Last time, we talked about how the Etrian Odyssey II Untold Beasts and Protectors could make the perfect tanks for a dungeon exploration team. This time, we’re going to talk about your support system. They’re your cheerleaders, the teammates that do whatever you need to keep the rest of the characters strong and the enemies you’re facing week.
We’ll start with the Sovereign. Originally, this game appeared in Etrian Odyssey III, so this is the first time royalty can be part of your party in an Etrian Odyssey II game. I like to play more aggressively, so a prince or princess usually finds his or her way into my party. Many of the Sovereign support abilities enhance allies’ strength.
A Sovereign’s Attack Order and Guard Order are essential skills, as they each increase attack or defense for a line of characters for three turns. The Fire, Freeze, and Shock Circles all decrease elemental damage of a specific type to the party for one turn, while simultaneously increasing damage of that element to the enemy. Another skill I highly recommend, if you want to do damage to a foe, is Ad Nihilo. It comes in handy against bosses and opponents you see later in the game, since it cancels all buffs and debuffs on one target, then deals almighty damage to them in exchange. If you have time, make sure you pay attention to Link Order and Link Order II. When applied to a single user or party, it will offer an elemental counterattack if an elemental attack happens.
The Sovereigns make a great healers too, though plan carefully if you plan to have one replace a Medic. Protect Order should be learned as quickly as possible, as it will restore HP for a line of allies at the end of each turn for three turns and is fantastic for fights against bosses or F.O.E.s. White Noble will cancel one buff and debuff on the entire party, and the restore HP and increase Force, with additional health and Force added if both a buff and debuff are present to remove. Grab the Royal Veil passive ability quickly too, since everyone’s health is restored every turn so long as the Sovereign’s health is at its maximum.
The Sovereign has two abilities that have a minor downside to them. Dauntless Order is handy, since it keeps mortal damage from wiping out a line of allies for three turns, while also healing health at the end of each turn for three turns. It stops working after one KO is stopped, sadly. The same applies to Prevent Order, since it’ll prevent status ailments for one line for three turns, but stops working after one ailment is prevented. Cheer is great since it restores TP to the party members in the same row as the Sovereign, but the fact that you have to remove buffs and debuffs the previous turn for it to work isn’t exactly helpful if you’re facing a boss or F.O.E.
Etrian Odyssey II Untold’s Sovereigns are also handy since they’re healing outside of battle too. Learning Triumphant Cry and leveling it up will increase the amount of health restored to the party automatically at the end of every battle. Any veteran knows and remembers the usefulness of Monarch March, which restores a specific amount of HP after a certain number of steps taken in the dungeon, with its effectiveness again increased as more skill points are put into it.
The War Magus is another great class if you want to inflict status ailments on enemies and bind them. Especially since binding foes also deals damage. Random Disease could inflict blind, curse, fear, paralysis, poison, or sleep onto an enemy, and Displace could take an ally’s affliction, be it a status ailment or bindings, onto an enemy. Using Strength Slash, Guard Slash, Headcut, Armcut, or Legcut on an enemy that’s taken an ailment from Random Disease or Displace could then lower attack, lower defense, bind its head, bind its arms, or bind its legs. Basically, someone could have a War Magus and always have them be using Random Disease and one of the various slashes or cuts to continually wear down any enemy.
An Etrian Odyssey II Untold War Magus is arguably a better healer than the Sovereign. It has Warmight to raise one person’s attack for three turns and Rockskin to raise one person’s defense for three turns. War Heal, War Heal Line, and War Heal All are a series of skills all designed to restore health during a fight, focusing on one ally, a line of allies, and finally the entire party. In later Stratums, a War Magus casting War Revive is one of the best friends you can have, as War Revive will bring someone back to life as a turn begins, but also bring the character back to life again at the end of the turn in the event an opponent’s attack takes the newly restored person out again.
Unfortunately, the War Magus doesn’t have as many passive skills as the Sovereign. However, the Vampire passive skill it does have is pretty great. Whenever an enemy character takes damage from one of the status ailments inflicted on it by a War Magus, say poison, the line the War Magus is in will recover some health. The only downside comes from not knowing which status effect will come from using Random Disease, so you can’t count on Vampire always kicking in.
Force Skills could be a tipping point when it comes to determining if a War Magus or Sovereign is better suited for the Etrian Odyssey II Untold run you’re planning. Both have a Force skill that heals, with the Sovereign’s Proof of Nobility restoring HP and TP and the War Magus’ Fairy Robe restoring HP, removing status ailments and bindings, and canceling any negative effects foes try to inflict that turn.
Their other Force Skills enhance one of their sets of abilities. If you’re up against a boss or F.O.E. that needs to be debuffed, bound, and brought down, War Magus’ War Edge Power will make the War Edge abilities like Strength Slash, Headcut, and the like boost status or bind without the restriction of the opponent having to have some status ailment prior. The Sovereign’s Victory Vow will make all Orders half as expensive, TP-wise, while also making sure ones that normally would help only one person or line would take effect on everyone. It’s especially good for the Attack Order, Guard Order, Dauntless Order, and Prevent Order skills mentioned earlier.
Here’s the thing about both War Maguses and Sovereigns. Both classes are incredibly versatile supporters. They’re great for boosting allies, bothering enemies, and healing the party. I’d almost suggest using a Sovereign if you wanted to attempt a party build without a Medic, and a War Magus if you wanted to try a party without a Dark Hunter.
As usual, Etrian Odyssey is a very personal experience for all players, and part of the fun is experimenting to see what kind of party compositions might work best for you. Keep the Sovereign and War Magus in mind in case you need an in-game BFF that will keep you healthy and have your back with the occasional attack.
