 |
(I don't think this is where I should be going at the moment...) The following section contains potential story spoilers! |
- "How detestable... Those who stand out... How enviable... Those who receive attention and praises... Surrender this world to me... To one of the eight Dreadborn Fragments..." —Cutscene upon starting Part II
Approval, the Dreadborn Reaper is an enemy in Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent: Side Solistia. One of the 8 Fragments of the Dreadborn Tome, it is the ominous shadow behind the Canalbrine distortion, serving as main antagonist and final boss of the Crossed Paths Part II.
Story[]
Approval is the fragment envying those who are famous. Before the current events, this fragment took the form of a white cat to go unnoticed. It made a pact with a cleric, taking advantage of her wish of being like El the Phantom Thief to plunge Canalbrine into a distortion.
As the cat, it is seen alongside the cleric in all her scenes.
At the October festival, behind the scenes, the fragment infects three merchants with desires for approval, turning them violent. When it's called and exposed by Ditraina, it reveals itself in its cat appearance before assuming the reaper form. attacking the party and subduing them in the first round. Afterward, the fragment attempts to "infect" the team while urging them to fall in despair, but the El the Phantom Thief attacks the reaper while the party recovers upon noticing how to dispel the reaper's power, weakening its influence and giving the travelers a chance to defeat it. Time after its sealing, the distortion would disappear and the world returns to its previous state.
Battle[]
This phase is scripted. The player must lose to advance the story. Even if the travelers can circunvent the overkill skill at the third turn, the reaper will use that skill every 3 turns.
- The heart of the regretful makes me stronger... - Start of battle. Locks all its weaknesses. Impart self with permanent
All Phys. Res. Up (The target will raise resistance to physical attacks outside of weak points by 100%), All Elem. Res. Up (The target will raise resistance to elemental attacks outside of weak points by 100%), Phys. Dmg. Up , Elem. Dmg. Up and Spd. Up . - Extreme Reaper - Deal physical damage to single target. Reduces BP by 1.
- Havoc Reaper - Deal physical damage to single target. Inflict Silence (The target will be not able to use one skill) for 3 turns.
- Snatch - Deal damage to single target 2 time(s). Impart Phys. Def. Down with every attack for 3 turns.
- Life Abduction - Deal damage to random target 3 time(s). Reduces BP by 1 with every attack. Absorb 500% of damage dealt as HP.
- Steal Reaper - Deal to random target 3 time(s). Impart Phys. Atk. Down with every attack for 3 turns and reduces BP with every attack by 1.
- Pillage Reaper - Deal physical damage to Front. Reduces BP by 1.
- Evil power has risen to its limit... - End of turn 2 and will be used at the end of every 2 turns after the boost skill. Uses Fall into despair... in its next action.
- Fall into despair... - Deal 99999 damage to all travelers.
At the start of the battle, a battle cutscene will occur and all party members will have all their HP, SP and BPs restored. All travelers will be imparted with 
Phys. Def. Up and 
Elem. Def. Up for 3 turns.
- El's light of hope illuminated the Dreadborn Reaper... // The power of the Dreadborn Reaper has weakened!: Start of battle. Reduces Reaper's shield points cap to 24.
- Extreme Reaper - Deal physical damage to single target. Reduces BP by 1. Restore BP of self by 1.
- Havoc Reaper - Deal physical damage to single target. Inflict Silence (The target will be not able to use one skill) for 3 turns. Restore BP of self by 1.
- Snatch - Deal damage to single target 2 time(s). Impart Phys. Def. Down with every attack for 3 turns. Restore BP of self by 2.
- Life Abduction - Deal damage to random target 3 time(s). Reduces BP by 1 with every attack. Absorb 500% of damage dealt as HP. Restore BP of self by 3.
- Steal Reaper - Deal to random target 3 time(s). Impart Phys. Atk. Down with every attack for 3 turns and reduces BP with every attack by 1. Restore BP of self by 3.
- Pillage Reaper - Deal physical damage to Front. Reduces BP by 1. Restore BP of self by 4.
- Let me take your place... - At 60% or less and if the Reaper have 3 BPs or more. Unlocks the following skills:
- Decay Substitution - Impart Phys. Atk. Down , Phys. Def. Down , Elem. Atk. Down and Elem. Def. Down to single target for 3 turns. Restore BP of self by 3.
- Death Substitution - Inflict Fatal Sentence (The traveler will be incapacitated when the effect expires) to single target for 3 turns. Reduces BP by 3. Restore BP of self by 3.
- The Reaper unleashes its power! - Can be used when the Reaper have 3 BPs or more. Use one of the three skills listed below:
- Envy: Cursed Matter - Deal physical damage to random target 3 time(s). Inflict Phys. Atk. Lock (The traveler will be not able to use one physical skill) with every attack for 3 turns.
- Envy: Cursed Soul - Deal non-elemental damage to random target 3 time(s). Inflict Elem. Atk. Lock (The traveler will be not able to use one elemental skill) with every attack for 3 turns.
- Envy: Engrave - Impart self with Phys. Atk. Up , Elem. Atk. Up and Crit. Up for 3 turns.
- Envy: Cursed Matter - Deal physical damage to random target 3 time(s). Inflict
- The Reaper can take more actions! - Permanently increases its action per turn to two and impart self with permanent Spd. Up .
- Decay Substitution - Impart
- This world fills me with envy... - End of turn 2 onwards after a successful action. Locks a random weakness. Impart self with permanent All Phys. Res. Up (The target will raise resistance to physical attacks outside of weak points by 100%), Elem. Res. Up , Phys. Dmg. Up and Elem. Dmg. Up . Effects are removed after using Envy: Scythe of Grudge or upon break. If the Reaper is at full BP at the end of turn, restore 3 shield points (won't surpass the actual cap).
- Envy: Scythe of Grudge - At 10 BPs. Deal physical damage to Front. Inflict Blindness (The target has a certain chance to miss physical attacks). Absorb 700% of damage dealt as HP. Removes non-permanent augmenting effect of Front and enfeebling effects of Self. Unlocks all weaknesses.
- The Reaper's evil power has dispersed! - When the Reaper is broken. All travelers recover 1 BP.
Trivia[]
- This enemy its named after a Solistian influence. While in the Japanese version this influence it's called "Prestige" (as it appears in the internal files and written in the corresponding tarot card), the literal translation is "Approval".
- Approval (承認, Shōnin), Merchant (商人, Shōnin) and Townsperson (町人, Chōnin) are pronounced the same way in japanese. This may be an intended pun, as this fragment manifests in a Merchant Festival and "infects" some merchant townspeople who end fighting against the Chosen One and their allies.