Epilogue ATEMS (アフターエピソードATEMS編, After Episode ATEMS Edition) is an extra story and gameplay mode in Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 focusing on ATEMS, with ZedΩ as the playable character. It was added in version 2.0.0, which concluded the game's five-month update campaign. Epilogue ATEMS is unlocked by clearing the main story's True Ending.
The mode has its own save files and features five stages from the main game, one original boss, ZedΩ-themed music, three new songs by Luxia, and 16 new base conversations between ZedΩ and the ATEMS members.
Gameplay[]
In Epilogue ATEMS, the player controls ZedΩ. ZedΩ plays similarly to Kirin, with melee attacks and the ability to tag enemies and warp to them, as well as a Chain multiplier in the air and Aerial and Quick Aerial Kudos bonuses. ZedΩ has more aerial mobility and ranged attack options than Kirin, but he cannot stack tags on enemies to increase the damage of his attacks, and his equivalent of Arc Chain (called Lux Assault) is too weak to defeat most enemies in one hit. Thus, he must use his tag-and-warp action in conjunction with aerial ranged and melee attacks to efficiently chain aerial kills and earn Quick Aerial bonuses. To help facilitate this gameplay style, ZedΩ's Kudos gain from non-lethal Lux Assault damage is not penalized, and his Chain multiplier can increase by multiple stages if he defeats multiple enemies with a single Lux Assault, neither of which is the case with Kirin's Arc Chain.
When ZedΩ earns enough Kudos, Luxia will sing for him just like Lumen does for Kirin and Gunvolt in the main game. Luxia has one song for each of the three song levels. Luxia can also revive ZedΩ with Djinn's Wish if he is defeated, massively boosting his attack power, defense, and mobility at the cost of Kudos and score. ZedΩ can increase the chance of this happening by using the Talk menu option to talk with comrades between missions.
All of the bosses in Epilogue ATEMS that return from the main game use their harder patterns from Demanding Task and Merciless Task, except for the recreation of Primal Dragon Gunvolt, which uses an even harder pattern. To compensate for this, ZedΩ begins Epilogue ATEMS at Level 30 and gains EXP faster than Kirin does in the main game.
Knights Abilities[]
Knights Abilities are passive upgrades that function as ZedΩ's equivalent of Passive Image Pulses. Each Knights Ability is themed after a character from the ATEMS faction. ZedΩ begins Epilogue ATEMS with four slots for Knights Abilities and unlocks more slots as he levels up, up to a total of eight at Level 60. Knights Abilities can be purchased at any time with money alone, but Epilogue ATEMS has no Image Chips or end-of-stage lotteries that give them out. Knights Abilities cannot be enhanced.
| List of Knights Abilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Rarity | Description | Price |
| ZedΩ | *** | Vibratio activates when wings are in stock, nullifying any damage taken. | Available at start |
| "Priestess of ATEMS" Layla | *** | Increases the chance of playing a special Kudos song while equipped. (Changes the thresholds for song levels 2/3 from 4000/7000 Kudos to 3000/5000 Kudos.) | 10,000 |
| Luxia | * | Causes Kudos songs to play longer. | 20,000 |
| "The Djinn" Luxia | *** | Increases damage dealt while a Kudos song is playing. Effect increases with the level of the Kudos song. (+20% at song level 1, +50% at level 2, +100% at level 3. Does not affect SP Skills.) | 30,000 |
| Grazie | * | Reduces damage taken by 25. | 10,000 |
| "ATEMS Knight" Grazie | *** | Reduces damage taken by 50. | 30,000 |
| Sistina | * | Reduces the Kudos required to remove a Kudos Lock by 30%. | 10,000 |
| "ATEMS Knight" Sistina | *** | Reduces the Kudos required to remove a Kudos Lock by 60%. | 30,000 |
| Prado | * | Reduces the required number of enemies to defeat for a Chain bonus by 2. | 10,000 |
| "ATEMS Knight" Prado | *** | Reduces the required number of enemies to defeat for a Chain bonus by 3. | 30,000 |
| Serpentine | * | Increases Kudos generation by 20%. | 10,000 |
| "ATEMS Knight" Serpentine | *** | Increases Kudos generation by 30%. | 30,000 |
Missions[]
Epilogue ATEMS features the following sequence of missions:
- Downtown Christmas
- Cyber-Kowloon, Stormy Megafloat, and Old Capital Temple (can be played in any order)
- Futures Institute (altered level design and upgraded boss, followed by a boss-only final mission)
Unlike the main game, no extra missions or difficulty modes are unlocked upon completion of the story campaign.
Story[]
Shortly after the events of the main game, ATEMS is making plans that necessitate their continued presence in the country. In the aftermath of the incident with Moebius, ZedΩ happened to notice and sneak off with an Azure Spirit, a fragment of the Azure Striker Septimosome. Gunvolt left it behind as he vanished with Moebius, and it turns out these Azure Spirits have a small amount of Astral Order's power mixed in them. ZedΩ plans to snag the Azure Spirits before Sumeragi can try to play coy about them, hoping that by studying these fragments and forcing Sumeragi to put their cards on the table, ATEMS can decipher the secret to Azure Striker and Astral Order's merging, and even uncover the cause of Primal Dragonization.
To that end, ATEMS plans to delay their departure from the country on grounds of a research data exchange with Sumeragi. While the exchange itself is legitimate, the time it takes for Sumeragi to handle the associated red tape will buy time to gather the Azure Spirits. With Layla dowsing the locations of the Azure Spirits, ATEMS moves to gather them, though this does result in them coming to blows with the Adepts of the Dragon Saviors.
After besting the Dragon Saviors, ATEMS has managed to gather nine Azure Spirits, including the one they started with. As they discuss what their next move is, Kirin steps in, having found out they were operating from within Sumeragi this whole time. After the situation is explained, ZedΩ asks Kirin for entry rights for both himself and Layla to access the S-FIT facility where Gunvolt and Moebius were sealed away, as it's the location of the remaining Azure Spirits. Kirin agrees, and the three of them set off.
At the Futures Institute's heart, the three of them find the form of Primal Dragon Gunvolt, or rather a pseudo-Image Pulse of the Primal Dragon formed by the Azure Spirits. Bidding Kirin take Layla a safe distance away, ZedΩ faces the phantasmal dragon and bests it, allowing a moment's peace. Before Kirin can call in a team to recover the Azure Spirits, ZedΩ receives an emergency call from Sistina. Apparently, the Azure Spirits in their custody have vanished. In an instant, more Azure Spirits join the cloud, and they begin to gather around Layla.
The next moment, Layla is suspended in the air, unresponsive. ZedΩ is shocked to realize that the Azure Spirits have possessed Layla and wrested control of her Djinn. Taking matters into his own hands, ZedΩ faces the possessed Djinn, eventually managing to dispel the Azure Spirits and rescue Layla. Thankfully, Layla herself seems unharmed, though with the Azure Spirits now gone, everyone's back to square one. Except Layla had one last Azure Spirit tucked away in her coat. The Djinn adept offers it to Kirin, and at ZedΩ's insistence, the Battle Priestess accepts it.
Several days later, ATEMS is preparing to leave for real, having finished exchanging their research and no longer having the Azure Spirits. Kirin is there to see them off. Layla actually says "See you" to Kirin, shocking both the Battle Priestess and Sistina for actually saying something beyond "hm" or "mm". ZedΩ walks off with a chuckle, remarking how lively things are around Kirin and his Knights.