Bravely Default/Chapter 4

Upon touching down on Eternia, Edea explains that the Earth Crystal is in the Everlast Tower, which was formerly known as the Temple of Earth. To get there, you must first survive a trek through Frostpeak Passage.

Frostpeak Passage
The nearest gate to the city of Eternia is closed, so you must take the dirt path around it. It is here you will be introduced to the various enemies you'll find across Eternia. Silver Wolves can inflict paralysis with Paralyzing Bite, while Mandragoras attack in groups and can poison you with Poison Pollen. Teufels sometimes appear at night, and possess the powerful Thundaga spell.

Boss: Ice Golem
As you near the city, you'll see a massive monster in your path. Approach it to start a fight with the Ice Golem! The Ice Golem is a simple boss, but a very powerful one at that. The threat comes from its strength, able to dish out incredibly painful attacks including its abilities. Freezing Punch is an extra strong move that has a chance to inflict Stop, a nasty status ailment that can potentially ruin your team strategy. It also has Blizzard Blast to strike the whole party with.

As with most minor bosses, the Ice Golem does not require a very sophisticated strategy to beat. A healer is important as always, given that its attacks are extremely damaging. Stop is a major consideration as it is hard to defend against, and hard to cure. Since all the boss's attacks are physical, Ninjas can be very effective against it using a combination of Utsusemi and Transience. You can also try to Blind it, which will render its attacks nearly useless against your whole party, although your means to do so are limited outside of Specials.

With the Ice Golem out of the way, head north to enter the city of Eternia!

Eternia, Land of Immortality
At the city, Edea explains that the Eternia is connected with a system of white magic cables, using its energy to treat various diseases. One of Edea's old friends tells her that Edea's mother has fallen sick, and is currently being kept in the Central Healing Tower. Perhaps you should pay her a visit. Go into the entrance with the yellow light to enter the Central Healing Tower, then go to the top-left corner of the building. Edea's mother, Mahzer Lee, has heard about Edea's betrayal from her father, but bears no ill will to the group. She only wants Edea to talk it out with her father.

After the cutscene, check the top right corner of the room for a Rebuff Locket. Outside, Edea reveals that the white magic cables get their energy from the Earth Crystal, and ultimately decides to help awaken the Earth Crystal despite the impact to Eternia's patients. She says that there are three paths to Eternia Central Command, where the Council of Six are stationed. The center path is the shortest, but has very powerful enemies, the west path is longer but the enemies there are more manageable, while the east path is the longest and lacks any strong foes.

Before you set out, take a look around Eternia to prepare for the trip. In front of the exit to the Central Healing Tower, go west and search south to find an Elixir. Go to the southeastern corner of the city and inspect the area to get an Artic Wind. As for the shops, there is a wide variety of weaponry to be found in the armory, while you can get level 5 White, Black and Time Magic from the scroll shop.

The three paths
You have a choice of three passages to reach the Eternia Central Command. As Edea explained, the center path is the shortest and the hardest, the west path is longer and more forgiving, while the east path is easy but very long. You can choose whichever path you wish, but if you're aiming to fight all the bosses on the three paths, be sure to do it now, as they eventually disappear after you advance the story.

Central path - Boss: Guardian
The center path is a straight road to the Eternia Central Command, but it is lined with turrets and patrolled by a dangerous Guardian. Walk up to it to start the fight. The Guardian is an upgraded version of the Automatons, although this single one hits harder than the three previous robots. It still has Limiter Rescission, which boosts its P.Atk by sacrificing its P.Def, and Rocket Punch, which has the serious threat of wiping out your party when boosted. Additionally, it can now use Optical Camouflage to raise Evasion. Lastly, those turrets on the overworld aren't for show, as they can use Assist Attack to inflict exactly 1500 damage on your whole party every 3 turns.

This fight will be similar to the Automatons, except you can focus on just one robot instead of 3. It's still no reason to let your guard down, as the Guardian is extremely tanky and has exceedingly painful attacks that can wipe out a careless party. However, its main threat still comes from its sheer strength, so you don't require any special strategy to defeat it. Use Default very often in anticipation of Rocket Punch and make sure your healer can restore damage dealt by Rocket Punches and Assist Attacks, and you should eventually take down this mechanical powerhouse. Lightning magic like Thundara or Pantheon's Wrath targets Guardian's weakness, and will help make a long fight shorter. The Performer's Got Your Back is handy as well to raise your party's P.Def if you're really worried about Rocket Punch.

Once the Guardian falls, there is very little that can stop you from reaching Eternia Central Command, so head on north.

