Main Walkthrough

Recommended Level: 37

The last of Ochette's three 'Chapter 2s' that you're likely to undertake, the Glacis Route takes place in Stormhail, a city in the east of the Winterlands. Its remote location makes Stormhail difficult to reach. To get here you need to tthe Western Montwise Pass. Look for a Guard in the north who prevents you from entering a cave. Find a way to beat him up, then go through the cave, which is the Northern Montwise Pass. You'll come out in the Southern Stormhail Snows, and you'll find the entrance to Stormhail in the north.

Upon entering Stormhail with Ochette in the party you'll be prompted to begin her story right away. If you decide to put this off you can trigger the chapter by visiting the Tavern. Speak to the Tavern Keeper and choose Hear a Tale, again with Ochette in the party. The Tavern is on the west side of town.

Still on the path of the three Creatures of Legend, Ochette travels to Stormhail in search of Glacis, an icy bird. A shriek fills the air as soon as Ochette arrives in town, prompting an investigation. Head north through Stormhail to the Bridge, then check up the stairs to the north of the entrance. A Sanctum Knight on guard will tell Ochette why Glacis fills the whole area with snow - and he refuses to let her through. Switch to day and Provoke him to get the Sanctum Knight out of Ochette's way.

Sacred Peak Altahe

Enemies

  • Albino Bat - Weak to Polearm, Bow, Staff, Dark - Drop / Steal Forget-Me-Do
  • Avalanche Mushroom - Weak to Dagger, Axe, Bow, Fire - Drop / Steal Inspiriting Plum Basket
  • Frostwing Serpent - Weak to Polearm, Bow, Staff, Fire - Drop / Steal Healing Grape (M)
  • Reptialos - Weak to Sord, Axe, Light - Drop / Steal Inspiriting Plum (M)
  • Winter Wanderweed - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Bow, Fire - Drop / Steal Cleansing Leaf
Now for the climb to Glacis. Ochette will block off the direct route with her howling, and after a conversation with a man named Heig you'll need to take the long way 'round. Start walking down the eastern path and you'll find a chest nearby containing Reinforcing Jam, which will probably come in handy when you reach the end of this road.

Follow the torchlit path up the peak. You'll soon see a chest on your right containing an Ice Amulet - this, too, will come in handy - and to the west you'll run into Heig again. He'll explain what he's doing, which sets the stage for a rather sad end to this chapter.

Continue west and you'll find ladders. Go up the first, then look on your left for one to go down. It leads to a chest containing an Ice Soulstone (L). Climb to the top of the ladders and head east. You'll come to a rope bridge. Before crossing, look a little ways north and on your left to find a hidden pathway. It leads to a chest containing an Absolute Zero Bow. It's a solid weapon, though its added effect of improving Ice-based attacks won't be terribly helpful for what's to come.

Cross the bridge. There's a save point on the other side, which is a good indication of what's going to happen if you continue down this road.


Glacis

Shields: 8
Weaknesses: 
  • Polearm, Dagger, Bow, Fire (Glacis)
  • Sword, Dagger, Axe, Fire (Blue Elemental)
Drop: Guardian's Iceblade
Steal: Refreshing Jam

Glacis uses the following attacks:
  • Icy Lance, an Ice attack against a single character
  • Silver Wind, an Ice attack against the whole party
  • Frosty Wings, a randomly-targeted series of Ice attacks against your party
  • Absolute Zero, an Ice attack against a single character that inflicts Frozen for several turns, preventing actions
  • Glacis breathes life into ice, summoning two Blue Elementals
  • Frigid Earth, a lingering effect that depletes every character's SP once per round
  • Deep Snow, an Ice attack against the whole party that lowers speed
  • Raging Blizzard, a charged Ice attack against the whole party that can leave characters Frozen
Glacis begins the battle using a variety of Ice-based attacks against one or more members of your party. The worst of these is Absolute Zero, which leaves its target Frozen for three turns. Frozen characters can't do anything, and (as far as I can tell, anyway) the status ailment can't be dispelled. All you can do is wait it out. 

Continue to do damage to Glacis and it will eventually summon in two Blue Elementals. Aside from the obvious icy attacks, the Blue Elementals can make themselves reflective, bouncing any spells you cast at them back at you. Their presence will lock away Glacis's weaknesses until they're both defeated. Glacis will also add a few more attacks to its repertoire, including Raging Blizzard, a charged attack that can Freeze multiple characters at a time. Past this point its attack patterns don't seem to change.

Glacis is quite the nasty foe if you come here right at level 37. All of its Ice attacks hurt quite a bit, but getting Frozen can really put a damper on your day. The best way around this is to simply Break Glacis as quickly as you can, which isn't too difficult if you feed BP to Ochette and have her use Precise Shot over and over. A second Hunter can make this very easy, and Thieves with HP Thief are also handy for Breaking Glacis. Equipping characters with gear that lowers damage inflicted by Ice (such as the Ice Amulet you picked up earlier) will allow you to remain on the offensive.

Once the Blue Elementals show up it is imperative that you wipe them out as quickly as possible. A Scholar can smack them down pretty quickly with Fire attacks, though you need to back off on these if the Blue Elementals become reflective. With the Blue Elementals gone you can go back to walloping Glacis with your strongest attacks. Glacis only gets one move per round, so using a move that will lower its speed or bump its moves to the end of the turn order will make Breaking it in the final rounds much easier.


Ochette will have to Capture Glacis to end the fight, though the legendary bird is still traumatized by what happened. Ochette finds a way to remind Glacis of its duties, however, and it agrees to join the Hunter. From this point on you can use Glacis as a Provoke monster, though it can only be summoned once per battle, and requires three BP to use. Still, it's a powerful move. Chapter complete!

Main Walkthrough