Grimacing Tree: Ghastly Stump!

Occurrence

Stats

Lv.	24–71	Iron Stance	400
HP	177840–441792
Weak
Strong
Drop	Smokeshrooms (100%) Smokeshrooms (50%)
Steal	Life Bottle (50%)
Rewards	40000 gald/12000 Points

Prep: Build a Party Around Elemental Weaknesses Combos

You can get a knockdown against this boss by using a combo that hits its weaknesses five consecutive times, so you’ll want to field a party that can attack with a variety of damage types. You should primarily use characters that attack its weakness of Fire. You’ll also want to bring plenty of Panacea Bottles. By changing weapons, Ludger should be able to pull off the five-hit combo all by himself!

Tactics: Target the Boss’s Head, Then Assault It with Fire

The boss is easy to stagger if you attack its head, but it’s fairly high off the ground, so you’ll need to use jump attacks to hit it. The best tactic is to use dual blades to attack it as you fall back to the earth, and then unleash a combo of Fire-type artes (by switching weapons) as soon as you land. When the boss reaches its Over Limit status, it will use its beam attack often, so either dodge for the duration of the Over Limit status or transform.

Knockdown: Hit It with a Combo of Five Weakness-Exploiting Hits

To get a knockdown, hit it with a combo of at least five hits that target its elemental weaknesses (in EX mode, you need to do at least nine hits). When it falls down, it will expose its head to damage from regular attacks, allowing you to do large amounts of damage.

Attacks to Watch Out For

Maximum Laser: When you see the boss plant both hands on the ground, begin blocking or evade to a position behind it.

Attack Beam: The boss thrusting both arms in front of itself is the sign for this attack. Don’t try to evade; just block it.

EX: Use Power Charge 3 to Get the Knockdown

EX Stats

Lv.	123–170	Iron Stance	400
HP	1467648–1995552
Weak	—
Strong
Drop	Smokeshrooms (100%) Smokeshrooms (50%)
Steal	Life Bottle (50%)
Rewards	740000 gald/222000 Points

The EX version of the boss has no elemental weaknesses, so set all three versions of Power Charge to your character. Charge Power Charge 3 while fleeing from the enemy’s attacks, and then get the knockdown by hitting it with a nine-hit combo. Use the Fire artes of Milla and Muzét to inflict Burn ailment. Burning is very useful, and can deal up to 12% of its HP worth of damage, so use Fire-type attacks regularly.