West path - Boss: Dragon Zombie
Travelling down the longer west path, you may come across a castle rising up from a dead forest, but you can't enter it at this point. Instead, continue down the path to find your blockade: the Dragon Zombie. Like the Dragon you've fought before, the Dragon Zombie has a remarkably simple skillset. Its main attack is Bite, which targets a single party member for considerable damage. It also has Toxic Breath, which harms the whole party and has a chance of inflicting Poison. Finally, despite its lower than average HP, it can use Rise from the Dead to lengthen its lifespan. Being part Zombie, it is weak to Fire, Light and curative magic.

The Dragon Zombie is much more manageable than the Guardian, although it can potentially draw the fight annoyingly long due to Rise of the Dead. The damage from Bite and Toxic Breath isn't too problematic if you have an active healer. The Poison is a nuisance, but you can easily remove it with Poisona, cheap Antidotes or just equip everyone with Star Pendants. The Dragon Zombie's multiple weaknesses are very easy to exploit, as you have a wide range of jobs and skills that can use fire elemental attacks. Even your healers can join in the offensive when there are no serious injuries, as the Dragon Zombie is also weak to healing spells and items.

After you down the Dragon Zombie for good, it's a short walk to Eternia Central Command.

East path - Gravemark Village
The scenic route to Eternia Central Command is quite uneventful. The biggest threat to you here are the random encounters. A new enemy you'll find is the Hybrids. These snow bears can use Bare Claws to attack while ignoring your P.Def. Halfway along the path, you can head further east to reach the gloomy Gravemark Village. According to the old man at the hut, this village was ravaged by a plague and most of the residents were killed. Edea's parents came from Gravemark Village but moved to the city before the plague struck. Apparently, the Crystal Orthodoxy denied help to the village, and even quarantined it to prevent its spread to the rest of Eternia.

There are some items you can find here. Look around the southernmost row of gravestones to find an Ice Charm. Next, inspect the area directly south from the hut to find a Light Curtain. There is an Adventurer here for saving and supplies, and the old man's hut acts as a free inn. With this helpful destination along the eastern path, this route is without a doubt the easiest to traverse.

Eternia Central Command
Outside the central command building, the party is once again attacked by Victor and Victoria. Like before, Victoria suffers another seizure just before she tries to kill off the party, so the duo escape into the building. Since they're so close, you should quickly chase after them and defeat them during this moment of weakness! From the entrance of the building, head through the east gate and into the room beyond to reach the White Magic Circulation Hub.

Boss: Victor and Victoria rematch
At the hub, Victoria can be seen resting inside the massive heart-shaped contraption. Victor explains that Victoria suffered a life-threatening incurable disease. She was ultimately saved thanks to the medical treatment in Eternia, but the treatment had painful side-effects that led to her psychotic personality. Just as he finishes, Victoria exits the contraption, now fully-healed and ready to fight. For the first time in a long while, it's a tag team asterisk battle!

Victoria attacks using debilitating status ailments as well as powerful spells. Her basic combo is a group cast Poison, followed by Exterminate, which deals massive damage to all poisoned characters. She can also cast Dark to deal raw elemental Dark damage. Finally, she can use Corpse to inflict Doom on a party member, which guarantees a KO after a set number of turns. At low health, Victoria is more prone to using Braves, either for her Exterminate combo or for multiple Dark casts. Victor focuses more on supporting Victoria, using Curada to heal and Fairy's Aid to boost elemental damage. However, he also has the formidable Holy spell which deals high elemental Light damage. Victoria is weak to the Light element while Victor is weak to the Dark element.

Starting off the battle, your primary focus should be on Victoria. While Victor's healing and buffs are a concern, they are not as disruptive as Victoria's deadly status ailments. Poison immunity of some kind is a must, as it protects you from Exterminate and prevents your healer from wasting turns curing it. You can't do much about Corpse if it lands, but you can prepare to immediately revive your fallen teammate after Doom activates. Once Victoria falls, Victor will become more aggressive, but his spells are easier to counter. Level 4 White Magic is pretty handy in this boss fight, as Dispel will remove Fairy's Aid while Reflect counters Dark and Holy. If you aren't using a lot of offensive magic, you may also cast Reflect on the enemy to force Victor to heal you whenever he uses Curada.

You gain two new asterisks at once! Victor leaves the Spiritmaster asterisk, an upgraded White Mage with loads of strong support spells that expend BP. Victoria on the other hand gives the Arcanist asterisk, a job that supplements Black Magic nicely, particularly with its powerful spell combos out of status ailments.

Now that two major threats in the Council of Six have been defeated, you can proceed north toward Everlast Tower. Unfortunately, you will be ambushed by a mysterious vampire, who was apparently helping Alternis Dim. Edea is brought to her old room, while the rest of the party is locked up in the dungeon.

