Megaten Beginner's Guide 2 and Home Points
MMORPG.com's Megaten Correspondent P. Roberts writes this guide for players just starting out in the game.
One thing important to do once you leave the Virtual Battle room is to talk to Guard 1. He's standing right there as you leave, so you can't miss him. While you should have spoken to Snakeman as a matter of course and collected the quest to the Cathedral of Shadows -- this is an essential location to know -- Guard 1's quest is optional, but still very helpful.
One of the most important things he has you do is to go and speak to the Home Point Girl. You'll also be speaking to the Terminelle, who is the keeper of the terminal. Both are extremely important anywhere you go, and most every place will have both, if it is a proper city. Becoming familiar with both of these and all of the services they can perform is paramount to a truly good Megaten experience.
First, let's talk about the Terminelle. Located conveniently in Home III, the Terminelle minds a variety of services that are useful. Possibly the most immediately useful one is the free item storage. You can store up to 50 items with the Terminelle for free, and if you're so inclined (and a bit of a packrat!), you can purchase additional tickets with Aeria Points. These are cash shop items, so it may be said that saving everything, regardless of need, can be a bad thing. Generally you will want to use the items that you need to use, and sell the rest either to a shop or in a bazaar. For the items that you feel necessary to save, be sure to transfer the item to your inventory in the window, then hit Collate to stack items that are stackable. This way, you can save space in your storage.
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The other very important service that the Terminelle provides is demon storage. You can't use any demon storage without renting a storage compartment, and this is only possible through Aeria Points. Because of this, many people will be best suited by working towards their most desired demon team, as well as completing the storyline quests that allow them to store greater and greater amounts for a party. One storage compartment should be enough for anyone, if they so desire, as it is possible to store up to 50 demons with one...exactly like the item storage, except for demons. You can rent demon storage for various lengths of time.
The Home Point Girl is another that you will need to become familiarwith. She can explain to you, wherever you ask, what services she provides and how to access them. The Home Point itself is the column near her, made up of constantly-rotating discs with sigils glowing on the surface. Some Home Points don't have a Home Point Girl, but several do; they are not the same person, it is essential to note, and they do look distinctly different from each other, including different attire.
The Home Point itself is actually taken from the Save Point in the console Shin Megami Tensei games. They even look much the same! It's a thrilling little piece of consistent continuity between them, which will excite any fans of the series. Because of this, they serve a similar purpose: in Megaten Online, you can restore to the Home Point if you are defeated in battle. You can also, alternatively, allow or request another player or demon to revive you, or in some cases revive at the zone entrance. You can only set a single Home Point as your home, at a time. Because of this, it is imperative that you set a Point convenient to your current quests and work.
For much of the first chapter, it may be most prudent to set your Home Point somewhere between Suginami and Nakano. In this manner, if you are defeated on your way, you can restore in a place somewhere in the middle, rather than having to go the full distance. There are various points around the map that can be used as Home Points, but they are not exactly like the ones in the cities and must be paid to use. They are, however, very much worth it if your business takes you frequently along that road.
Once you have reached level 25 and completed your DB License exam, you will be able to use additional functionality for the official Home Points, as located in cities. Of course you can set any Home Point as your home, which you were able to do before. But now you will also be able to use the teleportation function, which allows you to traverse vast distances in a short period of time. You can go from Shinjuku Babel to Home III in the blink of an eye. Note, however, that you may only use the teleporter once in a short period. You will have to give it time to recover, so be sure that when you teleport, it is for a distinct purpose.
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One thing that may help, which some people do not know, is that Traesto stones can fulfill a similar enough function, though it isdecidedly one-way. The spell Traesto takes a small eternity to cast, making it useless except in extreme circumstances. However, Traesto stones are inexpensive, easy to use, and common. Because of this, it is recommended that every player keep at least 5 Traesto stones in his or her inventory, at all times. Traesto stones allow the player to teleport immediately to whatever Home Point he has set as his home. It makes returning to turn in a quest very simple.
It can also act as a sort of remedy for the teleporter limitation. If you must turn in a quest at Home III but wish to return to Shinjuku Babel afterwards, to continue your adventures, set your Home Point to be one of the Points in Shinjuku Babel. Then use the Teleporter function to go to Home III. Now all you have to do, once at Home III with your quest turned in, is use a Traesto stone. You will be returned to Shinjuku Babel and free to continue your adventures from there.
As you can see, Home Points are not only essential, but also convenient. They help provide important functionality and ease to anyone who knows how to use them. It is because of this that everyone should learn, and learn quickly, the way Home Points work and how best to use them.
