Playing Tiger Tiger on Easy Vs Normal
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Featured with permission by DaNerd27
Here I'll be attempting to impart some knowledge that should make Poppi's ether grind a little more bearable. Every stage in Tiger! Tiger! is comprised of a top and bottom map segment, constant fixtures of their respective stages, and several stitched-together intermediary segments of predetermined configurations in which the bulk of the collectibles and gameplay are found. Out of these, one potential segment configuration in each stage houses a bonus area at one of its borders in which the ether rains down upon you in a garish display of avarice, allowing you to inflate your ether counter for the duration of your stay.
The presence of a segment with a bonus area appears to entirely be within the hands of RNG, but because the segment's configuration is constant, recognizing the entrance's location, or better yet, recognizing the early parts of its segment will allow you to take advantage of it at every possible opportunity.
Some things to note:
– The 100% Ether Collection medal's 100/125/150% bonus will also apply to any ether collected in a bonus area.
– Multiple instances of the bonus area's segment may appear in a single run. – Touching an urchin in the bonus area will cut your visit short.
– It is possible to sustain lethal damage just as you enter a bonus area. You will proceed in the bonus area as normal, but your run will conclude upon your return to the map.
– You are granted temporary invincibility upon exiting a bonus area. Use it to circumvent obstacles, grab any errant collectibles, and clear out the local wildlife. – It is impossible to enter a bonus area on the return trip.
– Listed per-crystal payouts assume maximum Reward Level, or that the story has progressed past the Chapter 8 introductory cutscene. If you have yet to reach this point, your rates may be lower than what is listed.
Stage 1's bonus entrance is on the left border, situated between two single tiles and protected by a pair of jellyfish. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, so expect to sustain some damage if you're not playing on Easy.
Payout is 20 ether per crystal.
A tight horizontal cluster of four crystals on the right-hand side provides significant advance warning that you're coming up on the bonus area. You've ample time before you arrive at the entrance proper, so take all the time you need to orient yourself.
Stage 2's bonus entrance is on the right border, protected by an unpleasant crustacean and indicated by conspicuous crystal placement. It is because of these crystals that this entrance is the most well-known of the bonus areas, as most would stumble upon it accidentally when trying to grab them. Payout is 20 ether per crystal.
Because the entrance is situated so close to the beginning of its map segment, your advance warning is naught but some unassuming rock formations. At least the entrance itself is easy to spot.
Stage 3's bonus entrance is similar to Stage 1's, except it's easier to get in without knocking your head or stubbing your toe on something. Payout is 25 ether per crystal.
This entrance is even closer to the beginning of its segment than Stage 2's. This Tetris reject of a rock formation is the extent of your forewarning. It might be better to look out for the pair of jellyfish guarding the entrance instead.
Stage 4's bonus entrance is behind that trio of urchins. You're going to want to dispose of the piranha and hug the left border if you want to avoid getting perforated. You can barrel past them with your mercy invincibility afterward. Payout is 25 ether per crystal.
The early tell is these distinctive arrangements of ether crystals in opposing step formations. You're just a single screen length away
Stage 5's bonus entrance is wedged between the urchin trio, much like Stage 4's. Also like Stage 4's, you're going to want to hug the wall, and then exploit your mercy invincibility to escape and grab whatever you don't want to have to bother with on the return trip. Payout is 30 ether per crystal, making this stage the best /theoretically/ for ether collection, along with being the best time investment due to the exclusive parts from the end-of-level chest.
Your advance warning is this quartet of jellyfishes with this red shark asshole lurking underneath. You can take out one of the middle jellies and get off a hit on the shark with the same shot if you're close enough. From here, you're only two or three screen lengths away, so keep that in mind as you frantically grab at this segment's irritatingly horizontal ether crystal arrangements.
Perhaps this album will help some of you turn your artificial Blades into veritable forces of nature in record time. Perhaps everyone already knew this and I wasted ten additional hours of my life playing Tiger! Tiger!. In any case, this information is out there now. Make good use of it.
Special thanks to the dozens of Tiger! Tiger! threads on the subreddit, from which I had accumulated enough information to be good enough at the game for me to actually take these screenshots. Credit to /u/ChronoWaster and /u/vanekez for discovering and documenting the locations of the bonus areas.
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Source: https://www.switchaboo.com/bonus-areas-in-tiger-tiger-xenoblade-chronicles-2-2/