Quesada's Swan

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

I need to think of or find a better strategy before tackling this dungeon again...

Reading a few guides and the wiki online, I learn a few things: it turns out that this wall hates earth spells...too bad Max ran out of MP when I faced it! Plus, the Tomato Men can only be affected nonmagically by charged attacks...

I also find out when reading the bosses section of this guide (I almost spoiled myself there) that only Faerie Walnuts restore MP...now I know what to get before taking on the Pandora Ruins again.

I decide to go all the way to Neko's to get more Faerie Walnuts...

I take control of Max and demo an Earth Slide on a nearby Mushboom. It costs 3 MP to cast, a bit expensive...

Sadly, I only have enough to get two Walnuts, so I buy one and get more Chocolate...

I head back to Pandora building up the party's magic skill as I go...

It's also the first time I use Pidge's Speed Up on everyone, but it lasts for a short time...

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I enter the ruins again.

Now that I'm better prepared, I take on the Tomato Man and Zombies. I have Pidge imbue Ice magic on everyone's weapons first.

I finally get a physical hit on the Tomato Man!

The Zombie's reaction is hilarious!

This time, from the guides online, I check the west and east doors in the entrance hall...

West door first, where I'm greeted by more Evil Swords...I use Hero's charge attack to take care of the first one...and we go after the second one!

That statue still doesn't look ominous, nope, not at all...

After failing to win in a rematch against the Tomato Man and the Zombies he spawns, I head over to the east room.

Inside there's two Evil Swords which we take care of with Hero's charged attacks, and another Tomato Man!

We fall back to the main hallway...

I somehow manage to get a charged hit on the Tomato Man, but his spells overpower us and I have the party retreat outside!

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The ruins' grounds are deserted...did Thanatos warp them inside?

That creepy music's still playing even as we leave the ruins...

Now we're back in Pandora...

I decide to use the cannon to get back to Gaia's Navel and into the Dwarf Village again.

I buy another Spiky Suit for Max, and head back via cannon to the Water Palace to get another Faerie Walnut from Neko's shop...

I take a rest and save...

Now for some level and money grinding around the woods and the ruins. To take on that Wall again, I'll have to get 3 Faerie Walnuts...

Back to fighting the Evil Swords in the west room, I have Max cast Energy Absorb and Gem Missile for the first time!

The Gem Missile's more quicker than the Earth Slide, I think...

Back to the entrance hall where Max's ice magic levels up!

After a few battles (where I use up all of Max's MP!), I take a cannon and head to Neko's again, buy the last Faerie Walnut I want, and save and stop here, knowing I've built up the party's magic skills a fair amount...

Neko's prices are really pricey.