Central Command - Prison
You find Edea alone in her room. Try to leave and you will encounter Templar Braev Lee, Edea's father and the Grand Marshal of the Duchy. After an unsuccessful debate about the two's ideals, Edea hatches a plan to sneak out of her room. Using a secret passage, she escapes into the dungeon! Meanwhile, the Templar meets the vampire from before, recognizing him as Lord DeRosso. It seems that Braev seized power of the Duchy by making Lord DeRosso the archduke.

Now in the dungeon, Edea finds the keys to the cells with ease. Now you must free the rest of the party, but you can still find individual Duchy guards in this area even while alone, so stay on guard. Head west first and get 3000pg from the chest in the open cell. The adjacent cell contains your first target to free: Ringabel. Keep going to the northwestern corner to find a chest containing an X-Potion.

Return to where you started and now go south. You'll find Agnes's cell next, as well as a Light Curtain from the chest in the room below. Go west from here to find the last of your party: Tiz, as well as 5000pg from the adjacent room. At the southwestern corner is the stairs out, but there is one more chest for you to find. In the chamber with the stairs, move south down the southeast corner of the room to pass a false wall. Move along the path to enter a locked cell with a chest containing the Excalibur. With all the loot collected, head upstairs.

You're not out of the prison just yet, and this floor is a veritable maze. You'll encounter more varied enemies here, such as Silver Wolves, Teufels and Archdemons. Archdemons in particular can both damage and Charm one target with Charming Thrust. The Excalibur you collected will be quite effective against it as well as the Teufels.

Head north to the top of the floor and look in the small alcove for a Light Curtain. Move east, ignoring the various passages south until you reach the dead end to find an X-Potion. Head south into the first branching path from where you are to find a chest containing a Dragon Fang at the dead end. Head back north and this time travel down the adjacent path to progress further. Continue down the path and get the Zeus's Wrath from the northern chest in plain sight. Go to the southeastern corner of the floor to find a chest containing Bacchus's Wine. Head north to the stairs to exit the prison!

One last locked gate stands in your way to freedom, but Edea doesn't have the key! Suddenly, Sage Yulyana appears on the other side of the gate. He reveals that he was part of the organization that preceded the Duchy, a member of the Council of Six, thus making him your enemy. He warns Agnes that many people will suffer if she awakens the Earth Crystal. After that, he disappears in an explosion that destroys the gate, helping you one last time.

Central Command
You can now proceed further to the north. There is a path leading outside to the west, but you can't do anything about it quite yet other than get the Pantheon's Wrath next to the gate. The exit leading to Everlast Tower is still locked, so you must head further into Central Command to find the key. Go east and head up the elevator. Note that you will start to encounter Duchy guards very often on your climb. Normal Guardsmen can lower M.Def with Carotid Slash, Pike Guards attack first with First Thrust, while Mage Guards uses Sleep and Blizzaga. You may also encounter Lilith's that can inflict Charm with Tail Whip.

The elevator takes you up to the 47th floor. Head to the center of the room and go southeast. Head north from there to find a chest containing a Gold Hourglass, then go west to the southern end of the floor for a Lilith's Kiss. Next head to the northwest area of the floor. Go east into the northern corridor to find a chest containing a Turbo Ether. Head south from there and you'll eventually reach the stairs.

On the 48th floor, head north and east to reach the center of the floor. Head to the south and into the chamber at the southwest to get an Assassin Dagger. Travel down the corridor south of the room with the locked chest and go to the room at the dead end to find a chest containing Divine Fists. Backtrack to the center and head up to the north corridor, then go east. There's an exit that leads to Edea's room, which you've been in before. Edea's bed functions as an inn if you need to heal up. Go south to the end of the corridor to find the stairs upward.

On this floor, you're basically following a linear path that slowly spirals toward the center. However, as you're moving down the western corridor, you can head west into a branching path. Go north to find the stairs leading down to a chamber containing a Holy Lance. Head south along this outer rim until you reach another chest containing Stardust. Return to the main spiraling path and head inward until you reach the elevator. Make your preparations with the Adventurer and get the Elixir from the chest to the east before heading up.

Boss: Braev the Templar
At the hall of the Council of Six, Braev Lee awaits the party alone. Edea tries to reason with him once more, but neither father nor daughter are willing to give up their ideals. Thus, the only way you're going to reach Everlast Tower is by defeating the Grand Marshal, Templar Braev Lee!

This battle is quite tricky due to how unpredictable the Templar is. Braev Lee will make liberal use of Default to greatly reduce any damage dealt to him, and rack up a lot of BP as well. Every so often, he will drop his guard to attack, often Braving for some powerful consecutive hits that can likely KO a character. His main attack is Heart Strike, which is always a critical hit. However, he will also use Radiant Blast, an elemental Light attack, as well as Giant Slayer when his health is low. Speaking about HP, Braev has a rather small HP pool for such a defensive boss, but he will actually use Recover twice whenever you reduce his health to 0, effectively forcing you to fight him 3 times.

