Changes

Several months after the release of Final Fantasy XV, the public was treated to the very first major piece of [[DLC]] for the game; at least the first major piece of DLC that actually had some form of impact on the story and in gameplay. Throughout [[Episode Gladiolus]] I’m sure you can imagine that you’re going to be playing as Gladio the entire time and as a result it will involve many mechanics that you’re already used to – just a little bit changed around for Gladio to use, that’s all.

Here you will embark on your trial to become the “King’s Shield” and it is Gladio’s quest to become stronger so that he can protect the future king of their world. When the quest starts off you’ll have a fair amount of linearity to endure as you basically hold forward on your controller, but before too long you will come into your first instance of combat with Gladio; hence why it’s recommended that you do the tutorial as Gladio before you start, just to make things easier on you. Anyway, the first group of foes don’t require much effort and the only real task that you’ll be faced with is the Brunnrsormr.

You will soon find a set of stairs; follow them up and turn around the corner to move onto the second part of Gladio’s trials.

At the start of this trial you are going to be faced with quite the formidable foe by the name of the [[Enkidu]]. This is not a boss to be taken lightly, as the amount of damage they can do in one fell swoop is terrifying and awe-inspiring all at the same time. Just like the last boss, taking a defensive approach is an idea that I would recommend - all so you don’t have to restart the fight once more.

To get a little bit of extra damage in when it’s not expecting it, run around to the back of the Wyvern and you’ll be able to get some nice damage against it without putting yourself in too much danger. When the beast has plans to attack you, be sure to put up your shield and walk backwards to decrease the impact of any potential AOE abilities. Basically, rinse and repeat, and before long the beast will finally fall to your blade; even if you did use a fair amount of your items trying to get through the fight – but trust me on this, it’s normal.

Almost as soon as you finish off the boss you will be expected to fight against some smaller, much easier enemies; head down the stairs once they have been defeated and keep moving forward. After you reach the bottom there will be some more enemies for you to swing your sword at or one of the columns that you will find around you.

If you thought Inannaduru was the boss for this trial you would sadly be wrong, as the [[Humbaba]] is the actual boss of the area and while he may be able to deal some serious damage if you’re not careful and blocking when you should be; with just how slow he is, he’s a pretty straightforward fight. For the most part it boils down to: “he charges up an attack, you get in a few strikes before he swings, and then you proceed to block and rinse and repeat”. There’s not much to this fight, so a slightly more aggressive approach can actually work in your favour here.

The fourth and final trial is the hardest, which should surprise no one. When you walk and follow along the path there’s going to be a campsite that you can rest and a few steps away from it you will be treated to a cutscene when you approach the waypoint. This brand new cutscene symbolises the start of your fight with the final boss of the trials to become the Shield for the king – the [[Blademaster]] known as [[Gilgamesh]].