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BATTLE HUNTER AI AND MONSTER GUIDE
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By John Brunn / MrL1193
E-mail:
[email protected]
Version 1.01
1/12/2016
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CONTENTS
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I. Introduction
II. Overview
III. Common Characteristics
IV. Common AI Hunters
4a. Normal
4b. Turtle
4c. Bandit
4d. Speedster
4e. Defender
4f. Guardian
4g. Bully
4h. Elite
4i. Battler
4j. Survivor
4k. Collector
4l. Runner
V. Unique AI Hunters
5a. Muaddib
5b. Hatlore
5c. Mottil
5d. Azabar
5e. Vikeif
5f. Shuichi
VI. Unpredictability: Panic and B PHS
VII. Monsters
7a. CAL (Cleaner)
7b. BRO (Blob)
7c. RAD (Predator)
7d. GON (Dragon)
VIII. Credits
IX. Version History
X. Legal Stuff
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I. INTRODUCTION
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Battle Hunter is a rather obscure board game-style RPG for the PlayStation.
Very little information has been put forward about this game, so I decided to
contribute what I know about the various AI opponents and monsters encountered
in this game. I must admit that my information is not quite as complete as I
would like it to be, but since no one else has gotten around to documenting
this info, you'll just have to bear with me for now.
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II. OVERVIEW
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There are 64 common AI hunters in the game--one for each palette swap of each
model. These hunters can be encountered during any Normal Mode mission, and
certain Story Mode missions, with the exception of hunters who share their
model and color palette with those of the current player-controlled hunters.
Each one of these AI hunters has its own name, making it possible to identify
them and predict how they will tend to behave. However, they do not all have
their own unique stats and AI routines; rather, most of them can be grouped
with others that have the same base stats and AI routines. Altogether, there
are 16 categories: 12 with 5 hunters each and 4 that are each unique to a
single AI hunter. 8 of the hunters with non-unique stats and routines
(specifically, the ones depicted in the cover art, which correspond to the
first palette for each model) are a bit different from other hunters in their
categories; more on that later.
In addition to the common hunters, there are also some hunters that appear as
part of Story Mode--namely, Vikeif, Shuichi, and the B PHS hunters. Vikeif and
Shuichi have their own unique sprites and stats but seem to share a single AI
routine. They can appear separately as rival AI hunters during Normal Mode
missions as well (provided that they are not under human control, of course),
but only after you have faced them in Story Mode at least once. The B PHS hun-
ters, on the other hand, can only be encountered in Story Mode. Their behavior
is quite different from that of other AI hunters; this is explained in detail
later on.
An important thing to note is that the Panic status ailment will actually
override an AI hunter's normal behavior, just like it would override a human
player's inputs. This, too, is explained in a later section.
Monsters also have their own unique stats, even though these stats are not
visible on the battle screen. They all share a single, very simple AI routine,
which is explained in the appropriate section.
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III. COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
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Although there are many different types of AI hunters, there are some notable
traits that some or all of the different types have in common.
Generally speaking, AI hunters never try to conserve cards. If they have a card
of the type that is relevant to their current intention, they will always use
it. Additionally, AI hunters will always use their most powerful cards of the
desired type. So, for instance, if an AI hunter with 4 defense chooses to Guard
(doubling the hunter's defense to 8) and is in possession of both a +3 yellow
card and the yellow D card, the hunter will use the D card (which is equal in
value to the doubled defense of 8). They consider the blue E card to be the
highest-valued blue card, so they will automatically use it when moving on the
board, even though the random warp from the exit isn't always beneficial to
them.
When moving, all AI hunters will use blue cards, but only certain types will
use green cards to set traps. Unfortunately, I don't have full documentation of
which types can use green cards (or how they decide which green card to use)
but it seems like the ones that can will tend to prioritize them over blue
cards. The AI hunters who do not use green cards will never be rid of those
cards unless they are afflicted with the Empty status effect. No AI hunter will
ever use a yellow card while moving.
When AI hunters start their turn adjacent to monsters and/or rival hunters,
they may or may not choose to attack their neighbors. Their choice depends on a
variety of factors, including their own HP and cards, their opponents' HP and
cards, whether or not the opponent is Stunned (and therefore helpless), whether
or not they are holding the Target Item, and whether or not they are physically
capable of moving anywhere on the board (that is, whether or not they are
completely penned in by opponents). However, the two most important factors by
far are the hunter's AI type and whether or not the prospective target is hold-
ing the Target Item. I'll explain more about this in the section dedicated to
the specific AI types.
All AI hunters will make for the exit when in possession of the Target Item.
However, the more aggressive types can be distracted by opponents standing on
spaces adjacent to them, causing them to attack the opponents instead of con-
tinuing to move toward the exit.
If an AI hunter is completely penned in by opponents (so that movement is im-
possible) but does not wish to attack any of them, the AI hunter will choose to
Rest, regardless of remaining HP.
In battle, when AI hunters attack first and their opponents choose to
Counterattack, they can use either red or yellow cards. Which of the two they
decide to use depends on their confidence level and their AI type. Some types
of AI will always prioritize using yellow cards (even if there is little risk
of taking damage), but most types will prefer to use red cards if possible, on-
ly using yellow cards if they feel threatened. In making this decision, the AI
does respond to the opponent's use of cards; so, for example, if the opponent
decides to use a +9 red card to Counterattack, the AI attacker becomes more
likely to use a yellow card for self-preservation.
When AI hunters Counterattack, they will choose to use either red or yellow
cards, depending on how confident they are. If their confidence is low enough
to make them wish to use yellow cards but they do not have any, they will in-
stead use red cards. However, if their confidence is high enough that they want
to use red cards but they are not in possession of any, they will not resort to
using yellow cards. How confident an AI hunter feels is greatly affected by the
hunter's AI type. Thus, a Turtle-type hunter (more on that later) may stick to
using red cards even while low on health, while an Elite-type hunter may more
sensibly choose to use yellow cards.
AI hunters will always use yellow cards when Guarding. Conversely, if an AI
hunter is the attacker and the opponent chooses to Guard, the AI hunter will
always use red cards.
If AI hunters try to Escape from battle, they will always use blue cards; they
will never use yellow cards. If an AI hunter is the attacker and the opponent
tries to run away, the AI hunter will always use blue cards if in possession of
any, and will use red cards if not in possession of blue cards (regardless of
how poor the odds of actually catching the fleeing opponent are).
AI hunters do not make use of the timed pressing of the X button to dodge traps
on the board or to negate the effects of a critical hit (the attack that occurs
when the attacker rolls doubles) in battle. They may still dodge traps with
their passive evasion, but in battle, they will always be afflicted with Panic
and any other status ailments that the attacker's critical hit may cause should
the attack do any damage.
AI Hunters do not take advantage of Crutches (which grant a hunter +1 Movement
while suffering from Leg Damage, instead of the usual +0). If an AI hunter is
in possession of a Crutch while afflicted with Leg Damage, the hunter will con-
tinue moving as if not in possession of the Crutch, cutting movements short by
one space.
