Thread: Pankration In-Depth - Game Watch 9.19    

Monster Fighting in the Pit!
Raise a Beast and Battle with “Pankration”


Original Article: http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/doc ... f11_30.htm
Translated by: Elmer the Pointy
Posted on: bluegartr.com


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The Pit is what was once called the “Monster Colosseum” before the release of Treasures of Aht Urghan. Finally, on September 11th, 2007, the Version Update has brought us Pankration.

Pankration is a new event that allows a player to raise a beast any way they like to do battle with opponents. Now, the monsters all over Vana’diel have a whole new purpose for adventurers. They can partner up and challenge all sorts of people in Pankration matches; people who have captured and raised monsters just like you. As you raise your beast, their level will also increase and their personality can change. A monster’s fighting style can adapt to suit your own. This fascinating combination of monster variety, leveling, and personality choice is sure to make Pankration a great success.


http://www.cactusleaftl.com/ffxipics/gw0911b.jpgPankration Summary
Will you become a great beast trainer!?


The Pankration Arena: Colosseum

The Pankration Arena, “Colosseum,” is the third area to be added to the Aht Urghan Empire. It is located in the South-East corner of Aht Urghan Whitegate on the bottom level, under the Shararat Tea House, and accessed through “Gate: The Pit.” The Colosseum has no particular requirements to enter, and any user in the Empire of Aht Urghan, that is, those who have the Treasures of Aht Urghan expansion, can participate.

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The Colosseum is finally open. You can find the entrance in the South-East section of Whitegate on the bottom level.

The Colosseum has four sections, which are the four Battle Cages. Each section has a TaruTaru NPC, who can transport you between the different cages. Cages 1-3 offer Exhibition Matches, while 4 is a World Pankration (Tournament) Cage. The idea is you polish your skills in the Exhibition Matches before taking on the challenge of a World Pankration Tournament match. In addition, you can reserve an Exhibition cage to do battle with a whole party of trainers and monsters.

Each Cage is partitioned off with a wire mesh to denote the battle area. This is where the action unfolds in The Pit. Outside the netting, audience members can watch as the lights dim and the battle begins. There are screens in the upper left and right corners to display the performance of both the Red Corner and the Blue Corner. It displays the Monster’s name, along with an HP gauge and action log, to give you the feel of watching a real sports event.

Anyone can enjoy Pankration by watching the progress of the match, or even getting involved through chat and emotes. You’ll never know what can happen next in The Pit. By the way, the trainer can give commands to their beast through use of Command Platform, which is opposite the audience. This means the audience can see your struggles and effort throughout the entire match. Getting cheers and support from the crowd really adds to the intensity of your battle.

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Monster do battle in the Pit! Watch them fight in real-time

There is a special type of currency used in the Colosseum, called Jettons. Jettons can be exchanged with Aht Urghan coins at the rate of 1 Jetton for Bronze, 10 Jettons for Silver, 30 Jettons for Mythril, and 200 Jettons for Gold. You’ll need to buy items with Jettons from the Pit NPCs, so be sure to bring some Imperial currency with you on your first visit.

You can increase the amount of Jettons you have depending on the outcome of your matches, but at first you are able to purchase a stack of 12 “Blank Soul Plates” (2 Jetton), a “Soultrapper,” (2 Jetton) which has 12 charges and a refresh time of one minute, a stack of 12 “High Speed Soul Plates” (500 Jetton), or a “Soultrapper 2000,” with 48 charges at a refresh rate of 30 seconds. In order to record a monster’s information, you need some kind of Soultrapper and Blank Soul Plate. Just as the name of the 500 Jetton version implies, (They call it a “High-speed Soultrapper,” because I guess they lacked the extreme originality it took to slap 2000 on it) it can take pictures in half the time of its less expensive counterpart. In addition, the 5,000 Jetton monster head gear will increase your chances of properly recording monster data. Those headpieces should be your ultimate goal as a monster trainer.

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Jettons are used exclusively in the Colosseum to buy Soultrappers and Blank Soul Plates. You can receive them by trading in Imperial currency. You’ll need Jettons to buy the items necessary for recording monster data.

