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"An upgrade? I think the old version was difficult enough, actually..."
―Matt / Lance, Epic Battle Fantasy 4

"X:PRAE> Demon core initializing...
Hell portal status: OPEN!!
Setting goal: HARVEST SOULS!!
"
―Praetorian MKII, Epic Battle Fantasy 4 v3

The Praetorian MKII is an optional boss encountered in Epic Battle Fantasy 4. It's a stronger version of Praetorian fought on Battle Mountain — as such, it is exclusive to the Steam release of the game and the post-Battle Mountain update version of the Premium Pack.

Appearance[]

The Praetorian MKII has a similar design to the original Praetorian, being a humanoid robot with a knight-like appearance. Its wings, arms, visor, and lower body are identical to its previous version, but it has additional dark grey plating on its shoulders and the plume on its helmet has been replaced by a long, forward-pointing spike. The most dramatic change is its torso; the former chestplate and machine guns have been replaced by an extended chest piece lined with sharp grey spikes; coupled with the black slits near its shoulders, it resembles a monstrous skull. The torso can split in half horizontally, revealing a bright red orb of energy that can launch itself and return without harm to the robot.

The Praetorian MKII still wields a sword and shield, but it favors a large red cleaver-like blade instead of a katana. Its shield is the same as the regular Praetorian's, but with a few angular red lines extending from the central gem to the edges. More red markings dot the robot's head and torso, resembling those of the Cosmic Monolith.

According to its Bestiary description, the Praetorian MKII is infused with dark magic (and judging by it's entrance quote above, hasn't made things better for its programming). It is unclear if it was originally an "ordinary" Praetorian that was transformed by an infusion of magic, or if it was built (and empowered) from scratch.

Overview[]

The Praetorian MKII is a swift, powerful killing machine with above-average Accuracy, good base offenses (especially Magic Attack), and incredibly high Evade on par with that of a Cosmic Monolith. It also has a pair of similarly-evasive Razor Claw minions, which support it with Brave buffs and strong single-target attacks.

The Praetorian MKII uses its blade for non-elemental physical attacks, including single-target slashes and a multi-target Dash that has a decent chance to inflict Doom. It wields potent Dark magic to hit the entire party with above-average Accuracy; Pulsar has a small chance to debuff Magic Attack, Antimatter is centered on one player for more damage, and Dark Eyes is all but guaranteed to Syphon non-resistant players. Its strongest attack fires off its torso orb for heavy magical non-elemental damage on one player; to make matters worse, it'll hit another random player on its way back into the mech's body. On the support side of things, it can buff either its offenses or its defenses and Evade; either skill will replace any lost Razor Claws. Luckily, a lack of Dispel resistance makes these buffs a non-issue as long as the party can hit it reliably.

On Hard or Epic difficulty levels, the Praetorian MKII has a higher Doom chance on its Dash and gives itself Defend with its Defensive Buff. Defeating it on Epic difficulty will reward the player with the "Hardware Upgrade" Medal.

The Praetorian MKII is only weak to Water and Wind; fortunately, it takes a lot of extra damage from either of these elements. On the other hand, it absorbs Dark, resists Fire, Ice, Thunder, and all stat debuffs, and is immune to Earth, Bio, Burn, Stun, Freeze, Poison, Syphon, Doom, and Instant Death.

If "More Foe Resistance" is active, the Praetorian MKII becomes completely immune to Evade debuffs (except through Tired) and resistant to Bomb, Water, and Wind; however, it also gains a Holy weakness.

Statistics[]