The number of items AI hunters are in possession of at the start of a mission
depends on their level (and therefore the level of the entire dungeon, inclu-
ding monsters and traps). The boundaries are as follows:
Levels 1-5: 0 items
Levels 6-8: 1 item
Levels 9-11: 2 items
Levels 12-15: 3 items
For most AI hunters, the exact items they carry are randomly selected at the
start of each mission. I don't have an exhaustive list of the items they're al-
lowed to start with, but there are a few general trends I've noticed. Most of
the allowed items are useless knick-knacks with no notable characteristics. AI
hunters will never start off carrying an item with a negative effect (such as
the Black Gem) or any item that would sell for a large amount of money (such as
the Unit X). Among the few beneficial items the random items can be are the
Releaser (removes the Panic status ailment at the start of one's turn), Black
Pants (+1 Escape in-battle), Jumpsuit (+2 Escape in-battle), Sensors A, B, and
C (+5%, +10%, and +15% Trap Evasion, respectively) and any of the first-tier
weapons (that is, items that grant +1 attack--the Handgun SS, Wargun SS,
Shotgun SS, Glove, and Knife). I don't remember whether Medicine (improved Rest
healing) and Crutches (grants +1 Movement to a victim of Leg Damage) are al-
lowed. I know that some of the Discs (which unlock new backgrounds) are al-
lowed, but not all of them.
However, there are a few hunters for whom some or all of the starting items are
pre-selected--namely, Vikeif, Shuichi, the four hunters with unique stats, and
the eight hunters depicted in the game's cover art. Exactly what the pre-
selected items are depends on the level of the AI hunters (more details in the
following sections). As far as I can tell, their set of starting items seem to
change at Levels 6, 9, 12, and 15, but I'm not 100% certain.
It's also important to note that all AI hunters behave as if every item they
find is pre-identified for them. So, for instance, if an AI hunter finds a Long
Sword in the dungeon, that hunter will immediately enjoy the +3 Attack bonus
given by the Long Sword.
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IV. COMMON AI HUNTERS
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Now that you have a better idea of what to expect from AI hunters as a whole,
I'd like to explain in more detail what each type of AI hunter is like. I've
given each type a one-word (non-official) name; I won't claim that the names
are very inspired, but hopefully they'll be enough for you to remember the dif-
ferent types by.
However, before I get to the big list, I'd like to define a few terms that
you'll be seeing frequently.
To start off, the most salient characteristic of any AI hunter at a glance is
what that hunter's priorities are when moving about the dungeon. They can gene-
rally be grouped as follows:
Balanced: Collects items until none are left, then pursues the hunter holding
the target item.
Aggressive: Completely ignores items and flags, wandering the dungeon randomly
and sometimes picking fights with weaker hunters until the target
item is found. Will immediately pursue the hunter holding the tar-
get item as soon as it is discovered.
Passive: Collects items until none are left, then collects flags. Will not
pursue the hunter holding the target item unless no items or flags
can be reached.
Clever: Collects items only until the target item is discovered, then im-
mediately begins to pursue the hunter holding the target item.
It is important to note that AI hunters can only "detect" the presence of these
potential objectives within a certain range around them, defined by the number
of spaces they would have to move to reach said objectives. If their preferred
target(s) are too far away or are simply blocked off from them by rivals and
monsters, they will behave as if those objectives do not exist. So, for in-
stance, if there is only one more item left in the dungeon and a hunter with
Balanced priorities is very far from it, that hunter will act as if the item is
not there and instead proceed to pursue the rival who is holding the Target
Item.
The other important term to explain is the "Rest Threshold" (as I've chosen to
call it). This refers to the level the AI hunter's HP must be below in order
for that hunter to decide that it's time to Rest. From what I can tell, the
possible thresholds are at multiples of 25% of the health bar, including 0% and
100%. However, there are still a few things I am not entirely certain about in
this regard, particularly when it comes to Vikeif and Shuichi, so take this in-
fo with a grain of salt.
In addition to some general comments about each type, I have included each AI
type's general priorities, its rest threshold, a table of that hunter's stats
at each level, and a list of the names of the 5 AI hunters of that type. The
items listed to the side in parentheses are the pre-selected items used only by
the so-called "Cover Art Hunters"; I have marked the names of these hunters
with an asterisk. * All other hunters' starting items are randomly selected
according to the guidelines I've previously mentioned.
I must note that I cannot absolutely ensure the accuracy of these tables. I've
marked elements that I am unsure of with a question mark. ? If an element is
completely replaced by question marks ???, that means that I'm not even confi-
dent enough to guess at what might belong there; any help filling these parts
in would be much appreciated.
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4a. Normal
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Priorities: Balanced
Rest Threshold: 50%?
Level 1: +1 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 17 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 18 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 19 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 23 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 24 HP (Handgun SS)
Level 7: +2 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 25 HP (Handgun SS)
Level 8: +2 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 26 HP (Handgun SS)
Level 9: +2 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 30 HP (Handgun MS, ???)
Level 10: +2 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 31 HP (Handgun MS, ???)
Level 11: +2 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 32 HP (Handgun MS, ???)
Level 12: +2 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 36 HP (Handgun LS, ???, ???)
Level 13: +2 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 37 HP (Handgun LS, ???, ???)
Level 14: +2 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 41 HP (Handgun LS, ???, ???)
Level 15: +3 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 42 HP (Handgun LS, Full Armor, Sensor E)
Bogbar*
Khalisa
Pellen
Sania
Garissa
These guys are nothing more or less than the Average Joes of the game, with no
particularly outstanding attributes. Their level-up pattern is surprisingly in-
efficient, as they spend a lot of time with 1 or 2 points invested into Move-
ment or Defense, which doesn't help them any. However, their judgment in battle
is fairly sensible for the most part. They're certainly not the most fearsome
rivals you'll face, but even so, I wouldn't recommend standing next to them if
you don't have to.
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4b. Turtle
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Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 25%
Level 1: +0 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 25 HP
Level 2: +0 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 29 HP
Level 3: +0 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 30 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 31 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 32 HP
Level 6: +1 MV, 2 AT, 4 DF, 33 HP (Shotgun SS)
Level 7: +1 MV, 2 AT, 4 DF, 34 HP (Shotgun SS)
Level 8: +1 MV, 2 AT, 5 DF, 35 HP (Shotgun SS)
Level 9: +1 MV, 2 AT, 5 DF, 36 HP (Shotgun MS, Medicine)
Level 10: +1 MV, 2 AT, 5 DF, 37 HP (Shotgun MS, Medicine)
Level 11: +1 MV, 2 AT, 5 DF, 38 HP (Shotgun MS, Medicine)
Level 12: +1 MV, 2 AT, 6 DF, 39 HP (Shotgun LS, Body Armor, Medicine)
Level 13: +2 MV, 2 AT, 6 DF, 40 HP (Shotgun LS, Body Armor, Medicine)
Level 14: +2 MV, 2 AT, 6 DF, 41 HP (Shotgun LS, Body Armor, Medicine)
Level 15: +2 MV, 2 AT, 7 DF, 42 HP (Shotgun LS, Full Armor, Medicine)
Deliria*
Arx
Oehh
Ashees
Artist
These guys are extremely defensive statistically, sporting high defense and
solid HP at the cost of low attack and less-than-stellar movement. They gene-
rally don't bother to attack adjacent monsters, preferring instead to just go
on about their business of collecting items and flags. If they had sound judg-
ment in battle, it would be very difficult to relieve them of items indeed;
however, they are also very reckless, often putting too much faith in their
blocking power. They almost always choose to Counterattack, and it's rare for
them to be desperate enough to resort to using yellow cards instead of red
ones. That recklessness, combined with their low Rest Threshold, makes it quite
possible to take them out with some careful timing and use of red cards. They
generally pose little to no threat if you can find the Target Item before them
(which shouldn't be too hard, given their lack of speed).
