Wanderers Episode 1

“So, why don't we get out of here together?”

Upon waking up in a strange monster-infested land, unable to remember anything but her name, Lulu is found by a wandering traveler named Ellie, who offers to help her get through the area.

Unlock Info

This episode is unlocked by owning DLC 26 and completing at least one base game campaign on any difficulty (either QP Final Episode, Suguri Final Episode, Marc Final Episode, or Kai Final Episode).

Overview

Gameplay

The character selected by default for this episode is Ellie. The match is played on the Night Flight board, with the Mystery field event in effect.

Depending on which character is selected as the playable character, the opponents faced in the scenario will vary.

If Ellie is selected, the opponents will be Lulu and 2 Heliseeds.
If Lulu is selected, the opponents will be Ellie and 2 Heliseeds.
If any other character is selected, the opponents will be Ellie, Lulu, and Heliseed.

Strategy

Much of the difficulty of this episode comes from the Night Flight being somewhat difficult to traverse. The first potential hurdle for the player is that the board is dotted with Encounter panels, regardless of the path selected. While this may be useful during the early stages of the game to gain a few KOs and stars, on a higher difficulty level, these panels can quickly deplete the player's health. Likewise, the scenario will become much trickier once norma 4 converts them to Boss panels. Worse yet, the player may have to choose between stepping on a boss panel or circling the entire field to get back to their Home panel. A second hurdle is the far end of the field. If the player is particularly unlucky, they may become stuck between the Warp panels. Similarly, the 4 Move panels present on the board. While they can aid the player get home quickly, they can also enable opponents with 1 HP to quickly escape the player, enabling other CPUs to KO them instead of the player. The last hurdle for the player is the Mystery effect. Given that it can be anything, it can have a noticeable effect on the game outcome. In the best-case scenario, the player may receive an effect like Freeze which can help them catch opponents and avoid Boss panels or Backtrack which may help the player norma second time if they are near their home when it occurs. In the worst-case scenario, the player may get Random Warp or Air Raid, which will just make things more difficult in most cases.

In terms of opponents, the player shouldn't experience much difficulty unless on higher difficulties. In this case, Lulu can be extremely difficult to KO, given her natural defensive buff. Likewise, if she has the opportunity to use Lulu's Lucky Egg, she can quickly become even more dangerous from either a permanent stat boost or a large number of additional stars. The deck is also somewhat stacked against the player to make this possible, as CPUs are more likely to pack Sealed Guardian, which can both easily get the player KO'd and give Lulu a window of opportunity to use her hyper. Lulu is also prone to being aggressive if the player is low on HP or standing on a home panel. Despite Lulu appearing as the biggest threat, the player should be cautious to not underestimate the Helliseeds, however. Even with their reduced defense stat, their strong pool of 5 HP and +1 EVD can result in the player needing to fight with them 3-4 times in order to defeat them, if they manage to evade the player's attacks. Their 4 REC stat also enables them to get back into the game quickly, which can pose a problem for the player. Give the number of encounters panels and infighting between the opponents, stars are likely to travel back and forth constantly through the game, so the player will want to keep a keen eye on all opponents star progress- especially the Helliseeds, as the player may forget about them in their pursuit to defeat Lulu. If the player instead uses a different character, they may also have to face Ellie. Ellie, generally, is less threatening overall, however, her main strength lies in her ability to KO Heliseeds, which can help her make up stars. The player does have an advantage in some ways though, as Ellie often uses her hyper without much thought, resulting in her putting herself behind in stars.

Rewards

Completing this episode on any difficulty unlocks Wanderers Episode 2.
Completing this episode on Normal difficulty or higher unlocks the Heliseed unit card in the binder. It is also a requirement in unlocking Ellie's Wings and the Destined Meeting achievement.
Completing this episode on Extreme difficulty is a requirement in unlocking the Lamppost Homemark.