There's really no clear strategy you can use in this battle simply because the boss is so hard to predict. Due to the slow and drawn out nature of the battle, you can't rely on Special Moves as their effects wear off quickly and chaining is ineffective against the boss. Braev Lee Defaults a lot, so Default piercing abilities like the Ranger's Targeting comes in handy for wearing him down. You should often use Default yourself, especially if Braev has positive BP, to defend against spontaneous Brave combos. The Templar will often focus his attacks on one party member, which will very likely incapacitate them. The Black Mage's Damage Dispersion is fairly helpful in this scenario, as it reduces the sting of Braev Lee's single target abilities. Occasionally, Braev may Brave into negative BP, leaving him vulnerable for a turn or two. Expend all of your BP during this period of vulnerability to rack up as much damage as you can. Do not worry about Braev Lee reviving himself, as he doesn't get any tougher, so keep up your usual tactics to defeat him eventually.

You get the Templar asterisk for your victory against the Grand Marshal! Templars are like deluxe Knights with some focus on critical hits. Even though he is defeated, Braev is tough enough to stay alive, but can hold you back no longer. Lord DeRosso shows up to comfort Edea, saying that Braev will live while Mahzer can continue treatment even if they awaken the Earth Crystal. It's time to finish off the last leg of your quest to awaken the crystals!

Sub-scenario: The immortal archduke
On the western route from the city of Eternia to Central Command, there is a branching path that leads to a castle made of ice. You have no way of opening it, but you're told to collect 6 keystones. Thus begins one of the longer and tougher sub-scenarios in the game.

Bosses: Keystone Dragons
It isn't immediately clear what you must do to unlock the entrance into Vampire Castle. However, you should recall seeing a series of odd obelisks scattered across Luxendarc, all with the same design and seemingly serving no purpose. You can now inspect these obelisks, and doing so will start a boss battle with a dragon! Defeating the dragon boss nets you a keystone, and your goal is to seek out all of the dragons to collect all six keystones.

The keystone dragons all have the same attack pattern. They will spend the first two turns either using Bite on one target, or a breath attack that hits the whole party and can inflict a specific status ailment. On the third turn, they will always use an "eye" debuff that renders your party vulnerable to their breath attack element for two turns. After that, the dragon's strategy repeats, using a combination of bites and breaths before debuffing you every third turn.

As all of the keystone dragons have the same attack pattern, you can use a general strategy to tackle all of them. Their breath attacks are your main worry, since it can likely wipe out an unprepared party swiftly, and the status effects are a major nuisance if you survivors. Luckily, you've earned some nice jobs for countering these attacks. The Templar has Rampart, which can completely block one breath attack per use. The Spiritmaster is another great job against the dragons, as their Stillness last the entire duration of the dragon's attacking turns, letting you launch an all-out offensive on every third turn. Finally, if you don't mind playing cheap, a group of fast Ninjas with Utsusemi can render each dragon's attack useless. Combined with Comeback Kid or the Red Mage's Turn Tables ability, you can effortlessly defeat all the dragons without taking a single hit.

In the Caldis region where your adventure began, you can find the obelisk on a cape near Lontano Villa. You will find the Jabberwock there guarding the Dark Keystone, which can use Fearsome Breath and Evil Eye. The Jabberwock's Fearsome Breath can inflict Dread, which can jeopardize strategies reliant on BP management especially since Rampart and Stillness expend BP. The Jabberwock is weak to Light, which is rather hard to exploit. Divine Rain courtesy of the Salve-Maker should do the trick, while the Templar's Radiant Blast is also quite handy.

Around the northwestern region of the arid Harena desert, near the oasis is the second obelisk where you can earn the Wind Keystone. You'll have to fight the Wyvern, a dragon that can use Stormy Breath and Tempest Eye. This dragon is a bit easier to handle, as its Stormy Breath doesn't inflict any status ailments. Its weakness to Fire is all too easy to target. Firaga, Promethean Fire or Bomb Arms, you have plenty of options to deal double damage and take Wyvern down.

To get the Light Keystone, you must head through the heavily wooded region of Yulyana until you reach its northern tip to find the obelisk. Since you can't disembark in the middle of the forest from the Grandship, it's going to be a long walk with some minor random encounters along the way. Shinryu is the keystone dragon for this region, capable of using Holy Breath and Celestial Eye. Holy Breath can inflict Blind, so don't rely too much on your physical attackers if you don't have adequate Blind protection. Only Salve-Makers and Arcanists can rely take advantage of its weakness to Dark. Dark Sigh is a cheap source of Dark damage for Salve-Makers, but you can also make stronger, more expensive Dark spells through Compounding. Arcanists on the other hand needs to Poison Shinryu first before they can use Exterminate for heavy Dark damage, easier said than done when trying to inflict a status ailment on a boss.