Step-by-Step Pankration: From Capturing Your Monster to Registration

Pankration is a popular event, but you won’t be able to rush in immediately and participate. First, you must follow this step-by-step process:

• 1. Trade in some Imperial currency for Jettons in the Colosseum[/*:m:8b139]
• 2. Use Jettons to purchase a Soul Trapper and some Blank Soul Plates[/*:m:8b139]
• 3. Equip your Soul Trapper and Blank Soul Plates and use them on a monster to record their monster data[/*:m:8b139]
• 4. If it qualifies, trade this Soul Plate with an Ice Crystal to the official NPC to gain a Soul Reflector[/*:m:8b139]
• 5. Upon passing inspection, your Soul Reflector will be deemed an Official Soul Reflector[/*:m:8b139]
• 6. Trade your Official Soul Reflector to the Cage NPC to enter the match[/*:m:8b139]
• 7. Get ready to start the match and wage war![/*:m:8b139]

There are a lot of little steps involved, but the basic idea is simple. Trade in Jettons for the necessary items, use them to photograph monsters, develop them at the Colosseum, and use the resulting battle data to fight in the Pit.

A “Soultrapper,” is basically like a modern-day camera, and the “Blank Soul Plates” are the film. The aforementioned Jettons are how you purchase them. You use these to “photograph” monsters and record the information onto Soul Plates. The “Soul Plate” is just the reflection of the monster on the film before development.

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Use a Soultrapper to get a monster’s data!

Moving along, when you take these Soul Plates to the Colosseum, an Official Soul Screener NPC charges a fee to “develop” them into Soul Reflectors. Don’t forget that you’ll need an Ice Crystal to complete this process. It is also important to remember that some monster data will be unable to develop into a Soul Reflector. The conditions are unclear, but in general Notorious Monsters, Mission NMs and other unique monsters will be unable to become Soul Reflectors.

However, Soul Plates that are unable to become Soul Reflectors still have a practical use in raising your beast. Abilities, or “Feral Skills,” can be taken from these and combined with a Soul Reflector to strengthen its power. Special monsters that usually cannot become Soul Reflectors can still lend their unique attributes to others. At first, you will be anxious to get a Soul Reflector as fast as you can, but once you focus on raising a beast, you cannot forget the importance of adding “Feral Skills.”

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A successful snapshot will turn a Blank Soul Plate into a Soul Plate with monster data. Soul Plates that are unable to become Soul Reflectors can still be used to pass on “Feral Skills” to your beast.

By the way, once you develop a Soul Plate into a Soul Reflector, the process cannot be reversed. Also consider that when you use a Soul Plate to add Feral Skills to another beast you are raising, that Soul Plate is lost. Soul Plates cannot be put on the Auction House, but are able to be traded or placed in a bazaar. You may be able to sell a particularly rare monster’s Soul Plate for a lot of money.

Once you trade your Soul Reflector to an Official Soul Screener NPC, they will give you an Official Soul Reflector. You may possess as many Soul Plates and Soul Reflectors as you can carry, but may only use one Official Soul Reflector to do battle.

With this you can complete the process and enter a match. Trade your Official Soul Reflector to a Battle Cage Registrar to place your entry for the match. Rewards for matches include Jettons and experience for your beast that, just like adventurers, will accumulate experience and level up. Raise your beast, add Feral Skills, and train them for the ultimate goal of World Pankration Champion.

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Soul Plates that are converted into Soul Reflectors can be used in the Pit. However, they can never be changed back into a Soul Plate that contains Feral Skills. Soul Plates can also be sold in your bazaar.

About Your Beast’s Status

You can personally set the attributes of your beast for use in Pankration. You can convert a Soul Reflector or add it to an existing Official Soul Reflector by trading it to the official NPC. First, you can choose a name. Similar to raising a Chocobo, you are presented with two lists for a first and last name. The names include English, French and German and have a variety of meanings. Once you have decided, you can still change it at a later time. Now, let’s move on to your beast’s status.

LEVEL
Your beast’s level changes as you earn experience during matches. The current level limit is 50. Your monster’s strength and fighting style will change as their level progresses.

TYPE
A monster’s most basic information is their species or family. In early levels, monsters of the same type will most likely look and act the same. However, at higher levels, they begin to differentiate themselves and will even become different colors.

