Sub-Scenario: Caldislan Asterisks

Guide to defeating Barras & Holly, Ominas Crowe, and Argent Heinkel in Bravely Default's Caldislan Asterisks sub-scenario. Learn boss weaknesses and strategies.

Alright, let's tackle the Caldislan Asterisks sub-scenario! This one throws a few bosses at you, but don't worry, we'll get through them. It's time to face off against Barras and Holly, Ominas Crowe, and Argent Heinkel.

Boss: Barras and Holly

These two are back, and they haven't really changed their tactics. Barras will use Invigorate and a regular attack, and when his HP gets low, Invigorate will hit everyone, including himself. Holly sticks to Aero for damage, Protect for buffs, and Cure for healing.

Barras can still hit hard, but with your extra party members and abilities, you should have plenty of ways to deal with him. Try using the Pirate's Defang or Vampire's Curse to lower his attack power. If you've got a Swordmaster, Nothing Ventured can be a fun way to hit him back. And don't forget about Ninjas with Utsusemi to completely evade his attacks, especially when paired with Transience to counter after an evade!

The main thing to watch out for is Barras's Invigorate when his HP is low. It can really hurt if your Physical Defense isn't high enough. If you're struggling with that, the Templar's Rampart can protect your party from a single hit. It's also a good idea to save your most powerful moves and Special Moves for the end of the fight.

Once you've handled them, it's time to head to Centro Keep to deal with the Eternian fire-starter. The front entrance is your way in, and thankfully, all the doors and chests you unlocked before are open again.

Boss: Ominas Crowe

Head left inside the keep, and you'll find Ominas Crowe. He's definitely not happy to see you! He'll be using Fira to damage your party and Thunder on a single target. To counter this, equip Abate Fire from the Black Mage and Abate Lightning from the Summoner to significantly weaken his magic. The Spiritmaster's Adaptation can also let a party member absorb elemental damage, and the Iceflame Shield will negate fire damage.

But Ominas isn't just about raw damage; he also loves using status ailments like Sleep and Silence on individuals, or Poison on the whole party. If you have four Star Pendants, you can avoid these entirely. With the right defenses against his attacks and status effects, silencing him should be pretty straightforward.

Watch out when the Black Mage hits half HP: he'll start to Brave and cast both Fira and Thunder in the same turn, only to become immobile the turn after. After you defeat him, you'll get the Ise-no-Kami item. His earlier reaction before the fight might make more sense now...

Boss: Argent Heinkel

Your next stop is Lontano Villa, top floor, where Heinkel is waiting. He's still sticking to his knightly code. He'll start by using Ironclad to boost his defense for a turn and Protect Ally to take hits for his two archer subordinates. Your first priority should be to take out those archers quickly with your strongest thunder spells (like Thundaga or Deux Ex) or any other powerful group attack you have.

Once the archers are down, Heinkel will switch to Shield Strike, which damages a character and increases his own defense. To counter this, use the Pirate's Shell Split or Vampire's Firestorm to lower his defense, then hit him hard with your strongest attackers, especially those with thunder magic or sword magic.

If Heinkel's defense boosts are really annoying you, a Ninja can use Utsusemi followed by Kairai. This will make Heinkel target your Ninja, but he'll miss thanks to Utsusemi. As his HP drops, he'll get desperate and use Stomp, which deals heavy damage but lowers his defense. He also likes to Brave and use Stomp twice in one turn, so be ready!