Bravely Default/Chapter 3

In the center of the Sea of Corsairs is a massive ship. This watercraft is called the Grandship, a tiny nation state floating on water. Ringabel decides to visit it, despite Agnes and Airy's protests.

Grandship, The Sinking State
Upon boarding the Grandship, you will be greeted by the proprietress of the tavern onboard, the Drunken Pig. She asks you to search for a boy called Zatz on the Grandship. Before you do so, go down and inspect the bottom-right corner of the area for an Antartic Wind. After that, head north and check the grid gate for 1000 pg. Now, move through the arch at the top to enter the Grandship's marketplace.

You can find all of the standard town amenities here, as well as a short bucktoothed boy. Upon talking to him, he confirms he is Zatz and goes off to meet the proprietress. Search the mailbox of the item shop to get an X-Potion. The shops here don't have much to offer. The armory has several interesting items to offer, but their selection is limited. You can buy any of the scrolls you've missed on Florem here too.

Back on the Upper Deck, go into the tavern. First, go up the stairs and inspect the lamp to get a Flame Charm. Next, go to the west end of the room where the barrels of wine are stored. Search around there to find Bacchus's Wine. Now go to the counter and talk to Zatz.

It turns out that he is from Eisenberg, a land torn apart by civil war. He is part of the Shieldbearers, a group that traditionally protected Eisenberg in the past, and is fighting against the Swordbearers. Despite their lesser numbers, the Swordbearers are assisted by skilled mercenaries from Eternia: the Black Blades. He also says that the vestal of fire was assassinated by the Swordbearers, and the Temple of Fire is blocked off by lava from a nearby volcano's eruption as a result. After learning about your destination, Zatz offers to help guide you to Eisenberg.

House by the Sea
Simply go north from the Grandship, past a narrow channel, and you should see a small wooden house. There, you will meet Datz, who mentions an attack by a swordmaster. Zatz asks you to talk to the commander of the Shieldbearers in the hope that you will join. From the House by the Sea, start by going south. Along the way, you'll be attacked by Kamiizumi, commander of the Black Blades and Edea's teacher. As he confronts the group, he is notified of the Swordbearers withdrawal and leaves to aid them.

During your travels in Eisenberg, watch out for the Valtora which can reduce your health down to 1 HP with Chomp, Deathstalkers that can summon two more of their kind with Pheromone Plus, and Soil Eaters that can attack the whole party with Earthquake. At night, you may also encounter Ghosts that can use Curse to lower your physical stats. Continue west and north until you see a tower atop a mound of dirt. Enter it.

Eisen Bridge
You'll arrive at Eisen Bridge, the center of the conflict, and meet with Commander Daniel Goodman. As the Shieldbearers are devout Crystalists, he offers to help the vestal however he can, but laments that they have no way to reach the Temple of Fire. He directs you to Hartschild to the west, where his residence is.

Hartschild, Town of Shieldbearers
As you continue west, you'll notice a coast at the southern end of the continent. You can dock the Eschalot here as well in the future, which is useful as it is much closer to town. Go to the building at the center to enter. Inside, Goodman's wife Eleanor will greet you. She has prepared a feast for the group, but Ringabel runs off, apparently distracted by an attractive girl. Meanwhile, at the Council of Six, Alternis Dim has a brief argument with Victoria, and becomes wounded by her magic.

Back at Hartschild, Ringabel returns wounded from his pursuit. The next morning, the group discusses about the possible ways to reach the Temple of Fire. With no way to get to the temple other than by air, and with the Earth Crystal in Eternia surrounded by impassable mountains, it seems that your adventure has ground to a halt. At this point, Tiz suggests helping the Shieldbearers for the time being. Go back inside Goodman Residence and take a look around. Inspect the closest corner left of the entrance to find a Gale Hairpin. Then, inspect the top-right corner of the room Eleanor is in to find a Kunai.

It's time to explore around Hartchild before setting off. There are new level 4 White Magic and level 3 Time Magic available to you here, but they can be a bit costly. As for the armory, you'll find a poor selection of weapons, but an impressive collection of charms in the accessories department, all of which give you elemental resistances. There are also some items that raises your Mind stat, good for healers and defensive characters in general. Finally, inspect the barrels below the items shop to get an Elixir, an awesome but rare restorative item.

Return to Eisen Bridge and talk to Daniel Goodman. Datz tells Goodman about their new allies, and returns to Zatz at the wooden house. Goodman is happy you're helping, and gives you the mission to scout out Grapp's Keep. The keep is near East City, a settlement where hundreds of thousands of Shieldbearers were killed by a toxic mist. He hopes to find out about the nature of the mist, as well as a possible cure. The keep is northeast of here, and the eastern gate will now be open to you.

Sub-scenario: The live captain of a ghost ship
Back at the House by the Sea, Zatz will tell you about a curious ghost ship witnessed travelling around the waters east of Eisenberg, and asks you to investigate. Hop into the Eschalot and head back into the Sea of Corsairs. Your objective is to look for a thick cloud of fog which only appears at night, with no quest marker pointing to its position. You'll just have to search the general area east of the Eisenberg continent or south of Caldisla. When you enter the fog, you'll be given the option to board the ghost ship or let it pass.

