Return to the Halloween Castle

Overview

 * Origin: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
 * Type: Unique Event
 * Reference: Announcement
 * Rerun Reference: Announcement
 * Original Event Period: 10/20/17 00:00 - 11/4/17 23:59 PST
 * Original Summon Period: 10/20/17 00:00 - 11/8/17 23:59 PST
 * Rerun Event Period: 10/26/18 00:00 - 11/3/18 23:59 PST

Global Exclusive - 2nd Halloween Event


 * Farm the castle dungeons for skeleton keys.
 * Use the keys to unlock the castle keep for the treats.
 * Gain various wonderful rewards from the bosses in the inner chamber!

Story
While celebrating Halloween, the gang heard a familiar voice... "Don't you worry, I know how to handle strong women." Doesn't that sound like something Rain would say? Willing to do anything to get Rain back, and convinced he might be trapped in the vortex, the gang storm the castle in search of him. However, it ended up being an elaborate trap set up by the Pumpking Reaper to get his revenge for last year's Halloween...and this time he's brought along a new friend, the Skeleton King!

With the Halloween castle locked up tight, Lasswell and the gang must find a way forward if they've any hopes of rescuing Rain...

Castle Dungeon
BGN=

Castle Dungeon BGN
ADV=

Castle Dungeon ADV
ELT=

Castle Keep
BGN=

Castle Keep - BGN
ADV=

Castle Keep - ADV
ELT=

Castle Inner Chamber
INT=

Castle Inner Chamber INT

 * Unlock on day 2.

ELT=

Castle Inner Chamber ELT

 * Unlock on day 4.

NIGHTMARE=

Castle Inner Chamber NIGHTMARE

 * Unlock on day 6.

Boss Info
INT=

Abilities

 * Wailing Swipe: Physical damage (3.5x) to all enemies and decrease DEF/SPR (45%) for 3 turns to all enemies.
 * Dream Stealer: Dark magic damage (2x) with MP as MAG (max 250) to one enemy and inflict blind (100%) to one enemy.
 * Accursed Flames: Fire magic damage (2x) with MP as MAG (max 250) to one enemy and inflict blind (100%) to one enemy.
 * Hailfire: Fire magic damage (2.5x) with MP as MAG (max 250) to all enemies.

Regular attacks
ELT=
 * Up to 4-5 actions per turn.
 * (Once/turn): Wailing Swipe.
 * (Once/turn): Dream Stealer.
 * Below 50% HP threshold (Once/turn): Accursed Flames. Targets highest HP unit.
 * Below 50% HP threshold (Once/turn): Hailfire.
 * Normal Attack.

Abilities

 * Death Declaration: Inflict doom for 5 turns to all enemies.
 * Trample: Earth magic damage* (1.5x) to all enemies, and inflict paralyze (20%) to all enemies.
 * Swipe: Physical damage (1.8x) to all enemies, and decrease DEF/SPR (20%) for 3 turns to all enemies.
 * Clash: Physical damage (2.5x) to one enemy.
 * Reap Blood: Magic damage (1.3x) as HP drain (80%) to all enemies.
 * Reap Soul: Magic damage (0.3x) as MP drain (30%) to one enemy.
 * Soul Blaster: Dark magic damage (1.8x) with consecutive increase (2x, Max: 2) to all enemies.

Conditional attacks

 * First turn: Death Declaration, end turn.
 * Every turn and HP above 80%: Swipe. Incredibly small chance to not be used.


 * Every turn and HP between 50%-80%: Clash. Targets unit with status ailments.
 * Every 3 turns and HP between 50%-80%: Trample.


 * Every 2 turns and HP between 20%-50%: Reap Blood.
 * Every 3 turns and HP between 20%-50%: Reap Soul. Very small chance to not be used.


 * Every 2 turns and HP below 20%: Swipe.
 * Every 3 turns and HP below 20%: Soul Blaster.

Regular attacks
NIGHTMARE=
 * Up to 4-5 actions per turn.
 * Normal Attack.

Abilities
Some of these were changed after maintenance 10/26/17
 * Wailing Swipe: Physical damage (3.5x) to all enemies, and decrease DEF/SPR (20%) for 3 turns to all enemies.
 * Dream Stealer: Dark magic damage (4x) with MP as MAG (max 400) to one enemy, and inflict blind (100%) to one enemy.
 * Accursed Flames: Fire magic damage (4x) with MP as MAG (max 400) to one enemy, and inflict blind (100%) to one enemy.
 * Hailfire: Fire magic damage (3.5x) with MP as MAG (max 400) to all enemies.
 * Horror: Inflict confuse (50%) to all enemies, and decrease dark resistance (50%) for 3 turns to all enemies.
 * Soul Siphon: Magic damage (1.5x) as HP drain (30%) to all enemies, and magic damage (0.3x) as MP drain (30%) to all enemies.
 * Eternal Torment: Decrease fire resistance to (50%) for 3 turns to all enemies, and restore HP (3%), MP (10%) to caster.
 * Shadow Storm: Dark magic damage (5x) with MP as MAG (max 450) to all enemies.