Icon bestiary ebf4 praetorian MKII Praetorian MKII EBF4
A mechanical warrior infused with dark magic. Uses dark and non-elemental attacks. Has very high evade. Summons Razor Claws for support.
Statistics
Base
Statistics
Stat HP Stat Attack Stat Defence Stat Magic Stat Mdef Stat Accuracy Stat Evade Exp AP SP Gold Hit2HP
3900 6 4 8 4 4.5 8 700 70 70 700 6
Elemental
Resistance
Element Fire Element Thunder Element Ice Element Earth Element Poison Element Bomb Element Wind Element Water Element Holy Element Dark
50% 50% 50% 100% 100% - -80% -80% - 200%
Status
Resistance
Status Burn Status Stun Status Freeze Status Tired Status Poison Status Dispel Status Stagger Status Syphon Status Wet Status Weaken Status Curse Status Death
100% 100% 100% - 100% - - 100% - - - 100%
Debuff
Resistance
StatDown Attack StatDown Magic StatDown Defence StatDown Mdef StatDown Accuracy StatDown Evade
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
Item Drop Rate
Icon RAM Chip Dark Matter Titanium - - - -
Name RAM Chip Dark Matter Titanium - - - -
Chance 100% 100% 100% - - - -
Status Damage
Damage taken from status effects, in % of maximum health (per turn), including elemental resistances:
Status Burn Burn Status Poison Poison Status Doom Doom
(if Death fails)
Status Regen Regen
Immune Immune Immune -4%
Final damage is randomized by ±5% (except for Doom) and rounded down.
Statistics with More Foe Resistance enabled.
Icon bestiary ebf4 praetorian MKII Praetorian MKII EBF4
A mechanical warrior infused with dark magic. Uses dark and non-elemental attacks. Has very high evade. Summons Razor Claws for support.
Statistics
Base
Statistics
Stat HP Stat Attack Stat Defence Stat Magic Stat Mdef Stat Accuracy Stat Evade Exp AP SP Gold Hit2HP
3900 6 4 8 4 4.5 8 700 70 70 700 6
Elemental
Resistance
Element Fire Element Thunder Element Ice Element Earth Element Poison Element Bomb Element Wind Element Water Element Holy Element Dark
50% 50% 50% 100% 100% 50% 50% 50% -50% 200%
Status
Resistance
Status Burn Status Stun Status Freeze Status Tired Status Poison Status Dispel Status Stagger Status Syphon Status Wet Status Weaken Status Curse Status Death
100% 100% 100% - 100% - - 100% - - - 100%
Debuff
Resistance
StatDown Attack StatDown Magic StatDown Defence StatDown Mdef StatDown Accuracy StatDown Evade
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 100%
Item Drop Rate
Icon RAM Chip Dark Matter Titanium - - - -
Name RAM Chip Dark Matter Titanium - - - -
Chance 100% 100% 100% - - - -
Status Damage
Damage taken from status effects, in % of maximum health (per turn), including elemental resistances:
Status Burn Burn Status Poison Poison Status Doom Doom
(if Death fails)
Status Regen Regen
Immune Immune Immune -4%
Final damage is randomized by ±5% (except for Doom) and rounded down.

Attacks and Abilities[]

Attack List
Attack Target Power Type Element Status Effect Acc Crit RdF
Slash Single 70 Physical ---- -- -- -- 100% 10% 10%
Triple Slash Single 138/3 Physical ---- -- -- -- 100% 10% 10%
Dash All 70 Physical ---- 40% 3x Status Doom 100% 10% 10%
Notes: On Hard and Epic difficulties, status chance is increased to 80%.
Pulsar All 60 Magical 100% Element Dark 30% 20% StatDown Magic 115% 10% 10%
Antimatter Centered 80 Magical 75% Element Dark -- -- -- 120% 10% 10%
Dark Eyes All 50 Magical 100% Element Dark 100% 3x Status Syphon 200% 10% 10%
Boomerang Lazor Random 280/2 Magical ---- -- -- -- 100% 20% 10%
Offensive Buff Self -- -- ---- -- 50%
50%
Stat Attack
Stat Magic
-- -- --
Notes: Respawns any defeated Razor Claws.
Defensive Buff Self -- -- ---- -- 50%
50%
50%
Stat Defence
Stat Mdef
Stat Evade
-- -- --
Notes: Respawns any defeated Razor Claws.
On Hard and Epic difficulties, also applies Status Defend Defend onto self.

Battle Logic[]

The following describes general logic of the enemy and attack patterns, with chances of each attack to be used. Conditions are listed from highest to lowest priority unless specified otherwise.

  • 5th turn and then every 4th turn → Offensive Buff (1/2), Defensive Buff (1/2);
  • ≥65% HP → Slash (2/6), Dash (2/6), Pulsar (1/6), Antimatter (1/6);
  • <65% to ≥32% HP → Triple Slash (2/10), Dash (2/10), Pulsar (1/10), Antimatter (1/10), Dark Eyes (2/10), Boomerang Lazor (2/10);
  • <32% HP → Triple Slash (1/4), Dash (1/4), Dark Eyes (1/4), Boomerang Lazor (1/4).

Strategy[]

Equipment[]

Stat bonuses and special effects can be preferred over elemental resistances, as the enemies don't use a lot of elemental attacks, and the most powerful ones are non-elemental anyway. It's better to focus on Wind over Water; the party has access to stronger sources of the former over the latter, and none of their Water-boosting weapons will be able to fully bridge the gap.