SS Funky Francisca
This decrepit ship is staffed by the spirits of its perished crew--with one exception. You're greeted by Hayreddin Barbarossa, leader of the Black Blades' naval forces. Before you go talk to him, take your time exploring the ship. Go to the western end of the ship to find 2000 pg, then inspect the pile of loot near the mast for a Viking Axe.

Boss: Hayreddin Barbarossa
Captain Barbarossa is standing in for the actual, dead captain of the ship, and sails around the Sea of Corsairs helping the captain in his search. He is pretty carefree despite being an enemy, and simply wishes to fight you for the thrill of it. It's time for an asterisk battle!

Barbarossa is the bearer of the Pirate asterisk, and is a purely physical attacker. His normal attacks are strong enough, but he can also debuff your party with Shell Split, which lowers your P.Def, and Defang, which lowers your P.Atk. He can also use Double Damage for an extra strong strike. Barbarossa is quite fond of using Braves for high damage offensives, often using Shell Split followed by Double Damage to heavily wound a party member. He has an elemental weakness to lightning magic.

Compared to some of the bosses you've faced before, Barbarossa is surprisingly simplistic. The main threat comes from his highly powerful attacks, so sufficient armor and healing should sustain your party for the whole fight. Barbarossa's careless Braves often leave him with a few turns vulnerable. If you can anticipate his Brave combos and Default on that turn, you're free to do whatever you want on while he is recovering from negative BP. Continuously exploit these BP openings and you will defeat the hearty captain without much trouble.

Barbarossa gives you the Pirate asterisk, a straightforward, physically-oriented job that can deal high damage with normal attacks and inflict debuffs while dealing damage. You'll also get the Captain's Log added to D's Journal, which details about the former captain, Suleiman's search for Susano-o and Barbarossa's efforts to complete his quest.

Grapp's Keep
Grapp's Keep is a long walk away from the Eisen Bridge. From the guardpost, follow the road north and east, travelling between a short valley, until you arrive at the keep on a hill. The gimmick of this dungeon is a lot of levers. There are plenty of gates here that block your passage, and you must seek out the lever to find a way to proceed. This place is crawling with undead with strong attacks. In particular, Zombie Knights can inflict Paralyze status and Bone Hunters can Poison you. Fortunately, all of these enemies are weak to both fire magic and curative magic like Cura, so your healers can help out with killing enemies.

From the entrance, head east and go north. Go into the western path when you can to enter small chamber. Pull the lever here to cause a gate to open at the other side of the wall. Backtrack to the entrance and go north, and you will trigger a cutscene with the ghosts of the perished soldiers. Perhaps you can find out more about the mist by seeking them out. Go west and around the bend to find an X-Potion. Head through the newly-opened gate and up the steps there.

Go south for 2000 pg from the chest, then pull the lever to cause the gate to the east to open. Head north and go downstairs. Pull the lever in this room, head up, then take the southern staircase on the 2nd floor. When you return to the starting area, you can now head north through another door to find two chests. One of them is locked, but the other contains a Turbo Ether. Make your way back to the start and go straight north, then go up the steps to view another cutscene. Travel down the northern path to be presented with two staircases. Go down a floor for a chest containing a Glaive. Go up to the 3rd floor and another apparition will talk to you about the mist.

Head south down the western path. You'll overhear a conversation between Qada, the chemist that unleashed the toxic mist, and Commander Kamiizumi. It appears that there is a master sample of the toxin hidden here, so your new objective is to obtain it. Keep heading south to reach a dead end with a Rebuff Locket. After that, travel down the eastern passage to reach some stairs leading down. Hug the east wall and move south to enter a secret hallway. Go west to reach a chest containing an Elixir. Now head down the steps.

First things first, travel down the western hallway to the end to find a lever. Pull the lever to open the gate east of you. North of the steps, go east and south into the branching path to find a chest containing a Bomb Fragment. Head north and go west into another branching path for a Bacchus's Wine inside a chest. Head down the stairs and pull the lever to open a shortcut back to the starting area. Return to the entrance and go up the stairs directly in front of you again, then move south through the gate. Go up the steps and make your preparations with the Adventurer. Head into the room and grab the sparkling object.

Boss: Automatons
Taking the toxin sample triggers the keep's security system, and you're attacked by three Automatons! The Automatons main attack is Rocket Punch, which hits your whole party at once. Several consevutive Rocket Punches can potentially wipe out your whole team, so be very careful. The Automatons will also use Limiter Rescission to increase their P.Atk at the cost of P.Def. Finally, they will occasionally use Self-Repair to replenish some HP. As metallic machines, the Automatons are quite vulnerable to lightning magic.

The Automatons are powerful and beefy, but they don't have any tricks beyond Rocket Punching you into oblivion. As long as you have a healthy healer, your party should be able to sponge the Rocket Punches without a problem. Despite this, it is still highly advisable that you use a focus fire strategy to defeat the Automatons one by one, as one less machine capable of Rocket Punching means more chances of survival. Use Thundara liberally whether you're targeting one Automaton or all of them, as they are weak to lightning. A skilled Thief can steal Pantheon's Wrath which deals lightning damage to all three of them, making this fight last shorter.