MAIN JOB / SUB JOB
This is just like Main Jobs and Sub Jobs for adventurers. Monsters will exhibit different traits during battle depending on what job they are assigned. Job traits can also be added individually through Feral Skills.

FERAL SKILLS / FERAL SKILL LEVEL
Feral Skills can be added to a monster through use of a Soul Plate. However, depending on a monster’s job, there are some Feral Skills that cannot be added to them. A Feral Skill’s Level determines how powerful the effect of a particular skill is, and will be raised the more often a skill is used in battle.

FP (Feral Point)
This is the set cost of a Feral Skill. A beast can only accumulate Feral Skills up to their FP limit. As their level increases, so does their FP limit.

DISCIPLINE
Discipline determines to what extent a monster will follow the commands given to it by its master. The higher this attribute, the more accurately they will follow a player’s instructions.

TEMPERMENT
“Wild vs. Tame” and “Aggressive vs. Defensive”
These are the two sets of behavior that determine a monster’s actions.

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Beasts have Main Jobs and Sub Jobs just like adventurers, as well as a variety of other attributes.

With all the new attributes, it may be difficult to keep track of it all at first. Just think of them as adventurers, with a Level, Main Job, and Sub Job. This may seem too simple, but as you go along, your monster will completely change into your own unique beast as it levels up and gains new jobs, abilities, and traits through the addition of Feral Skills.

As you complete many fights, you can tailor your beast to your personal playing style, such as Blunt Attacks or maybe Magic. The ability to gradually develop your beast and come up with your own perfect fighter gives this event its charm.

The restrictions on FP when adding Feral Skills to your monster closely resemble the Blue Magic system, in that the FP limit will rise depending on level. However, level difference and monster family correlation also have an effect on Feral Skills you wish to add, as well as the type of monster the skill originally came from. These are things to consider when adding to your monster.


http://www.cactusleaftl.com/ffxipics/gw0911n.jpg Challenging Pankration!


Now here is a personal account of Pankration:

“First I gathered up some Imperial Currency and heading of the ‘Colosseum’. I traded for some Jetton and bought a Soultrapper with some Blank Soul Plates.”

“The Soultrapper is a RARE/EX item with 12 uses, so even if I get more Blank Soul Plates, I can only take up to 12 photographs. Now, with a Soultrapper 2000 for 500 Jetton, and 4 sets of Blank Soul Plates, I could take up to 48 pictures. The Soultrapper 2000 will work in conjunction with regular Blank Soul Plates.”

“At the Colosseum, adventurers gathered on the upper levels, behind the netting. When it was time, you could see the announcer in your log and hear the BGM change. Displays at the top left and right corners of the screen showed the hit points of both the red and blue participants. The Pit match had begun. Over the mesh I can see a full-grown Wamoura fighting a Cluster! Adventurers are gathered around the arena and there’s intensity in the air. The teleport service allows the action to continue non-stop. Come to think of it, I bet Chocobo racing would benefit

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Monsters fight together in a wide open area. You can use emotes freely to cheer them on.

“After viewing a number of matches, I really wanted to become a beast trainer myself, so I left the Colosseum. Good timing too, because Besieged had just begun and the Undead Army was invading giving me the perfect opportunity to try out my items. It was a Besieged like I had never experienced before. With my Soultrapper and Blank Soul Plates equipped, I become the “Fighting Photographer,” and surprisingly so did everyone else! That snapshot graphic has become all too familiar for me now…”

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You can take pictures in Besieged too!

“I tried using my Soultrapper on a blue ghost (Assault Bhoot) that I was fighting. ‘Kyuuin!’ went the camera as a square-shaped graphic appeared on the monster, snapping his picture with a ‘kasha!’ I got a Soul Plate! My item looked like this: {FP: 12, Darkness Attack Power +15%}”

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“Just like that, I used my Soultrapper on monster after monster. Lamia No. 15 gave me {Critical Hit Rate Up, FP:38}, a Khimaira NM (Nemean Lion) gave me {Physical Damage Resistance +15%, FP:30}, which is a pretty rare Soul Plate. Recording monster data while fighting is a whole new aspect to the game, which is pretty exciting. Although, you will lose a number of Soul Plate to failure, it is not particularly hard to accumulate a lot of them. It’s basically the luck of the draw.”