  • Lance's Vortex Cannon with Shockwave is the best multi-target offensive choice; the Vortex Cannon gives the highest Magic Attack boost out of all guns, and Shockwave benefits from its boost to Wind skills. However, the gun also lowers Lance's Accuracy, which can make hitting the Praetorian MKII more problematic.
  • Natalie's Dreamcatcher/Seraphim can deal considerable single-target damage with the highly accurate Judgement, despite not hitting an elemental weakness (outside of "More Foe Resistance"). If somebody else can Curse the boss to boost Holy damage, it'll be more effective than Mystic Breeze with Airwave. Both staves have other useful traits for this fight: the Seraphim can cast Holy Fire to Dispel a single target, while the Dreamcatcher resists Syphon, and its Talisman Seal cripples enemies' Magic Attack and potentially Syphons them (which is useful for the Razor Claws).
  • Anna's Emerald Cyclone can Dispel the enemies' buffs, counters with a high-Accuracy skill and, like the Vortex Cannon, randomly fires off Shockwaves with single-target weapon-elemental attacks, including its counterattack. However, this bow becomes available slightly later than the Praetorian MKII, requiring the Thermal Boots found in the latter half of Lankyroot Jungle.
    • The Ninja Skirt increases Accuracy, and its item boost lets Shuriken become a potent physical Wind attack. Unfortunately, the Ninja Skirt is only obtained some time after Praetorian MKII is defeated, though it can be used in the Mega Boss Rush.
  • Matt's Silver Blade has good Accuracy and debuffs Evade with weapon-elemental skills; its Swift Slash counterattack lets it passively apply this debuff to all foes at once. Matt's lack of physical Wind skills can be patched up the same way as Anna's, using the Ninja Gear with Shurikens.
  • The Bone Armor gives Dark resistance and high stats, and its elemental weaknesses cannot be exploited in this battle. However, watch out for the self-Curse, especially since the Praetorian MKII has excellent Accuracy.
  • The Pope's Dress gives Dark resistance and a strong Magic Defence boost, and randomly casts Revive, which would help against the enemies' high-damage attacks. Unfortunately, it is obtained much later than the boss can be accessed — in the Temple of Godcat.
  • The Target Badge has a great Accuracy boost for your main attacker, helping to counteract the enemies' massive Evade.
  • Sources of Bless can help prevent Syphon and Doom, potentially saving turns on curing the statuses.
  • The Casual Cap is an option to boost Matt or Lance's Evade and Accuracy; it's also Doom-proof when fully forged, and its ability to buff Evade against powerful attacks can compensate for its minimal defenses. The Cowboy Hat has even higher Accuracy, but it's not available until Goldenbrick Resort, well after the Praetorian MKII becomes available to fight.
  • The Cowboy Shirt has a huge Accuracy boost for the male characters, although its resistances are useless and its bulk is average at best. The Ninja Gear has less Accuracy, but it boasts superior Evade and a useful boost to Shurikens.

Battle[]

Unlike most battles, the opposition's Evade cannot simply be ignored. Accuracy-boosting equipment, Accuracy buffs, and/or Evade debuffs are required to have any hope of consistently hitting the Praetorian MKII or its minions. Conversely, Accuracy debuffs (preferably via Solar Flare) and Evade buffs (preferably via Reflex) can help improve the party's survival; they'll still be taking a beating (especially from the Praetorian MKII), but dodging at least some of the enemies' powerful attacks will prove very beneficial.

The biggest concern comes from the lasers; the Razor Claws can only hit one player at a time and need to Charge up first, but the Praetorian MKII can hit two players at once and use it at will once it falls below 65% of its HP. Since these attacks are non-elemental and prone to inflicting far more damage than even full Magic Defence buffs can endure, it's recommended to use Morale, Auto-Revive and/or Magic Attack debuffs.

The Praetorian MKII can debuff Magic Attack with Pulsar, but this is a relatively negligible threat. Although the debuff is decently powerful, its infliction chance is low and the boss becomes increasingly less likely to use it as its HP falls; once it hits the 32% mark, it'll stop using it entirely. On the other hand, Syphon becomes a serious problem once it starts using Dark Eyes; consider equipping Syphon-resistant gear on your Purify/Cleanse user to reduce turns wasted on curing them with Garlic.

The Praetorian MKII will buff itself every four turns (aside from its first buff, which is used on its fifth turn since the battle began), respawning any lost Razor Claws in the process. As a result, it might be a good idea to debuff the minions' offensive stats, using Weaken and Tired to maintain them; this minimizes their threat and prevents the boss from summoning fresh ones. Applying Syphon is an option to restrict the Razor Claws to a weak physical attack; the Syphon skill has a good chance to hit both at once, especially if their Evade has been debuffed beforehand. If you are planning to kill the Razor Claws, do so when the Praetorian MKII buffs itself to maximize the time spent without them.

Trivia[]

  • The Praetorian MKII has a few references to Akron, the final boss of Epic Battle Fantasy 3. Its Razor Claw helpers are essentially modified versions of Akron's Rune Claws, and it uses the Dark Eyes attack of his Raised Form (albeit with a different status effect). More esoterically, the Praetorian MKII's monstrous torso is slightly evocative of Akron's Raised Form, and its Boomeranging Lazor could be considered its equivalent of Akron's Dark Ball attack.
  • Based on its red markings, massive Evade, and renewed focus on lasers and powerful Dark magic, the Praetorian MKII may have been based upon or modified with Cosmic Monolith technology.
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