The obelisk of the Water Keystone lies north of Florem, on one of the islands in the northeastern archipelago. There, you must slay the dragon Mizuchi, who can use Icy Breath and Freezing Eye. Mizuchi's Icy Breath is particularly nasty since it has a chance to inflict Stop. Given how crippling Stop is and how hard it is to cure it, this dragon can really cause you a lot of grief. If you absolutely need Stop protection, consider using the Time Mage's Stop Immunity ability. Mizuchi is weak to Lightning, which you can use to your advantage with Black Magic, Sword Magic or Compounding. If you've collected the Deux Ex summon from the Earth Temple, it is also quite effective here.

For the Fire Keystone, you must traverse the war-torn plains of Eisenberg. The obelisk is located near Grapp Keep, where you will find the Salamander, a dragon that can use Fiery Breath and Scorching Eye. Like the Wyvern, the Salamander's Fiery Breath doesn't inflict status ailments, so it is slightly easier to kill. It is weak to Water, a common attack element. Be it Blizzaga, Artic Wind or Ziusudra's Sin, you can make short work of Salamander if you keep up your barrage of icy attacks.

Lastly, you can find the obelisk of the Earth Keystone on one of the inner shores at the eastern half of the Eternia region. The final dragon you need to slay is Ladon, who can use Megaton Press and Earth Eye. Megaton Press can cause Paralysis, a status ailment similar to Stop but slightly more manageable. It can still be a major headache if you lack immunity against it. Ladon is weak to Wind, but chances are your White Mage's Aeroga isn't going to do a lot of damage. If you really want to exploit elemental vulnerabilities, Salve-Makers are your best bet, or a well-upgraded Combat Item Shop from Norende for a steady supply of Tengu Sneezes.

With all six keystones in hand, you can finally venture into Vampire Castle!

Vampire Castle
Vampire Castle is one of the longer dungeons in the game, consisting of a whopping 7 floors, although each individual floor isn't too large. The enemies here are rather tough, with most of them able to inflict debilitating status ailments. Magnus Bats can Confuse the whole party with Ultrasonic Wave, while the Melusine can Charm the whole party with Nocturnal Gala. Cerberus doesn't use any status debuffs, but can strike the entire party with Hellfire and counter physical attacks.

From the entrance, start off by moving west. When you get to the corner, move south into a hidden passage and head east until you reach a chest containing a Blood Blade, a weapon that automatically drains HP through attacks. Next, go northeast and enter the eastern half of the floor. Go around the U-shaped bend and move to the end of the hallway to find a Dragon Fang. Now, go north to the large painting on the wall. Lord DeRosso explains that this is a painting of his birth. The DeRosso family had ties to an ancient Eternian Kingdom that existed during the time of the Crystal Adventists. After the cutscene, go west for a Safety Ring and east to find the stairs upward.

On the second floor, ignore the alcove to the south and take the western hallway south. Go east into the branching path to find a chest containing Hermes Shoes. Continue down the main hallway and round the bend into the westernmost corridor to get the Black Belt from the chest at the dead end. Move north into the hall with the painting. Lord DeRosse says that the Crystal Adventists soon developed into the Crystal Orthodoxy, a more organized global religion. The election of the first Grand Patriarch was rigged, but DeRosso's refusal to participate in the corruption resulted in him losing his position as a cardinal in the Orthodoxy. The Orthodoxy suppressed the original Crystal Adventists until it completely died off.

At 3F, head south to the end of the hallway to find a chest containing a Soul of Thamasa. Go east into the main hallway, following the passage until you reach the painting hallway. DeRosso states that it is the burning castle of the original kingdom of Eternia. The Orthodoxy had fabricated lies that Eternia is preparing to revive the Old Faith, then rallied the other countries to invade Eternia. The royal Eternian family was slain, after which DeRosso's family castle was besieged by Orthodoxy forces. Upon being told that the Orthodoxy will not accept Lord DeRosso's surrender, DeRosso set his own castle on fire.

Head south, then north up the branching path to find a chest containing Dwarven Gloves. Go west and north into the central hall. Continue west and follow the winding path to a dead end to get Hyper Bracers from the chest there. After that, move north into the painting hall. DeRosso explains that before he was consumed by the inferno, he heard a voice that offered him immortality to let him have his revenge, which he accepted. When the Orthodoxy failed to find DeRosso's body, they labeled DeRosso's family as vampires. DeRosso gladly embraced the rumor and changed his appearance and mannerisms accordingly. He then sided with others with a grudge against the Orthodoxy to oppose them from the shadows. DeRosso reveals that he actually assassinated the first Grand Patriarch.