With the sample in hand, leave the keep and return to Eisen Bridge. Instead of researching the sample for a cure, Goodman promises to follow Agnes's advice and destroy it instead. Just then, the base is suddenly attacked by the Swordbearers, and they seem to have the upper hand. Goodman explains that they are using Mythril from a nearby mine. The Shieldbearers tried to retake it, but the Swordbearers used the child slaves, known as "canary boys", as a human shield. Perhaps a smaller party like yours would be able to rescue the children while the Shieldbearers retake the mine.

Sub-scenario: The diva of the battlefield
At Eisen Bridge, talk to the commander and choose the "Who's that?" dialogue option. Goodman says that the teenage girl on the bridge is part of the Black Blades, whose songs adversely affects the Shieldbearers' soldiers. Her name is Praline a la Mode, and she calls herself the diva of the battlefield. Trying to approach her on the bridge is ineffective, as the performer is surrounded by soldiers. You'll need to find a way to shut her up.

Following the trail of Arca Pellar
Return to the Grandship and enter the Drunken Pig. When you talk to the Proprietress, she mentions that a bard called Arca Pellar, who taught the people on the Grandship to drown out a siren with song a long time ago. The bard left the Grandship and travelled to worlds unknown, but she tells you to ask the elders in the tavern. Go and talk to the old men at the center of the tavern. One of them tells you that Arca Pellar has 3 disciples, and that one of them lives in Ancheim.

Head back to Ancheim and go to the front of the giant clock. The first disciple can be found here, and tells you the second of the bard's pupils lives in Caldisla. Return to your starting town and talk to the woman south of the spell shop. She says that the last student lives in Florem. Travel to Florem and go to the stage in the plaza. The man standing there is the final disciple, and says the bard spent his final days in Hartschild. Upon reaching Hartschild, talk to the woman next to the fountain. The bard is dead, but he taught the whole town to sing. She also says the bard's belongings were sent to the Grandship. Finally, return to the Grandship's tavern and talk to the Proprietress to get Arca Pellar's baton.

Boss: Praline a la Mode
At Eisen Bridge, talk to Goodman and choose to challenge Praline one more time. With the musical wisdom left by the bard, the song of the Shieldbearers drown out Praline's own songs. No longer the center of attention, Praline is angered and confronts you in an asterisk battle!

As a performer, Praline plays more of a support role with her songs. In fact, the true danger comes from her bodyguards, who will constantly be powered up. The Black Blade causes confusion with Edge of Madness, while the Black Axefighter can use Shell Split to lower your P.Def. Praline herself mainly uses Love Power to strengthen her allies, granting them increased P.Atk. She can also use One More For You to increase a bodyguard's BP. If you defeat both of her assistants, she can quickly summon new ones with Bodyguards.

First and foremost, you need to have a good form of crowd control to limit the damage from the Black Blade goons. Praline will not summon more bodyguards if you don't kill both of them, so a lasting way to reduce the enemy's threat level is by killing one early on, then keeping the other disabled through Sleep or Stop. Dispel is also incredibly handy, as it lets you remove the effects of Love Power with ease. If you can subdue her bodyguards, the only danger from Praline is a Love Power-boosted melee attack, which is still fairly strong but easy to defend against. Disable her bodyguards then dispel her song effects, and victory will soon be yours.

Praline gives you the Performer asterisk! Performers can buff the whole party through the power of song, making them great supporters if you can manage your MP well. Praline herself decides to give up her position in the Black Blades and live as an ordinary girl from then on.

Mythril Mines
The Mythril Mines can be found by following the road north and west from the west gate. Go inside the cave to enter the mines.

Starkfort, Lair of the Swordbearers
Starkfort is at the northern tip of the continent, a stronghold with a large inverted pyramid on top. Outside the fortress, you can find a shopkeeper with a nice selection of items, including level 4 Black and Time Magic. There is also an Adventurer here. From the entrance, go into the cranny at the left side of the rocky path and inspect it for an Earth Drum. Next, go west into the narrow path west of the Adventurer to find a Stardust at the end.

Starkfort Interior
Despite being the main base of the Swordbearers, Starkfort isn't any more dangerous than your average dungeon. The enemies here are mainly Black Blade lackeys which you've already encountered back in the mines. However, there are also groups of Hellhounds here. Hellhounds can use Snap to deal damage and make other enemies focus on the victim. At the entrance hall, search the west end for a chest containing 500 pg, then get a Hi-Potion from an alcove to the east.

Progressing further down the hallway, Ringabel will talk about the layout of the fort. The war room up north is blocked while the section to the west is labeled "Poison", so Egil is most likely being held in the eastern section. Go up the stairs and move straight south to find an Ice Brand. Next, follow the wider path around a corner to find Egil lying on the floor. He says something about wanting to meet the fire vestal before passing out. You should certainly hear him out, but you'll need to take him back to Hartschild to rest first.