So now that a few runs have been completed for any%, we should start considering changes to the run.

I listed some possible changes in my notes (link below, can't access currently from work), but I think the biggest two things are going to be grinding gold for Paranta Seeds to give Vyse better PWs and optimizing late game fights for a SS run.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bds5caheb8vqo19/Skies%20of%20Arcadia%20Segmented%20Notes.docx?dl=0

'sup, I have a question to ask in here. Is the Japanese version of SoAL faster by any means? Because I have a version and I don't want it, so if there is a speedrunner who wants it I have it for sale.

Sorry for posting it random like this but I felt like I wouldn't create a new thread for it.

The Japanese version is actually not faster because it runs at a lower frame rate. The US version runs at the highest frame rate. As far as I know anyways.

Alright, good to know. Thank you!

I was wondering if it would be worth it to recruit Tikatika to your crew at some point during any% run. I was having quite a few of my torpedoes miss their targets in all of my routing/practice so I theorized this.

I know that having Tikatika in your active crew increases the Hit% of your torpedoes. While collecting several discoveries in the upper sky of Ixa'taka, I think that you could make a quick stop afterwards and grab him. Now I was going by in-game time and I clocked it as roughly a 4-minute detour. You would have to sail to Horteka, go to the back area with the elder's hut and lookout cliff, talk to Tikatika, and leave.

In my opinion, having him in your crew can potentially save you a full turn in a few of the later ship battles. This may require more extensive testing, but I feel that saving a full turn in 2 or more ship battles (and those turns can take like 2 minutes each) would be worth the time spent recruiting Tiktika.

Any thoughts on this?

Well, with your run ngBurns it did make TikaTika look viable. Either that or it was incredible luck. It did seem to help your torpedoes hit their mark more. I'll give it a shot in my next run. Time to reclaim that record!

For anyone wondering, the new WR run gets the Captain's Hat from the Rupee bounty fight. This helps considerably with the early game bosses and just in general throughout the game. The only thing it doesn't help with is ship battles because only your raw attack stat matters there. But that's what the Paranta Seeds are for which we'll be able to buy more of by getting a few more discoveries.

Definitely would recommend TikaTika, especially since it would make your ship battles safer. Getting Ixa'Ness doesn't take long at all in a run, and with all the timesaves you get through normal battles using Captain's Hat, you can afford to use torpedoes a lot more and take the risks of a miss without a major detriment to your time. #CaptainsHatSwag saves the day.

ngBurns, in your WR run you talked about the Vorlik Blade, and you're right that it's really not viable. The only way to get him before Fallen rank would be to adhere to a relatively good 100% run all the way up to Yafutoma (and it is indeed possible for you to get him before Vize battle becomes active; I've done it a few times in 100% runs) and it's... just plain not feasable for a speedrun. He would be a great add to the crew if he was, though...

I AM still working on the plot flagging system to screw with the game checks. I may be silent in discord due to it crashing constantly on me, but I'm whittling away at it when I can~ I'll post progress on that here as I make definite breakthroughs so others can see when I make progress.

TikaTika is totally worth it. I can say from experience. I'm trying to remember a torpedo that missed after he was recruited in my last run. Torpedoes are your main damage output in ship battles anyways (not counting Moonstone Cannon). You can stack them up and they cost little SP to use. So, it makes total sense to get TikaTika at this point.

You need a Daring rank to recruit Ryu-kan and you'll never even get close to that in an Any% run. I tested picking all the right choices. Totally not feasible. Not sure that it even matters now because of Captain's Hat so yeah. It would be nice but the final fights are much easier now anyways. Ryu-kan's shop on Crescent Isle is nice though.

I'll be interested to know what plot points the game doesn't care about and what inventory items are not necessary as well to beat the game.

I just finished a fun run 100%. 34 hours in-game time. At the last save point in Soltis to the death animation was 13 or 14 minutes. I'm sure a strong, thorough, %100 run can be done in less than 30 hours. That's including the grind for 2500 monsters. In my fun run though I had to backtrack twice because I forgot a cham in the Ice Lands and a Moonberry in a chest in the Dark Rift. Also, finding certain discoveries is a pain. Unless you remember exactly where every single one is.

You can't run away from battles though you regain points through battles and you can regain that while grinding 2500 monsters, not sure if it's the most viable option. otherwise kill everything.

ArcadiaLegend's notes for any% are viable through most of the game for %100 until you start to overpower the notes for certain fights. I beat Zelos in three turns for example instead of the notes' Four. Driln and Drilnos helps amazingly for ALL ship fights.

When going to get the White Map from Doc, Fina should be at an exceptional level for you to beat Piastol for the first time. Once you get the Delphinus, talk to doc, beat Lapen(you'll get a few deaths in that fight but doable) and you get the Berzerker Mail(great for Vyse) and beat Piastol 2. After Yafutoma, beat the Ixa'ness Demons( Cutlass Fury one of the two up front, use Aura of Valor with Fina or Enrique, Prophecy turn two, and Cutlass Fury third turn. That should be it. Be sure to Glyph of Might of course.

Again you want discoveries for money of course but you also want to find all of them. not sure the best route for that.

I want to say as soon as your ship can fly to upper or lower sky is when to grind 2500 and find all discoveries. May or may not be a huge time saver at that point But if you grind at that time you'll be way over powered for the rest of the game.

Do NOT forget any treasure or cham or Moonfish unless you want to backtrack to it or unless it's somehow planned.

Also, because of the grind, you have so much more money which can be spent on Paranta seeds to make you even stronger. The Ramirez fights, other than not dying, you don't need to buff Vise. PW will do 9999 damage everytime and end in three turns each fight. But if you want to feed Gilder, Enrique or Drachma Paranta seedsto potentially end those fights in two rounds that's on you. So long as Ramirez doesn't take control of Vise in the last fight, then maybe four or even five rounds, final fight.

In a 100% because you'll be so OP, it might be a good idea to use your Aura of Valor's on Bounty fights. Ixa'ness Demons for sure, Lapen and Diakokuya. Depending on when these fights are actually done.