken all of the crystals one last time, you'll receive a new cut scene upon entering the Pillar of Light. Head down to the deck to have a look at the world. What a surprise, you've been double crossed!
Airy
For all the buildup, this initial Airy battle is not so tough - though don't believe it to be incredibly easy, either. Airy doesn't do a ton of damage with her attacks, either using physical hits to do moderate damage or smacking you around with the all-hitting (and considerably more powerful) Slaughter, which may also inflict poison. She can also inflict Stop on all of your characters, which can prove very dangerous if she's building up to Slaughter; make sure at least your healer is protected from stop status. She'll also cart out Spike Guard on occasion, which will cause Airy to counterattack if you dare attack while it's up. Whittle Airy down with your strongest attacks, healing consistenly. Not much else to it, really, though fire works to your advantage if you cart it out to fry the fairy.
- Thought you were done? Nope. Airy's just gettin' started.
Airy
Now that's more like it. Airy is much more dangerous in this form, utilizing a vast array of magical attacks to beat you down. Quaga, Flare, Aeroga, Dark, Thundaga... all will hit your whole team, and all will hurt pretty badly. This is especially true if Airy uses Acedia, which lowers your elemental resistance to everything, and makes it stick. Airy will also toss in Irritate, which inflicts berserk, and Luxuria, hitting everyone with charm. Both are very irritating.
This is a lengthy battle, but not impossible by any stretch. The key here is to counter Airy's Acedia attacks immediately, as they allow her next attack to wipe out your HP. There are a few ways to do this, but my favourite is to immediately counter with the Spiritualist move Greater Spirit Ward. This will not only wipe out the weaknesses, it will make your characters more resilient for a few turns. Watch out for Acedia and counter it immediately. The same goes for the other status ailments - Luxuria is quite annoying when it hits more than one person at a time.
Other than that? Just wail on her. Seriously. Airy's defenses aren't that great, and she's still weak to fire attacks. Target this weakness and exploit it until she goes down. She'll rejuvenate her HP count halfway through the battle, effectively forcing you to fight her twice, but you can manage. Have faith!
- Have a chat with your party members in the aftermath of the battle, then steer Grandship to Sage Yulyana's home. A long cut scene will fill in the remaining bits of plot, leaving only a few small details untouched. Yulyana will also unlock a new dungeon to the north; full details are in this walkthrough. The final battle looms!