Mission 44: The Journey Begins

Mission Overview

Situation: It's just Bastion VS. Faulkner now in the final battle.. but where did Cecilia go? Objective: Annihilate all enemies.	3D Map:

Enemies

	Faulkner (Zulwarn ATAC)
	HP: 622			Level: 30			Money: 20000
	BAS: 28!	POW: 29!	DEX: 31!	AGL: 29!	DEF: 27!	WEP: 29!	Spirit: 105	Range: 5	Speed: 10.58
	Equipment: Soulstab, Black Diamond, Devil's Horn			Attacks: Slash, Tackle, Long Thrust, Str. Slash, Str. Thrust, Shadow Binding, Dark Thunder, Shadow Blade, Heaven's Gate			Dormant Abilities: Parry, Second Attack, Mass Menace

44

Important Battlefield Events:

After Faulkner's first turn, Cecilia joins the battle from the western side of the battlefield. At this point, Faulkner's HP is reduced to 1/2, and Bastion's HP is restored completely!

Strategy

This is the most straightforward battle in the game. The objective is to take down Faulkner in the Zulwarn. However, since his HP has been halfed, he's fighting differently from usual, and actually chooses to attack with Dark Thunder from time to time. He'll still use Heaven's Gate, of course, but just not all the time. Your goal in this mission is to make sure you never get dizzied.. ever. If you do, you die. It's as simple as that. Take down Faulkner with Knockdown attribute attacks such as Lightning Strike and Turbulence (make sure to Turbulence from the side so he blocks), and keep HIS FP up as much as you can. If you see an opportunity to finish him off with Soaring Dance, make an in-mission save and give it a shot. If you miss, reset and reload from where you saved. That's really all there is to it. If someone HAS to take a hit, make sure it's Cecilia, because she's much better at avoiding, and can actually dodge Heaven's Gate! If Bastion's speed is a little low, this mission will prove to be difficult. Otherwise, you should have almost no trouble. Just watch your FP, and try your best to avoid taking any hits. I like to position Cecilia behind him, with Bastion in front using Flashing Fang every turn. Cecilia should use Somersault to give Faulkner the serious hurt.

Now that the mission is complete..

- You have completed the Cecilia version of the Empire Branch!

- Music unlocked in Options Menu!

And congratulations. You have completed the Empire Branch of Vanguard Bandits, the hard-to-reach, but not as tough to beat branch. If you've played both the Kingdom and Empire branches, I suggest you try for the Ruin Branch now, because you probably have a very good understanding of how to win at Vanguard Bandits, and the Ruin Branch is the hardest route through the game, as well as the funniest to see. Go ahead and give it a shot; you won't be dissappointed.