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4c. Bandit
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Priorities: Aggressive
Rest Threshold: 75%
Level 1: +1 MV, 6 AT, 1 DF, 19 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 6 AT, 1 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 22 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 26 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 27 HP (Knife)
Level 7: +2 MV, 8 AT, 1 DF, 28 HP (Knife)
Level 8: +2 MV, 8 AT, 1 DF, 29 HP (Knife)
Level 9: +2 MV, 9 AT, 1 DF, 30 HP (Sword, ???)
Level 10: +2 MV, 9 AT, 1 DF, 31 HP (Sword, ???)
Level 11: +2 MV, 10 AT, 1 DF, 32 HP (Sword, ???)
Level 12: +3 MV, 10 AT, 1 DF, 33 HP (Long Sword, Handgun LS, Random)
Level 13: +3 MV, 11 AT, 1 DF, 34 HP (Long Sword, Handgun LS, Random)
Level 14: +3 MV, 11 AT, 1 DF, 38 HP (Long Sword, Handgun LS, Random)
Level 15: +3 MV, 12 AT, 1 DF, 39 HP (Long Sword, Handgun LS, Warfare)
Harm*
Culann
Desir
Batts
Nakano
One of the more dangerous types of AI hunters, the Bandit circles around rival
hunters, waiting for an opportune moment to strike and relieve them of their
items. They won't hesitate to attack any monsters or rivals who happen to be
standing next to them, and though they won't search for the Target Item them-
selves, they will relentlessly pursue whichever rival does happen to find it.
Their solid speed and high attack power make them a threat to be taken seri-
ously, and to top it all off, they have a high rest threshold and fairly sound
judgment in battle, making their low defense difficult to exploit. If you find
yourself being pursued by these guys, try using trap cards to slow them down if
you can; the less you have to fight them, the better.
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4d. Speedster
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Priorities: Balanced
Rest Threshold: 50%?
Level 1: +2 MV, 3 AT, 1 DF, 19 HP
Level 2: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 25 HP
Level 5: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 26 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 27 HP (Sensor C?)
Level 7: +2 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 28 HP (Sensor C?)
Level 8: +2 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 29 HP (Sensor C?)
Level 9: +3 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 30 HP (Cap?, Sensor D?)
Level 10: +3 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 31 HP (Cap?, Sensor D?)
Level 11: +3 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 32 HP (Cap?, Sensor D?)
Level 12: +3 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 33 HP (Cap, Sensor E, Random)
Level 13: +3 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 34 HP (Cap, Sensor E, Random)
Level 14: +3 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 35 HP (Cap, Sensor E, Random)
Level 15: +4 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 36 HP (Cap, Sensor E, Travel)
Sardosa*
Divnius
Wenda
Kenross
Jinarhy
Perhaps the best way to describe these guys would be "cowardly." They're not
exactly built for combat, but even so, they're surprisingly unwilling to engage
even weak monsters in battle, only doing so if they feel that their cards or
some other factors give them the upper hand. They'll often resort to Guarding
when attacked, especially if they have yellow cards. If there are no more items
left in the dungeon, they'll muster what little courage they have and try to
rob the player holding the Target Item, but they don't really have the stats to
pull it off, usually. For the most part, the only troublesome aspect about
these guys is their above-average speed, which may allow them to find the Tar-
get Item before you; if you find the Target Item first, there's little to fear
from them.
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4e. Defender
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Priorities: Balanced
Rest Threshold: 50%
Level 1: +1 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 19 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 24 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 2 AT, 3 DF, 25 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 2 AT, 4 DF, 26 HP
Level 6: +1 MV, 3 AT, 4 DF, 27 HP (Shotgun SS)
Level 7: +1 MV, 3 AT, 4 DF, 28 HP (Shotgun SS)
Level 8: +1 MV, 3 AT, 4 DF, 32 HP (Shotgun SS)
Level 9: +1 MV, 3 AT, 4 DF, 33 HP (Shotgun MS, Releaser)
Level 10: +2 MV, 3 AT, 4 DF, 34 HP (Shotgun MS, Releaser)
Level 11: +2 MV, 4 AT, 4 DF, 35 HP (Shotgun MS, Releaser)
Level 12: +2 MV, 4 AT, 5 DF, 36 HP (Shotgun LS, Releaser, Random?)
Level 13: +2 MV, 4 AT, 5 DF, 40 HP (Shotgun LS, Releaser, Random?)
Level 14: +2 MV, 5 AT, 5 DF, 41 HP (Shotgun LS, Releaser, Random?)
Level 15: +2 MV, 5 AT, 5 DF, 45 HP (Shotgun LS, Helmet, Releaser)
Zastari*
Faeaani
Rowan
Cici
Belric
As the name suggests, these guys are defensively oriented, though not as much
as the Turtles. Unlike the Turtles, however, they aren't nearly as reckless;
their better judgment, combined with their above-average defense and HP, al-
lows them to survive quite well. They can be troublesome to deal with if they
are allowed to pick up the Target Item first, but fortunately, their mediocre
movement and below-average attack power make it possible to outmaneuver them.
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4f. Guardian
------------
Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 75%
Level 1: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 22 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 23 HP
Level 6: +1 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 27 HP (Wargun SS)
Level 7: +1 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 28 HP (Wargun SS)
Level 8: +1 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 29 HP (Wargun SS)
Level 9: +1 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 30 HP (Wargun MS, Crutch)
Level 10: +1 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 34 HP (Wargun MS, Crutch)
Level 11: +1 MV, 8 AT, 4 DF, 35 HP (Wargun MS, Crutch)
Level 12: +1 MV, 8 AT, 4 DF, 36 HP (Wargun LS, Crutch, Random)
Level 13: +1 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 37 HP (Wargun LS, Crutch, Random)
Level 14: +1 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 41 HP (Wargun LS, Crutch, Random)
Level 15: +1 MV, 9 AT, 5 DF, 42 HP (Wargun LS, Crutch, Random)
Aenilea*
Duhrin
Urzah
Tenelen
Izalaru
Considering how strong these guys are in battle, they're surprisingly lazy when
it comes to actually going after other players. They'll be all too happy to
attack any rivals or monsters who stand next to them, but they won't bother
pursuing a rival who picks up the Target Item first, instead continuing to col-
lect items and flags without a care in the world. Due to how slow they are (at
least at higher levels), it's usually not too hard to beat them to the items,
but if they do get their hands on the Target Item, taking it from them will be
quite a headache-inducing task. They can be quite cautious in battle, Guarding
before their HP reaches dangerous levels, and since their attacks pack a punch,
it can be difficult to sustain your assault for very long. Their high Rest
Threshold is the icing on the cake, making it nearly impossible to whittle
their HP down in a prolonged battle. If you have to steal the Target Item from
one of these guys, your best bet is to run ahead, lay some traps, and hope that
the traps create the opening you need to land a decisive blow.
