Shin Megami Tensei 5 - No Fusion No Essence Part 5: Loup-Garou (Hard) - Video

Challenge playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbSv8zSDR9c3al5_MC8_M3tmJKqC0xy8L

The first boss battle where demons are able to utilise items after learning the Miracle granting them the same item utility the MC has been unique in running up till this point.

A minor midboss in this game's story, Loup-Garou is fought in Shinagawa's Container Yard area. The boss is weak to ice and light, so I did more content in order to level to 25, allowing me to recruit a Jack Frost, who will from now on replace the Nahobino in the leader slot as The True Protagonist of this game. Loup-Garou attacks mainly with physical attacks, one of which is multi-target, and he also has an ST elec special that will always be used when his Magatsuhi gauge fills up. The most dangerous thing about him is his Critical Aura skill letting him land crits against an unprotected party.

Before the battle, I had the chance of recruiting either Lilim or Principality. Not having made up my mind regarding which one I want, I decided to postpone the choice until a later time. Lilim would be a warm body in this fight but compensates for it by being one of the best demons against Fionn Hail Cum. Principality is one of the few users of Diarama, with a super-effective attack against this boss and presumably a big deal in the second Lahmu fight, too. Lilim can also be recruited in the wild somewhat soon-ish. If I abstain from choosing one for now, I will be able to choose whichever one I really require later on.

There are no storebought phys dampeners, so dealing with physical strikes may seem like a challenging prospect for this fight. Luckily for us, a single level up for an Oni, recruited at lv. 23, gives this phys-resistant demon Taunt, a super-broken skill in this game. Unlike in past SMT games, this skill is active for 3 turns, redirecting single-target damage coming from the foes towards the user. Oni may not be entirely immune to physical damage, yet its resistance is more than enough to take hits in this fight.

My other two demons in this fight are Jack Frost and Kaya-no-Hime. The former boasts a high magic stat and an amazing special that combines the effects of Bufula and Rakunda, certifying its place as the party leader. The latter is mom-can-we-have-Principality-at-home, giving us acceptable healing and Bufula for striking weakness and getting more press turns. MP is something of an issue when using either skill often.

When the Magatsuhi gauge is filled up, Oni is a great damage dealer in his own right, Heavy Blow receiving a damage increase when striking critical. The boss's own Magatsuhi attack will always aim at Oni (probably because of Taunt, but perhaps because Oni is the only one weak to electric here), hitting for over 400 damage in a crit when not protecting with an Elec Dampener. These are sold very cheaply, so there's no point in conserving them, unlike the more elusive Phys Dampeners, which are best saved for later fights.

It's also worth noting that Kaya-no-Hime's special Harvest Dance grants a great +2 boost to the defence of its target. This can both make Oni's survival easier and help the rest of the party withstand the boss's MT attack, if that ever rears its ugly head. It's such a costly skill however that Kaya is much better off just attacking with Bufula and Ice Gems, as Axel Claw after Critical Aura can kill regardless, if it strikes the same weak target twice. You're much more likely to win and not even see Axel Claw with the hyper-offensive strategy you see me adapt here. The Ice and Light Gems lost are kind of a loss concerning you cannot buy them, unlike the MT Shards, but I hope I'll be able to find a good number of both for the next boss that happens to necessitate them.

After the experience gain after the battle, Andras learns its hidden skill Blinding Strike, which wouldn't be possible without the Miracle. I haven't banned this kind of skill mutation (though it's a brand new instead of a mutation in this game, unlike SMT 3 and 4), and I have no idea what range of skills each demon can acquire with its help. I doubt I'm going to really need to rig it for progress in this game, that's how unlikely this kind of occurrence is.