On the fifth floor, go down the east passage to find a chest at the dead end containing some Magic Armlets. Take the west passage south and east. Head north into the branching path to find Lamia's Tiara from the chest in the alcove. Back on the main path, follow it until you reach the painting. DeRosso says that after 500 years since its creation, the Orthodoxy's powers weakened due to seafaring and technological advancement. They sought to rule with terror by establishing an inquisition to get rid of anyone they deem heretics. Later, a man called Yulyana was made High Inquisitor, and he was extremely proficient at dealing with the Orthodoxy's enemies. Yulyana had many battles with DeRosso, resulting in the massive rift at Eisen Bridge, the splitting of Mount Fragmentum and the desertification of the Harena region. Their last battle took place on Norende Heights. Yulyana allegedly won the battle, but the remains he brought back to the Orthodoxy was fake.

Go south, make a U-turn and head north to find a chest containing a Megalixir. Go south and simply follow the path until you reach the painting. DeRosso noted that Yulyana was quite cunning. After "defeating" DeRosso, Yulyana was granted the hollow title of Archbishop. He used this newfound authority to begin his plot to distance the actually pious followers from the Orthodoxy's corruption. He found writings and an elixir that will grant him extreme longevity. He then waited 1700 years for the Eternian highlands to rise. Without airships to travel out of Eternia, this caused the Orthodoxy to be cut off from the vestals in other regions.

On the 7th floor, simply travel along the hallway until you reach another painting. DeRosso explains that the asterisks were Yulyana's creation. Before asterisks were created, the Orthodoxy controlled the granting of jobs and profited by collecting alms from this procedure. Yulyana exposed the scam and presented the asterisk in front of the Grand Patriarch. The asterisk gives its holders the skills required for a particular vocation, and he suggested selling asterisks for profit as an extension of the current job system. The Orthodoxy gladly accepted his invention and appointed Yulyana to oversee its integration. However, Yulyana kept the secret of making asterisks to himself, and offered to give asterisks free of charge. By the time the Orthodoxy noticed, he had abandoned his post and fled with the Orthodoxy's forbidden arms, sealing them in a secret location. He then lived as a hermit in Yulyana Woods, waiting for the people that knew him to die off, with some help from Lord DeRosso. Continue down the path to the Adventurer. Make your preparations and save before moving on.

Boss: Lord DeRosso
The final painting lies beyond Lord DeRosso's throne, but he will only let you see it if you can defeat him in battle. You are given a choice to take him on now or leave the fight for later. You've fought all this way to the final painting, you can definitely take on Lord DeRosso's challenge.

Lord DeRosso has an array of deadly spells and attacks, some of which you might have seen from other enemies. Outside of his normal attack, Lord DeRosso's most used move is Graviga, which hits your whole party and has a 50% chance of taking away 3/4ths of your HP. He will also take a page out of Chaugmar's tactics and use Battle Thirst to drain BP, followed by a deadly Energy Burst the next turn. When DeRosso's health drops low enough, he will also start to spam Bone Crush, which also hits your whole party and deals damage equal to the HP you've already lost. As a so-called creature of the dark, DeRosso is weak to Light elemental attacks.

During the battle, your main concern should be Graviga. It will very quickly render most of your team at low health, but thankfully he will not use Graviga if any of your party members are near death. Graviga does leave your party vulnerable to his other party-wide attacks, so make sure your healers can quickly heal off the damage. Energy Burst is very threatening but predictable. Rampart from Templars and Stillness from Spiritmasters should be cast after he uses Battle Thirst, which will handily block Energy Burst if the caster goes first. Bone Crush is a major threat since it can wipe out your whole party if you're even slightly wounded, but you'll know that he is nearing defeat when he starts spamming it. As long as your healers can keep up with the damage he is dealing, you should be able to survive the onslaught long enough to take him down.

Lord DeRosso gives you the Vampire asterisk, one of the most unique jobs in the game! Vampires can learn certain enemy attacks after taking a hit from said attack. These techniques are called Genome abilities and you can see a list of abilities you've collected thus far in the Encyclopedia. The Bestiary gives you a hint on which attack you can copy. Any ability enclosed with triangular brackets can be learned by Vampires. For example, you can learn the move Hellfire from the Cerberus in this very castle! The types of enemies you'll encounter change drastically after advancing to Chapter 5, so if you want to collect all genomes, you must either get the available ones now or wait a long, long time to obtain any ones you've missed.