---------
4g. Bully
---------
Priorities: Aggressive
Rest Threshold: 100% (usually)
Level 1: +0 MV, 5 AT, 3 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +0 MV, 5 AT, 3 DF, 17 HP
Level 3: +0 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 18 HP
Level 4: +0 MV, 6 AT, 4 DF, 19 HP
Level 5: +0 MV, 6 AT, 4 DF, 20 HP
Level 6: +0 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 21 HP (Sensor C)
Level 7: +0 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 22 HP (Sensor C)
Level 8: +0 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 26 HP (Sensor C)
Level 9: +0 MV, 8 AT, 4 DF, 27 HP (Sensor D, Body Armor)
Level 10: +1 MV, 8 AT, 4 DF, 28 HP (Sensor D, Body Armor)
Level 11: +1 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 29 HP (Sensor D, Body Armor)
Level 12: +1 MV, 9 AT, 5 DF, 30 HP (Sensor E, Body Armor, Random)
Level 13: +1 MV, 9 AT, 5 DF, 31 HP (Sensor E, Body Armor, Random)
Level 14: +1 MV, 9 AT, 6 DF, 32 HP (Sensor E, Body Armor, Random)
Level 15: +1 MV, 10 AT, 6 DF, 33 HP (Sensor E, Body Armor, Defending)
Kelther*
Haldane
Pwarden
Madrax
Tamile
Another slow-yet-powerful type of hunter, these guys differ from Guardians in
that they're all too happy to put their bulk to good use. Like Bandits, they
like to circle around rivals, waiting for an opening to strike and wrest items
away from their victims. However, unlike Bandits, these guys are extremely
slow, which hampers their ability to actually pursue their targets. Addition-
ally, they're oddly obsessive about keeping their HP maxed out, breaking off
their assault to rest the instant their opponents manage to scratch them. (I
know I've seen a few exceptions to this rule, but not enough to establish a
definable pattern.) This makes them very difficult to take down, but since, un-
like Guardians, they don't actually seek out the Target Item themselves, they
generally cause far fewer headaches. Their high attack and defense may be im-
posing, but as long as you're careful, you should be able to grab the Target
Item and run right by them into the exit.
---------
4h. Elite
---------
Priorities: Clever
Rest Threshold: 75%
Level 1: +1 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 13 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 14 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 7 AT, 2 DF, 15 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 7 AT, 2 DF, 16 HP
Level 5: +2 MV, 7 AT, 2 DF, 17 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 7 AT, 2 DF, 18 HP (Handgun SS)
Level 7: +2 MV, 8 AT, 2 DF, 19 HP (Handgun SS)
Level 8: +2 MV, 8 AT, 3 DF, 20 HP (Handgun SS)
Level 9: +2 MV, 8 AT, 3 DF, 21 HP (Handgun MS, Folklore)
Level 10: +2 MV, 8 AT, 3 DF, 25 HP (Handgun MS, Folklore)
Level 11: +2 MV, 8 AT, 3 DF, 26 HP (Handgun MS, Folklore)
Level 12: +2 MV, 9 AT, 3 DF, 27 HP (Handgun LS, Folklore, Random)
Level 13: +3 MV, 9 AT, 3 DF, 28 HP (Handgun LS, Folklore, Random)
Level 14: +3 MV, 9 AT, 3 DF, 29 HP (Handgun LS, Folklore, Random)
Level 15: +3 MV, 9 AT, 4 DF, 30 HP (Handgun LS, Folklore, Angel Wing)
Helga*
Malfane
Tylissa
Desitny
Woot
I've chosen the name "Elite" for these hunters for a reason, and it's a rather
simple one: They are quite possibly the most competent rival hunters you will
face other than Vikeif and Shuichi. (In fact, the Cover Art Hunter of this
group, Helga, may actually be more difficult to deal with than either of them.)
They are the only common hunters who are smart enough to both seek out the Tar-
get Item themselves and immediately switch to pursuit mode if a rival finds the
target item first. Their stats are nothing to sneeze at either; with their
solid speed, attack, and defense, they're well-suited to pursuing and defeating
rivals, and their sound combat judgment and high Rest Threshold make it
difficult to exploit their low HP. However, the most irritating thing by far
about these hunters is a unique behavior that they exhibit when holding the
Target Item: If they are in possession of any non-target items and a rival hun-
ter attempts to waylay them on the way to the exit, they will immediately sur-
render a non-target item, without even giving the rival a chance to attack. At
higher levels, this makes wresting the Target Item from these hunters incre-
dibly difficult, as they'll have multiple chances to be randomly teleported
close to the exit after surrendering an item. If you're unfortunate enough to
be beaten to the Target Item by one of these hunters, your best bet will likely
be to use Stun traps and hope that you can deliver a fatal blow while the Elite
is unable to surrender, but even so, the chances of success are slim.
-----------
4i. Battler
-----------
Priorities: Aggressive
Rest Threshold: 50%?
Level 1: +1 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 19 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 22 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 26 HP
Level 6: +1 MV, 5 AT, 3 DF, 27 HP
Level 7: +1 MV, 5 AT, 3 DF, 28 HP
Level 8: +2 MV, 5 AT, 3 DF, 29 HP
Level 9: +2 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 30 HP
Level 10: +2 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 34 HP
Level 11: +2 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 35 HP
Level 12: +2 MV, 6 AT, 4 DF, 36 HP
Level 13: +2 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 37 HP
Level 14: +2 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 41 HP
Level 15: +2 MV, 8 AT, 4 DF, 42 HP
Alia
Ibrahim
Bren
Lodar
Ekiliem
Battlers have surprisingly pugilistic tendencies, considering the fact that
their attack power, while decent, is nothing amazing. They have the same pre-
datory nature as Bandits and Bullies, but they're not as good in this role as
Bandits. Part of the reason for this is an odd quirk they show in battle; when-
ever they attack first, they prioritize using yellow cards over using red ones
(provided that the opponent Counterattacks), even when they're in no real dan-
ger. This can sometimes make them a bit difficult to take down, but it can also
hinder them when it comes to finishing off opponents. They're not to be taken
lightly, but there are far more troublesome opponents out there.
------------
4j. Survivor
------------
Priorities: Balanced
Rest Threshold: 50%
Level 1: +1 MV, 3 AT, 1 DF, 28 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 3 AT, 1 DF, 29 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 3 AT, 1 DF, 33 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 3 AT, 1 DF, 34 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 35 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 36 HP
Level 7: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 40 HP
Level 8: +2 MV, 4 AT, 1 DF, 41 HP
Level 9: +2 MV, 5 AT, 1 DF, 42 HP
Level 10: +2 MV, 5 AT, 1 DF, 46 HP
Level 11: +2 MV, 5 AT, 2 DF, 47 HP
Level 12: +2 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 48 HP
Level 13: +2 MV, 6 AT, 2 DF, 52 HP
Level 14: +2 MV, 7 AT, 2 DF, 53 HP
Level 15: +2 MV, 7 AT, 2 DF, 57 HP
Tatum
Tranca
Yinin
Kendill
Brile
You wouldn't expect it looking at their mediocre attack power, but these guys
are actually very aggressive toward rivals and monsters who happen to be stand-
ing adjacent to them. As long as their HP isn't below 50%, they'll relentlessly
(often foolhardily) attack whoever or whatever is next to them (even GON!),
even if they have little chance of doing any real damage. They do have high HP,
but due to their reckless behavior, it doesn't keep them alive as well as you
might think. They also don't have much defense, so they can't Guard very ef-
fectively. However, for all their aggressiveness, they don't actually bother to
pursue a rival who's holding the Target Item unless there are no other items
within their reach; this, combined with how stupid they can be in combat, makes
them one of the easier AI types to deal with overall.