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“When Besieged ended, I was anxious to change my new Soul Plates into beasts, but and I decided to use a Qutrub I had captured. There’s just something I like about their fiendish appearance. So I traded an Ice Crystal with a Qutrub Soul Plate to the Colosseum NPC, and thankfully it safely became a Soul Reflector. With that, I made my Official Soul Reflector and was prepared for my first match. I had become a full fledged trainer.”

“Next, I travelled to Xarcabard with a friend to help him capture some monsters. I was looking for an Ahriman, and my friend wanted a Shadow Dragon. After wandering around a while, we found a Shadow Dragon! It was already being photographed by another adventurer, so we took a picture from the side. Then, something quite strange occurred. Instead of killing the monster, we thought someone else might like to come along and photograph it, so we let it go. Such a thing had never crossed our minds before.”

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“So throughout Xarcabard, we found Demons, Ahriman, Elementals, Giants and their Tiger pets. We spent more time than we initially thought enjoying tracking down all these monsters and photographing them.”

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“Now we were finally ready to inspect the Soul Plates we received. Certain types, like Beastmen or Elementals cannot become Soul Reflectors. I got the impression that any particularly unique monster will not be able to become a Soul Reflector.”

“I returned to the Colosseum to check out my Official Soul Reflector. My Qutrub Soul Reflector had become a Level 9 Qutrub-type monster with a Dark Knight main job and Warrior sub job. The level was completely different than the monster it was taken from. The FP limit was 29, so I traded a number of Feral Skills until I hit the limit. The FP cost of the abilities from the Besieged NMs I caught were pretty high, so I was unable to attack very many at all.”

“Now, let’s do some fighting! … I thought, but I couldn’t even register. To get your Official Soul Plate to the NPC, you have to trade it faster than all the adventurers standing around you. By luck, one of my trade attempts actually got through. It took about 40 minutes of waiting and watching though.”

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You’ll see lots of monster duke it out in the Pit. From common monsters to rare and mysterious beasts, the whole world gathers here. The large monsters certainly stand out, and I’d have to say the Treants are among the largest.

“Suddenly, I was surprised by some red text in my log stating “Your monster’s match will begin in the Blue Corner of Cage 4 momentarily.” This is how they notify you of your match. So I moved to Blue Corner’s Command Platform on the assigned stage. It is a special area for the player whose monster will appear to fight.”

“While the monsters fight down below, the Command Platform is up above, facing the spectators. The audience looks like they are in the bleachers watching a sporting event. It certainly puts you on the spot and adds a whole new level of tension (laughs). The Command Platform next to yours has your opponent, who controls their own monster.”

“And so the announcement is made and the monsters appear! The Speaking Tubes in front of you are used to issue 9 commands, including: ‘You’re on your own’, ‘Think and think again’, ‘Don’t Think Kill’, ‘Guard Block Parry’, and ‘Less Thinking More Striking’. However, if their Discipline isn’t strong enough, they won’t even listen to what you say. And that is why I lost to my opponent’s Buffalo.”

“I was completely outclassed in the Cage 4 World Pankration match. My opponent was a Champion who had racked up a considerable amount of victories. From all those matches he won, the Champion had already accumulated a vast amount of experience and gained levels. Still, I did receive 100 experience points and 100 Jetton for participating. Even an overwhelming defeat can help you raise your beast.”

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During a match, you issue your orders from the Command Platform. It’s where everyone can see you put forth your full effort. Still, I lost the World Pankration match in no time flat.

“Since I obviously lacked the experience to participate in World Pankration Tournament matches, I resigned myself to Cages 1-3 for Exhibition fights. Still, the registration for a match was extremely congested. It’s much more popular than they could have imagined, and it’s causing a real problem. I hope they can think of a solution for this.”

“I persisted for long enough though, and eventually got my Exhibition match. The Registrar NPC also tells you about your opponent, so I found out they had a Level 7 Doll. I headed for the Command Platform anticipating a good fight.”

