Operation guide: The Point of No Return

Operation

Guide

Story

The default Dreadful Foe in Chapter V of Phantom & Crimson Solitaire acting as its last node, The Point of No Return pits the player against the brainwashed Phantom, Lucian, "Blood Diamond" (hence referred to as Lucian), as the final boss with outstanding stats, attacks that ignore some DEF and inflicting Nervous Impairment, ability to dodge Physical/Arts attacks when not blocked, and dashing past friendly units, spawning an Ominous Apparition in the process, as well as an area-of-effect attack (both of the aforementioned abilities have a surprisingly short cooldown) on top of deducting 30 Life Points upon entering a Protection Objective, resulting in an instant failure if the player have less than 31 LP at the moment. Lucian is supported by a host of strong enemies, including Heavy Defender Lieutenants and a horde of Scarlet Singers, and there are two Roadblocks that forces the Lieutenants and Singers to take the middle path, but do note that unless Lucian is defeated first, he will move through the Roadblocks as he circles through the map twice before taking the middle path, allowing the two aforementioned enemies to head straight into the Objectives.

These make The Point of No Return a difficult operation, made worse by Integrated Strategies' roguelike nature. A solid team, a good set of Collectibles, and a significant amount of luck when building said lineup is required to stand a chance against Lucian. As with other final boss Dreadful Foes, the preparations start from the beginning of the run, as it is imperative to build up a solid defensive lineup and coherent strategy over the course of the entire run before taking on The Point of No Return.

General strategies

• It is highly recommended to use ranged Operators to take on Lucian due to his dash ability.
  • When using ranged burst DPS Operators (e.g. Ceobe, Eyjafjalla, Ch'en the Holungday) and Lucian cannot be defeated before he leaves their range, the player will have a second chance to dispatch him when he circles back, so save their skills for that moment.
• Stalling Lucian with Operators capable of inflicting Bind such as Ethan, Decel Binder Supporters, among others is highly recommended to buy the primary DPS dealers more time to dispatch him. Saria with Calcification is a godsend here as she can also heal the DPS dealers and increase the Arts damage received by Lucian.
• Lucian's 40% evasion when unblocked contributes significantly to his overall durability, so it is recommended to block him in range of burst DPS to maximize the damage dealt in the short window that he can be blocked. This can be done by baiting out the dash with a melee unit (such as an Executor Specialist), before placing a melee unit to block him momentarily. Note that the blocker must have sufficient physical bulk and/or backup from a Wandering Medic to weather Lucian's extremely high DPS and Nervous Impairment.
  • True damage and attacks that ignore evasion are also effective for dealing damage to him even when unblocked.
• Avoid needlessly blocking Lucian and repeatedly triggering his dash, as the resulting large number of Ominous Apparitions can overwhelm defenses with their AoE attacks combined with those of Lucian himself.
• Use Snipers with high DPS, preferrably Exusiai with Overloading Mode, to take out the Scarlet Singers (as well as some Small Surprises) as they walk in circles around the right side of the map before moving to the middle. Ranged operators that have an AoE nature of attacks can also deal with them, to prevent them from triggering their ability that activates after they take 20 instances of damage.
• If the player has Rosa, she will attack Lucian over other enemies due to his weight of 6, allowing her to deal a good deal of damage through her Bone Piercer talent provided she passes the evasion check. Rosa's Avalanche Breaker can also be used to hold Lucian in place for a moment to support the primary DPS dealers.
• Using Wandering Medics is mandatory to mitigate the Nervous Impairment inflicted by Lucian, Derisive Audiences, Scarlet Singers, and Small Surprises.
• Beware of when Lucian breaks the Roadblocks around the map, as it will allow the Heavy Defender Lieutenants and later Scarlet Singers to take much shorter side paths straight to the Protection Objective. However, note that he also stops for a while before moving through each Roadblock, making those moments prime opportunities to attack him.

Recommended setup

• At least 3 DPS Operators (mix of melee and ranged)
• Elysium or Myrtle
• Recommended:
  • 1 Pioneer Vanguard
  • 1-2 Defenders
  • 1 Wandering Medic
  • 1 Marksman Sniper or Rosa
  • 1-2 additional Medics
  • 1 Caster
  • 1-2 additional melee units for emergency blocking
• Optional:
  • 1 Decel Binder Supporter (not needed if running Ch'en the Holungday and Passenger)