As promised, Lord DeRosso lets you view the last painting, which depicts an angel with an uncanny resemblance to Agnes. DeRosso says that an angel descended from the heavens during his final battle with Yulyana. Both DeRosso and Yulyana stopped fighting to tend to the wounded angel. The angel told them that an evil force will manipulate a vestal and her companions to overcharge the crystals with energy, thus unleashing evil across Luxendarc. She also mentioned that two signs that leading up to the Great Chasm opening, the first being that Eternia's highlands rising, while the second is the emergence of the Great Plague. After hearing this, Yulyana and DeRosso put down their differences and secretly established Anticrystalism, not to stop the vestal but the evil force guiding her.

After the battle, return to DeRosso's chamber to trigger another cutscene. Before leaving, Edea asks why DeRosso and Yulyana forgave the Templar for his betrayal. It turns out that their original plan is to strike all 4 temples and seize them simultaneously. However, the Anticrystalists caught wind that a Grand Ritual will be held at the Orthodoxy's head temple to regain their power. Fearing that the crystal will be overcharges with energy as the result of the ritual, the Templar ordered all troops to focus exclusively on the head temple and the Crystal of Light instead. DeRosso and Yulyana supported Braev fully despite his betrayal, as they trusted his resolve and ideals.

Everlast Tower
Having defeated Braev the Templar, you can now unlock the gate at the northern wall of Central Command's first floor. Beyond is another icy path leading straight to Everlast Tower, formerly known as the Earth Temple. Everlast Tower is one of the most confusing dungeons you have faced so far. You'll find a ton of split paths to explore, and many staircases simply lead to previously discovered areas, causing you to mostly run around in circles until most of the map has been filled in.

Gastric Worms and Earth Lanterns are the most common enemies you'll find here. Gastric Worms use Gastric Juices to hit your whole party and lower your P.Def, though if you've obtained the Vampire asterisk, you can let your Vampire get hit with it to learn the Gastric Juices genome. Earth Lanterns are straightforward magic users, casting Quaga for considerable Earth damage. More threatening enemies are the Daedelus, which can Berserk like the Minotaur Zombie but also use Defang, and the Mailed Dragon, which boasts tons of P.Def and often Defaults.

The entrance hall certainly looks familiar, but the rest of the tower is very different from your usual temple. You can choose to take the branching path to the east to head to a clearing outside, where you can board the Grandship for resupplies. To progress into the tower, the only way forward is up the stairs. The hall you emerge in is quite open, but you should go to the southeastern corner first. Enter the chamber to the south to find a Turbo Ether in the chest, then go east and take the steps down to the first floor, where you can find a chest containing an Ancient Bow. Return to 2F and use the steps leading up north of the previous staircase to reach another isolated passage, where you can collect the Kiku-Ichimonji at the dead end.

Back in the central hall of 2F, head to the northeast series of rooms instead. Take the steps downward to reach the main part of 1F. The passage south of you contains a chest with an Earth Drum inside. Follow the winding path to the west. Make a brief stop when you reach the western window on the northern wall of the room. You can actually pass through this fake window, then move east to reach a hidden chest containing a Rune Blade. Continue west until you find the staircase and head up. Back on 2F, go one chamber east for an X-Potion.

Take the steps you just used back to 1F and travel south. At the three-way split, take the western path to find a chest containing Turbo Ether, then take the eastern path to reach another flight of stairs. Use it to reach a blocked-off area on the second floor. The chamber to the east contains the Anchorite of Bolts, while the way forward is the steps north of here. Once on the third floor, go north until you arrive at a four-way intersection. Choose to move southeast and continue travelling east to reach a dead end with a chest containing an Elixir.

Back at the intersection, choose any of the two northern routes and head east when you can. Turn south into the small room with stairs leading up and take it. Now on the fourth floor, move east and wind around to the southeastern dead end to find a Gold Hourglass. Proceed to the northwestern corner and wind around its corridors to find another chest containing a Dark Shield. Head south to find a staircase leading down. Go west then south to the end of the hallway to get a Dragon Fang from the chest there. Return to the downward staircase and head to the third floor. Go down the corridor to find another staircase back to the 4th floor. March down the pillared hallway and take the stairs up to finally reach the Temple of Earth.

Now you're in more familiar territory. The layout of the Earth Temple is quite recognizable, but there are machinery in the way. Go west and inspect the southern chamber to find some research notes about the Earth Crystal's energy penned by Victor. The small room to the east of it contains a chest in which you can find an Earth Charm. Inspect the large eastern chamber for notes from an Orthodoxy official about the Great Plague, Braev Lee's resignment and the Anticrystalist invasion. The chamber in the northeastern corner contains an Earth Mallet. Inspect the northern room for logs detailing the invasion strategy of the Anticrystalists. Go west and take the narrow corridor south to find a chest containing a Light Curtain. Now that you're just outside the Earth Crystal's altar, save and make your preparations with the Adventurer before heading in.