-------------
4k. Collector
-------------
Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 50%
Level 1: +3 MV, 1 AT, 2 DF, 10 HP
Level 2: +3 MV, 1 AT, 2 DF, 14 HP
Level 3: +3 MV, 1 AT, 2 DF, 15 HP
Level 4: +3 MV, 1 AT, 2 DF, 16 HP
Level 5: +3 MV, 1 AT, 2 DF, 17 HP
Level 6: +3 MV, 1 AT, 3 DF, 18 HP
Level 7: +4 MV, 1 AT, 3 DF, 19 HP
Level 8: +4 MV, 1 AT, 3 DF, 23 HP
Level 9: +4 MV, 1 AT, 3 DF, 24 HP
Level 10: +4 MV, 1 AT, 3 DF, 25 HP
Level 11: +4 MV, 1 AT, 3 DF, 26 HP
Level 12: +4 MV, 1 AT, 4 DF, 27 HP
Level 13: +5 MV, 1 AT, 4 DF, 28 HP
Level 14: +5 MV, 1 AT, 4 DF, 29 HP
Level 15: +5 MV, 1 AT, 5 DF, 30 HP
Desmon
Jysa
Arsenic
Oric
Jerycho
In terms of behavior, these guys are pretty similar to the Speedsters in that
they tend to Guard a lot, especially if they have yellow cards, and only attack
if they have cards that will give them an advantage. They do tend to try to
Escape from battle more often than Speedsters, but it's not a major difference.
However, Collectors do differ in that they never pursue a rival who's holding
the Target Item, even if all other items in the dungeon are gone. It's just as
well, really, given their stats; they're faster than Speedsters and have above-
average defense, but their attack is absolute garbage. These guys can cause
quite a bit of trouble for you by grabbing the Target Item first and laughing
all the way to the exit as you vainly try to catch up and break through their
Guard. However, they are quite vulnerable to traps; Leg Damage traps will keep
them from outrunning you, and Damage and Stun traps will allow you to exploit
their low HP. Once you've got the Target Item, these guys shouldn't pose any
threat to you.
----------
4l. Runner
----------
Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 25%
Level 1: +3 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +3 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +3 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +3 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 22 HP
Level 5: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 23 HP
Level 6: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 27 HP
Level 7: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 28 HP
Level 8: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 29 HP
Level 9: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 30 HP
Level 10: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 34 HP
Level 11: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 35 HP
Level 12: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 36 HP
Level 13: +6 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 37 HP
Level 14: +6 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 41 HP
Level 15: +6 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 45 HP
Widda
Aelyi
Mayham
Ariea
Ranethe
The most extreme of the speed-oriented common hunters, Runners have stellar
movement and solid HP, but at the cost of terrible attack and defense. The com-
bination of speed and HP supports their main strategy in battle: running away.
It's very hard to catch these guys, and even if you do manage to hit them, they
have enough HP to survive a few attacks. However, their low Rest Threshold
means that if you can chip away at their health enough, you can eventually get
it down low enough to have a chance to finish them off. Leg Damage is your best
friend when it comes to taking these guys down; they'll generally start behav-
ing a lot like Speedsters once they're crippled, since they'll have no choice
but to rely on their cards in battle. Even when they're cornered, they're un-
likely to engage anything tougher than a CAL. Their high speed can be annoying
when it comes to finding the Target Item first, but if you can get the Target
Item, you'll have nothing to fear from these guys.
--------------------
V. UNIQUE AI HUNTERS
--------------------
In addition to the 12 main categories of AI hunters, there are also 6 AI hun-
ters whose stats are entirely unique to them (among AI hunters, anyway). Two
of these are Vikeif and Shuichi, of course, but there are also 4 who use the
common character sprites and palettes. The builds of these 4 hunters, to put it
simply, represent the extremes of high speed, high attack, high defense, and
high HP; you won't find any other AI hunters who beat these guys in their spe-
cialties. They also have predetermined items, though unlike Vikeif, Shuichi,
and most of the Cover Art Hunters, only up to 2 of their items are pre-
determined. Interestingly, one of these predetermined items is always an item
that puts a given monster into a helpless state when the holder of the item
attacks first. As such, if you've been having trouble getting a Buster for your
gallery, robbing one of these guys when they're at Level 15 might not be such a
bad idea.
I must note that due to how rare the specialist hunters are (each one being
only 1 of 64 possible non-Story Mode hunters), I have not been able to fully
document their stats at each level. If you can fill in any of the details I'm
missing, I would much appreciate it.
I should also note that Vikeif and Shuichi seem to use more or less the same AI
in making their decisions. However, since their stats are different, they do
sometimes make different judgment calls, so I've chosen to cover them sepa-
rately, like the other hunters in this section.
------------------------------
5a. Muaddib (Speed Specialist)
------------------------------
Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 0%?
Level 1: +4 MV, 1 AT, 0 DF, 10 HP
Level 2: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 11 HP
Level 3: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 12 HP
?Level 4: +4 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP
?Level 5: +? MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP
Level 6: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 18 HP (Controller)
Level 7: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 19 HP (Controller)
Level 8: +5 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 20 HP (Controller)
Level 9: +6 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 21 HP (Fragrance, Dark Pants?)
Level 10: +6 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 22 HP (Fragrance, Dark Pants?)
Level 11: +6 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 23 HP (Fragrance, Dark Pants?)
Level 12: +7 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 24 HP (Chip, Jumpsuit?, Random)
Level 13: +7 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 25 HP (Chip, Jumpsuit?, Random)
Level 14: +7 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 26 HP (Chip, Jumpsuit, Random)
Level 15: +8 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 27 HP (Buster, Trench Coat, Random)
Sporting the highest base movement stat possible and, at higher levels, an
item that boosts escape ability, Muaddib is very nearly impossible to catch,
and will gleefully capitalize on this fact, escaping from every battle. How-
ever, the one-dimensional nature of this build also leaves it with a glaring
weakness: Leg Damage traps. Once crippled, Muaddib will seemingly stop trying,
not even trying to Counterattack in battle. Of course, Muaddib's paltry defense
and HP make this strategy of Guarding rather ineffective, and the fact that
Muaddib seemingly never Rests unless completely penned in just makes things
even easier. Like other speed-oriented hunters, Muaddib is only a threat if gi-
ven a chance to seek out the Target Item first; if you can get your hands on
it, Muaddib shouldn't cause any trouble.
-------------------------------
5b. Hatlore (Attack Specialist)
-------------------------------
Priorities: Aggressive
Rest Threshold: 75%?
Level 1: +1 MV, 9 AT, 0 DF, 13 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 10 AT, 0 DF, 14 HP
?Level 3: +1 MV, ? AT, 0 DF, 15 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 11 AT, 0 DF, 16 HP
?Level 5: +1 MV, ? AT, 0 DF, 17 HP
?Level 6: +? MV, ? AT, 0 DF, 18 HP (Controller)
Level 7: +2 MV, 12 AT, 0 DF, 19 HP (Controller)
Level 8: +2 MV, 13 AT, 0 DF, 20 HP (Controller)
Level 9: +2 MV, 14 AT, 0 DF, 21 HP (Fragrance, Knife?)
Level 10: +2 MV, 15 AT, 0 DF, 22 HP (Fragrance, Knife?)
Level 11: +2 MV, 16 AT, 0 DF, 23 HP (Fragrance, Knife?)
Level 12: +2 MV, 17 AT, 0 DF, 24 HP (Chip, Sword?, Random)
Level 13: +2 MV, 18 AT, 0 DF, 25 HP (Chip, Sword?, Random)
Level 14: +2 MV, 19 AT, 0 DF, 26 HP (Chip, Sword?, Random)
Level 15: +2 MV, 20 AT, 0 DF, 27 HP (Buster, Long Sword, Random)
To call Hatlore a glass cannon would be an understatement. With very low HP,
absolutely no defense, and only mediocre speed, Hatlore is one of the frailest
AI hunters in the game--and yet, despite that, he is also one of the most dan-
gerous. If you ever thought that Vikeif was a pain to deal with, Hatlore is
even worse. His attacks are so overwhelmingly powerful that even though you
don't have to do much damage to defeat him, it's difficult to find an opening
to do so when he starts slashing away at you. He ALWAYS Counterattacks, so if
you want to go first, you'd better be confident that you can finish him off, or
you'll be in for a world of pain. Besides that, Hatlore has enough sense to
Rest to keep his meager HP just high enough for it to be difficult to off him
before he cuts you into ribbons. Oh, and he's predatorial, too, picking fights
almost constantly, so be very careful not to let your HP get low around him.