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“From the get-go I started barking my orders, but of course they were promptly ignored. I received a bunch of critical hits, and HP was fading fast. My Qutrub returned fire with Drain, Poison, and other Black Magic, and both monsters hovered around 40% health. My opponent’s beast has Undead Killer, which was a real pain to deal with. Since you can’t change your Feral Skills after registration, expect to meet with some unfortunate opponents from time to time.”

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“The monsters fought in brutal close combat, down to the very last tick of health. It was a close match, but in the end my Qutrub won! I was so surprised, and all the adventurers in the audience cheered and applauded. I was so happy it was a little embarrassing (laughs). With that, I descended from the Command Platform to receive my Jetton and experience. Because of all the congestion in trying to register, there were still tons of people standing about.”

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After an epic close combat brawl, I was victorious! The wave of applause emotes were my reward from a hard battle against my opponent’s Undead Killer. What a great fight against a worthy adversary. I received my experience points and Jetton, but was soon greeted again by the awful congestion at registration.


http://www.cactusleaftl.com/ffxipics/gw0911zf.jpg Improving Pankration


It’s been over a year since the announcement of Pankration, but the results are amazing. It’s like the photography quest in Bhaflau Thickets but on a scale that reaches to all ends of Vana’diel, encompassing all its creatures. There is such a variety of monster to be captured, and styles in which they can be raised, that I don’t see this event getting old anytime soon.

Even after choosing your beast, you’ll want to gather up many Feral Skills for it to use. You can get them through travelling to various areas, or even while helping Linkshell members complete missions. There’s much to do, even outside the Colosseum.

One concern I have is that you can use your Soultrapper on other people’s monsters. For example, if a party is fighting an NM, there can be a mob of people sitting there taking pictures. This could get annoying and cause all sorts of trouble, so hopefully most people will have the manners to wait until the monster is almost dead before using their Soultrappers.

The information you gain from a monster serves as a base, but does not dictate its strengths and weaknesses forever. A monster’s level and additional Feral Skills can change it completely, which is a very interesting aspect to this event. If you put the time into it, you can really make a formidable beast. The prospect of 3 on 3 battles is also something I am really looking forward to.

To wrap things up, I’d like to point out one more time that the extremely crowded registration area really detracted from the fun of Pankration. They should do what they can to alleviate this, because if you can’t play, then what’s the point? Eliminating the need for this prolonged competition just to register is something I hope is fixed as soon as possible.

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Go out there and become the World Pankration Tournament Champion!

Awsome, thanks Elmer!

And I agree, soon as I get my damn hat (3 more matches!) I'm just going to work on getting the perfect pet until signing up gets reasonable.

What's the Japanese word for Annihilation? And for Bloodlust? Carnage? Diablo?

I suppose I could always babelfish it...

Originally Posted by Khamsin

What's the Japanese word for Annihilation? And for Bloodlust? Carnage? Diablo?

I suppose I could always babelfish it...

According to update notes, they're just Stage 1, 2, and 3

Originally Posted by Elmer the Pointy

Originally Posted by Khamsin

What's the Japanese word for Annihilation? And for Bloodlust? Carnage? Diablo?

I suppose I could always babelfish it...

According to update notes, they're just Stage 1, 2, and 3

I'm surprised they don't call them (JP for Annihilation), (JP for Bloodlust), (JP for Carnage), and (JP for Diablo).

They call them those names because it's a better way of Saying cage "A", "B", "C", and "D", but it doesn't work that way in japanese, so they drop the flash and just have numbers.

[quote=Ladies Man]

Originally Posted by Khamsin

Originally Posted by "Elmer the Pointy":856cd

Originally Posted by Khamsin

What's the Japanese word for Annihilation? And for Bloodlust? Carnage? Diablo?

I suppose I could always babelfish it...

According to update notes, they're just Stage 1, 2, and 3

I'm surprised they don't call them (JP for Annihilation), (JP for Bloodlust), (JP for Carnage), and (JP for Diablo).

Calling Elmer a liar jackass?[/quote:856cd]

I think hes just surprized that they have numbers instead of cool names.

I swear, I don't know who that is lol

It's not that hard to get a match, it's a lot easier then claiming nms anyway.
maybe it's just me ._.

Edit: Also you don't have to wait there the whole time or even show up for the fight.

Don't believe Elmer's lies.