Hey there Rivian & co.!
It’s me again! I’d dropped a review just a few months ago back when I was still trapped in my personal hell customer service job. I’d been scanning these forums for a while to see when the latest update dropped and finished the game again just today.
Spoilers there will be spoilers here in case you haven’t played ok three two one:
Reworks!
Pleasantly surprised with many of the new portraits and the adjusted mechanics! My boy Basil in particular lost like, 10 years actually. Thyme, too- she’s actually the recipient of my favourite portrait, shame I detest her and had Basil kill her didn’t use her. Vermillion’s final portrait was also excellent- kudos to the artists, that’s some superb work.
I was a little sad to see Yvette lose her full recovery upon using Crocodile, but the +2 uses of the weapon were pleasantly welcomed too. I’m also not sure if Reiker was tampered with in any way but mine was awwfuullllll this time around until his promotion. And finally got around using Pomelo after the route splits! I actually have a soft spot for Pom, but he did fall a little behind in earlier iterations. Glad he made it to the final team.
Tower and Mince, who I this time did NOT sacrifice to the wyvern gods in Chapter 3, were the highlights of their route as well. The former’s new skill was critical for many a tanking sessions, whereas Mince could take down smaller hordes with Arcane Bows- because yes, he was the sniper of his route.
Plot
Knowing what I was getting myself into this time, I took a deep breath, and got to read plenty of the lore and plot unraveling before me.
I’m not particularly keen on politics, although my friends say I’m pretty good at writing them. But you did an incredible job in portraying the ruthlessness of such a world: the necessity to upstage anyone who threatens a power you want for yourself through any means necessary, and the nature of war- making sure to portray, often, how heartless those hiding behind it can truly be. And honestly everyone is just so conniving and after themselves for so many of these conflicts it’s insane.
I liked the buildup of the first part regarding the Workshop. I cannot recall much about the original script but I definitely remember how long some scenes felt- this time, everything felt more consolidated and far easier to grasp. Same goes to the majority of meetings that involved major factions and powers throughout the Crescent, such as the Sect and Unari’s whole ordeal.
The Crew!
I’ll just post some of my peeps because they deserve it. In no particular need to flex anything.
Mr. Ashen Sniper was, along with Yvette, probably the most prominent powerhouse of the Ellerie route. I just cannot stress how vital bows are in this hack- their usefulness is amazing and the various options available make them excellent weapons at killing literally anything that needs to die- which is, considering the game, kind of important.
Considering I actually couldn’t crack how to get Chixin in my first playthrough, I was quite pleased to deploy it this time around. Excellent one-shotter, easily one of my most crucial flying units throughout the game.
Can’t ever miss an opportunity to brag about Basil. Certified tank boy MUST be renowned. I had a bit of a mishap and couldn’t get the Edict this playthrough but as you can see, that wasn’t much of a problem for him. I slapped a Fortress and Nosferatu on him and had him tank the rest of the game. Autogrip just to make sure he won’t miss AND gives him some CRIT.
Didn’t foolishly get her killed thinking she’d respawn next chapter. After Raylin decided to fluke her performance this time around, I immediately swapped The Princess in and she became Ellerie’s primary swordfighter- considering I also benched Gecko to give other units a chance. Her broad utility and solid stats made her a great deployment option- and her support with Miss Machiavellian came in clutch sometimes.
Sorta kinda used Marlow over Lindros because horse and ailments. One hill I will die on is that Anima magic feels painfully underwhelming, but he did see some use once Meteor and Blizzard became available. Juuuust didn’t quite like him- I actually swapped him out for Foxberry because he just wasn’t making the cut. Then the routes split and I soooorta kinda had an extra spot and decided he’d be the recipient. Not the best but he did some stuff.
Pomelo! Didn’t quite level him but that’s okay because his tools were doing the heavy lifting. His cannon and jolt, as well as mobility, actually made him pretty fun to use post-split. He’d get to axe somebody down from time to time but overall he ensured my crew could kill a good number of Bad Guys™ in one fell swoop. He’s more of a utility character, IMO.
Surprisingly useful, actually. Didn’t think I’d get much use for her but her pivot, immense AS and personal skill made her solid for debilitating enemies or taking down weaker ones. Not amazing but definitely resourceful if you decide to use her.
Xeo. He did Xeo things. Enough said- look at that JUICY
hp, my boy was caking and I hadn’t even noticed.
Egg. I was pretty late for his training arc but still managed to catch up with his crew. Orianna’s designated archer along with, sometimes, Iosaf. As you can see, my love for him is so strong he even grew +1 RES point (or did that happen after I promoted him? idek). He defends, he attacks and sometimes he swarps. Love my eggman, would still marry him.
I can’t believe I hospitalized this man so early on my first playthrough. Look at that HUGE
set of stats, Tower had Orianna’s route LOCKED DOWN, start to finish. He did Tower things, enough said.
Real.
Overall I’m pretty satisfied. Played in Midas mode because holy Elis I suck at saving money and financial responsibility is NOT in my 2026 resolutions I didn’t wanna worry about money this time around 
I thank you and your team again for blessing this community with quality content. I’m looking forward to future projects (if there’ll be any), and as usual, hope you have a good one 