Boss: Gigas Lich
As expected, you find the Earth Crystal consumed by darkness. It seems that during the brief amount of time after the Duchy lost control over the Earth Crystal, an evil presence had already invaded the crystal. To proceed with the awakening, you must defeat the Propagator of Doom, Gigas Lich!

The Gigas Lich may look massive and intimidating, but it is much more straightforward to fight than the other temple bosses. Gigas Lich's main ability is Negative Power, which increases its P.Atk and M.Atk at the end of every turn. Its main attacks are Quaga and Slam. Quaga hits a single target with magic Earth damage, but can also be used to heal Gigas Lich. Slam is far more dangerous as it strikes the entire party. Lastly, the Gigas Lich can cast Death for a high chance to instantly incapacitate a party member.

Compared to some previous bosses, the Gigas Lich is pretty simple if you have the right job setup. Negative Power is a concern, but you can easily keep Gigas Lich's power in check with regular casts of Dispel, although this will also remove any of your own debuffs on the boss. The strength of your White Magic users is key to this battle. This is because Gigas Lich is part of the undead family, and thus can be damaged from healing spells and items. Therefore, you may find your White Mages to be the powerhouses of this battle. It is also weak to Fire spells and the Templar's Radiant Blast, so you can rely on these for heavy damage as well. Good healers will also keep your team healthy after the boss's attacks. Pack loads of Phoenix Downs in case one of your party members fall to Death. You can also use them for a moderately high chance of instantly killing the Gigas Lich, due to its status as an undead. Lastly, there's a rather infamous trick that guarantees a one-hit kill on Gigas Lich. Simply go into Bravely Second, which greatly increases the damage cap, then use an Elixir on the boss to instantly drain its health to 0.

Once you slay the Gigas Lich, you can awaken the final crystal! Once again, press until Airy tells you to stop. With the crystal awakened, you gain one more support command slot. Now that all four crystals are awakened, the Holy Pillar has appeared on the map, making it your next destination. You're also informed that a black airship flew off in the direction of the pillar as well. It seems like you have one more battle ahead...

Onward to the Holy Pillar
Before you enter the Holy Pillar, there is still something left for you to do.

After you have done all that is presently available now, head into the Holy Pillar. Airy will ask you one last time whether you really want to proceed. There is no turning back if you select yes!

Boss: Alternis Dim
The First Light of the Holy Pillar charges up Airy's brooch, so she wants everyone to keep the ship stable while she gathers the light. Suddenly, the ship is rocked and Datz's cry can be heard outside. Upon investigation, you'll find that Alternis Dim has come to make a last ditch effort to stop you. The ship needs to be stabilized quickly, but Alternis will not let anyone go without a fight.

As a Dark Knight, Alternis possesses some brutal attacks. Other than his powerful physical strikes, he has two moves: the single-target Dark Bane and the whole party hitting Black Bane. However, his most threatening attack is undoubtedly his Minus Strike, which deals fixed damage equal to the health he has lost. Alternis is especially fond of spamming this move during the latter half of the battle, so expect frequent one-hit KOs.

Due to Minus Strike, this battle is similar to Qada's with less gimmick and more overwhelming strength. Dark Bane and Black Bane is manageable; they are just your standard boss's spell combination and can be negated with sufficient healing and armor. The Dark Shield in particular will completely block these moves, and you've just obtained it in Everlast Tower. However, you must be able to deal with Minus Strike if you hope to win. It will instantly KO any party member by the time Alternis starts spamming it, so you need to have a healer alive and ready to revive on every turn. Consider equipping them with the Dark Shield to ensure their survival. Salve-Makers are especially useful here, as they can use Giant's Draft to revive a teammate to full health, or Font of Life to instantly revive a party member if they got struck in the future.

After winning the battle, you'll get the Dark Knight asterisk! Dark Knights are powerful physical attackers with damaging skills drawing from their HP. They are among the strongest damage dealers in the game, but also the most risky without the right job combination.

Soundly defeated, Alternis Dim's mask splits open, revealing the familiar face of Ringabel underneath before Alternis falls off the Grandship. He also leaves behind a journal, which bears an uncanny similarity with D's Journal. Just what is the relation between Ringabel and Alternis Dim? Before anyone can ponder these questions further, Ringabel hurries back to stabilize the ship, only to find that it has lost control, being dragged into the pillar by a mysterious force. Airy is too focused to respond, and a bright light envelops the party...