He's not the quickest of hunters, so it's usually best to just outrun him,
dropping traps as you go, to get to the exit in one piece. Fighting him will
usually end poorly for you, as even if you beat him, you'll probably be weak-
ened enough for someone else to swoop in and finish you off.
-------------------------------
5c. Mottil (Defense Specialist)
-------------------------------
Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 50%
Level 1: +1 MV, 1 AT, 4 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 1 AT, 4 DF, 17 HP
?Level 3: +1 MV, 1 AT, ? DF, ?? HP
?Level 4: +1 MV, 1 AT, ? DF, ?? HP
?Level 5: +1 MV, 1 AT, ? DF, ?? HP
?Level 6: +1 MV, 1 AT, ? DF, ?? HP (Controller)
?Level 7: +1 MV, 1 AT, ? DF, ?? HP (Controller)
?Level 8: +1 MV, 1 AT, ? DF, ?? HP (Controller)
Level 9: +1 MV, 1 AT, 7 DF, 30 HP (Fragrance, Random)
Level 10: +1 MV, 1 AT, 7 DF, 31 HP (Fragrance, Random)
Level 11: +1 MV, 1 AT, 8 DF, 32 HP (Fragrance, Random)
Level 12: +1 MV, 1 AT, 8 DF, 33 HP (Chip, Body Armor?, Random)
Level 13: +1 MV, 1 AT, 9 DF, 34 HP (Chip, Body Armor, Random)
Level 14: +1 MV, 1 AT, 9 DF, 35 HP (Chip, Body Armor?, Random)
Level 15: +1 MV, 1 AT, 10 DF, 36 HP (Buster, Full Armor, Random)
The extremist cousin of the Turtles, Mottil is slow but nearly impervious to
attack. He shares their lack of interest in attacking adjacent rivals and mon-
sters, but he's not quite as reckless, taking better care of his HP. Much like
the Turtles, he often uses his sky-high defense to Counterattack with impunity,
though his bottom-of-the-barrel attack stat means this is often a futile ges-
ture. Nevertheless, he's much harder to take down than his more reckless breth-
ren; if he picks up the Target Item first, you'll have to rely on traps (and
perhaps some help from monsters and your rivals) to create an opening for you
to relieve him of the Target Item.
--------------------------
5d. Azabar (HP Specialist)
--------------------------
Priorities: Passive
Rest Threshold: 25%
Level 1: +1 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 34 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 38 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 42 HP
?Level 4: +1 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP
?Level 5: +1 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP
?Level 6: +? MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP (Controller)
?Level 7: +? MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP (Controller)
Level 8: +2 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 53 HP (Controller)
Level 9: +2 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 57 HP (Fragrance, Medicine)
Level 10: +2 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 58 HP (Fragrance, Medicine)
?Level 11: +2 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP (Fragrance, Medicine)
?Level 12: +? MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP (Chip, Medicine, Random)
?Level 13: +? MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP (Chip, Medicine, Random)
?Level 14: +? MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, ?? HP (Chip, Medicine, Random)
Level 15: +3 MV, 1 AT, 1 DF, 72 HP (Buster, Medicine, Random)
Since Azabar's max HP is ridiculously high, you'd think that he'd be really
hard to take down, right? Well, it can be annoyingly difficult, but it's not as
bad as you might expect. Y'see, Azabar is another of those guys who doesn't
Rest until he's almost ready to collapse. Now, granted, he can recover a lot of
HP with a single turn of Resting (especially if he's at a high enough level to
have Medicine on him), but if he's being attacked by more than one enemy, his
chances of survival drop considerably. Additionally, his attack and defense are
awful, so he won't be able to put up much resistance to break the assault. Ba-
sically, he's just a giant sack of HP, and he doesn't do nearly as good a job
of retaining items as some of the other types of hunters I've listed here. His
speed is decent, but overall, as long as you use your traps and red cards well,
he's not the worst of hunters to deal with.
----------
5e. Vikeif
----------
Priorities: Clever
Rest Threshold: 50%/75%?
Level 1: +1 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 17 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 18 HP
Level 4: +2 MV, 7 AT, 1 DF, 19 HP
Level 5: +2 MV, 8 AT, 1 DF, 20 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 9 AT, 1 DF, 21 HP (Glove)
Level 7: +2 MV, 9 AT, 1 DF, 22 HP (Glove)
Level 8: +2 MV, 9 AT, 1 DF, 23 HP (Glove)
Level 9: +3 MV, 9 AT, 1 DF, 24 HP (War Glove, Medicine)
Level 10: +3 MV, 10 AT, 1 DF, 25 HP (War Glove, Medicine)
Level 11: +3 MV, 11 AT, 1 DF, 26 HP (War Glove, Medicine)
Level 12: +3 MV, 12 AT, 1 DF, 27 HP (Claw, Medicine, Random)
Level 13: +3 MV, 13 AT, 1 DF, 28 HP (Claw, Medicine, Random)
Level 14: +3 MV, 14 AT, 1 DF, 29 HP (Claw, Medicine, Random)
Level 15: +3 MV, 15 AT, 1 DF, 30 HP (Claw, Actuator X, Generator)
One half of the Story Mode duo, Vikeif is essentially a somewhat more extreme
version of a Bandit, giving up some HP for higher attack power. This, combined
with the Story Mode duo's superior AI, makes Vikeif a force to be reckoned
with. Vikeif doesn't waste any time waiting for you to find the Target Item
first, instead going out to hunt for it, and if you do find it first, Vikeif
will relentlessly pursue you across the map. Also, unlike other AI hunters, the
Story Mode duo seem to be a bit more flexible in choosing when to Rest, being
more likely to prioritize chasing a vulnerable opponent. And as if all that
weren't enough, at higher levels, the Story Mode duo have their own predeter-
mined items to boost their capabilities. These items make Vikeif's attacks all
the more formidable, so you'll definitely have your work cut out for you. The
only sub-par quirk to the Story Mode Duo's AI is that they prioritize using
yellow cards when attacking first, but even that isn't much of a break. If at
all possible, try to use traps to weaken Vikeif; if you're lucky, you may make
it out the exit before Vikeif can catch up, but with Shuichi around, that may
not be possible.
-----------
5f. Shuichi
-----------
Priorities: Clever
Rest Threshold: 50%/75%?