Regular attacks

 * Up to 6-7 actions per turn.
 * Each action goes through priority order below. If the random chance fail, it goes on to the next and so on.
 * 1) (50%) (Once/turn): Wailing Swipe.
 * 2) (60%) (Once/turn): Dream Stealer. Targets highest ATK unit.
 * 3) (30%) (Below 40% HP threshold) (Once/turn): Eternal Torment. Locks out Dream Stealer, Shadow Storm, Accursed Flames.
 * 4) (30%) (Below 40% HP threshold) (Once/turn): Shadow Storm.
 * 5) (50%) (Below 60% HP threshold) (Once/turn): Horror.
 * 6) (30%) (Below 60% HP threshold) (Once/turn): Soul Siphon. Locks out Dream Stealer, Shadow Storm, Accursed Flames.
 * 7) (60%) (Below 80% HP threshold) (Once/turn): Accursed Flames. Targets highest HP unit.
 * 8) (50%) (Below 80% HP threshold): Hailfire.
 * 9) (100%) Normal Attack.

Tips

 * Written as of the event's original release date. Will be outdated due to power creep.


 * See testimonials and discussions.
 * Skeleton Key drop rates:
 * Castle Dungeon BGN (10 NRG): 1 guaranteed, 5% chance for 1 more.
 * Castle Dungeon ADV (20 NRG): 2 guaranteed, 10% chance for 1 more.
 * Castle Dungeon ELT (30 NRG): 3 guaranteed, 15% chance for 1 more.
 * The expected number of keys from 3 BGN runs is exactly 3.15, the same as 1 ELT run.
 * Rare key drop rate can be improved with or.
 * Castle Keep - ADV
 * Drops gil snappers worth 44,500 gil, which is 1168.1 gil/NRG.
 * Drops metal cactuars worth 275,000 exp, which is 7,218 exp/NRG.
 * This is less than Cactuar Dunes - Paradise (average 9333.3 exp/NRG), although this event is up for longer.
 * This is less than a full clear of Timber Tracks - Exploration (8362.5 exp/NRG), although this event takes less time than a full clear of Timber Tracks.
 * Castle Inner Chamber - ELT
 * Dispel does not remove Death Declaration, but the countdown can be increased using Survivor's Flask (obtained from last year Halloween event). Salve works with this item.
 * Death immunity (Safety Bit, Genji Shield) does not prevent your unit from dying to Death Declaration.
 * Fatal damage ignoring skills such as Zargabaath's Safety can prevent your unit from dying to Death Declaration, and reduce hp to 1, but will most likely die on other attacks since Death Declaration trigger at the end of player's turn.
 * Using a jump move will allow you to avoid receiving the Death Declaration on that unit. Use of Wind Drake Horn on your reviving unit can help so long as it can survive long enough to use party revive.
 * You can also use Rikku's LB to be able to resurrect after dying from Death Declaration skill.
 * The damage of Reap Blood will not exceed a unit's current HP, so be on the defensive when it is active as it will take no more than 50% of a unit's current HP.
 * Castle Inner Chamber - NIGHTMARE
 * After 26/10 maintenance, the fight has been nerfed:
 * Reduced ATK from 800 to 700.
 * Wailing Swipe's DEF/SPR break reduced from 45% to 20%.
 * The chance of him using MP absorption/restoration skills are reduced.
 * He can't cast Dream Stealer, Shadow Storm, and Accursed Flames after casting MP absorption/restoration skills.
 * Fire/dark imperil reduced from 80% to 50%.
 * Very high chance to do Wailing Swipe every turn, which is the only physical damage it does aside from normal attacks. Use a cover tank to minimize damage. The DEF/SPR break effect cannot be covered, so you will have to rely on break immunity skills. He has 0.78% or 1.5% chance of not using a swipe per turn.
 * Most of his magic damage use their current MP for damage calculation, meaning you can drain the skeleton king' MP using Osmose, Lance or similar skills to reduce their damage output. Once drained to 0, he'll practically deal no magic damage.
 * Since most of his skills relied on the MP mechanics, breaking his MAG will do nothing except reduce MP damage from Soul Siphon below 60% HP.
 * Once you have handled his physical attacks, and drained all of its MP, he'll become harmless from 100% to 60%.
 * Make sure to get him as close to 60% as possible while collecting esper orbs for the mission.
 * The real fight starts from 60%. This is where he'll able to use Soul Siphon to drain your MP. Below 40% he can use Eternal Torment, which will also restore his MP. However, once he cast either of these, it will lock out all of his magic attacks, with the exception of Hailfire, for the rest of his turn. If you absorb all of his MP every turn, he can only deal damage with physical attacks and Hailfire, which can be resisted with fire resistance.
 * In addition, he can decrease your dark and fire resistance by 50% below 60% and 40% HP respectively.
 * Below 60% HP he'll start using confuse to your party. Use confuse immunity gear/skill.