Level 1: +2 MV, 4 AT, 0 DF, 19 HP
Level 2: +2 MV, 4 AT, 0 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +2 MV, 4 AT, 0 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +3 MV, 4 AT, 0 DF, 22 HP
Level 5: +3 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 23 HP
Level 6: +3 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 27 HP (Sensor C)
Level 7: +3 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 28 HP (Sensor C)
Level 8: +3 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 29 HP (Sensor C)
Level 9: +4 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 30 HP (Handgun MS, Sensor D)
Level 10: +4 MV, 6 AT, 0 DF, 31 HP (Handgun MS, Sensor D)
Level 11: +4 MV, 6 AT, 0 DF, 32 HP (Handgun MS, Sensor D)
Level 12: +4 MV, 6 AT, 0 DF, 33 HP (Handgun LS, Sensor E, Random)
Level 13: +5 MV, 6 AT, 0 DF, 34 HP (Handgun LS, Sensor E, Random)
Level 14: +5 MV, 7 AT, 0 DF, 35 HP (Handgun LS, Sensor E, Random)
Level 15: +5 MV, 8 AT, 0 DF, 36 HP (Handgun LS, Sensor E, Amulet)
Shuichi has more or less the same AI as Vikeif, but his stats are unlike those
of any other AI hunter in the game. He's the only AI hunter to combine high
speed with solid attack power, and these abilities serve him well as he seeks
the Target Item and pursues rivals. Unlike other fast hunters, Shuichi isn't
afraid to battle it out with opponents, and he usually manages his HP well
enough to stay alive. If he does get low on HP, he's more likely to try to run
away than Vikeif is, using his high speed to his advantage. Shuichi may not
have Vikeif's raw power, but his speed makes it difficult for you to make a
clean getaway, and even if he himself can't stop you, he'll often slow you down
enough for Vikeif to catch up and punish you. And as if that weren't enough,
the predetermined items he uses at higher levels are top-notch; his gun boosts
his attack power, making him more of a threat in combat, and his Sensor makes
it difficult to catch him with traps. Heaven help you if you have to deal with
him at Level 15; the Amulet makes it so he can't roll any lower than a 3, both
in and out of battle, giving him a major advantage. Try not to let him grab the
Target Item if at all possible; you'll have a very hard time catching and beat-
ing him if he does.
-------------------------------------
VI. UNPREDICTABILITY: PANIC AND B PHS
-------------------------------------
Now that you have an idea of what to expect from different types of foes, it's
time to discuss what happens when that measure of predictability gets thrown
out the window, either temporarily or permanently.
Let me start by explaining the Panic status ailment. As you may already know,
this is the status effect that you get whenever an enemy damages you with a
"critical hit" (rolling doubles for an attack) in battle--assuming that you
don't tap X at just the right time in order to negate the effect. While you're
under the effects of Panic, you lose control of your character, who acts (often
sub-optimally) under the control of the AI. However, this may have you won-
dering: If Panic temporarily places your hunter under the control of the AI,
then what does it do to AI hunters? The answer is simple: It assigns them one
of the previously outlined AI routines at random (which is actually the same
thing it does to human-controlled hunters). Needless to say, this tends to
cause problems, since the AI hunters may be assigned an AI routine that is com-
pletely unsuited to their stats. For instance, an AI hunter with the Bully
build may be randomly assigned Muaddib's AI, causing the hunter to attempt to
run from battle despite having atrocious speed. From what I can tell, the ran-
domly selected AI changes with each individual hunter's turn, meaning that the
victim may Counterattack in response to a powerful rival's attack only to then
attempt to run away from a weak monster. The amount of variation between the
different AI routines is such that it's almost impossible to predict what a
hunter will do under the effects of Panic.
Now, looking at the title of this section, you may be wondering what Panic has
to do with B PHS. Again, the answer is very simple (and perhaps a bit start-
ling): B PHS hunters ALWAYS behave like they are under the effects of Panic!
Yes, that's right--they behave as if they are in a perpetual state of con-
fusion, vacillating between being aggressive and being cowardly, or between fo-
cusing on the objective and wasting time on trivial things. This makes them un-
predictable, but it also severely limits their effectiveness, as they won't
consistently play to their strengths. As for what those strengths are, exactly,
I should mention that although B PHS hunters come in 8 palettes, much like any
other model of hunter, said palettes do not correspond to any particular set of
stats. Each B PHS hunter is randomly assigned one of the 12 common stat builds
(that is, not Vikeif's, Shuichi's, or any of the specialists' builds), and in
any given mission where more than one of them are present, there can be mul-
tiple B PHS hunters with the same palette and/or stats. They start with the
standard number of items for their level (not counting the 2 missions in which
the lone B PHS hunter also starts off with the Target Item), but none of their
items are predetermined.
Overall, the randomness of the B PHS hunters tends to handicap them more than</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
it helps. There's a reason that Panic is a status ailment, after all. Still, it
would behoove you to not to let your guard down, as you never know when a B PHS
hunter is going to randomly make a good move.
-------------
VII. MONSTERS
-------------
Of course, the guide wouldn't be complete without an explanation of the mon-
sters. They're the most predictable enemies in the game by far, since they're
much more limited in what they can do than the AI hunters are. What's more,
every monster has the exact same AI, despite their differences in stats.
Regular monsters (CALs, BROs, and RADs) may appear next to a hunter at the end
of the hunter's turn, but only if the hunter moved somewhere during that turn,
and only if the hunter is not carrying an identified Folklore (Bible) item.
There can be up to 2 regular monsters in a dungeon at the same time; there is
no restriction on their types.
GON appears only when the deck has no cards left. At the end of the individual
turn in which the deck is exhausted, GON will appear at a random location in
the dungeon.
Monsters take their turns after the hunters in each round. They will always at-
tack any hunter who is on a space adjacent to them, and if they are not adja-
cent to any hunters, they will move toward the nearest hunter. If the Target
Item has been found, monsters will prioritize chasing and attacking the hunter
holding the Target Item, but if they happen to end up next to another hunter
after moving, they will attack that hunter instead. If they cannot reach any
hunters, they will move at random in the area they can access. Monsters cannot
attack each other; they act as impassable barriers for each other. Monsters are
not affected by traps when they move. They do not have cards, and since they
cannot Rest, they have no way to recover HP.
In battle, monsters will always Counterattack if the hunter attacks first. How-
ever, if the hunter attacks first while holding the specific item that counters
that type of monster (Controller for CALs, Fragrance for BROs, Chip for RADs,
Buster for GON), the monster will instead act as if it is Stunned for the du-
ration of that round; it will not Counterattack, and its defense will drop to 0
(if its defense was not already at 0). If the hunter defeats the monster, it
may drop a random item, but only if the hunter has room to carry another item;
the dropped item will be immediately placed in the hunter's inventory. Defeated
monsters disappear from the map entirely; however, if GON is the defeated, it
will respawn at a random location on the map after the hunters have finished
moving that round. If a regular monster defeats a hunter, the hunter's max HP
will be halved and the hunter will be teleported to a random location in the
dungeon, just like when a hunter is defeated by another hunter. The difference
is that a hunter will not lose any items when defeated by a monster (not even
the Target Item). However, if the player holding the Target Item is defeated by
GON, the mission will end immediately; if the mission was a Story Mode mission,
the player gets a Game Over, while if the mission was a Normal Mode mission,
all player-controlled hunters will lose all items and credits. (Reloading your
save file(s) at this point wouldn't be a bad idea.)
Each type of monster has specific stats according to the dungeon level, even
though these stats are not shown on-screen. (Note that the color of the monster
makes no difference; all monsters of a given type have the exact same stats at
any given level.)
-----------------
7a. CAL (Cleaner)
-----------------
Level 1: +2 MV, 2 AT, 2 DF, 16 HP
Level 2: +2 MV, 2 AT, 2 DF, 17 HP
Level 3: +2 MV, 2 AT, 2 DF, 18 HP
Level 4: +3 MV, 2 AT, 2 DF, 19 HP
Level 5: +3 MV, 3 AT, 2 DF, 20 HP
Level 6: +3 MV, 3 AT, 2 DF, 21 HP
Level 7: +3 MV, 3 AT, 2 DF, 22 HP
Level 8: +3 MV, 3 AT, 2 DF, 23 HP
Level 9: +4 MV, 3 AT, 2 DF, 24 HP
Level 10: +4 MV, 4 AT, 2 DF, 25 HP
Level 11: +4 MV, 4 AT, 3 DF, 26 HP
Level 12: +4 MV, 4 AT, 3 DF, 27 HP
Level 13: +4 MV, 4 AT, 3 DF, 28 HP
Level 14: +5 MV, 4 AT, 3 DF, 29 HP
Level 15: +5 MV, 5 AT, 3 DF, 30 HP
These tin cans are more a nuisance than an actual threat. They're quick, which
makes getting away difficult, but their attacks aren't all that strong. Their
defense and HP are nothing spectacular, so unless you have absolutely abysmal
attack power yourself, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting rid of them.
--------------
7b. BRO (Blob)
--------------
Level 1: +1 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 25 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 5 AT, 0 DF, 29 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 6 AT, 0 DF, 30 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 6 AT, 0 DF, 34 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 7 AT, 0 DF, 35 HP
Level 6: +1 MV, 7 AT, 0 DF, 39 HP
Level 7: +1 MV, 8 AT, 0 DF, 40 HP
Level 8: +1 MV, 8 AT, 0 DF, 44 HP
Level 9: +1 MV, 9 AT, 0 DF, 45 HP
Level 10: +1 MV, 9 AT, 0 DF, 49 HP
Level 11: +1 MV, 10 AT, 0 DF, 50 HP
Level 12: +1 MV, 10 AT, 0 DF, 54 HP
Level 13: +1 MV, 11 AT, 0 DF, 55 HP
Level 14: +1 MV, 11 AT, 0 DF, 59 HP
Level 15: +1 MV, 12 AT, 0 DF, 60 HP
Slimes aren't known for their mobility, and these are no exception; they're the
slowest monsters in the game. They also have absolutely no defense, meaning
that even the weakest of hunters will be able to chip away at their HP. How-
ever, said HP is actually very high, which makes them surprisingly difficult to
get rid of. Be wary of their high attack power; you won't need to rely on red
cards to pierce their defenses, so if you must fight one of these, try to be
patient if you can. If you get low on HP, keep in mind that you can always try
to escape and outrun them.
------------------
7c. RAD (Predator)
------------------
Level 1: +1 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 13 HP
Level 2: +1 MV, 6 AT, 3 DF, 14 HP
Level 3: +1 MV, 7 AT, 3 DF, 15 HP
Level 4: +1 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 16 HP
Level 5: +1 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 17 HP
Level 6: +2 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 18 HP
Level 7: +2 MV, 7 AT, 4 DF, 19 HP
Level 8: +2 MV, 8 AT, 4 DF, 20 HP
Level 9: +2 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 21 HP
Level 10: +2 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 22 HP
Level 11: +3 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 23 HP
Level 12: +3 MV, 8 AT, 5 DF, 24 HP
Level 13: +3 MV, 9 AT, 5 DF, 25 HP
Level 14: +3 MV, 9 AT, 6 DF, 26 HP
Level 15: +3 MV, 10 AT, 6 DF, 27 HP
These robots are much more intimidating than CALs, and they've got the power to
match their appearance. RADs actually have 4 extra points in their stat pools
at any given level, making them significantly stronger overall than other regu-
lar monsters. They have decent speed, relatively high attack power, and high
defense, making them quite the formidable foes in combat. And as if that
weren't enough, RADs have an additional status effect that they inflict with
their critical hits: Empty. Being robbed of your cards while fighting one of
these is quite bad, especially since you may find yourself needing red cards in
order to pierce their defense. However, they do have low HP, so if you can get
in a few good hits, they should go down fairly quickly.
----------------
7d. GON (Dragon)
----------------
Level 1: +3 MV, 12 AT, 3 DF, 19 HP
Level 2: +3 MV, 12 AT, 3 DF, 20 HP
Level 3: +3 MV, 13 AT, 3 DF, 21 HP
Level 4: +3 MV, 13 AT, 3 DF, 22 HP
Level 5: +4 MV, 13 AT, 3 DF, 23 HP
Level 6: +4 MV, 14 AT, 3 DF, 24 HP
Level 7: +4 MV, 14 AT, 3 DF, 25 HP
Level 8: +4 MV, 14 AT, 4 DF, 26 HP
Level 9: +4 MV, 14 AT, 4 DF, 27 HP
Level 10: +4 MV, 14 AT, 4 DF, 31 HP
Level 11: +4 MV, 14 AT, 4 DF, 32 HP
Level 12: +4 MV, 15 AT, 4 DF, 33 HP
Level 13: +5 MV, 15 AT, 4 DF, 34 HP
Level 14: +5 MV, 15 AT, 4 DF, 35 HP
Level 15: +5 MV, 15 AT, 5 DF, 36 HP
The big bad boss of the dungeon, GON is not a monster you want to see. With a
whopping 16 extra points in its stat pool, GON is far more powerful than any
ordinary monster or hunter. With its high speed, amazing attack power, solid
defense and HP, and the ability to inflict Stun with its critical hits(!), GON
is incredibly lethal. And as if all that weren't enough, since GON only appears
once the deck is exhausted, you'll only have at best a few cards with which to
face it. If you're unfortunate enough to see this monster, grab the Target Item
and RUN. Only the sturdiest of hunters can even survive against GON (never mind
actually fighting back), and even then, it's a risky proposition, since the
Stun effect on GON's critical hits could easily rob you of a chance to Rest.
Besides, even if you defeat GON, it will just respawn elsewhere in the dungeon
and start coming after you again, so there's really no point. If you're playing
with other human players, you can try to stall GON to give the player holding
the Target Item time to escape; it beats losing all your items and credits when
GON mauls said player. Overall, though, the best strategy is prevention; if you
get the Target Item to the exit before the cards run out, GON won't appear, so
do your best to complete your missions on time.
-------------
VIII. CREDITS
-------------
Thanks to KeyBlade999, AbsoluteSteve, and Kirby 021591 for posting an FAQ about
writing FAQs, making it easy for me to figure out how to structure this, my
first FAQ.
Thanks to BSulpher, AstralEsper, and all the other great FAQ writers out there
for setting great examples in FAQ writing for me to follow.
Thanks to Lutepin for the translations of the Japanese monster names.
If you can contribute some info about the game that I've missed, please do so.
The info in this guide is by no means complete, and I'd really appreciate your
help. You can e-mail me at
[email protected].
-------------------
IX. VERSION HISTORY
-------------------
1.01 - Submitted 1/12/2016
Just a few minor revisions this time; no major additions to the guide itself.
- Corrected a mistake regarding the AI's use of red and yellow cards in battle.
- Finally remembered where I got the translated monster names from and updated
the credits section accordingly. (Thanks Lutepin!)
- Added Neoseeker to the list of websites allowed to post the guide.
- Fixed a typo.
- Added a version history.
1.0 - Submitted 12/28/2015
I've decided to go ahead and post what I know for now. There's still some info
that I'm lacking (particularly in the stats tables of the specialist hunters);
hopefully, I'll be able to fill that out in the future.
--------------
X. LEGAL STUFF
--------------
This document may not be reproduced in any form except for personal, private
use. The only websites that currently have permission to post this guide are
www.gamefaqs.com and www.neoseeker.com. It may not be posted on any other
websites without advance written permission.
Copyright 2015 John N. Brunn
